4 Foods to Keep Your Testosterone Buzzing

Written by: Anthony Alayon
Best Selling Fitness Author
Web Site: www.HealthReporterDaily.com

I remember when all I used to care about was figuring out ways to build muscle.  I would read all of the magazines and web sites in order to educate myself.  I quickly realized that high testosterone levels were responsible for adding more muscle.

In plain English, testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle.  That’s why you see men naturally able to build muscle easier than women.  Now, there are so many ways people suggest when it comes to building muscle such as taking supplements, doing this type of work out, sleeping etc.  However, one thing I’ve learned is without eating the right foods, it can make building muscle a challenge.

You can always use a simple 10 second trick to boost your testosterone.

I have done a lot of research and even wrote a book called “24 Hour T Fix” regarding ways to naturally boost your testosterone.  In the book I go over all types of things to skyrocket your testosterone levels.

If you’d like to learn more about 24 Hour T Fix, click here now.

In the meantime, here are 4 foods that I feel can have a positive impact on your testosterone levels and make you feel more like a man today.

#1: Beef

I’d say this food in particular is a favorite for most men.

Not only does it boost testosterone levels but it also tastes amazing.

I personally do enjoy meat on many occasions.

It’s best to incorporate a little bit of meat to help add protein to your diet as well.  An 8 ounce steak cooked to perfection will get those testosterone levels buzzing.

#2: Beans

I am a fan of red and black beans.  However, there are many beans that can help boost your testosterone levels.  In general, try to incorporate beans in your diet as they taste great and yield many other health benefits.  Beans are low in fat and carbohydrates.  However, they are high in fiber!

My wife typically makes them with rice and mixes the beans in and they make for a great side dish for a main protein meal such as chicken, fish or even steak.  Now, let’s talk about the next food.

#3: Tuna

One of the healthiest foods you can eat is tuna.  It is a great source of lean protein and yields many other health benefits.  A majority of fish are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

I remember back when I was bodybuilding and I’d do whatever it takes to add some muscle.

I’d eat canned tuna with egg whites because it was inexpensive and loaded with protein but now when I want Tuna, I prefer fresh tuna with my wife as it tastes much better!

If you’d like additional foods to boost testosterone, then you can check out my blog for more info.

#4: Shellfish

I am a fan of just about any seafood.  I love shellfish in particular.  They taste great and are loaded with nutrients to keep your testosterone levels buzzing.

If you’re going to buy shellfish at the store, I’d suggest going to Whole Foods or some other grocery store like Trader Joe’s for the best quality.

It really depends on your location as to whether or not you’ll have access to Whole Food’s or Trader Joe’s or some other type of natural health food market.

So What Should You Do Next?

Now that you’ve discovered 4 foods to keep your testosterone levels buzzing, it’s time to take the next step.  If you’d like a bullet proof resource that gives you 101 ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels, then check out 24 Hour T Fix.

It’s a great way for you to boost your testosterone levels naturally.  You’ll discover lifestyle hacks, foods, herbs, spices and many other things to increase your testosterone levels.

If you’d like an even faster way to boost your testosterone levels, click here for the 10 second trick today.

Want More Men’s Health Related Articles Like This One?  Check Out More Articles Below

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Elevate Testosterone by 20% with THIS Morning Movement

 

By Chris Wilson, RKC, CPT, CSN

Athletes from high school to the pros have a few things in common besides speed and muscle.

For one, they are focused on doing whatever it takes to maintain and improve their performance and this requires the proper mindset.  While some may go too far to get an edge on their competition, others seek out ways to naturally boost their level of play and increase their mental toughness.

Secondly, these same talented, hardworking individuals do something else every day that destroys their ability to excel and it’s NOT what you think.

In an age when cell phones and tablets dominate our lives along with an excessive amount of sitting, it’s safe to say that our posture is suffering big time.  This constant looking down to text throughout the day or craning over a keyboard for hours at a time puts the body into awful alignment causing forward head posture otherwise known as “texting neck.”

What’s scarier is even the most elite athletes can suffer from this ugly and physically limiting posture.

Surely you’ve heard the phrase, the mind is the body and the body is the mind.

All this means is that our mental and physical connection is so powerful that one can greatly influence the other.

Here’s an example to illustrate this point:

Let’s say you’re running for distance and your body begins to fatigue as you lose your form and you tell yourself, “there’s no way I can finish this.”

Chances are, you won’t.  You just told yourself you couldn’t.

But if you’re mental state is strong you will maintain a more rigid upright posture and use positive, confident words like, “this may suck right now but I’m tougher than this and I’m going to make it!”

What really changed in these two scenarios?  Simply the language you used when talking to yourself which instantly changed the way you carried yourself in that moment.

Regardless of what you’re doing in life, if you act strong and think strong, you will most likely ‘feel’ strong.

You may already be familiar with this kind of thing but what makes this response to improved posture even cooler is that there is real science proving this positive chemical reaction in the body.

A study by graduate students at Harvard and Columbia University concluded that displaying a ‘power-pose’ absolutely had effects on how the body functions. [1]

Basically Form = Function.

It Was Found that High-power Posers Experienced Elevations in Their Testosterone Levels With Decreases in Cortisol Levels

This also increased their feelings of power and tolerance for risk while low-power posers exhibited the opposite pattern.

In other words, if you’re slouching with your head down and arms closed off, chances are your feelings of self-confidence and power are at rock bottom.  You don’t feel like a winner and therefore you won’t be a winner.

It’s very easy to look to nature or even the corporate world for more examples of this ‘power-pose.’

Think of images of a gorilla or elephant as they sit and walk confidently and proud across the land.  They hold their head high and look out at the world showing their dominance.

How about the CEO of a company?  He walks around the hallway tall and poised never closed off and hiding his body away.  He wants his body language to scream success and determination to everyone he sees.

Holding a power-pose will boost muscle building testosterone levels, lower your stress causing and fat storing cortisol levels and increase your feelings of power and risk.  All of those traits sound vital to achieving peak physical and mental performance as I’m sure you would agree.

This is why if you’re an athlete looking to perform at a high level, you always maintain a strong posture showing your opponent or onlookers that you’re ready and up to the challenge.  This is not just for show, there are real hormonal implications involved.

So how do you ‘carry’ yourself?

In other words, when you walk into a room, into the gym or on the field, do you stand tall and confident with your head held high, shoulders back and chest forward?  Or do you look down at the ground with your neck bent forward, back rounded and arms crossed?

The difference here is a gorilla neck versus a turtle neck.

Maybe you never gave it much thought before but now that you know how critical this ‘power-pose’ is, it’s time to act.

The study actually found that by holding a strong, powerful posture for just 2-minutes that it had tremendous impact on the subject’s physiological, psychological and behavioral state.

Here’s How to do the Movement and Quickly Get Yourself into a Position of Power

NOTE: You can do this movement from a standing or seated position. Example below based on seated.

• From a seated position, first tilt the pelvis forward creating a slight arch in the lower back which immediately helps to raise the chest.
• Then pull the shoulders down and back with your arms at your side.
• Next, lift the head and slightly tuck the chin making yourself as tall as possible.
• From this position you should now feel your back, glute and abdominal muscles working to hold you in this strong alignment.
• Begin by just holding this position for 5-10 seconds at a time and progress to holding it up to 2-minutes.

This can be done repetitively throughout the day helping to not only elevate testosterone and decrease cortisol but to also boost confidence, improve breathing and increase energy levels.

Do You Have Forward Head Posture?

Take This “Text Neck” Quick Self-Test To Find Out

 

[1] http://www.people.hbs.edu/acuddy/in%20press,%20carney
,%20cuddy,%20&%20yap,%20psych%20science.pdf

Why You Don’t Want Man-Boobs

 

By Brian Klepacki, MS, CSCS, CISSN, FMS

 It is pretty obvious that no guy wants to have man boobs and I’m not talking the Arnold Schwarzenegger kind either.

First off, they look awkward and as you know appearance means a lot to most people. Secondly, they are a sign that something hormonally is wrong with your body. Unfortunately many men do suffer from this issue and I can guarantee that if you ask any one of them if they would like breasts or not, none of them would want to have breasts.

We live in a society that glorifies looks. Especially for those in the population groups of early teens and aging men.

Your ‘looks’ are something that are often ‘looked’ at with very judgmental eyes, the judge being the individual. Then when you throw in something that is not natural looking in this demographic, there is only going to be negative feedback given from the individual and that will most likely lead to self-esteem issues.

It could possibly bring motivation as well since the individual might want to do something more about it. This could potentially bring one to focus more on improving their health, it could also mean that they eat better, but it also could mean that they need to reflect more on what brings satisfaction and real joy.

Unfortunately many people do take looks seriously but sometimes what’s happening on the inside is what really matters.

The medical term for man breasts is gynecomastia. Young boys with gynecomastia have shown lower scores on general tests of standard quality of life assessment, indicating problems in several areas. Even after adjustment for weight and body mass index (BMI), the patients had lower scores for general health, social functioning and mental health. They also had lower scores for physical health, but this was attributed to being overweight.

Breast enlargement can also be associated with lower levels of self-esteem in adolescent boys. This, along with impairment in emotional areas of quality of life, appeared directly related to gynecomastia, rather than being overweight.

Boys with gynecomastia also scored higher on a test of attitudes toward food and eating. However, there was no difference in the rate of clinical eating disorders between groups.

There is Good News Though if You or Someone You Know Has Male Breast Enlargement!

The good news is that gynecomastia is not always a true health threat. But with that said, you do not want to take this condition lightly. Certain conditions, even ones considered rare, should still be looked at by a professional to rule out any other health issues associated with gynecomastia.

In some men, it can be a sign of an overactive thyroid, cirrhosis of the liver, a genetic problem, or some cancers. One of the largest studies conducted to date pooled data from studies of about 2,400 men with breast cancer and 52,000 men without breast cancer and confirmed that risk factors for male breast cancer include obesity, a rare genetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome, and gynecomastia. The results of this work appeared Feb. 19, 2014, in the Journal of National Cancer Institute [1].

It was determined within this study that gynecomastia, independent from both Klinefelter syndrome and obesity, was associated with a 10-fold increased risk of breast cancer in men.

Gynecomastia can also be a sign of low testosterone and/or elevated estrogen levels. If you are unfamiliar with what testosterone does in the body it controls a variety of “man” functions that are pretty much exclusive to men.

Testosterone is a steroid hormone that stimulates development of male secondary sexual characteristics, produced mainly in the testes, but also in the ovaries and adrenal cortex. Functions like growth of body hair and sexual function are also impacted from testosterone.

Low testosterone is diagnosed when levels fall below a normal range (300 – 1000 ng/dL). A myriad of symptoms can occur if testosterone production drastically drops. Signs of low T (also called hypogonadism) are often subtle and can be mistaken for a natural part of aging.

Because testosterone plays a role in the building and strengthening of muscle, men with low testosterone might notice a decrease in both muscle mass and strength.

Those who try to prevent the muscle loss through weight training might find it difficult to build and repair muscle. Men with low T may also see increases in body fat. Hence, leading to what could potentially be gynecomastia if left untreated or uncontrolled.

Although the reasons behind growth of fat tissue within the breasts are not completely clear, research suggests that testosterone influences the way your body stores fat in this area of the body.

Certain medications can also cause gynecomastia and when you start taking different types of medications there are obvious side effects with anything that is foreign to the body. There are side effects from steroids like enlarged breasts and a tender puffy nipple area which is fairly common among many high level competitive bodybuilders.

You definitely want to be aware of the side effects for whatever drugs you are taking either over-the-counter or prescribed.  Do your research and make sure these effects are acceptable.  If you have enlarged man breasts, seek professional care and confront the issue as soon as possible.

Click HERE to Discover the
7 Worst Testosterone Killers

A Scientific Breakdown of an Advanced Testosterone Support Formula – TDrive

Written By: Brian Klepacki, MS, CSCS, CISSN

We have all heard this word before; testosterone. Depends on the type of person you are but many different images might come to mind when that word is mentioned.

Maybe it’s a ridiculously massive man (or woman) who looks like the hulk, or maybe you picture a feeble middle age man with a thinning hairline who occasionally plays softball with his buddies as an attempt to hold on to his ‘youth’.

Or maybe you think of professional athletes trying to cheat their way up the ranks to make more money. Whatever your opinion of ‘testosterone’ is, everyone has it and usually every male wants more it.

Testosterone boosters have been around for decades and they will continue to saturate the market for decades more. My hopes in writing this article is to take a much closer look at a certain product that has been shown to do exactly what is claims to do.

TDrive by ASRESEARCH is a new dietary supplement that is unlike others in the test-booster family. This particular supplement is a naturally derived product that has a unique formula of concentrated synergistic testosterone-stimulating factors.

The ingredients that are compounded together have been suggested to not only increase testosterone levels but to increase muscle growth and speed up fat loss.

Now before you say “YES, I want that!” let’s put on our science caps take a deeper look at how TDrive actually does what it says it does. “A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.” –Plato.

Going down the list of ten ingredients in TDrive, we start with eurycoma. Eurycoma is the primary ingredient in TDrive with 550mg per serving. This herb is widely used throughout the Pacific Rim and Indonesia and has a long and vibrant history. The traditional use of eurycoma has been as an aphrodisiac and medicinal tonic.

However the more important property that traditional users agree on is that it is an effective herb for boosting male potency. Animal studies have shown that eurycoma induces sexual arousal and activity, not unlike the effect of testosterone itself. Eurycoma does in fact have testosterone-like effects on male rats, and in in-vitro (test tube) studies.

Other animal studies have shown increases in serum testosterone levels that can ranged from 300% to almost 500%! And even better, the extract added in vitro to testicular tissue caused an increase of over 400% in testosterone production.

Not only is eurycoma apparent in increasing the activity of steroidogenic enzymes but an increase in cyclic AMP, which has a favorable effect on steroid synthesis has been shown. [1-4]

Mucuna Pruriens is a seed that is used as a popular medicine in China and India. TDrive contains 300mg of mucuna pruriens extract in each serving. It has been shown to increase testosterone levels [6], leading to evidence of added protein in the muscles and an increase in muscle mass and strength [7].

According to a more recent article that was published in 2011, m. pruriens seed extract induced a significant increase in the level of testicular testosterone in male rats [5]. It’s clear that this ancient seed has many positive effects on the body.

Safed Musli is another widely used herb that has a long history of success. Safed Musli has unparalleled therapeutic and medicinal properties which have made it a key ingredient in the preparation of a number of different formulations. Safed musli is also gaining increased importance as a tonic, which boosts the general immune system of the body.

It has also been shown to improve hormonal stability by enhancing the working of the adrenal gland. It also used to improve the circulation of blood combating fatigue in order to enhance strength and energy. Just like Eurycoma and the next ingredient discussed, these herbs have been recognized as safe with very low change of side effects. [8,9]

The last ingredient main ingredient I feel that is necessary to discuss is DIM or diindolylmethane. DIM has been shown to have complex interactions with the hormone estrogen thus appearing to have an anti-testosterone effect.

In other words, DIM has been shown to work against estrogen which has a direction affect on testosterone balance [10]. When the percentage of estrogen in the body is reduced, or limited, the percentage of testosterone is elevated.

There you have it, a very quick scientific breakdown to the four main ingredients in TDrive by ASRESEARCH. All of the ingredients in TDrive do have many other studies with results that parallel this supplement’s claims.

And the remaining ingredients that were not mentioned in this article (ginseng, L-tyrosine, white button mushroom, DMAE, maca root, and acacetin) also have data that shows to be in line with the intent of this product.

Not only are these ingredients proven to boost testosterone, they are naturally occurring and are safe to consume. As with all supplements and their outcomes, more scientific research needs to be done to make definite conclusions on claims made by companies but based on the research on this product, TDrive will bring results!

Order TDrive Here

Learn More: Free Video Presentation on TDrive

 

**These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Not intended for use by persons under 18. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Discontinue use and consult a medical doctor if you experience unusual symptoms. Do not exceed recommended serving. Improper use of this product will not improve results and is not advised. Consult with your doctor prior to using this product if you have been treated for, or diagnosed with, or have a family history of any medical conditions**

[1] Hamzah, SH, Yusof, A. The Anabolic Effects of LJ100. Department of Exercise Physiology, Sports Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Kuo PC, et al. Cytotoxic and antimalarial beta-carboline alkaloids from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia. J Nat Prod. 2003 Oct;66(10):1324-7.

[2] Ang HH, Cheang HS. Effects of Eurycoma longifolia jack on laevator ani muscle in both uncastrated and testosterone-stimulated castrated intact male rats. Arch Pharm Res. 2001 Oct;24(5):437-40.

[3] Ang HH, Lee KL. Kiyoshi M. Eurycoma longifolia Jack enhances sexual motivation in middle-aged male mice. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2003;14(3):301-8.

[4] M.I.M Tambi, S. Othman, and J.M. Saad “Water-soluble extract of LJ100(TM) as a potential natural energizer for healthy aging men” Specialist Reproductive Research Center, National Population & Family Development Board,Ministry of Women and Family Development, Malaysia. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia.

[5] K. Muthu, P. Krishnamoorthy, Evaluation of androgenic activity of Mucuna pruriens in male rats. Afr J of Biotech. 2011 Oct: 10(66), pp. 15017-15019.

[6] Amin KMY, Khan MN, Rehman ZS. Sexual function improving effect of Mucuna pruriens in sexually normal male rats. J. Study Med. Plant. Fitoterapia. 1996. 67: 53-58.

[7] Bhasin S, Storer TW, Berman N, Callegari C, Clevenger B, Phillips J, Bunnell TJ, Tricker R, Shirazi A, Casaburi R (1996). The Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone on Muscle Size and Strength in Normal Men. 1996. N. Engl. J. Med. 335: 1-7.

[8] Praneta Desale. Safed Musli: Herbal Viagra for Male Impotence. J Medicinal Plants Studies, 2013: 1(3):91-97.

[9] . Elizabeth K. G. Safed musli a promising medicinal plant. Indian Journal of Areca nut, Species and Medicinal Plants. 2001; 5 (2): 65- 69.

[10] Le HT, Schaldach CM, Firestone GL, Bjeldanes OF. Plant-derived 3,3′-diindolylmethane is a strong androgen antagonist in human prostate cancer cells. J Biol Chem . 2003;278:21136–45. Epub 2003 Mar 27.

 

Awakening Your ‘MAN-Making’ Hormones: Essential Building Blocks of Muscle & Strength

By Chris Wilson, CPT author Anabolic AfterGrowth

Anabolic Hormones like Testosterone, Growth Hormone, IGF-1, Insulin and Cortisol are the keys to unlocking your body’s muscle growth.  All of these have crucial roles on how your muscles respond to your training.  Without these key ingredients, our time in the gym would be 100% worthless!

So you’re probably wondering what the heck they do…keep reading.

Anabolic (or Anabolism) simply means GROWTH.  Making a bunch of smaller things into bigger things while using up a ton of energy in the process.  For some, it has a negative connotation only because it’s often found in the same sentence as steroids.

But the fact is, your body naturally releases all kinds of goodies that help you grow and develop from a young boy into a fully grown man-BEAST.

You don’t need outside help…the answer is already in you.  You just need to UNLOCK the right doors inside your body to release these muscle building monsters.

I will tell you exactly HOW to do that in a few minutes but first let me breakdown all of these extraordinary hormones.

Testosterone is what makes men, men.  Without testosterone coursing through our veins, we would never grow facial hair, have energy or be TEN TIMES stronger than women.  It is the KING of all male hormones and it is the bus driving all of the other muscle building hormones (more on that later).

Growth Hormone has also gotten a bad rap in recent years because of its illegal use in professional sports.  However, on the contrary, our body’s pituitary gland continues to release this essential hormone into our blood stream well after puberty.

This occurs primarily at two times throughout the day:  Post workout for about 30 minutes or so (but only when you train intensely with multi-joint exercises) but even more importantly while we’re getting our Zzzzzz’s.  This is precisely why getting enough quality sleep on top of kicking your own ass at the gym is critical to your muscle and strength building potential.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 or (IGF-1) is another key ingredient to your body’s natural ability to GROW those muscles.  It acts as a mediator or facilitator if you will.  The science here can get real tricky to understand so think of IGF-1 as a catalyst.  Without it, our growth hormone wouldn’t be able to do its job effectively.

Insulin is yet another super powerful hormone that is totally misunderstood.  You may be thinking diabetes but it actually is even more anabolic than GH.  Unfortunately insulin doesn’t really care whether it’s storing fat or building muscle.  It’s just doing its job and regulating a safe level of blood glucose.

Extra blood glucose will either get stored in your adipose tissue (fat) or it will go to your muscles and/or liver to be used as energy and help those muscle gains.  Insulin is required in the synthesis of protein making it vital to your muscle building potential.  It also helps to limit the breakdown of muscle making it an anti-catabolic hormone.

Thirdly, it acts as a transport system for your BCAAs.  Amino acids make up protein and are the building blocks of muscle and they are delivered directly into muscle cells by our good friend insulin BUT…here is where insulin is NOT your friend:

Insulin is totally unpredictable and helps to store unwanted body fat.  Just like it helps breakdown fat tissue (lipolysis), it also contributes to our fat gain.  It is super tricky to keep in check and this is why it gets a lot of bad press.

Here’s an EASY way to understand this complex science:

If testosterone is the bus (which drives all of this) and the kids on board are growth hormone (GH), the driver is IGF-1 helping to transport all of this super important material to our muscles and tissues which would be considered the school.  Insulin then would be the chaperones on the bus monitoring the kids and aiding any way they can to keep everything in check but sometimes the kids drive them nuts and all hell breaks loose.

Hey, it’s not a perfect analogy but it works just the same.

All of these hormones are necessary on the path to gaining size and strength.  But what about roadblocks, detours and road construction that threatens our muscle building journey?

Enter Catabolic Hormones.

They are essential to our body’s development but super scary at the same time.  These are your fight or flight hormones but since this could get really intricate, we will highlight just the main culprit, cortisol.

Let’s compare Anabolism to Catabolism.

Anabolic is the process of making smaller things into bigger things allowing us to gain muscle mass and catabolic is the breakdown of bigger things into smaller things using some of our own muscle tissue as the energy source.

The frightening part is that while our body is using its own muscle for energy, it is also halting the muscle growing process.  It would make no sense for the two to happen at once making cortisol a two-fold threat to our mass gains.

Listen, no guy wants to think about his muscles breaking down but it’s going to happen, so just deal with it bro and know how to manage this unavoidable metabolic mechanism.

In order for our bodies to change, adapt and grow, they need to get ripped apart and that is a very stressful time for your body.  Cortisol is at the center of this process.  It is also known as the “stress hormone” and once your body is pushed to its limits with training, you’re going to have some degree of cortisol released.

Your body doesn’t understand the difference between engaging in intense weight lifting versus running from a lion to save your life.

All your body wants to do is SURVIVE.  Either way, you’re stressing yourself out.

The key to not letting cortisol wreak havoc on your muscles and helping your fat multiply is to concentrate on what you CAN control.

3 KEYS to Limiting Cortisol Activity & Gaining ROCKLIKE Mass

#1 Nutrition: Eat especially well on training days and immediately following your workouts, take in quality carbohydrates and proteins.  This has shown to dramatically reduce the surge of cortisol which reaches its peak activity following a strenuous resistance workout.  Replenishing glucose to the blood stream is priority number one along with a healthy supply of amino acids.  Try to always do this within one hour of intense training.

#2 Sleep: Getting adequate sleep every night and napping when you can is paramount to muscle growth.  It sounds simple, right?  Why is it that babies require so much sleep?  It’s because their bodies are growing at such a rapid pace and SLEEP is the answer.  You grow while at rest, not while training, period.  Your body is stress-free while sleeping and your brain signals those essential muscle building hormones to be released and to do their jobs.  So go to sleep at a good time and rest as often as you can.  Save that hard earned muscle for when you need it in the gym.

#3 Training: Train really hard 3x per week doing the BIG 3 lifts. Focus on compound exercises that work the greatest number of muscles at once (ex. Deadlifts, Squats and Bench Press).  This strategy assists in the fat burning process and has the most profound impact on your central nervous system which helps to deliver the power in your lifts.  It also forces your bones and connective tissues to get stronger to support your increase in mass.  Don’t waste your time with endless isolation lifting and overtraining the smaller muscles resulting in strength imbalances and eventual injury.

Listen, I’m not gonna tell you to go on some crazy diet or go to bed every night at 8 pm.  It’s up to you to make good decisions with the food you’re putting into your body and knowing that donuts, soda and chips aren’t gonna get you where you want to be.

If you want to have the most impact on those man-making hormones, you HAVE TO dedicate yourself to the 3 keys I listed.  Make them a priority in your life and the muscles will follow, I guarantee it.

If You Enjoyed This Article, You’ll Love The One Below…

3 Horrible MISTAKES Guys Make
That Keep Them Scrawny & Weak

Get Enough Sleep Or Else…

 

by Sol Orwell of Examine.com

Getting enough sleep is absolutely vital to maintaining a high quality of life. Unfortunately, it takes time and commitment. If you don’t respect sleep, not only will you find yourself struggling in your daily life, but your gym performance and overall life expectancy will fall.

What happens when sleep is impaired?

Missing one night of sleep is not too bad. Physical performance is largely unaffected, and most parameters of mental health remain stable, apart from the occasional spike in afternoon fatigue. Most negative effects of sleep loss appear when sleep is poor every night, for a prolonged period of time.

Consistent poor sleep is associated with the following:

• An altered hormonal profile (your leptin, testosterone, growth hormone and cortisol levels might change for the worse).
• Reductions in muscle growth and increased fat gain over time.
• Reduced cognitive potential, usually in regards to judgement and interpersonal interactions.
• Reduced recovery rates.

Long-term adverse health effects include an increased risk for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Considering that sleep was recently found to clear toxic compounds from the brain, it seems prudent to find time for bedtime.

How can I easily optimize sleep?

Making sure your sleeping habits are ideal are equal parts habit, environment, and supplements. If your sleeping habits and environment are not up to par, dedicate time to improving them before moving onto supplements.

Habits
Sleep in the same place every night. Your body will enjoy the familiarity and get more rest. Attempt to ease your mind before trying to fall asleep. It can help to externalize your worries by keeping a diary or to-do list, or meditating. The more relaxed your brain is, the better you will sleep.

Environment
During the early stages of sleep, your body can and will respond to changes in your environment, possibly leading you to waking up when you would’ve just preferred to stay asleep. A good sleep environment is one with very little noise and a stable, not-too-warm temperature. If your mattress likes to surprise you by poking you with springs in your sleep, consider a new mattress.

While getting ready for bed, try to limit your exposure to light. Excessive light will limit your body’s production of melatonin, which is essential for a good night’s sleep. Try to stay away from LED or fluorescent lights 30 minutes before bed, or download f.lux if you must be online immediately before bed.

Supplementation
Supplementation should be resorted to if managing your habits and environment doesn’t produce your desired quality of sleep. Melatonin is great for people that have trouble falling asleep, but are fine once actually snoozing.

Glycine can help if you have no issue falling asleep, but wake up too often. Lemon balm is a good way to reduce intrusive thoughts before bed. Keep in mind, melatonin is less effective during the day, while lemon balm makes a horrible pre-workout.

What can I do if I slept badly but need to function at peak capacity?

Whether you couldn’t sleep the night before your first powerlifting meet, or you had to stay up to finish an assignment, there are a few things you can do to ensure you function well the day after a terrible night.

Your first option is caffeine, though try your best to time it well. Since fatigue associated with poor sleep occurs in the early afternoon, taking caffeine between 9 and 10 a.m. will counteract that fatigue best. Too early, and you’ll need another dose at noon. Too late, and you’ll be impairing your ability to fall asleep when you need to.

Do your best to go to bed earlier the next night. This is known as recompensatory sleep, and while there are limits to it, try to catch up with an extra hour or two of sleep the day after you sleep poorly.

Creatine has also been found to preserve cognitive function during sports during instances of sleep deprivation.

 

All of the scientific research presented in the Supplement-Goals Reference Guide (over 2000 references) is human studies. While they factor in animal studies and in vitro studies while building up their knowledge on topics, they do not include them in their conclusions.

Supplementation is interesting field. Some people rely too much on supplements while others totally dismiss them as useless. This non-biased guide will help you decide for yourself.

I bought a copy for everyone on my staff to reference.

If You Have Questions About Supplements – Click Here as This Reference Guide Will Help.

 

 

Training Techniques To Combat Stubborn Fat

Summary by Mike Westerdal

Unfortunately, shedding unwanted fat is a lot more complicated than just cutting back on calories and adding in a few extra cardio sessions each week. The problem is that our genetic programming gets in the way, making getting rid of fat a lot more complicated than we’d like. When we start to cut calories and burn more energy our bodies think that we’re facing a food shortage. In response, it releases a flood of hormonal responses that are designed to conserve energy and make sure we’ve got fat reserves to draw on for the upcoming ‘famine.’

These hormonal responses are what stand in the way of our fat loss goals. There are three in particular that inhibit fat loss–estrogen, insulin and cortisol. When we do the things we do to shed unwanted fat, it triggers the release of these hormones. And when released, each of these tells the body to increase residual fat storage, especially around the waist area. The good news though is that we can ‘fight hormones with hormones’ and manipulate our metabolic systems to overcome these fat loss roadblocks.

The secret to this strategy is identifying the nemesis for each ‘bad’ hormone–or in other words, the ‘good’ hormone that does the opposite of what the ‘bad’ hormone does. For example, testosterone is the ‘opposite’ of estrogen. Testosterone is the male sex hormone and estrogen is the female sex hormone. To combat the fat storage effects of estrogen, we want to increase the amount of testosterone our bodies release.

There are several ways you can naturally increase the amount of testosterone the body releases. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by lifting weights. In particular, increasing training density has proven to be an excellent technique to stimulate testosterone production. Training density refers to the amount of work you perform within a given timeframe. You can increase training density by lifting more weights, performing more repetitions or by reducing the rest periods between sets.

To fight the stubborn fat around the mid-section of the body, you can really increase training density through a modified circuit training technique. A key difference between this and other types of circuit training is that here, instead of focusing on doing a certain number of reps, you perform as many reps as you can within a certain time period for the first set. Then, you increase both the weight and the number of reps you perform for the second set.

Similarly, there are training techniques you can employ to combat insulin and its impact on body fat storage. Here, training techniques focus on increasing insulin sensitivity and boosting Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which counters the effects of insulin. Dynamic training–which is based on combination movements–is particularly effective at boosting the amount of IGF-1 in the bloodstream. Higher amounts of IGF-1 negates insulin resistance and increases the body’s fat-burning capacity.

We can also combat the fat gaining effects of cortisol by increasing the amount of Growth Hormone (GH) our bodies produce. GH is the single most effective compound your body produces to affect both fat loss and muscle gain. The more GH the body produces, the more fat you burn and the more lean muscle mass you add.

Like the other two fat-fighting hormones, certain training techniques stimulate the production of GH. Lactic acid training is one technique that is especially effective. Lactic acid is what causes the ‘burn’ you feel when you train your muscles really hard. As annoying as that feeling may be, it does trigger the release of cortisol- and fat-fighting GH. You can boost the release of lactic acid by lifting very slowly and then quickly (but carefully) returning to the starting position. Another way to increase GH production and diminish cortisol production is by sleeping. Yes, a good night’s rest triggers the production of GH while simultaneously diminishing the production of cortisol.

So there you have it–three fat-fighting training techniques from Roman’s Final Phase Fat Loss at your disposal. Include these in your training arsenal and you’ll be able to fight hormones with hormones and win the battle against stubborn fat, once and for all.

Attention Men and Women: If you’ve been struggling to lose those last 10 to 15 pounds, battling with slow fat loss, OR suffering from nagging “problem area” fat storage in your lower body, love handles, or belly this could be the most important web page you ever read. http://www.finalphasefatburning.com

Research on SEX, TESTOSTERONE…and MUSCLE

Research on SEX, TESTOSTERONE…and MUSCLE

Ok, here’s the question…

“Does $-ex actually LOWER testosterone…and your ability to build muscle?”

We all know that raising your “T” levels can DRAMATICALLY increase your libido as well as pack on layers of thick new muscle, right?

So is your “love life” holding you back from some KILLER gains in the gym?

I mean, what about the “old school” BOXING rule of not having $-ex the night before your fight?

Was it because it took the “lion” out of the fighter? Made him WEAKER?

Actually, this was a question that bodybuilding expert and “hormone enthusiast”, Jeff Anderson took head on.

And he’s the PERFECT guy for the job!

After all, Jeff’s best selling program “Optimum Anabolics” IS focused primarily on naturally increasing your body’s levels of Growth Hormone and testosterone (by as much as 1,000%!)

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But it wasn’t EASY finding an answer!
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After tracking down several endocrinologists and urologists, all of them just shrugged their shoulders and told Jeff they “didn’t know the answer”.

Sheeesh!

You’d think guys who are supposed to be experts in healing E.D. and low “T” levels would have at least a CLUE about this, right?

So Jeff dug deeper…

He called up a friend of his who is a a world-renowned researcher in hormone replacement therapy and after a long discussion, they came up with the DIFINITIVE answer…

YES! sex CAN reduce your “T” levels AND your muscle gains!

I’ll explain WHY in a second, but…

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Here’s what’s MOST important…
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I’m ALSO going to give you Jeff’s SECRET to not giving up your love life in order to have MORE MUSCLE!

Ok, follow along…

Testosterone is a VERY important hormone for gaining muscle.

You knew that, right?

Well in order for your body to optimize output, you MUST have enough of the mineral ZINC in your body.

Zinc is an essential nutrient for your internal “T-Factory” and your body uses it up very rapidly but doesn’t store very much in reserve.

Therefore, zinc must be replenished DAILY, but…

…our diets these days are naturally DEVOID of zinc due to our poor choices AND the degradation of our food supply from poor farming methods (don’t get me started!).

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But here’s the kicker…
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We men also lose zinc during SEX!

We lose up to 1mg of zinc for each “happy ending” we have…and even MORE while sweating (so sweaty sex is basically a “zinc SLAYER”! 😉

Ok, so if you’ve been following along…

Sweaty $-ex = Zinc Deficiency = Low Testosterone Levels = Less Muscle

Ok, now the solution (and NO…the answer is NOT to stop
having sweaty sex! 😉

First, testosterone is a “supply and demand” hormone so you’d
damn well better be using a program that triggers natural “T” release.

Actually, this is the entire basis of Jeff’s “Optimum Anabolics” program because he reveals a unique method for naturally increasing testosterone and growth hormone through what he calls “hormone triggering”.

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You can check out Jeff’s best selling “Optimum Anabolics” below:

=> Click To Become A “T-Machine”

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Bottom line, you MUST be providing your body with the “need” for more “T”.

That’s what Jeff’s program was SPECIFICALLY designed to do with his breakthrough “triggering” technique.

Fortunately, having more sex ALSO creates a “need” for more “T” so it’s just a matter of SUPPORTING your own natural production and Jeff covers this in detail in his book.

(BTW…feel free to use this excuse with your partner if things have been a bit “slow” lately – “Really honey! It’s for my health!)

Next, make sure you’re supplementing with about 15-25mg each day of zinc picolinate.

It’s best to take it at night on an empty stomach, right before you go to bed.

This will make sure you have adequate levels of the “raw nutrient” to optimize natural testosterone production…
…and of course, BUILD MORE MUSCLE!

By the way as you can tell, I’m a fan of Jeff’s Optimum Anabolics program, in fact you can see my testimonial on the page you’re about to read.

The before & after’s on his website PROVE that NATURALLY increasing “T” using his method WORKS…BIG TIME!

Go see for yourself at:

Click To Become A “T-Machine”