I am a huge fan of research; research papers, published studies and articles, soon to be published studies and articles, etc. And as such, I frequent the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s website so I can get the latest info on what’s going on in the supplement world.

I know this article is a month old, but�I do believe a lot of the research is still relevant. So, without further ado, a brief overview of the Proceedings of the Fifth International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Conference and Expo (Completely attributed to http://jissn.com/supplements/5/S1�- this is from their website, I am paraphrasing). I chose the following articles because I feel that they’re relevant, as well as the fact that Scivation supplements contain a lot of the ingredients that the researchers used for their studies, and came away from with favorable results.

�Study: Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on exercise performance during a competitive wrestling season: an 8-week open label pilot study

Results: The subjects showed significant decrease (p < 0.01) in 400 m sprint time (-3.5 s � 2.4 s, mean � SD) and significant increase (p < 0.01) in 90 degree flexed-arm hang (+ 8.5 s � 8.35 s, mean � SD). No significant changes (p > 0.05) in blood lactate values were observed. Due to the large increase in performance and the similarity of results in comparison to other ?-ala studies, we feel our study suggests efficacy of ?-ala supplementation.

Study: Beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training augments metabolic adaptations and endurance performance in college-aged men

Results: Three weeks of combined ?-alanine supplementation and HIIT, following a 21-day ?-alanine loading and HIIT adaptation phase, significantly improves aerobic performance. The improvements in performance may be attributed to a greater reliance on aerobic metabolism due to chronic adaptations to HIIT, in combination with an improved muscle buffering capacity as a result of an increase in intramuscular carnosine levels.

Study: Effects of a pre- and post-exercise whey protein supplement on recovery from an acute resistance training session

Results: The results of this study indicate that subjects that consume a whey protein supplement before and after a resistance training session have a significantly greater improvement in exercise recovery 24- and 48-hours post-exercise than subjects ingesting a placebo.

Study: The effects of BCAA and leucine supplementation and lower-body resistance exercise on the ERK 1/2 MAPK pathway signal transduction

Results: A group � time interaction revealed that BCAA supplementation significantly elevated ERK1/2 activation at the 2 hr post and 6 hr post time points in comparison with the Leucine (p = .045) and placebo groups (p < .001). BCAA supplementation increased the phosphorylation status of ERK1/2 in conjunction with RE at 2 and 6 hours post-exercise. Leucine supplementation did not have any effect on ERK1/2 activation.�

For more information, check out: www.jissn.com

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If you are in the area, please come and join us in Cape Cod on June 26 & 27. Two time Ms. International and the current Ms. Fitness Olympia Jen Hendershott along with Marc Lobliner (Scivation President & National Level NPC competitor) and Rob Moran (Team Scivation Co-Director & WNBF Pro) will be on hand for this very special event. If you aren’t from the area, it will be well worth the trip! Among the events planned are the following:

- Open Q & A with Jen Hendershott and Team Scivation
- Product SUPERSALE!
- Autographs
- Prize Drawings
- and much more!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Rob@scivation.com

See you there!

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Opposites Attract

How to train with someone and still bring up both parties� weak points

By: Marc Lobliner, Rob Moran and Derek Charlebois�Team Scivation (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/team_scivation_main_page.htm)

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Aren�t we cute? �Damn right we are! Marc Lobliner and Rob Moran are training partners. They are both competitive bodybuilders with Rob being a WNBF Pro and Marc being a National Level NPC Bodybuilder. While structurally similar, they have weak points to bring up, as does everyone! But, although they are both of the same race, religion and gender, they have different �weak points�. A weak point is an area that a bodybuilder feels needs to be brought up to be in proportion to the rest of their body. Rob needs to build his chest and quads while Marc needs more back thickness and arms. What do they do? Give up?

This article will use Scivation Owner Marc Lobliner and Scivation Director of Team Scivation Rob Moran as a real life example of how to modify your training split to work for you and your partner. Training together is like a marriage. You need to adjust certain things and compromise to make it work well for everyone. While these two iron warriors do not need to negotiate doing the dishes for cuddle time, they do need to work out how to make both of them better bodybuilders and achieve Team Scivation�s main focus�..REACHING THEIR GOALS!

We will keep volume decently high and work in a 6-10 rep range since that is, for us and most, the SWEET SPOT for muscle growth! Abs will be done on any TWO training days per week. We recommend training abs two times a week as follows.

�Ab Workout #1

Decline Crunches 3 X 8-12

Back Extensions 3 X 8-12

�Ab Workout #2

Lying or Hanging Leg Raises 3 X 8-12

Torso Twist 3 X 8-12

�With these exercises you are hitting your entire core: abs, obliques, and lower back. We recommend doing 8-12 reps for abs, which means you are most likely going to have to hold some weights and do weighted ab exercises. Some people believe that doing weighted ab exercises will lead to big, blocky, extended abs. We do not agree with this belief at all.

�First thing is first. We want to start with the hardest workout early in the week while they are rested. A showing of hands from those that know what bodypart this is? You are DARN RIGHT—LEGS! Leg day is similar to hell week in football, except it is condensed into one day. Since Rob needs to bring up his quads mainly, we will make this a quad and calf ONLY day and separate hamstrings and place it with another group so we can focus all attention on the teardrop. Squats will be the main course on the menu and then assisted by leg press, hack squats, etc. the workout could look like this:

�Squats

3×6-10

�Leg Press

3×6-10

�Lunges

3×6-10

�Inner and Outer Thigh Machine

3×6-10

�Leg Extensions

3×6-10

Standing Calf Raise

3×6-10

Seated Calf Raise

3×6-10

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on squats with more weight and/or more reps.

Tuesday is CHEST day. Rob needs upper chest and Marc, although genetically blessed in the booby department, wouldn�t mind having a BIGGER chest! Thus, they will focus on upper chest movements and it will look like this�.

Incline Barbell Bench

3×6-10

DB Flat Bench

3×6-10

Incline Flys

3×6-10

Incline Hammer Press

3×6-10

Pec Deck

3×6-10

Cable Crossover

3×10-15

Dips

3 x failure

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on incline bench press with more weight and/or more reps.

Wednesday�.Marc�s day!! Time to build that back. This is a NON-Deadlift day because as you will see, we hit that later in the week. Marc has great back width, but lacks the thickness needed to take it to the next level. Thus, this workout will focus on rowing movements with some movements to target the lats�.can�t neglect anything!

Barbell Rows

3×6-10

Lat Pull Downs

3×6-10

Hammer DY Row

3×6-10

Hammer Low Row

3×6-10

Cable Low Row

3×6-10

Hyperextensions

3×15

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on barbell rows with more weight and/or more reps.

Thursday is almost an OFF day since it hits neither of our weak points, but to create balance and symmetry, EVERYTHING must get bigger and better! Thursday is Delts and Traps.

DB Shoulder Press

3×6-10

Lateral Raise

3×6-10

Rear Delt on Pec Deck

3×6-10

Hammer Shoulder Press

3×6-10

Front Raise

3×6-10

Barbell Shrugs

3×6-10

DB Shrugs

3×6-10

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on DB Shoulder Press and Barbell Shrugs with more weight and/or more reps.

Friday is another day for�..BOTH of them! Deadlifts and Hamstrings! Since Deadlifts hit QUADS AND HAMS and also kill the back, this is perfect! We throw in hamstrings at the end since we have a QUAD FOCUS day. This workout is intense!

Deadlifts

3×6-10

Hammer Strength Deadlifts

3×6-10

Stiff Leg Deadlifts

3×10-15

Leg Curls

3×6-10

Standing Leg Curls

3×6-10

Standing Calf Raises

3×6-10

Seated Calf Raises

3×6-10

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on Deadlifts with more weight and/or more reps.

Saturday is the last day, ARM DAY! A day that Rob needs as to not lose his guns, but Marc REALLY needs! Here is what will be done.

Close Grip Bench Press

3×6-10

Skullcrushers

3×6-10

Rope Pressdowns

3×6-10

Barbell Curls

3×6-10

Seated Incline Curls

3×6-10

Cable Curls

3×6-10

This can vary week by week, but we will ALWAYS try to progress on Close Grip Bench Press and Barbell Curls with more weight and/or more reps.

�

Friends with Benefits

No, not that, sicko! The training scheme will help you reach your goals. As you work your weaknesses, your training partner can push you and make sure you give your all into making those weak points STRONG points. Rob USED to have a weak (relative term here) and I used to have weak delts. But we have built them up immensely since teaming up. As a partner, it is your DUTY to make sure that you support your training partner. Take pride in helping them make gains!

�

Objective Eye

Your partner should be able to let you know if results are coming your way by offering objective advice. We also recommend weekly pictures to gage progress.

That is it! Now you can follow our blueprint to make sure that both you and your training partner improve your physiques and reach your goals. For free diet and training, visit www.teamscivation.com.

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I don’t think enough of us realize just how profound an impact the words we use have. Not only on others, but also on ourselves. I don’t know if any of you have seen/read “What the $%#^ do we know?” or “The Secret”, but if you have, and if you believe in it, you’ll know that the things we say can end up having a physiological response in our bodies. That’s right. Our thoughts, feelings, actions and words can actually CHANGE the chemical reactions in our body. You may think this is bogus; but please, hear me out. TRY it out…

I have issues with the term “Weight Loss”. First and foremost, the majority of people don’t want to lose WEIGHT per se; they want to lose FAT. Weight = The numbers you see in a scale. Fat = Muffin top. A lot of us don’t care about the numbers, but we want flat abs, rounded shoulders and an awesome V-taper. With that said, weight loss implies the number on the scale is going to go down, FAT LOSS implies that your body composition is going to charge POSITIVELY. Which one would YOU pick?

The second issue I have with the term is with the word LOSS. When we lose our keys, what do we do? We go out looking for them. We lose them, then we find them again. Easy as that. Well, then why do we use the word LOSS, when it comes to fat? Why would we LOSE fat, only to gain it back? Doesn’t make sense. We need to ABOLISH it. RID OURSELVES of it PERMANENTLY. DISPOSE of it. When we look ideal, we’re (hopefully) not going to go out searching for it again, are we? Didn’t think so.

So next time someone asks you what your physique goals are, really THINK about the answer. Think about what you want from your body. You want “Perma-leanness”, fat abolishment, and a healthy lifestyle. Saying those words out loud is the first step

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Recent evidence/scientific research (as per Dr. Stuart Phillips out of McMaster University in Hamiltin, Ontartio, Canada) points to the idea that how much protein we did is not a function of how much lean body mass we have, but rather, our BLOOD volume.

That is because protein synthesis and amino acid oxidization relies on protein DISPERSION in the blood stream, BEFORE it hits the muscle cells. So someone weighing 150 and someone weighing 250 would only need slightly different amounts of protein because their blood volume will be somewhere around 3.5 - 3.9 Litres.

“To examine the effect of how different dosages of egg protein powder affected protein synthesis rates; researchers had young healthy men who had previous resistance training experience perform intense resistance exercise and consume a egg protein drink that contained either 5, 10, 20, or 40 grams of egg protein. Interestingly, they found that increasing protein intake stimulated protein synthesis in a dose dependent manner up to 20 g of dietary protein, after which there was no further increase in protein synthesis (40 grams did not stimulate protein synthesis greater than 20 grams). This data suggest that there is a maximal rate at which dietary Amino Acids can be incorporated into muscle tissue and that with increasingly higher concentrations of Amino Acids, there is no further stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. So how many times in a day could someone consume such a dose (20 grams) to stimulate muscle anabolism that would ultimately translate into muscle growth? The researchers speculated that 5-6 times daily of small 20 grams of protein would be the optimal measure to increase anabolism and increase muscle mass. One thing that should be addresssed is that they used egg protein which many bodybuilders do not use anymore; whether this applies to whey protein is not known.”

This equals about 100g of protein a day for a range of people; which takes us back to the “Blood Volume” theory. Just something to think about…

Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, Prior T,Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr.

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Check out the new Team Scivation website!!!

www.teamscivation.com

This will be THE PLACE for everything Team Scivation!

Note that the program questionnaire is now available on the site. Just fill it out, click submit, and it will be emailed directly to me.

In the next couple of months look for:

- Team Scivation product specials
- Testimonials from Team Scivation Members
- Featured Articles
- Email Newsletters
- Team Scivation branded Clothing
- Team Scivation Athlete profiles
- New and exciting Team Scivation Videos
and much, much more!

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I don’t know much about probiotics other than to say they’re consisted of living bacteria that is healthy for our intestines and aid in the process of food digestion. Anyone who knows me or of my threads is probably aware of my battles with constant and unexplained bloating. After several doctor’s visits (and awaiting another one) I took the advice of several people and began taking probiotics… sort of. I’m still waiting on the pill versions I ordered, but in the meantime I’ve purchased some Danon Activia yogurt.

The jury is still out, but two and 4 yogurts into trying to ease my unrelenting bloat I feel amazingly better. More to come in the weeks ahead.

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Most competitive athletes go through cyclical stages of bulking and cutting. Bulking refers to the period of the year when one tried to put on muscle mass (with as little fat as possible), by taking in an excess of calories. And cutting refers to the time when one is in a caloric deficit in order to lose excess adipose (and hopefully keep, or even gain, muscle mass).

I would like to talk a little bit about NEAT/NEPA and the cutting phase. Here’s a quick definition of the terms: NEAT is an acronym that stands for “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.” It covers everything from impatiently tapping your foot while some lady finds her grocery coupons, to walking back to your car to grab your gym bag. Non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) such as walking to and from work each day is also included in NEAT.

When we’re dieting, one of two things can happen: Either we (sub)consciously INCREASE our NEAT (This is a trait that dates back to cavemen times *I’ll explain soon*), or we DECREASE our NEAT (Because we are trying to conserve energy while in a caloric deficit). Some people find themselves MORE hyper or energetic while cutting. It’s a paradoxical effect of the starvation mechanism, and the reason anorexics can thrive/exercise on VLCDs (very low calorie diets).

It stems from a biological/genetic inheritance. In cavemen times, when food was scarce, and people were eating (MAYBE) one meal per day, it WAS NOT in their best interests to sit around all day doing nothing. Although that would have been more conducive (and make more sense to US), the men couldn’t let their families (and themselves) starve.

So they had to go out hunting and fishing, despite not having eaten in so long.

When some people diet, they may have been a flash effect of this starvation phenomenon. The body is on low calories, but it still lifts heavy things to protect/preserve itself and (‘the tribe’).

But to those for whom NEAT is a chore, I implore you to reconsider if you want to get that extra edge while dieting. Eric Cressey, a famous strength and conditioning coach, describes his experiences with NEPA here:  I’ve always had to really work my butt off to stay lean.

Interestingly, though, in 2008, I stayed lean relatively effortlessly — and I realized why in late October. You see, in May, we moved to a bigger facility — twice the size, in fact — so there was a lot more walking involved in coaching. At one of our client’s suggestion, I put on a pedometer one day — and found that I walked just under four miles between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

When that day was over, I trained like I always do. In between, I was demonstrating exercise, helping to load and unload plates… just moving constantly — but without any real effort. Then, right around Thanksgiving, a lot of our guys started their throwing programs, which meant that I played a lot of catch. One Monday, I made over 500 throws. While this isn’t the norm, 150 or so throws a day between 45 and 60 feet is routine. There was no extra “cardio” or more planned exercise sessions, but I was getting hungrier and “accidentally” dropping weight (a big deal for a guy who has been able to maintain his weight in a four-pound range subconsciously for over two years). Now, I eat a lot — more than I’ve ever eaten, in fact.

I think that we get so caught up in trying to find the latest and greatest fat loss exercise plan that we lose sight of the fact that most of us really don’t move enough outside of our daily exercise. Non-exercise physical activity is more important than you think, so stop taking the elevator and parking so close to the building and you might find (as I did) that it isn’t as hard as you think to stay pretty lean.

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Don’t throw your old fashioned peanut butter away just yet. I just had my first experience with the low calorie alternative - powdered peanut butter (PB2) - and I’ve got mixed results on it. The label claims “PB2 has the same consistency as full fat peanut butter with all of the roasted peanut flavor…”

Powdered peanut butter IS an extremely lower calorie alternative with a GOOD peanut butter taste and consistency, but 20/20 people will be able to blind taste test and tell the difference. Instead of replacing peanut butter, I’m incorporating PB2 to be a wonderful seasoning to make (sort of) peanut butter tai chicken. And whether it’s tai, or just my simple creation ,it’s delicious! PB2 excells as a type of seasonings. Typically, I like to mix extra virgin olive oil with my grilled chicken to give it added mosture, taste, and the fats I need. So when combined with a serving of PB2, I use 1/2 less teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 oz. less of chicken, and I have almost the exact same macro nutrients before and after the exchange.

In case you’re wondering, 1 serving of PB2 (which is roughly equivalent in size to 2 tablespoons of regular peanut butter) has 53 calories, 1.9 grams of fat, 3.4 grams of carbs, and 5.6 grams of protein.

Bon apetite!

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A lot of people have been (constructively and not so constructively) criticizing the results of the “Groundbreaking Xtend study”. Their arguments lie in questioning the validity of the “Significance” of the study. I truly believe that the procedure was grounded in science, and holds a lot of clout/merit, especially given the doctors/professionals who participated in and ran the study.

With that said, I’d like to bring in a “Guest Blog” in order to discuss the relevance of the word “Significance” in scientific studies. Hopefully, you’ll come away from this with a better appreciation for Xtend, the results and science in general. It’s a long blog (by Brad Pilon), but WORTH THE READ!!! (Especially if you’re a science nut like me).

When it comes to nutrition and weight loss research, the first question everyone always asks is “Were the results significant”.

Unfortunately ‘significant’ isn’t what it used to be.

So what does significant mean anyways?

The use of significant research can often be very misleading, sending you down the wrong path in your quest for ‘research proven’ weight loss.

Some background…

In statistics, a result is called ‘statistically significant’ if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
That’s all it means.

So the commonly used significance P value of <0.05 simply means there is less than a 1 in 20 chance that the results found in the study were just a fluke and happened by complete chance.

What it does NOT mean is that the difference is necessarily large, important, or ‘significant’ in the common real-world meaning of the word.

Finding SIGNIFICANCE doesn’t mean the results were SIGNIFICANT.

How confusing is that?

The truth is, having statistical significance says nothing about the practical significance of the findings. Yet, for some reason, we are led to believe that significance is the ‘holy grail’ of scientific research.

Basically, if it is significant, it is right.

I’m not sure how this happened.

I think it has something to do with the use of scientific research as legal evidence in court cases. To me, this is when it no longer mattered if the results were applicable in the real world to real people; it only mattered if they were legally defensible.

The other tricky thing about significance it that significance DOES NOT mean causation.

In other words, just because the results of a study were found to be significant, it does not mean that one thing in the study actually caused the other.

This is Causation and it is actually EXTREMELY difficult to prove.

In fact, a good scientist will point out that causality can ONLY be proven by demonstrating a mechanism. Statistics and significance alone can never prove causality.

To even SUGGEST the idea of causation, you need to have certain evidence…

The relationship has to be strong, consistent, specific, plausible, follow a logical time sequence and shows a dose-response gradient.

It is VERY RARE that one scientific study can prove all of these things, and certainly being ‘significant’ proves NONE of these things.

Often, journalists and bloggers get so geeked up by a finding that is statistically significant that they all but ignore the practical importance or relevance of their findings.

“Scientifically proven to cause X”

If you see a claim like this, it’s probably wrong, or at least greatly oversimplified.

Significance tests are NEVER the whole answer. They are just one single piece of a very large puzzle. Statistical significance is irrelevant if the effect is of no practical or real-world importance.

So why did science ruin the word significance? Well significant used to mean “important; or something of consequence.”

Which I would argue it no longer means. It is an overused, overhyped term that is more science-marketing than it is science.

So we need a new word to describe the findings of research and whether they apply to the real world.
I nominate ‘Remarkable’.

Especially if you define something that is remarkable as  “worthy of notice or attention.”
So instead of asking if the results of the study were significant (which they almost always are these days) ask if the results of the study were remarkable.

More importantly whenever you read about research you need to ask yourself did the story give you enough information to determine whether or not the findings were remarkable. If they couldn’t give you enough information to make this decision easy, it probably wasn’t.

Or, if you don’t have the background needed to decide whether the results were remarkable, but feel like they SHOULD be, this is probably just an example of great science-marketing.

Remarkable…it’s the new significant.

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