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In This Issue

1. Web Site Updates
2. Report: Experience From Rest
3. Supplement: Flax Seed Oil
4. Diet: Making & Breaking A New Diet Before Starting 

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If you did not receive the Massivemuscle.net Newsletter #1, visit http://massivemuscle.listbot.com and click "View the List Archive".

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1. Web Site Updates:

Added links to the "Supplement Companies & Information" section at http://www.massivemuscle.net/links.htm
-Advantage Supplements - This company sells name brand supplements including ProPeptide protein.
-ProPeptide - The website of Dorian Yates' U.S. supplement company where you can get the free CD and protein sample.

Added member to the Massivemuscle.net family at http://www.massivemuscle.net/tim.htm
-My good friend Tim Egli has agreed to be showcased on Massivemuscle.net. Tim has had only three photo shoots and has already had photographs in two issues of Exercise For Men Only and had one photograph purchased by a major supplement company. Tim is pictured on the homepage or you can click on the above link to see more of his pictures.

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2. Report: Experience From Rest

In the last newsletter I talked about the importance of rest. I also mentioned that I was taking a week off. I did take one complete week away from the weight room, cardiovascular workouts, supplements and dieting. I was actually looking forward to the time off which told me I was long overdue for a break.

I had a lot of fun with my extra time and relaxed diet. I renewed my desire for bodybuilding by staying away from the weight room. Most of all, I shocked my muscles beyond belief. The first night back to the weight room resulted in soreness and fatigue I have not felt since I first started lifting weights.

If you have been training with great intensity for three months or more, make yourself take a week off. It may be difficult to stay away, but it will let your body and mind rest. This will keep you from hitting the feared "burn out" physically and mentally. You will be forced away from your normal routine which can make training ineffective. Take the week to evaluate your training and search for ways you can change your routines. Your body will thank you with new growth.

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3. Supplement: Flax Seed Oil

Flax Seed Oil has definitely become more recognized as an important supplement lately. However, many people still don't understand the benefits of this supplement. I mean, how can gulping down "liquid fat" actually be healthy? After all, we all grew up learning that health goes hand in hand with low fat diets. Those of you into bodybuilding probably know that there are good fats and bad fats.

What are good fats and why should I take them?
-Good fats are known by a couple different names: Omega Fatty Acids or Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's). The body cannot make fatty acids, therefore, they must be consumed through diet or nutritional supplements. Essential fatty acids decrease serum (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. Lean bodybuilders working on getting cut usually experience greater definition when taking Flax Seed Oil.

How can I consume good fats?
-The main food source for Omega Fatty Acids is fish. However, most people will not eat fish on a daily basis. Many do not like fish at all. In this case, you want to look into nutritional supplements. In my opinion, the best supplement is Flax Seed Oil. One tablespoon will provide you with: Alpha-Linolenic Acid (omega-3) 7700mg, Linoleic Acid (omega-6) 2170mg and Oleic Acid (omega-9) 2240mg. I do not recommend you supplement with Flax Seed Oil capsules because the capsules contain extremely small amounts of each fatty acid which makes it far from cost effective.

Where can I buy it and how much should I take?
-My recommendation is to take two tablespoons daily. Take one tablespoon with breakfast. Take the second tablespoon with your post-workout protein drink or with dinner. You can mix the oil with your protein drink, but I find it much easier to gulp it down followed immediately by a glass of water. It does not taste good by any means, but it is bearable.
-You can purchase Flax Seed Oil at any health food store. I found a great deal through DPS Nutrition. They sell Health From The Sun brand 16oz. bottles (31 servings) for $7.89 if you by 4 or more. http://www.dpsnutrition.com/

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4. Diet: Making & Breaking A New Diet Before Starting

Let me make one statement from experience: The best bodybuilding diets can easily be ruined before they are even started. In today's bodybuilding world, there are many diets that work great for many people. The problem is, the diets usually are a great variance from a person's current diet. This may be common sense to experienced dieters, but not to those putting together their first strict diet. Take a look at this scenario and then we will look at the problems.

Jon has been working on building muscle mass for six months. He decides it is time to show off that hard earned muscle by burning off excess fat. He wants to start right away while the desire is at its peak. So, Jon changes his diet from 3500 calories daily to 2500 calories daily. Also, he adds 30 minutes of cardio exercise each morning and speeds up his weight training routine by taking less rest between sets . He starts taking a thermogenic supplement to keep his metabolism higher throughout the day. After a month of hard work, Jon seems to have lost absolutely no bodyfat and is completely discouraged.

This story may sound exaggerated, but I was actually this crazy once. (I hope I have grown out of that phase...) Let's analyze the numerous mistakes with this scenario. Overall, there were too many big changes happening at one time. Jon's body was so confused by all the changes, it just stopped responding at all. I recommend you first change your diet, then add cardio, then change your weight training style, finally add supplements. The following explains how this can be achieved intelligently.

a. Diet. Your diet should never have a drastic change in calories (or carbohydrate intake for that matter). You should slowly drop your daily calorie intake. Jon should have changed to 3000 calories daily for one week. Then dropped to 2500 calories daily the next week. Depending on your body's ability to adapt, you may want to make this transition slower (dropping 250 daily calories on a weekly basis instead of 500). Once you have your diet down, move on to:

b. Add Cardio Work. Start your cardio at 15-20 minutes each morning (on an empty stomach) 4-5 days per week. Take the first week or two to work up to your intended workout time (probably 30-40 minutes). After one week at your intended cardio workout time, move on to:

c. Change Your Weight Training Style. Now that you are starting to adjust to the cardiovascular activity, you can speed up your workouts. Try resting only 30 seconds between sets. This will keep your heart rate up during your weight training and assist in burning excess fat as energy.

d. Shortly after changing all these things, go ahead and add thermogenics to your supplement intake if desired. Thermogenics will keep your metabolism up for extended periods, helping your burn more fat as energy, even when at rest. Do not take thermogenics if you have any medical conditions that could possibly be affected by an increased heart rate or if you experience alot of anxiety. Thermogenics will only add to these problems. Always follow the suggested dosages.

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Any NASCAR fans out there? Check out my pictures from Indianapolis at
http://www.massivemuscle.net/personal/brickyard2000/brickyard2000.htm

Train hard and treat your body right. Feel free to respond to this message to send me any information or thoughts you have about this newsletter. Until next month...

Jon Miller

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DISCLAIMER:
The suggestions and opinions in this newsletter are based on my personal experiences. Obviously, not all diets, supplements or training routines work the same for everyone. The objective of this newsletter is to provide you with the knowledge that will help you find what works best for you. You should always check with your personal physician before starting any exercise programs. All of the companies, products and websites I suggested are also from my own findings only.