How To Maintain an Anabolic State.

Maintaining an anabolic state is a primary concern for every bodybuilder or lifter. Better known as the muscle building state, this ideal physical state can make a big difference in how the body develops and grows. 

Nutrition, metabolism and hormonal control are the most important factors in bodybuilding. However, there are different factors to focus on when maintaining an anabolic state for the body. The following tips can help you keep your body in an anabolic state.

Ensure Appropriate Nutrients

Proper nutrition is vital to proper bodybuilding. Any kind of deficiency can have adverse affects on the body. It is important to consume protein, carbohydrates and fats in the right ratios to gain muscle mass. This means consuming 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fats. Protein, in particular, is vital in bodybuilding as muscle tissues are mostly composed of this substance. Growth of muscle tissues also depends on protein.

Another important rule in ensuring appropriate nutrition is never to miss a meal. This means eating the right proportions of food every two to three hours. This will ensure that your body gets the required nutrients and amino acids at the right time.

Get Enough Sleep

Another way to physically maintain an anabolic state is by getting adequate amounts of sleep. Sleeping allows the body and mind to undergo general restoration. Even protein metabolism is improved during this time. Inadequate sleep can lead to lethargic feelings and lack of motivation. This can stop your training progress and also puts the body in a catabolic state, where muscles are broken down. Sleep deprivation can also make you more prone to injuries. It can negatively alter brain activity by slowing down chemical activities and reaction time. Getting eight to ten hours of sleep can help you get the most out of your workouts.

Improve Hormonal Balance

The release of the growth hormone and testosterone, the sex hormone is vital in maintaining an anabolic state. The growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland’s anterior lobe. It is important for gaining muscle mass, losing fat, increasing kidney functions and improving stamina and sleep. Consumption of natural supplements, such as GABA (gamma aminobutryic acid), ornithine and arginine, is a good way to increase growth hormones.  

Testosterone has distinctive effects on the male body. This hormone is produced in the adrenalin glands and testicles. It helps to increase protein and also manages normal sexual behavior. High testosterone levels can enhance muscle growth significantly. Testosterone release can be enhanced through meals with higher fat content and an appropriate supply of vitamin C, boron, branch chain amino acids and zinc.

There are other factors that can help the body achieve an anabolic state, including reducing exposure to pollutants, especially cigarette smoking. It's also a good idea to minimize stressful situations and follow correct training programs.

5 Basic Steps to Muscle Building and Clean Gains

Are you looking to grow muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently? It doesn't happen overnight (as any bodybuilder can tell you) but you'll be well on your way to adding muscle mass to your frame if you follow these BASIC steps CONSISTENTLY.

Step 1: Increase your caloric intake. If you are currently consuming 2,000 calories a day, boost that to about 2,500 calories. I say EAT BIG - BE BIG

Step 2: Get enough protein to support muscle growth. Aim for at least 1 to 2 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, take in at least 180 to 360 grams or about 6 to 12 ounces of protein every day.

Step 3: Drink Enough Water. The body needs a sufficient amount of water to build muscle at an optimal rate. Here's a great little formula to help make sure you are getting enough: Body weight in pounds X 0.6 = Water Intake in ounces.

Step 4: Eat regularly. Rather than having two or three large meals during the day—something we've grown up with—change your eating habits so that you are eating five or six smaller meals during the day. To help keep your protein intake high, one or two of those meals can be a protein shake.
Here's one example, though a quick Internet search will uncover hundreds of delicious protein shakes: 8 oz skim milk
1 banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 scoops of protein powder

My personal favorite - without powders: 
300ml Full Milk 
3-4 large eggs 
My sons Nesquick to taste. 
AND BLEND!!


Check this out - VIDEO

Step 5: Eat fat. That's right—not only does it make food taste good, fat is good for you, as long as you are eating the right kinds and amounts of fat! Saturated fats—the fat you'll find in a stick of butter, a bag of chips, or bacon (sad face allowed here)—should be limited to about 20 grams or less. That's the bad news. The good news is that unsaturated fats are actually beneficial, even necessary. Fat is necessary for the proper distribution of vitamins A, D, E, and K, helps promote better eyesight, and healthy skin. Depending on your total caloric intake, 50 to 70 grams of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat is beneficial for your training, and your overall general health.

• Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive, canola, and sesame oils; avocado; and nuts such as almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pistachios. 

• Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, cottonseed, and safflower oils; sunflower seeds and oils; flaxseed and flaxseed oil; soybeans and soybean oil. 

• Omega-3 fats, an overall winner of a fat that is very beneficial to heart and blood health, eyesight, and for children, brain development. You'll find this fat in many Omega-3-enriched foods. Another great source is fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, and sardines. 

• A good way to determine how much fat in grams you should be taking in is to multiply your calorie intake by .001 for maximum trans-fats; by .008 for maximum saturated fats; and by .03 for the "good fats." For example, for a 2,500-calorie diet, you would limit trans-fats to 3 grams or less, saturated fats to 20 grams or less, and up to 75 grams of mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Enjoy and Good Luck #BeastGangSportswear coming soon.

Using Creatine in Body Building and Fitness.

Is creatine safe and effective for beginners?

Creatine is a nonessential dietary compound that is found naturally in foods like meat and fish. It is also produced in small quantities (~1g) within the body (liver) and stored in our muscle cells, where it's used to power high intensity muscle contractions. With the limited supply available, creatine supplementation has been shown to be safe and effective and remains one of the world's most popular sports nutrition nutrients.

A perfect supplement for many training attributes’ – whether you want to increase your strength, power, muscular effort/recovery, time to exhaustion, lifting volume and performance; all in relation to short-term, high intensity, repeated exercise bouts. Although creatine is viewed more as a supplement for the strength trainer, its use offers some training benefits to an endurance exerciser, for example acute dosage (3g of creatine per day) of less than 4 weeks during a speed training phase.

How should creatine be taken if I'm a beginner or new to creatine?

If you're new to creatine, your supplementation plan needs to be individualised depending on your desired outcome. Going back to the research conducted in this area supplementation durations range from 5 days – 6 months, all of which have shown positive changes,with a strength related training and supplementation cycle typically lasting between 6-12 weeks. For this two supplementation regimes are used:

1. Loading and maintenance: used for a rapid creatine uptake in the short term, helpful when gains are required in a short supplementation cycle, for example 4 weeks.
Load Phase* – Take 5g, 4 times throughout the day, for the first 5 days.
Maintenance – after the loading phase, take just 5g for the remaining supplement cycle if muscle size and strength is your goal. If you are just looking for strength/power/performance gains without an increase in size take a maintenance dose of just 1 x 5g per day.

2. Maintenance – this method is often favoured for a longer term supplementation plan, for example 1-6 months. For this method supplement with 3-10g creatine daily for the total period selecting higher doses if muscle gain is also required (6-10g) and lower doses if you are just looking for performance gains (3-5g).

How quickly does creatine work and what results should I expect?

If you're using a loading dose then you will start feeling the benefits within 5-7 days, for example an increase in muscle mass. As supplementation continues the other previously mentioned attributes will be achieved.
*In the first 3 days a reduction in urine production is a normal occurrence of this type of plan.

Some Creatine tips.

Some creatine comes in pure form, and other powders are mixed with sugar so you can create a sweet energy drink.
Avoid liquid creatine. Creatine begins degrading the moment it is mixed with water, so packaged liquid creatine is actually creatine waste. Manufacturers of such products are pulling a fast one on consumers.
Creatine has been tested in multiple studies and is considered safe to use, but since it is a supplement, it has not been formally approved by the FDA. Check with your doctor if you're taking medication or have a condition that might be affected by taking a supplement.
Some people like to take creatine right before a workout, but its effects aren't instant, so it doesn't actually provide an immediate energy boost for weight-lifting and other exercises.
If you want to take creatine on the go, bring a separate water bottle and store the creatine dry. If you premix it, the creatine will degrade.

Basing your dosage on Body Weight.

• Calculate your dosage for the first week. During the initial stage, your dose should be .35 g of creatine per kg of body weight. Divide the total number per day into easily consumable amounts.

• For example, if you weigh 68 kg (150 pounds), multiply that by .35 to find that your daily dosage should be 23.8 g. That means you should take just under 6 grams of creatine per dose, 4 times per day.

• Calculate your dosage for the second week. During the second week, taper off to a dosage of .15 g of creatine per kg of body weight. This time, divide the total dose into 2 or 3 easily consumable amounts.

• If you weigh 68 kg (150 pounds), multiply that by .15 to find that your your daily dosage should be 10.2 grams of creatine per day. You can divide that into two doses of 5.1 grams, or divide it into three doses of 3.4 grams. Choose the option that's most convenient for your lifestyle.

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