Amino Acid L-Arginine

I (GP) thought I'd add a quick overview of L-Arginine, given its mention to me by a couple of people today in nutrition talks.

Firstly, in reference to supplementing (orally) and increased arousal and fertility. Notably though, the individual was supplementing L-Arginine in a stack (combined with Niacin, AKG, Vanadyl Sulphate). The increased blood flow (caused by the vaso-dilating properties of the other three main ingredients) could provide an answer as regards arousal (combined with the fact he's a rather horny individual) (NB: L-Arginine's often stacked with the aforementioned ingredients as it improves the bioavailability of nitric oxide). The above said, some older studies (a couple of decades ago) have purported increased fertility and sperm production (something of note: L-Arginine makes up approximately 80% of seminal fluid).

Secondly, wound healing and muscle tone. Initially, we'll consider wound healing. As it appears that L-Arginine plays an important part in the formation of collagen (main protein of connective tissue), it would therefore be sensible to assume that increased L-Arginine (perhaps through supplementation) may help improve our wound healing capability (coupled with L-Arginine's effect on the improved immune function of the Thymus Gland, which may also increase wound healing). Claims of increased "muscle tone" through supplementation is speculation only (to date) and the assumed correlation, I would presume (blimey, I'm assuming things now!), is borne from the role L-Arginine plays in stimulating the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. Most journal references to L-Arginine and "muscle tone" will advise that high levels of L-Arginine would need to be given intravenously for there to be any effect in this area.

Contraindications: Schizophrenics, Herpes sufferers.

Weight Training

Sad I know, but weight training is one of the loves of my life. No matter what your physique goal or sporting activity, weight training can help toward this endeavor. There are many widespread misconceptions about training with weights (or any type of resistance training for that matter), not helped by misleading advertising, but, hopefully the Gym Professor website, this blog, & my constant use of analogies will help to clarify things and set you on the right track in the gym.

Realising that many of you will be looking for guidance, the Gym Professor website (& eventually the Gym Professor blog) will include:

• Numerous exercise diagrams - providing basic instruction and detailing muscles exercised, what the exercise is for & who the exercise is for.
• Weight training & gym routines - relating to your physique goals & sports.
• Periodization strategies - for general gym & fitness training for sports.
• Fitness assessments - performing fitness tests & measuring hopefully positive trends.
• & Much more besides...
  

For successful weight training, I would suggest you have a basic understanding of nutrition and anatomy (in particular kinesiology). Information on both can be found on the Gym Professor website.

Incredibly helpful & thorough eBooks (mostly my own - time willing!) will be released in due course, with in-depth information and even more guidance on the above subject matters. So, if you find the Gym Professor website useful, please consider purchasing one of the eBooks.

In the meantime, to keep up to speed with all the latest updates, please follow the Gym Professor Blog and sign up to our FREE no spam Newsletter, which will (again, in time) offer a host of weight training, diet, & supplement advice etc. & some free related eBooks.

Best regards,

GP

Amino Acid L-Tyrosine

Apologies on my (GP) supplement biased, but, if you wanted to know the the chemical formula (by the way, it's C9H11NO3) and who L-Tyrosine (in this instance) was discovered by (btw, it's Justus Von Liebig), then the excellent Wikipedia would be a far greater resource. Personally, I find it all rather interesting, however, considering that you're on the Gym Professor Blog, I would imagine your question is to why L-Tyrosine is an added ingredient in either your "fat loss" supplement or your "mental buzz" supplement?

Well, lets start with the "fat loss" supplement. Amongst many important functions, L-Tyrosine governs production of CCK (Cholecystokinin), which is an appetite suppressant (as well as a pain reduction chemical). That's it, short and sweet.

As regards the "mental buzz" supplements, L-Tyrosine acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter stimulant on the brain and central nervous system. Subsequently, it's often included as a major ingredient (along with caffeine) in "mental buzz" supplements (normally drink form).

Contraindications: Schizophrenics, hypertension, high blood pressure, melanoma.

Amino Acid - Taurine

As noted under the Amino Acid blog post, Taurine does not have an "L" prefix as it only exists in one form. Furthermore, Taurine's unusual as it's not incorporated into proteins in the body (likewise, L-Ornithine). However, Taurine does play an important role in bile acid metabolism (as it's incorporated into one of the most abundant bile acids - Chenodeoxychloic Acid), where it serves to emulsify dietary lipids in the intestine, promoting digestion.

Taurine's most famous use is within "buzz/ energy" drinks, such as Red Bull (you know - gives you wings). You may find it as an active ingredient within your pet food or baby formula as well. As with most amino acids we've covered, their individual (& grouped) function/s has led to their analysis for different uses and their inclusion within many relating formula's. Although Taurine's inclusion within pet food and baby formula is more apparent (I'll cover this at the foot of the page), there's several reasons to argue it's inclusion within "energy" drinks, subsequently, it's become the norm as an ingredient. The quantitative "energy" (measured in calories) is less within so called "energy" drinks than a typical soft drink. The relating term "energy" (& the reason why I place it within annoying " " upon each mention) is borne from the basis that the ingredients (including Taurine) in these drinks contribute to mental alertness and physical performance, despite actually having less "energy" (again, when measuring calories). Personally, I prefer the term "buzz" drink. Anyway, I'll cover "energy" drinks in greater detail within the supplement section of the Gym Professor website.

Before I forget, what else you might see Taurine in as an active ingredient - pet food and baby formula. Firstly, pet food. Working along with Zinc, Taurine is important for eye health and vision. Cat's cannot synthesize the compound and so it's an important dietary requirement. Don't worry, your cat's not about to go blind, as meat and fish are good sources of Taurine. But, if you see it as an added ingredient within a processed cat food formula, this is why. As regards baby formula, premature babies who lack the enzymes needed to convert cystathionine to L-Cysteine may become deficient in taurine. Thus, taurine is a dietary essential nutrient in these individuals and is often added to many baby formulas as a measure of prudence (the name of my first cat - ha). Also of note, it has been found that high concentrations of Taurine are present in breast milk.

Weight Training Gym Routines

I (GP) have added categories below for various gym routines that may be of interest. These are sample routines only. Your training should follow a gradual progression (as your planned season allows), with sensible transitions from one routine to another. I will cover more on periodization of
weight training and training transitions amongst other articles on this website and will (in time) release an eBook detailing sensible process maps to follow with your training. However, in the meantime, DO NOT RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK! I say this because many newbies will adopt gym routines that are far beyond them and will therefore make little gains and increase their risk of injury.

Gym Routines:
Toning Routines (for men)
Toning Routines (for women)
Endurance Routines
Strength Routines
Circuit Training Routines
Bodybuilding Routines
Powerlifting Routines
Sports-Specific Routines

Tell me more about:
Gym Exercises
Gym Routine Factors to Consider
Gym Routine Upgrade Options
Advanced Training Methods
Fitness Routines
Fitness & Strength Assessments

Amino Acid L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine is the body's most abundant non-essential amino acid. It becomes conditionally essential (requiring intake from food or supplements) in states of illness or injury. Therefore, it's not uncommon for those regularly exercising (hopefully, you!) to supplement L-Glutamine (or for sport supplement manufacturers to add additional L-Glutamine to protein supplements), as the physical stress of exercise will decrease L-Glutamine concentrations.

Typically, I (GP) have known bodybuilders supplement L-Glutamine during pre-competition diet. The reason, not only to reduce fatigue, but, to help suppress carbohydrate craving.

Key Nutrients - Carbohydrates

In short, carbohydrates are foods that provide you with energy - carbohydrates being your primary energy source. Second being fats and finally protein. Hopefully, breads, cereals, rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables being your main sources of carbohydrates throughout the day.

Broken down through the digestive process, carbohydrates are metabolised into Glucose - some going to fuel brain activity and most of the remainder stored in the liver and muscles as Glycogen.

There are three categories of carbohydrates (please click on each to find out more) - Monosaccharides (simple sugars), Disaccharides (dual combination of simple sugars), Polysaccharides (chain of simple sugars, Starches). Simple sugars and starches are commonly referred to as simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates respectively. Simple carbohydrates are foods that give a quick increase in blood sugars, complex carbohydrates giving a slow increase in blood sugars. Most food items are now labelled with a ranking system (Glycemic Index) to indentify this.

To find out more about the following, please visit www.gymprofessor.com

Simple Sugars
Polysaccharides (Starches)
How blood sugar is controlled