Muscle & Performance

We all have our favorite supplements, which tend to be the ones that work best for us. However, generally speaking, the ultimate test for supplement efficacy is years of substantiated published and undisputed evidence proving its benefits. Beta-alanine is one such supplement!  Recently, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutriton published a sports […]

Taurine Taurine is an amino acid derivative of the sulfur containing amino acid cysteine and is chemically known as 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid. Taurine is conditionally essential, which simply means that it may become depleted under conditions of heavy physical stress (e.g., working out) and activity (e.g., during sports performances).  Although taurine exists in most of our

It’s well known that weight training stimulates the immune system to release factors (i.e., cytokines) that regulate inflammation and muscle breakdown. As such, several studies suggest that cytokines play fundamental roles in muscle damage and repair associated with weight training. After several weeks of training the body adapts by altering the cytokine response, creating a

Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium and other minerals in the body, keeping the bones strong and cells happy. But, did you know that vitamin D also helps reduce body fat, increase muscle strength, and promote muscular development? One way vitamin D promotes such an array of fitness benefits is by binding to receptors

Over the past decade, numerous studies have praised fish oil for its many health and exercise benefits.  The omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish have been shown to reduce inflammation, increase cardiovascular health, increase the efficiency of the heart during exercise, maintain healthy blood lipid profiles, increase fat metabolism, and boost lean mass

For decades, supplement scientists have reported many performance-enhancing benefits to taking amino acids before, during, and after training. Most recently, scientists from University of Central Florida illustrated that ingesting a sport drink mixed with a di-peptide blend of alanine and glutamine (l-alanyl-l-glutamine) extends high intensity exercise performance.     In this new study published in the

p-Synephrine is a compound derived from citrus aurantium (aka bitter orange, Zhi Shi or sour orange), which are small citrus plants. Synephrine gained popularity as a fat-burning agent following the ephedra ban as both share a similar chemical structure. Though they share chemical similarities, synephrine has many differing biological properties, the most intriguing of which

We all know that elevated training intensity requires an optimal state of mind, but science tells us that high intensity workouts rely on optimizing the cellular environment in working muscle. At the end of the day, the more reps and sets you can complete during training sessions, the greater the stimulus for muscle growth.  Currently

One of the most popular debates in the fitness industry is whether or not you can maintain or even gain lean muscle mass when dieting for fat loss. Most cutting phases involve caloric restriction, high intensity training, and cardio, which can set up an environment of negative protein balance in the body. However, this state

Resistance training builds muscularity and strength by promoting anabolism, especially in trained muscle. As such, for a few hours after heavy exercise, your body enters a window of heightened protein synthesis (muscle building) counterbalanced by slight increases in catabolism (muscle breakdown). Science tells us that boosting blood amino acids within this window blunts catabolism and