Saturday, August 11, 2007

Simple Muscle Secrets- August 2007

Welcome to the August 2007 edition of Simple Muscle Secrets.

As you have read in Simple Muscle and no doubt understand, one of our primary goals with the diet and workout structure is to maximise the anabolic response in our body to ensure we are in a constant state of growth. However this cannot be achieved 24/7 because you need to ensure you are getting adequate rest, ie at least 8 hours sleep each night. Unfortunately this is one of the most catabolic times if you do not prepare your body correctly.

Overcoming The Most Catabolic Time Of Your Day

When you sleep it is the longest time your body will go without nutrients. During the day you wouldn’t starve your body of food for 8 hours or more but this is exactly what happens at night.

The last thing we want to be doing is breaking down muscle tissue that we have worked so hard to gain so what is the solution?

Well there are a couple of ways to go about it.

One of the tricks used by many a professional bodybuilder is to actually consume a meal half way through the night. Yes that means setting the alarm for 2 or 3am and dragging yourself out of bed. Generally the easiest way to do it is to prepare a high protein low carb shake before bed and have it ready to go for when you wake up. Then all you have to do is get up, consume the shake and then go back to bed and (hopefully) go back to sleep.

The infusion of nutrients halfway through the night keeps your muscles well fed and obviously helps prevent muscle catabolism.

However, I don’t know about you but the last thing I want to be doing every night is getting up half way through my deep sleep……sorry but I just love sleep too much…. As I’m sure most of you do as well.

So how else can we get around this problem?

What I prefer to do is consume a high protein, low carb (or low GI carb) shake before going to bed. This ensures my muscles are absolutely chock full of nutrients before I go to sleep.

Then as soon as I wake up I consume a high carb, high protein meal to replenish the nutrient stores that have been depleted throughout the night. You may remember that Growth Hormone levels are high after physical activity AND after sleep. By consuming a high carb (high GI) meal (similar to the post workout meal) you cause an insulin spike. This insulin spike, coupled with high GH levels results in the release of IGF-1. This release of IGF-1 coupled with the supply of quality protein first up puts our muscles immediately back into an anabolic response and state of growth.

Basically, we have minimised the time in which our muscles are without nutrients and therefore are in a catabolic state.

And consuming our high GI carbs at this time means that we give our bodies all day to burn them up and therefore there is no need to worry about putting on any fat!

Which method is best?

If you are aiming to compete in a bodybuilding contest and every ounce of muscle counts then the best method is to wake during the night.

However,

For the vast majority taking the second option is more than sufficient in terms of overcoming this catabolic time and of course is much easier and fits in better with our day to day lifestyles.
____________________________________________________

You Have The Power


Help shape Simple Muscle Secrets. As you know I’m dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and create the body you’ve always wanted. I want to hear from you on what issues you think are important or need addressing or what you would like to hear more about in Simple Muscle Secrets.

Simply send an email to
secrets@simplemuscle.com outlining your thoughts and I will endeavour to address these issues in the editions of Simple Muscle Secrets that follow.
___________________________________________________

I Want To Hear All About Your Progress


As a valued client your success with the Simple Muscle System is my highest priority and I am always excited to hear the progress you make. As you have seen many client testimonials have featured on web pages, in emails and products. Sharing your success also helps others achieve there own goals as they see real people achieving real results. The more the better

If you have results you would like to share then please send an email to
secrets@simplemuscle.com detailing your starting measurements / background and your results to date. The more detail the better.

Always remember that your privacy is always respected and no results are published without your express consent.
____________________________________________________

Miss An Issue Or Want To Check Out Previous Issues?

All editions of Simple Muscle Secrets can be found at the Simple Muscle Blog:
http://www.simplemuscle.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Simple Muscle Secrets. Until next time……..

Train For Gain,

Paul James
SimpleMuscle.com

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Simple Muscle Secrets July 2007

Hello again and welcome to another edition of Simple Muscle Secrets.

Today I wanted to discuss the post workout meal and clear the air on some of the confusion and myths that surround it.

The Post Workout Meal Facts

Basically it all stems from a question I received recently from a client, Ryan, from Florida in the USA. The question was:

"I'm a bit confused about the post-workout meal. Specifically when to have it and in what form? I've been told by some people that it must be a shake while others have said it can be solid food. I also read somewhere that said that I could eat the meal anywhere up to 24 hours after my workout and still get the same results, so why do you say different?"

To give you a complete answer let me break the question down into a few parts:

Firstly, as I detailed in Simple Muscle, the goal of this meal is to maximise the growth you achieve from the intense workout session you have just performed. The reason it is so crucial stems from your body's natural hormone production and the unique opportunity you have at this time. Namely, the chance to maximise IGF-1 production and minimise Cortisol production.

To re-cap, IGF-1 is the most potent muscle building hormone in your body but its production is very limited. It is produced when BOTH Insulin and Growth Hormone Levels are high. This occurs rarely because when one is high usually the other is low. Cortisol on the other hand is a Catabolic hormone and we need to minimise its production as much as possible.
Following your workout your Growth Hormone levels are high. Your insulin levels are low because there is no glucose to process as it was burned during the workout.

If you consume an easily digestible high protein / high carb meal immediately following your workout, you will cause an Insulin spike in your body. This spike means that your insulin levels rise rapidly before your Growth Hormone levels drop. With both Insulin and Growth Hormone levels high, IGF-1 is produced and with the protein that we have consumed also, our body turns into a muscle building furnace!!!

The reason this meal must be consumed no longer than 30-40 minutes after your workout is that as detailed in Simple Muscle, your Growth Hormone levels will begin to drop after this time and because of the lack of nutrients in your system, your Cortisol levels will rise as your body begins breaking down protein and muscle tissue to produce enough glucose to return the body to a normal blood sugar level.

I know it is a little long winded but this is why people who say that the Post Workout Meal is not important, or doesn't have to be consumed straight away are wrong! The scientific facts don't lie.

I always try to consume this meal immediately after my workout and never any longer than 25-30 minutes!

As for the specific make up of the meal..................

The meal needs to consist of Protein for muscle repair and growth and Carbohydrates for energy and hormone production. No fat is consumed with this meal as it is detrimental to what we are trying to achieve.

Ideally the sooner these nutrients can be digested and enter the bloodstream the better as we only have a limited time in which we can stimulate our hormones. As you know complex carbs are slow digesting and therefore not suitable at this time because this is one of the few occasions we ARE actually trying to produce high blood sugar levels and therefore a HIGH Insulin spike.

Therefore easily digestible simple carbs are best for this purpose.

Likewise the more easily digestible the protein we consume is the faster and better we can maximise muscle repair.

That is why consuming these nutrients in liquid or shake form is recommended. It is far more easily digested. Solid food, whilst containing these nutrients does still take longer to digest than liquid and therefore reduces the effectiveness of your hormone production.

I recommend a whey protein powder (isolate or concentrate) mixed with a high GI carb source. Whilst I will not endorse any particular brand or company's supplements, I suggest you visit any supplement shop or online store and look for post workout recovery drinks aimed at causing an insulin spike.

Just one final point on this subject about IGF-1. Because it is such a potent muscle building hormone, some people have been trying to increase their levels by taking specific artificial IGF-1 supplements. I strongly recommend against this as unnaturally high levels of IGF-1 (as produced by these supplements) can cause cancer and other major health problems.

Stick to natural production through correct dieting and you will produce all the IGF-1 you need in a safe and healthy manner.
___________________________________________________

I Want To Hear All About Your Progress

As a valued client your success with the Simple Muscle System is my highest priority and I am always excited to hear the progress you make. As you have seen many client testimonials have featured on web pages, in emails and products. Sharing your success also helps others achieve there own goals as they see real people achieving real results. The more the better.

If you have results you would like to share then please send an email to
paul@simplemuscle.com detailing your starting measurements / background and your results to date. The more detail the better.

Always remember that your privacy is always respected and no results are published without your express consent.

____________________________________________________

You Have The Power

Help shape Simple Muscle Secrets. As you know I'm dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and create the body you've always wanted. I want to hear from you on what issues you think are important or need addressing or what you would like to hear more about in Simple Muscle Secrets.

Simply send an email to
secrets@simplemuscle.com outlining your thoughts and I will endeavour to address these issues in the editions of Simple Muscle Secrets that follow.
____________________________________________________

Miss An Issue Or Want To Check Out Previous Issues?

All editions of Simple Muscle Secrets can be found at the Simple Muscle Blog:
http://www.simplemuscle.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Simple Muscle Secrets. Until next time........

Train For Gain,

Paul James
SimpleMuscle.com

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Making That Initial Adjustment

How are you finding the program so far? Most people are able to implement the workouts without too many problems, however it is the initial adjustment to your diet that may be difficult. It was for me.

You may stumble along the way in the first week or so as I did but trust me, the sooner you can implement the Simple Muscle Diet as part of your daily routine, the easier it becomes and the faster you will see results. Every person finds some aspect of the initial adjustment difficult or outside their comfort zone.

Do not let this trouble you- it is natural and should be expected.

Have you tried any of the delicious meals or recipes provided in the Simple Muscle bonuses? Remember, variety in your food will also keep things exciting and interesting.

Plan your meals at the start of the week then shop for the ingredients you will need. This is a great way to help avoid those unhealthy and unplanned snacks that occur when you are short of time.

If you know you will be out and about throughout the day, pack a few meals to take with you. A simple little freezer bag or cooler is easy to carry around with you if you don't have access to a fridge or the ability to cook meals during the day.

If you do stumble, do not worry about it or get caught up about it. Pick yourself up again and move on. What is your next meal? Plan it. Don't make the same mistake again. Learn from it. That is how we achieve.

Remember your success is dependent upon your attitude and dedication.

Enjoy your new lifestyle and the knowledge that you are creating not only the physique you have always wanted but a fitter healthier you.

I look forward to hearing of your progress.

Train For Gain,

Paul James

SimpleMuscle.com

5 Critical Mistakes To Avoid

By now you should have finished reading through the Simple Muscle System at least once. If not what is the delay? Don't you want to start building muscle ASAP? If you haven't already then get to it!

Now today I just wanted to highlight some common (and critical) mistakes that are made by people when starting one of the Simple Muscle Programs. Avoiding these mistakes means you will be able to achieve the best results in the shortest time possible.

Mistake 1- Failing To Take Your Measurements / Photograph

As explained in Simple Muscle, taking your starting measurements and weight are vital to determining which program is best for you and absolutely crucial to tracking your success. Some people think that just using "sight" as their measurement will suffice. Unfortunately sight will not tell you about lean muscle development and nor is it able to accurately measure how much you have grown from week to week. Measure yourself regularly as instructed.

Your photograph provides you with the visual reminder of what you want to change and the motivation to stick to the plan during the harder times- it is vitally important.

Mistake 2- Supplement Loading To Get Quicker Results

Some clients still believe that buying heaps of supplements will enable them to short cut the system to achieve better / faster results- WRONG.

As explained supplements are not the magical key and will not deliver the results you desire unless your diet and training regime are right. All you will be doing will be wasting money. Focus on getting your diet and training right first, then make an informed choice on what supplement (if any) you require.

Mistake 3- Not Following The Diet Plan Correctly

Building Muscle is 50% diet. The Simple Muscle diets are proven to work. It's pretty simple, follow the diet and achieve maximum muscle growth. Some clients fall into the trap of thinking they can just eat anything and still achieve the results they desire. Or they don't eat the required number of meals or meal portions. Or they fail to plan their weekly diet.

If you fail to plan or you simply try to wing it then you are only short changing yourself. Remember all that talk about empty, nutritionless calories and the importance of correct hormone stimulation. It all goes out the window if you don't follow the plan set out for you.

If you have a busy lifestyle this is especially important to ensure you are eating enough of the right foods and fuelling your body for maximum muscle growth.

Mistake 4- Altering The Workouts

Everybody has their favourite exercises and exercises they don't like as much. The trouble is when people start tinkering with the Simple Muscle Workouts to include other exercises or exclude exercises they don't like they stunt the growth they can achieve.

The Simple Muscle workouts have been proven to deliver results every time when followed as laid out. They will build the muscle you desire and they are all that is required. Removing exercises will affect your growth potential and hormone production. Adding exercises on top of what is already set out for you will result in overtraining, muscle damage and limited growth. Stick to the workout the way it is. It will work.

Mistake 5- Failing To Give The System Time To Work

Results take time and hard work. The Simple Muscle System is a lifestyle change and an intense muscle building program. You spent your hard earned money on it to find the solution to your troubled muscle growth. Follow the program and give it time to work. You must be persistent and patient. I guarantee the results will come if you follow the program correctly.

Don't you think if a 1 month magical perfect body solution was available you would have heard of it by now. The fact is there is no overnight solution. Everything takes time and effort- but if you are consistent in your application of the Simple Muscle System then your muscle growth will reach its full potential.

If you avoid these mistakes and follow the Simple Muscle System as I have laid it out for you then I guarantee you will achieve the body you desire.

I don't like wishing you good luck because carving your physique has nothing to do with luck, it's all about effort and dedication. So as always........

Train For Gain.

Paul JamesSimpleMuscle.com

Monday, May 7, 2007

Simple Muscle Secrets- The Most Important Ingredient

Hi again and welcome to another edition of Simple Muscle Secrets, brought to you by SimpleMuscle.com.

Inside This Issue:
1) The Most Important Ingredient
2) I Want To Hear All About Your Progress
3) SimpleMuscle.com Updates
4) You Have The Power


Hey there guys. Sorry for the delay in getting this latest edition of Simple Muscle Secrets to you- a few technical issues prevented my last email from sending so here goes again!

1) The Most Important Ingredient

I wanted to take the chance today to talk about an article I recently read on the importance of water. It goes very much hand in hand with the information provided in my ebook: Simple Muscle: The Insider Secrets To Fast Muscle Gains.

If you have ever read a health manual or undergone a fitness program then I’m sure you would have been told how important it is to keep your water intake high. But for a lot of people it is never explained exactly why you should do this even when you are NOT exercising.

Many people don’t understand exactly why it is THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in losing fat and building muscle and consequently don’t give it the attention it deserves. I found this article to be very informative and easy to understand. The message really hits home.

I cannot reprint the article here for legal reasons but if you click on the link below it will take you directly to the article itself:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jenheath4.htm

Enjoy your reading.

2) I Want To Hear All About Your Progress

I am always excited to hear the progress and updates of those of you undertaking the Simple Muscle Complete Workout System. If you haven’t provided an update or progress report already, simply visit The Simple Muscle Blog at http://simplemuscle.blogspot.com. You will find this newsletter published at the blog and all you have to do is click on the “comments” link and type in your progress. You can leave your name and state or you can do it anonymously, the choice is yours

Alternatively feel free to send me an email at
secrets@simplemuscle.com.

3) SimpleMuscle.com Updates

You may or may not be aware that SimpleMuscle.com is currently undergoing some major updates to provide you with even more information, tips and advice to help you on your journey to a better body. One recent addition has been the Bodybuilding News Page which provides up to date news and articles from the world of health, fitness and bodybuilding. Click on the link to check it out for yourself.

4) You Have The Power

Help shape Simple Muscle Secrets. As you know I’m dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and create the body you’ve always wanted. I want to hear from you on what issues you think are important or need addressing or what you would like to hear more about in Simple Muscle Secrets. Simply leave a comment in the blog (as described above) or click on the following link: secrets@simplemuscle.com to send an email outlining your thoughts and I will endeavour to address as many as I can in the issues of Simple Muscle Secrets that follow.

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Simple Muscle Secrets. Until next time……..

Train For Gain,

Paul James

SimpleMuscle.com

Monday, April 30, 2007

Bodybuilding in Simple Muscle

This is just a quick note to let you know that the Simple Muscle website now has an added page. For all the latest news from the world of bodybuilding simply click the "bodybuilding news" link on the main page or click here: Bodybuilding News.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Simple Muscle Blog Is Born

As many of you know, the technical things are not my strong suit, hence the time it has taken for me to set-up this blog.

Well here it is. You will have to bare with me as I get used to all of this (it's like being a beginner in the gym again) but you will be able to find all my latest newsletters and information here shortly.

Until that time remember............

Train For Gain,

Paul.