[COFFEE]
House blend from local spot Hopscotch Coffee & Records. Nothing new &/or different here. 4/5
[MUSIC]
Nikki Lane has a new album out this year, and her song First High is the one that first grabbed my attention on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country.
Not gonna lie, the line that grabbed me was:
”501 blue jeans, tighter than god**mn Springsteen!”
That particular song is about the way adults miss - and chance - the way those special “firsts” felt.
The lyrics are sublime, and the guitar, with her southern accent… 🔥🔥🔥
Her whole catalog has me hooked. The overarching theme in her music is “get the tools you need, build the life you want, and play by your own rules” - couldn’t have said it better myself!
Check out Denim & Diamonds, Born Tough, and Right Time if you’re interested in more of her library. (Spotify link)
[BOOKS]
Oscar Trimboli’s How To Listen: Discover The Hidden Key To Better Communication
[PODCASTS]
Speaking of Oscar Trimboli, he was the guest on the most recent BHP and if you haven’t listen to it yet… I highly recommend it.
Let’s be honest, I don’t think “how to be a better listener” is going to generate a lot of clicks as a podcast title.
That’s a shame, because this podcast is loaded with powerful and helpful info.
Alpha GPC & Growth Hormone
What if I told you there is a common brain boosting supplement that also boosts Growth Hormone (naturally), improves athletic performance and has anti-aging benefits!?
To quote a classic Entourage bit:
Yes Bob, I’m interested!
Alpha GPC is a choline source that I’ve talked about previously.
I take 150mg in the morning on days that I take any member of the racetam family. (Piracetam is my go-to.) The racetams are famous for depleting the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, so taking a choline source is a must when using any racetam.
Ok, back on topic…
In 2009 when I first met Donna (my wife if you’re new here), she was an Endocrinology fellow at the local VA in Salem, Virginia. Her team was conducting the largest ever study on Testosterone and Growth Hormone as it related to BMI and body fat %.
They (SHE) actually won some awards for her presentations of the research at Endocrine society conferences in 2010 and 2011.
Wondering about the research?
Body fat and BMI have a greater impact on T & GH levels than age.
In other words, lifestyle is more important than age.
I was actually one of the subjects in the study and Donna’s mentor was so shocked by my elevated GH levels that he wanted to know if I was on the Barry Bonds program - you know, flax seed oil and 24/7 IV drips of exogenous GH!
Turns out, the liquid Alpha GPC I was using pre-workout at the time was actually working as advertised. It was spiking my GH levels off the charts.
Here’s some of the research:
Alpha GPC boosts HGH levels via growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), which stimulates growth hormone production. This essentially makes it [alpha GPC] an HGH secretagogue. [1]
The growth hormone-boosting potential of Alpha GPC appears to be greater when it is taken pre-workout. In a trial, some subjects were given a dose of 600mg prior to them having workouts. The researchers observed that the hGH production among those in the treatment group increased more than that of the placebo group immediately. The alpha-GPC also resulted in greater peak force and explosive force performances. [2]
6 Days of Alpha GPC supplementation also improves isometric strength [3]
In another study, it was observed that Alpha GPC given to healthy adults in a 1,000mg dose increased the amount of choline in the body half an hour to two hours after administration. This led to a spike in HGH levels an hour later.
Changes observed in growth hormone levels in some studies tend to be more significant in the elderly.
Smarter, stronger, and the potential to live longer… I’m interested in that!
The “Rx” = 600-1,000mg 30-120 minutes before a workout.
I was doing 600mg 90 minutes prior a lifting session back in that 2009 study.
Why You’re Not Building Muscle
If you’re like most guys, you’re lifting too heavy.
(Guys are more prone to this mistake than women. #ego)
Load selection is more important than most people realize.
And no, it’s not really about the sets and reps like you might be thinking.
It’s about the stimulus and the demand on the body.
Let me tell you the lesson/advice first, then we’ll break it down:
“In terms of hypertrophy, to INCREASE TISSUE, what we’re trying to NOT do, is get the load percentages so high that we teach the CNS to improve it’s contraction force rate; that’s STRENGTH.” - Jeff Nichols, Founder Performance First (and former guest on the BHP)
Read that again. It’s GOLD!
Now, let’s start at the top and break this down…
GOAL and context always need to be considered.
In this case we’re talking about hypertrophy as the goal. AKA, bigger muscles.
If you ever lift with the intent to develop bigger muscles, pay attention.
If you don’t care about muscle size, you should probably still learn this.
If/when hypertrophy is the goal, we need to acquire volume.
That means reps. Lots of them. Time under tension.
And this volume requirement means we need to select loads that are BELOW the threshold at which our central nervous system (CNS) is engaged to the point where it increases contraction force rate.
The percentage of 1RM where this happens will vary from person to person, and from lift to lift (bicep curl vs. barbell squat), but a general range is 80-85%.
So, for maximum hypertrophy, we want to use loads UNDER 80-85% of our 1RM.
Way under.
No need to buy pink dumbbells or start pressing soup cans though.
A hypertrophy phase might start with 50% of our 5RM (a 5RM itself is usually 80-85% of our 1RM)
This starting point allows us to increase the loads over a 6-12 week phase (progress) without exceeding that 80-85% threshold.
TAKEAWAY: If you want maximum muscle growth, train the muscles, not the CNS. When in doubt, pick the lighter weight and accumulate volume, aka time under tension.
What Are You Willing To Do?
I recently watched the documentary on John McEnroe called…McEnroe.
I LOVE stories that give a behind the scenes look at highly successful people.
There is a scene in this one that really jumped out at me.
After winning his first grand slam, McEnroe found himself playing in another Grand Slam final (Wimbledon) against then #1 Bjorn Borg.
In that epic duel, he talks about learning of another gear that every champion has, and can dial up when needed.
McEnroe admits in an interview that in the 5th set of their match, he realized Born was willing to suffer more than McEnroe was, in order to win the famed championship.
That willingness to suffer more was the difference in first place and second place.
McEnroe admits that, at that point in his career, he was unaware of such a “gear” (it’s a mindset).
Afterwards Borg became a mentor and friend who helped McEnroe develop that attribute.
As McEnroe put it, the question is: “What Are You Willing To Do?”
So…
I ask you, dear reader:
What is it that you want?
Your dream property?
A better job?
Higher income?
To build your own business?
To run a marathon?
Whatever it is that you dream about…
What are you willing to do to make it happen?
For champions, the answer is “whatever it takes”. And they mean it - that’s the difference between winners and… not winners ;)
Pursue Progress,
Munsey
Hey, also, would you be willing to speak for us again????
Hey brother...what Alpha GPC do you use. Have been meaning to try...your timing is impeccable.