Team Monstersupplements.com think L-Carnitine is one of the best supplements you can add to your diet. It bares many qualities which compliment the bodybuilder in and out of the gym. Read on to discover what exactly it can do for you and why you should be taking it.
So what is L-Carnitine? L-Carnitine is an essential Amino Acid which is produced naturally within your body, normally in quantities between 20-25g at any one time. Its job is to transport fatty acids to the mitochondria where they can be converted into energy. This energy is mainly used by large organs such as the heart and skeletal muscle.
You get your L-Carnitine from red meats; however you can always use more. By supplementing on this brilliant Amino Acid you can expect to benefit from the following. L-Carnitine has been shown to aid with fat loss. There is a very simple explanation for this. As it increases your body’s ability to transport more fatty acids to the mitochondria, less of these fats will be stored as body fat. In other words what L-Carnitine does is help turn the fats you consume into energy. It has also proven its ability to increase protein synthesis. This is a side effect anybody looking to add lean muscle mass would wish for, it doesn’t get any better. This will result in your body utilizing your protein intake more efficiently and in turn maximizing results for you. L-Carnitine is also known to improve blood flow. It manages this by preventing the restriction of your blood vessels. Obviously this improves blood flow to the muscles and will increase your ability to train harder due to a larger supply of oxygen in the working muscles. It will also help prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) by allowing more nutrients to reach the muscle fibres which you have just torn to pieces in the gym. As you can see, anybody serious about their bodybuilding will be sure to have this in their system.
It is important that you know when to take this and for what reasons. The best time is straight in the morning with breakfast. By consuming it with your fats at meal time it will help burn more dietary fats. First thing in the morning will also mean it is helping with protein synthesis levels, in other words making you more anabolic which is very important this time of day. The next time should be at lunch time. This will keep you topped up and again when consumed with your dietary fats will benefit body fat burning. Before training is another great time, with increased blood flow and more efficient energy conversions there are only gains to be had. Finally, right after training is going to be of benefit to you. This is because you need everything you’re taking to reach the muscles.
There you have a brief explanation as to why this Amino Acid which is essential in more than one way should be on order.

Essential fats are fatty acids that the body cannot make itself. This means they are essential in your diet as your body cannot create them from other food sources. EFA’s are used by the body for biological processes other than simply creating energy.

There are 2 types of EFA’s. these are Alpha-linolenic-acid and linoleic acid. ALA is an omega 3 fatty acid and linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid.

EFA’s raise HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol). This leads to improved cardiovascular health and lower bad cholesterol levels in the arteries. Reducing some serious health risks.

EFA’s are vital to build and repair cell membranes. Allowing cells to obtain proper nutrition and get rid of harmful waste.

They are also needed for a massive amount of biological processes and hormonal processes.

EFA deficiency and Omega 6/3 imbalance is linked with serious health conditions, such as heart attacks, cancer, insulin resistance, asthma, lupus, schizophrenia, depression, postpartum depression, accelerated aging, stroke, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s Disease, among others.

EFA’s and other fatty acids can have a very positive effect on your physique. Fish oils improve insulin sensitivity, the use of fats as energy and the breakdown of body fat. This means that they can be used very effectively in a cutting diet when in taking few carbs. A diet that is low on carbs in order to drop bodyfat would benefit from increasing the essential fat intake as these will replace the carbs as an energy source and will also be effective for breaking down fat stores. Fatty acids such as CLA inhibit the formation of fats but don’t affect the breakdown of fat. This means that fat will still be broken down at the usual rate but will not be formed as readily. This leads to lower bodyfat.
EFAs are absolutely critical to building muscle while increasing stamina required for bodybuilding. These are the building-blocks used to produce other fatty acids that your body requires for muscle growth. Without EFAs, hormones (including testosterone) necessary for bodybuilding wouldn’t be produced. EFAs assist the liver with breaking down protein from your diet to build muscle. EFAs slow digestion thereby decreasing the amounts of insulin your body requires to keep a steady level of blood glucose.
The body resists turning the energy that is derived from EFAs into body fat, instead these calories are used to increase brain function, improve joint health and decrease muscle inflammation. All of this helps you build lean muscle mass with shorter recovery periods after workouts.

EFA’s can be acquired from a number of different food sources.

Omega 3 can be found in:
Nuts – Walnuts, Brazil Nuts, Hazelnuts, Pecans. Brilliant as a snack instead of chocolate or sweets. Toast slightly under grill for a great taste.
Seeds – Choose a seeded roll when you go shopping. Sesame seeds also complement any slightly sweet or spicy chilli dressing.
Oils – Soya Bean Oil, Canola Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Linseed/Flaxseed Oil. Most of these can be found in your local supermarket. Experiment when cooking, marinating and dressing.

Omega 6 can be found in:
• Safflower oil – the richest natural source
• Sunflower oil
• Corn oil
• Sesame oil
• Hemp oil (best balance of omega 6:3)
• Pumpkin oil
• Soybean oil
• Walnut oil
• Wheatgerm oil
• Evening Primrose oil
As well as many nuts and oily fish.

An ideal intake ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids is between 1:1 and 4:1, with most people only obtaining a ratio between 10:1 and 25:1. The minimum healthy intake for both linolenic (Omega-3) and linoleic (Omega-6) acid via diet, per adult per day, is 1.5 grams of each. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil can provide this amount, or larger amounts of other linolenic-rich foods. Because high heat destroys linolenic acid, cooking in linolenic-rich oils or eating cooked linolenic-rich fish is unlikely to provide a sufficient amount.

So what supplements can help you to include these EFA’s and useful fats into your diet. I personally would recommend:

Natures plus omega 3, 6, 9

Udos Oil

PhD CLA

AC

Testosterone is the most anabolic natural hormone within your body. Therefore it is of great interest to any serious bodybuilder. Learn and discover why testosterone is so important, what it does and can do for you and ways to boost your natural levels.
In simple terms testosterone is produced when the hypothalamus releases the gonadotrophin hormone which stimulates the luteinizing hormone, which then goes onto encourage the testes to produce testosterone. Testosterone has many uses within the body. It increases muscle size, maintains muscle tone and increases strength to name a few. The one thing all of those functions share in common is the fact that they are all directly related to bodybuilding progress. Therefore it stands to good reason that healthy levels of natural testosterone production are absolutely essential in order to maximize your results as a bodybuilder.
By increasing your natural testosterone levels many advantages will proceed. Firstly, testosterone has many anabolic properties which lead to extremely high levels of protein synthesis. Increased protein synthesis levels equal an increase in muscle recovery and most importantly a noticeable increase in muscle size gains. As a direct result, you will experience new levels of strength which ultimately will lead to additional muscle mass as well. It has been shown that increased testosterone levels allow for increased intensity and higher energy levels. Therefore, training first thing in the morning may be a good idea, as it has been proven that this is when testosterone levels are at peak for the day. Finally, having a naturally high level of testosterone increases your basal metabolic rate. This means that your body requires more calories every day in order to survive before doing anything, therefore by having a high basal metabolic rate you can certainly expect to shed more body fat. Now you know why having a naturally high level of testosterone is essential, you need to know which ways you can increase your levels by way of natural means.
When it comes to training, seriously intense anaerobic training is essential. Further to this, compound movements focusing on the large muscle groups such as your quadriceps will do the trick. This is because the large muscle groups stimulate more production of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and human growth hormone. Very low rep training, with around 85% of your 1 rep max used can also be a very affective way of boosting testosterone levels without the use of external substances.
There you have a brief insight as to what testosterone does for you as a bodybuilder, why it is important and how to stimulate more natural production.

When it comes to fat burning, many people have very little knowledge as to what actually works. Losing weight and shedding body fat are two very different things. In fact, in many cases people who have dropped their body fat and have achieved a lean physique without losing much of their body weight on the scales.
The more intense your cardio workout doesn’t necessarily mean the more body fat burnt. This is due to the fact if your heart rate rises above a certain level you are into your cardiovascular threshold, meaning that less body fat is being shed. Therefore if lowering your body fat percentage is a priority, then you need to do low intensity cardio such as power walking or very slow cycling, not jogging. The other benefit with this is the fact that your body won’t tuck into your hard earned muscle mass for fuel, but instead your body fat.
When it comes to making your cardio work, you have to focus on time keeping and making it a gradual process. For example, if you don’t do any cardio, to begin with, all you will need is about 10 minutes 4 times a week at the intensity above. Then review your progress all the time, and when the time comes where progress is slow, increase it to you 15 minutes 4 times a week and so on. Within a 12 week period you should be up to about 45 minutes a day 4 or 5 times a week; this is the most efficient way to burn body fat and maintain muscle mass. By doing 40 minutes straight away you are gaining nothing as you will end up having to do maybe 3 hours a day in order to keep the progression going, so start small and reap the rewards.
When it comes to your diet, don’t be silly and starve yourself or have a really low carbohydrate diet. Instead eat plenty of low G.I. carbohydrates through the day, weight lift in the evening, and then from there on in only have protein and high quality fats such as flaxseed oil until the morning. Of course you can have fibrous carbohydrates in the evening such as broccoli with your chicken or turkey. By doing this there is no danger of complex carbohydrates converting into body fat at night time. Also, by keeping up protein levels your blood sugar levels stay high which means less cravings and the need for that ‘sugar rush.’ The fats will force all calories consumed to be absorbed more slowly, which again aids fat loss and minimizes the chance of energy converting to body fat.
Now you have the basic fundamentals to go and burn off any unwanted body fat. Remember by building up your cardio gradually you will be sure to maintain a steady level of progress. Do too much at the start and you will end up hitting a plateau early on and burn out.