Total Physique Online

I have been in the iron game since I was 14 years old. Because I am challenged with Cystic Fibrosis it became extremely important that I supplement my body with a high calorie diet, complete with weight gain supplements, vitamins and minerals and so forth from the very beginning. The simple fact is that when you have a chronic illness and you are strength training at the same time, you end up burning the candles at both ends. Nutritional support becomes a crucial factor in determining progress in the gym.
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As if my own experience using biological sulfur were not enough, I found this interesting little ditty at USA today:
Robert Culp finds relief for his Arthritus using MSM Sulfur

I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken to who have had a similar experience. MSM seems to be the real deal, so if aching, creaking bones are plaguing you then you might consider adding some MSM sulfur to your diet………
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Out of curiosity I decided to do some additional research on COQ10. I wanted to find out if there was a connection between COQ10 and cell energy. I was also looking for information on COQ10 and lung disease. I was curious if COQ10 could oxygenate cells and improve breathing.

I found lots of information that pointed to an apparently famous study done in Japan around 1992-93. One of the reasons I am so big on COQ10 is because of how I feel when I take it. Apparently, there is good scientific basis for my belief in this product. It is one of the reasons I so strongly recommend it to people.
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This is a fairly lengthy post, but it is very important to the function of this web site. So, I ask that you take a few minutes to read the entire post because this post is one of the more important posts I will be placing at TPO.

When Was The Last Time You Felt Great, I Mean Really Great?

Was there ever a time in your life when you felt like you had an endless supply of energy? Was there ever a time when every morning you felt as fresh as a daisy and you were ready to take on the world? Do you feel that way now?

Would you like to feel that way again? If you answered “yes”, then I am going to cut right to the chase and challenge you to read the rest of this entry, because I honestly believe I may have a solution to those early morning doldrums that most people start to experience as they grow older. And no, I am not talking about Viagra. I am not talking about gimmicks. I am talking about basic, sound nutrition in the form of four products that I swear by.
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Dave, our prayers are with you for a speedy recovery!! God Bless You and Laree
Reprinted with kind permission from Laree and Dave Draper (thanks guys!)
From Dave Draper’s Post Column

Slow Me Down Lord

Universally, the word ‘fast’ implies swiftness. We live in a fast world.

Fast is the speed at which I traverse the freeway en route to the gym unless traffic dictates otherwise. Fast is how quickly I lose my cool when the traffic dictates otherwise. Fast is the rate at which time passes after turning 30. Fast is the food the majority of oversize people eat across the thriving nations. Fast is not used to describe the clip at which we build muscle and power. Fast is the talk of promoters when advertising sensational products to do just that.
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Dr. Mauro G. Di Pasquale: Increase Growth Hormone Levels
Reprinted with kind permission from Dr. Mauro G. Di Pasquale
From MetabolicDiet.com

Boosting Endogenous Growth Hormone – The Better Way

12/9/2005 - Increasing your own natural endogenous levels of growth hormone is safer and in the long run more effective for increasing growth hormone levels and maximizing body composition than using exogenous GH. There are two main reasons for this view.

The Problems with Exogenous Growth Hormone

Growth hormone levels decline as you get older. And athletes have found that increased levels of growth hormone helps to optimize body composition, increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat.
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Low Carb Dieting 101 - The Different Diets

In the low carb group of diet gurus there are proponents of every level of dietary carbohydrate intake from the almost zero amounts espoused by the ketogenic diet used to treat some forms of epilepsy in children to the Zone diet that proposes that only 40% of the daily calorie intake come from carbohydrates.
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Healthy skin, youthfulness and bodybuilding go hand in hand don’t you think? Otherwise, why would any of us work out? I mean, why bother? Yet, the simple fact remains that few of us do anything to take good care of our skin, and our skin is the very first thing we notice about each other. Moreover, the quality of our skin says a lot about our health and well being due to the fact that the quality of our skin is a direct reflection of what is taking place inside our bodies.
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Workout A

Legs, Calves

• 2 Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise: 122 lbs x 50, 40, 40 (nice pump, great burn)
• Hip Belt Squats: 122 lbs x 30, 21 (the dumbbell grazed the floor almost, on each rep)

Observations:

Hip Belt Squats, once you do them, are a joy. While you do them, they are hell on earth. These babies really burn. I am getting stronger by the truckload though. Last workout with hip belt squats, I banged out 20 reps with the same weight I used today, only today I banged out 30 on the first set.

I would like a way to handle more weight, but until I can think of a way to hoist more weight, I wil have to settle for more reps. Maybe I can do 120 lbs for 40-50 reps next workout! These are all the way to the floor by the way. So, not shortcuts here.

Calves getting stronger as well, but I am running into the same issue. I need a way to get more plates on.

Perhaps a perfectly straight metal bar, a full 22 inches long, running straight through the QL dumbbell handles, could be used to accomodate all the plates. Hmmm.

Pre-Workout Nutrition/Diet

• Super Green Smoothy, Coffee, Powerbar; Breakfast
• Metabolic Testoboost 5 tabs
• Metabolic GHBoost 5 tabs
• MidMorning: Metabolic Creatine Advantage 1 scoop, combined with 2000 MG Vit EmergenC 30 Min Prior to workout combined with

Post Workout Nutrition/Diet

• Whey/MLO Protein

Rest of the Days Diet

• Egg Rolls/Green Smoothy for lunch.
• Pro Lab - Mid-day
• Dinner will consist of chicken and rice and veggies. Yum! Then just before bed -
• Metabolic Testoboost 4 tabs
• Metabolic GHBoost 4 tabs

Workout A

Forearms, Neck, Abs

• Standard Wrist Curls: 40 lbs x 15, 20, 18, 12
• One Arm Reverse Wrist Curls: 20 lbs x 8, 8, 8
• Lying Crunches: 45 lbs x 40, 40, 40, 40, 40 (incredible strength gain. double the reps from last ab workout 20 reps then, 40 today! 200 reps total, 1-2 min between sets)
• Front Neck: 45 lbs x static hold 5 sec, 5 sec (max set - different and challenging, pretty heavy too!)
• Rear Neck: 45 lbs x 12, 14, 14 (max set)

Workout B

Calves

• 1(2) Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise: 120 lbs x 16 (30), 16(30), 12(20)

Observations:

Today was a nice couple of sessions. I wanted to also do legs, but I decided to hold off until tomorrow. Abs were so heavy that by the time I had done them I wished I hadn’t. These weren’t your standard run of the mill crunches. My abs are getting very strong in this movement, but that doesn’t meant that doing crunches with 45 lbs is any less taxing. I guess I need to do legs first, before I do anything else. To that end I have the weights set up for tomorrow.

Pre-Workout Nutrition/Diet

• Super Green Smoothy, Coffee, Powerbar; Breakfast
• Metabolic Testoboost 5 tabs
• Metabolic GHBoost 5 tabs
• MidMorning: Metabolic Creatine Advantage 1 scoop, combined with 2000 MG Vit EmergenC 30 Min Prior to workout combined with

Post Workout Nutrition/Diet

• Whey/MLO Protein

Rest of the Days Diet

• Egg Rolls/Green Smoothy for lunch.
• Pro Lab - Mid-day
• Dinner will consist of chicken and rice and veggies. Yum! Then just before bed -
• Metabolic Testoboost 4 tabs
• Metabolic GHBoost 4 tabs