Muscle Talk

Two Hours of Cardio Better Than One

Short of taking growth hormone itself, all serious weight trainers are looking for ways to boost their GH output. US Army scientists may have a new and unlikely answer. Researchers put subjects in one of five categories of training regimen: (1) nothing, (2) an hour of heavy strength training (5 to 10 reps/set, (3) two hours of strength training, (4) an hour of cycling at moderate effort, or (5) two hours of cycling. Twenty hours after the subjects completed their task, their GH output was measured, and it was found that of all the categories, the increase in the group that did two hours of cycling was the most significant.

Lose 8 lb. in a Few Days, Keep It Off Long-Term
Competitive bodybuilders and wrestlers/fighters are notorious for dropping serious weight in the last week leading up to a show or fight. Granted, they fill back out again and hydrate well after their weigh-ins, so their weight goes back up, as per normal. These athletes are extreme examples, but what would happen if you put normal people on the same kind of serious calorie-restricted protocol for a few days? In one study, 15 overweight men were divided into two groups: one given 320 calories in the form of whey and another who got it in the form of sucrose. They ate like this for four days, after which the men were allowed to eat as much as they wanted for the next three days. Researchers tracked the men at one month and one year after the experiment. After the year, the men had kept off the four kilograms they had lost, and most of the decrease in lean body mass had been restored! So if you’re trying to cut weight quickly for an event, don’t worry too much about losing muscle or rebounding hard.