If any of you have an older relative have them read this link.
I started in my late 50's, I had openly planned on using steroids for decades after I saw a 60 minutes report bemoaning the demonization of steroids when at one time it was considered as a possible major treatment in geriatric settings
Study of 60 to 75 year old men on doses ranging to 600 mg a week of testosterone for 20 weeks (the standard wiki cycle) found no difference in how someone at 70 responded as a man in his 20s-30s
They were a little more prone to side effects due to test not clearing their systems as rapidly as someone younger, so hematocrit for instance was higher
On a side note, my hematocrit on my labs my doctor just ordered was around 54. She said, " don't worry about that you are fine".
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262875
Abstract
With the renewed interest in low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) in the sports field, a few animal studies have investigated their potential. However, most rodent studies have used an LCD containing low protein, which does not recapitulate a human LCD, and the muscle-specific adaptation in response to an LCD remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of two types of LCDs, both containing the same proportion of protein as a regular diet (isonitrogenous LCD; INLCD), on body composition, exercise performance, and metabolic fuel selection at the genetic level in the skeletal muscles of exercise-trained mice. Three groups of mice (n = 8 in each group), one fed a regular AIN-93G diet served as the control, and the others fed either of the two INLCDs containing 20% protein and 10% carbohydrate (INLCD-10%) or 20% protein and 1% carbohydrate (INLCD-1%) had a regular exercise load (5 times/week) for 12 weeks. Body weight and muscle mass did not decrease in either of the INLCD-fed groups, and the muscle glycogen levels and endurance capacity did not differ among the three groups. Only in the mice fed INLCD-1% did the plasma ketone concentration significantly increase, and gene expression related to glucose utilization significantly declined in the muscles. Both INLCD-1% and INLCD-10% consumption increased gene expression related to lipid utilization. These results suggest that, although INLCD treatment did not affect endurance capacity, it helped maintain muscle mass and glycogen content regardless of the glucose intake restrictions in trained mice. Moreover, an INLCD containing a low carbohydrate content might present an advantage by increasing lipid oxidation without ketosis and suppressing muscle glucose utilization.
https://preview.redd.it/i44z61worud81.png?width=3000&format=png&auto=webp&s=f2d1b9233639f82bf6ddae260de767620fadd8ee
Authors:
- Hazuki Saito
- Naoko Wada
- Kaoruko Iida
Skeletal muscle (SM) comprises around 40% of total body weight and is among the most important plastic tissues, as it supports skeletal development, controls body temperature, and manages glucose levels. Extracellular matrix (ECM) maintains the integrity of SM, enables biochemical signaling, provides structural support, and plays a vital role during myogenesis. Several human diseases are coupled with dysfunctions of the ECM, and several ECM components are involved in disease pathologies that affect almost all organ systems. Thus, mutations in ECM genes that encode proteins and their transmembrane receptors can result in diverse SM diseases, a large proportion of which are types of fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. In this review, we present major ECM components of SMs related to muscle-associated diseases and discuss two major ECM myopathies, namely, collagen myopathy and laminin myopathies, and their therapeutic management. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying these ECM-related myopathies would undoubtedly aid the discovery of novel treatments for these devastating diseases.
Interesting paper proposing a biological mechanism for muscle growth in response to resistance training from the Cavendish Labs in Cambridge. Nothing earth shattering from the POV of current practice, but the proposed mechanism does a much better job of explaining things than 'exercise damages the muscles which regrow bigger'. (Feel free to skip all the maths: the introduction & conclusions give a reasonable overview...)
Link: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0006349521006093
I've seen this claim a lot, but I just can't understand it.
If I'm lifting a heavy object, then the force produced by the muscles must be greater than the weight of the object (concentric). If I'm holding it stationary (isometric) then the forces must be equal. If I'm lowering it slowly then the weight must be greater than the force produced by the muscle (eccentric).
This means that the concentric contraction should be the strongest, and eccentric should be the weakest, but I keep hearing it the other way around.
"BDNF is originally identified as an important growth factor for maintaining the survival and activities of neurons. Recent studies have proposed that BDNF is also a muscle-secreted protein (i.e., myokine), but its physiological significance is unknown."
Paper link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34585852/
So yesterday was Day 1 because that's when I decided to start. I was actually standing on the weigh scale, I was pleasantly surprised I didn't turn into a fat oger considering the crap I have been eating lately and I took it as a sign to start.
So today I stood again on the weigh scale but this time barefooted so the weigh scale can check out my fat/water/muscle ratio as well. I know this is not exact science and I have to take the results with a grain of salt but it does give me an indication.
Here it goes:
Weight: 58,10kg
BMI: 23.3
Body Fat: 32,4% --> DANGER zone
Fatfree body weight: 39,30kg
subcutane fat: 29,9% --> WARNING
Visceral fat: 6
hydration: 46,4%
skeletal muscles: 39,4% --> DANGER zone
total muscles: 36,90kg
bonemass: 2,36kg
proteine: 15,5%
BMR: 1218 kcal
Focus to work on is reduce body fat to at least -30% + increase skeletal muscles to +40%. I'm limited in terms of workout (health related) but I have a few exercises I should be able to do. And reduce body fat is I guess through food and in my case it means cut down sugar. I'm a sugar addict, it's a real problem. Is it OK to ask tips here on reducing body fat and increasing muscles ? If yes, do you have any tips for me?
Edit to add: Free or under $5 preferred!
