News just in, CytoSport (the makes of Muscle Milk) have just released Muscle Milk Refuel. Muscle Milk refuel is an energy shot with a twist, it also contains 5 grams of whey protein isolate. This is what I like about CytoSport, they take existing product ideas and make them better, not just clone them like some other companies.

I have tried quite a few energy shots, and being caffeine sensitive they usually result in hue amounts of energy and a BIG crash. No matter how much the bottles say no crash, I got one. I think that the new Muscle Milk Refuel shot is going to be much better for those that are sensitive to caffeine, as it contains less than half the caffeine than many other energy shots. So rather than taking one per day, you could space them out and take 1-3 and really get “hours of energy” without the crash.

Anyone tried these? If you have, let me know in the comments!

Have you ever heard of protein sludge? You might have heard of it, or heard bodybuilders talk about making it. A good friend of mine recently sent me the following video. It’s SciVation’s president Marc Lobliner showing you how to easily make protein sludge! Of course there are tons of ways you can make protein sludge, I’ve probably heard at least a dozen different ways!

Here’s a video to get you started! It might get your mind thinking of ways you can mix things up and invent your own protein sludge! Actually, if you have any sludge recipes of your own please share them in the comments at the bottom of this time. I’d love to hear them!

Check out this new (or not so new?) protein powder - Ultimate Nutrition Protein Isolate, made from 100% wheat protein isolate. This is a protein source I have never come across before. I have see pea and soy protein, but never wheat.

Generally, plant forms of protein do not have the superior amino acid profile that animal sources do. I was surprised at how solid UN’s wheat protein isolate product. Check it out:

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Admin note: This is a guest post from Mike Westerdal, author of Dumbbell Exercise and Routines Book

If you’ve never heard of a “positive nitrogen balance” and are wondering what the hell I’m talking about don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. The term isn’t something you hear every other guy in the gym talking about. But I can guarantee that even though he may not be familiar with the term, every gym rat on the planet knows what happens when you have a positive nitrogen balance-you get big.

The whole thing is pretty complicated but can be explained fairly simply. Nitrogen is a chemical element found in protein, which we know is the primary building block for muscle growth. And in order to pack on muscle mass, you have to take in more protein than your body uses-otherwise you’d lose weight not gain in.

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Not getting the results you want from weight training? Nine times out of ten it’s got something to do with what you eat, how how you train! Most lifters place so much importance on sets, reps, drop sets, negatives, routines etc etc but totally leave their diet out of the picture! It should be done the other way around, get your diet and nutrition plan zoned in and then hit the gym.

Without the right diet for weight training you’re going to limit your results severely! If you don’t have the right nutrition to back up your intense workout routine you will not gain. In fact, you could actually LOSE MUSCLE through catabolism.

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You’ve probably heard this at some point: protein helps you lose weight. When I first started weight training I think I heard it about 10 times until I did some research on why! So today I’m going to go 3 ways that increasing your protein intake can help you burn more fat and build a better physique.

Before I get started, what you have to understand about protein is that your body does not store it like it does carbohydrates. When you do not have enough protein required to perform bodily functions, your body will sacrafice muscle tissue for protein. If you’re weight training you definitely do not want this, and even if you’ve not listing weights you don’t want it.

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I get a lot of emails from confused weight trainers who know a lot about lifting weights, but not a lot about building a good weight training diet/supplements program to back it up. When answering emails I have often used my diet program as an example of a good well rounded muscle growth plan.

So I am going to post a sample slice of my daily weight training diet routine, including the supplements that I take as well. This is simply meant to be an example that you can build on to create your own diet plan.

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When you’re new to weight training you pretty much follow workout routines straight out of the book and don’t have the knowledge to put your own spin on them, and generally don’t know enough about how your individual body works and how it reacts to different types of training. Weight training and muscle building is a constant learning curve. You speak to the most experienced bodybuilders, athletes and coaches and they all say (well, the good ones do) that you should never stop learning.

That being being said, there are some rules that apply to weight training. Rules that you need to know in order to understand training, and tailoring your training program to your needs. Here at what I consider, the rules of weight training…

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Alright guys n girls, it’s time to review CytoSport Fast Twitch Caffeine Free! I have been itching to try this stuff since I stopped taking Gaspari’s SuperPump 250 because of the caffeine it contained. Like a lot of people, I am very caffeine sensitive. One cup of coffee and I’m bouncing off the walls! But  a few hours later I’m crashing and have no energy.

I have been taking CytoSport Fast Twitch for about 6 1/2 weeks now and thought I’d share some of my experiences with it, especially since I’ve tried quite a few nitric oxide products.

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Want 6 pack abs? Of course you do. Every guy does. But every guy doesn’t know how to achieve the 6-pack look. In fact, most guys go about it totally the wrong way when trying to get the 6 pack look.

They key to getting a flat stomach with 6 pack abs is lowering body fat. It’s really that simple, 6 pack abs are more about diet and cardio than they are about ab exercises and ab workouts. In this post I’ll post up some common mistakes made by those looking to get a 6 pack and some tips on how you can get one.

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