Anabolic

You read that all the time, especially when someone is trying to sell you supplements. What exactly does anabolic mean?

Most of us automatically think anabolic steroids when we hear this word, but here are a couple definitions of anabolic:

"The phase of metabolism in which simple substances are synthesized into the complex materials of living tissue." or

"constructive metabolism; the synthesis in living organisms of more complex substances from simpler ones (opposed to catabolism)."

What is the most anabolic substance you can ingest? Food, REAL food!

Keep that in mind when you a are trying to get ripped and build up that muscle mass. The best drug is the cheapest, healthiest and completely legal one available. Just like any other drug, the timing of your nutrients will determine how effective it can be.

Every action in your life should have some nutritional consideration tied to it. Waking should trigger feeding, exercise should trigger additional feeding, rest should indicate limited feeding. More to come on this later.

By the way, L-Leucine, one of the three Branched Chain Amino Acids, is known as the "anabolic-trigger" due to its ability to support protein synthesis, lean mass gains, muscle breakdown, and enhance recovery. L-Leucine is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it hence it must be ingested, usually as a component of proteins. Because we would need to ingest a great deal of protein to get all we need, we would be ingesting more calories than we should, that is where supplementation comes in.

As with most supplements on the market, studies are inconclusive. You will find many experts with differing opinions. I take 5 grams pre and post workout and feel that I have benefited from it.