High Threshold Radical Hypertrophy

In a world where radical changes and new discoveries are few and far between, it seems a few muscle-building elitists in the fitness and bodybuilding realm continually makes advances despite there being nothing new under the sun, unless we’re discussing high threshold radical hypertrophy.

As a good friend of mine amorously refers to me as the fitness consumers’ advocate, I felt compelled to share with all of you a few things I’ve noticed over the last few months.

Of course, if you’re new here or haven’t read my pieces on I, Bodybuilder or the Anaconda Protocol, I’d highly suggest you click over to those first, so this installment actually makes sense.

The 2 Most Anabolic Hours of The Day

If you’ve paid any attention as of late, T-Muscle recently published an article with this title.  Before even reading it, I’m sure you might be able to infer its meaning likely has something to do with the pre and post-workout window of opportunity.

After the brief intro, we are graced with a nice little gem that reads:

If guys would simply load up on carbs and protein before their training sessions, take in high-quality amino acids during their workouts, and have another solid meal post-workout, they’d take advantage of the most anabolic time of the day and build serious muscle.

This little fact, according to the interviewee, is known as the 3^rd Law of Muscle.  Now, I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m willing to bet anyone who’s ever read anything about training and nutrition knows it’s a fairly good idea to have a pre and post-workout meal.

Just consuming a meal pre-training ensures a steady supply of amino acids to the bloodstream which aid in recovery and tissue repair[1].  Even then, adding a post-workout meal only ensures the nutrients are in the body to make the absolute most of your training and physique-building efforts.

However, how is any of this new?  A good reminder is fine every now and then but has the muscle-building process evolved since the Arnold Era?  Has something changed?  If so, I didn’t get the memo.

Informative Article or Convincing Infomercial?

According to this document, in order for the 3^rd Law to work, one needs the perfect carb and the perfect protein.  This is the key to high threshold radical hypertrophy everyone is after.

I can imagine folks scrambling as they scour this section of the article.  It’s as if I can hear the voices in their head.  “I’ve been eating the wrong carbs?”  “There’s a perfect protein?”  “Have I been wrong all along?”

It’s a typical response for the young guy or girl whose intentions are pure and honest – those who are truly seeking the path of righteousness and goodwill.  It only saddens me how their minds can be twisted and shifted by the way copy is crafted and delivered.  A part of me loves and hates this phenomenon at the same time.

Directly from the article:

According to Lowery, the perfect blend of carbs to consume before a workout should be insulinogenic (spikes insulin), but not anything containing straight sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

“I’m all for special dextrins [like the rice oligodextrin found in FINiBAR™ that will support high-level performance," he says. "You can't just sit down and have a giant bowl of Applejacks."

Now, while I agree one's diet shouldn't be full of HFCS, a bowl of cereal or chocolate milk is not going to hurt you.  Plus, by unnecessarily removing foods from your diet for reasons unjustified will only create a craving unfulfilled.  If you've shared my previous experiences, abstaining from a certain food for so long will only result in a binge that can often yield unwanted consequences.  I and clients of mine routinely incorporate cereal into our diets without ill-effect.  So, if you don't have enough dough to shell out for Finibars, go buy some cereal and chocolate milk instead.

As for the perfect protein, if you check out any major company involved in supplement sales, you know there are a million types of protein blends and mixes.  We've got rapid absorption whey protein isolate, and the slow(er) releasing milk protein isolate.

If you decide to actually chew your food as opposed to gulping it down, cottage cheese, a fatty steak or 5-6 eggs are great choices.  However, we're talking about the ultimate, no, the perfect protein here.  After all, the perfect protein is what's going to yield the most gains and make you the most jacked behemoth in the land.

Directly from the article:

For protein, Lowery's a fan of hydrolysates [like the casein hydrolysate found in ANACONDA™, which are proteins that enter the blood stream quickly and significantly increase the rate of protein synthesis.

"Remember, the faster the amino acids hit the bloodstream and more protein synthesis you create, the better off you'll be," says Lowery.

While stuffing yourself with a decent dose of protein post-workout is often a good idea, I'd rather have something other than casein hydrolysate due to reasons stated in Lyle's research review of casein hydrolysate.

From Lyle's review:

Translating that into English: hydrolyzed casein is digested more poorly, gets burned for energy to a greater degree and gets used more by the gut than intact casein; the end result of this is that hydrolyzed casein provides LESS amino acids to skeletal muscle after ingestion than intact casein protein.

So not only is the claim that hydrolysates are better at providing aminos faster to skeletal muscle wrong, the reality is actually exactly reversed: intact casein is better for providing aminos to the muscle.  I’d note that other studies have found this as well: in one, intact protein provided MORE branched-chain amino acids into the bloodstream than a hydrolyzed form.

If I were you, I'd spend my money on some cheap whey protein concentrate or some quality milk protein from regular dairy consumption.

What Are The Forum Members Saying?

If you're tired of hearing my thoughts or think I’m merely biased, let's take a look at what some of the regulars over on the T-Nation forums are saying.

Oinky222:

this article was just a pathetic advertisement for the Anaconda protocol. consuming fast-acting carbs and protein periworkout is common sense to every TMuscle reader by now, the article offered no new information whatsoever. writing a giant advertisement and playing it off as if it’s actually an insightful article is insulting to the intelligence of those of us who frequent this site.

Response from Vash:

Nate, you can give a killer interview, please don't get bogged down in these "special reports." They may be effective marketing, but shit, a concept only needs to be sold so many times to a niche.

Billy Whizz:

It's not them advertising their products in an article that pisses me off. It's writing a article which states nothing new, but rather something that's been beaten to death on this site and writing an article that's basically just a thin veil for advertising.

They can plug their stuff in many other articles, which they do, and that's quite fine. But writing an article as camo for advertisement is way below T-Nation's standards.

I must agree. Now, there is a possibility I pleasure myself to Dr. Lowery's old DVD "Experiments vs Experience.". So please don't take this as a knock on either participant: this sucked ass. From the start of the article, I had anticipated a new or different protocol, variations for those not following Anaconda, or maybe even something regarding workout timing, from the article title.

I think Andrew88 might actually see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I love T-Nation. It has given me so much information and put me on the path for lifting success. But I keep seeing more and more of this stuff and it feels like those ads from M+F (At least T-Nation has good training information, though). I want to believe T-Nation and not the conspiracy theorists on other sites and blogs, but things keeping getting cloudier. Couldn't Nate have put together some sort of protocol that would be more economical? Maybe with some other basic supplements and foods taken strategically that may not be as high quality as ANACONDA, but still get the job done?

I respect the coaches here, so can one of them please redeem this seemingly apparent marketing?

The Evidence Is Clear

I believe it’s plain to see that even some of the T-Nation zealots are being rational and realistic.  It’s obvious to me that many are finally seeing through the smoke.  I just hope they haven’t dropped $365 bucks on a hyped up supplement protocol that is completely unnecessary.

In lieu of the big price tag, I see that a new protocol has emerged known as ANACONDA™ Protocol 2 that boasts maximum growth with minimum calories.  At least this one’s only $229 big ones, right?

If you're looking for a decent training program and a diet plan that's not chock-full of product advertisements, check out HCT-12 and the nutritional protocol.  I'm a big fan of auto-regulation training and a simple diet.  No-BS information here.

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[1] Tipton. KD, Et Al. “Timing of Amino Acid-carbohydrate Ingestion Alters Anabolic Response of Muscle to Resistance Exercise.” Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Aug;281(2):E197-206. (2001).