Killer QC-Mega Potent Pre/Post Workout Supplement

In the ever daunting task of finding the greatest post workout/recovery supplement, we know that the best recovery supplements contain a mixture of carbohydrates and protein. And if you are a frequent visitor to ProteinFactory.com you should know that the carbohydrate should be a high glycemic type of carb like maltodextrin or dextrose and a hydrolyzed protein. Getting even more advanced you should know that an ever better type of carb post workout should come from rice, not corn, and you should be well versed in how to judge the quality of a hydrolyzed protein. Not by just looking at the grams of protein in the supplement facts panel but by knowing what the molecular weight average is of the particular protein. This leads us to the fact that...

the best post workout supplement will contain a carbohydrate from rice and a hydrolyzed protein with a low molecular weight average. But it doesn’t end there….

I have access to all the protein I want. I even have access to some proteins that I don’t even sell on ProteinFactory.com. My post workout supplement consists of a rice carbohydrate and a hydrolyzed protein. Every now and then I will do a cycle of creatine monohydrate. Pretty basic. But one problem that I still have been having with my supplements is the fact that I still get very sore days following training. Muscle soreness hurts. Most of you should know what I am talking about here, especially soreness in your legs. You walk around like you are walking on glass without shoes. You try to get in and out of chairs like you have a mean case of hemorrhoids. Muscle soreness of course is caused by intense training. Looking at research we know that muscle soreness is caused by three things: The first is mechanical stress, which is an “accumulation of microscopic tears to muscle fiber membranes and protein filaments that happen as a consequence of repetitive, intense muscle contractions. The body’s efforts to repair such damage entails increased blood flow to the area, and with increased blood flow comes inflammation, and with inflammation comes soreness” (ref powering muscle). In layman’s terms, lifting weights=inflammation=soreness. The second is oxidative stress, sparing everyone the scientific detail, which is boring as hell, but in a nut shell, increased need for oxygen in the body, during training, increases free radicals inside the body damaging muscle cells. Lastly, cortisol. This is a catabolic hormone that is released by our body during times of stress. Cortisol causes muscle soreness.

Walking around sore, means walking around catabolic. Walking around catabolic means you are not building any muscles. And what sucks is that every time I workout I get sore. Usually I am sore for a couple of days. The worst soreness has to be legs, followed by chest, then arms, then back, and then shoulders, and you can really throw in abs anywhere. But what my soreness also tells me is that my carbohydrate and protein supplement is having a hard winning battle against the forces of evil Cortisol hormone, and could use a strong allie, sort of like how Spiderman needed the Goblin to defeat Sandman and Venom. We have a ton of things working against the body to break down muscle mass, which mostly everyone is at fault for, (nothing you can do about getting a cold or something), and we are only feeding it a supply of carbs and protein. I started to think about what extra ammunition I could use pre and or post workout.

Here is what I came up with….

First I wanted to find a product that was a total super heavy weight. A product that was just off the hook in terms of quality. I wanted to find a product that when you used it would totally kick ass in the body in terms of fighting off muscle stress and really stress in general. What I found was a product called Maqui. Maqui is a deep purple berry that grows in remote distant, Patagonia one of the cleanest places on earth. Maqui has the highest antioxidant level of all fruits as measured by Brunswick laboratories. The fruit juice of the Maqui berry has an ORAC value of >50,000 μmole TE/100g and anthocyanin value of 2242mg/100g. The concentrated extract has an ORAC value of > 90,000 μmole TE/100g and anthocyannins value of 4027mg/100g.

This chart - ORAC Value of Various Fruits gives you an idea of how powerful this fruit is.

I have the Maqui powder! As you can see this fruit totally kicks some ass! And besides kicking a lot of ass, here is what it can do in relationship to helping you build muscle. First it can totally eat up any free radicals inside the body produced by oxidative stress, otherwise know as free radical damage. This in turn will reduce muscle soreness. Second Maqui can reduce inflammation. From what I just talked about, inflammation is a major cause of muscle soreness and of course a catabolic event in the body. Lastly because Maqui is THE most potent fruit right now on the planet I thought I might list some other things it could possibly do

• Neutralize enzymes that destroy connective tissue, prevents oxidants from damaging connective tissue, and repair damaged proteins in the blood-vessel walls
• Lightens allergic reactions and increase capillary permeability.
• Promote cardiovascular health by preventing oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and protecting blood vessels wall from oxidative damage.
• Maintain small blood vessel integrity by stabilizing capillary walls.
• May improve eyesight
• Support healthy blood sugar level

All in all this is one anti-catabolic supplement. It makes sense to add it to a high GI carb and a hydrolyzed protein for your pre or post workout shake. Essentially we are combining two anabolic supplements with an anti-catabolic supplement.

The next ingredient I used, a not so new and probably the most popular vitamin today, is Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a potent anti-oxidant and is a very good choice to battle inflammation and stress. But of course I wanted to get my hands on the best Vitamin C supplement possible. Vitamin C is a very soluble vitamin. The body absorbs it quite easily. But I still wanted to get the best Vitamin C I could find. What I found was a vitamin C with naturally derived lipid metabolites to enhance the uptake. This Lipid Vitamin C is proven with a ton of research behind it to scavenge free radicals in the body better than any other form of vitamin C.

So now I have a one, two, body blow, upper cut post workout supplement formula. I will be calling this new post workout supplement additive “Killer QC “ By using my new “Killer QC” I have a strong feeling it will improve your recovery time, increase anabolic activity, decrease catabolic activity, improve overall health, and all in all help you build more MUSCLE!

Each tsp is 500mg of Maqui and 500mg of Vitamin C

300 gram unit

Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 1 tsp (5 grams)
Servings per Container: 60

Ingredients & Amount per Serving:
Maqui-500 mg
Anthocyanin Composition
Delfinidin-3-glucoarabinoside-5-glucoside, Delfinidin 3,5-diglucoside, Cyanidin-3-glucoarabinoside-5-glucoside, Cyanidine 3,5-diglucoside, Delfinidin 3-glucoarabinoside, Delfinidin 5-glucoarabinoside, Delfinidin 3-glucoside, Cyanidin 3-glucoarabinoside, Cyanidin 3-glucoside

Ascorbic Acid-500 mg

Recommended Usage: Take 1 level teaspoon immediately before, during, or after working out or physical activity. For best results, take with a protein and carbohydrate pre or post workout. Do not use more than once per day.

Essential Fatty Acid Supplements

Whether you are an athlete or simply health conscious, it is important to understand the vital role that fats play in our diet. Our diet-obsessed culture has led many individuals to cut fat out entirely of their diets in the hopes of losing weight--something that is both unhealthy and unnecessary. In fact, a number of fats are actually healthy and necessary in order to gain muscle mass and stay lean.

Whether you are an athlete or simply health conscious, it is important to understand the vital role that fats play in our diet. Our diet-obsessed culture has led many individuals to cut fat out entirely of their diets in the hopes of losing weight--something that is both unhealthy and unnecessary. In fact, a number of fats are actually healthy and necessary in order to gain muscle mass and stay lean.

Although the body is capable of creating many types of fat on its own, there are a number of important ones that it cannot. These are known as essential fatty acids and are required in a healthy diet in order help with the growth and maintenance of our body's cells. Since it is often difficult to get the proper dosage in one's diet on a regular basis, the use of essential fatty acid supplements is an easy way to help maintain overall health.

One of the most effective essential fatty acid supplements is flax seed oil. Composed of approximately one-third oil, the rest of its ingredients include fiber, protein and mucilage. In addition to providing a number of vitamins and minerals, flax seed oil is also a powerful source of three essential fatty acids. At Protein Factory, we use an organic process to extract the oil from the flax seed and do not refine the oil.

In today's fast paced world, most individuals overlook the importance of their nutrition. In fact, recent studies have shown that most North Americans lack many crucial essential fatty acids in their diet. At Protein Factory, we have dedicated ourselves to creating healthy supplements that are easy to take, ensuring your body gets the nourishment it needs to stay healthy and keep you active

Soy protein BAD, I don

By Alex Rogers, Proteinfactory.com

Claims have been made that soy protein raises estrogen levels. Not good if you were a bodybuilder looking to add lean muscle mass.

Hormonal Studies.

1)A study found that soy protein isolate (daidzein) may have a gender specific normalizing effect on sex-hormone production. Male lab animals experienced greater testosterone and growth-hormone excretion as well as muscle growth" This contradicts the study that found that genestein decreased testosterone serum.

2)Another study found that soy may be actually anti-strogenic. . They may also act as anti-strogens by competing for the binding sites of estrogen receptors or the active site of the estrogen biosynthesizing and metabolizing enzymes, such as aromatize and estrogen-specific 17 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase (type 1).

3)Probably the best research study contracting the one used by the author of "The bad protein" is this.

The phytoestrogens are only found in raw soy products. Not soy protein isolates, which are used as protein supplements for bodybuilders.

"There are very little data on effects of phytoestrogens in males. Estrogenic effects in wildlife have been described but the evidence for the role of phytoestrogens is indirect and seen under conditions of excessive exposure."

And what is most interesting about this study is that it was conducted by one of the same researchers at the same university as the study that found genistein lowered testosterone serum levels. This researcher concluded that even though he found genestein has estrogenic effects, it really cant be concluded because of the above statement in his other research findings.

Hence, he found soy to be estrogenic, but it really cant be "hard" evidence because there is not enough proof and it involves ridiculous conditions.

See what I mean by two sides to every story..

Positive Benefits of soy

The amino acid profile of soy is excellent. If you don’t know by now the Glutamic Acid level is higher than whey. Why? Mainly because it is a plant protein and not dairy.
Soy has been proven to lower heart disease risks and cancer. Now there are about a million studies on this statement. I not going to quote any.
Soy protein actually improves kidney function.
When soy was combined with a carbohydrate in comparison with casein. Lower body fat gains were observed.
Character witnesses.

1)Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale , probably one of the greatest sports nutritionist authors to ever live. (and trust me on this one) quoted in Muscle Media Magazine. "I use a combination of soy, casein, and whey protein that I make up myself from three different products, each one containing on of the protein isolates in quality form"

Supplementation: If your taking any form of pro-hormones beware. Do not think that your immune to the estrogen build up in your body. With any increase in testosterone levels your body tries to balance itself out by increasing estrogen. Even though pro-hormones are much weaker than anabolic steroids they still cause a rise in estrogen levels. By taking soy protein XT, about 60 grams a day this might combat some of the feminization effects.

The Best Tasting Protein

It’s a fact: Protein shakes are simply the most efficient method of getting enough top quality protein to grow more muscle. You need it. End of story. But as simple and convenient as taking in a protein shake two or three times a day may be, if something doesn’t taste good, there will come a time when you’ll be less likely to eat it. That’s why we take care in obtaining the best flavoring and we don’t make any of those horrible “drinks in a can” which taste like artificially flavored water. Most other companies also add vitamins and minerals to their protein shake, which may seem like a good idea in terms of using it as meal replacement but vitamins and minerals have a distinctive sour taste and it’ll ruin the flavor of a drink that should taste like a treat. You’re much better off taking Protein Factory’s DX7, which has vitamins, minerals, anti oxidants, adaptogens , methyl donors , ergogenic co factors and special anabolic and anti catabolic agents. No meal replacement on the planet comes close to that. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a multi vitamin on the market that compares to it. One serving a day and you’ll have all the strength, and energy to blast through the toughest work outs. And in this way, you can have your protein shakes free of any “after taste.”

At Protein Factory, our protein is the cleanest and purest on the market. Unlike other companies, it doesn’t sit in canisters for months on end. What you get is the freshest product available. And as much detail as we spend in getting the best flavorings, we realize taste is subjective and we’ll admit, there are just some flavors which will not be as good as those made right before you throw it in a blender. If you don’t mind spending a little extra time in order to get the absolute best tasting protein drink, you may want to consider buying your protein unflavored and unsweetened and adding your own flavors. Adding fresh strawberries and a packet of Splenda to unflavored protein will certainly taste fresher than any pre-made flavoring.

When it comes to vanilla flavoring, adding some real sugar seems to make it come alive. Completely artificially sweetened vanilla drinks never seem to taste quite right. And vanilla syrup is more “vanilla-y” than powdered vanilla. That’s why using bland protein and adding U Bet vanilla syrup with a splash of vanilla extract will create a vanilla milk shake comparable to what you’d get at a gourmet ice cream store. You can also get vanilla syrup made with Sweet and Low, in which case adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream works great.

Chocolate lovers use a combination of Nestlé’s chocolate with equal parts Nestlé’s sugar free chocolate with their favorite Protein Factory blend and it blows away any chocolate formula you’ll find anywhere.

And remember, when you order BIG BLAST, it already contains dextrose and hydrolyzed rice syrup (which taste like sucrose) so there’s no need for extra sugar or artificial sweetening. It’s great just as it is. Plus, you get creatine, Nitic Oxide and EFA’s. BIG BLAST is not only the most powerful lean-mass gainer on the market, it’s one of the best bargains you’ll find.

It’s a bit more work, but if taste is important to you, try some of these home made tips. And if you discover something you think is unique, let us know!

Another reason why buying from Protein Factory makes sense. Quality. Price Versatility. Get protein. Get huge.

Hydrolyzed Proteins

It seems the use of Hydrolyzed Protein is starting to take on a little more steam as more and more people are using Hydrolyzed Proteins. Whether it be our PeptoPro, Hydrolyzed 1400 or 520. Thus I just want make a few points to remember about Hydrolyzed Proteins and how to use them properly and also, some sneaky little tricks to make them work even better. First and foremost make sure you UNDERSTAND Hydrolyzed Proteins. If you don’t, DON’T purchase a Hydrolyzed Protein because you could be purchasing a low quality one. The basic rule is this…Make sure you know the molecular weight average of the protein. PeptoPro is the best at about 250 daltons, followed by the 520, and then the 1400. Second, know that these products taste BAD. If you know my writings and thoughts I lay things out in “layman’s terms” and if you can’t use it, what the hell good is it to you?

Next, hydrolyzed proteins are very effective around training. They have a remarkable ability to keep the body out of a catabolic state (muscle wasting). Testimonials from our customers are pumping in about gains in strength and loss of body fat with the use of hydrolyzed proteins pre and post workout. This tells me that yes, the body is in a positive nitrogen state.

Get the most out of your Hydrolyzed Protein. Use it with a high GI carb or any carb for that matter. Dextrose, Maltodextrin, or any food, say a banana. This will keep any peptides from being used up as energy.

How much to use? Quite frankly I am seeing as little as 5 grams for being effective. Personally I have been using a new fruit product that I have made up. It’s a combination of strictly “Orange” colored fruit along with some DMG and CQ10. I combine this with PeptoPro and take it pre-workout, followed up by a mixture of “RED” colored fruits and 2 servings of PeptoPro. Seems to be effective…..For the carbs, use between 30 and 75.

How Much Protein Can the Body Digest?

How Much Protein can the body digest at once? That has been one of my most asked questions since starting Proteinfactory.com in 1998. My answer has always been, “well nobody really knows the answer”, “no scientific studies have ever been conducted on the AMOUNT of protein an individual can digest at once. In this new letter I will address that question in a short paragraph by protein research and scientist Dr. Siebrecht

A certain portion of the protein we consume is not absorbed by our body but degraded by bacteria in our intestinal tract. Sometimes up to 40% of the consumed protein can disappear during the process. Also, a portion of the absorbed protein which reaches our blood is not used for protein synthesis but for energy production. In that case, the amino acids are transformed into carbohydrates by the gluconeogenesis in the liver. The liver transforms excess amino acids into carbohydrates by the gluconeogensiss in the liver. The liver transforms excess amino acids into glucose (gluconeogenesis) and the nitrogen of the amino acids is turned into ammonia and excreted as urea via the urine. The more nitrogen is found in the urine the more amino acids have been burned for energy production instead of being used for their main purpose, protein synthesis. The lower the nitrogen excretion in the urine, the more amino acids have been used for protein synthesis. This is called nitrogen retention and the higher the nitrogen retention; the more amino acids have been used for building new proteins in our body. Studies from Boza have shown that the nitrogen retention is highest for hydrolyzed caseinate, higher than that from free amino acids or intact protein. That means that the amino acids from Hydrolyzed Caseinate are better and more rapidly absorbed having a higher bioavailability for protein synthesis than amino acids from normal protein and free amino acids.

Whether the peptides are absorbed by the mucosa and what the mucosa releases into the blood is still a question. The mucosa cleaves the peptides further into single amino acids and releases them into the blood stream. But if this was always true, all proteins would appear as free amino acids. This would not explain the different metabolic, physiologic and pharmaceutical response of our body to different proteins and peptides. It is more likely that some smaller peptides are entering the blood stream as such and then causing different metabolic reactions.

MicroLactin and the Effect on Recovery After Exercise

Eighteen highly trained, non seasonal, distanced runners, male and female who consistently had been running for 3 or more years were recruited to participate in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment. The experiment was set up to show the benefits of supplementing with MicroLactin vs a commercially obtained (placebo) milk powder as an ergogenic aid to performance enhancement in non-seasonal, highly trained runners The Experiment:

Eighteen highly trained, non seasonal, distanced runners, male and female who consistently had been running for 3 or more years were recruited to participate in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment. The experiment was set up to show the benefits of supplementing with MicroLactin vs a commercially obtained (placebo) milk powder as an ergogenic aid to performance enhancement in non-seasonal, highly trained runners. The study was conducted on a double blind basis with neither the runners nor the investigator having knowledge of which milk was being taken. Data analysis was likewise conducted on a double blind basis using codes D and E, but without knowledge which contained the MicroLactin and which was placebo.

Study Design:

The controlled study was to last 29 weeks and was to consist of a pretreatment period of 4 weeks during which time all subjects took placebo milk. After a 4 week baseline period, all runners consumed 45 g of placebo nonfat dry milk in water twice daily, runners were then randomized into a MicroLactin milk and a control group, on a double blind basis, and followed for a period of 6 months.

Demographics:

Among them, 10 patients were in the treatment group and 8 in the control group. The mean age was 38 with ages ranging from 28-49.

Running History:

Patients who were randomized to complete the study had an average of 16 years running experience. The distribution between sexes was similar: males 16 years, females 14 years. The average number of miles runners trained per week was 35 miles for females and 32 miles for males.

Performance Criteria:

During the study, 5 out of 10 who consumed MicroLactin had an improvement in their 5k time trail from their baseline run, compared to 2 out of 8 with the non-immune milk. Of the runners who did not improve, 4 taking MicroLactin and 2 drinking non-immune milk ran in cold and windy inclement weather. The most noteworthy finding from these comparisons is the marked reduction in recovery time between training sessions.

Serum Enzymes, rate of return to baseline after exercise: Group averages for serum enzymes CK, LDH, and AP, determined before and at intervals after 5 kilometer time trials are presented in the table below. Serum enzyme return to baseline was markedly faster in the MicroLactin runners compared to placebo controls with regard to CK and LDH. AP was not found to be a very sensitive indicator of exercise or recovery. Creatine kinase (CK) perhaps the most sensitive indicator of muscle damage and recovery, showed a particularly striking response. This can also be shown in the chart below.

Regression analysis of CK recovery rates over time revealed a highly significant (p=0.0034) decrease in recovery time over the 6 month treatment period in the MicroLactin group but no change in the controls.

Significantly improved enzyme recovery rates together with marked improvement in runner perceived recovery times represents strong evidence of anti-inflammatory or tissue sparing effects in well trained athletes under the conditions of the study.

Percentage of Body Fat:

A decrease in body fat was detected in the MicroLactin group during the study. The difference between the MicroLactin and control group was most apparent at 12 weeks. Please see the chart below. Furthermore, the finding that body weight increased slightly while % fat decreased, implies the runners gained muscle mass, not fat during the experimental period.

Overall Results:

The following apparent benefits were detected in the runners consuming MicroLactin:

• Highly significant runner perceived improvement in training
• Improved 5 kilometer race times
• Faster recovery time between training sessions
• Significantly shortened creatine kinase (CK) recovery times
• Slight but significant decrease in % of body fat despite a slight increase of body weight.

At the end of the study, 7 out of 10 runners (70%) who had taken MicroLactin reported overall improvement vs. 2 of 8 with the placebo control milk.

Discussion from Study Director:

Whether an individual is a weekend athlete or an athlete striving for an Olympic gold medal, he/she sets certain performance goals. In order to achieve these goals individuals have tried various ergogenic aids both legal, such as new diets, training techniques, or state of the art equipment and illegal, such an anabolic steroids or blood doping. These athletes hope to find an aid that will give them an “edge” to excel in their sport.

No matter what technique athletes use for performance enhancement, they are unlikely to improve if training is not consistent. When athletes must take time away from training due to muscle soreness, fatigue, or injury, their performance improvement is hindered. It has been proven that after vigorous or unaccustomed exercise, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will occur between 8-24 hours after exercise and may persist for 3 or more days. Even though DOMS is not a serious condition it may discourage beginning athletes from further participation in sports and lead to injury in trained athletes if they engage in heavy exercise during this time of soreness. It has been recognized that elevated plasma levels of intra muscular enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) correlate with increased muscle soreness and muscle injury. During the present study the runners were asked to run a 5k time trial at maximal effort in order to elevate serum enzymes and produce muscle soreness. Runners drinking MicroLactin had decreased CK recovery after intense exercise compared to runners drinking the non-immune control milk. Since increased CK levels correlate with increased muscle damage, one can assume that subjects drinking the MicroLactin had less muscular damage after strenuous exercise than subjects drinking non-MicroLactin milk.

Along with measuring serum enzymes, the runners were asked monthly to evaluate athletic performance with regard to length of recovery after a hard workout. Runners on MicroLactin had shorter recovery periods than the runners on the non-immune control milk. With quicker recovery, an athlete can train more consistently at a higher intensity resulting in performance enhancement. This improvement was seen during the study, as reflected in the runners’ 5k time trail. During the study, 5 out of 10 athletes who drank MicroLactin had an improvement in their 5k time trial from their baseline run, compared to 2 out of 8 athletes who drank non-immune milk. Of the runners who did not improve their 5k time trial, 4 of the runners drinking MicroLactin and 2 of the runners drinking non-immune milk ran in cold and windy inclement weather.

The most significant finding was the runners overall perceived improvement. This information was obtained from a monthly performance questionnaire, runner’s diaries (filled out daily), visual analog scale, and a final question which read: “Did you notice any change in performance during the study?” 70% of the runners on MicroLactin noticed a change compared to 25% percent on the non-immune milk.

Throughout the study, percent in body fat was measured. The subjects on MicroLactin showed a decrease in percent of body fat from baseline compared to subjects on non-immune milk. It is generally felt that a low body fat is desirable for successful competition in almost any sport. A strong inverse correlation is seen between percent body fat and performance in those activities in which body mass must be moved through space, either vertically, as in jumping or horizontally, as in running.

These results support the hypothesis that MicroLactin consumed at 45 g twice a day will enhance a runners performance. Even though this study was designed using highly trained, non-seasonal runners, MicroLactin milk might be expected to enhance performance in less dedicated athletes in a variety of sports. Further research would be appropriate with MicroLactin dispensed as a dietary supplement to various kinds of athletes, particularly the weekend athletes, who have high beginner exercise program drop out rates due to severe soreness or injury.