Re: [fast5] Fast5 and P90X

This is very interesting, Heather.  However, isn't it the case that the chickens are in a developmental period analogous, in human terms, to the growth-spurt of adolescence, with its naturally-accelerated anabolic effects?  Hence one might expect excess calories to be used preferentially for muscle-building under these conditions.  I'm not sure that one would typically see similar results in fully-grown human adults, absent artificial hormone supplementation, of course.  There's quite a lot of evidence that much of the mass gained by typical drug-free adult trainers during "bulking" over-eating tends to be fat and extra hydration, and this is revealed by how much they have to shed to reach competition body-fat percentages; net gains in muscle mass are usually quite modest, but this of course can still look impressive when in a "ripped" low-fat state.

David

On 1 March 2010 03:57, Heather Twist <HeatherTwist@gmail.com> wrote:

 

The best research I've seen on this to date is in chickens ... specifically meat

chickens, where the amount of food given (and the timing) results in more

muscle, even without exercise. It's an experiment I've done myself: using the

same breed. One batch, all the food they want (high protein). Another batch,

only fed once a day, all they can eat (also high protein). 

The first batch gains WAY more muscle (but not fat). However, they are also far less

healthy. The muscle they gain is weak (AKA "tender"). They get sick

easily too, and seem to be prone to heart disease. The second batch

is way skinnier, but they act more like healthy chickens and live longer.

My take on this is that muscle mass is in fact influenced by how often

you eat, plus how much protein. Just like the body builder magazines say.

But that is NOT related to either health or "fitness". The healthiest animals

are insanely strong, but they have little muscle mass. Those skinny chimps

are stronger than the strongest man, but they don't have much muscle

mass. Deer can jump an 8 foot fence on those skinny little legs, too.

It might be that for free weight lifting, having more mass helps for

balance. And having more muscles looks good for competition. 

Otherwise, I think "lithe and strong" is a better goal. My opinion

only. Every time I see a body builder I see a meat chicken ... 

__._,_.___

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[get this widget]