Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

MUSCLE
Report
Volume 6 Issue 10

The latest Scientific Discoveries in the

Fields of Resistance Exercise, Nutrition
and Supplementation.

2016 Muscle Building Science

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

How important are protein supplements?

Protein supplements are as synonymous with weight training as barbells and dumbbells. The
majority of athletes training for maximum size and strength see protein supplements as a
critical part of their nutrition strategy, either for the convenience they offer or as a way to
increase daily protein intake. So ingrained is the need for protein supplements that any claim
they are a waste of time and money is met with hostile contempt. If you look past the
marketing hype however, the uncomfortable reality is that those in the anti-supplement camp
do have considerable evidence to back up their argument.
The February 2012 edition of the Muscle Report discussed a review which looked at the
evidence between resistance training adaptations and protein or amino acid supplementation
and found only a negligible positive effect on strength or hypertrophy adaptations from
supplements. A new study has provided more evidence supporting this conclusion.
The study involved 68 recreationally trained males who completed 12 weeks of thrice-weekly
resistance exercise. Participants were divided into three groups based on the supplements
they took for the duration of the study: protein blend (25% whey protein isolate/25% soy
protein isolate/50% casein), whey protein isolate or maltodextrin. Supplements were
consumed immediately post-workout or once between meals on non-training days.
Participants were also asked to record their dietary intake at different points during the study.
After 12 weeks of training muscle mass was found to have increased across all 3 groups. As
can be seen in figure 1 the protein blend group increased their muscle mass by an average
2.9kg. For the whey protein group it was 2.3kg and for the maltodextrin group it as 2.0kg.
Upper and lower body strength increases were not significantly different between groups
(figure 2). Dietary analysis revealed no significant difference in energy or macronutrient
intake between groups (Table 1).
As with the previously discussed review, this study also found only a slight advantage with
taking protein supplementation in conjunction with a structured resistance exercise program.
While the protein blend group did perform better overall it must be kept in mind these results
represent averages. When looking at individual results there was a wide range. Some in the
maltodextrin group actually gained more muscle mass compared to the protein blend groups
but the overall trend was in favour of the protein blend group.
This study provides further evidence that protein supplements are not a magic bullet to make
your muscles grow. Supplements can support muscle growth but they dont make it happen.
An effective training program, good diet and sufficient rest are needed for optimum strength
and hypertrophy adaptations. If you dont have these right then supplements are not going to
help.

2016 Muscle Building Science

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

Figure 1

Lean mass accrual with different

supplements
Change in LBM (kg)

3.5
3
2.5
2

1.5
1
0.5
0
Protein blend

Whey protein

Maltodextrin

Figure 2

Increase in 1RM strength

Chang in 1RM strength (kg)

120
100
80
60

Squat

40

Bench press

20
0
Protein blend

Whey protein

Table 1. Average dietary intake

Energy (cal/day)
Protein blend
2270
Whey protein
2670
Maltodextrin
2200

2016 Muscle Building Science

Maltodextrin

Protein (g/kg)
1.54
1.64
1.23

Carbohydrate (g/kg)
3.42
3.46
3.31

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

A simple trick to instantly improve your 1RM

The importance of an effective warm-up routine cannot be underestimated. It prepares your
body for the coming physical activity by increasing your core temperature, enhancing blood
flow to the working muscles, increases the range of motion your body can move through,
stimulates the nervous and improves neuromuscular connections. Provided your warm-up
routine accomplishes these things your workout will be extremely productive.
Regular readers should by now have dropped static stretching from their pre-workout warm
up routine in favour of dynamic stretching. What about when you move onto the weights
though? Chances are you start off with a light resistance and gradually add more weight till
you reach your first working set. That is certainly not a bad approach but if your goal is to test
yourself with a 1RM there is a better way; warm up with dynamic resistance.
Researches had a group of individuals perform a 1RM squat. Two sets of three repetitions
with 85% 1RM were performed as a warm up. One group replaced 35% of their weight with
dynamic resistance in the form of chains while the other group used free-weight only
resistance. After 5 minutes rest subjects performed a 1RM test. On a separate occasion the
same protocol was performed only the groups were swapped over so that everyone
performed the warm up with dynamic resistance.
Researchers found that warming up with the dynamic resistance resulted in a 6.2% increase in
1RM strength. Most significantly, this occurred without any change to the biomechanics of
the movement, indicating the improved performance was solely due to enhanced muscle
strength.
This is not the first time dynamic resistance during a warm up has been shown to enhance
maximum strength. A study published in 20141 used an identical training protocol but with
elastic band resistance replacing 35% of the fixed resistance during two 3 repetition warm up.
This study reported that 13 out of the 16 volunteers increased their 1RM squat by an average
7.7%!
What makes these two studies so significant is that the improved strength was not the result
of training. It was an instantaneous result from warming up with dynamic resistance. This
demonstrates that warming up with dynamic resistance in the form of chains or bands
conditions your muscles to make them stronger on a subsequent maximum repetition.

1. Mina, MA, Blazevich, AJ, Giakas, G, Kay, AD. 2014. Influence of Variable Resistance Loading
on Subsequent Free Weight Maximal Back Squat Performance. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research. 28(10): 2988-2995.

2016 Muscle Building Science

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

Dont be afraid of dumbbells

The bench press is arguably the most highly regarded measure of upper body strength. It is
also one of the most favoured exercises for serious athletes training for strength, size and
power. The NFL even uses a 225-pound bench press for maximum repetitions to test an
athletes strength, power and muscular endurance. One of the reasons it is so effective as an
upper body exercise is that it takes every muscle to stabilise and move the weight trough it
full range of motion. Forget about the bench press only being a chest exercise. It is highly
effective for building strength, power and muscle mass in the entire upper body.
There are a number of variations of the bench press such as with dumbbells, and various
machines such as the smith machine. The barbell bench press is considered the standard but
are these variations any better or worse? To answer this question 19 males with weight
training experience performed 4 sets of 10 repetitions using their 10RM on the barbell bench
press, dumbbell bench press and smith machine bench press. Muscle activity in the pectoralis
major, anterior deltoid, biceps brachii and triceps brachii was measured during each set.
The dumbbell bench press was found to produce the greatest activity in the pectoralis major
and biceps and less activity in the triceps compared to the other two exercises. It also allowed
for the greatest number of repetitions to be performed. The smith machine bench press
produced the most anterior deltoid activity. At the completion of each exercise the
participants performed 4 sets of triceps extensions. The dumbbell and barbell bench press
allowed for the greatest volume of work to be performed (weight x repetitions). This suggests
the smith machine version not only works more anterior deltoid but also taxes the triceps to a
higher degree.
So what does this mean? Is the dumbbell bench press superior to the barbell bench press?
Not necessarily. This is only one study with a small number of participants. Other research has
shown that dumbbell and barbell bench presses may be equally effective at activating
pectoralis major muscle fibres when training with 1-3 repetitions1,2. What this study does
show is that each exercise produces its own unique patterns of muscle activity. Dumbbells do
represent a genuine alternative to the standard barbell bench press and therefore can play a
role in your training.

1. Saeterbakken, AH, van der Tillar, R, Fimland, MS. 2001. A comparison of muscle activity and 1-RM
strength of 3 chest-press exercises with different stability requirements. Journal of Sports Sciences.
29(5): 533-538.
2. Welsch, EA, Bird, M, Mayhew, JL. 2005. Electromyographic activity of the pectoralis major and
anterior deltoid muscles during three upper-body lifts. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
19(2):449-452.
2016 Muscle Building Science

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

Rise up and improve your squat

If the bench press is the king of upper body exercises then squats are the king of lower body
exercises. You can tell the serious athletes in the gym by their squat performance. The
exercise is difficult to perform, uncomfortable and extremely demanding, both physically and
psychologically. If you can master this key exercise then you are well on your way to
developing a big, strong, powerful body.
As effective as squats are they also have the potential to produce catastrophic injuries if not
performed correctly. A back injury will put you out of the gym completely (not to mention
making your life a complete misery) while a knee injury will seriously limit what you can do in
terms of exercises. Correct exercise performance is therefore critical to minimise the risk of
injury while maximising the benefits.
A common problem athletes have when performing squats is an excessive forward lean at the
at the bottom part of the movement. This can cause in the barbells centre of mass to move
forward resulting in the lower back taking more of the load. This added stress may increase
the risk of a lower back injury. There are a number of causes for an excessive forward leans
such as weakness in the posterior chain, instability of the core musculature or poor flexibility
in the ankles. If the latter is the cause then a simple solution is to elevate the heels using a
board. This was demonstrated in a new study which had 19 males with weight training
experience perform squats with their feet flat on that floor and their heels elevated with a
2.5cm board. It was found that the board did reduce forward trunk lean but with no effect on
quadriceps muscle activity.
This same benefit has been observed by wearing weightlifting shoes1. These have an elevated
heel which works exactly the same as a board under the heels. If you do suffer from an
excessive forward lean when performing squats then elevating your heels may be of benefit.
This is not a new idea however the evidence shows it does in fact work.

1. Sato, K, Fortenbaugh, D and Hydock, D. 2012. Kinematic changes using weightlifting shoes on
barbell back squat. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 26(1). 28-33.
2016 Muscle Building Science

Muscle Report

Volume 6 Issue 10

References
How important are protein supplements?
Reidy, PT, Borack, MS, Markofski, MM, Dickinson, JM, Deer, RR, Husaini, SH, Walker, DK,
Igbinigie, S, Robertson, SM< Cope, MB, Mukherjea, R, Hall-Potter, JM, Jennings, K, Volpi, E,
Rasmussen, BB. Protein Supplementation Has Minimal Effects on Muscle Adaptations during
Resistance Exercise Training in Young Men: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trail.
Journal of Nutrition. 146(9): 1660-1669.
A simple trick to instantly improve your 1RM
Minas, MA, Blazevich, GG, Seitz, LB, Kay, AD. Chain-loaded variable resistance warm-up
improves free-weight maximal back squat performance. European Journal of Sport Science.
2016. 16(8): 932-939.
Dont be afraid of dumbbells
de Afaujo Farias, D, Willardson, JM, Paz, GA, Bezerra, E, Miranda, H. Maximum strength
performance and muscle activation for the bench press and triceps extension exercises
adopting dumbbell, barbell and machine modalities over multiple sets. Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research. Published online 21 September 2016.
Rise up and improve your squat
Charlton, JM, Hammond, CA, Cochrane, CK, Hatfield, GL, Hunt, MA. The effects of a heel
wedge on hip, pelvis and trunk biomechanics during squatting in resistance trained
individuals. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Published online 20 September
2016.

2016 Muscle Building Science