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Driving a bench press PR into lockout... powering a bone-crushing squat out of the hole... smashing through sticking points like they don't exist...
Those experiences occur, but never often enough. And, although very gratifying, improvements in training never seem to come fast enough. We want gains and we want them now – and we want something more every time we go into the gym!
You may not ever be totally satisfied with the rate of your progress, but you'd be a whole lot happier if you mastered a key component to weight-training success – explosive force!
Potentiate high-threshold motor units (fast-twitch fibers) within a muscle and – BOOM! – you've got explosive force. Activation of high-threshold motor units is the most-important factor in maximizing muscle growth and strength. Every advanced strength and power athlete centers his training and competition around it.
The good news is, now there's a way to activate these sometimes-lazy fast-twitch fibers that's a whole lot easier and a bunch more predictable.
Do this one little thing, about an hour before training, and get an automatic 14% increase in peak force during training!
Not only that, you double growth hormone (GH) levels at the time you need it most, post training.
The whole point is, the entire training process is greatly enhanced – you'll make faster and greater gains in muscle, strength, and overall improvements in body composition!
The "thing" we're talking about is a compound called alpha-GPC (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine). And TMUSCLE's chief scientist, Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, actually proved these findings in a study that'll be published within the year.
Not only that, Tim Patterson and Dr. Z have been experimenting with alpha-GPC on several of TMUSCLE's elite-level bodybuilders.
One of these bodybuilders is our very own Christian Thibaudeau, who smashed an overhead press PR by a whopping 30 pounds! And he did this on his very first dose!
(We'll reveal more about this group, as well as their training, in the months ahead.)
It's also important to note that these effects do not diminish over time. In other words, your 100th dose works as well (maybe even better) as your first dose.
Alpha-GPC the Compound
Alpha-GPC is a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Clinically, it's been used both orally and intramuscularly to treat Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), as well as to improve memory, cognitive function, and learning.
Clearly, you don't have to be a physician to see that it has profound effects on the nervous system. However, prior to Dr. Ziegenfuss, not many researchers thought to test alpha-GPC on advanced athletes.
On the other hand, choline, which is a precursor to alpha-GPC, has been tested on athletes and shown to improve athletic performance and endurance.
The thinking is this:
Acetylcholine is a major neurotransmitter that activates muscle contraction. Increasing the amount of acetylcholine (which is depleted by exercise) in cells can therefore keep muscles contracting longer and harder.
Simple really.
However, alpha-GPC is a much better precursor to acetylcholine and, unlike choline, alpha-GPC raises GH levels substantially.
That's what made this compound so intriguing to the TMUSCLE research department, including Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, who decided to test it on strength athletes.
What Did the ALPHA-GPC Studies Show?
Dr. Ziegenfuss recruited experienced weight trainers and set out to test the effects of alpha-GPC on GH levels and explosive force, using a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design.
We can't get into the precise protocol before the study is officially published, but we can tell you the highlights.
Study Protocol Highlights
Subjects consumed a dose of alpha-GPC 90 minutes prior to exercise.
They were then asked to perform 3 sets of bench-press throws using 50% of their pre-determined 1RM.
Rep speed was measured using the Ballistic Measurement System (BMS).
Blood draws were taken 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post-exercise.
Bench-Press Force Findings
Alpha-GPC increased peak force by 14% over and above the placebo value.
Growth Hormone Findings
Alpha-GPC doubled GH levels over the placebo value, post training.
How Does ALPHA-GPC Work?
Bottom line, alpha-GPC works. What isn't exactly clear is how it works, but Dr. Z has narrowed it down to two theories:
By increasing acetylcholine concentrations, Alpha-GPC increases the number of cross bridges formed by actin and myosin – more cross bridges equals more peak force.
ALPHA-GPC directly increases the recruitment of high-threshold motor units (fast-twitch fibers).
Either way, it really doesn't matter. Alpha-GPC quickly makes athletes more powerful and much more resistant to fatigue.
And being able to recruit more fast-twitch fibers, repeatedly, set after set after set, you'll build muscle and gain strength at a faster rate.
But let's not forget about the other powerful effect of alpha-GPC, which might lead to even greater muscle growth. I'm talking about doubling GH, of course.
Such a profound increase in GH levels – every time you train – can have a significant effect on fat loss, not to mention hypertrophy.
How to Use Alpha-GPC
Take 900 mg 90 minutes prior to training or competition.
BIOTEST® Alpha-GPC
BIOTEST® Fast-Acting Liquid Alpha-GPC contains the most potent, highest quality, and most pure form of L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine available.
References
Ziegenfuss, T.N., Landis, J., J.E. Hofheins.
Acute Supplementation With Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Augments Growth Hormone Response T, and Peak Force Production During, Resistance Exercise. The Center for Applied Health Science Research, Division of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science, Fairlawn, OH. 44333. (Abstract)
Abbati C, et al.
Nootropic therapy of cerebral aging. Advances in Therapy. 1991;8(6):268-276.
Canal N, Franceschi M, Alberoni M, et al.
Effect of L-alpha-glyceryl-phosphorylcholine on amnesia caused by scopolamine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol. Mar1991;29(3):103.
Sandage, et al.
Effects of Choline on Athletic Performance and Fatigue. "The Role of Dietary Supplements for Physically Active People,: NIH Workshop, Bethesda, MD., 1996.
Spector, SA, et al.
Effect of Choline Supplementation on fatigue in trained cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995;27(5):669-673.
Conlay, AL, Sabounjian, LA and Wurtman, R.
"Exercise and neuromodulators: Choline and acetylcholine in marathon runners" International Journal of Sports Medicine (1992) 13: S141-S142
