Keeping Up With The Muscle

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Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organismsto maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter. Anabolism uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.  


We all have a certain metabolic rate that dictates our body composition. There are varying levels of metabolism ranging from slow to super fast.  The speed of the metabolism does not necessarily dictate that a person will be lean of over fat.  A person who is carrying more body fat than normal might have a very fast metabolism. And a person with a slow metabolism might be very lean.  cellscellscellscells


The metabolic rate is determined by the need and efficiency of the internal organs to reproduce cells and breakdown food and  metabolites. If a system is compromised for some reason due to an unhealthy circumstance then the vital organs are at risk of being deprived.  This deprivation can slow down the metabolism causing a shift in body composition. 


To ensure that you maintain a healthy metabolism and to keep the vital organs working optimally it is essential to exercise.  Activating more muscle tissue will cause a boost in the active metabolism. The active metabolism is the amount of heat that is produced as a result of exercise. The greater the intensity, the greater the output.  The goal is always to activate as much muscle tissue as possible to create a greater thermogenic effect.  I discuss this process in greater detail in my book "diet EARTH." For this blog I will not go into that much detail.  You just need to know that exercise is important for boosting the active metabolism. c


When you become an advanced weight trainer your muscles become more sensitive and are constantly in need of protein.  This constant state of protein saturation is essential in building new muscle tissue.  Unfortunately, there is a down side to increasing muscle tissue.  The more muscle tissue you activate the more food you have to eat.  To be able to keep the hard dense muscle that you have worked so hard for, you must constantly eat.  In this day in age, unless you are independently wealthy, food is expensive. It costs a tremendous amount of money to feed the muscles.  Meat, eggs, supplements, are expensive sources of protein, especially if you consume lots quantities during the week.  vince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince gironda


That is the one thing I constantly battle with.  I guess you could say I was blessed with a fast metabolism, but I would say that is a detriment.  It would be great if I just wanted to be a long distance runner or a guy who just wanted to be lean and fit, but I love to build muscle.  However, it costs a lot of money to maintain my muscle tissue.  Some weeks when I have enough money I can by the food necessary to keep up with my training.  But there are weeks when I don't have enough money to feed my muscles. During the sparse feeding cycles, my body goes into catabolism.  I have been through catabolism so many times that I can actually feel my body starving. My muscles become stringy and small, my energy plummets, my hormone secretions weaken, my central nervous system becomes depressed, my appetite increases, sleep patterns shift, sex drive drops, joints ache, face appearance changes. It is almost the same affect as being anorexic.  I absolutely hate it when the sparse feeding weeks occur.  Those weeks are very difficult for me. There is nothing worse than seeing all of your hard earned gains quickly melt away.  vince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince girondavince gironda


For many people weight loss and being skinny is a great thing. But for the bodybuilder losing muscle tissue is disastrous.  When I lose muscle due to sparse eating it messes me up psychologically.  To me bodybuilding is a job, and when I begin to lose my muscle tissue it threatens my livelihood.  It sucks to have a fast metabolism and I can't keep up with feeding it.  So I am constantly swimming against the tide. The more I train the further into catabolism I go.  Someone asked me one time, "why don't you stop lifting weights to avoid catabolism? You wouldn't have to eat as much to maintain your body composition."   Telling me to stop lifting weights is like telling Bono to stop singing. Weight training is my life. It becomes a part of you that you can't let go.  So, rather than stop training I push on taking the good with the bad.  I have learned how to adjust my training through the low feeding cycles. As much as I hate not being able to eat, I never give up hope that someday I will be able to eat enough food to get the muscle back. Catabolism sucks!!!  I want to compete again but my feeding cycles are too inconsistent. 


It is interesting that many people want to be rich so that they can go on trips abroad, or to buy fancy cars, boats, clothes, etc.  I want to be wealthy so I can eat healthy organic nutrient dense food with never having to worry about starving. vince girondavince girondavince girondavince gironda


Metabolism is a process that only stops when we die.  It is essential to feed the metabolism according to your activity level.  The more you move the more you have to eat. The problem is that many people move and don't eat enough food to repair the damage.  


tags: food, nutrients, daryl conant, ron kosloff, red sox. vince girondamuscle muscle muscle  muscle muscle