Hyaluronic Acid
Several weeks ago I was having an issue with my right knee. My knowledge of the joint and the type of pain I was feeling convinced me that it was likely a cartilage issue. I began supplementing with Hyaluronic Acid (in addition to the Primaforce Elastamine joint supplement). I have to say that i’ve been most impressed with the effects of this supplement. I recommended it to my father, who has been having a knee issue (also cartilage related) for some time. He was also convinced that it has helped. In researching the supplement I also learned that it is beneficial to more than just joints. It has been considered an anti-aging supplement that aids in eye and skin health as well
http://www.livestrong.com/article/122323-health-benefits-hyaluronic-acid/
Thanks for the information Kurt. I too have been having knee problems as of late (I blame it mostly on standing the majority of the day [working in a pharmacy] and having the terrible habit of locking my knees when leaning over the counter or working on the computer). How were you dosing the HA?
Also Kurt I have been wanting to ask you–
It seems like you have always trained in a similar fashion. Higher volume, going to failure, “bodybuilding”-type routines, etc. I know powerlifting routines have been getting a lot of hype amongst bodybuilders, even some of the natural pros (I think I remember Brian Whitacre even mentioning running one of the powerlifting schemes). I would love to get your opinion on this. Do you think they could provide a natural bodybuilder any benefit, particularly if the bodybuilder is also hoping to increase their strength along with adding mass (for example, if the bodybuilder were to also throw in some sort of “auxiliary day” hitting some of the body parts that may be neglected in the original routine? I am particularly interested in your thoughts on Sheiko, but feel free to throw in your thoughts on routines such as Westside, Smolov, etc.
Thanks once again for letting me pick your brain!
Matt
August 13, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Matt, when I first started the Hyaluronic Acid, i megadosed for a few days…6 capsules at 20mg each. I backed off to 4 per day, so i’m taking 80mg per day.
As far as the powerlifting is concerned, I think it is beneficial to include the power movements, because they recruit more muscle fiber, cause greater release of Growth Hormone, increase core strength, etc. The only reason to ever drop the reps to a low point (4-6) in my opinion is to acclimate the body to heavier weight, so that it makes weight in a lower rep range feel light. For instance, if you can squat 405 for sets of 10 (excellent number for hypertrophy), but you do sets of 4-6 with 450 lbs for a few weeks, you might then either be able to do a higher weight for sets of 10 or you can do more reps at the same weight (405)…either way you are enabling greater hypertrophy…not because of the actual sets done with higher weight, but rather the effect of forcing the body to adapt to handling the higher weight. I am convinced that it is the reps that enable growth.
I would not use a routine that focuses solely on power and very low reps. Powerlifting in a sub 5 rep range all the time puts tremendous stress on the joints, which increase risk of injury. Unless you are specifically training for a powerlifting meet, then I don’t see the benefit of doing max lifts or even anything close.
At 35 years old my goal is to continue growing without hurting myself so that I can keep doing this. If I attempt weights that put me in a sub 6 rep range, I will likely get hurt. That is why I go for reps on things like deadlifts, squats, leg press, etc. I would have to put a dangerous amount of weight on the bar with these movement, leaving no room for error. That kind of lifting only made my joints hurt and I never felt like I got much growth out of it.
On squats, will do pauses at the bottom, which significantly reduce the amount of weight you can do for a given reps.
Overall, I find powerlifting boring. I enjoy exhausting the sh*t out of my muscles during a workout…can’t get that out of powerlifting. Mentally I have to feel completely spent when I finish a set and when I finish my workout or I don’t feel like I did anything. I have gotten pretty decent results (for a guy with sh*tty genetics) from high volume training and I got lousy results from times when I focused on going heavier.
Hope this helps
August 13, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Thanks for this information Kurt-definitely plan on looking further into this!
August 14, 2011 at 8:33 am
Thanks for the information….this product seems to have numerous uses apart from being a supplement in anti-aging creams!
August 16, 2011 at 8:08 am