Cholesterol And Larger Muscles

By Jim Taylor

We all want to have bigger muscles and to be healthy, to have no heart problems or coronary illnesses. That's why we must get rid of cholesterol in our diet, right? Wrong! Various studies have shown that cholesterol is not directly to blame for problems with cardiovascular health. But on top of this, research has also established that cholesterol can encourage the development of muscle.

Bodybuilders are interested in two things: building big muscles, and in casting off all the fat for these bigger muscles to look impressive as well. To do this, they must observe a diet which provides them with lots of protein, since protein aids the synthesis of muscle tissue, and very few fats, to combat adipose tissue (fat beneath the skin) as well as keep their heart healthy. Fat, as you'll know, has cholesterol in it, and cholesterol is the heart's worst enemy, isn't it? Apologies, but that's not the way it is. This belief regarding cholesterol is one of the many mistaken conceptions to have bit the dust now that scientists know more about the human metabolism and how it functions.
Believe it or not, bodybuilders have always been ahead of scientists on exercise and dieting issues, especially since they've tried everything out on themselves and then drawn their own conclusions. For decades bodybuilders have been building muscle by going on diets in which there are lots of calories, protein and fat, and yes, it has cholesterol in it as well.
Do you remember when all fats were bad and all cholesterol was bad for you, was killer cholesterol. Well, today the medical community has acknowledged that there is such thing as good fat (unsaturated fats), like omega 3 fatty acids, for instance, and bad fat (the saturated forms). The medical community has also admitted the fact that we have good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, abbreviated to HDL) and bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL being the corresponding abbreviation). So knowledge of the metabolism and how it reacts to different foods has advanced, which puts things into a different perspective.
Most of the bodybuilders in the 1960s, who wanted to put major muscle together, went on the diet proposed by Vince Gironda, in which steak, eggs and powdered protein with lots of whole fat cream were the main foods. As part of this diet, Gironda recommended that bodybuilders ate as much as three dozen whole eggs per day, as well as a kilo and a half of meat. The diet was one extremely high in protein and fat but low in carbohydrates, though there were lots of vegetables and salad in it as well. In more recent times, this same type of diet has been recommended under the name of the 'Atkins diet', or in the form of Dr DiPasquale's Metabolic Diet. There is, of course, a large amount of cholesterol in them and, in my opinion, this was one of the reasons why bodybuilders developed so much strength and extra muscle with them.
Just in case you didn't know, cholesterol is a precursor for testosterone production, and unlike most of the cells that use it to run smoothly, the Leydig cells, which are in charge of producing hormone in the testicles, need more of it than others in order to carry out their function successfully.

Cholesterol Encourages Development of Muscle
Recently a new study has illustrated that low cholesterol levels induce a lesser production of androgens. They discovered this when they witnessed levels of luteinising hormone (LH), the very hormone that triggers testosterone production, to cause more cholesterol synthesis and the testicles to absorb more of it. Scientists had long suspected that cholesterol played a favourable role in the development of muscle, but until then had been unable to prove it (1).
Not long ago another extremely important study was conducted, in which scientists put their theory on the role of cholesterol in the development of muscle to the test. For the study, 25 men and 30 women were monitored, who recorded everything they ate for 12 weeks and weight trained regularly. The scientists recorded a number of physiological variables for all the human subjects, as well as their physical progression and, of course, the amount of cholesterol each of them had in their diet. At the end of the study they were able to confirm that there was a link between cholesterol and the increase in lean mass (muscle). Although the cholesterol is normally accompanied by foods containing protein, it must be pointed out that in those people whose protein intake was similar but cholesterol was lower, a significant amount less muscle had been built.

Wearing Away Muscle Triggers Hypertrophy
There are various different theories on how weight training builds muscle tissue and one of the most notable ones is that weight training exercises generate friction in the muscles, wearing away the muscles fibres, and this triggers the body's regeneration and overcompensation systems. Extra muscle is the final outcome of this.
In some studies, biopsies have been carried out on muscles before people exercised and also after. The arrangement of the muscles cells was as normal before the exercise but after the exercise was confirmed to have been altered. This injury is known as a 'micro lesion' and would appear to be the signal for the new fibres to be formed. However, it has also been proven that the body's main requirement is to recover from exercise before adding to the muscles. And in this respect, cholesterol has also been discovered to play a crucial role. 

The Role of Cholesterol in Recovery
So far we know that micro lesions to fibres spark development and also that the eccentric phase of weight training exercises, the ones in which the descent of the weight is slowed down and controlled (known as a 'negative rep' or the 'negative phase'), is a vital component for the development of the muscle. The contraction of the muscles in the eccentric phase is of considerable importance due to scientists' discovery that in the concentric phase, the phase in which the weight is lifted, no hypertrophy (enlargement of the muscle fibres) is triggered unless it is followed up with an eccentric one. The infliction of damage on muscles to set growth of them in motion is the key factor in this.
The scientists got a surprise when they found that lifting weights not only stirred certain genes involved in the development of the muscles, but that this type of exercise at peak intensity roused the genes that play a part in cholesterol biosynthesis. One thing that needs to be highlighted is that cholesterol is vital for the maintenance and repair of cells, and scientists believe that the cholesterol genes are stirred in order to aid the body in mending the cells (2).
Skeletal muscle, it would appear, mends itself and grows larger once damage has been done to the muscle, by transferring cholesterol into the cell membrane increase the size of the muscle. If we bear in mind all of these facts, it could be said that cholesterol is possibly the most undervalued anabolic element.

Dieting for Muscle
Cholesterol is an important substance for building large, powerful muscles. If you're looking for extra muscle, then you must be sure to make foods with lots of cholesterol in them part of your diet, such as whole eggs, red meat and full-fat milk, since these will do much more for your development than foods with no cholesterol in them. Full-fat dairy products, red meat and poultry are all plentiful sources of cholesterol; fish contains much less.
If any of you are worried about the 'risks' that cholesterol may pose for your cardiovascular health, then you need not fear. These high levels of cholesterol could be harmful for an inactive person but not for someone who weight trains intensely on a regular basis, takes cardiovascular exercise and, besides these, consumes vitamins, such as B, C and E, which protect the cardiovascular system. Many bodybuilding greats of the past have been on this kind of diet for several years and have seen nothing but extensive development take place. 

Nutrients to Step Up Development
If you're on a high-protein diet and high-cholesterol diet, then you'll build a substantial amount of muscle, as long as you train regularly and thoroughly. There are, however, certain nutrients that can swiften the development of the muscles.
Although we've just seen that you can pack on extra muscle with cholesterol, this isn't enough because proteins are not to be forgotten about. You must, therefore, eat several small meals a day, spaced out at equal intervals, to keep nitrogen levels high, a reliable indicator of protein synthesis. Besides this, there are many more elements and compounds that trigger the development of muscles, in particular two Future Concepts ergoceuticals (as the company refers to its products) which have been developed with nutrients that will urge the body to build more muscle via different channels.
During the day, between meals, you can drink WP R10, which, besides feed the muscles with nutrients, will help regulate the endocrine system. WP R10 is a powdered ergoceutical containing more than 55% protein, and 30% carbohydrates and 7% healthy fats. This content makes it a fine dietary formula, but the effects range beyond just that.
Whey is the main source of protein in WP R10. With the formula, the bodybuilder will supply their body with lots of peptides and amino acids that it's quick to digest and which will enter the blood almost immediately, these nutrients pouring into it to give the signal for the body to start putting the muscle together. This is an effect known by the term 'anabolic'. But this whey is accompanied by two further valuable sources of protein, both in terms of their amino acid content and their biological value. The sources in question are egg and casein, which have different levels of amino acids and take longer to release them into the blood. The combination of these three proteins will provide you with an initial rapid charge of amino acids and peptides straight into the blood, but also a more sustained and gradual one that matches the body's different rates of absorption. Egg releases its amino acids at a moderate rate and casein at a slow one.
The carbohydrates in the formula are complex ones, which means they're released into the blood slowly and the glucose molecules take their time to enter the blood. This keeps energy levels stable and prevents insulin ones from fluctuating.
With regard to the third macronutrient, the fats, in WP R10 you have seven grams of healthy fats, consisting of omega 3 fatty acids (unsaturated), conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) and medium-chained triglycerides (MCTs). Despite being fats, they don't end up as fat itself on the body, but more the opposite because both omega 3 fatty acids and CLA urge the body to burn up fat in the cells, a process known as lipolysis. They also perform a number of biological functions for better health, such as increasing the attraction of insulin towards muscle cells and protecting the cardiovascular system. Both of these mean more muscle can be built. Furthermore, MCTs preserve the muscle if the body is short of carbohydrates.
WP R10 is an excellent source of nutrients, but it's more than just a simple protein supplement. Providing muscles with the perfect proteins for them to build up isn't enough. A special set of conditions within the body is required for the metabolism to absorb them and make the use of them it should. Two proteolytic enzymes, therefore, have been incorporated into the formula, essential factors for the body to metabolise the amino acids correctly. These enzymes will allow the walls of the small intestine to absorb more particles and are essential cofactors for protein metabolism.
Complex carbohydrates keep energy and insulin levels stable, but at the same time, due to the incorporation of the hydroxycitric acid (HCA) into WP R10, the operations of the enzyme citrate lyase, the one responsible for transforming sugars into fat, are minimised.
Some of the other ingredients in the formula are of importance for the metabolism too and their purpose is to increase testosterone levels and bump up those of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF 1). The formula does this via the several grams of acetyl-L-carnitine, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG) and isocaproate that have been incorporated into it.
The formula performs these operations on a number of fronts in which its ingredients synergise to act upon the endocrine system or as cofactors for smooth hormone production. Therefore, WP R10 not only will enable you to consume more protein, but also to control the energy production and muscle-building processes of your body.
The second ergoceutical I'd recommend is WP P11, which is very similar in nutritional value to WP R10: 59% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 2.75% fats. But there are significant differences between the two formulae, for WP P11 has been developed with different aims in mind. This formula is only to be drunk after a workout has finished. The purpose of this is so that the bodybuilder can capitalise on the quicker metabolic rate their body witnesses and the overcompensation it undertakes after we exercise. This metabolic state is known as the 'anabolic window'.
After a hard workout with the weights, the body then tries to make up for what it considers to have been an assault on itself and sets in motion all of its overcompensation systems, absorbing more protein and carbohydrates than it usually does. It does this to increase its nutrient reserves and carry out the repair of its structures. This phase of accelerated absorption and repair lasts between 60 and 90 minutes from when the workout finishes, and these processes gradually slow down to their normal rate by the end of this time.
These exceptional metabolic circumstances generated by the exercise call for a change in the source of proteins, which in this case must be quick-release proteins. For this reason, hydrolysed whey is the sole source of protein in WP P11 and requires next to no digestion, since the body rapidly absorbs the whey, ensuring it makes full use of the protein just when it needs it most. If you were to use a slow-release protein, the amino acids would take too much time to enter the blood and it would then be too late to make the most of this temporarily higher rate of absorption.
The same goes for the carbohydrates in the formula. Once the workout ends you need carbohydrates to replenish glycogen reserves in the muscles and in the liver, which is why dextrose, a simple carbohydrate with a 100% glycemic index, is the only source of carbohydrates in WP P11. At this point carbohydrates pose no risk of fattening you up because the body is desperate for them and will soak them up like a sponge to replace the glycogen spent.
Besides these notable differences between WP R10 and WP P11, the latter has other compounds in it to generate an insulin spike. This hormone insulin takes on a highly anabolic role in these circumstances, by filling glycogen reserves back up and by increasing the rate of protein synthesis.
The formula also acts upon the hormone system, with compounds that bolster testosterone, GH and IGF 1 levels, as well as with others that reduce the secretion of the catabolic hormone, cortisol, levels of which shoot up when we've been exercising.
Other processes that take place after serious exertion in the gym are the regeneration of connective tissues, particularly of those that have been punished with the weights, and those of the muscles; more specifically, the tendons and ligaments, and cartilage tissue. WP P11 has been equipped with ingredients that regenerate the connective tissues, such as glycosamine sulphate, and also a plant extract, artichoke, to regenerate the liver, the master gland for protein and glycogen synthesis, as well as for metabolising hormones and clearing out metabolic waste.
Future Concepts has left nothing to chance when it designed WP P11, so the formula also operates as an antioxidant, tackling oxidisation processes, the intensity of which increases especially after exercise and can do a great deal of damage to the cells. That's why there are ingredients in there that form an insurmountable barrier to free radicals; this barrier consists of ascorbic acid, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and, the body's most powerful natural antioxidant, glutathione.

Larger Muscles
To build up large muscles you clearly have to lift heavy working weights and train intensely, and eat well with a diet that supplies you with lots of calories and protein plus a generous helping of cholesterol. As we have discussed, cholesterol urges hormone production and muscle building. In this respect, WP R10 will improve nutrition, sustain a positive balance of nitrogen and increase hormone production for the bodybuilder to pack on the muscle.
But don't forget that the body must fully compensate for the exertion endured with the weights. Otherwise catabolism will set in. In this sense, WP P11 will ensure your body replenishes all the substrates it uses for energy, flood the muscles with raw materials to form extra tissue and thrust the operations of the endocrine system as the same time.
Follow the guidelines in this article and very soon you'll be the proud owner of larger muscles.

Bibliography 
1. Agrawal, N; Braun, RE; Dichek, HL; Eacker, SM; Gong, EY; Lee, K and Oian, K, “Hormonal regulation of testicular steroid and cholesterol homeostasis”, Mol. Endoc. 22 (3): 623-35, 2008.
2. Fu, M; Kaczor, JJ; Macnell, I; Mahoney, DJ; Melow, S; Parise, G; Payne, ET and Tarnopolsky, MA, “Gene expression profiling in human skeletal muscle during recovery from eccentric exer ise”, AM. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 2008