Alexis Appelquist, Huffines Producer   Everyone has that one friend who always seems to be attempting some new diet regiment. Maybe they’re doing a juice cleanse in order to detoxify their system, or trying to eat nothing but raw vegetables. Odds are they read about it in a magazine, saw it on a commercial, or have a distant relative-in-law that swears they took six inches off their waistline with this latest trend. Lately, you may have heard of going Paleo or the Whole30 or the ...

Vincent C.W. Chen, B.S.When eating less to reduce weight, it is hard not to lose some muscle mass. During dieting, the body struggles to keep sufficient energy stores, and therefore, it will break down muscle proteins to satisfy energy needs. While the basic equation for muscle mass is rate of protein synthesis subtracted rate of protein breakdown, decrease in muscle size will be observed if muscle protein breakdown is not prevented while on a calorie-deficit diet.It has been well established th...

Nina Laidlaw Rumler, B.A.Do you know what sport uses weights and is governed by rules published in 17 different languages with participants in 100 different countries, competes males and females of all ages and sizes against others in their divisions – and is not in the Olympics? Here’s a hint – it’s not bodybuilding although it maximizes muscle development; in fact, it developed in competition with bodybuilding. Although it uses weights, it isn’t Olympic weigh...

Andrew Jagim, Ph.D, CSCS  Juice, roids, gym candy, pumpers and stackers are all common nicknames for substances more technically referred to as anabolic-androgenic steroids.  Anabolic steroids are defined as any type of exogenous drug that mimics the effects of testosterone in the body.  Most people take them with the goal of increasing muscle mass, improving performance or enhancing physical appearance.  It is estimated that as many as 3 million Americans have used non-medic...