Cissus

I just received my order of primaFORCE cissus today. This will be my second time to try it. The first time was several months ago but I was also starting on some other supplements at the same time, so I'm not sure if it did anything or not.
The claims made for cissus seem almost too good to be true. If you Google "cissus"
you will get thousands of hits. There are claims that it "cures" just about everything. I spent some time going through some of the hits. Apparently, the plant, "cissus quadrangularis" has been used in folk medicine for years as an analgesic, especailly for muscle and joint pain. Reveiwing some message boards reveals that the majority of the people that have used it for joint and muscle pain have been satisfied with the results. In fact some people, claim almost complete pain reduction after a single dose. They also claim long term pain reduction.
This would reduce the possibility of it all just being placebo effect.
I know that anybody my age that lifts weights is going to have plenty of muscle and joint pain so if it works for me, that will be great. I'll let you know in a future post.
I also discovered that in some parts of the world it is a standard treatment for hemmoroids. Luckily I don't have that affliction so I can't test that.
What is probably of most interest to bodybuilders are the claims that it burns fat while sparing muscle. I tend to think that most weight loss supplements are a bunch of bunk, with wildly exagerated claims. There is one very impressive study but it was performed at a university in Cameroon. To me that makes it a little suspicious. With the market for weight loss products in the US alone amounting to billions of dollars, why isn't more research being done? If anybody knows of any more scientific studies that have been done in the past couple of years, please let me know. Also, if anybody has any personel experience with it email me.
Besides the lack of research the other problem is cost. It is fairly expensive to take as recommended. If it does half what it is claimed to do, then it is a bargain, but it could also be a total waste of money. I'm going to use the two bottles I have and if I notice any results I'll start buying it in bulk and capping my own. If not I'll stop taking it.
I'm going to go for now. I'm still trying to get some pictures posted. Hopefully I'll figure out how today.

Benjamin Voiles

Local Competitions

Summer is fast approaching and most of us are trying hard to get in good shape.
I thought I would post some info on some local competions coming up.
The NPC Atlanta Championships are April 17th. I imagine that if you are interested in entering then you already know about it. I'll probably go as a spectator if I'm not in Florida.
The 4th Annual Roman Classic is June 5th. It is an unaffiliated contest so you don't need an NPC card to enter. It is held in Rome Georgia. I spoke with the promoter, Richard Noren today. I'm not sure if that is his correct last name, if not I'll print a correction. Anyway, he seems like a great guy and I look forward to meeting him. He has been Masters National Champion in the bantam weight class for the past two years. This year he is going up to light weight. His phone number is: 706-767-2426. My only concern is that there is only one Master's class.
Every male over 40 is in the same class. I plan on using it as a tune up for the "Battle on the River" which is June 12th in Chattanooga. That is an NPC contest so if your interested you have to shell out the ninty dollars.
Anybody that has any information on any other contests in the Tri-state area let me know and I'll be glad to post it here. That also includes weightlifting and powerlifting.

Until next time,
Benjamin Voiles

Back in Training

I'm back in hard training again. Between my wife and I,we were sick for about a month. Feels good to be getting back in the swing of things. My birthday is April 6th. I'll be 56. I hope to have some pictures made on my birthday or soon after. I'd like to lose about five more pounds of fat by then. I've lost right around 40 pounds since last August 4th. The Battle of the River is June 12th which I think is thirteen weeks from today. I hope to be in outstanding shape by then.
If I do well, I'll be in the Master's National Championship in July.
There hasn't been much interest in my blog when I was concentrating it on master's bodybuilding so as of today I'm going to try to make a resource for
anybody that lifts weights in the Tri-State area, that being the Chattanooga are where Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama meet. I especially want to focus on anybody that works out at Genesis Gym in Trenton Georgia, since that is my home gym.
Also, I have just started taking beta alanine after reading several positive articles about it. It is supposed to increase muscular endurance much like creatine does but through completely different mechanisms.
With me, it gives me a flushing effect, much like niacin and also makes me a little hyper, much like ephedrine. It is supposed to take a couple of weeks to work so I'll keep you posted. If anybody else has tried it, please give me some feedback, either positive or negative. That actually applies to any supplement.
So if you have experience with any supplements, or brands of supplements, let me know and I'll publish your experiences. The only exception is that I will not post advertisements for anybody that is selling supplements.
That concludes todays blog. If I get any readers I'll try to add to it more often.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Voiles