In case you haven’t heard the news, I’ll try to catch you up to what’s going on.

The Claims

So what did they find wrong with Hydroxycut? Well, it has been recalled because it has been linked to liver damage, kidney failure, rhabdomyolysis and death. Other health problems reported include seizures and cardiovascular disorders.

Products Recalled

Here is a list of all of the Hydroxycut brand that has been recalled. The FDA has encouraged everyone to stop taking any of these:

• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Capsules
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Capsules
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

What We Learn From This

For the last couple of years there has been talk that lawmakers were going to start requiring more testing and restriction on sport and health supplements. In some regards this could probably be a good thing as it could help to prevent problems like what has happened with Hydroxycut.

At the same time, make sure that you don’t just take a supplement blindly. While supplements don’t have drugs in them, they still cause physiological effects. Never take more than the recommended dose of any body building supplement, and never assume that the recommended dose is the perfect dose for you. Pay very close attention to how your body reacts to certain supplements.

Our prayers go out to those that have been affected by taking Hydroxycut.

Here are some other articles to read about the recall:

• Muscletech’s Hydroxycut removed from market after reports of consumer death
• Important Information Regarding The Recent FDA Consumer Advisory

Toronto, Ontario – ALLMAX Nutrition just released the newest addition to their ‘Femme’ line; CLA80 FEMME™. This is an exciting addition to the FEMME line as numerous Gold Standard scientific studies confirm that CLA is effective for improving body composition and safe to use as a natural weight loss aid. Not to mention, CLA was recently approved by the FDA as a food product and regarded as safe for use in foods. CLA has been found to provide many health benefits; it plays a vital role in body fat reduction, is a potential anti-carcinogenic, aids in anti-aging and has been found to exhibit anti-diabetic effects.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), an Omega-6 fatty acid, is naturally found in red meat and dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt. It is a naturally occurring ingredient that can safely be used for numerous health-promoting benefits. Recent research found that those who supplemented with 1,000 milligrams of CLA 3 times daily experienced a greater increase in lean muscle mass and greater fat loss reduction than the placebo group.

CLA has long been found to be helpful for weight loss and is the perfect complement for those looking to lose weight and reduce inches overall. The researchers at ALLMAX decided to create CLA80 FEMME exclusively for women to cater to the female population who need that extra edge in their weight loss quest.

“Any woman who wants to lose weight should try CLA80 FEMME. Its non-stimulating formula is excellent for all women and is particularly beneficial for women looking to lose weight around their abdomen,” explains Kristine Hughes, Online Marketing Manager and avid user of CLA.

CLA80 FEMME™ uses premium grade 80% Pure Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Naturally derived from safflower oil, CLA80 FEMME provides 80% of the key isomers scientifically proven to improve body composition, decrease body fat and improve body shape. CLA80 FEMME is the proven addition to a lean, healthy lifestyle.

According to Jason Bell, the director of marketing at ALLMAX Nutrition, what really sets CLA80 FEMME apart from many of the CLA brands on the market is that it is derived from safflower oil and not sunflower oil.

Jason says “Many other supplements may use sunflower oil as it a cheaper way to derive CLA. However, sunflower oil does not produce as much active CLA. Safflower oil contains 80% CLA while sunflower oil only provides 40% of active CLA. CLA80 FEMME contains 100% safflower oil and provides 80% of the key CLA isomers.”

Why CLA80 FEMME?

CLA80 FEMME is a safe, natural and effective way to maintain a healthy body weight while following a healthy lifestyle. This effective, healthy and non-stimulating fat loss solution can promote the body’s natural fat metabolism making it easier to get in shape.

CLA80 FEMME can also be found online at ALLMAXNutrition.com. It retails for approximately $13.99 for 60 rapid release liquid capsules. CLA80 FEMME is backed by ALLMAX Nutrition’s 100% Money back-guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with this product you can return it for a full money-back guarantee within 30 days.

Introducing MUSCLEPRIME Pre-Workout Intensity Amplifier!
January 2009

Big news! We just launched our brand new cutting-edge pre-workout formula MUSCLEPRIME™. MUSCLEPRIME™ is the world’s first and most powerful pre-workout Anabolic Response Activator™; uniquely designed to amplify training intensity while providing key nutrients to get optimal results from every workout.

MUSCLEPRIME bolsters mental focus and intensity, providing the exact blend of ingredients needed to improve the quality of every workout, including all 8 essential amino acids and 3 branched chain amino acids, as well as ARGININE and the nutritional superstar Beta-Alanine. If that wasn’t enough, MUSCLEPRIME also provides a protective antioxidant complex to defend your cells from hard training sessions.

Find out more about MUSCLEPRIME!

Here’s a press release from Bodybuilding.com explaining the different things they’re doing to help you and anyone else that is interested to reach their goals for this year!

Boise, ID – December 31, 2008 – Bodybuilding.com, the Internet’s most visited bodybuilding and fitness site and the largest on-line retailer of nutritional supplements, is the ultimate source for all body and mind transformation needs with their much-anticipated, 2009 New Year’s Transformation SuperFeature.

This year Bodybuilding.com has broken down their key points of transformational success: Information, Motivation and Supplementation. These points are so important in fact, they are also the basis of the Company Mission Statement, which states, “To help our visitors reach their health, fitness and appearance goals through information, motivation and supplementation.”

With celebrity workouts and diet plans (including Ryan Reynolds, Christian Bale, Hillary Swank, Gerard Butler, and many more), a 12-Week Online Trainer with daily video hosted by professional competitor and trainer Kris Gethin, printable meal plans and recipes and hundreds of other new articles and content, Bodybuilding.com has information to cover everyone’s needs.

The Motivation SuperFeature gives people the tools to find motivation from within, including goal setting, maintaining both long-term and short-term motivation, and everything else that goes into making goals a reality. Most helpful is Bodybuilding.com’s new BodyGroups feature, where over 240,000+ BodySpace members (Bodybuilding.com’s on-line social community) come together to share common goals and to cheer each other along. More information on BodyGroups can be found at http://groups.bodybuilding.com/. Anyone without a BodySpace account is encouraged to sign-up to better track their progress, hold themselves accountable and have fun with other BodySpace members.

Bodybuilding.com is also providing contests to help provide further motivation. The 2nd Annual MuscleTech $50,000 Transformation Contest presented by BodySpace gives all BodySpace members the chance to win $25,000 cash, $1,000 in MuscleTech supplements from Bodybuilding.com and the opportunity to spend a day with 2008 Mr. Olympia, Dexter Jackson. Plus, MuscleTech is also giving away more than $20,000 in runner-up prizes. BodySpace is also holding a Hydroxycut Max! Transformation Contest for all female BodySpace members where the winner will take home $5,000 cash and receive a photo shoot vacation. And best of all, the winner’s transformation story and photos will be featured on Bodybuilding.com! Those interested in these transformational contests can visit http://www.bodybuilding.com/09muscletech_50000_contest.htm for additional information and entry forms.

Bodybuilding.com’s third key point of transformational success, supplementation, helps people get faster, higher-quality results from their diet and workout programs. The right supplements will help with muscle gain and fat loss, and help people feel better and stay healthy. Bodybuilding.com offers premade supplement stacks based on different goals with Bodybuilding.com Supplement Award winning products. But don’t just take their word for it; their new Bodybuilding.com Product Ratings and Review section holds the largest source of supplement reviews online, generated solely from customer recommendations. This new review feature can be seen at http://reviews.bodybuilding.com/Brand_Listing.

By combining Information, Motivation and Supplementation in one comprehensive feature, the 2009 Bodybuilding.com New Year’s Transformation SuperFeature will prove itself to be the true source for everyone’s transformational needs.

For all your transformation needs visit http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/newyearsguide.htm

Bodybuilding.com offers more than 8,500 health and fitness supplements & accessories to help people achieve their fitness goals. They offer more than 25,000 pages of FREE bodybuilding & fitness information, including more than 12,000 articles (written by 525+ writers), video & audio segments, and new content added daily.

If you missed our notes are Part 1 and Part 2, make sure go back and check those out as well.

So here are my notes from reading this Mega Interview:

• In the coming years we may start to see athletes still competing in bodybuilding into their 50′s with all the advances in training, nutrition, and supplementation.
• If you want to maintain a great look when you’re older you have to start and then maintain the right habits throughout your life. This includes your training, nutrition, and not abusing drugs.
• Hugo feels that hormone replacement therapy is appropriate for men whose bodies have lost the ability to produce the right levels of testosterone, but don’t abuse it.
• Training tips for people over 45:
  • Alternate between periods of high volume/high reps and low volume/low reps.
  • Make sure to incorporate periods of active rest.
  • Use proper warm-ups! Warming up becomes more and more important as we age.
  • Never sacrifice form for the sake of adding weight.
  • Make sure to work out your rotator cuffs.
• Nutrition tips for people over 45:
  • Have the right diet with the right amounts of essential fatty acids (EFAs).
  • Make sure to get sufficient calories even when dieting.
• Supplementation guidelines for people over 45:
  • Take your multivitamin/multiminerals! Many things like joint health will suffer if you don’t.
  • Take extra vitamin C. Research indicates that Vitamin C reduces cortisol and can help with joint health as well.
  • Gelatin: according to some info Hugo quotes this can help with joint pain and cartilage health.
  • Glucosamine/Chondroitin and MSM, again for joint health
  • Essential fats from supplements if you don’t eat much fish.
• Make sure you get enough sleep!

Here is a great quote from the last part of the interview about the benefits of bodybuilding training:

…bodybuilding training is by far the quickest way to cause someone to re-engineer the way they look. Why would someone not use the principles and routines that provide the most dramatic gains in the shortest time possible?

At the end of the interview Hugo also gives a few last minute tips for bodybuilders at all stages. Take note!

1. Never sacrifice form to lift more weight.
2. You need to practice goal setting: Without goals we are like a ship in the middle of the sea, just drifting away with no sense of direction.
3. Follow a sensible and well periodized training program.
4. If you want results, do not neglect the nutrition component: Without a bodybuilding diet to go along with your training program you will fail to lose body fat and gain muscle.
5. Don’t rely on supplements to do the work for you: Supplements do not make up for improper training, or lack thereof, and/or a low quality diet.
6. You need to get proper rest: Muscles do not grow as you work them out.
7. Consistency leads to bodybuilding success.
8. If you fall off the wagon, lift yourself up and get back on it!
9. You control what you put in your mouth: Remember that only you control what goes in your mouth. Food does not control you!
10. Believe in yourself!

Tom did an awesome job with this interview and I hope you’ve enjoyed the notes from the 3 part series. Check out the full interview at Tom’s site BodyBuildingSecrets.com!

As Tom Venuto said in his intro to the interview, “This interview is LOADED with tips you can take to the gym and dinner table and translate directly into better muscle gains and better fat burning results.” Here are some of the main points that I thought should be highlighted from this part of the interview:

• Going from obese to normal weight is by far the easiest fat lost transformation. Eat 5-6 meals of low glycemic carbs and lean protein.
• If going from normal weight to single digit body fat, you follow the same basic idea as the point above, but you have to be more precise. Increase cardio and only allow EFAs in your diet, no other fats.
• When going from upper single digit body fat to contest ready, you will need to really restrict carbs. Have one day of carb loading, but really restrict carbs the rest of the week. Also double up on cardio workouts.
• Quote from Hugo:
  

  “the more extreme you want to look, the more extreme your bodybuilding lifestyle will need to become.”

• For serious contest level dieting, Hugo recommends methodically reducing carbs and increasing cardio. He also recommends eating as much real food as possible and not just relying on shakes. For carb sources stick to oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. Proteins mainly salmon and chicken.
• There is no reason to get lax in the off-season. Even in the off-season you should prevent your body from going above 10% body fat. Over time this will give your muscles better definition and hardness because it keeps the skin from getting too loose.
• You have to use whatever mental tactics you can to work through the ‘good pain’ of an intense workout. Quote from Hugo:
  

  The sooner you embrace the pain encountered during hardcore training, the sooner you will see your gains skyrocketing.

• Hard-gainers are mainly victims of undernourishment. In order to grow they need a much higher carbohydrate base than most people.
• Hard-gainers should base their diet on a 55% carbs, 25% protein, and 20% fat ratio. For calories, multiply body weight by 18 for a guideline. If this doesn’t yield results, slowly increase to 24 times body weight and a ration of 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat.

As you can see, this part of the interview focused more on the nutrition side of things. Great tips from Hugo, and thanks again to Tom Venuto for conducting such a great interview! Part 3 coming soon!

This interview is full of a lot of good advice and information. I thought it would be a good idea to go through the interview and just highlight a few of the comments that Hugo made. So here you go!

• To develop the back, Hugo focuses mainly on Pullups. He does different variations and doesn’t worry about things like deadlifts and and bent over rows. Check out this picture and you’ll see that Hugo has an amazingly well-developed back: Hugo Rivera, back.
• Overall weight doesn’t matter much in bodybuilding. It’s all about how you look! From the interview:
  

  The key thing Tom for enhancing that illusion of size is to do the exact opposite of what most people do: stay lean and not get fat! When one maximizes growth in all areas while staying lean you are just bound to look bigger than what you are…

• Average bodybuilders cannot afford to get fat and then trim down. It is a much better idea to work on staying lean all year round. Set a goal to never go above 10% body fat.
• If you are a teen or someone that is just starting out, don’t just focus on your favorite body parts. Pay equal attention to all body parts!
• For the physique goals that most people have, steroids are completely unnecessary. Training and nutrition should always be the mainstay of your bodybuilding program
• From the interview:
  

  While I don’t think one has to become an exercise physiologist nor a molecular biologist to gain muscle, I do think a certain amount of education is necessary simply to do things in a safe manner, avoid the mistakes that we did at the beginning and thus gain muscle as quickly as possible by doing things right.

Special thanks to Tom Venuto for conducting this great interview. There is a Part 2 that we’ll comment on later as well.

Here is the official press release talking about the launch of their new protein bar:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALLMAX Nutrition Launches New Protein Bars Just for Women called ISOfemme High Protein Energy Bar

New ISOfemme High Protein Energy Bars are Triple Layer Protein bars for women! Each bar is only 160 calories and only 1g of sugar, the perfect snack for women on the go.

Toronto, Ontario — Gone are the days when women skip meals or starve themselves for effective weight loss. The modern woman is fully aware that smaller, more frequent meals that are higher in protein are essential but need a convenient way to snack easily and nutritiously.

New to the market are ISOfemme High Protein Energy Bars! These bars are part of the Body Transformation System and part of the popular femme line from ALLMAX Nutrition which includes Rapidcuts femme and ISOfemme High Protein Smoothies.

These conveniently small, Triple Layer Protein bars for women taste absolutely delicious! Each bar is only 160 calories, just 1 g of sugar and 14 grams of protein in an ooey gooey chocolate coating. The bars are a great-tasting and easy way to satisfy your hunger cravings without sacrificing your diet.

Women want products that are catered to them and their unique needs and this is exactly what ISOfemme bars have accomplished.

According to Jason Bell, Director of Marketing at ALLMAX Nutrition, “ISOfemme bars fill a void in the protein bar market. They were specifically developed with the female figure in mind,” explains Mr. Bell.

“We know that women are looking for nutritional alternatives that are convenient, low in calories and sugar and of course, taste delicious. ISOfemme fulfills all these requirements at just 160 calories per bar with a full 14 g of satisfying protein. The Chocolate Decadent Almond Delight flavor is unbelievably delicious and with an ultra-convenient small size and such a high nutritional value it’s bound to become the snack of choice for today’s busy woman.”

The femme line includes the popular ISOfemme Protein Smoothies and Female Fat Burner Rapidcuts femme. These products are now picking up national exposure as they have been featured in mainstream magazines such as ELLE, In Touch, Life & Style, SELF, Fitness, Woman’s Day, Inside Fitness, Status, Ladies Home Journal Magazines, to mention a few.

ISOfemme bars are a great option to throw in your purse or gym bag and to bring with you to the mall, work or on an outing to ensure you never go without a protein boost anytime you need it. For a bar that will conquer your cravings while providing a convenient high energy boost of protein, reach for a delicious ISOfemme protein bar!

Find out more at:
http://www.allmaxnutrition.com/422-ISOfemme-High-Protein-Energy-Bar.aspx

Well, they have announced who the winners are! Some of these are probably not big surprise, but it’s always good to see that some of the winners from previous years are still winning. It just goes to show that some of these companies really do product good, quality products.

One of the differences this year is that the voting was more heavily weighted on user reviews and opinions.

To see the full list of winners, use this link: Full List of Winners. Here are some that we wanted to highlight and help you find the best prices for:

Overall Supplement of the Year
1st – Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey
2nd – BSN NO-Xplode
3rd – Universal Animal Pak

Brand of the Year
1st – BSN
2nd – Optimum Nutrition
3rd – Ultimate Nutrition

Muscle Builder of the Year
1st – BSN NO-Xplode
2nd – BSN CellMass
3rd – Gaspari SuperPump250

Whey Protein of the Year
1st – Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey
2nd – BSN Syntha-6
3rd – CytoSport Muscle Milk

Creatine Product of the Year
1st – BSN CellMass
2nd – Gaspari SizeOn
3rd – MuscleTech Cell-Tech Hardcore

NO2 Product of the Year
1st – BSN NO-Xplode
2nd – Gaspari SuperPump250
3rd – MuscleTech NaNO Vapor

There were a lot of other categories and products highlighted, but those are the ones that we felt were the most important, and the ones that we can help you find the best prices for! So if you’ve been looking for the best prices online for any of these products, just use the link and do some price comparisons!

Bodybuilding.com Announces 2008 Award Nominees

Every year Bodybuilding.com comes out with their Supplement Awards. Just last week Bodybuilding.com announced the categories and nominees for this year.

One thing that makes this year different is that the whole voting process is going to be done by users of the products and visitors to the Bodybuilding.com website. In previous years the voting was done 80% by users/visitors, 10% from industry experts, and 10% from Bodybuilding.com employees.

Leading the way by nominations is BSN with 20, followed by Universal with 16. Over 70 brands were nominated. Winners will be announced live on stage during the 2008 Mr. Olympia Expo (September 25-28 in Las Vegas, Nevada).

Here are the categories of this years awards:

• Supplement Of The Year
• Brand Of The Year
• Muscle Builder Of The Year
• Fat Loss Product Of The Year
• Protein Powder Of The Year
• Creatine Product Of The Year
• Protein Bar Of The Year
• New Product Of The Year
• New Brand Of The Year
• Nitric Oxide Product Of The Year
• Glutamine Product Of The Year
• Multi-Vitamin Of The Year
• Joint Supplement Of The Year
• Energy Supplement Of The Year
• Best Labels Of The Year
• Best Ads Of The Year
• Tanning Product Of The Year
• Break-Out Brand Of The Year
• Best RTD Of The Year *NEW CATEGORY

To see the nominees for each category, click here.

Make your vote count! Vote NOW for the 2008 Bodybuilding.com Supplement Awards!!!