Body Mortar: Ultimate Anabolic Cascade

Undoubtedly, you want every heart pounding, energy depleting, iron pumping set to count. The conundrum is, with the plethora of supplements on the market today how do you choose? How do you know which one is absolutely the best? You've tried many -probably with decent results. But have you peaked? Have you truly maximized and stimulated every muscle fiber to generate protein synthesis and recovery to its max?

Body Mortar is it! The real deal let me tell you why.

Common knowledge:
Leucine is a vital essential amino acid; the body cannot synthesize it naturally it needs to come from the diet. You've undoubtedly heard of its ability to initiate protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Importantly, out of all the BCAA's, only L-leucine can be oxidized by muscles for ATP production. By contrast, L-isoleucine and L-valine provide relatively little energy for muscles, and a molecule of either yields only one acetyl group. During strenuous exercise, L-leucine is oxidized at a greatly accelerated pace.

What else:
Leucine serves a number of purposes in human physiology related to strenuous muscle damaging exercise. It is a simple, dietary method to help preserve skeletal muscle tissue, enhance protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown during times of catabolism (If you're training hard enough, catabolism should be rampant). Leucine's principle mechanism of action is activating the anabolic pathway known as mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin). This key pathway is a baseline by which the body determines whether or not sufficient protein exists to begin the synthesis of new skeletal tissue protein (i.e. muscle). Protein synthesis is initiated when there is a greater concentration of leucine in the mTOR pathway. Leucine will also cause a release of insulin, which will further encourage anabolism (it's also one reason we added some carbs to Body Mortar to capitalize on promoting massive glycogen storage). Supplemental leucine is ideal to assist in potentiation of anabolic activities for lean mass promotion and its anti-catabolism properties. Leucine will also aid muscles in the recovery from the vigorous training from any type of athlete.

Now let's get serious (In-depth scientific view):
Leucine most likely controls protein turnover in muscle at the level of translation initiation. Leucine, when combined with the other two branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's) valine and isoleucine, have also been shown to be anabolic and speed recuperation. BCAA's have been shown to independently stimulate muscle protein synthesis, a key consideration for the ability of the body to induce muscle gains. Other research has even shown that BCAA supplementation increases the hormones: testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin. All of these are highly anabolic hormones. Research also shows that under conditions of extreme stress, BCAA supplementation was shown to increase muscle mass, while subjects ingesting a placebo had no such change. The important thing here is these people gained muscle under periods of intense training.

Tell me why Body Mortar?

Let's get to the guts of Body Mortar and what makes it so special. Norton's group has looked extensively at the pathways related to Leucine and mTOR. In 2007 his group published a paper on a study demonstrated that leucine's effects were synergistic with insulin. Norton states toward the end of the study in most cases, the combination of amino acid supplements with carbohydrates produces additive effects on the stimulation of the PI3-kinase and mTOR pathways, producing the maximum rates of protein synthesis during recovery. In other words, some level of carbohydrates should be co administered with the leucine and other amino acids, in order to maximize the mTOR cascade and reap the most benefits of leucine administration on protein synthesis.

We use the most important muscle too!
A heavily relied on study AMS used in the formulation of Body Mortar was conducted by Crowe et al, 2006. Here the effects of leucine alone (no other BCAAs) were investigated on measures of body power, work and time to exhaustion. Results from this study showed significant increases in plasma leucine and additional increases in total power and time to exhaustion through supplementation of 45 mg/kg over the course of 6 weeks of supplementation. For a 220 lb bodybuilder, that equates to 4.5 g Leucine daily. Interestingly though, plasma concentrations of not only Leucine, but Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine were all increased through the supplementation of Leucine alone!

More on Body Mortar.
AMS believes L-leucine is far and above the best of the BCAA family when it comes to increasing protein synthesis hence the copious levels included in Body Mortar to ensure ample supplies.This stems part from theory part from the scientific community including the work of Anthony, JC et al 2000 and of course, the Crowe study mentioned above. However, even though it comprises an integral part of Body Mortar, L-valine and L-isoleucine are also key ingredients, along with L-Glutamine so here are a few of their benefits:

L-valine and L-isoleucine are other essential components of the BCAA family. They are used to maintain a positive nitrogen balance in the body. They also help support the repair of skeletal tissues. Glutamine is known as a cell volumizer and comprises the majority of dry weight of aminos within the cell. It is a critical component for recovery and repair of tissues.

Body Mortar also uses a fast digesting Maltodextrin/Dextrose blended carb source for instant digestibility and uptake because once you've exceeded your stored energy during an intensive workout, it is crucial to tap in to that extra fuel and push beyond the norm hitting deep muscle fibers. Additionally, as mentioned in some of the scientific research above, addition of carbohydrates may potentiate the effects of mTOR on skeletal tissue pathways far beyond that what you get without.

The end result with Body Mortar is high concentrations of critical protein synthesis enhancing nutrients coupled with copious amounts of supporting ingredients. Carbs are essential not only for endurance, glycogen storage, performance and recovery, but they also may be highly synergistic in combination with Leucine and the pathways it invokes.

Body Mortar Supplemental Facts
Serving Size: 1 Scoop (45 g)
Servings Per Container: 30
Amount Per Serving
Total Calories - 120
Calories From Fat - 0
Total Fat - 0 g
Saturated Fat - 0 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Total Carbohydrates - 30 g
Dietary Fiber - 0 g
Sugars - 15 g
Protein - 0 g
4:1:1 Growth Complex
L-Leucine - 7 g
L-Isoleucine - 1.75
L-Valine - 1.75 g
Revival Agent
Glutamine - 2.5 g

Body Mortar Other Ingredients:
Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Natural and Artificial Colors, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium.

Body Mortar Suggested Use:
As a dietary supplement, mix 1 level scoop in 12-16 ounces of water and shake well. On training days or other athletic activities, consume one serving (45 grams) before training and one serving during training.