How Popular Allergy Medicines Can Affect Your Muscle Gains

The same meds that staunch your allergy symptoms or heartburn might also diminish your gains at the gym: Over-the-counter antihistamines may hamper your muscle recovery after exercise, a new study from the University of Oregon suggests.

One hour before a 60-minute strength training workout, the participants took strong doses of two antihistamines, fexofenadine (Allegra, which treats hay fever symptoms) and ranitidine (Zantac, which treats heartburn).

After they completed their workout, the researchers tested their muscles to gauge their recovery.

Normally after vigorous exercise, 3,000 genes work to aid recovery by boosting the blood flow to the tiny tears in your muscle fibers that occur when you light weights. This increases muscle-protein synthesis, which repairs and reinforces the fibers so that they’re more resistant the next time you lift weights.

It Only Takes 5 Days of Indulging in Fatty Foods to Mess with Your Muscle Function

No matter how much you try to eat healthy, things happen—you indulge in daily bacon cheeseburgers with a side of piña colada on vacation or end up ordering takeout a lot in one week.

We’ve all been there, which is why we’re filing this news under “terrifying”: A new study from Virginia Tech has discovered that eating a high-fat diet for just five days can change the way your body’s muscles processes nutrients. That can lead to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes, among other long-term health issues.

It Only Takes 5 Days of Indulging in Fatty Foods to Mess with Your Muscle Function

No matter how much you try to eat healthy, things happen—you indulge in daily bacon cheeseburgers with a side of piña colada on vacation or end up ordering takeout a lot in one week.

We’ve all been there, which is why we’re filing this news under “terrifying”: A new study from Virginia Tech has discovered that eating a high-fat diet for just five days can change the way your body’s muscles processes nutrients. That can lead to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes, among other long-term health issues.

Why Working Out With Your Girlfriend Helps You Build Muscle Faster

The first time I joined a gym, I was 24 and scrawny. The jacked guy at the front desk said all new members received a T-shirt and asked me for my size. Small, I said. He threw me a muumuu.

“This is a large,” he replied. “It’s all we have. Once you start lifting, you’ll fill it out.”

Hardly. I lasted 8 months.

But then I proposed to Jen, a onetime runner and yoga nut who had largely abandoned those pursuits to sit around with me. With our upcoming nuptials, the threat of shame finally loomed large: If we didn’t shape up and sharpen our softening bodies, we’d be gathering our loved ones together for a display of our shortcomings.