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Weekend Contest:: February 4, 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:01:00 GMT

Contest for the weekend of February 4, 2012

Tip 273: Vary Tempo To Overcome A Plateau: Make Gains Today

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:05:00 GMT

Vary your training tempo to overcome a plateau and make gains today. How long has it been since you added weight to all of your lifts? Do you get stronger everyday you go in the weight room? If so, then you are probably already manipulating your tempo to vary the amount of time you spend completing the eccentric and concentric phase of your lifts. Here’s how it works.

Varying the amount of time your muscles spend completing a lift is one of the best ways to make gains and shock the body into adapting. For example, performing a set of 10 repetitions of the squat with 60 kg at a one-second up and a one-second down tempo is very different from the same weight and repetitions at a six-second up and a six-second down tempo. The first variation takes 20 second, while the second takes 120 seconds—big difference!

A new study in the Journal of Physiology tells us what happens to the muscles when we manipulate time under tension at a low weight. The study compared two different tempos on muscle protein synthesis. Trained college-aged men performed two different tempos of three sets of leg extensions performed at 30 percent of the 1RM to failure. The fast lifting tempo was one-second for both the concentric and eccentric phases, and the slow tempo was six-seconds for both phases. Participants ingested 20 grams of whey protein immediately after exercise and at 24 hours of recovery.

Results showed that protein synthesis was significantly higher following the slow six-second tempo than the fast one-second tempo. Protein synthesis was measured via various mechanisms within the muscles, and it was elevated in the first six hours after training only in the slow six-second condition. It was elevated more than two-fold immediately after training and increased to almost three-fold at 24 hours after training, indicating a prolonged muscle-building effect.

Interestingly, the fast condition didn’t produce a significant increase in muscle synthesis until the 24-hour time point (there was no increase in the first six hours after exercise). At 24 hours, both the slow and fast condition had elevated protein synthesis, but the slow condition was 1.5 times the fast condition.

Researchers suggest there was a delayed response in the fast condition because the exercise bout was performed to muscle failure causing maximal fiber activation, which for some reason causes a delayed sensitizing effect on protein synthesis. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that the slow six-second condition also had greater protein synthesis at 24 hours than at 6 hours after training.

Two points need to made about training to muscle failure with tempo training. First, nutrition timing is essential to get the greatest muscle-building effect. Whey protein and additional branched-chain amino acids immediately after training and at 24 hours post-training are critical. Other time points may further elevate muscle synthesis.

Second, maximal fiber activation via various parameters is necessary. A slow tempo with a light weight, as in this study, will support protein synthesis because the lift was performed to failure. Heavy lifts should also be used as should other tempos—a ballistic tempo is critical for power athletes—to continually increase neural drive and trigger adaptation.

Read more about varying training tempo in my article, Top Five Reasons To Vary Tempo in Your Workout.

Reference:
Burd, N., Andrews, R., et al. Muscle Time Under Tension During Resistance Exercise Stimulates Differential Muscle Protein Sub-Fractional Synthetic Responses In Men.Journal of Physiology. 2012. 590 (2), 351-362.

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Tip 272: Take Magnesium to Protect Your Heart and Perform Better

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Take magnesium to protect your heart and perform better. Magnesium is one of the most important nutrients for athletes, trainees, and really anyone who wants to be lean, active, and energized. Magnesium regulates nerve and muscle tone, and its role is often overlooked in muscle contractions. It is just as important as calcium, acetylcholine, and sodium in muscle performance, making it essential for anyone who engages in rapid and powerful movements.

Magnesium is also one of the most beneficial nutrients for cardiovascular health. Two new articles in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that individuals with greater magnesium intake in their diets had better cardiovascular health and fewer strokes. Researchers are calling for a public health intervention to get Westerners to start taking elemental magnesium and to increase the amount of magnesium-rich foods in their diets to prevent heart disease and stroke.

In an analysis of studies that assessed magnesium intake and rate of stroke in 241,378 participants, researchers found that there was a significant correlation between greater magnesium intake and lower risk of stroke. An increase in magnesium intake of 100 mg a day was associated with an 8 percent reduction in stroke risk. The analysis looked at a total of seven studies, and median magnesium intake ranged from 242 mg per day to 471 mg per day.

Magnesium protects against stokes and heart attacks because it lowers blood pressure(one study showed that an average intake of 400 mg per day decreased diastolic blood pressure by 2.2 mm Hg), and it supports insulin health making a greater intake crucial for diabetes prevention and a healthy body composition.

The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board recommends adult men get 420 mg per day and adult females get 320 mg per day of magnesium. It’s possible these numbers will be adequate if the magnesium in your diet is an absorbable source such as magnesium glycinate, citrate, or taurate, among others. Researchers suggest a more radical intake of 500 mg day of magnesium in order to go beyond simply preventing stroke and heart attack to supporting overall health by lowering chronic inflammation.

Reference:
Song, Y., Liu, S. Magnesium for Cardiovascular Health: Time For Intervention. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.2012. 95, 269-270.

Larsson, S., Orgini, N., et al. Dietary Magnesium Intake and Risk of Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.2012. 95,362-367.

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Getting the Most Out Of CrossFit

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:06:00 GMT

By Charles Poliquin

CrossFit has great intentions. It is a socially based system that encourages camaraderie and sense of belonging to a team. A major strength of CrossFit is that it helps people in the gym who are not motivated to train alone.

I travel the world over and I see an increasing number of CrossFit teachers attending my classes. Upon first arrival, my staff and I can point out which CrossFitters have great results...

Tip 271: Perform a Greater Work Volume to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes: One Set Not Enough

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:59:00 GMT

Perform a high volume of work rather than a low volume to lose weight and prevent diabetes. One set is not enough. Something is better than nothing, but if you’re serious about health, weight loss, or muscle building, a high volume of work is necessary.

Have you wondered about the validity of claims that performing one set of strength training exercises is sufficient for health and well being? We already know one set won’t do much for muscle building, nor will it build strength unless you’re a beginner, and now we know one set really doesn’t do it for weight loss or improving metabolism. A new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the effect of a low-volume resistance training program with a high-volume program on glucose tolerance, an indicator of metabolism and diabetes risk.

Improving glucose tolerance and insulin health is the best way to prevent diabetes and get lean. This study compared a control group that did no exercise, with a one-set program or a three-set program. Both programs were at a moderate weight (65 percent of the 1RM) and included ten exercises, working all the major muscle groups. Results showed that the larger volume program produced dramatic improvements in the participants’ glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. The one-set program also improved both measurements more than the control group, which saw no changes, but the improvement was not statistically significant.

Insulin sensitivity improved by 26 percent following the three-set program compared to only 10 percent after the one-set program. For best body composition and weight loss results, a greater volume of work is clearly preferred. Not only will you burn more calories, but a larger volume supports the development of lean mass. It improves insulin health, meaning you will have less chronic inflammation, and it is a simple disease prevention strategy.

Previous studies show that multiple-set training is superior, with the possible exception of beginners, but even they will adapt to a single-set program rapidly. If adherence to a training program is a problem, a one-set program may help an individual with insulin problems or who is overweight to improve insulin health. For the longer term and true disease prevention, lifestyle modification strategies and working with a trainer or workout partner so that a greater volume can be trained is much preferred.

To read more about the importance of volume to get strong quickly, read Tip 238: Squat Using a High Volume of Heavy Squats to Improve Strength Rapidly.

References:
Reed, M., Ben-Ezra, V., et al. The Effects of Two Bouts of High- and Low-Volume Resistance Exercise on Glucose Tolerance in Normoglycemic Women. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. December 2011. Published Ahead of Print.

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Tip 270: Get Enough Sleep to Lose Weight

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:03:00 GMT

Get enough sleep and you will have a better body composition. It’s well established that chronic exhaustion is associated with weight gain and higher stress levels in children and adults, and a new study tells us why.

Getting pleasure out of eating seems like a reasonable source of enjoyment, but it appears that lack of sleep makes us oversensitive to rewarding, pleasurable food. A new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism compared brain activity in response to food images in individuals who were either sleep deprived or rested. Participants were normal weight men who participated in two trials. First, they were kept up all night and completely sleep deprived. In the morning, MRI brain scans were performed to identify what part of the brain responded to pictures of low- and high-calorie foods. In the second trial, participants had a normal night’s sleep and performed the same brain scan and food picture ratings.

When sleep deprived, participants had significantly greater activation in the right frontal brain cortex in response to food images than when they were rested. They also reported significantly greater hunger than when they had slept. They had a tendency to prefer high-calorie foods over low-calorie foods such that they rated 25 percent of the high-calorie foods more appetizing when they were tired than when they had slept.

Researchers suggest this is because high-calorie foods are seen as a reward, and being tired leads to a greater “reward response in anticipation of food.” We feel low energy and not well when we are exhausted and unhealthy foods are more appealing to “ease the pain.” When rested, our appetites respond to the need to eat to sustain energy levels rather than as a pleasurable or rewarding experiences.

The solution is to get enough sleep to avoid this eating trap. The increased stress of being exhausted in addition to the activation of the “food reward response” puts you at risk of making poor food choices and overeating. Another strategy is to be aware of this physiological response to being tired and ensure that you have a set time to go to bed every night, even on weekends. A previous study showed that individuals with a recurrent bedtime, particularly going to bed earlier rather than later (8 or 9 pm rather than 11 or 12 pm) ate fewer total calories daily and had a better macronutrient profile with more protein and fewer high fat, sweet foods.

Take note that early-to-bed/early-to-rise sleep habits are linked to a better body composition in adolescents too. Using food as a reward or for pleasure when tired may be a behavior that is conditioned from childhood, putting individuals who lack sleep and go to bed late at greater risk for obesity and problems with diet throughout life.

Reference:
Benedict, C., Brooks, S., et al. Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain’s Response to Hedonic Food stimuli. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. January 2012. Published Ahead of Print.

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Michael Port: Keynote Speaker at the 2012 BioSignature Convention

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:58:00 GMT

Called “an uncommonly honest author" by the Boston Globe and a "marketing guru" by The Wall Street Journal, Michael Port is a New York Times Bestselling author of four books including...

Results from the Weekend Contest:: January 28, 2012

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:32:00 GMT

The winner and answers to the January 28, 2012 weekend contest

Tip 269: Eat Meat To Build Muscle, Avoid Malnutrition, and Protect the Heart

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:55:00 GMT

Eat meat to get the most out of your training and build muscle. Avoid limiting protein and nutrient intake with a vegetarian diet because vegetarianism is linked to malnutrition, significantly less lean muscle mass, and heart disease risk. Concerns of malnutrition from a vegetarian diet have been building in the scientific community because a plant-based diet does not provide certain nutrients in adequate quantities such as taurine, carnitine, creatine, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other antioxidants.

A new study in the journal Nutrition compared a traditional vegetarian diet with a omnivorous diet in two populations in Africa. Researchers wanted to analyze the nutrition status of vegetarians who didn’t supplement with other nutrients or take medications. The most significant finding from the study was that the vegetarian group had significantly less muscle mass than the normal diet group and their serum amino acid levels indicated they were suffering form protein malnutrition.

The vegetarians had much higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine than the omnivores which is important because high levels of this nutrient can lead to cardiovascular disease risk and neurodegenerative disease. Called hyperhomocysteinemia, persistently high homocysteine levels have been associated with greater stroke risk, a hardening of the arteries and heart disease. In addition, the vegetarian group had much lower glutathione and taurine levels, both of which are linked to decreased lean muscle mass and protein malnutrition.

Taurine is an extremely important nutrient for health and well being because it plays a role in modulating neurotransmitter production. A taurine deficiency, which is a well known problem for vegetarians, will lead to higher levels of anxiety, stress, and unhappiness. One of the worst things about nutrient deficiencies associated with the vegetarian diet is the lack of taurine, which makes vegetarians very anxious.

Researchers note that the long-term health outcomes of protein malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies are not completely understood. It is clear that lean body mass will be lower in vegetarians with low protein intake and deficiencies will be present that can put individuals at greater risk for stroke and heart disease. Low energy and poor neurotransmitter status may also complicate the health of vegetarians. A previous study that looked at nutrient levels in vegetarian children found that they were deficient in vitamin E and their vitamin D levels were three times lower than recommended. Also, total antioxidant levels were lower than a meat eating group. This study did not measure protein status.

Take away from these studies the understanding that to get the most out of your hard training, a diet that includes a variety of meat is ideal to build and maintain muscle. An assortment of meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts, along with strategic supplementation, will allow you to avoid nutrient deficiencies that will hold you back in the gym. You’ll avoid low energy levels and protect your health for the future.

References:
Ingenbleek, Y., McCully, K. Vegetarianism Produces Subclinical Malnutrition, Hyperhomocysteinemia, and atherogenesis. Nutrition. 2012. 28, 148-153.

Laskowska, T., Chelchowska, M., et al. The Effect of Vegetarian Diet on Selected Essential Nutrients in Children. Medycynia Wieku Rozwojowejo. 2011. 15(3 Pt 1), 318-325.

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Weekend Contest:: January 28, 2012

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:07:00 GMT

Contest question for the weekend of January 28, 2012