Model A Fitness

Brian May 10th, 2012

I get asked all the time about new supplements and fat burners coming on the market. People are lured in by the hype and marketing when there is actually very little substance behind the claims. Possibly 95% or more of the supplements on the market are junk. You will only end up lining the pockets of supplement companies while getting frustrated with the lack of results. Below is a short list of supplements that DO work and have some research to back up their claims.

Creatine

Creatine first became mainstream in the early 90′s and was touted as a new breakthrough muscle and strength builder. Its popularity exploded as thousands across the country saw the effects of this miracle product. Since the advent of the original creatine, many companies have tried to reinvent the wheel by touting creatine products that do not cause water retention or “bloating.” The problem is, the water retention associated with creatine is necessary for many of the benefits that are derived from using it. Also, the water retention caused by creatine is intracellular (inside the cell), while regular water retention is extracellular (think too much pizza). Intracellular water retention causes the cell to increase protein synthesis (i.e build muscle) and makes the muscles look fuller, while extracellular makes you look like the Michelin man. Aside from that, creatine increase the body’s stores of the molecule creatine phosphate, which the body uses for short burst, high intensity activities such as weightlifting, jumping, and sprinting. Restoring these reserves faster means a quicker and more complete recovery that translates into a more productive training session. Cycling this product for 6-8 weeks on, and 4 weeks off is a good idea.

Glutamine

Glutamine is the body’s most abundant amino acid. It is termed a conditionally essential amino acid because as training stress increases, so does the demand for glutamine. Glutamine is also the main fuel source for lymphocytes which are heavily involved in immune system function. Any catabolic state ( starvation, illness, tissue injury, or training) will increase the need for this amino acid. 5-10 grams/day is usually sufficient for most people.

Fish oils

Fish oils, sometimes called fish body oils, are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial  for the cardiovascular, and nervous systems. They also help to reduce inflammation which is critical after hard training sessions. Research has also shown that Omega-3s help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of blood clots. Added Omega-3 fats also keep the balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats in the diet. The modern American diet is heavily laden with Omega-6 fats which can cause an imbalance in the fat ratio and a host of health problems. 1-2 grams per day is sufficient for most people.

Multivitamin

Taking a multivitamin (multi) is a good idea for anyone, but especially so for people who are training hard. It is very difficult for most people to cover their bases nutritionally with diet alone. This will ensure that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs with minimal cost.

Protein powders

Protein powders are a cheap, easy way to get a quickly absorbable form of protein. Liquid protein sources digest faster than whole food sources, which makes it ideal for post-workout use and in between meals. Stick with whey isolates and whey hydrosylates.

This is by no means a complete list, but rather a good place to start. More to come soon!

In Health,

Brian

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Brian April 24th, 2012

I wrote this a while ago but finished it after getting three different
versions of “Stop Rolling Your IT band”.

As is always the case in life an on the internet, someone has to decide
to take the other side of an argument.

I often think that those who do so are simply looking for recognition
in a crowded field.

Recently, we have had two widely distributed “articles” critical of
foam rolling. The word articles is in quotes because both so-called
articles were actually blog posts.

I find it funny because it seems difficult to me to criticize something
that universally makes people feel better. In one article (which was
actually written four years ago), the author, Mike Nelson, makes the
very basic case that pain is bad and the foam roller causes pain; therefore,
the foam roller must be bad too. However, in reading the authors bio, I
can’t help but notice that he has been a student for the last sixteen
years as opposed to a coach, and moreover, carries a clear bias toward
the neurological origins of pain.

I am not discounting the neurological basis of pain as that would be
as illogical. However the author’s primary premise seems to be that pain
is bad and should be avoided at all costs. It is also worth noting that
the author is a paid practitioner of a technique he feels is better
than foam rolling.

It is obvious that I don’t agree and, I intend to make a scientific
case for my disagreement rather than a personal one.

I am also of the belief that pain is bad. However, I will qualify that
statement and say that most pain is bad. In the case of the foam roller,
I will go so far as to say that pain is good. I frequently tell my athletes
that the foam roller is the only violation of our Does It Hurt rule.

In a nutshell, my normal reaction to any question as to whether someone
should do any exercise is to ask “Does It Hurt”? If the answer is no,
then the exercise is generally acceptable. In the case of foam rolling,
however, I think we actually need top seek out painful spots. Foam
rolling is very counterintuitive.

Mr. Nelson’s theory is based on the belief that pain is neurological and
that pain causes reflexive actions, all of which are negative. However,
in the world of physical therapy, the belief is widely held that often
painful techniques of soft tissue mobilization are in fact essential to
produce long-term healing. What Mr. Nelson fails to acknowledge in his
treatise on foam rolling is that in the end, the process is about chemistry,
not electricity. All mechanical and neurological inputs become chemical
inputs. It is clear scientific fact that the disturbance caused to tissue
via mobilization (rolling, massage, Graston. ART) in effect irritates the
tissue. This irritation is painful in the short term, but the response
is often a healing one, not a negative one. In soft tissue mobilization,
the tissue is deliberately disrupted in order to produce the exact
substances that tissue needs to heal and to realign.

Mr. Nelson also attempts to draw a line between massage and foam rolling
by saying that the skilled hands of a therapist in essence make soft
tissue mobilization OK. His premise is that soft tissue work done by a
person is infinitely better than pressure provided by an inanimate object.
Again, this logic is flawed.

Mr Nelson makes the case that a skilled therapist knows how much pressure
to utilize while a person working on themselves will produce so much pain
as to render the technique useless. To be honest , I think most people are
much easier on themselves than a therapist would be on them. In fact, I
don’t think I have ever seen a bruise produced by a foam roller but I have
seen numerous bruises produced by a well meaning massage therapist.

The second, more recent, anti-rolling article focused on the IT band. The
author, a muscular therapist, focused on the fact that the IT band could not
be changed through foam rolling. He implores us to stop rolling the IT band.
Again this “anti” article was widely distributed on the internet.

However, if you continue to read into the comment section of the post, the
author makes two critical points. In one post, he says that he is ranting
and is not sure if he even believes himself. (Yes, I read all the comments).
In another, he eludes to the fact that maybe he just wrote this when he was
having a bad day.

In any case, both blog posts were widely read and widely distributed without
the accompanying comments.

So, back to why we foam roll. In the simplest sense, rolling is step one on
the preparatory process. Our goal pre-exercise is to prepare the tissue for
the stresses about to be applied. Proper tissue preparation allows an
athlete to perform a workout without injury. I think or hope that we can
accept the position that tissue changes in response to stress.

If the tissue is stressed optimally, the resulting adaptation is positive.
If the tissue is overstressed by inappropriate volume (too many reps), speed
of lengthening (too fast) , or inappropriate overload (to much weight) the
tissue response can shift from positive to negative. Although tissue soreness
is deemed normal, we must acknowledge that there is an ideal amount of that
normal response, and the response should be limited to the muscle tissue
and not be present in the connective tissue. In other words, sore quads
would be OK, but sore knees not be OK.

In addition, muscle soreness and tissue damage can be the result of blows
to the tissue instead of the planned application of stress. This tissue
damage must also be mitigated, not just by time. It is important that
tissue maintain its ability to deform properly. Loss of this tissue
deformation ability results in what is called a stress riser. These
stress risers set up us up for later injury.

The big take away point is that thousands of athletes are rolling every
day and getting a good result. Two blog posts should not be enough to
relieve us of our common sense. Pressure to tissue when well applied
seems to produce positive results. Even if we are not confident of the
exact physiological response, the results of thousands of athletes speak
for themselves. Don’t be fooled by internet writers looking to take a
contrarian stance to get site hits. Focus on results. Massage works
and so does foam rolling. Just ask anyone who does it.

Quick note. I have often said that the density of the roller corresponds
to the density of the athlete. If you lack muscle, try Yamuna balls or
white soft rollers (yes, I know they don’t last, but it’s a compromise).
Progress to the Perform Better black as your tolerance improves.

Yours in strength and conditioning,

Mike Boyle

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Brian March 27th, 2012

http://www.ericcressey.com/the-truth-about-meal-frequency-is-intermittent-fasting-for-you

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Brian March 9th, 2012

The definition of incidental exercise is any activity that raises heart rate, but would not necessarily be thought of as exercise. Examples include housework, mowing the lawn, taking out the garbage, playing with your kids etc. Some jobs can have a lot of incidental exercise. The obvious ones are construction, masonry, steelwork, and warehouse work. Nursing and other professions where people are on their feet and cover a lot of miles over the course of a day can also fit into this category.

Why do I bring this up? This is an important consideration for any trainee whether they are looking for weight loss, performance enhancement, or muscle gain. From a calorie perspective it is important to know what is coming in vs. what is going out. Someone trying to lose weight may be eating too many calories based on what they feel their activity level is. Office work has little to no incidental exercise so a person’s caloric intake needs to reflect this. A construction worker, who also trains hard after work, may not be eating nearly enough calories to cover their expenditure at work in addition to training. Gaining muscle will be very difficult for this person.

Use the calorie counter below to get a rough estimate of how many calories per day you are burning during activity.

http://www.prohealth.com/weightloss/tools/exercise/calculator1_2.cfm

More on this in the next blog.

In Health,

Brian

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Brian January 10th, 2012

The new year is upon us and so are the resolutions to a better, healthier you. People make rigid training and diet programs and try to follow them with dogged determination. The problem is in the approach, not necessarily the methods. A training program and diet are only as effective as their ability to be flexible over the long term. If you miss a workout don’t blow your diet and consider the whole day a waste. In the same vein, if your diet is not up to par, don’t blow off training. Can’t get on your favorite piece of equipment, choose a different one or train something else that day. The idea is to constantly move in the right direction by doing the right things 90% of the time. The process to a better you is sometimes 2 steps forward,  and then 1 step backward.

In Health,

Brian

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Brian December 21st, 2011

And so we head into another year of resolutions,with results for some, but failures for most. Members come in droves to walk, run, cycle, and see the latest and greatest resistance training machines. Do a few sets on this, a few sets on that, but look in the mirror and still see the fat. Happens all the time. Up next, quit the gym only to return next year with a new resolution.

Consider the following chart:

Notice the highest calorie counts are for the most rigorous activities. Duh, that only makes sense. Look at the types of activities that give the highest calorie burn though. They are all done on our feet, and with high intensity.

Full Court basketball may not be your forte, but  some of the other activities can be replicated in the gym. You could come in and knock out a 7.5 min. mile pace on the treadmill, but injuries can preclude this activity so it isn’t for everyone. Snow shoveling takes first prize for number of calories burned. You may be asking yourself how shoveling snow can be replicated in the gym? If you break down the essence of the movement it is no different than resistance training in multiple planes of motion. Some added benefits with this type of training are increased metabolism, higher calorie burn rate after activity, and training efficiency.

The take-away message is to always include some higher intensity training in your program for optimal results.

In Health,

Brian

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Brian November 9th, 2011

Maybe after 30+ years of aerobic based training dogma, which many refer to as “cardio”, the tide is finally turning. Much of this craze was started by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, and much of the research on exercise was originally devoted to aerobic exercise and its effects on heart health and body composition. After many decades of blood, sweat, tears, and sprained ankles some people started to ask, “there has to be a better way?” Well, there is.

As strength and conditioning gained traction in the 80′s more research dollars started going into this arena. Questions such as, “Why are sprinters and Olympic weightlifters so lean, when they do little to no aerobic based training?” started to pop up. Compare athletes from sports on the opposite end of the continuum (endurance/aerobic based——->strength/anaerobic endurance——–>power) and you will see a dramatic shift in body composition and muscle mass. However, people continue to slog miles on the treadmill and stationary bike in the hopes of having a six pack. While aerobic based training is great for the cardiovascular system, there are better, more efficient ways to get lean.

Muscle is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body next to the liver and brain. It requires a lot of oxygen and CALORIES to maintain. Wouldn’t it be of great benefit for everyone to maximize the amount of muscle they carry? Notice I said maximize, and not GET HUGE. Maximizing muscle for one person may only mean adding a few pounds. This would go a long way toward achieving an ideal body composition.

Bottom line is, don’t be afraid to cut back on the incessant running or cycling, and try some HIIT (high-intensity interval training) using sprinting or weight training. Your body will thank you for it with less pain and more gain.

Check out these article for more information.

http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/lexisnexis.aspx?lnarticleid=1537573803&lntopicid=136030023

http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/

In Health,

Brian

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Brian October 26th, 2011

http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/

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Brian October 11th, 2011

It has been said that success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. This holds true in finding a good career, investing, and with diet and training. I cover the training side of things quite a bit, so here I will discuss some easy diet strategies to keep you on track.

When it comes to preparation with dieting, it comes down to the very meaning of the word, prepare. I hear countless times per week from members, friends, and clients that they don’t have the time to eat properly. This leads to eating the wrong foods, or just not eating at all. Both habits are detrimental no matter what your long term goals are. Below I list some tips for making this easy even with a hectic schedule.

Plan ahead

Make a list before you go to the grocery store and stick to it. Going in blind, or worse, hungry, will cause you to buy things that you don’t necessarily need. Make meal plans in advance, and shop the periphery of the store. Most of what is in the aisles is junk anyway.

Pick one day to cook

Take one day and do the bulk of your cooking for the week following your pre-planned meal plans. Chicken, peppers, and onions is an example of something that can be cooked in bulk. Sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal and quinoa are some other easy bulk options.

Storage

Pick up some cheap, reusable tupperware containers and portion out your meals into the containers and place in the refrigerator. If you made more than will keep in the fridge, freeze some. Chili is a great option for freezing because you can heat it up frozen and it doesn’t change much from it’s original form after reheating.

Snacks

Nuts, bananas, apples, celery sticks, ready-to-drink protein shakes, hard boiled eggs, sliced turkey, rice cakes, and jerky (although high in sodium, it is a very good source of protein) are all good choices for snacks. Make sure to combine carb rich foods with protein ie. sliced turkey and an apple.

I hope this quick list makes it a little easier to eat healthy while on-the-go. It has the ancillary benefit of saving a lot of money too!

In Health,

Brian

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Brian October 5th, 2011

Well, maybe this movement won’t cure everything, but it helps with a multitude of postural issues and strength imbalances. You probably do this movement, in some capacity, every single day. You have probably heard that it will wreck your back, and isn’t necessary anymore because there are machines that are much better and safer. I know, I know, you are probably scratching your head wondering what I could be talking about. The exercise I am referring to is the deadlift.

This much maligned movement is the cornerstone of everyday movements. Think of how many times you bend down to pick something up? It also used to be the cornerstone, along with squats, of strength and conditioning programs. What went wrong? Where did the deadlift fall out of favor? The problem is not with the movement, but with the exerciser. This movement, more than any other, is butchered when it comes to technical execution. As such, injuries abound and people start to dislike the movement. This was picked up on by the equipment manufacturers, so they designed pieces of equipment that “mimic” the deadlift motion, but are safer. I will go into why using a machine is not a viable alternative, and why this should be included in your program.

Muscle activation

There are over 650 muscles in the body. The key to gaining muscle, losing fat, and being all-around healthier is training, and activating as many of these muscles as possible. When it comes to efficiency, and activation, the deadlift beats all comers. The deadlift utilizes all the same muscles as the squat (calves, upper legs, gluteals, low back, abdominals, upper back), but also uses the forearms, pectorals, triceps, and biceps! Pretty good bang for your buck.

Postural support and correction

If you are like most Americans you spend a good deal of time sitting behind a desk, or in a car. Look at the posture of someone who sits a lot and you will see shoulders that round forward, with a pelvic position that resembles a dog running away with its tail between its legs. This is called adaptive shortening, and it is what happens when muscles spend too much time at one shortened length. Over time this puts pressure on the associated joints and spine, which can cause pain and dysfunction. The deadlift is a great way to strengthen the muscle between the shoulder blades in the upper back. Over time this will pull the shoulders back into the correct position. The next benefit is gluteal activation, which can help with pelvic position and posture. Strong hamstrings is yet another benefit which keeps the knee joints healthy. This doesn’t even take into account the core strength that is developed.

Ground Based Movement

Life does not occur while sitting so why should we exercise this way? The deadlift offers ground-based training, which allows the body to work the way it was intended. Force is generated from the ground up, through the midsection and into the arms. This is no different than picking up a child or a bag of groceries.

Variations

There are several different variations of the deadlift. For this article we will just stick to the conventional deadlift. In future posts I will discuss the different variation and the advantages/disadvantages and nuances of each. For now, check out this video for proper instruction.How to deadlift

Whether you’re an athlete, recreational trainee, or a mom the deadlift offers benefits across the board. Add this exercise into your program and you won’t be disappointed.

In Health,

Brian

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