January Q&A

We got some really good questions this month in our Q&A blog and we've put together some pretty good answers. This month we received questions about sumo deadlift vs. conventional, flexibility, measures of cardiovascular health, non-standard implement training, muscle gain, and olympic lifting.

On to the questions we had this month:

Irregular training implements versus standard training tools. Anecdotal evidence? Research?
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to the power of non-standard training implements (slosh pipes, sandbags, ropes, suspension trainers, etc) but limited published research, mostly focused around suspension training. Both the anecdotal evidence and research point to the increased muscular effectiveness when using non-standard implements. I believe this occurs for several reasons.

Instability - whether it is the object or the person, a non-braced, non-stable object requires you as a lifter to make constant adjustments to remain balanced and move the object. Each adjustment effects not only the focused muscle, but also the core (not just the abs) and the small supporting muscles surrounding the joints.

Functional Applications - the objects we lift in our daily lives outside of the gym rarely, if ever, are balanced and come with a convenient handle to make lifting easy. Many objects we lift have strange grips, non-centered weight loads, and adjust as we move.

Dynamic Variable Resistance - The best example of this is a slosh pipe, a 6 - 8 foot PVC pipe partially filled with water. As you move, it moves and move fast. With DVR, the intensity of the exercise can be increased without increasing load based on where the load is placed, how it's held, and the movement being performed.

What this really means is the inclusion of non-standard training implements lends to greater levels of total-body strength because multiple muscle groups must be engaged simultaneously while training.

Is heart rate the best measure of Cardiovascular Health?
Cardiovascular health is a hot topic and everybody is looking for the best measure of cardiovascular health. There are numerous ways to measure our health; blood tests, VO2 max, resting and max heart rate, heart rate variability, etc. Given the number of easy to access tests, I do not believe heart rate alone is the best measure of cardiovascular health. Without fancy equipment, there are several measures, which when combined can provide a better picture of cardiovascular health.

Blood Pressure - high reading can show potential cardiovascular problems but also has potential for "normal" readings that are potentially dangerous due to calcification in arteries, diabetes, or those with Vitamin K deficiencies.

Body Temperature - lower body temperature relates to possible hypothyroidism, which can mean abnormal fat metabolism and result in cardiovascular disease. The lower the body temperature, the greater the chance of thyroid problems.

Resting Heart Rate - elevated heart rate is one of the most powerful indicators of cardiovascular disease in men that can be done easily at home, however, it is possible to have a lowered heart rate due to medications or to also have other cardiovascular indicatiors despite the low heart rate.

Heart Rate Recovery - In order to test HRR, you must reach 85% of your max heart rate (220-age) and then wait a minute and measure your heart rate. A recovery of under 12 bpm can indicate possible cardiovascular disease.

At the end, the best measure of cardiovascular health is a combination of tests performed by your doctor, but for at home screening, the four simple tests above are a good starting point for identifying potential cardiovascular issues.

Is there any science to the cardio recommendation of 20M sitting - 10M standing
I have actually never heard of this before, but it does make sense to me. The reason I believe this could be a good rule of thumb for cardio is the change in load between sitting and standing.

Consider a typical day, standing about for three hours is more tiring than sitting for three hours. During cardio, I believe the load caused by supporting one's bodyweight versus having the weight supported by a seat changes the intensity of the workout even if the speed of the activity remains the same

.In general, my heart rate and perceived effort is significantly lower when I use a seated cardio exercise (recumbant bike, hand bike, spin bike in the saddle, etc) versus a standing cardio (treadmill, stairmill, elliptical, spin bike out of the saddle) at the same RPM / intensity level. Without any research to back up my claims, I can only provide my experience.


Is it ok to do conventional deadlifts one day and sumo the next?
Yes, it's possible due to the different stresses to do them both back to back. You obviously will not want to go to max effort both days, but you can train them on consecutive training days. The conventional deadlift places a great deal of stress on the back and hamstrings becaue the hips tend to be further back and the torso more parallel to the floor. Because of the angle, the low back erectors will be greatly stressed. The sumo, with a much more upright posture will place less stress on the lower back and more of the stress on the quads. Both lifts will call upon the glutes and the hips, so the biggest factor to doing them back to back will be the intensity level.


Difference of conventional vs sumo in sports
The big difference in carryover will come from the muscles activated during the lifts and the speed at which the lift is performed. As mentioned earlier, conventional deadlift stresses the back and total body coordination more than a sumo deadlift. Another factor to consider is the starting foot and back position. In the sumo, the back is more upright and the feet are wider and more externally rotated than in a typical athletic stance. THe sumo deadlift is also a more quad dominant lift. When the quadriceps become too dominant, the athlete is more at risk for hamstring and knee injuries then a balanced athlete. By working a more traditional athletic stance in the conventional deadlift, which typically generates more speed, there is better carryover to core and leg strength with a greater training stimulus to the hamstrings and glutes in a position that would be seen in sport.

What is the effect of rapid deceleration on hypertrophy?
The short answer is yes, eccentrics can be used to produce hypertrophic growth in muscle if they are used sparingly and cautiously. If I were looking to add eccentrics into my training, I would choose two lifts per week to train eccentrically, and I would perform the eccentric every other week for no more than 50 total reps. That will allow me two eccentric days on a muscle each month and should alleviate having too much muscle damage.

The danger of rapid deceleration, similar to plyometrics, such as what occurs when landing a box drop, can produce an overload in the eccentric action of the muscles being used. Eccentric overload can build muscle when the motion is controlled but can damage tendons and joints when not controlled! Eccentrics can also fatigue the CNS if done too often. For these reasons, it is recommended that rapid eccentrics are only used by lifters at the intermediate stage or beyond.

Charles Poliquin posted this article about how to better use eccentric training to achieve better results. While I agree that the use of eccentrics can help build size and strength, I am cautious with the "rapid deceleration" part of the question. The eccentric motion is responsible for the majority of muscle damage (which can lead to hypertrophy) and rapid deceleration implies the sudden breaking of a load. As I discuss in the next question, rapid changes at maximum tension can lead to muscle strains.

Do hamstring curls cause injury in sprinters?
About 29% of injuries to sprinters are hamstring injuries. One of the main reasons for injury according to Conor Hughes (S&C Coach at the University at Albany) is the hamstring contains biarticulate muscle and that sprinting uses the hamstring to provide both acceleration and deceleration. If strength imbalances exist between the quads and hamstrings, the rapid change from eccentric to concentric could be to blame in hamstring injuries. Also, if the hamstrings are weak or are firing at the wrong time, they are more likely to strain at the terminal range of the eccentric motion. At maximal speed, several components of the hamstring (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris long head) are under under peak musculo-tendon force at around the same time just before impact of the front leg, which is where researchers speculate the majority of hamstring injuries occur.

Strength and Conditioning coaches implement a combination of exercises in an attempt to prevent hamstring injuries. Many focus on knee flexion, hip extension, and combined exercises where both occur. In many instances the movement is a form of hamstring curl, be it the Nordic Ham Curl, Val Slide Leg Curl, or a traditional leg curl. Unfortunately no single exercise can be attributed to the majority of hamstring injuries and no exercise is known to be the most effective in preventing hamstring injuries.

What's a good minimalist Oly program?
Like all programs, there needs to be a basic progression. I have had the best results with doing each olympic lift once per week, starting with 80% of my max and increasing the volume each week. In week 6, I increase all the weights by 5% and continue the program.

My basic Olympic lift program contains eight lifts:

Clean

Snatch

Hang Clean

Hang Snatch

Front Squat

High Bar Back Squat

Jerk

Behind the Neck Push Press



Depending on your training program, adding a few of these lifts to your training days will help develop speed and explosiveness. A sample program could be:

Monday:
hang snatch 3x3
snatch 6x2
front squat 3x8
Regular Deadlift Day

Tuesday:
BTN Push Press 8x3
Regular Shoulder Day

Wednesday:
Off

Thursday:
hang clean 3x3
clean 6x2
jerk 6x2
High Bar Back Squat 3x8
Regular Squat Day

Friday:
Off

Saturday:
Regular Bench Day

Each week, increase 1 rep of the snatch and clean until you reach 6x6 and then increase the weight by 5%. Increase the weight as possible on all other lifts. By the end of each cycle, you should be able to move significantly more than you could at the beginning.

Tightness / Loss of flexibility: Why does it come with age? Can diet help it? Supplements to help?
We all know that we lose bone and muscle mass as we age, but our connective tissue also becomes less elastic. The primary reason for the decrease in elasticity is the decrease of water in the tendons in ligaments. In addition, the cartilage and fluids that cushioned our joints has been eroded over years of use. Combined with the decreased muscle mass and the replacement of muscle tissue with more fibrous tissue and you get tightness and inflexibility. To date, the only supplements that have research showing their viability in maintaining flexibility are:

• Fish Oil
• Glucosamine / Chondroitin / MSM
• Cissus Quadrangularis

I personally take Glucosamine and Fish Oil every day for their ability to minimize inflammation and maintain cartilage.

By maintaining a healthy and balanced diet with fats and Vitamins B, C, and D, you can also promote healthy cells and elasticity in your body. And finally, maintaining activity and implementing a stretching routine can help delay the loss in flexbility.

What's best for muscle gain, Protein or Carbs?
There are two schools of thought on the carbs versus protein debate for muscle gain. We all can agree that building muscle requires caloric excess, and while one may be better than the other, the biggest factor is the excess calories. Unfortunately, studies on which is best are inconclusive leaving us with many different opinions of what is necessary and what isn't. From a pure gain standpoint, 2 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight and 1.0 - 1.5 g protein per pound. If you are looking to build muscle and lose fat, you will want to reduce the carbohydrates, but still maintain a high protein diet. As with everything health and fitness, it will depend greatly on your starting point and your individual body.

Hooray! Now what?

You finally did it. You prepped. You dieted. You trained your ass off. It took hours of prep, self-control, thousands of hours of work, and months of your life, but you did it. You finally reached your goal weight and now you come to the amazing question: "What next?" You just put in all that effort and now you have to decide on how to maintain the results.

It seems like a fairly easy concept, right? Finish the bulk or the cut and then just maintain your size, but let's be honest, we screw this up all the time. If we all got it right, the diet industry would be shut down in a matter of years...

Whether you are losing weight or trying to gain, your post-diet is just as important as your diet!

If you just finished your diet:

Coming back from a diet can be tricky because there are so many variations and more possibilities than I can ever address.  Some diets require lowering of calories, others, the elimination of macros, and some changing the time period when you eat. Since the ultimate goal at the end of your diet should be to establish a sustainable eating style that maintains your weight, the important principle must be achieving a maintenance level of eating that matches your level of activity.

The largest of these principles is the SLOW recovery to maintenance. Whether you ate low calorie, low carb, or fasted, the diet effected your body's metabolism and hormones. Depending on how long the diet period lasted could have tremendous impact on how long the road back to maintenance will take.

You may be asking yourself "Why can't I just go back to my regular eating?" Your body seeks homeostasis, with weight, fat levels, etc. Simply, as you reduce calories to lose weight, your body is smart enough to slow metabolism and adjust hormones to maintain the current levels. In short, the gradual recovery will allow your body to recover it's metabolic rate, readjust hormones, balance gut bacteria, and set you up for sustaining the weight you worked so hard to achieve.

So how do we perform a slow recovery? Time for everybody's favorite answer, "It depends."

I was eating at a small deficit, how do I get back to full portions?

The answer is patience. If you were on a low calorie diet, recovering is just a matter of increasing our calories weekly until we reach maintenance. This has become wildly popular under the name of "Reverse Dieting" and can be found in books, websites, and even web software. One of the best books for explaining the concept is Reverse Dieting by Sohee Lee and Layne Norton. Essentially, you increase your calories weekly or bi-weekly with the idea that you will improve your metabolism and hormone profile with little to no weight gain and you will be able to return to your maintenance level calories over a period of weeks. Nobody can give you an exact time-frame, but the longer you dieted, the longer it will take to recover.

I was eating a specialized diet, can I go back to normal?

If you were on a diet like VLC, Atkins, or some other elimination style diet, your re-introduction could come with some nasty side-effects. When you remove a food type, the bacterial composition in your gut changes. With those changes come changes in how we digest and how we absorb the nutrients. Sometimes it's as simple as having a "gassy" feeling, other times it leads to diarrhea, leaky gut, or possibly worse with full out allergic reactions.

On top of the gut health issues, a diet that restricts carbohydrates tends to have an initial loss of weight associated with lost water weight. There's a lot of science behind it, but when you cut carbohydrates from the diet, the initial weight lost is primarily water, so naturally, when you reintroduce carbohydrates, the body will retain some water. A lot of people aren't prepared to see the scale rise and automatically assume it's fat. This is where a little extra time researching your diet is a worth it.

Again, the solution is slowly reintroducing the removed macronutrient WITHOUT creating a large surplus of calories. (Remember, caloric deficit = losing weight, caloric surplus = gaining weight)

What about if I want to change "Eating Styles?"

Sometimes, our diet has us changing from eating three meals a day to a modified eating plan, five meals a day, or possibly intermittent fasting. Although changes like these are typically lasting and are a way of eating for life, some people want to return to their good old three squares a day plan. Essentially nothing changes macro-wise, but you will have to fight through feelings of either being full or starving and possibly a little upset stomach if you've been avoiding morning meals. The best suggestion I have is to continue with the same calories while transitioning back to the three meals per day and then gradually increase calories if needed.

What if I did something radical and possibly stupid to lose weight?

Yup, there are STUPID ways to lose weight that will work in the short term. I do not personally recommend any of them, but people have done things like extended juice fasts, major calorie cuts (like 1/2 their intake cut), or one of the many extremist fad diets. The inherent risk with any of these diets is their effect on our metabolism, our gut bacteria, and our hormone levels. While they may accomplish the short term goal, the consequences could be long term damage, and sometimes the rebound could result in more fat gained than lost.

Of course, people will still do these diets and there needs to be some way to help them recover. Again, I believe "Reverse Dieting" is one of the better options if the extreme diet was run for only a short period (less than two weeks), but the first thing I recommend after a prolonged extreme diet is talking to a physician and allowing them to run blood tests. At the point where hormone levels are outside of the "normal" range, a medical professional will have the safest protocol to attempt to return the hormones to normal. And despite the weight loss, the safest option may be to regain weight and diet back down the right way.

If You Just Finished Your Bulk

This is a far shorter answer. Eat less! Cut the total calories by cutting back on carbs and fats. Again, the key is slowly cutting back each week until you find your maintenance levels. The one macronutrient I recommend keeping high is your protein to keep supporting that new muscle. Unlike after a diet concludes, the conclusion of a bulk allows for a much easier return to maintenance.

The Keys

1. Be Patient
2. Make Slow increases or decreases in calories, radical changes can have bad effects
3. Weigh yourself each week and add or decrease total calories until maintenance
4. Keep protein high to support your muscles
5. If you're doing it right and something isn't right, SEE YOUR DOCTOR.

A little knowledge goes a long way. Now that you've reached your goals, take it slow, recover the metabolism the right way and maintain that body you worked so hard for.

Why Aren't I Losing Weight? 10 Factors You Need to Consider.

Every year, millions of people attempt to tackle weight loss. They find talk of calories, of macros, of IIFYM, Paleo, and IF; hormones with really weird names, and fat burning supplements; training programs, met cons, and infomercials galore. Everybody says how simple it should be and then proceeds to muddy the simplicity with hundreds of “if's” and options. There is no shortage of information telling you everything you've done wrong or why this program is better than the others. And I'm not going to write another step-by-step guide to losing weight, discuss macros, diets, and training programs. There are enough of those out there for you to read. Instead, I'm going to address some of the not-so obvious problems in weight loss.

Without boring you with all the different theories and the soapbox lecture about how weight loss is a process and there is no such thing as a quick-fix, I want to remind you that THERE IS NO QUICK-FIX, no magic pill, no insta-cleanse (that's a whole different post), and a whole lot of ways that work. Each person responds differently and part of the challenge is finding what works for you. The most important part is approaching your weight loss systematically and by making small, sustainable life changes and having patience.

Assuming you've got a solid plan (no magic pills, no drastic calorie cuts or food eliminations) and a training program that matches (some cardio, some weight training), you should see progress happen within a few weeks depending on how much you've got to lose. Remember, the scale isn't always going to show progress, so that's why we advocate taking before pictures from multiple angles along with measuring calves, thighs, hips, waist, chest, biceps, and neck. But what happens when you aren't seeing any of these measures move?

Unfortunately, even with the perfect plan, there are other factors that can effect weight loss, and many of them are either overlooked or never discussed. Instead of looking deeper, the fitness world would have you change programs, cut your calories, use a “cleanse” or buy some new variant of bootcamp DVD paired with a TENS Unit (the electro shock thing).

Some of these factors that effect our weight loss are within our control, and many others are not. Even though we can't have 100% control, when we know what is causing our problem, we can take appropriate steps to minimize their effect.

Possible Factors Effecting Weight Loss:

• The Wrong Mentality – This could be the most difficult weight loss stumbling block of them all. Whether it's overconfident or self-defeating, how we think about our weight loss and our plan can determine our chance of success. When we're too stubborn to listen (I didn't say implement) to other options we're likely to make poor decisions when we stall. When we don't believe in the program we're using, we're likely to cheat on the diet, skip workouts, and commit self-sabotage in small ways. Either way, your success depends on you believing

• Stress – We all face stress every day. Some of us train to relieve stress, some of us play sports, some meditate, and others binge eat. For the most part, we handle the stress fairly well, but when we face more stress than we can handle or we don't recover well enough, bad things happen. Stress causes the body releases the hormone Cortisol. While Cortisol is both normal and necessary, too much of it throws off the body's hormonal balance and can result in a number of medical conditions.
  
  One of the best techniques to battle stress in my experience, is learning to meditate. There are apps on both iOS and Android that can guide you through techniques to relax and relieve stress in as little as 5 minutes each day.

• Working Out Too Much – The old addage goes something like “Eat less, move more.” Unfortunately, in weight loss, more isn't always better. When you work out too much, whether it's endless hours of cardio or weights, the body's reaction may be to hold on to weight. Simply explained, working out causes stress, and stress without proper nutrition and recovery leads to negative changes in the body and potential weight gain.
  
  Many unknowingly out-train their recovery and nutrition, resulting in no progress and a lot of frustration. The solution is truly as simple as it seems; do less. That's not to say do nothing, but if you are training 5-6 days per week and you aren't seeing changes, it may be time to consider reducing your training days to only three days per week.

• Too Little Recovery – There are articles and research to be found all over that explain the importance of recovery and sleep on hormonal regulation, recovery, and weight loss. When the hormones get out of whack (yup, science terms here) weight loss and fat burning slows. Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality leave us tired and potentially reaching for sugary food and drink to give us quick bursts of energy, skipping workouts, and eating the easy, fast food because we're too tired to make healthy meals at home.
  
  One of the tools I use to monitor my sleep is called “sleep bot” for Android. There are a plethora of similar trackers that monitor sleep time and movement and can provide a sleep quality. Many can also create “smart alarms” that wake us up at the right time with the right amount of sleep. Another valuable part of getting restful sleep is playing meditation hypnosis before bed to relieve stress. If monitoring and adjusting your sleep isn't working, it may be time to speak to a doctor about it.

• Inconsistency – We all see it or have experienced it, the on again, off again relationship with good nutrition and working out. But what happens when we start and stop repeatedly? What happens when we only work out once a week instead of the three that we planned on? Weight loss takes consistent efforts, and patience to stay the course.
  
  News Flash – The infomercials provide skewed perceptions about typical weight loss rates. The truth is weight loss and body changes don't happen overnight and sometimes not for weeks. Be patient, make your training and nutrition a priority. Plan it into your day and then take no excuses.

• Medical Conditions – Hypothyroidism, Cushing's Syndrome, PCOS, Syndrome X, Depression, and other Hormonal Changes are all conditions that effect weight loss. Each condition occurs for a different reason and can be an underlying cause on why the weight isn't coming off.
  
  While we can read all about these conditions and symptoms, and self-diagnose, the only true diagnosis and treatment comes with the the assistance of a medical professionals.

• Medications – There are millions of medications on the market and being used by people all over the world. Birth Control, Anti-Depressants, Blood Pressure Meds, and many others can all effect our hormone levels, cause fatigue, fluid retention, or can increase appetite. Like everything else that goes into our body, the medications we take can effect how our body works.
  
  You can research the medications you take, along with their side effects online. If you're concerned about your medications and their effect on weight loss, check with the prescribing doctor.

• Food Sensitivities – There is a difference between a sensitivity and an allergy. A trouble food can be tolerated in small amounts and the bad reaction might be prevented with medications in a food sensitivity. The reason for the reaction is certain elements of the offending food might not be digested and processed optimally, resulting in inflammation. Inflammation is typically followed by a level of insulin resistance and possibly leaky gut.
  
  The obvious solution is to limit the intake of foods that you are sensitive too. Another possible solution is the use of Probiotics to help maintain a healthy gut and aid in digestion. If you suspect food sensitivities could be hindering your weight loss, it is best to seek the assistance of a medical professional.

• Lack of Variety – When we do the same thing or eat the same thing for too long, our body adapts. In 6-8 weeks, the body can become more efficient and at that point, a small change needs to be made to keep progress moving forward.
  
  Evaluate your program every 6-8 weeks. If you are still making progress, there is no need to make a change, but when a program that was working, stalls, it's time to consider a small, calculated change.

• Too Much Variety – On the flip side of not changing enough is the person that changes too much. Whether it's switching from carb backloading to IIFYM to IF or from 5x5 to GVT to PHAT, too much variety prevents us from making progress. There is a huge myth out there that says the body needs to be “confused” to produce results.
  
  Like many have mentioned before, progress requires consistency and a chance for the body to adapt. As the body becomes efficient and adapts, then it is time to make just enough of a change to keep progress going.

As you can see, there are a number of factors that can effect weight loss and while we have control over only a few of them, we can be informed and make educated decisions about how to handle all of them. Once you've got the plan and the program it is important to be patient and consistent. Remember to take pictures, use the tape measurements, and the scale to create a whole picture of your transformation. If things aren't moving, instead of giving up or making drastic changes, consider the many factors above and ask for help from the people that know about and have experience working with weight loss.