February Question and Answer

Weight training over 40....

There are a few things to consider with any weight training system as we age:

• Does the program allow you to recover well enough to make progress while minimizing the risk of injury? Simply, a good program is one that does not rely on one training style, but utilizes periods of high volume mixed with varying intensities and tempos. It will also allow adequate rest and recovery as well as provide guidance for stretching and conditioning.
• Are you truly taking care of trouble spots or are you just plodding ahead? When we're young and dumb, we choose to ignore the signs that something is wrong (sore joints, nagging aches, etc) and push through. Unfortunately as we age, our body can't recover as quickly and the nagging injuries soon become injuries that take us out of action for extended periods of time. Something as simple as stretching, foam rolling, and using a proper warm-up can alleviate a lot of these problems. There was a huge push for "functional movement" over the last few years, and as we age, I believe the principles of functional movement can benefit aging populations.
• Are you supplementing with the things you need? Fish oil, Glucosamine, Zinc, DHEA, and a good multivitamin like ON's Opti-men are all part of a good supplement regimen to keep you healthy, joints happy, and take care of other aspects of training beyond the years of high testosterone production. Can I say scientifically that these supplements are all valid? No, but I know I feel like I train better when I do take them.

How do I create a program that includes all major muscles while taking care of both a bad knee and bad shoulder?

The first part of this is choosing the number of days you want to train, whether it's 3, 4, or 5. Sorry, the days of training hard 6 and 7 days per week are done and being healthy means getting enough time to heal. Even at 37, if I train too many days in a row with not enough days off, the nagging injury rears its head and sits me down for a few weeks.

Once you identify the number of days, we can take the injuries into consideration. With a bad shoulder, rotating the strain on the shoulder is crucial. With the knee, choosing exercises that effectively train the quads, hams, glutes, and calves while keeping the loading on the knees from exacerbating the pain. For the best bang I would cycle my main lifts like this:

Week 1 - Heavy Chest, Volume Legs, Heavy Back with Deadlifts, Volume Shoulders
Week 2 - Volume Chest, Heavy Legs, Volume Back without Deadlifts, Heavy Shoulders
Week 3 - Volume DB Chest, Volume Legs, Volume Back with Deadlifts, Volume DB Shoulders
Week 4 - Heavy DB Chest, Heavy Legs, Heavy Back without Deadlifts, Volume Shoulders

By attacking each muscle with the variety of volume and intensity along with DB's and traditional barbell work, you can strengthen the tissue, train hard, and stay healthy. Also, deadlifting every other week allows your body to recover while still using one of the best whole body lifts.

In terms of choosing exercises, again, this will be based on what you can train without pain, or at the least, rotating exercises each week, for example leg pressing in week 1, squatting in week 2, leg accessory work in week 3, and single leg work in week 4. Selecting accessories and maintaining the volume aspect for accessories (no less than 3x10) will help with the blood flow and muscle mass to protect those bad areas.

How to self diagnose muscle imbalances or where to find help with this?

The simplest way would be to just watch how your body performs movements when training and then with a little anatomy and kinesiology, you can semi-diagnose problems. The reason I say semi-diagnose is that our body's are masterful in compensating and adapting a movement to cover for an imbalance. You can actually learn a great deal about imbalances by reading "Movement" or "Athletic Body In Balance" by Gray Cook. You can also learn about imbalances and correction with Phil Page's "Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance." As far as diagnosing, there are many different tests and you will need to either have or rig some equipment and then video yourself while going through the movements.

Or if you're less inclined to read and want to see examples, you can search youtube for movement screen. Here is an explanation of FMS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9zqKLA8SA0
a quickie on how to do it by yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8G6jkEf1uI
and a playlist with the tests and corrective movements
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCD30E4219881CA78

When doing weight training, should I work to reach the target heart rate as with cardio? I find that if I try to keep the heart rate up, I am pressing the matter too much and the form goes to crap.

I believe your experience is similar to most of the clients I work with and one of the reasons I limit the amount of time performing super, giant, and metabolic conditioning sets. Naturally, your heart rate will accelerate very quickly under a load and can reach or exceed your target heart rate while lifting. This is to be expected as heart rate is tied to oxygen consumption and efficiency of the body to get it to the muscles that need it. Lifting a heavy load requires (without a long winded science explanation) ATP, acetylcholine, and calcium to cause the muscle contraction, and at some point, your body will struggle to remove waste products, get enough oxygen to the muscles, or have enough of the chemicals needed for full contraction (resulting in form breakdown as you weaken). In order to see aerobic benefit, you would have to maintain that elevated heart rate longer than your muscles would most likely be able to continue lifting at a high enough intensity to cause strength or hypertrophic gains. None of that is to say that elevating your heart rate while lifting is bad, but it is unlikely to have the cardiovascular effect you would want.

Now, before the zealots scream that they can perform high intensity exercise for extended periods of time and their heart rate never drops out of the fat burning zone, yes, it is possible. Crossfit lives on this principle and it is possible for someone to maintain a minimum heart rate of 60% of max. Does this make it beneficial? That depends on the goal.

Programming and Performance of Good Mornings:

The good morning is a hip hinge exercise and focuses on the posterior chain including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. For those that don't know, there are multiple forms of good mornings and they each have their benefits and risks associated with them. All of the forms have a risk of back injury if done with poor form. Proper form for a good morning includes: engaged upper back, flat lower back, and bending at the hips.

• Traditional - performed with the bar on the upper back / traps in either a close or wide stance. Can use a cambered bar or a yoke bar. The wider the stance, the more the hamstrings will be incorporated.
  
  
• Seated - performed with the bar on the upper back / traps while sitting on a bench or box and the knees at about a 90 degree angle. The ROM is limited and can actually cause more stress on the lower back for those with tight lower backs.
• Zercher - performed with the bar held in the bend of the elbows. Probably the hardest on the upper back and painful from resting the bar in the elbows.
• Banded - using a monster band or other form of large band wrapped over the upper traps and performed similar to a traditional good morning.

When programming good mornings, they are typically an assistance lift performed later in the workout because they focus on a weak point in either the squat or deadlift but don't mimic the movement patterns in either. Personally, I program them as my last assistance on squat days because it allows me to incorporate the hamstrings and lower back with moderate weights to strengthen my lower back without taking away from any of my other assistance lifts. I also don't do them on deadlift because my back is less exhausted on squat days. I rotate them in about every six weeks and perform them with high volume (30 - 50 reps) to build the muscles and develop endurance.

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.

Does the Music Matter?

I don’t know about you, but for years, I have walked into the gym, plugged in my headphones, turned them up, and had music fueled training sessions.  I never thought much of it until I was in a gym and didn’t have my headphones.  The gym was playing smooth R&B songs.  The energy, the ability to ignore the discomfort, the ability to ignore how tired I was, shrank.  In fact, the music had the exact opposite effect on me.  Then it happened again, I forgot my music, but this gym was playing loud country music and I was still full of energy.  This made me wonder how the choice of music affects a workout.  I always thought the energy and focus I got from playing my music was because it was my music.  Is there something special about the music we select?

Studies have been done for years on heart and respiration rates based on music and many have found a correlation between the music and increased rate of breathing and heart rate.  One recent small population study (most fitness studies are) showed 93% of subjects experienced a slowing of their heart rate following a slow song and 100% experienced an increase following a fast song.1  Studies done as early as the 1940’s produced similar results2,3.  In 2012, BASES released their expert opinion on music’s effect on exercise, which correlated with previous studies that music has the ability to influence heart and respiration rate and produce positive effects during training4.

So what does this mean for us as we exercise?  The music we choose to listen to or is being played by the gym can have an impact on our training sessions.  The music can stabilize our heart rate, help us ignore the fatigue and discomfort from moderate and high intensity workouts and push us to go a little further.  Equally, a poor choice can lower our energy, allow us to acknowledge the discomfort, and hinder our attempts at progress.  Whatever your music preference, choosing the right songs can give you that extra edge you’re looking for.

Based on a study at Sheffield Hallam University, music that was upbeat (between 120 and 162 beats per minute) resulted in lower rates of perceived exertion and heart rates mimicking the BPM of the music.  So the next time you are setting up your playlist, for that long run or the heavy workout, take a moment to think about the songs you’re choosing and consider faster, more up-tempo songs for increased training results and leave the slower songs for the cool-down.

Try it and see if it doesn’t help you over the edge.

1. Agrawal, A., Makhijani, N., & Valentini,P.,The Effect of Music on Heart Rate, The Journal of Emerging Investigators, April 2013
2. Schullian D M., & Schoen M., Music and Medicine (1948). P. 1-499
3. Soibelman D., Thereputic and Industrial Use of Music. (1940). P. 103-108
4. Terry, PC., Lane, AM., Bishop, DT., & Priest, DL., The BASES Expert Statement on Use of Music in Exercises, Journal of Sport Sciences, 30(9): 953 - 956, May 2012
5. Hutson, M., The Effects of Preffered Upbeat Music on Rate of Perceived Exertion, Heart Rate and Lactic Acid Concentration at Moderate and High Intensity Exercise