A FAST Track To Fat Loss

Intermittent Fasting

         First there was the "Eat 3 square meals a day," followed by "6 small meals throughout the day is best," and now there is "Intermittent Fasting."  It's difficult to keep up with the ever-changing theories of dietary strategies and weight-loss as there always seems to be something new hitting the market.  Intermittent Fasting  (IF) is a new diet strategy intended to enhance fat loss and improve body composition.  It consists of alternating periods of fasting (only water and/or calorie-free liquids) and eating. So what's the difference between that and regular eating patterns? Intermittent Fasting designates certain extended periods of time as "Fasting" followed by a relatively short, or none at all, window of time when food can be consumed.  The rationale behind this strategy is that the periods of fasting will maximize fat burning while still maintaining lean muscle mass which is why it is often used to improve body composition.  There are a few different methods of intermittent fasting which are described below.

The Periodic Fast

This method consists of a 24 hr fasting period which is to be used ~1 day per week. The creators of the IF diet don't recommend starting off with this method as it can be difficult for your body to adjust to the sudden lack of food.  The only thing that is allowed during this fast period is water, low calorie beverages (i.e. diet green tea, coffee etc.) and BCAA's (in pill form).  The green tea and caffeine are substances that promote fat-burning and are thus included during the fasting period.  The BCAA"s are intended to maintain muscle mass and help stimulate the building of new muscle tissue.

Below is an excerpt from the Book: "Precision Nutrition" by Dr. John Berardi which describes a sample day utilizing the Periodic Fast:

".....HOW TO DO IT

Essentially, you pick any 24-hour period, and don’t eat during it. But we like to add a few things to make it easier. Here, we’ll assume a Sunday fast:

10 PM Saturday:

• Eat your last meal of the day
• Drink 500 mL (2 cups) of water

10 AM Sunday:

• Drink 1 L (4 cups) of water + 1 serving greens powder
• Drink 250 mL (1 cup) of green tea
• Take 5 grams BCAA (branched chain amino acids) powder (or take 5 capsules)

3 PM Sunday:

• Drink 1 L (4 cups) of water + 1 serving greens powder
• Drink 250 mL (1 cup) green tea
• Take 5 grams BCAA (branched chain amino acids) powder (or take 5 capsules)

10 PM Sunday:

• Eat a small snack before bed
• Drink 500 mL (2 cups) of water

Monday:

• Eat normally....."

The Daily Fast

This strategy breaks up a 24 hr period into 2 windows: 1) A fasting window and 2) An eating window.  The authors recommend a 16 hr fast and 8 hr feeding window.  Now, this doesn't mean that you are eating constantly throughout the 8 hr eating window.  The authors of Precision Nutrition recommend 3-4 meals during the 8 hr feeding window instead of 1 large meal or 8 hrs of grazing.  Now, if you are an individual who trains or exercises during the week (and if you read this blog I hope that you do!) it's recommended that you get your workout in at the end of the 16 hr fast and then consume your first meal immediately after your workout.  This may be challenging for some people as working out on an empty stomach may not be well-tolerated (I just about pass out every time).

        And Then Eat.... 

       

Monday

8:30 PM - Eat small snack (last meal before 16 hr fast)

Tuesday

8:00 AM:  Wake up, Drink 500 ml of water

9:00 AM:  Drink 1 L of water + 250 ml of green tea

11:00 AM:  250 ml of green tea

12:00 AM:  Workout session with 10g of BCAA before/during

1:30 PM:  Eat first meal (largest of the day)

4:30 PM:  Eat second meal (moderate size)

8:30 PM:  Eat third meal (moderate to small size)

Tips:

Just because you are strategically eating (or not eating) at certain times throughout the day, doesn't mean that when you do eat that you splurge and park yourself at an All You Can Eat Buffet all day.  It is still just as important to eat not only the proper amount of calories but also the proper ratio of macro-nutrients,  focusing on lean meats and fruits & veggies. 

Does It Work?

And now, the important question: Does it work?  Granted there isn't really any clinical research that has been done on this program, I believe it's safe to say that yes, this program is an effective strategy for losing body fat and improving body composition.  The majority of anecdotal evidence I've heard on IF has been in support of it and said it was successful at improving body composition.  Personally, I'm someone who loves food and gets cranky when I go extended periods without it so this diet plan isn't really for me but don't let that deter you from trying it!  Also, I DO NOT recommend this program for athletes or those engaged in heavy training as it may be difficult to A) Train on an empty stomach and B) Consume enough calories to support high energy expenditures.  If you are interested in trying this new diet, I suggest starting slowly and easing yourself into fasting periods to prevent hunger pangs, mood disturbances and dizziness.  And please, if you do try this diet let me know what you think of it because I'd love to hear if it worked or not!

For those interested in more information, here is a link that goes into more detail on the program......

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/appendix-a

T-Ball: Part I

Testosterone-Ball

My friends and I were recently partaking in our favorite American past-time which is of course late night beers and baseball talk.  We've long since given up our baseball careers and moved on to more important things like fantasy baseball, arguing about who was the best catcher during the 90's  and our recent argument regarding the prevalence of steroid use in baseball and whether or not they ruined or saved baseball....

Following this last discussion, I decided to look into it a little more and see if I could find any hard facts to back up my opinions.  I tried to look up as much information (legitimate information, not just Jose Canseco's book on steroids) as I could find on this issue and do the best to provide it in a non-biased fashion. It is difficult to understand exactly how many players are/were taking steroids, how steroids may have changed their performance and ultimately how it changed the game because a lot of this information is A) Impossible to obtain and B) Difficult to quantify in the first place; however I will give it my best shot.

What Are Steroids?
In order to understand how steroids are affecting the game of baseball. We first need to define what all is entailed with the term "steroids." According to the all-knowing wikipedia, steroids are drugs that mimic the hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.  These hormones are responsible for promoting the growth or anabolism of certain tissues within the body (i.e. muscles, bones, cartilage etc.).  They were first isolated and synthesized in the 1930's for medicinal purposes.  The use of anabolic steroids became popular during the 1940's and 1950's by Eastern European countries who saw improvements in the athletic performance of their athletes.  Eventually the International Olympic Committee placed anabolic steroids on the banned list in 1976.  In 1990 Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act which classified steroids as a controlled substance, making it a felony to possess or sell them. In 2003 MLB instituted a random, but anonymous, testing program to gauge the percentage of steroid use in baseball.  This anonymous testing stated that only 5-7% of players tested were using steroids.  Many believe this number largely underestimates the prevalence of steroid use as rumors surfaced stating that players knew when they would be tested to they could easily take the necessary precautions to avoid a positive test.  Eventually there was a modification in the "steroid policy" and punishments for a positive test were finally instated.  However, there were again rumors and speculations that Major League Baseball simply looked the other way during the "Steroid Era" and allowed players to take steroids in hopes to bring fans back to the game following the strike in 1994.

How Do They Improve Performance?
The theory that steroids can turn you into an MVP caliber player has several holes in it.  First of all, steroids can't turn a minor leaguer into a triple crown-caliber player such as Miguel Cabrera. They can't teach you how to pick up the spin on a curveball or get a little more break on your slider. But what they can help you with is promoting growth and improving recovery, thus allowing an individual to train at a higher level with the hopes of taking the body to its maximum capacity.  I am currently reading the book "Bases Loaded" which tells the inside story of the Mitchell Report and the scandal of the Steroid Era. The narrator made a great point of how steroids won't necessarily make you a great player.  He said to look at The Giambi brothers; both of them were on steroids (allegedly) but only one of them found success at the Major League level.  The same could be said for the Canseco brothers; one of them was a reputable slugger in baseball and the other was a reputable slugger in bar fights and played against the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks.

Why The Sudden Change?

This is a question I found myself struggling with following the argument.  A reoccurring comment was: "They had to be on steroids during the 90's! Just look at the physical transitions of some of those guys!"  The picture below of Barry Bonds is a great example of how the bodies of some of the "sluggers of the 90's" changed during this time period.  I have to admit, I jumped on the bandwagon theory of "They had to have been on steroids! They were so big and got that way so fast!"  However, the more I looked into it the more I found myself doubting this theory.

 

One of the reasons I believe players got so big during the 90's was the development and advancement of training practices in Major League Baseball.  A lot of the reports and articles I read stated that before the 90's players didn't really train or lift weights at all.  They were followers of the old school train of thought that if you got too big and bulky you would lose flexibility and wouldn't be able to perform as well.  Players didn't lift weights, they didn't train in the off-season, there were no strength coaches or trainers.  However, following the fitness boom of the 80's, Major Leaguers seemed to jump on the bandwagon as well and training facilities starting popping up in stadiums and clubhouses.  Players began to train regularly and thus the shapes and figures of players changed as well. Players started to become bigger, stronger and faster as a result of a structured training program.  In today's world, every team has a training facility with multiple strength coaches and trainers.  Players often times have their own trainers and/or nutritionists that work with them individually throughout the year.  So, one could argue that the larger players seen during the 90's could just be a result of the natural evolution of athletes as they realized the importance of proper strength training & conditioning. That or they were just hitting the juice hard....or both! 

 

 If I had to take a guess (and this is purely speculation with no hard evidence), I would say that the physical transformations seen by some of the players during the 80's and 90's were likely a result of both structured training programs AND some steroid use.  This of course doesn't include every player.  I fully accept the idea that not all players were taking steroids just as not all players participated in structured training programs. Just look at David Wells (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-02-13/2002-02-13-cover.htm), clearly he was still able to find success without doing any exercise outside of his walk to the pitchers mound and back.  Not only is it difficult to speculate how many players were actually taking steroids but of the ones that were, how do we know how much or what kind they were taking? There are hundreds of different formulations of anabolic steroids available and each one of them can have a different effect on the body.  My guess is the guys that suddenly put on 80 lbs of muscle in a year or two and looked more like a professional wrestler than baseball player were probably using higher dosages than other players.  Regardless, the truth is we will never know exactly who was taking what and for how long but what we can determine is how the game changed during this time period......

*The next post will focus on how the Steroid Era changed the game of baseball.

If you are interested in the Mitchell Report here is a link for the full report. It's a very interesting read but a very long one at that.

http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

Is Fat Really Flammable?

"Melt away the fat," "It Will Burn the Fat Right Off You," "Ignite Your Metabolism"....Sometimes I can't tell if someone if supplement companies want you to lose weight or start a forest fire.  Some of the hottest (pun intended) new supplements on the sports nutrition scene are weight loss supplements aka fat burners.  As usual, it's difficult to sift through the marketing strategies and to decipher if these products really work.  In theory, these products are typically designed to either A) Increase your metabolic rate or B) Increase lipolysis or the breakdown of fat stores.  Believe it or not some fat burners have actually been shown to be successful.  There is some evidence that shows elevations in one's metabolic rate following the ingestion of these metabolic stimulants or thermogenics as their often called.

   Now some of the above mentioned alterations in thermogenesis (the production of heat within the body) and lipolysis (fat breakdown) can be achieved through diet alone.  One way to go about this is by consuming foods that seem to induce thermogenesis such as spicy foods. We've all experienced this before right?  Pop a couple of jalapenos and before you know if you're breaking a sweat just by eating!  However it may not be enjoyable to walk around all day eating peppers like they're candy.  Other food products that seem to have a thermogenic effect are those containing high amounts of protein.  Research has shown that protein ingestion may increase energy expenditure by roughly 10% (the increase is energy expenditure is due to the increased energy needed to digest protein).  My brother used to always joke that after a nice 72 oz. steak he would get "The Meat Sweats."  It appears as though he was on to something.  However, this concept should be taken with a grain of salt; and no it's not to make your steak taste better.  If protein ingestion can increase energy expenditure, it doesn't mean that those extra calories burned will off-set that 72 oz. steak you just ate.  It's important to remember that just because your body is experiencing a thermogenic enhancing effect, doesn't mean that your going to lose weight just by eating those foods.  You still need to be burning more calories than you are consuming to lose weight.  Another way to manipulate fat burning within the body is maintain low insulin levels.  When insulin levels are high, as is seen with diets high in sugar, fat breakdown is inhibited.  This concept is the backbone of diets such as The Atkins Diet and Nutrisystem's Diet of Glycemic Control.  This is also the reasoning behind doing your cardio (low intensity only) in the morning before you've had breakfast; low insulin levels will promote a greater utilization of fat as energy during your workout.

So now on to the important stuff, fat burners, do they really work? And the short answer is: probably not to the extent we are led to believe.  Some thermogenic products have been shown to increase energy expenditure by up to 10-40% upon ingestion as well as decrease body fat percent by 1-3% after long-term supplementation.  The main ingredients in these products are typically caffeine, green tea extract, Chromium, B-Vitamins, L-Carnosine, Ketones and usually a variety of other herbs.  The ingredients that seem to be the most effective, in terms of increasing metabolic rate, are caffeine and green tea extract.  There used to be another popular ingredient that was very effective but unfortunately was banned by the FDA as it was "linked" to some "adverse events" (I think it was wrongfully banned).  This ingredient was known as ephedra and was a staple in many weight loss products, Hydroxycut (the original patented formula) being one of them which is why it WAS so effective.  The problem with a lot of weight loss products is that they combine several ingredients together into one formula without really understand how they will interact with each other. Luckily, these ingredients are in such low dosages that they probably don't even have any effect on the body at all.  However, I advise caution when selecting these products and make sure you read the label and know what you are consuming. If you wanted the cheapest, safest and most effective product, you're best bet is probably caffeine pills.  They are low in calories, cheap and caffeine is probably the most effective metabolic stimulant.  Green tea extract would be my next choice. Green tea extract not only has caffeine in it but also several anti-oxidants and health promoting ingredients.

There really isn't a lot of research that tells us about how effective and safe these products really are over extended periods of time.  Most studies just show acute elevations in energy expenditure.  Therefore it's difficult to speculate whether or not these products would be successful at promoting weight loss after years of supplementation.  Below is a list of the most effective fat burner ingredients as well as literature that supports the use of some of these thermogenics.


Top 4 Fat Burner Ingredients:
1) Ephedra
2) Caffeine
3) Green Tea Extract
4) Synephrine


http://www.jissn.com/content/4/1/10/abstract
http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/4/abstract
http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/1/abstract
http://www.jissn.com/content/5/1/19/abstract

And of course, there is the easiest, cheapest and most effective method of burning fat and increasing energy expenditure: EXERCISE

Sir Mix-A-Lot Knew What He Liked

Did Sir Mix-A-Lot have right? Are big butts really what everybody likes? Of course there is such a thing as too much of a good thing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BKZD0klUbE).

Today's post is a tribute to nice butts....and how to get them (The wife might not like this one).  The inspiration of this post comes from the number one request of EVERY FEMALE CLIENT I HAVE EVER HAD: "I want to tone my inner thighs and butt; how do I do that? Well here is my advice:

Type of Exercises:

First of all, I can tell you an exercise that IS NOT the fastest way to a nice butt and that is the thigh machine at the gym.  I don't know how many times I've seen a girl camp out on those machines for a good half an hour and then call it a day hoping they'll wake up will killer thighs the next morning.  This clearly isn't the most effective strategy.  The best way to look like you have nice legs and a great butt is to GET nice legs and a butt.  This means packing on some muscle and developing the back side a little.  Now with that being said, you don't have to set any squat records or train/look like Serena Williams to do this but you will have to lift weights or perform some type of resistance-based exercises to accomplish this.

Best Exercises:
If I had to pick the 5 best exercises for a nice butt they would be:

1. Hip Thrusts (and no, not the ones in the bedroom)

2. Squats

3. Lunges

4. Deadlifts

5. Step-Ups

How Often?
Obviously you can't go into the weight room everyday and work your legs so hard you can't walk up stairs anymore.  Like I said before, you don't have to set any squat records or join the powerlifting club to get great legs.  I would recommend working this 5 exercises into your weekly workouts at least twice a week.  You could split your workouts into upper and lower body days and split it up like this:

Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Cardio or Rest
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest or Cardio

Or you could perform a whole-body workout 3 times per week while incorporating cardio on the days between.  Regardless how you set it up, there are a few key things to remember:

1) Never work the same body part 2 days in a row. The body needs time to recover.
2) You don't have to lift so often that your sore all the time.
3) Try to hit each body part at least twice per week.

How Much?
If you are just starting out I would recommend performing 6-8 exercises per workout, completing 2-3 sets of  8-12 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest in between sets.  You could also utilize a circuit style workout, in which you move from one exercise to the next as quickly as you can.  You want to select a weight that is difficult to lift towards your last 1-2 repetitions of each set. If it feels too easy, or you could lift the weight another 10 times than it's time to add more weight.

Which Muscles?
In order to get the "perfect" legs (if there is such a thing), make sure you are working ALL muscle groups.  This includes the front of your legs, the back of your legs, your butt and inner thighs.  Otherwise, you may develop muscle imbalances and set yourself up for an injury.  You should be able to tell which exercises work which muscle groups as they will likely start to burn towards the end of each set.

In Summary: Remember, performing cardio and sitting on the thigh machine all day will NOT get you the killer legs you are looking for. Pick up some weights and get after it....Make Sir Mix-A-Lot proud!

I'm Going To Pump You Up

It's two-a-days, ACDC's "Thunderstruck" is cranked so loud it's rattling the squat racks, and 35 team members have you surrounded with deafening cheers to lock out your 1-rep max.....If you're not pumped up for that then there is something wrong with you. Switch gears to February, in Minnesota, a blizzard in full-swing with -30 degree weather and you "can't find your workout clothes" so you shrug your shoulders and decide the gym can wait one more day.  Unfortunately the latter scenario is probably a lot more common. So what's the secret? How are you supposed to get pumped up for a workout? It was easy back in high school right? You either had a coach always on your case during practice/drills, or a team mate constantly fighting for your starting roster spot, or the pressure of looking bigger in your school uniform; but now you're 30, married, and the only person that sees you with your shirt of is your wife and she is legally bound to you forever.  One direction that a lot of people are turning towards are pre-workout supplements. 

What's In Them?

N.O. Explode, Redline, 1-More-Rep, C4 Extreme are all examples of pre-workout supplements that are common items found around the gym.  Most pre-workout supplements promote their products by saying they will give you a "pre-workout pump" or "it will get you jacked up!" etc.  In order to get this "pump" most manufacturer's put caffeine in their supplements to give you the notion of feeling pumped up.  The research is equivocal on whether or not caffeine will improve performance in the weight room.  Personally, I like taking caffeine before a workout because of its stimulatory effects. Whether or not it actually improves my performance is beside the point because I just feel better and more pumped up for a workout.  Another common ingredient in pre-workout supplements is L-Arginine which is an amino acid used in the production of nitric oxide.  Higher levels of nitric oxide in the vasculature has been purported to dilate blood vessels, thus allowing for an increase in blood flow or "pump."  Research has shown that nitric oxide supplements are relatively ineffective at improving blood flow or training adaptations.  Creatine is also found in pre-workout supplements.  Creatine supplementation has been shown to be successful in improving training adaptations (see previous article on creatine).  However, there really isn't an acute effect of creatine; meaning if you take it 20 minute before a workout, you won't see any improvements as it takes time to work its magic.  The same could be said for nitric oxide supplementation.  And last but not least, one of the newer supplements to hit the market: beta-alanine.  Beta-alanine is used to increase the buffering capacity of your muscles during high-intensity exercise. In other words, it will help delay that burn you get in your legs during your last set of squats.  Again, this supplement needs time to take action so popping it 5 min before your workout won't really do much.   However, you will fell a slight tingly sensation upon ingestion which I personally enjoy before a workout.

 

In summary, there are several pre-workout supplements available on the market and some of them actually work! However, as previously mentioned a lot of them do not really have acute effects and need time to take effect. In other words, they really aren't PRE workout supplements and more just supplements.  Caffeine is the one ingredient that can get you "pumped up" before a workout as it does have stimulatory effects.  A lot of companies will combine a lot of these ingredients into a magic powder but it's important to read the labels to see what's really in them.  My personal favorites are Redline Extreme, C4, and NO-Shotgun. Unfortunately these are also rather on the pricy side.

Get your pump on!