Showing posts with label physique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physique. Show all posts

Thursday, April 28, 2016

When Whey Casein Unite in the Spirit of True Physique Improvements BCAAs Glutamine Better Shut the F Up

Ever wondered, why you hit a plateau, "although" youve started to use this whey protein w/ extra aminos?
I have to admit this is not a new paper and though I have not written about it explicitly, some of you will probably have seen me cite it in previous posts. With some recent rambling about how great BCAAs were and that whey alone could never achieve what its overpriced, but revenue generating parts could do, I just felt inclined to dig into the archives of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research to bring back up one of those excellent randomized controlled, double-blinded long-term resistance training + supplementation studies, you wont find in the supplement write-ups very often, cause they would make most of the "great innovations" look pathetic.
You can learn more about protein intake at the SuppVersity

Are You Protein Wheysting?

Cod protein for recovery

Protein requ. of athletes

High EAA protein for fat loss

Fast vs. slow protein

Too much ado about protein?
In the case of the paper Chad D. Kersick et al. published in the March Edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2006. The latter, i.e. the looking pathetic applies to the combination and addition of "extra-anabolic" amino acids in form of BCAAs and glutamine to a simple whey protein supplement.

Table 1: Overview of the resistance training progamm (Kersick. 2006)
And when I am talking about "looking pathetic" I do not refer to the packaging or the powder itself; no, not even to the strength gains, which were more or less identical in all of the 36 resistance-trained males men (mean age 31, 84kg, 17% body fat) who followed the 4-day training protocol you see in Table 1 for 12(!) weeks.

That was a pretty long time, and as you can see in Figure 1, it was long enough to produce significant results. Significant results that tell you that the only addition you want to make to your cheap whey protein is some (not so cheap) micellar casein to achieve what I outlined in Mai 2012 and on countless other occasions, a stable hyper-aminoacidemia (= elevated levels of amino acids in the blood) for several hours (learn more)

As you should be able to see even without scrutinizing the bars in Figure 1, the latter lead to significant increases in lean mass in an already resistant trained group of subjects.
Figure 1: Changes in total body mass, lean mass and fat mass
The addition of 3g of BCAAs and 5g of glutamine, on the other hand, "made" the whey protein as "anabolic" *lol* as the 48g of plain sugar the CHO control group was guzzling their shakes within 2h (ideally immediately after) their workouts.

"Thats not true, cause Ive had great success with bullocks advanced proteins!"

Now, I obviously know already that there are certain people who dont like to hear facts like this. These people who are actually oftentimes only unwilling to admit that they have been screwed who will now probably be freakin out about "what if"s like "What if the casein made them hungry, so that they ate much more" ... I hear ya, folks, but how would that explain that the fat mass of the whey + casein (WC) group increased by 100g, while the guys on the "advanced" formula gained 200 albeit statistically non-sigificant grams?
Table 2: Energy & macro-nutrient intake in the whey + casein (WC), whey + BCAA + glutamin (WBG) and the carbohydrate control (P) group (Kersick. 2006).
Furthermore, the data in Table 2 clearly indicates that the only significant difference in terms of the total energy intake and the macronutrient content of the diets was the intended difference in protein content between the WC & WBG group and the P, i.e. the carbohydrate control group.
Figure 2: Leucine balance as a measure of protein balance after the ingestion of different forms of protein / amino acids (same net nitrogen load; Dangin. 2001; Bilsborough. 2006)
What? But thats impossible, right!? If we do have a closer look at what Dangin et al. found out about the digestion rate of protein as an independent regulating factor of postprandial protein retention (see Figure 2) and assume that the addition of BCAA and glutmine in this study could have had a similar negative effect on the total net protein retention as the free form amino acid supplement, the six young man in Dangins study consumed, it does no longer sound impossible that not a single gram of what were effectively 48g of protein ended up in their biceps, triceps, chest, quads, hams, etc. for which there was no leucine or any other aminos left, when the free form AAs switched their bodies into "protein wasting mode".

Dangins study did after all demonstrate that the same amino acids you will find in casein will induce a negative leucine balance, when they are administered in their isolated (see Figure 2). If you are still not angry that youve been fooled time and again, you probably havent bought any of the pertaining "improved protein" let alone "pro-anabolic free form amino acid supplements" in the past decade - lucky you; and dont tell me you just couldnt afford it ;-)
References: 
  • Bilsborough, Shane, and Neil Mann. "A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans." International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism 16.2 (2006).
  • Dangin, Martial, et al. "The digestion rate of protein is an independent regulating factor of postprandial protein retention." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism 280.2 (2001): E340-E348.
  • Kerksick, Chad M., et al. "The effects of protein and amino acid supplementation on performance and training adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 20.3 (2006): 643-653.


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Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Let There Be Light 10 New Studies to Enlighten You About the Health Effects of Light Exposure on Health Physique

No, the sun does not kill you. If you control your exposure it may extend your life and improve your life-quality significantly.
Its about time to "let there be light" to illuminate the benefits of regular well-timed exposure to sunlight and its short frequency component. Only recently, researchers from the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) were able to show that daytime light exposure has significant beneficial effects on cognitive brain activity. Significant enough to have the subjects perform better on an oddball task and to significantly increase cortical activity related to cognitive processes (Okamoto. 2014).

But is that really all, bright light, or more specifically, the regular and well-timed exposure to bright light can do for you?
The effects on circadian rhythm could be behind the Suns anti-cancer effects

Sunlight, Bluelight, Backlight and Your Clock

Sunlight a La Carte: "Hack" Your Rhythm
Breaking the Fast to Synchronize the Clock

Fasting (Re-)Sets the Peripheral Clock

Vitamin A & Caffeine Set the Clock

Pre-Workout Supps Could Ruin Your Sleep
Certainly not. I mean if its ill-timed, like the evening use of light-emitting eReaders it will negatively affect your sleep, mess up your circadian rhythm and decrease your alertness on the next morning. Similar results, i.e. drowsiness and suppression of energy metabolism the following morning, have been reported by other studies, as well (Kayaba. 2014).

As a SuppVersity reader you do yet know all about those negative effects from the circadian rhythm series, anyway. Reason enough for me, to focus primarily on all the good stuff, the well-timed exposure to bright light can do for you in todays Special of the SuppVersity Short News.
  • If you cant let go off your mobile at night, use blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure - According to researchers from the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, blue blocker glasses (BB) significantly attenuate LED-induced melatonin suppression in the evening and decrease vigilant attention and subjective alertness before bedtime.

    Strangely, though, visually scored sleep stages and behavioral measures collected the morning after were not modified. Still, van der Lely et al. conclude: "BB glasses may be useful in adolescents as a countermeasure for alerting effects induced by light exposure through LED screens and therefore potentially impede the negative effects modern lighting imposes on circadian physiology in the evening "(van der Lely. 2014).
  • UV-light protects against "brainflammation" in MS model - Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison report in their latest paper that UV light selectively inhibits spinal cord inflammation and demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

    Previous studies have already shown that UV radiation (UVR) can suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple-sclerosis (MS), independent of vitamin D production. The mechanism of this suppression did yet remain to be elucidated, until Wang et al. (2014) observed that UVR (10kJ/m²) does not just inhibit the inflammation and demyelination of the spinal cord, but will also dramatically and significantly reduce spinal cord chemokine CCL5 mRNA and protein levels.

    In conjunction with an increased production of intereron-gamma (IFN-?) and IL-10, which are actually used to treat all sorts of autoimmune diseases, artificial and natural UV light can thus actually "prevent the migration of inflammatory cells into the CNS" (Wang. 2014).
  • Melatonin conc. after 4 days w/ dim vs. bright light and tryptophan rich vs. poor breakfast (Fukushige. 2014).
    Bright light in the AM and the consumption of a breakfast thats high in tryptophan can help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm - In case you are asking yourself how you can grasp all the benefits that are associated with having an intact circadian rhythm, you may be intrigued to hear that researchers from the Fukuoka Womens University have been able to show that an increase in tryptophan intake at breakfast combined with daytime light exposure has beneficial effects on melatonin secretion and sleep quality. As you can see in the figure to the left it will significantly elevate the evening melatonin peak, which is critical for an optimal circadian rhythm.

    If you are looking to optimize your internal clock bright light (either sunlight or a 10,000 Lux daylight lamp) + tryptophan (seeds, nuts, soy, cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans and eggs are the TOP10 sources) are the way to go. If you want an extra "kick" add some coffee to the equation. This will increase the light responsiveness of the circadian pacemaker - well, at least in mice it does (Diepen. 2014).
If you want to design your own "dawn simulator" thats the spectrum you need (Virginie. 2014).
Wanna be smarter, but cant get enough sleep? Start your day with a dawn simulation: Chronic sleep restriction (SR) has deleterious effects on cognitive performance that can be counteracted by light exposure. Scientists from the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel have recently been able tho show that a dawn simulating in the AM will increase your task performance throughout the day after morning; and whats best: The benefit was most pronounced in those participants who sucked the most when they didnt get a good nights sleep (Virginie. 2014).
  • Bright lights at work will keep you sane, happy and alert - If you are working in an insufficiently lit office without natural sunlight, you should be prepared to develop physiological, sleep and depressive symptoms.

    Assuming you have a window in your office, you will get a significantly more pronounced total and peak exposure to bright light thats going to correlate with 33% reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, a more natural rhythm of melatonin and a reduced risk of minor psychiatric disorders and depressive symptoms (MA) in the evening.

    Thats at least what the results of a recent study from the UFRGS in Porto Alegre indicates (Harb. 2014). A study the authors of which proudly say that their "study demonstrated that not only may light pollution affect human physiology but also lack of exposure to natural light is related to high levels of cortisol and lower levels of melatonin at night, and these, in turn, are related to depressive symptoms and poor quality of sleep" (Harb. 2014).
  • If you want to light up the darkness, when its actually time to sleep do it with green (555nm) or red, not blue light, which suppresses melatonin (Bonmati-Carrion. 2014).
    Staying away from nightly night exposure may also help to keep your arteries clean even in the old age - Studies indicate that even after  adjustment for confounding factors, including age, gender, body mass index, current smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep medication, estimated glomerular filtration rate, nocturia, bedtime, duration in bed (scotoperiod), day length (photoperiod), urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion and daytime and nighttime physical activity, exposure to light at night is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (Obayashi. 2014).

    If you dont want to develop subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, when you are old, it would thus be a good idea to adhere to the basic rules of sleep hygiene: a dark room and/or blindfolds will keep your arteries clean and may thus save your life ;-)
  • If you have kidney problems, get out in the sun if you want to survive - Scientists from the University of California Irvine Medical Center were able to show that dialysis patients residing in higher UV index regions have lower all-cause mortality compared to those living in moderate-high UV regions (Shapiro. 2014).

    More specifically, the ~60year-old subjects residing in moderate-high UV index regions had a 16% reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Those living in very-high UV index regions had a 1% higher risk reduction (17%). Interestingly, there was a similar inverse association between UV index and mortality was observed across all subgroups, but it was more pronounced among whites vs. non-whites.
  • Wear those shades (or bluelight blocker glasses) before any important sport event - Why? Stupid question. If you dabble around with your smartphone "unprotected" the evening before an important sport event for only 30 minutes, this can influence exercise performance under hot conditions during the subsequent early morning (Thompson. 2014).
Even brief light exposure, when your eyes are closed messes with your circadian rhythm.
Pah, when your eyes are closed, light is not a problem, right? Wrong. Even ,illisecond flashes of light phase delay the human circadian clock during sleep. While a greater number of matched subjects and more research will be necessary to ascertain whether these light flashes affect sleep, data from a recent study from the California Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center suggest that 2-msec light flashes given every 30 sec have an effect on the circadian rhythm of healthy volunteers. And while Zeitzer et al. (2014) tried to use the flashes to modify the rhythm in a beneficial way, the exact opposite can also be the case. It all depends on how / when you are exposed to light when you sleep.
Sleep disturbance and adaptive immunity. Following a night of sleep loss, or during a period of sleep disturbance, nerve fibers from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine into primary and secondary lymphoid organs and stimulate the adrenal gland to release stored epinephrine into systemic circulation. Both neuromediators stimulate leukocyte adrenergic receptors (e.g., ADRB2) and activate nuclear factor (NF)-?B-mediated inflammatory programs (Irwin. 2015).
  • If your grandparents have Alzheimers install a timer-based light system - This may not just increase their sleep quality, but it will also improve their behavior and mood as indicated by reduced depression scores on the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia and agitation scores from the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (Figueiro. 2014).

    I must warn you, though: The recent field study from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is promising, but the results should be replicated using a larger sample size and perhaps using longer treatment duration.
  • If you have to work night shifts consider using 1-5mg melatonin 1h before you go to bed - Why? You have to counter the natural decline in melatonin production that occurs over consecutive days of night work (Dumont. 2014).

    In a recent study from the Sacre-Coeur Hospital of Montreal the melatonin production of the healthy volunteers decreased progressively decreased over consecutive days of simulated night work, both during nighttime and over the 24?h. Interestingly, this decrease was larger in women using oral contraceptives and independent of bright light exposure.
  • Get out into the sun and cure your back pain - If your back hurts and neither you or your doctor have a clue why, try getting into the sun. A study from the UMIT in Austria shows that only three sessions in front of 5.000?lx lamp improved the depressive symptoms and reduced the pain intensity in CNBP adults with chronic nonspecific back pain (Leichtfried. 2014).
One of the side effects of blue light LED exposure (open circles) in the PM is a sign., but practically prob. irrelevant reduction in energy exp. on the next morning (Kayaba. 2014).
Bottom line: I really hope that I do not have to sum up the results for you. I mean, it should be obvious that sleep hygiene at night and light exposure at day are among the most important factors of the lifestyle-factors in the exercise + nutriton + lifestyle solution to perfect health & obesity protection (Partonen. 2014).

Against that background I would like to use the last lines to put another emphasis on the results of the recent study by Kayaba et al. (2014) which found that one of the negative consequences smartphone junkies have to suffer on the morning after using their devices before bed is a reduction in energy expenditure.

If you take a look at the data in the figure at the right (open circles = exposed; full circles = non-exposed), you will yet realize that this probably isnt the worst side effect of blue-LED light exposure in the evening. The reduction is significant in the AM, yes, but on its own its not practically relevant | Comment on Facebook!
References:
  • Bonmati-Carrion, Maria Angeles, et al. "Protecting the Melatonin Rhythm through Circadian Healthy Light Exposure." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 15.12 (2014): 23448-23500.
  • Diepen, Hester C., et al. "Caffeine increases light responsiveness of the mouse circadian pacemaker." European Journal of Neuroscience 40.10 (2014): 3504-3511.
  • Dumont, Marie, and Jean Paquet. "Progressive decrease of melatonin production over consecutive days of simulated night work." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8.
  • Figueiro, Mariana G., et al. "Tailored lighting intervention improves measures of sleep, depression, and agitation in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia living in long-term care facilities." Clinical interventions in aging 9 (2014): 1527.
  • Fukushige, Haruna, et al. "Effects of tryptophan-rich breakfast and light exposure during the daytime on melatonin secretion at night." breast cancer 4 (2014): 9.
  • Harb, Francine, Maria Paz Hidalgo, and Betina Martau. "Lack of exposure to natural light in the workspace is associated with physiological, sleep and depressive symptoms." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8. 
  • Irwin Michael, R. "Why Sleep Is Important for Health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective." Annual Review of Psychology 66 (2015): 143-172.
  • Kayaba, Momoko, et al. "The effect of nocturnal blue light exposure from light-emitting diodes on wakefulness and energy metabolism the following morning." Environmental health and preventive medicine 19.5 (2014): 354-361. 
  • Leichtfried, Veronika, et al. "Short?Term Effects of Bright Light Therapy in Adults with Chronic Nonspecific Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial." Pain Medicine 15.12 (2014): 2003-2012.
  • Obayashi, Kenji, Keigo Saeki, and Norio Kurumatani. "Light exposure at night is associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in the general elderly population: The HEIJO-KYO cohort." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8.
  • Okamoto, Yosuke, and Seiji Nakagawa. "Effects of daytime light exposure on cognitive brain activity as measured by the ERP P300." Physiology & behavior 138 (2015): 313-318.
  • Partonen, Timo. "Obesity= physical activity+ dietary intake+ sleep stages+ light exposure." Annals of medicine 46.5 (2014): 245-246.
  • Shapiro, Bryan B., et al. "The Relationship Between Ultraviolet Light Exposure and Mortality in Dialysis Patients." American journal of nephrology 40.3 (2014): 224-232. 
  • Thompson, A., et al. "The Effects of Evening Bright Light Exposure on Subsequent Morning Exercise Performance." International journal of sports medicine EFirst (2014).
  • van der Lely, Stéphanie, et al. "Blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure in male teenagers." Journal of Adolescent Health (2014).
  • Virginie, Gabel, et al. "Dawn simulation light impacts on different cognitive domains under sleep restriction." Behavioural Brain Research (2014).
  • Wang, et al. "UV light selectively inhibits spinal cord inflammation and demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis." Arch Biochem Biophys. (2014). [Epub ahead of print]
  • Zeitzer, Jamie M., et al. "Millisecond Flashes of Light Phase Delay the Human Circadian Clock during Sleep." Journal of biological rhythms (2014): 0748730414546532.


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Monday, March 14, 2016

Will 2015 Be the Year You Pick up The Kettlebells Find Out If Your Strength Fitness Physique Would Benefit

2015 may offer a chance to get spice up your routine with kettlebells.
"Moderate evidence indicates that kettlebell training may be safe and effective for increasing certain functional strength and power measures and may show positive results with postural control in young, healthy populations," says a recent review of the literature in Physical Therapy Reviews (Girard. 2014) and does thus sound positively optimistic, but by far not as euphoric as some kettlebell warriors on the Internet.

Those of you who know me are probably aware that I am not a fan of kettle bells, but I am true to the motto of being open to good scientific evidence, like the one from the previously cited review by Girard et al. (2014).
I wont lie to you: I believe there are better muscle builders than kettlebells

Tri- or Multi-Set Training for Body Recomp.?

Alternating Squat & Blood Pressure - Productive?

Pre-Exhaustion Exhausts Your Growth Potential

Full ROM ? Full Gains - Form Counts!

Battle the Rope to Get Ripped & Strong

Study Indicates Cut the Volume Make the Gains!
Speaking of which, the previously cited review found only five studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The populations studied age range was 18–72 years old. Methodological scores based on the PEDro scale ranged from 3 to 7 out of 10. In those studies, ...
[k]ettlebell training demonstrated improvements for a number of strength measures: time 6 group for bench press ( P < 0.05) and back extension (P = 0.053), main effect for clean and jerk (P < 0.05) and certain power measures such as improved explosive strength comparable to a jump squat control (19.8% increase). Improved postural control was demonstrated in one study (P = 0.04)" (Girard. 2014).
What the kettlebells did not do in any of the five studies by Otto et al. (2012), Manoccia et al. (2013), Lake et al. (2012) and Jay et al. (2011 & 2013) was to have an effect on aerobic endurance as measured by VO2 Max.
Original photos from the study by McGill et al. (2014).
Isnt Kettlebell training bad for your back? No, it isnt. According to data from a 2012 study by McGill, kettlebell training rather than being bad for the back provides unique muscular pulses to the abdominals which, "[t]ogether with the muscle bracing associated with carries create kettlebell-specific training opportunities" makes McGill et al. conclude that the "unique loading patterns discovered during the kettlebell swing [...] which is opposite in polarity to a traditional lift" may in fact be the reason why "many individuals credit kettlebell swings with restoring and enhancing back health and function, although a few find that they irritate tissues" (McGill. 2014).

According to McGill et al. (2014) the "message for coaches is" that the kettlebell offers "several unique training opportunities", for example (a) the opportunity to train rapid muscle contraction-relaxation cycles emphasizing posterior chain power development about the hip. However, the large shear to compression load ratio on the lumbar spine created during swing exercises suggests that this training approach may be contraindicated for some individuals with spine shear load intolerance and (b) enhanced activation of the core musculature during the bottoms-up carry.
The non-significance of the oxygen uptake and thus the non-existence of conditioning effects may come as a surprise for those of you have already done kettlebell swings. Rightly so, as I would argue, because this result of the review is based mainly on the results of Jay et al. (2011) who invited 57 employees of a large pharmaceutical company for a physical examination. Of those only 43 showed up (motivation to work their assess off ?) of whom 40 men and women in their mid-forties then trained for 20 minutes included a 5 –10 minute warm up and a 10–15 minute interval training consisting of 10 intervals of 30 seconds with rest period of 30–60 seconds which began with ZERO workload and was progressively intensified by the participants choice!

Kettlebell, weights, or ergometer, you have to work your ass off to make progress!

Thats much in contrast to Fortner et al. (2014) who had their 14 young (18-25y), non-obese volunteers train three times a week for 8 weeks with 4.5kg and 8kg kettlebells for the female and male subjects, respectively in a "tabata style", i.e. at a twenty-second work to ten-second rest ratio and compared the VO2 response to a traditional protocol, consisting of four sets of work separated by ninety seconds of rest.
Figure 1: Subjective Borg RPE response to Tabata versus traditional kettlebell swing protocols in healthy, young adults. TAB- Tabata, TRADtraditional (left). % of peak VO2 value achieved during Tabata and traditional kettlebell swing protocols in healthy, young adults (right | Fortner. 2014).
As you can see in Figure 1 the response to the two different workouts was very different - despite the fact that the total number of swings from each individuals "tabata condition" (TBA) was equally divided into four sets for their "tradititional condition" (TRAD). From non-kettlebell studies, we know that training at an intensity like this, even if its done for only a few minutes, will just as Fortner et al. say "safely and effectively provide multi-faceted exercise adaptations with a relatively short time investment" (Fortner. 2014) - an assumption thats backed by a 2011 study by Falatic et al. that used a 15s/15s protocol and elicited significant increases in VO2max in seventeen female NCAA Division I collegiate soccer players.

Figure 2: Energy expenditure during two-hand kettlebell exercise and graded treadmill walking (Thomas. 2014).
Furthermore, James et al.  (2014) were recently able to show that a KB routine consisting of 2-hand swings and sumo deadlifts with 3-minute rest periods produces similar metabolic responses to those of a moderate-intensity treadmill walking protocol designed for the improvement of aerobic fitness in 5 women, 5 men between 21 and 31 years of age - and, as you can see in Figure 2, it also burned a few extra calories.

A comparison with treadmill walking is yet not enough to confirm that kettlebell training is also superior to "regular" HIIT training. Personally, I suspect it isnt but its at least a good way to diversify your training routines and create a new exercise stimulus that may even help you break through a plateau.
Youre not interested in fitness? What about improve- ments in glucose tolerance, then? Samantha Leigh Greenwald found in her master thesis that kettlebell training can improve glucose clea- rance in young sedentary men" and concludes that the results of her study "suggest that kettlebell training may provide an inexpen- sive home-based approach for prevention or management of type 2 diabetes" (Greenwald. 2014).
Speaking of diversification: Another recent study by Budnar Jr, et al. who investigated the testosterone, GH and cortisol response to kettlebell training, indicates that "the kettlebell swing exercise might [in fact] provide a good supplement to resistance training programs" (Budnar Jr. 2014).

So, in case you are just working on your 2015 workout routine, you may want to give kettlebells a chance. In that you may, for example, replace one of your regular HIIT training sessions with a brief, but intense tabata-style kettle bell workout as it was described by James et al. (2014): 2-hand swings and sumo deadlifts with 3-minute | Comment on Facebook!
References:
  • Falatic, Jonathan Asher. "The effects of kettlebell training on aerobic capacity." San José state University (2011).
  • Fortner, Howard A., et al. "Cardiovascular and metabolic demands of the kettlebell swing using a Tabata interval versus a traditional resistance protocol." International Journal of Exercise Science 7.3 (2014): 2. 
  • Greenwald, Samantha Leigh. The impact of an acute bout of kettlebell exercise on glucose tolerance in sedentary males. Diss. State University of New York at Buffalo, 2014.
  • Jay, Kenneth, et al. "Kettlebell training for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health: a randomized controlled trial." Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health (2011): 196-203.
  • Jay, Kenneth, et al. "Effects of kettlebell training on postural coordination and jump performance: a randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 27.5 (2013): 1202-1209.
  • Lake, Jason P., and Mike A. Lauder. "Mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.12 (2012): 3209-3216.
  • Manocchia, Pasquale, et al. "Transference of kettlebell training to strength, power, and endurance." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 27.2 (2013): 477-484.
  • McGill, Stuart M., and Leigh W. Marshall. "Kettlebell swing, snatch, and bottoms-up carry: back and hip muscle activation, motion, and low back loads." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.1 (2012): 16-27. 
  • Otto III, William H., et al. "Effects of weightlifting vs. kettlebell training on vertical jump, strength, and body composition." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.5 (2012): 1199-1202.
  • Thomas, James F., et al. "Comparison of Two-Hand Kettlebell Exercise and Graded Treadmill Walking: Effectiveness as a Stimulus for Cardiorespiratory Fitness." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 28.4 (2014): 998-1006.


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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Hydrogymnastics Weight Training or Dance Whats the Best Workout to Achieve Your 2015 Physique Goals Girls

Do you really need a barbell or will hopping around in a group dance course or working out in the water aka hydrogymnastic suffice to build the 2015 cover model physique thats part of your new years resolution? A recent Portuguese + Brazilian study may hold the answer to this "important" question.
Its about time to think about a good new years resolution; and since any resolution thats aimed at losing weight and/or building a better physique, naturally involves exercise, the latest study from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro comes right in time (Soares Costa de Mendonça. 2014).

The study that was conducted by Rosa Maria Soares Costa de Mendonça, Adenilson Targino de Araújo Júnior from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro in Portugal, Maria do Socorro Cirilo de Sousa from the Federal Institute of Technology Education in Brazil and Helder Miguel Fernandes from the Research Centre for Sport in Portugal was designed to investigate the possible effects of 16 weeks of practicing different physical exercise programmes (strength training, dance or hydrogymnastics) on the body composition and anthropometric dimensions of adult women.
If you dont like any of the suggestions, try doing  HIIT instead!

Never Train To Burn Calories!

Tabata = 14.2kcal /min ? Fat Loss

30s Intervals + 2:1 Work/Rec.

Making HIIT a Hit Part I/II

Making HIIT a Hit Part II/II

HIIT Aint For Everyone
The sample was comprised of 89 adult women aged 25–55 (41.42 ± 9.23 years), who were used to train at least three times a week and had no history of health issues that may compromise their ability to participate in the study. . Of these, 60% were married, 27% single and 12% divorced, all residing in the northeastern part of Brazil. As the scientists point out, ...
"[t]hese women were selected using a non probabilistic manner in specific locations, such as fitness clubs, hydrogymnastic gyms and a public municipal institution.
The sample was randomly divided into four groups, of which one was designed as the control group consisting of individuals that were sedentary (CG) (n = 25) and three were characterised as experimental groups:
  • strength training (SG) (n = 25), in which the ladies trained three times per week under the supervision of a qualified trainer and did 3 sets of 8–12 repetitions (weights were progressively increased) with a 2–3 min rest period on each of the 50–60 workouts in which all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs were exercised with the use of either machines with weights, free weights or resistance equipment,
  • dance (DG) (n = 18), which the women trained three times per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity, which was defined as 60 to 85% of the maximum heart rate as identified by the calculation 220 – age for 50 to 60 minutes workouts involving activities activating all the major muscle groups in a continuous manner using basic steps and a minimum of three rhythmic variations of popular dance styles and aerobics per session with songs of a rhythmic cadence of 100 to 160 beats per minute, and
  • hydrogymnastics (HG) (n = 21), in which the women trained with a frequency of three days per week at moderate to vigorous intensity, defined as 60 to 85% of the maximum heart rate using exercises that involved the major muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs with a focus on cardiorespiratory exercises, followed by muscular endurance exercises using equipment such as shin pads designed for hydrogymnastics, dumbbells, bars, plates, floating devices and pool edges with each exercise taking from 2 to 3 min to complete and the whole session lasting 45 to 55 min.
All workouts were designed according to the exercise routines from the ACSM guidelines (Garber. 2011) and the adherence to the exercise prescription was monitored by trained personnel. The workout duration and frequency were more or less identical and even the intensity was similar.
Figure 1: Changes in anthropometric parameters after 16 weeks of training (Soares Costa de Mendonça. 2014).
As you can see all training regimen lead to measurable improvements in the anthropometric parameters. Of the three different exercise regimen the "exotic", i.e. the hydrogymnastics training, was yet on overall the most effective "belly fat reducer" among the three training protocols.
Figure 2: Changes in body composition (calculated based on caliper data) after 16 weeks of hydrogymnastics, weight training, dance or idleness (Soares Costa de Mendonça. 2014).
Things look a bit different, when we take the body composition data the scientists calculated based on the skinfold measures into account: Here the strength training has a slight, but not necessarily significant edge over the hydrogymnastics (keep in mind that the efficacy of hydrogymnasticsmay partly be due to a novelty effect, i.e. new exercise = greater response | see fat mass loss after 8 vs. 16 weeks). Every ladies favorite, the group based dance exercise is yet - once again - trailing third.
Dont forget: Female Athletes Body Composition Suffers From Chronic Energy Deficits | learn more
Bottom line: While it appears to be clear that (a) starting your next year as a couch potato is going to increase your waist line and body fat levels significantly (remember the ladies in the control group of the study at hand switched from training regularly to being sedentary for 16 weeks), it is not clear if lifting weights or doing hydrogymnastics, which involved some "weight training", as well is the better 2015 body recomposition exercise for women.

What appears to be clear, though, is that the highly popular dance courses are the least effective 2015 exercise protocol to follow, when your goal is to improve your body composition without dieting | Comment on Facebook!
References:
  • Garber, Carol Ewing, et al. "American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 43.7 (2011): 1334-1359.
  • Soares Costa de Mendonça, Rosa Maria, et al. "The Effects of Different Exercise Programmes on Female Body Composition." Journal of Human Kinetics 43.1 (2014): 67-78.


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