Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Why wait after eating to work out? empathetic to the parasympathetic?
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
SO, here's a thought.
You know how your folks say don't go for a swim till an hour after eating? ever wondered why?
Here's a thought: turns out that eating triggers our peripheral nervous system, in particular, the parasympathetic nervous system aka "rest and digest" - so blood is going to digestion (the GI tract is pretty long. that's a lot of blood flow).
That means the energy going to the digestive system is not going to be as available for the rest of the peripheral nervous system actions (sympathetic), like moving muscles. So when we try to workout while we're digesting, something's gotta give - our bodies aren't optimized to do both things happily at once. Parasympathetic trying to say relax, lie down, digest. WHen working out, the sympathetic is going "fight or flight" - as you can imagine it's not a happy thing. Conflicting chemicals everywhere.
Now some folks say they have no problem working out right after eating. Anything is possible. But generally speaking, what i'm starting to think is "give my body a frickin' break" - rather than try to force it to split its energy across two demands - digest on the one hand; workout on the other - why not give it a chance to rest and digest before switching gears?
What i've also been experimenting with is, while i support my rest and digest, and since digestion starts in the mouth (especially with carbs), i'm also trying something learned at the Sustenance course last summer, and that's focus on tasting the food. For me, that means no working while eating. It also means not trying to talk and eat concurrently.
The idea is that chewing food, while it does help break down food for digestion and thus improve the likelihood of getting more nutrients/less getting processed into waste, also helps improve the taste experience which means usually eating less at one sitting - satiation is related to a taste experience. Part of my hypothesis as to why good quality chococalte means less is more because of flavour.
So how does this chewing and attention relate to digestion? Potentially longer time spent in pre-gut processing of food - which means less time needs for the gut, means less effort by the gut, means easier job for the gut, means getting to a workout sooner?
And you know what? Well i'll tell you - it's actually nice to take a bit of a break after the meal to chit chat or gaze out the window or sit for a minute - if i need an excuse i have the excuse of "i need a few minutes to digest my food - i'm going to sit for a minute" - but it's quite zen or delightful. I like delight.
I find generally speaking i can have breakie (some sprouts, veggies, oil and vinegar - being sure to get protein/greens/fats in) and comfortably be doing good cardio (rowing say) within 20 mins of eating. Not an hour. Perhaps because of the attention on chewing? And really less food does seem like more: when less is on the plate - even if it's spinach leaves - i'm going to linger over the leaf as it were.
So all we are saying is, give the parasympathetic nervous system a chance: provide opportunities to enjoy food. When we're trying to lose weight, chewing, tasting longer; using flavourings like balsamic or seasoning, indulge the flavour, all good. and the workout can be well energised. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
You know how your folks say don't go for a swim till an hour after eating? ever wondered why?
Here's a thought: turns out that eating triggers our peripheral nervous system, in particular, the parasympathetic nervous system aka "rest and digest" - so blood is going to digestion (the GI tract is pretty long. that's a lot of blood flow).
That means the energy going to the digestive system is not going to be as available for the rest of the peripheral nervous system actions (sympathetic), like moving muscles. So when we try to workout while we're digesting, something's gotta give - our bodies aren't optimized to do both things happily at once. Parasympathetic trying to say relax, lie down, digest. WHen working out, the sympathetic is going "fight or flight" - as you can imagine it's not a happy thing. Conflicting chemicals everywhere.
Now some folks say they have no problem working out right after eating. Anything is possible. But generally speaking, what i'm starting to think is "give my body a frickin' break" - rather than try to force it to split its energy across two demands - digest on the one hand; workout on the other - why not give it a chance to rest and digest before switching gears?
The idea is that chewing food, while it does help break down food for digestion and thus improve the likelihood of getting more nutrients/less getting processed into waste, also helps improve the taste experience which means usually eating less at one sitting - satiation is related to a taste experience. Part of my hypothesis as to why good quality chococalte means less is more because of flavour.
So how does this chewing and attention relate to digestion? Potentially longer time spent in pre-gut processing of food - which means less time needs for the gut, means less effort by the gut, means easier job for the gut, means getting to a workout sooner?
And you know what? Well i'll tell you - it's actually nice to take a bit of a break after the meal to chit chat or gaze out the window or sit for a minute - if i need an excuse i have the excuse of "i need a few minutes to digest my food - i'm going to sit for a minute" - but it's quite zen or delightful. I like delight.
I find generally speaking i can have breakie (some sprouts, veggies, oil and vinegar - being sure to get protein/greens/fats in) and comfortably be doing good cardio (rowing say) within 20 mins of eating. Not an hour. Perhaps because of the attention on chewing? And really less food does seem like more: when less is on the plate - even if it's spinach leaves - i'm going to linger over the leaf as it were.
So all we are saying is, give the parasympathetic nervous system a chance: provide opportunities to enjoy food. When we're trying to lose weight, chewing, tasting longer; using flavourings like balsamic or seasoning, indulge the flavour, all good. and the workout can be well energised. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
PDF
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Rope Climbing, how to climb a rope efficiently (if you can find a rope...)
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
Ever climbed a rope? I haven't yet. But it *seems* like such the complete athletic movement - like a pull up that keeps on going, no? So this is a post to help folks prep for your own rope climbing ascent.
Partial History. It turns out that once upon a time - from between the 1860's to 1932 rope climbing was an olympic event. It persisted as a college competition sport into the 1960's.
John Gill put together a wonderful overview of both the history and the specs of the competition. Please visit these pages - the content and images are lovely, and its fabulous to read the descriptions from various periods of the respect and pleasure experienced by authors who obviously enjoyed practicing this movement. Citing from there, Gill quotes a wonderful text on gymnastics from the 50's that describes climbing this way:
Modern Practice. Apparently in 1993, it started a resurgence in the Czech republic that is still going strong, as demonstrated in this 2007 vid below:
Kids Resurgence. Perhaps more excitingly, rope climbing is apparently also making a come back in kids gymnastics classes as part of the National Elite Physical Abilites testing (pdf), at least in the states. And the cool thing is, form here - of keeping the legs in pike position - is part of the practice - so no leg help; all upper body and core.
Very cool to see girls do this so well - don't stop!
Getting Practical. Here's some awesome rope climbing teaching tips for starting with kids (how well do these translate to adults?)
Adult Tips One place where rope climbing is used more as a physical readiness test than as a competition is in the French Foreign Legion, where climbing a rope multiple times with 24kg of gear is not unknown. So here's a french foreign legion rope climbing tip.
I can confirm that this approach has been tested out by experience rope climbers who found that it made a climb "ridiculously easy"with the added tip to "stay close to the rope" and "look down a bit"
I'm keen to try rope climbing. i imagine sitting down legs out, and rather staying down. Actually, part of the challenge for me is just finding a place with a rope. Our uni gym doesn't have one (does yours?). I've run trails where there are pull up bar stations at points on the trail, but not rope climbing ones - perhaps it's a health and safety fear? Work was not happy about a rope slung down between an open area between two floors. Perhaps if it had had decorative ivy?
Climbing Simulation: Update 2011 - crosscore War Machine -
Ok since i wrote this post, i've found a way to practice rope climbing without a rope. It's called (ahem) the "war machine" made in the US by some awesome guys. Really. Awesome. If you scroll in to 55secs, the vid below shows the climbing simulation (but the whole vid is so good, you just might want to watch the whole thing.
The cool thing is that with the WM we're able to practice the techniques for climbing recommended above. Wicked. Starting with feet on a box or ball or jammed into the wall is also great. If you're interested in the WM in the US avail right from cross core; in the UK avail from Balance Performance. In either case, tell 'em dr mc sent you and they'll be happy happy.
General Queries: Do you climb a rope? if so, do you keep your legs piked out? where do you practice? would you agree it's technique?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Related Posts - in strength as practice
Partial History. It turns out that once upon a time - from between the 1860's to 1932 rope climbing was an olympic event. It persisted as a college competition sport into the 1960's.John Gill put together a wonderful overview of both the history and the specs of the competition. Please visit these pages - the content and images are lovely, and its fabulous to read the descriptions from various periods of the respect and pleasure experienced by authors who obviously enjoyed practicing this movement. Citing from there, Gill quotes a wonderful text on gymnastics from the 50's that describes climbing this way:
Competitive rope climbing is truly an art and a skill by itself. It does not involve all the intricacies or maneuvers of apparatus work yet the art of climbing can be detailed and exacting in nature. A great deal of practice is involved to produce a champion rope climber. Since the record for climbing a rope 20' high with the hands alone is under 3 seconds it is easily understood why considerable practice is necessary for top performances. (sited as from Newt Loken & Robert Willoughby in the Complete Book of Gymnastics, 1959.)That's a pretty compelling description of a skill-based rather than just strength based practice.
Modern Practice. Apparently in 1993, it started a resurgence in the Czech republic that is still going strong, as demonstrated in this 2007 vid below:
Kids Resurgence. Perhaps more excitingly, rope climbing is apparently also making a come back in kids gymnastics classes as part of the National Elite Physical Abilites testing (pdf), at least in the states. And the cool thing is, form here - of keeping the legs in pike position - is part of the practice - so no leg help; all upper body and core.Very cool to see girls do this so well - don't stop!
Getting Practical. Here's some awesome rope climbing teaching tips for starting with kids (how well do these translate to adults?)
Adult Tips One place where rope climbing is used more as a physical readiness test than as a competition is in the French Foreign Legion, where climbing a rope multiple times with 24kg of gear is not unknown. So here's a french foreign legion rope climbing tip.
I will now reveal the secret to the dreaded rope climb. RaiderDingo was the closest to the technique. It is very simple, and has little to do with upper-body strength. It is 90% technique. I did miss several meals (we had to climb it every day before midday meal) before I studied the guys who scooted right up the damn thing. When I saw how they did it, I almost laughed at myself. I truly believe that EVs should have to figure it out for themselves, like we anciens did. But, with all of the "upper-body strength" answers, I feel that I must give this out to the wannabes--I seldom reveal Legion secrets, as my brother anciens should know by now, so take this as Primo Info from one who knows.
Everyone makes the same mistake--they reach up as high as they can, and start to pull themselves up--this is wrong and will wear you out before you get 1 meter. The correct way is to start with both hands directly in front of your nose--elbows at 45% at all times--take short steps with your hands, keeping them directly in front of your nose at all times--NEVER, I repeat NEVER straighten your arms. Some of the testing requires that you climb it twice, without ever touching the ground between the two climbs, we had to go up once, come back down, and without setting either foot on the ground, go right back up. If you use this technique, you will have no trouble going up and down several times. I am 6 feet and 1 inch tall, slim, with ZERO upper-body strength--I could barely do 3 pull-ups, but once I got the TECHNIQUE, I never had any problem with the rope. In fact, during the testing, I started up the rope for the 3rd time without touching ground, and the Sgt. had to stop me. I think he was afraid that I was giving the secret away.
It is my OPINION, that they are not testing upper-body strength, as much as MENTAL CAPACITY. So, les gars, there you have it. If you doubt the simplicity of this, just try it at your local gym--believe me, you will be amazed. This is the only secret I will ever give away, so take it to heart and savor your victory when you astonish the cadre by scooting right up the damned dreaded rope the very first time. I do expect expensive cadeaux from all EVs who trust me and use the technique. I hope this will be the end of the "rope" questions. Tex __________________
Les hommes comme vous, je ne refuser rien.
I can confirm that this approach has been tested out by experience rope climbers who found that it made a climb "ridiculously easy"with the added tip to "stay close to the rope" and "look down a bit"
I'm keen to try rope climbing. i imagine sitting down legs out, and rather staying down. Actually, part of the challenge for me is just finding a place with a rope. Our uni gym doesn't have one (does yours?). I've run trails where there are pull up bar stations at points on the trail, but not rope climbing ones - perhaps it's a health and safety fear? Work was not happy about a rope slung down between an open area between two floors. Perhaps if it had had decorative ivy?
Climbing Simulation: Update 2011 - crosscore War Machine -
Ok since i wrote this post, i've found a way to practice rope climbing without a rope. It's called (ahem) the "war machine" made in the US by some awesome guys. Really. Awesome. If you scroll in to 55secs, the vid below shows the climbing simulation (but the whole vid is so good, you just might want to watch the whole thing.
The cool thing is that with the WM we're able to practice the techniques for climbing recommended above. Wicked. Starting with feet on a box or ball or jammed into the wall is also great. If you're interested in the WM in the US avail right from cross core; in the UK avail from Balance Performance. In either case, tell 'em dr mc sent you and they'll be happy happy.
General Queries: Do you climb a rope? if so, do you keep your legs piked out? where do you practice? would you agree it's technique?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Related Posts - in strength as practice
- asha wagner - pistoling, pull up'ing and pressing a 24kg kb
- michael castriovanni interview - tossing kettlebells with a partner
- hanging leg raise: technique first then strength?
- Pull ups 101 - how to, in many ways
- War Machine in Training - with Rannoch Donald
Saturday, May 29, 2010
How to Get outsdide and Move better fast: right water, safe barefeet and sun cover, rather than sun screen
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
Now that we've seen and felt the sun in the UK/EU for a few days, one turns there thoughts to summer. And summer means sweat, and sweat means hydration, so a few notes about hydration, sun screen and barefooting.
Why these three?
we'd like to stay out side for fresh air - and not burn like a crispy critter OR be outside and NOT get the vitamin D we need; we'd likely like to move better and hydration actually helps our bodies move better. really. and while our muscles, skin and fascia move better with some H2O, we move better when we let our joints (in parts like our feet) move as designed. Sounds right, right?
So a few thoughts/tips on water, feet and sun (screen).
a quick note about hydration: amount
here's a few pointers about how much water to drink - it may be less than we usually think:
Water is a biggie for lots of reasons, but one is that it lets muscles and fascia (our connective tissue) actually move better. A hydrated body is a happy body.
Too much of a good thing? And if you've been chugging gallons for awhile, any extreme can be a problem - with too much water consumption (rare) it's called hyponatremia:
About Sun Screen
Well what can i say? time to think different, as it were.
Likewise those spray on tans (and tanning beds) aren't necessarily helping. Seems we need to relearn our relationship to the sun, sanely.
About running about barefoot or near barefoot. Nothing like splish splashing barefoot; or feeling the grass (or mud) between one's toes. And it's great to do with minimal shodness - yes i'm thinking vibram fivefingers (and i keep hearing great things about the bikilia's too - will report when i get a chance to try them, too). Here's a few starters.
In rare rare cases, pain (like in a toe or heal) may be something else showing up that's been in train for awhile. There's stuff called freiburgs syndrome and heal spurs. Pain is a signal to change something; sometimes we need help to figure out how to make that change. If you have sharp pain in your foot at any point, see your doc.
Cramps? Shin SplinAnd if you are all gung ho in your new not suede shoes, and find yourself getting cramps, here's a few notes on what may be happening, and suggestions on how to deal with that. Remember: stretching is for dealing with the cramp; dun't work in avoiding 'em.
But on the up side
Reasonable hydration, reasonable sun exposure/sun cover, and reasonable movement towards moving as we're designed to move, greater happiness is ours. really. Water helps us move better; better foot mobility helps us move better. Moving helps us feel better.
Amen!
Related Notes:
Why these three?
we'd like to stay out side for fresh air - and not burn like a crispy critter OR be outside and NOT get the vitamin D we need; we'd likely like to move better and hydration actually helps our bodies move better. really. and while our muscles, skin and fascia move better with some H2O, we move better when we let our joints (in parts like our feet) move as designed. Sounds right, right?
So a few thoughts/tips on water, feet and sun (screen).
a quick note about hydration: amount
here's a few pointers about how much water to drink - it may be less than we usually think:
water by metabolic rate: for every 100kcal of metabolic rate, 80-110mL wateror
So 2000kcal mr = 1.6-2L a day.
every KG bw = 30-40mL of water, so 50kg= 1.5-2L a day; 100kg 3-4L
Generally, consensus seems to be around 3L (12cups) a day, with 1L coming from food, so 2L (8cups) from drinking water.Also exercise usually (duh) ups the requirements. Here's what the ACSM recommends for exercise, sun and hydration: chug it, rather than sip it; don't rely on thirst, but the goal is still simply "replacing body fluid loss during exercise is to maintain normal hydration" - not overdoing it. There's some good recs about carb/electrolyte intake during exercise to offset fatigue, too.
This is modified by body size (not thirst - thirst is similar to when the oil gage is on RED).
Water is a biggie for lots of reasons, but one is that it lets muscles and fascia (our connective tissue) actually move better. A hydrated body is a happy body.
Too much of a good thing? And if you've been chugging gallons for awhile, any extreme can be a problem - with too much water consumption (rare) it's called hyponatremia:
Common symptoms of hyponatremia include fatigue, irritability, headache, and water retention, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting.Just had a discussion recently with a person who said that their fatigue was found to be down to excessive water intake. Went to a more reasonable (2L for them) a day level and voila. Feeling betterness ensues. But again, this condition is pretty rare.
About Sun Screen
Well what can i say? time to think different, as it were.
- sunscreen will kill you (i know i was surprised)
Likewise those spray on tans (and tanning beds) aren't necessarily helping. Seems we need to relearn our relationship to the sun, sanely.
About running about barefoot or near barefoot. Nothing like splish splashing barefoot; or feeling the grass (or mud) between one's toes. And it's great to do with minimal shodness - yes i'm thinking vibram fivefingers (and i keep hearing great things about the bikilia's too - will report when i get a chance to try them, too). Here's a few starters.
- fitting vffs and injinji toe socks
- relation to pose/chi running
- cheap massage (especially in semi muddy pebbly trails)
In rare rare cases, pain (like in a toe or heal) may be something else showing up that's been in train for awhile. There's stuff called freiburgs syndrome and heal spurs. Pain is a signal to change something; sometimes we need help to figure out how to make that change. If you have sharp pain in your foot at any point, see your doc. Cramps? Shin SplinAnd if you are all gung ho in your new not suede shoes, and find yourself getting cramps, here's a few notes on what may be happening, and suggestions on how to deal with that. Remember: stretching is for dealing with the cramp; dun't work in avoiding 'em.
But on the up side
Reasonable hydration, reasonable sun exposure/sun cover, and reasonable movement towards moving as we're designed to move, greater happiness is ours. really. Water helps us move better; better foot mobility helps us move better. Moving helps us feel better.
Amen!
Related Notes:
- drink responsibly: get a refillable water bottle
- choosing a water bottle
- the b2d vibram fivefinger article index
- what is z-health?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Weight Loss Ups your Power - if you're a competitive cyclist and not going nuts with the CR.
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
There's been a debate for some time as to whether or not "fasted cardio" is ok. There's a "fasted cardio roundtable" at t-nation discussing this, and good arguments on either side. The title of a recent article made me think "great - a specific study on fasted cardio with elite athletes" Here's the title: "Effects of caloric restriction and overnight fasting on cycling endurance performance." But alas, it's not about fasted cardio: it's about doing an exertion test after ONE night of fasted cardio after having been on a calorie restricted diet.
Not the most usual circumstance. Indeed, the study is interesting nonetheless for a couple of other related reasons: it's looking at the effects on performance of a protocol often used by cyclists before competetive race season when they need to drop some weight to improve their Power to Weight Ratio (PWR) - lighter on the bike but still driving the same power means get there faster, if not fasted.
So not exactly fasted cardio - as in regularly doing cardio in a fasted state. But there are *some* findings that may reasonably be extended - maybe - around fasted cardio. In particular the effects shown around perceived exertion in this condition and intriguingly fat utilization.
Here's the abstract
Here's the actual protocol during the study:
In the lab: the athletes did a submaximal two hour endurance ride (with ipods and music of their choice if they wished) on lab bikes set up just like their racing bikes with the following condition:
Results:
over the 25 days of their CR, they lost weight - in particular their body fat dropped but their lean mass was maintained. They had a 1.7 plus or minus. 5kg body weight loss, with a drop in bf% of 2.1 (plus or minus .4) %. Lean mass increased by 2.1%. No muscle mass loss. That's a plus of exercise while doing calorie reduction: lean mass hangs in.
in the lab: the fasted, post CR test showed no statisitcal difference in power output, Vo2max, resting metabolic rate (RMR), revolutions per minute. In otherwords, nothing performance wise changed - in particular, nothing changed netgatively - as a result of the CR and fasted state of the test.
One place there was a difference: PWR at 90 and 100% vo2max was significantly different post CR (it went up), though no PLWR (power to lean weight ratio) changes.
The authors suggest:
Two notable changes/surprises: first, that perceived exertion was LOWER after the CR period. And second, that despite doing a heavy work load after an 11 hour fast, fat oxidation (using fat as the main fuel for the workout) did not change from baseline. Now me, i must be missing something because both base line test and re-test post CR were the same: post 11 hour fast. But here's what the authors say about the fat oxidation non-change:
Practical Applications
The authors have some cautiously positive effects to report
In other words, there's some good results in terms of body comp and PWR from a pretty intense caloric restriction for three weeks, but we don't know what would happen if this was strung out or for that matter repeated at intervals anywhere into competetive season. This ain't a license to go nuts.
And it's also not much help when thinking about fasted cardio as a regular practice.What i'm not sure this study says is what the authors state in the abstract: that "Caloric restriction (up to 40% for 3 weeks) and exercising after fasting overnight can improve a cyclist's PWR without compromising endurance cycling performance" Caloric restriction for three weeks with regular workouts, sure, but one session of fasted endurance work? Maybe i'm reading this wrong, but that seems a bit of a stretch. All it seems one can say is that after three weeks of caloric restriction, a sub max endurance workout in a fasted state when done by elite athletes doesn't have any negative effects - on them.
On the plus side: one can work to weigh less and maintain power, thereby increasing power. And for sports, like life, where better body comp has a host of benefits, a three week nutritionally balanced calorie cut with maintained workouts - at least for seasoned athletes - can be effective. Does this approach transfer to non-competetive athletes? May be worth investigating.
Citations
Related Articles
There's been a debate for some time as to whether or not "fasted cardio" is ok. There's a "fasted cardio roundtable" at t-nation discussing this, and good arguments on either side. The title of a recent article made me think "great - a specific study on fasted cardio with elite athletes" Here's the title: "Effects of caloric restriction and overnight fasting on cycling endurance performance." But alas, it's not about fasted cardio: it's about doing an exertion test after ONE night of fasted cardio after having been on a calorie restricted diet.Not the most usual circumstance. Indeed, the study is interesting nonetheless for a couple of other related reasons: it's looking at the effects on performance of a protocol often used by cyclists before competetive race season when they need to drop some weight to improve their Power to Weight Ratio (PWR) - lighter on the bike but still driving the same power means get there faster, if not fasted.
So not exactly fasted cardio - as in regularly doing cardio in a fasted state. But there are *some* findings that may reasonably be extended - maybe - around fasted cardio. In particular the effects shown around perceived exertion in this condition and intriguingly fat utilization.
Here's the abstract
Doesn't the above sound to you like the cyclists were doing both caloric restriction for three weeks AND doing fasted cardio at the same time? Well it turns out the only time we know that they did fasted cardio was on two test occaisions: before the diet started and at the end of the three week period
J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Mar;23(2):560-70.
Effects of caloric restriction and overnight fasting on cycling endurance performance.
Ferguson LM, Rossi KA, Ward E, Jadwin E, Miller TA, Miller WC.
Department of Exercise Science, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. Abstract:
In addition to aerobic endurance and anaerobic capacity, high power-to-weight ratio (PWR) is important for cycling performance. Cyclists often try to lose weight before race season to improve body composition and optimize PWR. Research has demonstrated body fat-reducing benefits of exercise after fasting overnight. We hypothesized that fasted-state exercise in calorie-restricted trained cyclists would not result in performance decrements and that their PWR would improve significantly. We also hypothesized that substrate use during fasted-state submaximal endurance cycling would shift to greater reliance on fat. Ten trained, competitive cyclists completed a protocol consisting of baseline testing, 3 weeks of caloric restriction (CR), and post-CR testing. The testing sessions measured pre- and post-CR values for resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition, VO2, PWR and power-to-lean weight ratio (PLWR), and power output, as well as 2-hour submaximal cycling performance, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). There were no significant differences between baseline and post-CR for submaximal trial RER, power output, VO2, RMR, VO2max, or workload at VO2max. However, RPE was significantly lower, and PWR was significantly higher post-CR, whereas RER did not change. The cyclists' PWR and body composition improved significantly, and their overall weight, fat weight, and body fat percentage decreased. Lean mass was maintained. The cyclists' RPE decreased significantly during 2 hours of submaximal cycling post-CR, and there was no decrement in submaximal or maximal cycling performance after 3 weeks of CR combined with overnight fasting. Caloric restriction (up to 40% for 3 weeks) and exercising after fasting overnight can improve a cyclist's PWR without compromising endurance cycling performance.
Here's the actual protocol during the study:
For the CR period, subjects followed a fixed-macronutrient, calorie-restricted diet [this was set carbs, fats, proteins equivalent to a 40% reduction in total calories -mc] while maintaining their normal exercise training routines. None of the athletes were actively involved in strength training. Individual training plans typically involved base miles and some interval work, as it was still the off-season. Training was not standardized among athletes, because each athlete was a seasoned cyclist, accustomed to his or her own training regimen, and making changes to those plans could have produced chronic fatigue, muscle soreness, or altered the training volume to which each cyclist was accustomed-any of which could have led to unfavorable temporary adaptations that would have confounded their performance in their paired time trials.In other words, they were doing big calorie restriction and that's the only change to their training. We don't know if training actually changed in any way during this period - though participants were asked to keep things the same during the study as before in terms of these workouts. Ok, let's say that's all fine, then.
In the lab: the athletes did a submaximal two hour endurance ride (with ipods and music of their choice if they wished) on lab bikes set up just like their racing bikes with the following condition:
A metronome was used to ensure that subjects cycled at a constant 50 rpm to allow for consistent evaluation of workload. Subjects warmed up for 5 minutes at 100 W for men and 75Wfor women. The workload was incrementally increased by 50 Wevery 2.5 minutes. When HR reached 35 bpm below age-predicted maximal HR (220 bpm 2 age), or when the respiratory quotient exceeded 1, the workload was only increased by 25 Wevery 2.5 minutes until exhaustion. The subject cycled to exhaustion, ending the test voluntarily when he or she could no longer pedal or keep the 50-rpm cadence. Each subject wore a mouthpiece and nose clip, and ventilatory air was continuously analyzed forO2 consumption and CO2 production using the ParvoMedics system. Also, HR, RPE, and power output were recorded at the end of each stage throughout the test.
Results:
over the 25 days of their CR, they lost weight - in particular their body fat dropped but their lean mass was maintained. They had a 1.7 plus or minus. 5kg body weight loss, with a drop in bf% of 2.1 (plus or minus .4) %. Lean mass increased by 2.1%. No muscle mass loss. That's a plus of exercise while doing calorie reduction: lean mass hangs in.
in the lab: the fasted, post CR test showed no statisitcal difference in power output, Vo2max, resting metabolic rate (RMR), revolutions per minute. In otherwords, nothing performance wise changed - in particular, nothing changed netgatively - as a result of the CR and fasted state of the test.
One place there was a difference: PWR at 90 and 100% vo2max was significantly different post CR (it went up), though no PLWR (power to lean weight ratio) changes.
The authors suggest:
The increase in PWR was influenced by the significant decreases in body weight and percent body fat. Because there was no significant loss of lean body mass, the PLWRwas maintained. Thus, power was maintained not simply because of weight loss but because of the maintenance of fat-free mass. This increase in power output at high intensity levels, accompanied by a decrease in body weight, will provide the cyclist with more energy and power for improved uphill cycling performance.Overall then, the cyclists did get what they wanted: an improved Power to Weight Ratio: their power stays the same, but at a lighter weight. That translates potentially into getting the bike moving down the road faster.
Two notable changes/surprises: first, that perceived exertion was LOWER after the CR period. And second, that despite doing a heavy work load after an 11 hour fast, fat oxidation (using fat as the main fuel for the workout) did not change from baseline. Now me, i must be missing something because both base line test and re-test post CR were the same: post 11 hour fast. But here's what the authors say about the fat oxidation non-change:
Although we hypothesized that we would find a greater reliance on fat oxidation post-CR, particularly because RER [respiratory exchange rate - seeing which fuel is used more, carbs or fat -mc] - measuring has been previously shown to be lower in the fasted state (Aragón-Vargas LF 93, Knapik JJ88 ), this was not statistically supported. ...A possible explanation for the lack of a significant shift to fat metabolism is that the subjects were all highly trained endurance cyclists already and, as such, were able to use fat as a fuel more efficiently than if they had been untrained subjects.Hmm. Makes ya wonder.
Practical Applications
The authors have some cautiously positive effects to report
[The study results] suggests that CR (up to 40% for 3 weeks) and exercising after fasting overnight can improve a cyclist’s PWR without compromising endurance cycling performance. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that a shortterm period of moderately severe CR is not detrimental to the conditioning process. Athletes can continue to prepare for the upcoming race season in terms of endurance training while dieting to reduce body weight without losing significant muscle mass in the process. However, it is not known what would happen to performance if an athlete were to prolong his or her exposure to the CR beyond 3 weeks, or to repeat the 3-week exposure to CR with short intervals of balanced energy intake in between. The current data suggest that a protocol such as the one outlined in this report would be most appropriate if used in the off-season to increase PWR or during the season before a competition.
In other words, there's some good results in terms of body comp and PWR from a pretty intense caloric restriction for three weeks, but we don't know what would happen if this was strung out or for that matter repeated at intervals anywhere into competetive season. This ain't a license to go nuts.
And it's also not much help when thinking about fasted cardio as a regular practice.What i'm not sure this study says is what the authors state in the abstract: that "Caloric restriction (up to 40% for 3 weeks) and exercising after fasting overnight can improve a cyclist's PWR without compromising endurance cycling performance" Caloric restriction for three weeks with regular workouts, sure, but one session of fasted endurance work? Maybe i'm reading this wrong, but that seems a bit of a stretch. All it seems one can say is that after three weeks of caloric restriction, a sub max endurance workout in a fasted state when done by elite athletes doesn't have any negative effects - on them.
On the plus side: one can work to weigh less and maintain power, thereby increasing power. And for sports, like life, where better body comp has a host of benefits, a three week nutritionally balanced calorie cut with maintained workouts - at least for seasoned athletes - can be effective. Does this approach transfer to non-competetive athletes? May be worth investigating.
Citations
Ferguson LM, Rossi KA, Ward E, Jadwin E, Miller TA, & Miller WC (2009). Effects of caloric restriction and overnight fasting on cycling endurance performance. Journal of strength and conditioning research / National Strength & Conditioning Association, 23 (2), 560-70 PMID: 19197210
Aragón-Vargas LF (1993). Effects of fasting on endurance exercise. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 16 (4), 255-65 PMID: 8248683
Knapik JJ, Meredith CN, Jones BH, Suek L, Young VR, & Evans WJ (1988). Influence of fasting on carbohydrate and fat metabolism during rest and exercise in men. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 64 (5), 1923-9 PMID: 3292504
Related Articles
- 6mins to weight loss and fitness?
- Cardio levels when ya can't do HIIT
- HIIT intervals (on bikes) for fat loss
- Hill workouts - with kettlebells
- Respect the Fat
Building & Protecting Bone: Odd Angle Exercise, Resistance, Movement (and shaking) Work
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
A fear for many women is that as we age, we seem to be more vulnerable to the "Help Help, i've fallen and i can't get up" hip fracture and related. Awhile ago, i wrote about bone building, and what's known about strategies to keep it together and enhance it. Quick review: bone builds in response to demand. Woolf's law is "use it or lose it" - our bone is "remodeling" all the time. So while calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin d are all important, these nutrients alone don't really go into bone building mode unless there's demand on the bones. That means load. Likewise, even with strong bones, we don't stay upright if our movement is compromised by various aches and pains.
A new research survey on non-invasive approaches to bone building puts these points together in a really nice review called "Physical approach for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis" The nice thing is it's free.
Summary: Here's a summary of the approaches that look good for building up bone mineral density:
BONE BUILDING
Resistance training - that's good but it's also site specific. In other words, lower body work helps the lower body (hip/pelvis); upper body work helps the upper body (including the critical spine).
Impact Training - this is stop and start and "odd angle" activities like soccer or squash (not running so much), but also for the more frail, even dancing and ball games have been proposed as ways to help keep demand up on bones.
Combinations. Meta analysis of research suggests that the best approach, unsurprisingly is a mixed approach of resistance training and impact training. Fortunately such practice can be fun and have bone building effect.
Vibration. the next time someone pooh poohs force plates, you might want to suggest that they've been shown - repeatedly - to help build up bone. It's not a HUGE gain, but it could be an excellent modality for the initially infirm:
BALNANCE - Physical and Hormonal
T'ai Chi - does nothing for bone building at all, BUT helps get on with movement and balance and the breathing can help destress, so hormonally very helpful in supporting staying safe. Research has mainly focused on T'ai Chi for these effects, but it might be interesting to consider that other approaches that emphasize mobility, balance, de-stressing, and the whole sensory motor apparatus might not benefit here too?
BUILDING & REPAIR
New & Approved. The review also considers several other forms of "physical agents" like Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) that has been shown to stimulate bone repair. Electrical stimulation has also now been approved by the FDA for "bone repair."
Experimental. Pulsed electro magnetic fields (PEMF) is a newer approach, nothing conclusive there yet. Low Level Laser Therapy is also being trialed in animal models, but again nothing yet in human studies.
Role for Movement Practice & Assessment?
Where we seem to be at is that concern about bone mineral density has two components: first is to ensure practices for maintianing and building BMD, but second is the development of practices to help people feel stable and mobile rather than vulnerable to falls - improving range of motion, visual accuity and balance. It's not just Range of Motion - thought that's important - it's the whole sensory-motor awareness package.
It doesn't matter if we're younger or older - we can have issues with our movement that can compromise our ability to respond with agility to a tricky situation. The entire functional movement screen program is based on the premise that there's no point building strength on top of dysfunction, hence the screen for movement issues.
But likewise, we can have issues with our balance or visual accuity or our brains ability to perceive our selves clearly in motion. Indeed, i've written quite a bit about the benefit of just kicking off our restrictive shoes to get more info to the brain about where we are in space, and how doing so has pretty big benefits for movement and also feel of one's own mobility (as the feet move more and better, it seems so do other joints).
So it seems pretty basic that as part of our quest for better bone health, a related quest for optimizing our body's ability to move in space is pretty important. I've said before, this awareness development is part of why i like I-Phase so much: it's prepping the body for the Real.
In other words, as we build better bones, there's a real benefit in openning up our body's awareness of itself in space, and simultaneously, it's ability to respond better to what's happening.
Simple example: better range of motion combined with better practice of movement into multiple positions, and better balance and visual processing means the brain has more knowledge about its being able to Zig rather than having to Zag around that wet spot on the floor, and thus, us not going for a tumble.
Stronger bones PLUS less risk of falling in the first place (and not being able to get up) - that seems to be more a complete package.
Conclusion: Why is osteoperosis such the women's issue?
One advantage that guys have is the size of their muscles puts more load on their bones so that the bones are under more demand. More demand on the bones, more continued adapting to load.
Women have not been encouraged to do as much manual labour or high resistance workouts as guys.
Similarly our formal worlds are increasingly desk bound, so less movement is part of our daily lives. As we age, this decrease in multi-plane motion seems to increase. Let us say phooey to this increasingly restricted mode of being.
It will be interesting to see as the culture shifts towards it being ok for gals to work out, and as muscle tissue can be built up at any age, that perhaps hip and related fractures will become a fate of a by-gone age.
Citation:
Related Resources
A fear for many women is that as we age, we seem to be more vulnerable to the "Help Help, i've fallen and i can't get up" hip fracture and related. Awhile ago, i wrote about bone building, and what's known about strategies to keep it together and enhance it. Quick review: bone builds in response to demand. Woolf's law is "use it or lose it" - our bone is "remodeling" all the time. So while calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin d are all important, these nutrients alone don't really go into bone building mode unless there's demand on the bones. That means load. Likewise, even with strong bones, we don't stay upright if our movement is compromised by various aches and pains.A new research survey on non-invasive approaches to bone building puts these points together in a really nice review called "Physical approach for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis" The nice thing is it's free.
Summary: Here's a summary of the approaches that look good for building up bone mineral density:
BONE BUILDING
Resistance training - that's good but it's also site specific. In other words, lower body work helps the lower body (hip/pelvis); upper body work helps the upper body (including the critical spine).
Impact Training - this is stop and start and "odd angle" activities like soccer or squash (not running so much), but also for the more frail, even dancing and ball games have been proposed as ways to help keep demand up on bones.
Combinations. Meta analysis of research suggests that the best approach, unsurprisingly is a mixed approach of resistance training and impact training. Fortunately such practice can be fun and have bone building effect.
Vibration. the next time someone pooh poohs force plates, you might want to suggest that they've been shown - repeatedly - to help build up bone. It's not a HUGE gain, but it could be an excellent modality for the initially infirm:
A 1-year prospective, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial of postmenopausal women demonstrated that 20 minutes of a low-level vibration applied during quiet standing can effectively inhibit bone loss in the spine and femur. Placebo subjects lost 2.13% in the femoral neck over 1 year, whereas treatment was associated with a gain of 0.04%, reflecting a 2.17% relative benefit of treatment. In the spine, the 1.6% decrease observed over 1 year in the placebo group was reduced to a 0.10% loss in the active group, indicating a 1.5% relative benefit of treatment (40).
BALNANCE - Physical and Hormonal
T'ai Chi - does nothing for bone building at all, BUT helps get on with movement and balance and the breathing can help destress, so hormonally very helpful in supporting staying safe. Research has mainly focused on T'ai Chi for these effects, but it might be interesting to consider that other approaches that emphasize mobility, balance, de-stressing, and the whole sensory motor apparatus might not benefit here too?BUILDING & REPAIR
New & Approved. The review also considers several other forms of "physical agents" like Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) that has been shown to stimulate bone repair. Electrical stimulation has also now been approved by the FDA for "bone repair."
Experimental. Pulsed electro magnetic fields (PEMF) is a newer approach, nothing conclusive there yet. Low Level Laser Therapy is also being trialed in animal models, but again nothing yet in human studies.
Role for Movement Practice & Assessment?
Where we seem to be at is that concern about bone mineral density has two components: first is to ensure practices for maintianing and building BMD, but second is the development of practices to help people feel stable and mobile rather than vulnerable to falls - improving range of motion, visual accuity and balance. It's not just Range of Motion - thought that's important - it's the whole sensory-motor awareness package.
It doesn't matter if we're younger or older - we can have issues with our movement that can compromise our ability to respond with agility to a tricky situation. The entire functional movement screen program is based on the premise that there's no point building strength on top of dysfunction, hence the screen for movement issues.
But likewise, we can have issues with our balance or visual accuity or our brains ability to perceive our selves clearly in motion. Indeed, i've written quite a bit about the benefit of just kicking off our restrictive shoes to get more info to the brain about where we are in space, and how doing so has pretty big benefits for movement and also feel of one's own mobility (as the feet move more and better, it seems so do other joints). So it seems pretty basic that as part of our quest for better bone health, a related quest for optimizing our body's ability to move in space is pretty important. I've said before, this awareness development is part of why i like I-Phase so much: it's prepping the body for the Real.
In other words, as we build better bones, there's a real benefit in openning up our body's awareness of itself in space, and simultaneously, it's ability to respond better to what's happening.
Simple example: better range of motion combined with better practice of movement into multiple positions, and better balance and visual processing means the brain has more knowledge about its being able to Zig rather than having to Zag around that wet spot on the floor, and thus, us not going for a tumble.
Stronger bones PLUS less risk of falling in the first place (and not being able to get up) - that seems to be more a complete package.
Conclusion: Why is osteoperosis such the women's issue?
One advantage that guys have is the size of their muscles puts more load on their bones so that the bones are under more demand. More demand on the bones, more continued adapting to load.
Women have not been encouraged to do as much manual labour or high resistance workouts as guys.
Similarly our formal worlds are increasingly desk bound, so less movement is part of our daily lives. As we age, this decrease in multi-plane motion seems to increase. Let us say phooey to this increasingly restricted mode of being.
It will be interesting to see as the culture shifts towards it being ok for gals to work out, and as muscle tissue can be built up at any age, that perhaps hip and related fractures will become a fate of a by-gone age.
Citation:
Lirani-Galvão, A., Lazaretti-Castro, M. (2010). Physical approach for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia & Metabologia, 54 (2) DOI: 10.1590/S0004-27302010000200013
Related Resources
- What is z-health
- ck-fms - what is it
- the other side of the gym: developing sensory motor performance
- DO YOUR SHOES PASS THE TWIST TEST?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
COACHING with dr. m.c. 
