My clients often ask me what I eat for breakfast so I thought I'd post it on my blog for all my online viewers to see as well.
I "heat-up" in the microwave 1 cup of organic oats with about 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup 2% organic milk.
Add 1 scoop plain protein powder (about 25g protein in a 30g scoop) I use Isopro by Precision Nutrition.
Add 1 tbsp Udo's Oil Blend
Add 2 heaping tbsp ground flax seeds*
Add 1 semi-heaping tbsp ground pumpkin seeds*
Add 1 semi-heaping tbsp ground sunflower seeds*
Add 1 sliced banana
Add 1/2 cup thawed frozen raspberries (Either Europe's Best or Presidents Choice brand)
Add 1 or 2 packets Stevia
Add 2/3 cup Liberte organic plain 2% yogurt
Mix it all together and presto.. that's my breakfast every morning.
Yes this is a whole lot to eat and it weighs in around 1200kcal. It's about 30% protein, 50% carbs, and about 20% fat. It takes me all of 3 minutes to prepare every morning, and only another 5 minutes to eat it.
So there's absolutely no excuse to not get a good breakfast!
You might think that 1200kcal is too much for you, and it very well may be, so just multiply the amounts of each food item by .25, .33, .5, .66, or .75 to get 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 3/4 of the portion.
One of those amounts will probably be perfect for just about everyone.
The best thing about it is that you'll have loads of energy all the way through until noon, based on an 8am or 9am breakfast. I usually eat this between 5am and 7am depending on when I have my first client of the day, and I'm guaranteed a good 3-4 hours before I get hungry again.
Enjoy!
:)
Shane
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
1RM Testing Protocols
Often a training program will require you to lift a certain percentage of your 1RM. The program may not list the 1RM part.. but if there are percentages given it is implicit that they are of your 1RM.
What is a 1RM?
1 RM stands for 1 Repetition Maximum. It is the most weight one can possibly lift for one repetition without compromising correct exercise technique.
When training for maximum size and strength, 80% of lifts should fall in the 70%-85% range. Ten percent should fall above, and ten percent should fall below. When too many lifts are attempted above the 85% range, over time strength will decrease as the nervous system does not recover sufficiently over time.
So it is a useful thing to know, and testing it is not too difficult.
** BE CERTAIN TO HAVE A SPOTTER FOR ANY LIFTS ATTEMPTED FOR JUST 1 REP **
** REST A FULL 1-3 MINUTES BETWEEN EACH SET **
If you have have been training regularly for more than 6 months and your technique is good, you can safely perform a 1RM test. If not, a 3RM-6RM test will give us an approximate 1RM that you can use to plan your training.
To test your 1RM, set yourself up with about 20-30 minutes of time. Start off with some easy calisthenics or light cardio for just 5 minutes to help increase your core temperature.
Then get yourself over to your exercise of choice and go through your set-up, practicing all elements of technique very carefully with just an unloaded 45 lb bar.
At this point you will do the following loading scheme to prepare yourself for your 1RM test.
You may do a few lighter warm-up sets if you feel you need to, but keep the reps to 5 or below.
Take the unloaded bar and add approximately 10 pounds to each side of the bar and do 5 reps.
Add 10 lbs per side and do 4 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 3 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 2 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 1 rep
Continue adding weight in 10 lb increments until you feel you are getting close to your 1RM.
At this point if you are not sure you can add another 10 lbs to each side, add 5 lbs to each side and do one rep.
If you are successful, decide whether or not another 5 lbs per side will be possible, if you are unsure, add 2.5 lbs per side and make an attempt at 1 rep. If you are unsuccessful then your 1RM = the last weight you successfully lifted.
If you are successful go up by 2.5 lbs again per side and make an attempt.
Continue this type of step-wise progression until you fail at an attempt.
If you are a beginner, and depending on your body size, you may find increases of between 2.5-10 pounds per side are sufficient to get you up to your 1RM weight within 3-7 sets. If you're a more seasoned lifter, you may find increases of 5-20 lbs per side will get you there in 3-7 sets.
If you are an advanced lifter, you may find increases of 10-45 lbs per side will get you there in 5-9 sets.
In fact, the number of sets is not predetermined, but rather useful for helping your nervous system prepare for subsequent heavier loading. So don't try to get up to your 1RM with too few sets. Of course if you're an experienced lifter, don't use too small of a jump between sets or you'll be there all day before you get up to your 1RM.
Example 1. :
A 225 lb guy with a training age of 5 years has benched 275 lbs for 3 reps in the past, but hasn't lifted weights in 6 months. To test his 1RM, he might follow the following protocol.
45 (empty bar) x 5
135x5
185x4
205x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1 (Just barely made it)
So although he could try to do 280, because he only barely made 275, its probably wise to just leave it at 275 as his 1RM.
Example 2. :
A 135 lb woman has been training for just over a year. She's going to start a new program which requires a 1RM. Her best bench press thus far has been 95 lbs for 5 reps.
Her 1RM protocol might look like this:
45x5
65x3
75x2
85x1
95x1
105x1
110x1
115x1 (fails the attempt)
So her best 1RM is 110 lbs.
If you are a complete novice, attempting a 1RM can put too much strain on the ligaments and tendons, as well as unnecessary stress on the nervous system. For novices, a 3RM-6RM test is a better choice.
To do this type of test you follow similar protocols...
Example 3. :
A 145 lb guy, slim build wants to start a program where he needs to know his 1RM.
We'll test him with a weight that is comfortable enough that it feels safe, and yet he can strain a bit against it.
First we try the bar, and he finds it ok and does 5 reps. Then we move up by 10 lbs total. We do four reps and stop him there as it looks as though he could do a few more. We add another 10 lbs total, and again stop him at 3 reps. We add another 10 lbs and yet again stop him at 3 reps. Finally we add another 10 lbs and this time he seems pretty shaky... so we'll see how he looks at 3 reps. He hits 3 reps and appears to be able to possibly do one more. He attempts a fourth rep and is successful. A fifth rep is tried, but his spotter has to help him complete the rep.
Here it is again:
45x5
55x4
65x3
75x3
85x4 (the fifth rep required help)
So this means that his 4RM is with 85 lbs.
We now take this and reference approximately where he is on the chart:
1RM = 100%
2RM = 95%
3RM = 92%
4RM = 90%
5RM = 87%
6RM = 85%
7RM = 83%
8RM = 80%
9RM = 78%
10RM = 75%
You can go lower following approximately the same pattern, but below 6RM the accuracy
starts to fall off.
Interestingly, women tend to have a higher strength endurance than men, so women will usually be able to do more repetitions with a given percentage of their 1RM than men.
So if he managed 4 repetitions at 85 lbs, this represents approximately 90% of his 1RM. Dividing 85 by 90% we get 94.44 lbs.. or rounding it off to 95 lbs (easiest for weight selection).
I hope this sheds some light on RM testing and how to apply it safely.
What is a 1RM?
1 RM stands for 1 Repetition Maximum. It is the most weight one can possibly lift for one repetition without compromising correct exercise technique.
When training for maximum size and strength, 80% of lifts should fall in the 70%-85% range. Ten percent should fall above, and ten percent should fall below. When too many lifts are attempted above the 85% range, over time strength will decrease as the nervous system does not recover sufficiently over time.
So it is a useful thing to know, and testing it is not too difficult.
** BE CERTAIN TO HAVE A SPOTTER FOR ANY LIFTS ATTEMPTED FOR JUST 1 REP **
** REST A FULL 1-3 MINUTES BETWEEN EACH SET **
If you have have been training regularly for more than 6 months and your technique is good, you can safely perform a 1RM test. If not, a 3RM-6RM test will give us an approximate 1RM that you can use to plan your training.
To test your 1RM, set yourself up with about 20-30 minutes of time. Start off with some easy calisthenics or light cardio for just 5 minutes to help increase your core temperature.
Then get yourself over to your exercise of choice and go through your set-up, practicing all elements of technique very carefully with just an unloaded 45 lb bar.
At this point you will do the following loading scheme to prepare yourself for your 1RM test.
You may do a few lighter warm-up sets if you feel you need to, but keep the reps to 5 or below.
Take the unloaded bar and add approximately 10 pounds to each side of the bar and do 5 reps.
Add 10 lbs per side and do 4 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 3 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 2 reps
Add 10 lbs per side and do 1 rep
Continue adding weight in 10 lb increments until you feel you are getting close to your 1RM.
At this point if you are not sure you can add another 10 lbs to each side, add 5 lbs to each side and do one rep.
If you are successful, decide whether or not another 5 lbs per side will be possible, if you are unsure, add 2.5 lbs per side and make an attempt at 1 rep. If you are unsuccessful then your 1RM = the last weight you successfully lifted.
If you are successful go up by 2.5 lbs again per side and make an attempt.
Continue this type of step-wise progression until you fail at an attempt.
If you are a beginner, and depending on your body size, you may find increases of between 2.5-10 pounds per side are sufficient to get you up to your 1RM weight within 3-7 sets. If you're a more seasoned lifter, you may find increases of 5-20 lbs per side will get you there in 3-7 sets.
If you are an advanced lifter, you may find increases of 10-45 lbs per side will get you there in 5-9 sets.
In fact, the number of sets is not predetermined, but rather useful for helping your nervous system prepare for subsequent heavier loading. So don't try to get up to your 1RM with too few sets. Of course if you're an experienced lifter, don't use too small of a jump between sets or you'll be there all day before you get up to your 1RM.
Example 1. :
A 225 lb guy with a training age of 5 years has benched 275 lbs for 3 reps in the past, but hasn't lifted weights in 6 months. To test his 1RM, he might follow the following protocol.
45 (empty bar) x 5
135x5
185x4
205x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1 (Just barely made it)
So although he could try to do 280, because he only barely made 275, its probably wise to just leave it at 275 as his 1RM.
Example 2. :
A 135 lb woman has been training for just over a year. She's going to start a new program which requires a 1RM. Her best bench press thus far has been 95 lbs for 5 reps.
Her 1RM protocol might look like this:
45x5
65x3
75x2
85x1
95x1
105x1
110x1
115x1 (fails the attempt)
So her best 1RM is 110 lbs.
If you are a complete novice, attempting a 1RM can put too much strain on the ligaments and tendons, as well as unnecessary stress on the nervous system. For novices, a 3RM-6RM test is a better choice.
To do this type of test you follow similar protocols...
Example 3. :
A 145 lb guy, slim build wants to start a program where he needs to know his 1RM.
We'll test him with a weight that is comfortable enough that it feels safe, and yet he can strain a bit against it.
First we try the bar, and he finds it ok and does 5 reps. Then we move up by 10 lbs total. We do four reps and stop him there as it looks as though he could do a few more. We add another 10 lbs total, and again stop him at 3 reps. We add another 10 lbs and yet again stop him at 3 reps. Finally we add another 10 lbs and this time he seems pretty shaky... so we'll see how he looks at 3 reps. He hits 3 reps and appears to be able to possibly do one more. He attempts a fourth rep and is successful. A fifth rep is tried, but his spotter has to help him complete the rep.
Here it is again:
45x5
55x4
65x3
75x3
85x4 (the fifth rep required help)
So this means that his 4RM is with 85 lbs.
We now take this and reference approximately where he is on the chart:
1RM = 100%
2RM = 95%
3RM = 92%
4RM = 90%
5RM = 87%
6RM = 85%
7RM = 83%
8RM = 80%
9RM = 78%
10RM = 75%
You can go lower following approximately the same pattern, but below 6RM the accuracy
starts to fall off.
Interestingly, women tend to have a higher strength endurance than men, so women will usually be able to do more repetitions with a given percentage of their 1RM than men.
So if he managed 4 repetitions at 85 lbs, this represents approximately 90% of his 1RM. Dividing 85 by 90% we get 94.44 lbs.. or rounding it off to 95 lbs (easiest for weight selection).
I hope this sheds some light on RM testing and how to apply it safely.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Marketing Sold to You as Science...
I just replied to an email sent to me from a client who wanted to know whether or not a certain whey protein product was a good product to buy. My client sent me the following link to the product...
http://www.livepurehealth.ca/store/product.php?productid=16584
There is nothing wrong with this product, and very likely it does have much faster absorption rates as they claim than any other whey protein product on the market. However, will this product produce any different results to your body if you use it versus any other whey protein product? I highly doubt it. If there were ever to be any well planned and controlled independent study done to compare the two on their effects on the body, undoubtedly there would be differences in various absorption rates and blood levels of proteins etc... over time, but I can almost guarantee that over a 6 or 8 week period or whichever study period they chose, there would be virtually no difference in how the body looked or performed athletically.
But there is one difference in particular between this product, and similar fast absorbing whey protein isolate products and other whey protein products that also contain concentrates, hydrosylates, caseinates, and a variety of other protein sources....
THE COST!!!
The above product lists for just under $120 for an 8 lb tub. Whereas you can buy an equally effective (at producing changes to body composition and strength and fat loss) whey protein product in the $60-$80 range. Personally, I buy the Optimum Nutrition product called 100% Whey Gold Standard because of the $79 price, and I usually get a frequent buyer discount and they give it to me for between $65-$70.
So... if all other things are held equal... do you want to spend twice as much money for a product than you need to? Neither do I.
This is not a knock on this particular product or the company that produces it, but just an info piece about how you don't need the highest quality protein powder to make the best possible progress with your training and body re-composition goals!
If you are desperately searching for something to help you make better progress, as always, I suggest a critical look at your diet--we all eat stuff we know we shouldn't--and your training plan.
Most people don't train nearly hard enough or frequently enough, or with enough consistency to achieve the kind of results they seek. So start there, and put the time in at the gym with an intelligently planned workout, and don't look for gimmicky products to try to make up for lack of discipline when it comes to bad eating and training habits!
If you aren't sure what a well planned out training program for you should be, there's tons of great reading material in my blog archives as well as in the links section of my blog to some of the other great trainers in the industry.
Additionally, if you do want some personal guidance, don't hesitate to contact me directly at shane@spectrumfitness.ca
Yours... under the bar,
:)
Shane
http://www.livepurehealth.ca/store/product.php?productid=16584
There is nothing wrong with this product, and very likely it does have much faster absorption rates as they claim than any other whey protein product on the market. However, will this product produce any different results to your body if you use it versus any other whey protein product? I highly doubt it. If there were ever to be any well planned and controlled independent study done to compare the two on their effects on the body, undoubtedly there would be differences in various absorption rates and blood levels of proteins etc... over time, but I can almost guarantee that over a 6 or 8 week period or whichever study period they chose, there would be virtually no difference in how the body looked or performed athletically.
But there is one difference in particular between this product, and similar fast absorbing whey protein isolate products and other whey protein products that also contain concentrates, hydrosylates, caseinates, and a variety of other protein sources....
THE COST!!!
The above product lists for just under $120 for an 8 lb tub. Whereas you can buy an equally effective (at producing changes to body composition and strength and fat loss) whey protein product in the $60-$80 range. Personally, I buy the Optimum Nutrition product called 100% Whey Gold Standard because of the $79 price, and I usually get a frequent buyer discount and they give it to me for between $65-$70.
So... if all other things are held equal... do you want to spend twice as much money for a product than you need to? Neither do I.
This is not a knock on this particular product or the company that produces it, but just an info piece about how you don't need the highest quality protein powder to make the best possible progress with your training and body re-composition goals!
If you are desperately searching for something to help you make better progress, as always, I suggest a critical look at your diet--we all eat stuff we know we shouldn't--and your training plan.
Most people don't train nearly hard enough or frequently enough, or with enough consistency to achieve the kind of results they seek. So start there, and put the time in at the gym with an intelligently planned workout, and don't look for gimmicky products to try to make up for lack of discipline when it comes to bad eating and training habits!
If you aren't sure what a well planned out training program for you should be, there's tons of great reading material in my blog archives as well as in the links section of my blog to some of the other great trainers in the industry.
Additionally, if you do want some personal guidance, don't hesitate to contact me directly at shane@spectrumfitness.ca
Yours... under the bar,
:)
Shane
Sunday, October 12, 2008
What I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving!
Every Thanksgiving when our family gets together for dinner, we sit around the dinner table and take turns saying what we're thankful for. Today I had the privilege to be at two Thanksgiving get-togethers, one a brunch and one at dinner.
Even though we do this each year, as always if I have to go first I have a hard time thinking of things other than the obvious. Luckily this year many people went ahead of me, so I was able to get a few good ideas from listening to what other people were thankful for. I heard some pretty thoughtful things today that really impressed upon me about the quality of people around me.
I heard one person speak about how much they've learned from their partner about seeking out the goodness in other people, and how thankful they were for that.
I heard another person speak about their thankfulness of being a Canadian Citizen, as they are a landed immigrant. They spoke about how thankful they were about the quality of life here, about how good things are here for them and their family. But this person didn't stop there. They continued on to say that they hoped through their own actions that they were able to give back to Canada and to their family and friends they've made here in Canada as much as they've received.
I heard another person speak about a healed relationship in their family, and how much the quality of their life has improved because of it, and how thankful they are for it, and to the people who influenced them to heal their relationship.
When it came my turn to speak about what I was thankful for, I found it flowed more easily this year than in many previous...
I am blessed, not with perfect parents, but with parents who've learned from any mistakes made. My own parents, divorced now for 20 years, have a wonderful amicable relationship today that makes me proud and very happy for both of them. For this I am truly thankful. It wasn't always this way, but initially through both of their loves for their children, and subsequently for their own self-improvement, they have spoken at length about their path together and apart, and have found a way now as good friends to enjoy life together again as "family".
I am also blessed with a wonderful sister and her family. My own sister and I have previously healed troubles from our childhood, so I am very thankful for the excellent relationship that we both have now.
One of the things that I have noticed in my years as a coach and trainer is that many people who unsuccessfully seek to change their body are often people who have unhealed relationships in their lives. Whether it is with a mother, a father, brother or sister, even a best friend, an unhealed relationship can often prevent someone from achieving their own enlightenment.
Family and very close friends are supposed to help us develop to our potential through the interactions that we have with them. But when these relationships fail or are dulled or hindered, so is the development that they are supposed to help us with. So it is very difficult to reach true happiness and success in one's life, without first healing the relationships.
This may be hard to grasp for some, but more likely it is that some people don't want to accept that they may have played a part in a failed or unhealed relationship. It takes a lot of courage to recognize and admit to being a part of the problem in a relationship. But taking that step and making the effort to resolve past issues is a HUGE part of becoming someone who truly feels that they deserve to be happy.
Once you truly feel like you deserve to be happy, it's a heck of a lot easier to take the necessary steps to become happy! (and to do what your trainer tells you to!! ;)
I have worked with people who wanted to change so much, but had unresolved family issues, issues from childhood that have held them back to the point where they truly felt as though they didn't deserve to be happy. Subsequent to healing the relationship, they didn't beat themself up anymore. This made making the choices of healthy eating and regular exercise so much easier.
So one of the things I realize now that I am so very thankful for is having learned about the power of healing relationships that have old scars. In my own life I have witnessed it, helped friends, clients, and family do this, and when I see the results of it, hardly anything could make me happier.
Finally, I am thankful to have my wonderful wife Tanya, who is the first person to show me scars in my own life that needed to be healed. Without her I may not have become the person I am today.
When we bought our house, I knew I wanted to put a private training studio in my basement, so I had the basement built with 9 foot ceilings and an entrance to the basement from outside. I wasn't sure when I would actually set up the private studio, but at Tanya's urging, I did it earlier this year. And thank God I listened to her. With the fires at 275 Bank Street, and Trueform's and my private studio downtown's temporary closure I would have been in big financial trouble. But because of Tanya's urging me to build my new studio here at our house, I've been able to serve the majority of my clients here.
And if that's not enough to be thankful for, I'm thankful for the gift that we have and are still to fully receive, the gift of a baby girl, that we are due to have on Feb. 14th.
So these are all the things that I am thankful for today. I'm sure there are others I haven't mentioned but this is lots for this year!
I hope you, my clients, and online readers are all healthy, happy, and enjoying a big turkey induced sleep as I will be shortly!
Happy Thanksgiving!
:)
Shane
Even though we do this each year, as always if I have to go first I have a hard time thinking of things other than the obvious. Luckily this year many people went ahead of me, so I was able to get a few good ideas from listening to what other people were thankful for. I heard some pretty thoughtful things today that really impressed upon me about the quality of people around me.
I heard one person speak about how much they've learned from their partner about seeking out the goodness in other people, and how thankful they were for that.
I heard another person speak about their thankfulness of being a Canadian Citizen, as they are a landed immigrant. They spoke about how thankful they were about the quality of life here, about how good things are here for them and their family. But this person didn't stop there. They continued on to say that they hoped through their own actions that they were able to give back to Canada and to their family and friends they've made here in Canada as much as they've received.
I heard another person speak about a healed relationship in their family, and how much the quality of their life has improved because of it, and how thankful they are for it, and to the people who influenced them to heal their relationship.
When it came my turn to speak about what I was thankful for, I found it flowed more easily this year than in many previous...
I am blessed, not with perfect parents, but with parents who've learned from any mistakes made. My own parents, divorced now for 20 years, have a wonderful amicable relationship today that makes me proud and very happy for both of them. For this I am truly thankful. It wasn't always this way, but initially through both of their loves for their children, and subsequently for their own self-improvement, they have spoken at length about their path together and apart, and have found a way now as good friends to enjoy life together again as "family".
I am also blessed with a wonderful sister and her family. My own sister and I have previously healed troubles from our childhood, so I am very thankful for the excellent relationship that we both have now.
One of the things that I have noticed in my years as a coach and trainer is that many people who unsuccessfully seek to change their body are often people who have unhealed relationships in their lives. Whether it is with a mother, a father, brother or sister, even a best friend, an unhealed relationship can often prevent someone from achieving their own enlightenment.
Family and very close friends are supposed to help us develop to our potential through the interactions that we have with them. But when these relationships fail or are dulled or hindered, so is the development that they are supposed to help us with. So it is very difficult to reach true happiness and success in one's life, without first healing the relationships.
This may be hard to grasp for some, but more likely it is that some people don't want to accept that they may have played a part in a failed or unhealed relationship. It takes a lot of courage to recognize and admit to being a part of the problem in a relationship. But taking that step and making the effort to resolve past issues is a HUGE part of becoming someone who truly feels that they deserve to be happy.
Once you truly feel like you deserve to be happy, it's a heck of a lot easier to take the necessary steps to become happy! (and to do what your trainer tells you to!! ;)
I have worked with people who wanted to change so much, but had unresolved family issues, issues from childhood that have held them back to the point where they truly felt as though they didn't deserve to be happy. Subsequent to healing the relationship, they didn't beat themself up anymore. This made making the choices of healthy eating and regular exercise so much easier.
So one of the things I realize now that I am so very thankful for is having learned about the power of healing relationships that have old scars. In my own life I have witnessed it, helped friends, clients, and family do this, and when I see the results of it, hardly anything could make me happier.
Finally, I am thankful to have my wonderful wife Tanya, who is the first person to show me scars in my own life that needed to be healed. Without her I may not have become the person I am today.
When we bought our house, I knew I wanted to put a private training studio in my basement, so I had the basement built with 9 foot ceilings and an entrance to the basement from outside. I wasn't sure when I would actually set up the private studio, but at Tanya's urging, I did it earlier this year. And thank God I listened to her. With the fires at 275 Bank Street, and Trueform's and my private studio downtown's temporary closure I would have been in big financial trouble. But because of Tanya's urging me to build my new studio here at our house, I've been able to serve the majority of my clients here.
And if that's not enough to be thankful for, I'm thankful for the gift that we have and are still to fully receive, the gift of a baby girl, that we are due to have on Feb. 14th.
So these are all the things that I am thankful for today. I'm sure there are others I haven't mentioned but this is lots for this year!
I hope you, my clients, and online readers are all healthy, happy, and enjoying a big turkey induced sleep as I will be shortly!
Happy Thanksgiving!
:)
Shane
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Secret Finally Revealed... There is no Secret!
Hey Shane... Finally taking the time to draft up a couple of questions for you :) I've got more and will shoot them off when I have time!! Thanks for the tips!
Q1. Overdoing it on Supplements?
I've been taking a creatine based cell volumizing product along with a NOX pre-workout mix for over and month now. I started a dedicated workout regiment about 5 months ago and have been seeing some pretty amazing results since starting the supplements. Chest press three-rep max up almost 30% with similar results for squats for example. Now that the containers are almost empty I'm contemplating buying more. My question is: Is it safe to take these supplements over a prolonged period of time? Is it best to give them a break for a while and come back to them? I've heard there's a link between creatine and cancer, is that true?
A1: I sure hope there's no link to creatine and cancer or we're all doomed as every cell of our bodies naturally produces creatine. And there's an exhausting amount of research out there on creatine and nothing has linked it to cancer in any review I have read (and I've read lots!). Most research is done using certain doses that are known to be effective for promoting the products' benefits, and these studies do not show creatine to cause cancer. However, take enough of anything and it's possible right? Cancers are being shown to often be the result of irritated, inflammed tissues. So consuming too much of anything could provoke irritation and inflammation. So I think the key is to look at safety issues within normal consumption ranges.
A good example is Aspartame. This product is made out to be the Devil by some, and while I don't think it's "good" for you, having a scoop of protein powder in your shake isn't going to make you sick or cause you to get cancer. BUT... have a scoop of protein in your oats for breakfast, drink sugar free Crystal Light, chew sugar free gum, drink diet Coke, have multiple low-carb protein bars, and more protein shakes... all foods often containing Aspartame, and you could be setting yourself up for some major problems down the road.
I think a good dose of common sense prevails just as much in this case as always!
Going back to the safety of long-term consumption of the NOX product you are using. Without reading the whole ingredient list, I can only comment to the two ingredients you mention. The creatine and the nox component.
Creatine has been evaluated in depth in many studies and on otherwise healthy people, even long-term use up to 21 months has not shown to change any blood or urine markers of health in normal doses between users and non-users.
I've listed just one resource here, but a quick search of Pubmed will find you many more.
Resource: http://tinyurl.com/3sk5kd
As for the NOX component of the product. Most likely it is some form of the amino acid arginine. Arginine has been shown for decades to cause an increase in the release of Growth Hormone. But only at doses far to high to be given orally. Oral doses of 22+g/day are needed (and more like 30g and 40g to see some statistically significant figures). However, doses higher than 10g/day are generally not tolerated orally. So the studies use IV methods of delivering the arginine.
So as of late unscrupulous (which means basically all of them) nutritional supplement companies have been pushing another of Arginine's effects, and that is to raise Nitric Oxide levels. The thinking is that since Nitric Oxide is a vasodilator, taking something (Arginine) that will increase the Nitric Oxide and subsequent vasodilation, means more blood flow and more nutrients reaching the muscles which will lead to greater muscle pumps and muscle growth.
Firstly, the only studies where Arginine supplementation actually increased Nitric Oxide production, again, were in studies where people received massive IV doses of Arginine. Far more than would be orally tolerable. Other studies using "time-released" Arginine, as labeled by the supplement company selling the product, showed ZERO time-release effect.
So unfortunately the NOX part of the product you're consuming scores a MASSIVE ZERO in terms of being beneficial in any way. But the effect you felt IS real, and is very likely the result of a big 1-2 punch that comes from the creatine in the product and the placebo effect.
So should you consider continuing with supplementing your training? YES... but should you use the same product? Likely no. I would pick up a Creatine Monohydrate product from Ultimate Nutrition, Prolab, or Optimum Nutrition. These three manufacturers provide a standalone creatine monohydrate product that will give you awesome bang for your buck.
While there is very little safety issue with long-term use of Creatine Monohydrate, you will notice over time that it doesn't seem to work as well and this is generally caused by creatine transporter down-regulation. It just means that the longer you have higher concentrations of intracellular creatine, the fewer transporters the cell puts out to bring in more creatine. So my suggestion is to cycle off creatine every couple months for a good 3-4 weeks to give your system time to reset.
2. Is There a Secret to Reducing Belly Fat??
I've been crushing my abs at the gym lately, working them daily and getting to the point where they're starting to pop. Is there a clear-cut secret to reducing belly fat? When it comes to cardio I hear mixed opinions, some say train in hard bursts with lower impact in between while others recommend prolonged sessions at an optimum "fat burn" heart rate that's barely above resting. Your thoughts?
What about diet? Are carbs the evil culprit or the scapegoat? What about foods that are capable of helping you metabolize fat, do they exist?
A2: The laws of physics apply here. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose bodymass. Where the bodymass comes from depends on a number of factors. If you do the long slow cardio that some experts try to have you believe is the only way to lose bodyfat then you will actually oxidize fat to produce energy. This is the "fat-burning" zone. Scientifically it is true, that you do burn fat during your workout when you train this way. I read the science myself and used to be a major proponent of this method, and it does work. But depending on the person, I now believe there is a better method.
The major problem with training in the "fat-burning" zone is that the human body becomes more efficient over time at burning fat, which also means that over time it takes fewer fat calories to do the same amount of work. Additionally, training in the fat-burning zone also improves the body's ability to use intra-muscular fat as an energy source. A situation that doesn't benefit us at all! What we want is subcutaneous fat to be used, and for inefficiency when it comes to how many calories it takes to do work.
Higher intensity cardio training requires energy at a pace far too quickly for fat to supply enough energy. Even though fat has more than twice the calories as carbohydrates gram for gram (9g vs. 4g), the processes that release energy from fat are far too slow to release sufficient energy to fuel high-energy activity. So the slack is made up by burning sugars (carbohydrates or CHO). When CHO is burned for energy, the oxidation processes that release the energy from the bonds do not require oxygen. But the inefficiency of using CHO to produce energy produces a great requirement for recovery processes - which are all highly dependent on oxygen. So we have anaerobic energy production, and aerobic energy recovery processes.
Take a typical 1 hour "fat-burning" workout. An average male will burn around 300 kcal. Of this perhaps 70% is fat, so 210 kcal are fat, which is about 23g of fat. Not very much when you consider that a pound of fat contains 454g of fat. On the other hand, a 20 minute high intensity interval training session may burn about 200 kcal. Of this, perhaps 10% will be fat so 20kcal or just a few grams of fat, and the rest is CHO. So maybe 180 kcal of CHO is used, which is about 45g CHO. At this point it sounds like the fat-burning zone is the clear winner. At the succession of a high intensity interval training session you will notice that you maintain higher levels of respiration and heart-rate possibly for a number of hours after. And even when you don't notice your breathing and heart-rate anymore, your metabolic rate is elevated for often up to 6 or 7 hours after you have finished the exercise. This increased metabolism is caused by the recovery processes that are necessary after very intense exercise.
The difference between how much fat loss occurs during the workout from slow cardio to high intensity seems to favour the slow cardio, but after considering that the balance is usually made up through recovery processes, the shorter time required to do the higher intensity training seems to make it the more appealing option.
I used to be a strong advocate for the slow cardio because of the clear fact that you do burn more fat during slow cardio. That seemed to me to be enough for me to put my belief and name behind this method. However, I'm not one to believe something and never re-consider, re-evaluate, or consider new evidence. Part of what led me to re-evaluate my belief was just the sheer number of people who do lose bodyfat doing the higher intensity work. It's pretty hard to ignore something that obviously works. So digging deeper, the recovery processes, which were largely ignored, yielded the answers.
So at this point.. it should be clear that both work, they work differently, and each way may work better for some people than others. The key is to try one, and if you don't like the result you get, try the other.
A few factors to consider include... obviously diet. If you are consuming more calories than you are burning off, it doesn't really matter what kind of fat-loss training you do. And alcohol calories (7kcal/g vs 9kcal/g for fat and 4kcal/g for CHO) seem to increase fat-storing and fat-producing enzymes, so they're a double-whammy if you're hoping for fat loss.
With carbohydrate and fat intake and in general overall calorie intake unrestricted, it is quite easy to consume the quantity of calories that you burn off during the your workouts. So without imposing some restrictions on food intake losing those last few pounds may be a challenge.
Fat was the first scapegoat, and now it's carbs. All in the name of profit for supplement manufacturers.
Eat foods that don't come in plastic wrappers or boxes. If there's no place to put a health claim on the label, then it's probably good for you.. like a banana or a tomato or oats. When we eat we often begin to feel full but continue to eat because we like the taste of the food. This is probably the biggest mistake you can ever make. If observed and adhered to, stopping eating at the first feeling of fullness can probably reduce your daily calorie intake by up to 20%. Over time this will definitely help you lose bodyfat.
Additionally, while there aren't any foods that specifically really help you metabolize and burn fat, the absence of refined and processed carbs, and too much fruit definitely has a positive effect on helping you metabolize and burn fat.
Remember, carbs are the preferred source of energy for the body. If you give it enough it will do it's best to not use fat at all. So cut back on the carbs and your body will have no choice but to increase fat burning.
I know these are pretty long answers to your questions, but I often feel that a more thorough and detailed answer helps people to understand the more simple answer rather than just believing it because they think I know the answers. With just the simple answer, the next expert comes along and says something contrary and people jump on it. Hopefully with the information I've provided here you'll be able to decipher the next outrageous diet or fat-loss claim from the next well thought out information article with confidence.
Best...
:)
Shane
Q1. Overdoing it on Supplements?
I've been taking a creatine based cell volumizing product along with a NOX pre-workout mix for over and month now. I started a dedicated workout regiment about 5 months ago and have been seeing some pretty amazing results since starting the supplements. Chest press three-rep max up almost 30% with similar results for squats for example. Now that the containers are almost empty I'm contemplating buying more. My question is: Is it safe to take these supplements over a prolonged period of time? Is it best to give them a break for a while and come back to them? I've heard there's a link between creatine and cancer, is that true?
A1: I sure hope there's no link to creatine and cancer or we're all doomed as every cell of our bodies naturally produces creatine. And there's an exhausting amount of research out there on creatine and nothing has linked it to cancer in any review I have read (and I've read lots!). Most research is done using certain doses that are known to be effective for promoting the products' benefits, and these studies do not show creatine to cause cancer. However, take enough of anything and it's possible right? Cancers are being shown to often be the result of irritated, inflammed tissues. So consuming too much of anything could provoke irritation and inflammation. So I think the key is to look at safety issues within normal consumption ranges.
A good example is Aspartame. This product is made out to be the Devil by some, and while I don't think it's "good" for you, having a scoop of protein powder in your shake isn't going to make you sick or cause you to get cancer. BUT... have a scoop of protein in your oats for breakfast, drink sugar free Crystal Light, chew sugar free gum, drink diet Coke, have multiple low-carb protein bars, and more protein shakes... all foods often containing Aspartame, and you could be setting yourself up for some major problems down the road.
I think a good dose of common sense prevails just as much in this case as always!
Going back to the safety of long-term consumption of the NOX product you are using. Without reading the whole ingredient list, I can only comment to the two ingredients you mention. The creatine and the nox component.
Creatine has been evaluated in depth in many studies and on otherwise healthy people, even long-term use up to 21 months has not shown to change any blood or urine markers of health in normal doses between users and non-users.
I've listed just one resource here, but a quick search of Pubmed will find you many more.
Resource: http://tinyurl.com/3sk5kd
As for the NOX component of the product. Most likely it is some form of the amino acid arginine. Arginine has been shown for decades to cause an increase in the release of Growth Hormone. But only at doses far to high to be given orally. Oral doses of 22+g/day are needed (and more like 30g and 40g to see some statistically significant figures). However, doses higher than 10g/day are generally not tolerated orally. So the studies use IV methods of delivering the arginine.
So as of late unscrupulous (which means basically all of them) nutritional supplement companies have been pushing another of Arginine's effects, and that is to raise Nitric Oxide levels. The thinking is that since Nitric Oxide is a vasodilator, taking something (Arginine) that will increase the Nitric Oxide and subsequent vasodilation, means more blood flow and more nutrients reaching the muscles which will lead to greater muscle pumps and muscle growth.
Firstly, the only studies where Arginine supplementation actually increased Nitric Oxide production, again, were in studies where people received massive IV doses of Arginine. Far more than would be orally tolerable. Other studies using "time-released" Arginine, as labeled by the supplement company selling the product, showed ZERO time-release effect.
So unfortunately the NOX part of the product you're consuming scores a MASSIVE ZERO in terms of being beneficial in any way. But the effect you felt IS real, and is very likely the result of a big 1-2 punch that comes from the creatine in the product and the placebo effect.
So should you consider continuing with supplementing your training? YES... but should you use the same product? Likely no. I would pick up a Creatine Monohydrate product from Ultimate Nutrition, Prolab, or Optimum Nutrition. These three manufacturers provide a standalone creatine monohydrate product that will give you awesome bang for your buck.
While there is very little safety issue with long-term use of Creatine Monohydrate, you will notice over time that it doesn't seem to work as well and this is generally caused by creatine transporter down-regulation. It just means that the longer you have higher concentrations of intracellular creatine, the fewer transporters the cell puts out to bring in more creatine. So my suggestion is to cycle off creatine every couple months for a good 3-4 weeks to give your system time to reset.
2. Is There a Secret to Reducing Belly Fat??
I've been crushing my abs at the gym lately, working them daily and getting to the point where they're starting to pop. Is there a clear-cut secret to reducing belly fat? When it comes to cardio I hear mixed opinions, some say train in hard bursts with lower impact in between while others recommend prolonged sessions at an optimum "fat burn" heart rate that's barely above resting. Your thoughts?
What about diet? Are carbs the evil culprit or the scapegoat? What about foods that are capable of helping you metabolize fat, do they exist?
A2: The laws of physics apply here. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose bodymass. Where the bodymass comes from depends on a number of factors. If you do the long slow cardio that some experts try to have you believe is the only way to lose bodyfat then you will actually oxidize fat to produce energy. This is the "fat-burning" zone. Scientifically it is true, that you do burn fat during your workout when you train this way. I read the science myself and used to be a major proponent of this method, and it does work. But depending on the person, I now believe there is a better method.
The major problem with training in the "fat-burning" zone is that the human body becomes more efficient over time at burning fat, which also means that over time it takes fewer fat calories to do the same amount of work. Additionally, training in the fat-burning zone also improves the body's ability to use intra-muscular fat as an energy source. A situation that doesn't benefit us at all! What we want is subcutaneous fat to be used, and for inefficiency when it comes to how many calories it takes to do work.
Higher intensity cardio training requires energy at a pace far too quickly for fat to supply enough energy. Even though fat has more than twice the calories as carbohydrates gram for gram (9g vs. 4g), the processes that release energy from fat are far too slow to release sufficient energy to fuel high-energy activity. So the slack is made up by burning sugars (carbohydrates or CHO). When CHO is burned for energy, the oxidation processes that release the energy from the bonds do not require oxygen. But the inefficiency of using CHO to produce energy produces a great requirement for recovery processes - which are all highly dependent on oxygen. So we have anaerobic energy production, and aerobic energy recovery processes.
Take a typical 1 hour "fat-burning" workout. An average male will burn around 300 kcal. Of this perhaps 70% is fat, so 210 kcal are fat, which is about 23g of fat. Not very much when you consider that a pound of fat contains 454g of fat. On the other hand, a 20 minute high intensity interval training session may burn about 200 kcal. Of this, perhaps 10% will be fat so 20kcal or just a few grams of fat, and the rest is CHO. So maybe 180 kcal of CHO is used, which is about 45g CHO. At this point it sounds like the fat-burning zone is the clear winner. At the succession of a high intensity interval training session you will notice that you maintain higher levels of respiration and heart-rate possibly for a number of hours after. And even when you don't notice your breathing and heart-rate anymore, your metabolic rate is elevated for often up to 6 or 7 hours after you have finished the exercise. This increased metabolism is caused by the recovery processes that are necessary after very intense exercise.
The difference between how much fat loss occurs during the workout from slow cardio to high intensity seems to favour the slow cardio, but after considering that the balance is usually made up through recovery processes, the shorter time required to do the higher intensity training seems to make it the more appealing option.
I used to be a strong advocate for the slow cardio because of the clear fact that you do burn more fat during slow cardio. That seemed to me to be enough for me to put my belief and name behind this method. However, I'm not one to believe something and never re-consider, re-evaluate, or consider new evidence. Part of what led me to re-evaluate my belief was just the sheer number of people who do lose bodyfat doing the higher intensity work. It's pretty hard to ignore something that obviously works. So digging deeper, the recovery processes, which were largely ignored, yielded the answers.
So at this point.. it should be clear that both work, they work differently, and each way may work better for some people than others. The key is to try one, and if you don't like the result you get, try the other.
A few factors to consider include... obviously diet. If you are consuming more calories than you are burning off, it doesn't really matter what kind of fat-loss training you do. And alcohol calories (7kcal/g vs 9kcal/g for fat and 4kcal/g for CHO) seem to increase fat-storing and fat-producing enzymes, so they're a double-whammy if you're hoping for fat loss.
With carbohydrate and fat intake and in general overall calorie intake unrestricted, it is quite easy to consume the quantity of calories that you burn off during the your workouts. So without imposing some restrictions on food intake losing those last few pounds may be a challenge.
Fat was the first scapegoat, and now it's carbs. All in the name of profit for supplement manufacturers.
Eat foods that don't come in plastic wrappers or boxes. If there's no place to put a health claim on the label, then it's probably good for you.. like a banana or a tomato or oats. When we eat we often begin to feel full but continue to eat because we like the taste of the food. This is probably the biggest mistake you can ever make. If observed and adhered to, stopping eating at the first feeling of fullness can probably reduce your daily calorie intake by up to 20%. Over time this will definitely help you lose bodyfat.
Additionally, while there aren't any foods that specifically really help you metabolize and burn fat, the absence of refined and processed carbs, and too much fruit definitely has a positive effect on helping you metabolize and burn fat.
Remember, carbs are the preferred source of energy for the body. If you give it enough it will do it's best to not use fat at all. So cut back on the carbs and your body will have no choice but to increase fat burning.
I know these are pretty long answers to your questions, but I often feel that a more thorough and detailed answer helps people to understand the more simple answer rather than just believing it because they think I know the answers. With just the simple answer, the next expert comes along and says something contrary and people jump on it. Hopefully with the information I've provided here you'll be able to decipher the next outrageous diet or fat-loss claim from the next well thought out information article with confidence.
Best...
:)
Shane
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