ENERGY TRANFORMERS

This week the discussion is a bit more technical but important, for some of you may not realize that it might be harder for you than others to get your body to the results that you desire. Do you know why? Does it just depend on genetics? Can you change the way your body works to get and keep building it the way you want?

We gave an introduction as to how the human body produces energy, but now we will get more into it because the types of energy system can be manipulated, even for non-athletes so that you can maximize your results whatever they are. So for exercise we need to produce greater amounts of energy for muscle contraction under extra tension. But the difference in the type of muscle is defined by the speed in which they produce energy (ATP). Producing energy means that your muscle cells have more or less numbers of mitochondrias (oxidative enzymes for cell respiration), and more myoglobin to release oxygen in the blood stream. Due to this the microstructure of the muscle, called the fiber (for those beginners) can be considered of slow twitch or fast twitch. The slow twitch or Type I Fiber contains many mitochondrias and myoglobin, characterized by the color of blood due to its affinity to oxygen which is used in aerobic metabolism and have high resistance to fatigue. Fast twitch or Type II Fibers are characterized by their cells releasing calcium in faster speed activating enzymes to produce energy quickly. Fast Twitch Fibers are subdivided in to Type IIa, which is a mix of fast and slow twitch, and Type x which due to faster enzyme activity it takes a lot of energy for its use. For resistance training we use mostly the Fast twitch fibers, and those that have more quantity of these fibers usually have an easier time to build muscles. This is defined by genetics, but you are also able to manipulate the energy systems so that you can activate your slow twitch fibers (for endurance results) or fast twitch fibers (for muscle growth, strength or power). You are born with one Muscle Fiber Type predominating over the other so that is why some have a hard time to put on muscle mass, and there is no need for great effort for others

Bioenergy is the flow of energy in the human body, and metabolic pathways capable of converting nutrients (mostly carbs) into energy biologically useful. There are three metabolic pathways for production of energy for exercise. The first one starts in the digestive system with the breakdown of carbs, producing energy for the first 10 seconds of exercise at a very high intensity. This is the Phosphagen or ATP-CP system, where through the creatine kinase enzyme (the supplement creatine helps with this) helps to produce ATP. This energy system is usually used in programs for hypertrophy. It is energy that lasts for a short time but produced quickly with the availability of carbs. To recover your full ATP-CP energy reserves it takes only a few minutes,

 

The second energy pathway uses the nutrient (Glycogen) stored in the cells of muscles or liver. It is called Glycolysis, and provides energy for up to 2 minutes of unstopped physical activity. Without the presence of oxygen the product from Glycolysis (pyruvate) is transformed into lactate which causes the burning sensation. With the presence of Oxygen, lactate can be used in its own cycle (Cori Cycle) to produce energy anaerobically. High intensity exercise uses this energy system and it takes 2 to 3 hours to fully recover energy stores.

The third and last energy production system is the Aerobic System. When there is presence of oxygen, the pyruvate that came from Glycolisis enters the Krebs Cycle (Tricarboxylic Cycle or Citric Acid Cycle). In this case pyruvate is transformed into Aceytl CoA (Coenzyme A) to be used with Oxygen. This energy system is used from 2 minutes onwards of exercise at an intensity of low to moderate. In really low levels of intensity Acetyl CoA can also be used in the Beta Oxidation cycle where triglycerides are broken down and transported to the mitochondria to be transformed into energy. This is called Fat Oxidation, but this is not optimal because other energy systems take over before this system kicks in. Full recovery from the Aerobic system takes about 24 – 48 hours.

Logically you can come to the conclusion that most people doing resistance training use the ATP-CP energy system, and since we have already discussed that Type IIa muscles are faster, they must use the Phosphagen System or Glycolytic System to produce energy for muscle contraction, and the rest intervals (up to 2 min) are for recovery. Most in the gym have the desire to maintain or increase muscle mass and reduce fat, so planning the training program according to your body is important. So if you don’t know what muscle fiber type is predominant in of your body parts, you should first plan to find that out by using the anaerobic energy systems to see which works best for you to increase your muscle mass. Those who have a Slow Twitch Fibers don’t have to work as hard on the Aerobic System to lose fat. Everyone should train all of the systems changing up the intensity, volume and rest interval, for even if you don’t want to, depending on how you train you might be using all of the energy systems anyway demonstrating that resistance training alone can bring all types of results.

CHICKEN SQUAT

We are now in the middle of January, and those who really kept to their new year resolution of starting to get fit and eat right, have probably started to exercise or train hard….so let’s start talking about actual exercises and training. So this week’s blog is about training the legs or more specifically thighs, or what people who are already familiar with training denomination, the “Quads”.

The first question that should be asked is DO YOU TRAIN LEGS? Do you know why the bodybuilders and fitness professionals hate training them? And when you are training legs are you activating the thigh muscles properly? Are other muscles from the leg activated? How should they be trained? Even if you are going up on stage in a bodybuilding contest, do you know how you should warm-up so that you can?

The reason for talking about leg exercises, in the fight to lose that extra fat gained during the holidays, is because when you train your lower body it is easier to burn more calories due to the need of more energy use for blood flow to lower extremities, and production of energy to contract the muscles. So do you know why people call them Quads? Well the beginning “Quad” means the number 4 and in the human body relates to Quadriceps, or 4 muscles. The individual muscles that are included in the Quadriceps are the Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis (front outer thigh), Vastus Medialis (front inner thigh), and Vastus Intermedius, which is located underneath the other three.

So how do you get those toned Quads that we see on strength athletes? And what better to start off with then the Barbell Squat Exercise. Do you know why the Squat is one of the best exercises to do for lower body? How low should one go? And should you bend your upper body while going down? Can anyone do this exercise? What are you really supposed to feel while doing this exercise?

You squat when you are going to stand up, or sit down. So basically the movement that should be done is of sitting down and then standing up. But in the gym you see people throwing their knees forward and down, in direction of the tips of the feet. Is this the proper form? Maybe they should pay attention to how they sit and stand before putting weight on their shoulders. Well when you sit down the knees bend with almost no movement of the lower legs. The upper body slightly leans forward without being rounded, so that your hips bend and your backside is seated. So when you do the squat, the knees should not go beyond the tips of your toes if you are not doing the full ROM. If you are doing the full ROM it is only physically natural that the knees are aligned with the feet or even slightly pass it to maintain balance, but that means you are on the tips of your toes. As for upper body, leaning forward is also natural. But there really isn’t a need to go lower than having your thighs at 90 degrees with your calves. This will recruit all front and back muscles of your legs. Yes, the Squat is an exercise that works ALL the muscles of the legs and your core and abdominal muscles, for you need to stabilize these muscles. For maximal contraction one should do the full ROM, maintain the proper posture (don’t slouch or hyperextend your hips when coming up), and to feel it more in the Quads, push off the balls of the feet. Now the intensity (weight) that one should use depends on the individual.

Yes there are many variations of the Squat, such as wide stance squat, dumbbell squat, fitness ball squat, and seated box to name a few, and changing it up can activate certain muscles of the legs a little more. The question at hand is who can do them depends on the individual. Generally, the Squat is an exercise used for improving strength to stabilize the joint of the knee, so almost everyone should do it with the variation that they are most comfortable with, regarding the purpose of training (hypertrophy, fat loss, rehab, or others). How low you should go, and what intensity should be used depends on the ROM capacity of each individual. For example, those with knee (anterior/posterior) ligament injuries will be able to do isometric (no movement) strengthening exercises with the fitness ball at the 90º. And some may be able to do it actively at shorter knee angles (20º – 60º). Today many injuries in non-athletes are caused by weak muscles of the legs, where the knee takes on all of the body weight pressure due to improper posture and overloading. With the obesity epidemic many suffer from problems due to the lack of a support system of the Quads and the lower leg muscles for the knees (Ice cream Cones and Toothpicks).

 So as commented on before (Ice Cream Cones and Toothpicks) train your legs! And remember advanced weightlifters are bothered by leg days because if trained right, one can hardly walk after, and not because they don’t think it’s not important. And if trained right, you might not fit into your pants until the muscle swelling improves, which is why on a contest day you DON’T warm up your Quads.

COLD HEARTED TRAINING

Now that the holidays are over and everyone is looking to improving get back into shape or already has started on this path, and the winter is finally here with below freezing days, before there are posts about training let’s warm-up to it. Hardcore Peeves always begins with a general question, but this week the question is directed to everyone! Do you warm-up before you exercise? Do you do the correct warm-up for training with weights?

Yes, you do see people warm up in the gym, but most are doing general warm-ups that aren’t even directed to resistance training that they are about to do. First of all the “Warm-up” in exercise and sports is divided in to General Warm-up and Specific warm-up. The General warm-up has the purpose of increasing Heart Rate (HR), blood flow and deep muscle temperature, respiration rate and perspiration, and the Specific Warm-up prepares the parts of the body that specifically are going to be used for the movement, exercise or sport.

(Dennis Wolf The Beginning - 2008)

So let’s say a General warm-up in the gym would be 12 – 15 minutes of any cardio equipment, and a specific warm-up would be doing an exercise with a light weight, such as the barbell bench press, for example in a slow controlled movement, doing 20 to 30 reps with the bar or low intensity weight.

Did you know that your body is really ready for physical activity after about 12 minutes of Warm-up? According to the Journal of Sports Medicine (Warm-up and stretching in the prevention of muscular injury, by Woods, Bishop and Jones, 2007) to prevent injuries a warm-up should consist of low intensity active warm-up which is usually done on cardio equipment in the gym.

According to Tudor Bompa and G. Gregory Haff from the 5^th Edition of the book Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training the benefits of Warm-up include increased muscle and core temperature, which increase nerve conduction rate and speed metabolic reaction, such as hormonal changes to regulate energy production with more availability of carbohydrates and fatty acids. These then can increase the speed and force of muscle contractions. While the temperature rises there is an increase to the amount of oxygen delivered to the working muscle due to the increase of vasodilation and blood, which increases the possibility of range of motion around the joints. It also helps for the mental preparation by clearing the mind. This all can help reducing the risk of injury.

In the gym you usually find that those who do a warm-up before their workout are on a cardio machine for about 5 minutes, then, they go straight to the program, without even the specific warm-up. But as stated before, they really aren’t physically prepared for exercise yet. And what about the ones that do a specific warm-up before they start their program, beginning with the first exercise on their list, but they are doing uncontrolled movements, jerking their joints, stressing the muscles before the workout, which could cause injury. Then the worst cases are those that don’t even think about the program they are doing and specifically warm-up the wrong region of the body that is going to be worked out, such as those that do the warm-up for their arms with or without weights, and end up working out their legs or vice-versa.

Besides stressing your body more with inappropriate movements, and possibility of causing injury, people look ridiculous doing a warm-up for a run, when they are going to do resistance exercises. So before you hit the weights, warm-up to the work out and get your results. With a proper warm-up, especially now when it’s cold, you are looking ahead to protect yourself from having to stop training because of undesired reactions to the growing intensity of future workout routines.

EAT SMART OR DIE-T

Now that the holidays are over, and one of the new year resolution for many is to start exercising, the first thing people think about after excessively eating and drinking is to start a diet and become a member of a gym or start doing some kind of physical activity program. So since it is included in the 70% of results (Optimal Ratios to Success), why not start with what and when you eat?

There are some that don’t like to use the word diet. That could be a true statement, for when speaking of diet, people think of fad diets which usually are extreme, work for a short period and contain the word “Die” in the middle. There are many famous diets out there such as the Atkin’s Diet, Diet by Blood Type, Mediterranian Diet, and many more. But since some of them use extreme guidelines, cutting out some foods that could be of important nutrient source, especially if you are starting and exercise program, where you have to maintain or increase muscle mass, it could prevent you from achieving your results and work against them.

During this year it will be discussed what is considered the best proportions for each of the macronutrients (carbs, proteins and lipids – fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for the different desirable results. But for now, all meals during the day should include all the macronutrients, which its sources contain micronutrients. First of all when starting a new meal plan, whether it be most of the fad diet or from nutritional background according to your individual needs, it is stressed out that there should be 6 to 7 meals a day with 2 -3 hours in between. This isn’t science, because if you notice the timing of a newborn, they feed every two to three hours, which according to the American Academy of Pediatrics can last up to 2 years of age, even after they start eating solids. So why is it that after elementary school, eating habits begin to deteriorate because of busy schedules and lack of time? Even though an individual is young, that is when the accumulation of fat probably begins, especially with the sedentary.

The solution to get results and to maintain them is re-educating your body to eat properly, and get back in to feeding yourself as if you are a newborn. This also means that it doesn’t matter that you aren’t hungry. How the body works is if you are not giving it nutrients to metabolise, when it finally does receive something it will store any extra for a rainy day when you need energy, such as running from a pitbull or lifting a car to rescue someone. But this almost never happens so the body keeps storing what it does receive as fat. But if you give the body something throughout the day, it will know that in the next few hours, there will be nutrients that can be transformed into energy in case there is an emergency.

  

So you are thinking: I will keep eating proteins and avoid carbs now! Remember that after a few weeks, if you were able to get rid of the water retention, but you have noticed that certain areas of your body have accumulated fat over the holidays where there wasn’t before, fat will keep stored if carbs aren’t available to metabolise. This happens because if the body doesn’t have complex carbohydrates to digest and produce energy, it will find other sources from your own body, in this case your muscles (Catabolism-Glycolysis), after all “fats burn in carbohydrate flames” to keep your energy reserves high. Fat won’t be accessed because you need to increase your heart rate to sub-maximal levels which doesn’t always happen with every day physical activity, and only a meal plan. It only happens with when you do continuous cardio exercises for more than 2 minutes. Without extra physical activity, such as exercise, there is a way to lose your fat stores and that is through a negative energy balance. Your energy balance is calculated using the variables of how many calories you waste in a day and how many you take in (food). If you eat less calories than you waste then you will lose weight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will lose fat because you need the right proportions of nutrients.

So you need the right amount of proteins to keep the muscle mass that you already have, increase it if you want more, you need carbs for energy, and to complete all this, and burn that extra fat off properly the right amount of unsaturated fats in all your meals. That basically is making sure you get enough macro and micronutrients. To boost your metabolism in to reducing water retention, you may consider using one of the cleansing methods, such as soon as you wake up before you ingest anything, drink 300ml of water with 1 lemon juice or even take a day to just eat fruit in all of your meals for the first week or two when starting your meal plan. And remember you also have to consider the other factors for results, your training (30%), how you sleep plus how much stress your daily life causes you, besides how you eat (Ratios to Success).