Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Year's Eve and Must See Video of Team Hoyt

Greetings and Happy New Year to all you! Thanks for all the continued support and your time for reading this blog. It is much appreciated!

Below is an amazing video that you must see. The full story is below also.

Remember, there are no limits. Someone else has already done what you are planning to do and if they can do it, you can do it. Work smarter, not only harder. Seek expert guidance and social support for your journey and goals.

Wishing you all the best on your journey and goals in 2009.
Rock on
Mike N



From Team Hoyt
Special thanks to Andrew and Alex for sharing this.

Racing Towards Inclusion

by David Tereshchuk

Article courtesy of multi'merica.com



Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.

It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk.

For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.

At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.

"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick told me. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."

The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. Within five years, Rick had two younger brothers, and the Hoyts were convinced Rick was just as intelligent as his siblings. Dick remembers the struggle to get the local school authorities to agree: "Because he couldn’t talk they thought he wouldn’t be able to understand, but that wasn’t true." The dedicated parents taught Rick the alphabet. "We always wanted Rick included in everything," Dick said. "That’s why we wanted to get him into public school."

A group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, once they had seen some clear, empirical evidence of Rick’s comprehension skills. "They told him a joke," said Dick. "Rick just cracked up. They knew then that he could communicate!" The engineers went on to build — using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage. Rick came to call it "my communicator." A cursor would move across a screen filled with rows of letters, and when the cursor highlighted a letter that Rick wanted, he would click a switch with the side of his head.

When the computer was originally brought home, Rick surprised his family with his first "spoken" words. They had expected perhaps "Hi, Mom" or "Hi, Dad." But on the screen Rick wrote "Go Bruins." The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season, and his family realized he had been following the hockey games along with everyone else. "So we learned then that Rick loved sports," said Dick.

In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."

Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events. Rick reflected on the transformation process for me, using his now-familiar but ever-painstaking technique of picking out letters of the alphabet:

" What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped when competing is that I am just like the other athletes, and I think most of the athletes feel the same way. In the beginning nobody would come up to me. However, after a few races some athletes came around and they began to talk to me. During the early days one runner, Pete Wisnewski had a bet with me at every race on who would beat who. The loser had to hang the winner’s number in his bedroom until the next race. Now many athletes will come up to me before the race or triathlon to wish me luck."

It is hard to imagine now the resistance which the Hoyts encountered early on, but attitudes did begin to change when they entered the Boston Marathon in 1981, and finished in the top quarter of the field. Dick recalls the earlier, less tolerant days with more sadness than anger:

"Nobody wanted Rick in a road race. Everybody looked at us, nobody talked to us, nobody wanted to have anything to do with us. But you can’t really blame them - people often are not educated, and they’d never seen anyone like us. As time went on, though, they could see he was a person — he has a great sense of humor, for instance. That made a big difference."

After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."

With a newly-built bike (adapted to carry Rick in front) and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam, the Hoyts came in second-to-last in the competition held on Father’s Day 1985.

"We chuckle to think about that as my Father’s Day present from Rick, " said Dick.

They have been competing ever since, at home and increasingly abroad. Generally they manage to improve their finishing times. "Rick is the one who inspires and motivates me, the way he just loves sports and competing," Dick said.

And the business of inspiring evidently works as a two-way street. Rick typed out this testimony:

"Dad is one of my role models. Once he sets out to do something, Dad sticks to it whatever it is, until it is done. For example once we decided to really get into triathlons, dad worked out, up to five hours a day, five times a week, even when he was working."

The Hoyts’ mutual inspiration for each other seems to embrace others too — many spectators and fellow-competitors have adopted Team Hoyt as a powerful example of determination. "It’s been funny," said Dick "Some people have turned out, some in good shape, some really out of shape, and they say ‘we want to thank you, because we’re here because of you’."

Rick too has taken full note of their effect on fellow-competitors while racing:

"Whenever we are passed (usually on the bike) the athlete will say "Go for it!" or "Rick, help your Dad!" When we pass people (usually on the run) they’ll say "Go Team Hoyt!" or "If not for you, we would not be out here doing this."

Most of all, perhaps, the Hoyts can see an impact from their efforts in the area of the handicapped, and on public attitudes toward the physically and mentally challenged.

"That’s the big thing," said Dick. "People just need to be educated. Rick is helping many other families coping with disabilities in their struggle to be included."

That is not to say that all obstacles are now overcome for the Hoyts. Dick is "still bothered," he says, by people who are discomforted because Rick cannot fully control his tongue while eating. "In restaurants - and it’s only older people mostly - they’ll see Rick’s food being pushed out of his mouth and they’ll leave, or change their table. But I have to say that kind of intolerance is gradually being defeated."

Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education. That was followed a few weeks later by another entry in the Boston Marathon. As he fondly pictured it: "On the day of the marathon from Hopkinton to Boston people all over the course were wishing me luck, and they had signs up which read `congratulations on your graduation!’"

Rick now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.

Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.

Rick himself is confident that his visibility — and his father’s dedication — perform a forceful, valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:

"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."

David Tereshchuk is a documentary television producer. He currently works for the United Nations.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Testimonial Time-Kettlebell Instruction


Testimonial Time
I had heard that working with kettlebells would be a good way to get a well rounded work-out. I was concerned with learning proper technique to ensure I would not only get the most benefit, but also decrease the risk of injury from using poor form.

Mike worked with me patiently starting with the basics, building a solid foundation from which to grow. He taught me a few beginning exercises to do, stressing the proper technique and taking me step by step through more complicated moves until I was more comfortable.

I feel he gave me very good training to get me off on the right foot and prevent problems down the road.


Diane - Coon Rapids, MN


Thanks to Diane for stopping by for a KB training session!

Drop me a line if you are interested as 2009 is just around the corner.

Are you ready?

Who is your coach?

Are you going to make great gains in strength and drop some fat?

Are you going to move better in less pain?

Contact me at michaelTnelson AT yahoo DOT com to set up an appointment today

Monday, December 29, 2008

Mike T Nelson Training Updates

Greetings! I get a few questions here and there about what I have been up to training wise, so I have a blog at another address that I have updated with training info. I do practice what I preach and eat my own dog food so to speak.

My current overall goal is to increase strength, but not at the expense of movement quality. I will take moving well and no pain over a 10 lb increase in one of my lifts (although I don't think both of them are mutually exclusive).

You can check it out at www.miketnelsontraining.blogspot.com

I am fortunate since I have a full set up in my garage that I can use myself and train athletes also of course. Yeah I know it gets cold in Minnesota in the winter, but there is never any windchill in the garage and it really is not too bad. I bring all the bars and KBs inside so your hands don't stick to them!

Here are a few interesting ones.

12_27 Sat Bench and DL ME (Max Effort)

12_23_AM bike, Squat and CRF circuit

12_22 Mon AM bike, Squats, Bench RE

12_21 Sun DL Day

12_16_Tues_ Bench and DL day

12_15_08 Mon Asym day at work


Rock on
Mike N

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Body Image and Pain-New Study


Twitter!
Just a heads up that I am on Twitter now. I will be posting some training, nutrition and neurology tips, cool studies I find, what I've been up to, etc. The longer updates will still be by my newsletter (sign up in the upper right of this blog) and blog updates of course! I will have tips and tricks on Twitter that I won't have in other places.

Look for the twitter updates on the right hand side of my blog or you can chose to follow me by clicking this button HERE and then the "follow" button under my pic.

Anything you want to see, feel free to let me know!

New Neurology Study Time
Below is an amazing study showing once again the power of the brain!

The researchers had the subjects view their limb through binoculars to make it appear bigger or smaller. When the limb appeared bigger, the pain was increased. When it was made to look smaller, the pain decreased!

That alone is cool enough, but here is the really amazing part. In this study, they used an objective measure to verify the participants' reports of the pain they experienced. Most of the time Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is used which is simply a rating of pain from 1-10. This has been shown to be repeatable, but it will always be subject to the participant's "feeling"of pain and it is not a direct method.

In this study, they measured the swelling of the fingers in the "pain hand" and compared it with the unaffected hand. They found more inflammation when the participants saw a magnified view of their hands!! So we have a DIRECT measure showing a direct correlation of how they "see" their hand appearing to control inflammation.

Not to beat a dead horse, but once again it shows how we even PERCEIVE an event has a DIRECT effect on inflammation and most likely healing. Wow, that makes your head spin.


Z Health uses these principles also since at a base level it works to correct any bad "maps"in the brain. Remember that the brain is always creating various maps and it primarily gets its information from 1) proprioception (information from the joints) 2) eyes (both vision and eye muscle movements) and 3) vestibular (inner ear "balance"). If any of these systems are sending "bad" information to the brain, them map created is also bad.

If I want to drive to Chicago from Minneapolis and I follow a bad map, how long will it take me? Well, that depends on how fast I drive and how bad my map is! We need a good map or else we are screwed for starters.

Better maps = better movement
Better movement = less pain.


See these related posts
Dopamine, Mood, Movement and Exercise

Mobility Work Is the Missing Link for Fat Loss

Myth Busters: Painful Soft Tissue Work

Pre-emptive Analgesics

Invasion of the Body Snatching Scientists?

Pain Perception and the Neuromatrix of Pain

Overload and Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

Here the abstract and another version of it form Scienficific Amercian.
Thoughts?


Current Biology, Volume 18, Issue 22, R1047-R1048, 25 November 2008

Visual distortion of a limb modulates the pain and swelling evoked by movement

G. Lorimer Moseley1,2,,Timothy J. Parsons1andCharles Spence3

1 Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, UK
2 Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
3 Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK

Summary

The feeling that our body is ours, and is constantly there, is a fundamental aspect of self-awareness [[1]]. Although it is often taken for granted, our physical self-awareness, or body image, is disrupted in many clinical conditions [[2]] (see also [[3]] for a list of such conditions). One common disturbance of body image, in which one limb feels bigger than it really is, can also be induced in healthy volunteers by using local anaesthesia or cutaneous stimulation [[4]]. Here we report that, in patients with chronic hand pain, magnifying their view of their own limb during movement significantly increases the pain and swelling evoked by movement. By contrast, minifying their view of the limb significantly decreases the pain and swelling evoked by movement. These results show a top-down effect of body image on body tissues, thus demonstrating that the link between body image and the tissues is bi-directional.

Source: Scientific America Mind Matters Dec 23, 2008

Distorted Body Images: A Quick and Easy Way to Reduce Pain

As it turns out, size also matters when it comes to pain perception.

By Moheb Costandi

The body image is a mental representation of one's physical appearance, constructed by the brain from past experiences and present sensations. It is an essential component of self-identity, which, when altered, can have dramatic effects on how one perceives oneself. For example, a small proportion of migraine sufferers experience visual hallucinations just before the onset of a headache, in which the body parts appear larger or smaller than they actually are. Lewis Carroll, who is known to have suffered from migraines, documented such hallucinations in Alice in Wonderland.



These body image distortions can have bizarre consequences. Otherwise healthy people report that they have always percived a part of their body as feeling "wrong," and opt to have it removed by amputation; some brain-damaged or psychiatric patients experience alien hand syndrome, in which they deny ownership of a limb, and insist that it is under the control of external forces.

Our perception of our own body can, of course, be easily manipulated. As we walk through a house of mirrors at a fair, for example, we may view ourselves as being very short and fat one minute, and then very tall and thin the next. By looking through a pair of binoculars, a limb can be made to appear disproportionately large or small.
One might think that such temporary manipulations would be of little consequence. After all, we know that our body doesn’t really look like that. However, a study published recently in the journal Current Biology shows that a simple manipulation of the visual image of one's body can significantly alter the perception of pain. These findings have important implications for how clinicians manage the treatment of pain.

Binoculars as Pain Killers
For the study, Lorimer Moseley of Oxford University and his colleagues recruited 10 participants, all of whom suffer from chronic pain in their right arm. The participants were asked to perform a set of movements with their right arm, under different conditions. In one condition, they observed their limb through a pair of binoculars, which magnified their hand to twice its normal size; in another, the binoculars were inverted so that their hands appeared smaller than they actually were.

As they performed the arm movements, the participants were asked to rate the amount of pain they experienced. Each one reported that the pain they felt became markedly worse when they moved their limb. Surprisingly though, every participant also reported that the extent to which their pain increased depended on how their vision had been manipulated. They reported the greatest increase in pain when they saw a magnified view of their hand, and the smallest increase when their hands were minified.

The researchers used an objective measure to verify the participants' reports of the pain they experienced—they measured the swelling of the fingers induced by the movements, and compared it with the unaffected hand. Sure enough, there was more inflammation following the movements when the participants saw a magnified view of their hands. By contrast, the researchers measured less swelling of the fingers following the movements performed with a minified view, in line with the participants' subjective reports of experiencing less pain under that condition.

Furthermore, the visual manipulations also affected the time taken for the participants' pain to return to the level it was at before the movements were performed: recovery to the pre-movement level of pain was quickest in the "minified" condition and slowest in the "magnified" condition.

Top-Down Perception
These findings clearly demonstrate that the mere appearance of a limb—making it appear larger or smaller than normal—can directly modulate our experience of bodily pain. Exactly how distorting the body image in this way affects the perception of pain remains unclear.

One possibility is that magnifying the view of the hand enhances the sense of touch, whereas minifying it has the opposite effect. Some evidence for this comes from a 2001 study, which showed that magnifying subjects' arms improved their ability to discriminate between needle points placed close to each other.

Alternatively, the authors suggest that manipulating the image of the hand may have altered the participants' sense of "ownership" of their painful limb. Viewing magnified images of their hands may have made the participants more aware that the limb belonged to them, thus increasing their sensitivity to the painful sensations originating from it. Conversely, the minifying condition may have "alienated" the participants' arms, reducing their sense of ownership of their limb and thus desensitizing them to the pain felt in them.

Regardless of the mechanism, these findings could lead to new methods for improving the rehabilitation regimes administered to patients with a wide variety of conditions. Most obviously, they point to a simple way for the effective management of chronic pain. They may also prove to be useful in helping patients with alien hand syndrome and related conditions to regain ownership of their limbs.

It is now well known that physical changes to the body alter the brain's representation of it. In the case of amputation, for example, the changes that take place in the brain lead to phenomena such as phantom pain, in which painful sensations are felt from the missing limb. This relationship between body and brain is referred to as "bottom-up"; this study, however, suggests a "top-down" relationship—it seems that the visual inputs (the participants' views of their hands) were sufficient to override the tactile sensations (the felt pain), by fooling the brain into modulating them.

Are you a scientist? Have you recently read a peer-reviewed paper that you want to write about? Then contact Mind Matters editor Jonah Lehrer, the science writer behind the blog The Frontal Cortex and the book Proust Was a Neuroscientist. His next book, How We Decide, will be available in February 2009.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Happy Holidays!


Just wanted to wish all the readers of this blog Happy Holidays!

It is a true honor and privilege to bring you the latest information on health and fitness every week here. I truly appreciate your time and comments.

More great stuff coming in 2009!

Rock on
Mike N

Monday, December 22, 2008

Z Health and Biomechanical vs Neurological Approach


If you talk to any fitness professional, physical therapist, coach, etc you can divide them up into 2 camps by how they view everything

1) Biomechanical
2) Neurological

My incredible personal bias is that the neurologic approach (as taught in Z Health) is a better way of viewing things. I sincerely believe that the biomechanical approach will be surpassed in the next few years. If you think long and hard enough, you eventually come to the realization that something (the brain and nervous system) MAKES the muscle contract! No matter how you slice it, you have to account for the nervous system.

Truth be told, when I started out in the fitness area I was a die hard biomechanical fan. Hell, I did a Master of Mechanical Engineering focusing on biomechanics with my fun classes in the area of anatomy and physiology.

Over time though, I realized that the biomechanical approach was limited. For the full story, see this link HERE to my interview at the Fitcast.

Please note that I am NOT saying that the entire biomechanical approach is incorrect and that you can not get good results from it, but at some point the biomechanical paradigm runs into a ceiling since it is the nervous system that is really controlling everything. What makes a muscle contract? Hmmmm.

If you buy that the nervous system runs the show, then anything can be related to anything, since the nervous system connects all of it. Dr Cobb likes to say "All the body, all the time." Having said that, there are many patterns that show up again and again and generalizations can be made from them.

One question that comes up time and time again is how can working on an opposite joint help? If I bugger up my RIGHT ANKLE, how the heck does working on my LEFT WRIST help my ankle?

The reason to go to the opposite joint is two fold
1) Many times doing ANYTHING on a joint that has an "issue" is going to elicit pain. We know that pain has bad effects on overall performance and the nervous system (see this post HERE.) Ideally, we want to avoid pain. Why would I put you IN pain to get you OUT of pain?

2) The technical term is "interneural limb coupling".

From Kawashima et al "The present results indicate that the neural signal induced by the upper limb movements contributes not merely to enhance, but to shape the lower limb locomotive motor output. Such neural interaction between upper and lower limb motion could be an underlying neural mechanism of human bipedal locomotion."
Source Journal of Neurophysiology

It shows that via the nervous system, the upper and lower limbs are connected.

Without getting too far into pain physiology, active manipulation of the opposite joint seems to affect motor response via interlimb neuralcoupling to the OPPOSITE joint. Many times this results in a decrease in pain, perhaps via the Gate Theory of Pain (although I think newer research shows the Neuromatrix of Pain to be a more robust model).

Non painful mobility work can really be anything you want, but in order to facilitate learning, an ACTIVE mobility drill is best. I use the Z Health R/I Phase drills which are specific wrist movements that the athlete does themselves.

In order to believe that doing something to a different part of the body will affect another part of the body you have to either extend the biomechanical model via fascial trains or go with a nervous system centered model.

All of this is taught in the Z Health R Phase certification. If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me directly by clicking on my name below.

Contact Mike T. Nelson

Thoughts/comments?

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Performance Research October: Sticking Needles in Nerves and Jumping Out of Planes

More studies!

The first one below is interesting since it points to a more central vs a peripheral effect from training.

When I was a grad student doing my masters in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech (yes, I have been in college FOREVER) I volunteered for a study that involved a microneurography as done in the sudy below. They take a very small needle and stick it directly in the nerve to measure nerve traffic. It was then hooked up to a speaker so that the researcher could hear the nerve impulses to know if he was in the right spot or not.

As he was prodding around in the nerve behind my right knee, I could feel the a sharp shooting pain into my foot or a dull ache around the knee. Very odd.

I used the money from the study to then jump out of a plane (sky diving). I actually did it on a static line so I had to literally crawl out and hang off this pull up bar mounted under the wing of the plane since I had to be a stable position before I let go. Add to this that I am terrified of heights and I was scared out of my skull. I made it, but I took so long to get out to the wing that the pilot had to circle the drop zone again. I am glad I did it, but that was BY FAR the most terrifying experience of my life.

On to the studies!

Resistance exercise training enhances sympathetic nerve activity during fatigue-inducing isometric handgrip trials.


Saito M, Iwase S, Hachiya T.


Applied Physiology Laboratory, Toyota Technological Institute, 2-12 Hisakata Tmpaku-ku, Nagoya, 468-8511, Japan, msaito@toyota-ti.ac.jp.

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) was investigated 1 week before (pre-training), 1 week after, and 4-6 weeks after strength training using fatigue-inducing handgrip exercises and post-exercise forearm occlusion. Eighteen volunteers underwent forearm training, which consisted of 30 maximal effort, 10-s-duration static handgrips, 4 days per week for 4 weeks. A second group of 18 volunteers served as a control. MSNA was recorded from the tibial nerve by microneurography. Maximal handgrip force increased at 1 week post-training.


The MSNA response during fatigued handgrip also increased at 1 week post-training, as compared to pre-training (52.6 +/- 5.8 vs. 40.6 +/- 4.4 bursts min(-1) (mean +/- SEM), respectively). However, at 4 weeks post-training, MSNA activity returned to the pre-training level (44.0 +/- 5.2 bursts min(-1); p < style="font-weight: bold;">

Conclusion: Our results indicate that an increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) response after strength training is likely to be the result of central neural factors rather than the muscle metaboreflex.

Recurrence quantification analysis of surface electromyographic signal: Sensitivity to potentiation and neuromuscular fatigue.


Morana C, Ramdani S, Perrey S, Varray A.


EA 2991 Motor Efficiency and Deficiency Laboratory, University of Montpellier 1, Faculty of Sport Sciences, 700 Avenue du Pic Saint Loup, 34090 Montpellier, France. This study aimed to assess the capacity of recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) to detect potentiation and to determine the fatigue components to which RQA is sensitive. Fifteen men were divided in two groups [8 endurance-trained athletes (END) and 7 power-trained athletes (POW)]. They performed a 10-min intermittent (5s contraction, 5s rest) knee extension exercise at 50% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction. Muscular fatigue and potentiation were evaluated with neurostimulation technique. Mechanical (peak torque, Pt) and electrophysiological (M-wave) responses following electrical stimulation of the femoral nerve were measured at rest and every 10s throughout exercise.


Vastus lateralis muscle activity (root mean square, RMS) was recorded during each contraction, and RMS was normalized to M-wave area (RMS/M). During contraction, muscle activity was analyzed with RQA to obtain the percentage of determinism (%Det). At the beginning of exercise, a significant Pt increase (+52%, P<0.001) style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusion: These two results indicated that recurrence quantification analysis detected the peripheral component of fatigue. Conversely, recurrence quantification analysis did not detect central adaptation to fatigue since %Det remained constant when a significant increase in RMS/M (P<0.01)>

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Reserach Update Dec: BCAAs and Athletic Performance


A newer study for all of ya. While BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) did not direct enhance athletic performance they may reduce muscle soreness. I was not able to get a full copy of the study, so I don't have any details to share and just more questions about the study.

Whey protein is a great source of BCAAs, so be sure to include some around your training time. Check out the other posts on below:

International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing

Performance Research for August: Protein Synthesis

Charles Saley Seminar: Dave Barr and Supplements


If you are interested in the effects of the immune system and inflammation, be sure to check out the guest blog post from Dr. Lonnie Lowery HERE.


Branched-chain amino acid supplementation does not enhance athletic performance but affects muscle recovery and the immune system.

Negro M, Giardina S, Marzani B, Marzatico F.
J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2008 Sep;48(3):347-51.Links


Since the 1980's there has been high interest in branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) by sports nutrition scientists. The metabolism of BCAA is involved in some specific biochemical muscle processes and many studies have been carried out to understand whether sports performance can be enhanced by a BCAA supplementation. However, many of these researches have failed to confirm this hypothesis. Thus, in recent years investigators have changed their research target and focused on the effects of BCAA on the muscle protein matrix and the immune system. Data show that BCAA supplementation before and after exercise has beneficial effects for decreasing exercise-induced muscle damage and promoting muscle-protein synthesis. Muscle damage develops delayed onset muscle soreness: a syndrome that occurs 24-48 h after intensive physical activity that can inhibit athletic performance. Other recent works indicate that BCAA supplementation recovers peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation in response to mitogens after a long distance intense exercise, as well as plasma glutamine concentration. The BCAA also modifies the pattern of exercise-related cytokine production, leading to a diversion of the lymphocyte immune response towards a Th1 type.

According to these findings, it is possible to consider the BCAA as a useful supplement for muscle recovery and immune regulation for sports events.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Research Update: December: Ergogenics-Caffeine and Asprin

Here is a video of a bunch of crazy Minnesota kiteboarders from the last trip to South Padre Texas at the end of Nov and early Dec. If you look closely around 2:22 you will see yours truly and Jodie enjoy a great post session beer (Shiner Bock, the local brew is great). The live action kicks in around 4 minute mark.

Special thanks to Randy for the video! Nothing better than a great day on the beach, some kiteboarding in great winds, sunlight and lots of great friends. Excellent times!



More research!
I am behind on getting some cool studies out to all of you. If you have any questions at all, feel free to post them in the comments and I will try to get to them as soon as I can. I know many smart people read this blog, so I am interested in your thoughts or even just basic questions so that all of us can learn more.

Very cool study since caffeine in higher doses may have an analgesic (pain killing) effect. Adding aspirin may work via a similar mechanism also.

I remember "back in the day" some strength coaches promoting a baby aspirin before lifting for this effect and also so that it may thin your blood a bit for better oxygen delivery. I have not see any research on the latter and personally I am not a fan of blunting the pain response for strength training at all since pain is vital feedback--you want to know if you did something wrong!

The only time it may be worth trying is for very long distance events (tris, marathons) if you are doing it as a professional and your income depends on upon it. Even then I would highly recommend those athletes to try a higher dose of caffeine first IN TRAINING. Do NOT make ANY changes before a big race!

We know that pain negatively affects performance, so the theory behind the study is sound. The tricky part is that caffeine has many different physiologic effects in the body.

Interestingly, caffeine, aspirin (or acetaminophen aka Tylenol) is commonly found in over the counter headache medicine.

Effects of caffeine and aspirin on light resistance training performance, perceived exertion, and pain perception.

Hudson GM, Green JM, Bishop PA, Richardson MT.

Department of Health, Human Performance, & Recreation, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA. Geoffrey_Hudson@baylor.edu

This study compared independent effects of caffeine and aspirin on muscular endurance (repetitions), heart rate (HR), perceived exertion (RPE), and perceived pain index (PPI) during light resistance training bouts performed to volitional failure. It was hypothesized that the hypoalgesic properties of these ergogenic aids would decrease pain perception and potentially result in enhanced performance.

College-aged men (n = 15) participated in a within-subjects, double-blind study with three independent, counterbalanced sessions wherein aspirin (10 mg x kg(-1)), caffeine (6 mg x kg(-1)), or matched placebo were ingested 1 hour before exercise, and RPE, HR, PPI, and repetitions (per set and total per exercise) were recorded at 100% of individual, predetermined, 12-repetition maximum for leg extensions (LE) and seated arm curls (AC). Repeated-measures analyses of variance were used for between-trial comparisons.

Caffeine resulted in significantly greater (p <>or= 5 repetitions) for total repetitions, with 53% exceeding the effect size (>or= 2 repetitions) for repetitions in set 1 with caffeine (vs. placebo). In AC, 53% (total repetitions) and 47% (set 1 repetitions) of participants exceeded effect sizes with caffeine (vs. placebo), with only 13% experiencing decrements in performance (total repetitions). Aspirin also produced a higher PPI and RPE overall and in set 1 (vs. placebo).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that caffeine significantly enhanced resistance training performance in leg extensions and arm curls, whereas aspirin did not. Athletes may improve their resistance training performance by acute ingestion of caffeine. As with most ergogenic aids, our analyses indicate that individual responses vary greatly.

My notes:
The caffeine dose used here is on the higher end and comes out to be about 600 mg for an adult male around my size (about 21o lbs), which is about 3-4 standard cups of coffee.

It showed that caffeine at this dose for this protocol did help performance.

Ironically, asprin INCREASED the percieved pain and RPE (rating of percieved effort--the weights felt heavier) which is an odd finding.

See related posts below

More Caffeine!!

Caffeine and Testosterone--Is There a Connection?

Another Coffee Study and Caffeine Speeds Recovery?

Red Bull Will Give You a Stroke! What?

Update on Energy Drinks--Caffeine experts call for warning labels for energy drinks

Thursday, December 18, 2008

You Need to Watch This! USC Football Coach Pete Carroll

WOW! What an amazing coach and human being.
Special thanks to Cal Dietz and Ron for sending this to me.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Research Update: December: Fat Loss part 2

If you did not read yesterday's post, be sure to go back and check it out HERE. Here another interesting study on social support and fat loss.

Weight loss treatment influences untreated spouses and the home environment: evidence of a ripple effect.


Gorin AA, Wing RR, Fava JL, Jakicic JM, Jeffery R, West DS, Brelje K, Dilillo VG; Look AHEAD Home Environment Research Group.


Department of Psychology, Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. amy.gorin@uconn.edu OBJECTIVES: To examine whether a weight loss program delivered to one spouse has beneficial effects on the untreated spouse and the home environment. METHODS: We assessed untreated spouses of participants in three sites of Look AHEAD, a multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of intentional weight loss on cardiovascular outcomes in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes. Participants and spouses (n=357 pairs) were weighed and completed measures of diet and physical activity at 0 and 12 months. Spouses completed household food and exercise environment inventories. We examined differences between spouses of participants assigned to the intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) or to the enhanced usual care (DSE; diabetes support and education).


RESULTS: Spouses of ILI participants lost -2.2+/-4.5 kg vs -0.2+/-3.3 kg in spouses of DSE participants (P<0.001).> or =5% of their body weight than DSE spouses (26 vs 9%, P<0.001). p="0.007)" p="0.012)" p="0.05)." style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold;">

CONCLUSION: The reach of behavioral weight loss treatment can extend to a spouse, suggesting that social networks can be utilized to promote the spread of weight loss, thus creating a ripple effect.

My notes: So if you are going to hit the weights hard and get your nutrition in order, enroll the support of your wife/significant other in the process.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Performance Research for Decemeber: Fat Loss--Supplements and Social Support

Greetings! The current temp this AM in snowy and cold Minnesota was -11F--friggin cold that is what!

Jodie and I had an awesome time skiing and snowboarding (she was the two planker) this past weekend up at Indianhead in da UP of MI. We took the bus with a bunch of other craziest (Ski Hawks--whooo ha) and got there in time Friday night for a tasty adult style beverage (Bells White Ale) and some live music and dancing.

Saturday we were up early and skied and boarded all day in great snow! Sat night after a group dinner we did some more dancing again and then more boarding and skiing on Sunday before the bus ride home.

It was a great time and I already have 2 days logged this winter on my snowboard which is more than all of last year. Back to reality now and tons to get done this week as always.

That Time Again!
It is that time again, New Year's Eve is about 2 weeks away! Are you going to avoid the Happy Holiday Weight Gain? What is your plan? You do have a plan, right? Here are some tips to help you out based on some brand new research.

Telephone-based diet and exercise coaching and a weight-loss supplement result in weight and fat loss in 120 men and women.


Tucker LA, Cook AJ, Nokes NR, Adams TB.

College of Health and Human Performance, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. tucker@byu.edu PURPOSE: Determine the effects of telephone-based coaching and a weight-loss supplement on the weight and body fat (BF) of overweight adults.

DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled experiment with assessments at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months.

SETTING: Community. SUBJECTS: Sixty overweight or obese men and 60 overweight or obese women, 25 to 60 years INTERVENTION: Eleven 30-minute telephone coaching sessions were spaced throughout the study; the initial conversation lasted 60 to 90 minutes. Supplement or placebo capsules were taken daily over the 17 weeks.


MEASURES: Weight was measured using an electronic scale, and BF was assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.

RESULTS: Subjects taking the placebo lost 1.8 +/- 3.3 kg of weight and 0.7 +/- 2.2 kg of BF, whereas supplement users lost more: 3.1 +/- 3.7 kg of weight (F = 4.1, P = .045) and 1.7 +/- 2.6 kg of BF (F = 4.4, p = .039). Participants receiving no coaching lost 1.8 +/- 3.3 kg of weight and 0.7 +/- 2.2 kg of BF, whereas adults receiving coaching lost more: 3.2 +/- 3.6 kg of weight (F = 4.8, p = .032) and 1.6 +/- 2.5 kg of BF (F = 4.2, p = .044). Adults receiving both the supplement and coaching had the greatest losses of weight and BF, suggesting an additive effect (F = 3.2, p = .026; F = 2.9, p = .039, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS: Both treatments, coaching and the supplement, viewed separately and in combination, worked to help subjects lose weight and body fat. Adults can be educated and motivated via telephone to change behaviors leading to weight loss, and a weight-loss supplement can be included to increase success.

My Notes:
It shows that having someone check up on you and provide social support makes a difference! Another reason why most (not all) do not succeed on their own--get some professional help and at min enroll support from your family and friends.

I found it interesting that they did not mention what supplement was used in the abstract. Here it is from the research study:


Each capsule contained 700 mg of
supplement, and the fotir capsules
together inclttded the following: vitamin
B| (15 mg), vitamin Bg (10 mg),
niacinamide (SO mg), vitamin B5
(50 mg), \'itamin Bf, (2 mg), xntamin
B|¡; (1 mg), biodn (2 mg), vitamin C
(22.5 mg), vitamin D (1000 IU), dimethylglycine
(100 mg), chromium
(0.05 mg), copper (0.5 mg), magnesitim
(200 mg), vanadyl sulphate
(1 mg), manganese citrate (1 mg),
zinc glticonate (10 mg), indium sulphate
(25 mg), Cardnia cambogia
(250 mg), Gymnema sylvestre (10:1;
100 mg), bitter melon (10:1; 70 mg),
cinnamon bark (500 mg), Poria cocos
(5:1; 100 mg), Rhizoma zingiberis (4:1;
50 mg), green tea (10:1; 100 mg),
Korean ginseng (100 mg), L-theanine
(50 mg), gamma-aminobtityric acid
(50 mg), alpha lipoic acid (110 mg).
Calcárea carbónica (12X; 10 mg), natrum
stilphuricum (12X; 10 mg), graphites
(30C1; 10 mg), nux vómica
(30C; 10 mg), lycopodium (30C;
10 mg), and glucomannan (700 mg).


My Notes (continued):
It should be noted that the supplement only accounted for an additional fat loss of 1.2 kg over the course of the study in over 17 weeks of use---so not much at all. I am also not a fan of "kitchen sink" supplements like this one. Let's put everything in one supplement and hope that SOMETHING in there will work! Pleeeeeeze.

The study was quite weak on what the subjects actually DID, and comparing weight loss to fat loss, most loss almost the same amount of lean body mass as they did fat! That is NOT good as long term you may depress your metabolic rate.


Summary
Social support can make a difference, especially if combined with an intelligent strength training and nutrition plan. Most fat loss supplements have zero to a very small effect, spend your money on professional help instead of supplements! At least this company ran an actual trial and conducted some science, as most supplement companies do NOT do this. Just call and ask them.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Performance Research for December: Ergogenics and Exercise: Albuterol


Greetings! Jodie and I are off on a short ski trip to da UP of Michigan this weekend. I am excited as I have not been out snowboarding this year and only made it out a pathetic 3 times last winter; so time to kick off this season right! The UP has 70 inches of snow already, but it looks like it may be brutally cold. Current temp as I type this is a super warm 7 degree F. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Here is an interesting study from our fine friends in France on the possible mechanism of salbutamol during exercise. It is also known as albuterol and is a short-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist used for the relief asthma (normally found in common inhalers).

Salbutamol intake and substrate oxidation during submaximal exercise.


Arlettaz A, Le Panse B, Portier H, Lecoq AM, Thomasson R, De Ceaurriz J, Collomp K.


Laboratoire Activité Motrice et Adaptation Psychophysiologique, UFR STAPS, Université d'Orléans, 2, Allée du Château, BP6237, 45062, Orléans Cedex 2, France.

In order to test the hypothesis that salbutamol would change substrate oxidation during submaximal exercise, eight recreationally trained men twice performed 1 h at 60% VO(2) peak after ingestion of placebo or 4 mg of salbutamol. Gas exchange was monitored and blood samples were collected during exercise for GH, ACTH, insulin, and blood glucose and lactate determination.


With salbutamol versus placebo, there was no significant difference in total energy expenditure and substrate oxidation, but the substrate oxidation balance was significantly modified after 40 min of exercise. ACTH was significantly decreased with salbutamol during the last 10 min of exercise, whereas no difference was found between the two treatments in the other hormonal and metabolic parameters.


Conclusion: The theory that the ergogenic effect of salbutamol results from a change in substrate oxidation has little support during relatively short term endurance exercise, but it is conceivable that longer exercise duration can generate positive findings.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Team EliteFTS 2008 Holiday Tips

EliteFTS has just released their Holiday Tips ebook. There are tons of great tips in there and the best part is that ALL proceeds go to the Make-A-wish Foundation for a min contribution of 10 clams. You really can't beat that. I just ordered mine last night. Click on the link below to pick up your copy now.

Full disclosure, I of course get NO money to promote this. It is a great cause and great price, so go there now and pick it up.


Team Elitefts Holiday Tips (e-Book)
from their link above

All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Foundation®



Get inside advice from some of the world’s top personal trainers, coaches and strength athletes while benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. .

Team EliteFTS 2008 Holiday Tips contains 137 tips to get through the holidays with relatives, no gym,commercial gyms,holiday food and parties.This also includes 10 workout programs and one Circa-Max Raw Bench Press Program to peak your bench before the new year. As always you will find our usual EliteFTS humor scattered throughout the manual.

We request a minimum $10 contribution for this e-book, but we are leaving the option to donate extra if you like.

Of the 24 Team Elite FTS members who contributed to this publication, several have had their work published in national magazines.

Writers include:

Dave Tate—Founder of Elite Fitness Systems; renowned speaker and author and professional powerlifter

Mike Hanley—President of Hanley Strength Systems, LLC and Owner of The Training Studio in Morganville, NJ

Jim Wendler—Senior Editor and Sales Manager of Elite Fitness Systems

The Thinker—Parts Unknown, but a student of Soviet and Eastern Bloc training methodologies.

Alwyn Cosgrove—International Tae Kwon-Do champion; Renown personal trainer, writer and motivational, personal training and business speaker

Zach Even-Esh—Personal trainer and operator of Underground Strength Coach
Jim “Smitty” Smith—Strength Coach with the Diesel Crew

CJ Murphy—Owner and Head Instructor at Total Performance Sports

Shelby Starnes—Nutritionist at Troponin Nutrition

The Angry Coach—When someone is this angry, you learn not to ask questions

Brian Schwab—No. 1 ranked powerlifter at 148 pounds; WPO Lightweight Champion

Marc Bartley—Owner of Total Gym in South Carolina; One of the premier powerlifters at 275 pounds

Chad Aichs—WPO competitor in the super heavyweight division; Holds AWPC records in all three lifts and the WPO three-lift bench press record

Julia Ladewski—Sports performance coach and No. 1 ranked female powerlifter at 132 pounds

Matt Kroczaleski—One of the top powerlifters in the world at 220 pounds; 2006 WPO World Champion

Scott Yard—Top bench press and world record setting powerlifting competitor

Chris Clark—Super heavyweight division competitive powerlifter

Justin Harris—Owner of Tropinin Nutrition and the reigning Jr. USA Super Heavyweight Bodybuilding Champion.

Jeremy Frey—Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the collegiate level; champion powerlifter

Scott Cartwright—Competitive powerlifter who has achieved Elite status in both the 275- and 308-pound weight classes

AJ Roberts—Director of Personal Training and Youth Fitness at a health club in Owensboro, Ky.; Ranked among the top powerlifters in the world in two weight classes.

Jason Ferruggia—Renowned strength and conditioning specialist in the New York/New Jersey area; has trained more than 700 athletes from over 90 different NCAA, NFL, NHL and MLB organizations

Rob Pilger—Known for producing winners and champions in several sports; people seeking fat loss and lean muscular gains have enjoyed much success with his methods

Mike Szudarek—Elite-level powerlifter in the 220-pound weight class; serves on the advisory board for the American Powerlifting Federation.


Team Elitefts Holiday Tips (e-Book) (click it for a link)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Another Study on Vitamin D

Here is yet another abstract of Vitamin D status as it seems to be all the rage now (and for good reason).
Be sure to check out my earlier post on Vitamin D and Muscle Strength HERE.

A vitamin D nutritional cornucopia: new insights concerning the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of the US population


Anthony W Norman1


It is generally agreed that the serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in healthy persons is the best indicator of the vitamin D status of patients with vitamin D–related disease states (1). The report by Looker et al (2) in this issue of the Journal provides a cornucopia of new insights into the vitamin D nutritional status of US citizens from 1988 through 2004. In particular, this report compares serum 25(OH)D concentrations of 20 289 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2000–2004 with those of 18 158 participants in NHANES III (1988–1994). For the first time, results were reported for children 1–11 y old, pregnant women, and the Mexican American population.


The most important finding in the report is that the mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations of persons ≥12 y old fell by {approx}5–20 nmol/L between 1988–1994 and 2000–2004. Assay changes, which were unrelated to changes in 25(OH)D status, accounted for a portion of this apparent difference between the 2 study groups; nevertheless, at the end of the complex analysis, there still was a significant (7.1 nmol/L) reduction in 25(OH)D concentrations in males (except Mexican Americans) but not in most female groups. This result is potentially disturbing if it represents the beginning of the downward trend in serum 25(OH)D concentrations that has been seen over the past 10–15 y. It will therefore be essential to repeat this study after another decade.


The vitamin D cornucopia that Looker et al provided contains a variety of other novel and important observations. These include differences in 25(OH)D status 1) by ethnicity and sex in non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans; 2) by age group (1–5, 6–11, 12–19, 20–49, 50–69, or ≥70 y old); 3) by season (November–March or April–October); and 4) by pregnancy status. In addition, a second vitamin D cornucopia can be found under "Supplementary data" in the current online issue. This material contains extensive data on 4 topics: 1) a comparison of 25(OH)D assay methods; 2) seasonal variations in serum 25(OH)D by race-ethnicity in persons ≥12 y old; 3) the prevalence of serum 25(OH)D concentrations < 25 nmol/L (an indication of nutritional vitamin D deficiency); and 4) the prevalence of serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations below selected thresholds by age, sex, and race-ethnicity.


Some readers may be troubled by 2 technical aspects of the study by Looker et al. A potentially confounding problem is that there was an evolution in 25(OH)D assay methodology between the first study in 1988–1994 and the second study in 2000–2004. Possible assay differences were assessed by repeating measurements of the 25(OH)D concentrations in 150 stored serum samples from NHANES III with the samples from the 2000–2004 samples. Looker et al used sophisticated statistical techniques to tease out the shift in the mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations between the 2 decades that was due to changes in assay methods. This problem was recently discussed in detail (3). However, there still is a need for significant improvements in 25(OH)D assays so that consistent and precise assay results may be obtained over multiyear periods.


The second potential concern relates to the protocol used in NHANES; that is, the serum samples were collected in the US southern latitudes (<35 °N) only in November–March and in the US northern latitudes (>35 °N) only in April–October. Thus, the magnitude of the seasonal fall in 25(OH)D concentrations in the winter in the northern latitudes is underestimated, as is the increase in concentrations in the summer in the southern latitudes. Ideally, in a study focusing on serum 25(OH)D concentrations, there should be no bias of the time of the year for the latitude at which the serum samples were collected. These same concerns also apply to the involvement of the vitamin D endocrine system with the disease process of cancer. Epidemiologic studies have suggested a direct link between greater sunlight (ultraviolet B light) production of vitamin D3 in populations living at lower latitudes and lower incidences of breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4). Other studies have shown that persons with low serum concentrations of 25(OH)D (ie, <8 nmol/L) had a higher incidence of cancer (5), which reinforces the need to improve vitamin D nutritional status.


The study by Looker et al is particularly important, given the current concerns about the appropriate recommendations for the daily intake of vitamin D3 (6, 7). The current adequate intake allowance of vitamin D, recommended in 1997, is considered by many scientists to be too low and to be focused only on vitamin D's actions on calcium and bone issues (1). However, over the past decade, new evidence has shown that there are 5 additional physiologic systems in which the vitamin D receptor and its cognate steroid hormone, 1{alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1{alpha},25(OH)2D3], generate biological responses (8). These are the immune, pancreas, heart-cardiovascular, muscle, and brain systems; the control of the cell cycle and thus of the disease process of cancer is also involved. Acting through the vitamin D receptor, the steroid hormone 1{alpha},25(OH)2D can produce a wide array of favorable biological effects that collectively are projected to contribute to the improvement of human health. The sphere of influence of the vitamin D endocrine system, updated to include physiologic systems beyond calcium and bone, is shown in Figure 1Go.

FIGURE 1. Summary of the vitamin D endocrine system. Target organs for the steroid hormone 1{alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1{alpha},25(OH)2D3] are defined by the presence of the vitamin D receptor (VDR); ≥37 tissues are known to possess the VDR (8). The paracrine production of 1{alpha}, 25(OH)2D3 is known to occur in at least 10 tissues (8). New evidence shows that 5 additional physiologic systems (immune, pancreas, heart-cardiovascular, muscle, and brain systems) and the traditional intestinal-bone calcium system are responsible for producing biological vitamin D–related responses that are important to good health.


The size of the NHANES study group is large, and one of its greatest values is that it provides the opportunity for study of the nutritional status of major ethnic groups in the US population. The 25(OH)D data from a properly diverse study group will allow appropriate health-care decisions to be made for each ethnic subgroup. It is essential that the next chapter of the NHANES process will include appropriate measurements and evaluations to provide insight into the 25(OH)D nutritional status of all 6 of the physiologic systems that make up the vitamin D endocrine system.

Conclusion: The report of Looker et al should be required reading for all nutritionists, clinicians, and vitamin D aficionados who are decision makers with regard to 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays, vitamin D nutritional policy, and the care of patients with vitamin D–related diseases.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Reflexive Lifting and Updates

Happy Monday!

I am up bright and early to go see Brad "No Relation" Nelson at Kinetic Edge to work on some of my sports specific motions as I am prepping for the live portion of the Z Health Master Trainer program that will be held in CA in early January. I started the program this past March and each month with have a set of assignments and conference calls. It will be good to have some review my sprint techniques and other S Phase movements.

Acupuncture and Pain Thoughts

I asked a student who is almost done studying TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) about his thoughts on my acupuncture post (click HERE for it) and here is what he had to say

Thanks for the thought...I don't even want to touch it in a way....it is such a huge discussion where do you begin. Acupuncture moves qi and blood. To say anything else--it is like where do you start? It is like yes it works for many things but in TCM you can't disregard the herbal aspect since the combination therapy is usually always better....so difficult to discuss...it is like doing a study on whether iron dumbbells are better than plastic bells. Placebo yes to extent...bedside manner....time with the patient/perceived care...how much stimulation with each point...what pattern or condition is the patient in...you are getting stuck with a needle so regardless there is going to be a response from the body neuro/chem/physiologic... I just like to tell people that I think I can help them...and let the individual be the judge if acupuncture "works"

It is like the more you know and see the less you feel you know...(that is where I am at with the medicine---but that is what make it cool.)


Take care,
mase

Reflexive Lifting

One thing I have been playing around with more in training lately are eye movements.

The eyes have an effect on reflexes and can be used to improve your lifts. Sounds insane I know.

Here is a great article by Dr. Cobb that outlines it below:

Reflexive Lifting: How To Make Your Neural Reflexes Work With You And Not Against You!

Play around with it and let me know what you find.

I am sure most of us remember the Olympics and watching Lo lo hit the last hurdle as she looked UP at the monitor and took her eyes off the hurdle in front of her (see the video below at 1:46 and notice her head position vs the other athletes).

A simple one to try is on a bench press to watch the bar as you lower it to your chest and then move your eyes back up to the position that you want the bar to be at once you are done (e.g lockout). Moving the eyes up tends to facilitate extension (as in tricep extension).

If you are interested in these concepts, they are covered in the Z Health I Phase Cert.

My training log is pretty updated for those that are interested. Check out the link below
Mike T Nelson Training Blogspot.

Nothing huge for weights yet, but just working back into it after a nice trip to S Padre; so I will be all good to go this week. For those new to it, my main overarching priority is movement quality so if a lift degrades my movement, I don't do it.

Enjoy!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Supplement Usage: Protein Powder, Creatine, Beta Alanine, etc

(note: There were a few typos in the earlier version since I may have published an earlier rev. All fixed now--thanks Brad).

Question: So given the extensive information below (see this post HERE), what daily supplements do you take?
Charles


Answer:

Thanks for the good question!

Yep, the whole area of supplements can be incredibly confusing. Add in that some companies spend millions on advertising with normally little to zero scientific backing and the consumer is many times left confused.

Supplements are just that SUPPLEMENTS to a healthy lifestyle. I think it was Paul Chek that said something like (paraphrasing here), "supplement are like gold nails and food is like the wood. If you use gold nails to put together crappy wood (poor nutrition), it will not work very well."

I don't get too concerned over supplements until athletes can hit 90% compliance on their nutrition plan. There are times when I may add a supplement(s) sooner, but that depends on the time line I have and the issues that are going on. The following are ones I think most can use.

The list
1) Protein supplement: This is mostly just a convenience item since I like to have athletes get some protein at every meal. There are some data showing that the addition of a whey protein around training time is a big benefit (nutrient timing). Plus it is very convenient.

2) Fish oil/Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs): Most just don't get enough fish oils (EPA and DHA) or enough Omega 3 fatty acids (an EFA) in their diet, period. These oils are used EVERYWHERE in the body and are literally incorporated into almost EVERY CELL. No, these will not make you fat, and many times are the reason you are NOT deflating that spare tire. Are they "magical?"--no, but they are essential and most don't get enough.

3) Greens/fruit veggies supplement: Again for convenience. Just like EFAs, most don't eat enough fruit/veggies. They also lie their butts off and say they get "enough" as shown by studies where most OVER estimate how many servings of fruits/veggies they eat. There are some limited data that a more basic diet (think more fruits/veggies) is better for muscle growth too and general health.

4) Multi Vitamin: Don't go overboard on this, just cheap insurance.

Others to add:
5) Creatine monohydrate: Don't waste your money on any other form as there are virtually zero studies showing any additional benefit. Plus this form is by far the cheapest. There are some newer data showing possible cool neuro protective effects too. Side effects in almost every study have been extremely minor.

Optional depending on goals:
6) Beta Alanine: If you are doing some very high intensity work (e.g. repeated sprints, sports, intervals, etc) this may be one to try out. The current data looks promising, but it is far from conclusive. Personally, I notice a difference as beta alanine helps to buffer those pesky H ions (the ones that cause that burning feeling).
Be sure to check out this link to other beta alanine studies HERE.

7) L-Carnitine: Dave Barr is a big fan of this one. Check out his info HERE. There was one study showing that L Carnitine may need high levels of insulin in order to "push" it in.

8) Anti oxidants: Vit C and Vit E are the big ones. Remember that any antioxidant can be a PRO oxidant at a high enough dose so don't go crazy. Notice a moderation theme yet?

9) Vit D: Esp is you live in a northern climate in the winter (uh, like Minnesota). I personally promote more vacations to warm climates, but that is not always possible. See this link for a cool study I put up the other day on Vit D and muscle growth/strength.

10) Probiotic: These work to help restore the healthy bacteria in your gut. If you have had antibiotics within the past 1-2 years and any digestion issues, this would be worth a try in most cases.

11) Proteolytic Enzymes: These can work to push down inflammation and promote healing. Most need higher doses between meals though, but they seem to work great for acute/chronic injuries/pain. Mobility work like Z Health is HUGE for those issues too.

For me personally, I typically use
Protein powder, Udo's oil (EFAs), creatine, L carnitine (with pro/cho drink around training time), beta alanine (when doing more intervals and trying to increase CRF), Vit C (500 mg), Vit E (400 IUs).

If I travel, I may use a bit more since my access to fruits/veggies/food is more limited.

I take 2 hours on Sundays to prepare all my food for the week so I am good to go come Monday AM. I use Dr. John Berardi's Precision Nutrition system---it rocks!

Summary
I know that seems like a lot, but most are not using all of these at the same time and not right away. Get your nutrition in order first. There are some many compounds in food that we have no idea about yet. I think broccoli alone has something like 300 different polyphenols in it.

Your mom was right, eat your fruits and veggies.

Thoughts? What do you current use? Results?

Friday, December 5, 2008

Vitamin D and Strength?


Below is a great review on Vit D and muscle tissue/function. I need to thank Dr. John Berardi at Precision Nutrition for finding this one. I love the PN (Precision Nutrition) system and use it with all my athletes.

Keep in mind that while a Vit D deficiency has many issues (poor muscle function being one of them), BUT this does NOT mean that mega doses of it will promote more muscle growth (atleast not that I have seen in the literature anywhere).

Keep in mind that sunlight is going to be your best source of Vit D as the body has this super cool autoregulatory system set up where it is impossible to get too much Vit D from the sun!

Although you can still get a nasty sun burn and look like Randy The Red Lobster, so be careful. My favorite way to get more sunlight is kiteboarding in warm climates!

At the Annual ACSM conference I went to this past Spring, a top researcher from Australia stated (paraphrasing) that Vit D and Iron are the only 2 tests that she conducts on female athlete's training for the Olympics since the change of being defficient is so high.

Vitamin D and skeletal muscle tissue and function.
Ceglia L.

Mol Aspects Med. 2008 Dec;29(6):407-14. Epub 2008 Aug 8

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Bone Metabolism Laboratory, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, United States.

This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the role of vitamin D in skeletal muscle tissue and function. Vitamin D deficiency can cause a myopathy of varying severity. Clinical studies have indicated that vitamin D status is positively associated with muscle strength and physical performance and inversely associated with risk of falling. Vitamin D supplementation has shown to improve tests of muscle function, reduce falls, and possibly impact on muscle fiber composition and morphology in vitamin D deficient older adults.

Molecular mechanisms of vitamin D action on muscle tissue include genomic and non-genomic effects via a receptor present in muscle cells. Genomic effects are initiated by binding of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)(2)D] to its nuclear receptor, which results in changes in gene transcription of mRNA and subsequent protein synthesis. Non-genomic effects of vitamin D are rapid and mediated through a cell surface receptor. Knockout mouse models of the vitamin D receptor provide insight into understanding the direct effects of vitamin D on muscle tissue.

Recently, VDR polymorphisms have been described to affect muscle function. Parathyroid hormone which is strongly linked with vitamin D status also may play a role in muscle function; however, distinguishing its role from that of vitamin D has yet to be fully clarified.

Despite the enormous advances in recent decades, further research is needed to fully characterize the exact underlying mechanisms of vitamin D action on muscle tissue and to understand how these cellular changes translate into clinical improvements in physical performance.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Invasion of the Body Snatching Scientists?

The following is a really cool article from the NY Times about tricking the brain into thinking you are in someone else's body.

Researchers in other studies (1) have used a mirror box to trick the brain of amputees into thinking they had a real limb and therefore potentially decrease phantom limb pain. This takes it a whole new direction and even further.

References
1. Chan BL, R Witt, AP Charrow, et al. Mirror therapy for phantom limb pain. N Engl J Med. . 2007; 357(21):2206-7.
See my previous post on Pain and Performance

Enjoy!

Standing in Someone Else’s Shoes, Almost for Real

By BENEDICT CAREY
Published: December 1, 2008

From the outside, psychotherapy can look like an exercise in self-absorption. In fact, though, therapists often work to pull people out of themselves: to see their behavior from the perspective of a loved one, for example, or to observe their own thinking habits from a neutral distance.

Marriage counselors have couples role-play, each one taking the other spouse’s part. Psychologists have rapists and other criminals describe their crime from the point of view of the victim. Like novelists or moviemakers, their purpose is to transport people, mentally, into the mind of another.

Now, neuroscientists have shown that they can make this experience physical, creating a “body swapping” illusion that could have a profound effect on a range of therapeutic techniques. At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience last month, Swedish researchers presented evidence that the brain, when tricked by optical and sensory illusions, can quickly adopt any other human form, no matter how different, as its own.

“You can see the possibilities, putting a male in a female body, young in old, white in black and vice versa,” said Dr. Henrik Ehrsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who with his colleague Valeria Petkova described the work to other scientists at the meeting. Their full study is to appear online this week in the journal PLoS One. .

The technique is simple. A subject stands or sits opposite the scientist, as if engaged in an interview.. Both are wearing headsets, with special goggles, the scientist’s containing small film cameras. The goggles are rigged so the subject sees what the scientist sees: to the right and left are the scientist’s arms, and below is the scientist’s body.

To add a physical element, the researchers have each person squeeze the other’s hand, as if in a handshake. Now the subject can see and “feel” the new body. In a matter of seconds, the illusion is complete. In a series of studies, using mannequins and stroking both bodies’ bellies simultaneously, the Karolinska researchers have found that men and women say they not only feel they have taken on the new body, but also unconsciously cringe when it is poked or threatened.

In previous work, neuroscientists have induced various kinds of out-of-body experiences using similar techniques. The brain is so easily tricked, they say, precisely because it has spent a lifetime in its own body. It builds models of the world instantaneously, based on lived experience and using split-second assumptions — namely, that the eyes are attached to the skull.

Therapists say the body-swapping effect is so odd that it could be risky for anyone in real mental distress. People suffering from the delusions of schizophrenia or the grandiose mania of bipolar disorder are not likely to benefit from more disorientation, no matter the intent.

But those who seek help for relationship problems, in particular, often begin to moderate their behavior only after they have worked to see the encounters in their daily life from others’ point of view.

“This is especially true for adolescents, who are so self-involved, and also for people who come in with anger problems and are more interested in changing everyone else in their life than themselves,” said Kristene Doyle, director of clinical services at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York.

One important goal of therapy in such cases, Dr. Doyle said, is to get people to generate alternative explanations for others’ behavior — before they themselves react.

The evidence that inhabiting another’s perspective can change behavior comes in part from virtual-reality experiments. In these studies, researchers create avatars that mimic a person’s every movement. After watching their “reflection” in a virtual mirror, people mentally inhabit this avatar at some level, regardless of its sex, race or appearance. In several studies, for instance, researchers have shown that white people who spend time interacting virtually as black avatars become less anxious about racial differences.

Jeremy Bailenson, director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, and his colleague Nick Yee call this the Proteus effect, after the Greek god who can embody many different self-representations.

In one experiment, the Stanford team found that people inhabiting physically attractive avatars were far more socially intimate in virtual interactions than those who had less appealing ones. The effect was subconscious: the study participants were not aware that they were especially good-looking, or that in virtual conversations they moved three feet closer to virtual conversation partners and revealed more about themselves than others did. This confidence lingered even after the experiment was over, when the virtual lookers picked more attractive partners as matches for a date.

Similar studies have found that people agree to contribute more to retirement accounts when they are virtually “age-morphed” to look older; and that they will exercise more after inhabiting an avatar that works out and loses weight.

Adding a physical body-swapping element, as the Swedish team did, is likely to amplify such changes. “It has video quality, it looks and feels more realistic than what we can do in virtual environments, so is likely to be much more persuasive,” Dr. Bailenson said in a telephone interview.

Perhaps too persuasive for some purposes. “It may be like the difference between a good book, where you can project yourself into a character by filling in with your imagination, and a movie, where the specific actor gets in the way of identifying strongly,” he went on.

And above and beyond any therapeutic purposes, the sensation is downright strange. In the experiments, said Dr. Ehrsson, the Swedish researcher, “even the feeling from the squeezing hand is felt in the scientist’s hand and not in your own; this is perhaps the strangest aspect of the experience.”