NEW SITE ----> Go to http://www.miketnelson.com < -----for all my latest info a this site below is from about 5-8 years ago. Michael T Nelson, MS CSCS, RKC is a PhD
Candidate in Kinesiology (Exercise Physiology) at the U of MN and Fitness Consultant in White Bear Lake, MN. Ramblings here about research, training, nutrition, exercise phys, Z Health, joint mobility, and whatever else I want
It's Coming! Just a heads up that I will be having a very special announcement in the next few days here on my blog. Until then, it will be top secret. For coaches/trainers or neuro freaks, I have an announcement at the end here just before the latest study also.
The newer videos can be found on the lower left hand side and more to come, so let me know what YOU want to see.
Z Health R Phase in Minnesota this August and September Just got word from the fine folks at Z Health, that the Z Health level 1 R Phase cert will be here in Minnesota on Aug 14-16 and the second part on Sept 18-20.
If you are a personal trainer/fitness professional in the Twin Cities area, now is a perfect time to sign up for the course. Heck, it is well worth traveling for too as I've done almost all of my Z Health certs in AZ, CA or NC. I can honestly say that I have no regrets from doing any Z Health cert and I fully recommend them.
Full disclosure: I don't work for Z Health and I make ZERO money off of recommending the certs to anyone. I do however, get some money off further certifications for myself. I will be at the 9S Nutrition course they are doing for 5 days in AZ this July to further my own knowledge once again.
Any questions about the R Phase, please feel free to email me directly. If you talk to Z Health directly, tell them hello and that I sent ya. Email me by clickingHEREl
Below is MC's excellent review of R Phase, so don't just take my word for it.
Brand New Study on Fear Response Below is an amazing new study, thanks to Andrew Schimming for sending it to me.
I've been following this research since about 4 years ago now when I was taking an advanced neurology course here at the U of MN. A researcher in the class brought this topic as he was working on it with mice. Fast forward several years and now we have HUMAN data on it!
Why Should I Care? In general, you can learn by 2 different mechanisms 1) Fear based 2) Positive based Now this it not in a classical sense, it is just the way I divide them up to illustrate a point.
For fear based learning, it is primarily driven by the amygdala in the brain aka "the fear center."
An example is to have an instructor teach you a deadlift, but now he says to deadlift 315 lbs for 4 reps or else he will shoot you. Ok, so this is an extreme example, but you will probably be able to do it.
A more positive based learning experience would be for him to take you through the steps of learning a deadlift by using positive exercise cues. So instead of putting a gun to your head or yelling "YOU SUCK", the coach would show you the CORRECT way to do the lift and address areas of the lift where you can improve.
Both methods will work, but at what cost? Everything has a cost. My argument is that learning via positive based emotion will have a much lower cost and long term will be better. You may deadlift 315 lb for reps, but you may not get out of bed the next day if it is your first time and you are not Andy Bolton (world record deadlift holder who was rumored to have deadlifted 500lbs the first time he ever did the lift--that bastard!).
The amazing part about this study below is that it hints at a mechanism that may decrease the cost of fear based learning. This could have huge implications for post traumatic stress disorder also as the memories stored could be "retrieved" later with a much lower cost (less anxiety, stress, etc).
Anyone Want More? (Coaches Read Here) If people are interested in coaching cues based on neurology, let me know. I have a whole presentation already completed. It literally took me quite some time to pull all the literature, do some experiments myself, consult with other really smart trainers and steal their ideas (hey, you think I come up with all of this stuff on my own).
If you are interested, drop a note in the comments section or email me directly. I have not seen this material presented anywhere else and feel it is very valuable.
Abstract Animal studies have shown that fear memories can change when recalled, a process referred to as reconsolidation. We found that oral administration of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol before memory reactivation in humans erased the behavioral expression of the fear memory 24 h later and prevented the return of fear.
CONCLUSION: Disrupting the reconsolidation of fear memory opens up new avenues for providing a long-term cure for patients with emotional disorders.
Park SK, Tucker KL, O'Neill MS, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Hu H, Schwartz J. Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
BACKGROUND: Higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, and dark fish may prevent sudden cardiac death and arrhythmias, but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood.
OBJECTIVE: We examined whether high consumption of fruit, vegetables, and dark fish would be associated with beneficial changes in heart rate variability (HRV).
DESIGN: HRV variables were measured among 586 older men with 928 total observations from November 2000 to June 2007 in the Normative Aging Study, a community-based longitudinal study of aging. Dietary intake was evaluated with a self-administered semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire and categorized into quartiles.
RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounders, intake of green leafy vegetables was positively associated with normalized high-frequency power and inversely associated with normalized low-frequency power (P for trend < style="font-weight: bold;">
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that higher intake of green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through favorable changes in cardiac autonomic function.
My Notes: HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is a way to measure the sympathetic (gas pedal) and parasympathetic (brake) of the heart. In general, standing on the gas pedal is bad. It is one method to perhaps measure a state of "health" Once again fruits and veggies come out on top! I was surprised that fish oil did not have any effect.
There are mixed data currently with fish oil related to heart arrhythmias (bad heart stuff). I went to the Heart Rythms Society (HRS) conference in San Fran last May and there was an excellent presentation on the effects of fish oil on the heart. The researcher's conclusion was it currently seems to NOT help with electrical issues, but we really don't have a ton of data to draw from. My thoughts for now is that fish oil is still good, but as always check in with your doc first.
I am currently looking to see if commercially available energy drinks such as Monster Energy Drink have any effect on HRV. Time will tell.
Welcome again and thanks for stopping by! This issue will not make me any friends with the supplement companies, but I stand by science; so off we go! See the full abstract below and my comments after that.
Hoffman JR, Kang J, Ratamess NA, Rashti SL, Tranchina CP, Faigenbaum AD. Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718, Ewing, New Jersey 08628, USA. hoffmanj@tcnj.edu.
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a weight loss supplement on resting oxygen uptake (VO2), respiratory quotient (RQ), caloric expenditure (kcal), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) in healthy and physically active individuals.
METHODS: Ten subjects (5 male, 5 female; 20.2 +/- 1.2 y; 172.2 +/- 8.9 cm; 71.5 +/- 17.2 kg; 17.3 +/- 2.6% body fat) underwent two testing sessions administered in a randomized and double-blind fashion. During each session, subjects reported to the Human Performance Laboratory after at least 3-h post-absorptive state and were provided either 3 capsules of the weight loss supplement (SUP), commercially marketed as Meltdown(R) or 3 capsules of a placebo (P). Subjects then rested in a semi-recumbent position for three hours. VO2 and HR were determined every 5 min during the first 30 min and every 10 min during the next 150 min. BP was determined every 15 min during the first 30 min and every 30 min thereafter. The profile of mood states was assessed every 30 min.
RESULTS: Area under the curve analysis revealed a significant 28.9% difference in VO2 between SUP and P for the three hour study period. In addition, a significant difference in energy expenditure was also seen between SUP (1.28 +/- 0.33 kcal.min-1) and P (1.00 +/- 0.32 kcal.min-1). A trend (p = 0.06) towards a greater utilization of stored fat as an energy source was also demonstrated (0.78 +/- 0.23 kcal.min-1 and 0.50 +/- 0.38 kcal.min-1 in P and SUP, respectively). Significant elevations in HR were seen during hours two and three of the study, and significantly higher average systolic BP was observed between SUP (118.0 +/- 7.3 mmHg) and P (111.4 +/- 8.2 mmHg). No significant differences were seen in diastolic blood pressure at any time point. Significant increases in tension and confusion were seen in SUP. CONCLUSION: Results indicate a significant increase in energy expenditure in young, healthy individuals following an acute ingestion of a weight loss supplement. In addition, ingestion of this supplement appears modify mood and elevate HR and systolic BP following ingestion.
My Comments First off, I love that they actually sponsored real research and I do have to give them kudos for that as it is much more than most supplement companies do. So hats off on that part.
The big question is, does it work?
According to the study, it was significantly better at burning more calories. Keep in mind that when they say SIGNIFICANTLY they are talking about STATISTICAL significance and many times this adds up to a hill of beans in the really real world. "a significant difference in energy expenditure was also seen between SUP (1.28 +/- 0.33 kcal.min-1) and P (1.00 +/- 0.32 kcal.min-1)"
Er, what? They measured for 3 hours, so 1.28 X 180 minutes= 230 caloriescompared to 1.00 x 180 minutes = 180 calories. So over 3 hours you would burn a whole 50 more calories. Whoo ha. That would be about an 1/2 of a granola bar at best.
If you took that every day 2xs a day for a week you are at an extra 700 calories per week,so after 5 weeks you may burn an extra pound of fat (3,500 kcal) ASSUMING that this effect stays the same for that entire time (my guess is that it would not, but we don't know since this was an acute study). What is in it? Above is the ingredients. Holy freakin' stimulants batman!
Cost? I typed in an Internet search and found it a vitacost for about 34 clams without shipping and gives you 40 servings (3 caps a serving). So at 2 servings per day (6 caps), it will last about 3 weeks. To get to 5 weeks you will need just under 2 bottles and you will be out about $70
My rough math says that at best, 1 pound of fat will cost you $70 and 5 weeks of your time.
Personally, I can find many ways to spend a 70 clams and my first would be to buy a session with a fitness professional and put it towards a kettlebell!
So, does work? I guess so, but the amount adds up to pretty much nothing; so I will give it a thumbs down for now.
Add to this that I would never personally take stimulants for that long a period of time either. I can just hear my adrenal glands start to shrink.
In the end it is a free country and each person has to make a decision for themselves. I just ask that they look at some science first and at least there is some science to investigate here.
Kind of a "Duh" study below, but it is always nice to have research back up what we already "think" we know. I have my standard comments at the end as always.
I think it was Dr. Peter Lemon (someone correct me if I am wrong) that stated (paraphrasing here) "just because it is logical doesn't mean is physioloLOGICAL"
Just in case you need some music to get you through the reading of the following abstract, here is the new video from my boys Five Finger Death Punch. They got their name from a martial arts move. The first 35 seconds may not be work friendly if you are being watched, just a heads up.
Witard OC, Tieland M, Beelen M, Tipton KD, van Loon LJ, Koopman R. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM.
PURPOSE: We examined the impact of an acute bout of resistance-type exercise on mixed muscle protein synthesis in the fed state.
METHODS: After a standardized breakfast, 10 untrained males completed a single, unilateral lower-limb resistance-type exercise session. A primed, continuous infusion of l-[ring-C6]phenylalanine was combined with muscle biopsy collection from both the exercised (Ex) and the nonexercised (NEx) leg to assess the impact of local muscle contractions on muscle protein synthesis rates after food intake. Western blotting with phosphospecific and pan antibodies was used to determine the phosphorylation status of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), 4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1).
RESULTS: Muscle protein synthesis rates were approximately 20% higher in Ex compared with NEx (0.098% +/- 0.005% vs 0.083% +/- 0.002%.h, respectively, P <> 0.05).
CONCLUSION: We conclude that resistance-type exercise performed in a fed state further elevates postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates, which is accompanied by an increase in S6 and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation state.
My Notes: This study pretty much tells us what we know already, to build muscle you need to lift some darn weights! I wish they would have used TRAINED subjects for it, but it does give us some insights into the mechanisms behind it.
This was also interesting since it used subjects in a fed state, so they had eaten and were NOT fasted.
Greetings! I have declared today an official De-Lurk Day. If you have enjoyed this blog or you happen to stumble across it via a search or however you ended up here, drop me a comment and say what is up.
Let me know where you are from, your interests, what you enjoy and what you hate. What do you want to see featured on here? What questions do you have?
There are so many people that read this blog from all over the world! Heck, we had our fist letter from Serbia posted just yesterday! Who will be the first person to post a comment from Australia? China?
To give you even more incentive, I will be giving away a copy of Dave Tate's awesome book "Under the Bar" to a random poster by next week. So get your post/comment up there and maybe you will get a free book shipped to your door. I apologize to our international friends as this will only apply to US and Canada residents. Sorry for the inconvenience. So say hello, drop a note in the comment line and I look forward to hearing form you! Thanks in advance for your time!
Happy Monday to all of you! I trust your weekend was a good one.
I spent all day in the lab on Friday (6am-7:30pm) and stopped by Chipotle for a nice chicken burrito (hmmmm, burrito) and watched an episode of Myth Busters on DVD! Ahhhhh, the good life. I was in bed by 9pm. Mr Excitement lives next door, not here this weekend.
Z Health Case Study Saturday I worked around my townhome for awhile and had a Z Health session with a client in the afternoon that went well.
Here is how it went down:
We got her left glute(butt muscle) to fire with Z Health ankle work on the left side. There are 4 spots in the foot/ankle that correspond to muscles in the hip. If the ankle is goofed up, it will start to shut down the muscle in the hip to prevent you from exerting any more high forces on your ankle. as your body is trying to protect itself. Once the ankle area is "open" with some Z Health mobility work, many time the muscles in the hip fire much much better. The technically name for this is "arthrokinetic reflex" and is taught in the Z Health R Phase cert. See this post below for more information.
We got her abs to work much better also! She could not do a strict sit up, and after some specifc exericse for her head (yes I know that sounds very weird), she could do a sit up!
She was having some issues getting her right tricep to fire, and we got it working pretty good with a combination of neck (C7) mobility, radial nerve glide with elbow and shoulder movement, and motor point work. For information on nerve flossing, see this post below
Z Health Question and Answer Hi Mike! I'm a 15 year old fan of yours work. I'm from Serbia so sorry for my bad English.I read your blog every day and I read whole archive of your blog and I can tell you it's FANTASTIC! Readers can see that you enjoy learning new stuff about our bodies and you want to share that with them.
I have a question for you. I had a car accident while I was in a car with my dad. I had just a minor left hip contusion but my father ended dislocating his left hip (luxatio coxae) and ortho said that he must not put left leg down for 6 months. He can sit now and ortho gave him some exercises to do but his muscles are weak a he feels pain in the injured hip .
I'm wondering if Z can help him now? There is no Z trainer in Serbia or anywhere near my country and I'm desperate seeing him in pain.
I am going to buy some Z product to try it myself since I play basketball and want to increase my performance.Is it better to buy R phase or the Quick Start Guide?
Thanks in advance!Greetings from Serbia!!! Boki
P.S.Keep up the good work!
Answer Thanks for the kind words all the way from Serbia. Much appreciated and no worries as your English is great.
Sorry to hear about the car accident.
For your dad, the best advice to work with his orthopod. If his doc will give him the ok to start some very light NONpainful movement; he too could start with some Z Health. If he can only do it while seated, that is fine too. Once cleared for movement, I would have him start on the RIGHT shoulder and see if that helps.
Yes, R Phase is great for basketball, since that has lots of running and a higher impact on the joints. I would start at R Phase and once you are moving well with those drills, you can try the Neuro Warm Up 1 next.
It is worth saving to get the R Phase over the Quick Start Guide as the exercises on the Quick Start Guide(QSG) are repeated in R Phase. But if money is super tight and you are looking to start something now, the QSG can be a good place to start.
The key is to make sure you are doing the drills with PRECISION in a relaxed state.
You can purchase and Z Health product from the box on the upper right hand side of my blog. I do make a few dollars off of each sale, but the price is the same to you and I will be my best to answer any questions you have.
Let me know how it goes and I wish both of you the best! Rock on Mike N
The use of burning more fat for fuel is referred to as the "Randle effect" The more technical definition is the inhibition of the oxidation of glucose by an excess of fatty acids.
What?
The theory goes that caffeine should increase the LIBERATION of fat (e.g pulling those pesky fats out of their comfy home in the fat cell). In order to BURN fat, you first most get it into the blood stream.
However, I am not convinced that liberation of fat is the limiting step, I think BURNING fat is more limiting.
How does this help me loose my muffin top? In short, I am not convinced that caffeine by itself is all that helpful to deflate your spare tire and shrink your muffin top. My recommendation is find a local fitness professuional (hey, I know a good one in White Bear Lake MN, shameless I know) to get you on the right track. Some Precision Nutrition, Z Health and Kettlebells make a killer combination!
Graham TE, Battram DS, Dela F, El-Sohemy A, Thong FS. Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada.
Caffeine, an adenosine receptor antagonist, has been studied for decades as a putative ergogenic aid. In the past 2 decades, the information has overwhelmingly demonstrated that it indeed is a powerful ergogenic aid, and frequently theories have been proposed that this is due to alterations in fat and carbohydrate metabolism. While caffeine certainly mobilizes fatty acids from adipose tissue, rarely have measures of the respiratory exchange ratio indicated an increase in fat oxidation. However, this is a difficult measure to perform accurately during exercise, and small changes could be physiologically important.
The few studies examining human muscle metabolism directly have also supported the fact that there is no change in fat or carbohydrate metabolism, but these usually have had a small sample size. We combined the data from muscle biopsy analyses of several similar studies to generate a sample size of 16-44, depending on the measure.
We examined muscle glycogen, citrate, acetyl-CoA, glucose-6-phosphate, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in resting samples and in those obtained after 10-15 min of exercise at 70%-85% maximal oxygen consumption. Exercise decreased (p < style="font-weight: bold;">
Conclusion:There is very little evidence to support the hypothesis that caffeine has ergogenic effects as a result of enhanced fat oxidation. Individuals may however, respond differently to the effects of caffeine, and there is growing evidence that this could be explained by common genetic variations.
Tim Ferris Does KBs! As most of you know, I am a huge fan on the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. The ironic part is that I don't even count how many hours I work in a week, but currently it is WAY too many.
The end goal however is to do only the things I am absolutely passionate about and have someone else do the rest. To me, that is the point of the 4 Hour Work Week--what you do to make money does not HAVE to be the same thing you do with your life. If you can blend both of them together into a true passion-more power to you!
Plus I never plan to retire anyway. Way too many things I want to get done first.
If you are looking for some free background, click on this link below from Zen Habits
The great part is that Tim lays it all out for you on how to reach your goal in an efficient manner.
For fitness, KBs (kettlebells) are a killer way to do the same--reach your goals in an efficient manner.
Enter the Kettlebell Below is a video of Tim doing the RKC Snatch Test. You have 5 minutes and you can put the KB down and switch hands as many times as you like. The requirements are different, so for a full description, check out Taieki's blog post HERE.
For example, if you are a male, here are the requirements:
RKC Kettlebell Snatch Requirements Weight Class, kg/lbs.Snatches, total L+R 60 / 132 60 90 / 198 80 90+ / 198+ 100 Open Class 24kg Kettlebell
Masters (50 and Over 20kg Kettlebell)
In my case since I am over 198 lbs I would need 100 reps in 5 minutes. It is hard, but definitely achievable with some good instruction and effort. My PR (personal record) was last year's TSC at 120 reps with the 24kg KB.
Nice work Tim! Just a bit more hip drive towards the end around the 3:30 mark and he will be close to 100 reps.
I will be competing in the TSC this April 4, so come on out and enjoy the pain. I will also be assisting at the June RKC right here in Minnesota, so sign up and come say hi.
After the onslaught of crazy science stuff, I figured a few of your brains may need a break.
Below is a great video of some crazy mobility work done to the song "Loose Cannon" by the band Killing Joke. I had heard of Killing Joke for quite some time, but the first CD I bought from them was the "Democracy" release in 1996. I have a video from that album at the end here. It is a great album and I would recommend it.
Mobility and Music The first video below is perfect, as it combines my love for music and mobility work all in one!
Keep in mind that rhythm can be developed also. In the S Phase Z Health class we did some mobility work to a metronome. This is harder than it sounds at first.
So if you are doing an elbow circle, your goal is to complete one rep at each beep of the metronome. Or you can reach the mid point at each beat. This will also force you to practice mobility work at a different speed. Most do too much at the SAME speed. Remember that just like exercise, your body will adapt and not change much after that point.
So the next time you are told "Yo' got no rhythm booooooy" break out the metronome and Z Health drills.
Special thanks to Sheriff in the UK for sending this one to me.
Koopman R, van Loon LJ. NUTRIM, Maastricht University.
Aging is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, leading to the loss of functional capacity and an increased risk of developing chronic metabolic disease. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass is attributed to a disruption in the regulation of skeletal muscle protein turnover, resulting in an imbalance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation. As basal (fasting) muscle protein synthesis rates do not seem to differ substantially between the young and elderly, many research groups have started to focus on the muscle protein synthetic response to the main anabolic stimuli, i.e. food intake and physical activity. Recent studies suggest that the muscle protein synthetic response to food intake is blunted in the elderly.
The latter is now believed to represent a key factor responsible for the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Physical activity and/or exercise stimulate post-exercise muscle protein accretion in both the young and elderly. However, the latter largely depends on the timed administration of amino acids and/or protein prior to, during, and/or after exercise. Prolonged resistance type exercise training represents an effective therapeutic strategy to augment skeletal muscle mass and improve functional performance in the elderly. The latter shows that the ability of the muscle protein synthetic machinery to respond to anabolic stimuli is preserved up to very old age.
CONCLUSION: Research is warranted to elucidate the interaction between nutrition, exercise and the skeletal muscle adaptive response. The latter is needed to define more effective strategies that will maximize the therapeutic benefits of lifestyle intervention in the elderly.
My Notes: A very astute reader of my newsletter (seriously, I would put the average IQ of my newsletter readers up against anyone in an IQ Battle and day of the week), pointed out that in my previous blog (see link below) that the response of protein in older athletes is not the same. He was exactly correct and this is a great review of what may be going on.
As you age, you really want to keep as much muscle as possible since it is muscle/strength that allows you to function on a day to day basis and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Moore DR, Tang JE, Burd NA, Rerecich T, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. McMaster University.
We aimed to determine whether there is a differential stimulation of the contractile myofibrillar and the cellular sarcoplasmic proteins after ingestion of protein and how this is affected by resistance exercise. Fasted (FAST) muscle protein synthesis was measured in seven healthy young men with a primed constant infusion of L-[ring-(13)C6]phenylalanine. Participants then performed an intense bout of unilateral resistance exercise followed by the consumption of 25 g of whey protein to maximally stimulate protein synthesis. In the rested (FED) leg myofibrillar (MYO) protein synthesis was elevated (P<0.01)>0.05).
In contrast, MYO protein synthesis in the exercised (FED-EX) leg was stimulated above FAST at 1, 3, and 5 h (~100, 216, and 229%, respectively; P<0.01) style="font-weight: bold;">he synthesis of muscle contractile proteins is stimulated by both feeding and resistance exercise early (1 h) but is still elevated at 5h after resistance exercise. In contrast, sarcoplasmic (SARC) protein synthesis was similarly elevated (P<0.01) style="font-weight: bold;">
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis are similarly, but transiently, stimulated with protein feeding. In contrast, resistance exercise rapidly stimulates and sustains the synthesis of only the myofibrillar protein fraction after protein ingestion. These data highlight the importance of measuring the synthetic response of specific muscle protein fractions when examining the effects of exercise and nutrition.
My notes: Interesting to note that it was still elevated at 5 hours, but 5 hours was the last measurement they took, so it could be going on even longer. Keep this in mind the next time you hear that the 'anabolic window is only 2 hours long'
Tang JE, Phillips SM. Exercise Metabolism Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown are simultaneous ongoing processes. Here, we examine evidence for how protein quality can affect exercise-induced muscle protein anabolism or protein balance (MPS minus muscle protein breakdown). Evidence is highlighted showing differences in the responses of MPS, and muscle protein accretion, with ingestion of milk-based and soy-based proteins in young and elderly persons.
RECENT FINDINGS: Protein consumption, and the accompanying hyperaminoacidemia, stimulates an increase in MPS and a small suppression of muscle protein breakdown.
Beyond the feeding-induced rise in MPS, small incremental addition of new muscle protein mass occurs following intense resistance exercise which over time (i.e. resistance training) leads to muscle hypertrophy. Athletes make use of the paradigm of resistance training and eating to maximize the gains in their skeletal muscle mass. Importantly, however, metabolically active skeletal muscle can offset the morbidities associated with the sarcopenia of aging such as type II diabetes, decline in aerobic fitness and the reduction in metabolic rate that can lead to fat mass accumulation.
CONCLUSION: Recent evidence suggests that consumption of different proteins can affect the amplitude and possibly duration of MPS increases after feeding and this effect interacts and is possibly accentuated with resistance exercise.
My Notes: Wow, they are cranking out the killer studies up in Canada there eh! So the type of protein you take in appears to affect the response. While still debatable, I would go with a high quality whey protein per and post training (about 20-40 grams).
Kumar V, Atherton P, Smith K, Rennie MJ. The University of Nottingham.
Skeletal muscle demonstrates extraordinary mutability in its responses to exercise of different modes, intensity and duration, which must involve alterations of muscle protein turnover, both acutely and chronically. Here we bring together information on the alterations in the rates of synthesis and degradation of human muscle protein by different types of exercise and the influences of nutrition, age and sexual dimorphism. Where possible we summarize the likely changes in activity of signalling proteins associated with control of protein turnover. Exercise of both the resistance and non-resistance types appears to depress muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB) during exercise, whereas both are elevated after exercise in the fasted state, when net muscle protein balance remains negative.
Positive net balance is achieved only when amino acid availability is increased, thereby raising MPS markedly. Such post-exercise increases in amino acids are less important for inhibiting MPB than insulin, the secretion of which is stimulated most by glucose availability, without itself stimulating MPS. Exercise training appears to increase basal muscle protein turnover, with differential responses of the myofibrillar and mitochondrial protein fractions to acute exercise in the trained state.
CONCLUSION: Ageing reduces the responses of myofibrillar protein and anabolic signalling to resistance exercise. There appear to be few if any differences in the response of young women and young men to acute exercise, although there are indications that in older women the responses may be blunted more than in older men.
My Notes: Excellent info if you are looking at the effects of exercise and protein!
Drummond MJ, Dreyer HC, Fry CS, Glynn EL, Rasmussen BB. University of Texas Medical Branch.
In this review we discuss current findings in the human skeletal muscle literature describing the acute influence of nutrients (leucine-enriched essential amino acids in particular) and resistance exercise on muscle protein synthesis and mTORC1 signaling. We show that essential amino acids and an acute bout of resistance exercise independently stimulate human skeletal muscle protein synthesis. It also appears that ingestion of essential amino acids following resistance exercise leads to an even larger increase in the rate of muscle protein synthesis as compared to the independent effects of nutrients or muscle contraction.
Until recently the cellular mechanisms responsible for controlling the rate of muscle protein synthesis in humans were unknown. In this review we highlight new studies in humans that have clearly shown the mTORC1 signaling pathway is playing an important regulatory role in controlling muscle protein synthesis in response to nutrients and/or muscle contraction.
CONCLUSION: We propose that essential amino acid ingestion shortly following a bout of resistance exercise is beneficial in promoting skeletal muscle growth and may be useful in counteracting muscle wasting in a variety of conditions such as aging, cancer cachexia, bedrest/physical inactivity, and perhaps during rehabilitation following trauma or surgery.
My Notes: All the meat heads in the room nod your heads---protein post training is good. Nothing new there. If you are lifting and not taking in protein post training, get to it!
Kumar V, Selby A, Rankin D, Patel R, Atherton P, Hildebrandt W, Williams J, Smith K, Seynnes O, Hiscock N, Rennie MJ. University of Nottingham, School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health, City Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, Derby, DE22 3DT, UK.
We investigated how myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle anabolic signalling were affected by resistance exercise at 20-90% of 1 repetition maximum (1 RM) in two groups (25 each) of post-absorptive, healthy, young (24 +/- 6 years) and old (70 +/- 5 years) men with identical body mass indices (24 +/- 2 kg m(-2)). We hypothesized that, in response to exercise, anabolic signalling molecule phosphorylation and MPS would be modified in a dose-dependant fashion, but to a lesser extent in older men. Vastus lateralis muscle was sampled before, immediately after, and 1, 2 and 4 h post-exercise.
MPS was measured by incorporation of [1,2-(13)C] leucine (gas chromatography-combustion-mass spectrometry using plasma [1,2-(13)C]alpha-ketoisocaparoate as surrogate precursor); the phosphorylation of p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70s6K) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4EBP1) was measured using Western analysis with anti-phosphoantibodies. In each group, there was a sigmoidal dose-response relationship between MPS at 1-2 h post-exercise and exercise intensity, which was blunted (P < style="font-weight: bold;">
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that in the post-absorptive state: (i) myofibrillar protein synthesis is dose dependant on intensity rising to a plateau at 60-90% 1 repetition maximum; (ii) older men show anabolic resistance of signalling and myofibrillar protein synthesis to resistance exercise.
My Notes: More data showing a difference in older folks.
Ansley L, Marvin G, Sharma A, Kendall MJ, Jones DA, Bridge MW. School of Psychology and Sport Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. les.ansley@northumbria.ac.uk.
The present study investigated the effects of head cooling during endurance cycling on performance and the serotonergic neuroendocrine response to exercise in the heat. Subjects exercised at 75 % VO(2max) to volitional fatigue on a cycle ergometer at an ambient temperature of 29+/-1.0 C, with a relative humidity of approximately 50 %.
Head cooling resulted in a 51 % (p<0.01)>
There were no indications of peripheral mechanisms of fatigue either with, or without, head cooling, indicating the importance of central mechanisms. Exercise in the heat caused the release of prolactin in response to the rise in rectal temperature. Head cooling largely abolished the prolactin response while having no effect on rectal temperature.
Tympanic temperature and sinus skin temperature were reduced by head cooling and remained low throughout the exercise. It is suggested that there is a co-ordinated response to exercise involving thermoregulation, neuroendocrine secretion and behavioural adaptations that may originate in the hypothalamus or associated areas of the brain.
CONCLUSON: Our results are consistent with the effects of head cooling being mediated by both direct cooling of the brain and modified cerebral artery blood flow, but an action of peripheral thermoreceptors cannot be excluded.
My Notes: Remember in round 1 where we saw that brain heating may affect performance. If that is true, then brain COOLING should INCREASE performance and according to this study, it is true. Here is my multi million dollar idea---make a head garment for cardio bunnies to wear that cools their noggin. When you make billions, keep me in mind and let me visit your island in Fiji. Be thankful you were not in this study, as they measured rectal temps during exercise. Yikes!
Edwards AM, Noakes TD. UCOL Institute of Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Numerous studies have suggested that dehydration is a causal factor to fatigue across a range of sports such as soccer; however, empirical evidence is equivocal on this point. It is also possible that exercise-induced moderate dehydration is purely an outcome of significant metabolic activity during a game. The diverse yet sustained physical activities in soccer undoubtedly threaten homeostasis, but research suggests that under most environmental conditions, match-play fluid loss is minimal ( approximately 1-2% loss of body mass), metabolite accumulation remains fairly constant, and core temperatures do not reach levels considered sufficiently critical to require the immediate cessation of exercise. A complex (central) metabolic control system which ensures that no one (peripheral) physiological system is maximally utilized may explain the diversity of research findings concerning the impact of individual factors such as dehydration on elite soccer performance.
In consideration of the existing literature, we propose a new interpretative pacing model to explain the self-regulation of elite soccer performance and, in which, players behaviourally modulate efforts according to a subconscious strategy. This strategy is based on both pre-match (intrinsic and extrinsic factors) and dynamic considerations during the game (such as skin temperature, thirst, accumulation of metabolites in the muscles, plasma osmolality and substrate availability), which enables players to avoid total failure of any single peripheral physiological system either prematurely or at the conclusion of a match.
CONCLUSION: In summary, we suggest that dehydration is only an outcome of complex physiological control (operating a pacing plan) and no single metabolic factor is causal of fatigue in elite soccer.
My Notes: Timmy Noakes is at it again with a cool (get it, I make bad pun,hahaha) study on dehydration. It makes sense that there is not one SINGLE factor. Physiology is messy, non linear and complicated.
Wait, I thought this was a blog about athletic performance? I don't care about all this brain mumbo jumbo you say?
It is still all about athletic performance, but the future of advanced athletic performance is figuring out how the brain and nervous system allow you to perform at a higher level.
Remember the post the other day (click HERE if you forgot) that the brain is predictive! Keep this in mind when you watch the video below.
What is athletics at a high level? Of course physical performance is key, but a sports game has many many predictive properties to it. Who is fastest to the ball? How did he/she get their first?
2 ways Player A and player B (aren't I so creative with names!) Player A looks for the ball guy's reaction (by saying "ball guy" you can sub in your favorite sport there and get pissed at me for mentioning someone else) or Player B that can PREDICT (correctly of course) which direction the "ball guy" is going to go. My vote is on player B. Why would you spend so much time watching films to prepare for a big game? Now if we want to go to the ultimate level, combine speed AND predictive ability.
If the brain's main job is prediction, I bet we can train it! This is covered in Z Health S Phase (Sports Specific) certification also.
The video above is not your typical brain science video and is well worth a look. Note that this was originally from 2003, but I feel it is still valid.
BAHG My buddy Brad "No Relation" Nelson at Kinetic Edge Performance and Brad Rants Blog talks about BAHG--Big Audacious Hairy Goals. If you are on my newsletter you know my goals for this year, but my new goal by Jan 2010 is to present on TED.
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea (yet) how they select presenters or much really about the process at all. But I do know that they have some amazing presenters there. If anyone has any contacts or tips on how to make it happen, let me know.
One last thing Here is another great link where you can read the wiki page at the same time as the video
Verdijk LB, Jonkers RA, Gleeson BG, Beelen M, Meijer K, Savelberg HH, Wodzig WK, Dendale P, van Loon LJ. Department of Human Movement Sciences, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands. lex.verdijk@bw.unimaas.nl
BACKGROUND: Considerable discrepancy exists in the literature on the proposed benefits of protein supplementation on the adaptive response of skeletal muscle to resistance-type exercise training in the elderly.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the benefits of timed protein supplementation on the increase in muscle mass and strength during prolonged resistance-type exercise training in healthy elderly men who habitually consume adequate amounts of dietary protein.
DESIGN: Healthy elderly men (n = 26) aged 72 +/- 2 y were randomly assigned to a progressive, 12-wk resistance-type exercise training program with (protein group) or without (placebo group) protein provided before and immediately after each exercise session (3 sessions/wk, 20 g protein/session). One-repetition maximum (1RM) tests were performed regularly to ensure a progressive workload during the intervention. Muscle hypertrophy was assessed at the whole-body (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), limb (computed tomography), and muscle fiber (biopsy) level.
RESULTS: The 1RM strength increased approximately 25-35% in both groups (P < style="font-weight: bold;">
CONCLUSION: Timed protein supplementation immediately before and after exercise does not further augment the increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength after prolonged resistance-type exercise training in healthy elderly men who habitually consume adequate amounts of dietary protein.
My Notes: I will be presenting some more data next week showing a difference between elderly people and younger people in response to protein. Keep in mind that this was done in older people, and from what we know currently, the response in younger (less than about 70 years old) is NOT the same as this study.My recommendation is the same--add some protein before and after your strength training sessions.
I must be going crazy as now you have 2 blog posts in one day. I needed a break. Yes, I read studies to relax. I even take vacations to go to conferences on exercise physiology. Next up on that one is ACSM this May.
So my parents came by today to help clean my townhouse. Very much appreciated, but nothing like having your mom (love ya mom) run around asking "How did this get so dirty?" My answer is that I am a grad student, Teaching Assistant for Exercise Physiology and Human Physiology, run a separate training/nutrition business, work 24 hours a week for a medical device company (on call full time there too), and try to see Jodie on occasion too. Coffee is my best friend on most days and sleeping more than 7 hours is heaven!
So we move on and here are a few more studies on Round 2 of Central Fatigue. Enjoy
Maes M. Clinical Research Centre of Mental Health (CRC-MH), Antwerp, Belgium. crc.mh@telenet.be
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this paper is to review recent findings on inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (IO&NS) pathways in chronic fatigue and somatization disorder. RECENT FINDINGS: Activation of IO&NS pathways is the key phenomenon underpinning chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): intracellular inflammation, with an increased production of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFkappabeta), cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS); and damage caused by O&NS to membrane fatty acids and functional proteins.
These IO&NS pathways are induced by a number of trigger factors, for example psychological stress, strenuous exercise, viral infections and an increased translocation of LPS from gram-bacteria (leaky gut). The 'psychosomatic' symptoms experienced by CFS patients are caused by intracellular inflammation (aches and pain, muscular tension, fatigue, irritability, sadness, and the subjective feeling of infection); damage caused by O&NS (aches and pain, muscular tension and fatigue); and gut-derived inflammation (complaints of irritable bowel). Inflammatory pathways (monocytic activation) are also detected in somatizing disorder.
CONCLUSION: 'Functional' symptoms, as occurring in CFS and somatization, have a genuine organic cause, that is activation of peripheral and central IO&NS pathways and gut-derived inflammation. The development of new drugs, aimed at treating those disorders, should target these IO&NS pathways.
My notes: Holy crap, what did they say? The big take away here is the body is ALL connected! See my post below about my theory of the body as a black box
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
Just a note that the full study is up and finalized. I covered this one already below
Bradley PS, Sheldon W, Wooster B, Olsen P, Boanas P, Krustrup P. Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK.
The aims of this study were to (1) determine the activity profiles of a large sample of English FA Premier League soccer players and (2) examine high-intensity running during elite-standard soccer matches for players in various playing positions. Twenty-eight English FA Premier League games were analysed during the 2005-2006 competitive season (n = 370), using a multi-camera computerised tracking system. During a typical match, wide midfielders (3138 m, s = 565) covered a greater distance in high-intensity running than central midfielders (2825 m, s = 473, P = 0.04), full-backs (2605 m, s = 387, P < 0.01), attackers (2341 m, s = 575, P < 0.01), and central defenders (1834 m, s = 256, P < 0.01). In the last 15 min of a game, high-intensity running distance was approximately 20% less than in the first 15-min period for wide midfielders (467 m, s = 104 vs. 589 m, s = 134, P < 0.01), central midfielders (429 m, s = 106 vs. 534 m, s = 99, P < 0.01), full-backs (389 m, s = 95 vs. 481 m, s = 114, P < 0.01), attackers (348 m, s = 105 vs. 438 m, s = 129, P < 0.01), and central defenders (276 m, s = 93 vs. 344 m, s = 80, P < 0.01).
There was a similar distance deficit for high-intensity running with (148 m, s = 78 vs. 193 m, s = 96, P < 0.01) and without ball possession (229 m, s = 85 vs. 278 m, s = 97, P < 0.01) between the last 15-min and first 15-min period of the game. Mean recovery time between very high-intensity running bouts was 72 s (s = 28), with a 28% longer recovery time during the last 15 min than the first 15 min of the game (83 s, s = 26 vs. 65 s, s = 20, P < 0.01). The decline in high-intensity running immediately after the most intense 5-min period was more evident in attackers (216 m, s = 50 vs. 113 m, s = 47, P < 0.01) and central defenders (182 m, s = 26 vs. 96 m, s = 39, P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that high-intensity running with and without ball possession is reduced during various phases of elite-standard soccer matches and the activity profiles and fatigue patterns vary among playing positions. The current findings provide valuable information about the high-intensity running patterns of a large sample of elite-standard soccer players, which could be useful in the development and prescription of specific training regimes.
My notes: SAID principle 101---the coach needs to understand the needs/demands of his/her player's sport in order to optimal train them for it.
Martin JC, Brown NA. Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Utah, 250 S. 1850 E. Room 241, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0920, USA.
Cycling power decreases substantially during a maximal cycling trial of just 30s. It is not known whether movement patterns and joint powers produced at each joint decrease to a similar extent or if each joint exhibits an individual fatigue profile. Changes in movement patterns and/or joint powers associated with overall task fatigue could arise from several different mechanisms or from a complex interplay of these mechanisms. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the changes in movement and power at each joint during a fatiguing cycling trial. Thirteen trained cyclists performed a 30s maximal cycling trial on an isokinetic cycle ergometer at 120rpm. Pedal forces and limb kinematics were recorded.
Joint powers were calculated using a sagittal plane inverse dynamics model and averaged for the initial, middle, and final three second intervals of the trial, and normalized to initial values. Relative ankle plantar flexion power was significantly less than all other joint actions at the middle interval (51+/-5% of initial power; p=0.013). Relative ankle plantar flexion power for the final interval (37+/-3%) was significantly less than the relative knee flexion and hip extension power (p=0.010). Relative knee extension power (41+/-5%) was significantly less than relative hip extension power (55+/-4%) during the final three second interval (p=0.045). Knee flexion power (47+/-5%) did not differ from relative hip extension power (p=0.06).
Conclusion: These changes in power were accompanied by a decrease in time spent extending by each joint with fatigue (i.e., decreased duty cycle, p<0.03). style="font-style: italic;">
My notes: When I read the first part of the abstract and the title, I was super excited! Finally some more cool data to look at the effects of joints on overall performance. I have to admit that I was dissapointed in the conclusion, since I think it just made the whole thing more confusing. Perhaps someone other there can help me out.
Subudhi AW, Miramon BR, Granger ME, Roach RC. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Reductions in prefrontal oxygenation near maximal exertion may limit exercise performance by impairing executive functions that influence the decision to stop exercising; however, it is unknown if deoxygenation also occurs in motor regions that more directly affect central motor drive. Methods Multichannel near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to compare changes in prefrontal, premotor and motor cortices during exhaustive exercise. Twenty-three subjects performed two sequential, incremental cycle tests (25 W(.)min(-1) ramp) during acute hypoxia (PIO2 = 79 mmHg) and normoxia (PIO2 = 117 mmHg) in an environmental chamber. Test order was balanced and subjects were blinded to chamber pressure.
Results In normoxia, bilateral prefrontal oxygenation was maintained during low- and moderate- intensity exercise, but dropped 9.0 +/- 10.7 % (mean +/- SD; P < power =" 305"> 0.94). In hypoxia, prefrontal oxygenation was reduced 11.1 +/- 14.3% at rest (P < power =" 256"> 0.61), but deoxygenation was greater in prefrontal than in premotor and motor regions (P < style="font-weight: bold;">
Conclusions: Prefrontal, premotor and motor cortex deoxygenation during high-intensity exercise may contribute to an integrative decision to stop exercise. The accelerated rate of cortical deoxygenation in hypoxia may hasten this effect.
My Notes: I thought this was a very interesting study. The effects of pacing (how hard should I work and at what times to get my best time over a fixed distance) have been proposed for awhile, championed by Dr. Noakes. This provides some evidence that the brain is so smart, that if it is being even slightly deprived from oxygen due to exericse, exercise will stop. Remember, the body is survival orientated, not performance orientated; but we can "back door" performance by increasing survival. This is one of the tennets of Z Health.
Amann M, Proctor LT, Sebranek JJ, Pegelow DF, Dempsey JA. Institute of Physiology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland. markus.amann@physiol.biol.ethz.ch
We investigated the role of somatosensory feedback from locomotor muscles on central motor drive (CMD) and the development of peripheral fatigue during high-intensity endurance exercise. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, eight cyclists randomly performed three 5 km time trials: control, interspinous ligament injection of saline (5K(Plac), L3-L4) or intrathecal fentanyl (5K(Fent), L3-L4) to impair cortical projection of opioid-mediated muscle afferents. Peripheral quadriceps fatigue was assessed via changes in force output pre- versus postexercise in response to supramaximal magnetic femoral nerve stimulation (DeltaQ(tw)). The CMD during the time trials was estimated via quadriceps electromyogram (iEMG). Fentanyl had no effect on quadriceps strength.
Impairment of neural feedback from the locomotor muscles increased iEMG during the first 2.5 km of 5K(Fent) versus 5K(Plac) by 12 +/- 3% (P < style="font-weight: bold;">
Conclusion: Our results emphasize the critical role of somatosensory feedback from working muscles on the centrally mediated determination of central motor drive. Attenuated afferent feedback from exercising locomotor muscles results in an overshoot in central motor drive and power output normally chosen by the athlete, thereby causing a greater rate of accumulation of muscle metabolites and excessive development of peripheral muscle fatigue.
My notes: Yep! For optimal performance you need to know what your muscles are doing! Many that I see have some form of SMA--sensory motor amnesia (coined by Thomas Hanna founder of Somatics); they have very poor feedback on what some of their muscle are doing (this seems to almost always correspond to an area with poor mobility). Many times a Z Health mobility drill will be able increase muscle feedback.
Below is an excellent review of caffeine on athletic performance done by Ryan Gage. Ryan is graduating soon here from the University of Minnesota and his bio is at the end.
Special thanks to Ryan for contributing this great review to the blog. Much appreciated!
The Effects of Caffeine on Physical Activity and Athletic Performance
Completed by Ryan Gage
Introduction
Caffeine, a central nervous system and cardiac stimulant, is the most popular and most readily available drug in the world (Bramstedt 2007). Athletes of all ages and abilities are exposed to caffeine on a regular basis and make a choice of whether or not to use the drug. Many athletes, regardless of age or ability, do not know the specifics of the drug in relation to the physiology and biochemistry of their bodies. This lack of knowledge can hinder performance in some cases, and lead to serious illness or injury in others.
There are many aspects of fitness including cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. The effects of caffeine ingestion related to these aspects of fitness have been documented in research studies. However, many studies are restricted to a small population with a specific gender, degree of athletic ability, and socio-economic status. In order for an athlete to understand the effects of caffeine on their particular body they must find studies performed on populations similar to his or her particular gender, age, and athletic ability.
Through careful analysis of current research, caffeine has been positively correlated to benefit athletic performance in regards to upper body strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, hydration, thermoregulation, and mental concentration. Countless sports are highly dependent on the previously stated characteristics of physical performance. Upper body strength and endurance plays a large role in football, baseball, lacrosse, swimming, and basketball.Cardiorespiratory endurance, hydration, thermoregulation, and mental concentration are cornerstones of track and field, Nordic skiing, and cycling, amongst many other sports. With that being said, caffeine supplementation in a regulated amount, such as mg of caffeine per kg of body weight, will enhance athletic performance. In today’s athletic competition, winners and losers are determined by fractions of a second. Even if caffeine’s effects are miniscule in comparison to illegal drugs such as EPO and steroids, the small difference may be enough to push an athlete just enough to win a competition they otherwise would not have.
Review of Literature
As a central nervous system and cardiac stimulant caffeine is easily tied to cardiovascular athletic performance.However, the link relating caffeine’s effects to resistance training is less obvious. Beck, Housh, Schmidt, Johnson, Coburn, and Malek (2006) concluded that a supplement containing caffeine allowed participants to increase upper body strength as determined by a one-repetition maximum (1RM) bench press. Thirty-seven men with a mean age of 21 participated in the study; all having previous resistance training experience. 48 hours following the subjects’ initial visits to the laboratory where they performed the baseline 1RM bench press they returned and were randomly assigned to a caffeine supplement group or a placebo group. After ingesting the caffeine or placebo pill the participants waited one hour before retesting his 1RM bench press. There was a significant (p<0.05) style="">
Astorino, Rohmann, and Firth (2007) provide further validation of caffeine positively affecting upper body strength and endurance in a study consisting of 22 resistance trained men with a mean age of 23.4, ranging from 18 to 29 years old. Previous resistance training experience of at least two total-body workouts a week was a prerequisite for participating in the study.The men’s previous training history ranged from 1.5 years to 12 years, with a mean of 6 years. Prior to testing the participants were required to have no caffeine intake for 48 hours and refrain from exercise for 24 hours immediately before visiting the laboratory. During the first visit to the laboratory the participants were given either a 6 mg/kg dose of caffeine or the placebo and then performed a 1RM bench press. Immediately following the 1RM test, 60% of the 1RM was placed on the bar and the participants pressed that weight until complete failure as a means of measuring muscular endurance. Even though statistically insignificant (p>0.05), an increase in muscular endurance (11-12%) was shown in the participants who ingested the caffeine supplement when compared to those who ingested the placebo.
Many studies investigating the relationship between caffeine and exercise use pharmaceutical caffeine in capsules. However, Forbes, Candow, Little, Magnus, and Chilibeck (2007)examined the effects of Red Bull Energy Drink on exercising participants performing three sets of bench press to determine muscular endurance. This study also differed from others investigating caffeine and muscular strength or endurance in the fact that it included women. 11 men and 4 women who are physically active two to three days a week were selected for the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to ingest Red Bull at 2 mg/kg or placebo 60 minutes prior to performing the bench press endurance test. One week after the initial testing the participants revisited the laboratory and ingested the opposite supplement. After determining the participants’ 1RM on the bench press they were instructed to complete three sets of bench press repetitions to complete fatigue. The weight used for the trials was 70% of the participants’ 1RM, and the trails were separated by a one-minute rest period. There was a significant increase in the number of repetitions achieved over the three sets by those who ingested Red Bull (34 ± 9) versus the placebo (32 ± 8).
Caffeine is not only a cardiac stimulant, but also a central nervous system stimulant as well. The central nervous system controls cognitive functions that are essential to athletic performance.
McLellan, Kamimori, Voss, Tate, and Smith (2007)hypothesized that soldiers who received a dose of caffeine during overnight periods of no sleep would physically and cognitively function better in the morning hours when compared to soldiers given a placebo. Twenty male Special Forces soldiers with a mean age of 28.6 and a mean body mass of 81.2 kg participated in the study. The soldiers were randomly separated into groups of four. Two soldiers within each group received caffeine, while the other two soldiers received the placebo. Instead of using caffeine supplemented in a pill form, the soldiers were given pieces of Stay Alert caffeine gum with 100 mg of caffeine in each piece. The placebo pieces of gum matched Stay Alert in taste, color, and texture. McLellan et al. opted to use gum instead of pills for this study because it is shown that the caffeine in the gum is more quickly absorbed into circulation. The soldiers’ physical skills were assessed through an obstacle course run and marksmanship, while cognitive skills were assessed in analyzing their communication and vigilance. The vigilance test consisted of soldiers sitting 175-200 meters away from a building. The soldiers were then asked to record the “where, when, and what” of any activity that occurred in their field of vision. The caffeine group maintained vigilance at a mean of 60.2%, while the placebo group scored only a mean of 33.6% in the vigilance tests. McLellan et al. suggests that the use of 800 mg of caffeine given throughout overnight periods maintained cognitive alertness and vigilance better than the placebo group. However, the physical obstacle course test did not show significant differences between the two groups.
As with any other drug used for performance enhancement caffeine has a perceived benefit to many athletes. Desbrow and Leveritt (2007)investigated the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences of caffeine use by competitors in the 2005 Ironman Triathlon World Championships. 105 men and 35 women from both the elite and age-group levels of competitor participated in the study. The mean length of experience competing in triathlons was 10.2 ± 7 years. The participants were required to complete a questionnaire exploring his or her knowledge, attitudes, use history, planned consumption, and caffeine-related side effects. The athletes’ attitudes regarding caffeine use included the effect of caffeine on endurance, speed, power, strength, concentration, and fat loss. The section of the questionnaire regarding the athletes’ knowledge of caffeine sources included categorizing foods and beverages into groups of “contains no caffeine,” “contains caffeine but only a small amount,” or “contains caffeine in a larger amount.” Finally, the athletes were asked to provide information regarding the dosage they would consume if they wanted to improve their Ironman triathlon performance and the severity of common side effects related to caffeine consumption, such as tremors, shakes, headaches, elevated heart rate, and abdominal discomfort. Through statistical analysis, Desbrow and Leveritt (2007) concluded that it is the perception of the 2005 Ironman Triathlon participants that caffeine is ergogenic to their performance. The athletes were able to identify sources of caffeine in mainstream products such as coffee, tea, cola, and energy drinks, but were not accurate in their ability to quantify the amount of caffeine in those products. The top three ways of obtaining knowledge regarding information on caffeine’s effectiveness were self-research/experimentation, fellow athletes, and magazine articles.
Caffeine’s physical effects on exercise are well documented; however, a relationship between caffeine and the mental aspect of exercise is less studied. As heart rate is a physical measure of exercise intensity a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a subjective mental measure of exercise intensity. Ahrens, Lloyd, and Walker (2006) investigated the relationship between caffeine and cardiorespiratory fitness in women, with RPE being one of the criterions to determine the results. 20 women ranging in age from 19 to 28 participated in the study. The women were of average fitness level and were not habitual caffeine users. The women participated in three trials of stead-state treadmill walking at 3.5mph. The three trials consisted of each woman being randomly assigned a 3-mg/kg caffeine, 6-mg/kg caffeine, or placebo dosage. Test subjects made four separate visits to the laboratory, two to seven days apart. During each visit the subject participated in an eight minute walk at 3.5mph exactly one hour after ingesting the given capsule. Analysis of data determined that RPE was not significantly different between the 3-mg/kg caffeine, 6-mg/kg caffeine, or placebo dosages. The results led Ahrens et al. to state “it would not be prudent for a trainer to recommend caffeine in order to increase a woman’s energy expenditure or to decrease perception of effort during mild exercise. Caffeine intake should not interfere with monitoring walking intensity by tracking exercise heart rate in women.”
Ahrens et al. (2006) gives insight into how caffeine would affect cardiorespiratory training in a low intensity setting as the subjects were not pushed past a 3.5mph pace. Contrarily, McClaran and Wetter (2007) performed tests that pushed the participants to absolute exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. The nine male subjects that participated in the study were randomly assigned to perform the bicycle test after ingesting 1.5 mg/kg caffeine, 3.0 mg/kg caffeine, or a placebo. The participants took part in three separate tests so that they could be given all three variations in the supplement prior to performing the test. As most studies previously stated, there was a one hour time period between the participants ingesting the given supplement and performing the test. However, in the study performed by McClaran and Wetter (2007) the subjects were only allowed to rest for thirty minutes prior to partaking in the cycle test. The subjects endured three separate warm-up sessions of 60 watts, 120 watts, and 180 watts, with each session lasting five minutes. After receiving a two-minute rest off of the bike the subjects once again cycled at 180 watts for one minute, which was then increased 30 watts every minute until complete exhaustion. Measurements taken during the tests included heart rate, systolic blood pressure, tidal volume of breathing, rating of perceived exertion, and oxygen consumption (VO2). After analyzing the data McClaran and Wetter (2007) concluded that caffeine doses of 1.5 mg/kg and 3.0 mg/kg of body weight significantly lowered heart rate during the submaximal testing, ranging from four to seven beats per minute lower. However, the heart rates were not found to be lower as the participant’s gave their maximal effort in the exhaustion phase of the test. Also, McClaran and Wetter (2007) stated that neither dose of caffeine had any effect on blood pressure during the exercise portion of the test. Further validation of the findings in Ahrens et al. (2006) were provided as McClaran and Wetter (2007) stated that caffeine had no effect on the subject’s rating of perceived exertion during the test.
In a similar manner to the study performed by Forbes et al. (2007) in which the widely available product Red Bull Energy Drink was used as the supplement in the study Roberts, Taylor, Wismann, Wilborn, Kreider, and Willoughby (2007) used JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee as the supplement provided to test subjects. JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee is described as “a functional gourmet coffee that contains a proprietary blend of caffeine, garcinia cambogia, chromium polynicotinate, and aurantium” and claims to increase energy expenditure. In hopes of determining if the claim of increased energy expenditure was valid, Roberts et al. (2007) goal for the study was to determine if post-exercise fat metabolism was enhanced by use of JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee. Study participants performed baseline testing in a graded treadmill test to determine peak VO2 and also a Wingate test for peak power. Three to four days following the baseline testing the subjects returned and went through the same testing after ingesting 354 mL of JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee or decaffeinated coffee. One week after the first round of testing the participants returned to the laboratory where they once again performed the graded treadmill test and Wingate test, but after consuming the remaining type of coffee. Roberts et al. (2007) discovered that JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee significantly increased VO2 readings three minutes after the exercise stopped when compared to baseline readings. The increase post-exercise VO2 led Roberts et al. to state that enhanced post-exercise fat metabolism may be obtained by consuming JavaFit Energy Extreme coffee prior to aerobic exercise.
An athlete’s hydration level can be the determining factor if he or she performs up to their greatest potential. Millard-Stafford, Cureton, Wingo, Trilk, Warren, and Buyckx(2007)investigated the affect a caffeinated sports drink had on the fluid delivery and hydration process during exercise. The conditions of the experiment were warm and humid, with a temperature of 28.5* Celsius (83.3* Fahrenheit) and 60% relative humidity at an indoor environmental chamber. A group of 16 highly trained male cyclist participated in the study. The cyclists performed three tests, separated by at least five days rest. They were given the carbohydrate-electrolyte drink Gatorade for one test, Gatorade with caffeine for one test, and a placebo for the remaining test. The cycling test included two portions. First the cyclist would perform two hours of steady state cycling at 60%-75% of their VO2max. After completing the initial two hours of cycling the subjects immediately performed a 15-minute maximal effort ride. Prior to performing the two-hour ride the cyclist drank 6mL/kg body weight of the selected beverage for that day. During the experiment the subjects were given 3mL/kg body weight of the beverage at 15-minute intervals. For those ingesting the caffeinated beverage the caffeine was given at a volume of 5.3 mg/kg body weight. Millard-Stafford et al. (2007) measured the sweat rate, urine output, and fluid retention of each participant to determine his hydration level throughout the test. As there were no significant differences found among the three types of beverages administered Millard-Saffort et al. (2007) concluded that a caffeinated carbohydrate-electrolyte sustains hydration and thermoregulatory function as well as a normal carbohydrate-electrolyte drink. Even though caffeine is considered a diuretic the effects are not shown when it is consumed during exercise.
Discussion
The research studies discussed investigated the effect of caffeine on different areas of fitness such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, power, and endurance, and mental concentration. The studies were designed in such a way that they measured only one particular area of fitness at a time. Even though the studies differed in purpose and design there were common themes throughout that collectively limited the studies. The first common theme throughout the studies is that they all used a small number of participants. On average, the researchers limited the number of participants to 10-20. Alsofurther limiting the results of some studies was the use of only males or females. Studies conducted by Millard-Safford et al. (2007), McClaran and Wetter (2007), Ahrens et al. (2006), McLellan et al. (2007), and Astorino et al. (2007) only used one gender of participants. By only including a very distinct population in the studies the results are only applicable to a small group of people. In many instances only middle-aged males will receive information regarding how caffeine affects their performance in the athletic world.
Another limiting factor in the research is regarding the length of the studies performed. Many of the studies including Astorino et. al. (2007), Roberts et al. (2007), Ahrens et al. (2006), Beck et al. (2006), and Forbes et al. (2007) investigated the acute effects of caffeine on exercise. The participants in these studies would go to the laboratory, ingest caffeine or placebo, and perform the given exercise within one and a half hours after ingestion. The design of these studies would then send the participant home, and only see them once more as they were tested for the remaining dosage (caffeine or placebo). The design of these studies limits the available knowledge regarding the long-term effects of caffeine and exercise. Granted availability of both researchers and participants for a chronic caffeine prior to exercise study would be difficult, the results would be interesting.
A final limiting factor in the research was ethically how much caffeine the participants could be given. Roberts et al. (2007) limited the pre-exercise caffeine consumption to 354 ml of coffee. Forbes et al. only gave the participants 2 mg/kg body mass of caffeine. Ahrens et al. (2006) and Astorino et al. (2007) did give an increased amount of 6 mg/kg body mass, yet this amount of caffeine has been shown to be a safe level of caffeine. A research approval board would not allow participants to be given such a large amount of caffeine that could possibly have detrimental health effects. However, in reality athletes do not measure their caffeine consumption by the mg per kg of body mass, and may have taken far greater amounts of caffeine prior to exercise so the research would be interesting to see how higher levels of caffeine affected performance.
As a certified personal trainer the knowledge obtained through this research has a very practical application. The improvements that caffeine gives athletes would also be beneficial to the less elite average personal training client. The increase in VO2max and possible post-exercise fat metabolism as described by Roberts et al. (2007) would give the greatest benefit as many clients are overweight and looking for any advantage that they can obtain in their fight against obesity. Additionally, the correlation between pre-exercise ingestion of caffeine and increase in muscular strength would be beneficial for the vast number of clients in a more strength and conditioning aspect.
Unfortunately, accompanying the many benefits that are associated with caffeine and exercise are ethical issues regarding the possibility of adverse side effects that a client could experience. Unlike a controlled laboratory setting, a personal trainer would not be able to account for many of the variables that researchers are able to eliminate. For instance, researchers often used pharmaceutical grade caffeine that was precisely measured. The average personal trainer and their client would not likely have the money or means of obtaining pharmaceutical grade caffeine and would settle for other forms of caffeine such as coffee, soda, or supplements, which could do more harm than good. Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, thus leaving both the training and client wondering if the amount of caffeine on the label is actually the amount in the supplement. Additionally, the carbonation in many beverages like soda and energy drinks would affect the client’s physiology during exercise. With all of these variables to account for the practice of a personal trainer telling a client to ingest caffeine prior to exercise may be risky. Without proper equipment to detect and monitor certain cardiac functions throughout exercise many personal trainers should not be willing to risk their certification and a possible lawsuit if there were an adverse side affect related to the caffeine consumption.
Future research regarding the effect of caffeine on athletic performance should attempt to lessen some of the limitations of the current research studies. For starters, the participants of future studies should be larger in number and more diverse in age and gender. In order to perform similar tests such as a cycle ergometer, graded treadmill tests, or maximum bench presses on a large number of people the process could be both costly and time consuming.However, the valuable information received from such a large study could be related to a greater number of people. Also, the larger studies should test males and females side by side for ease of comparison. Forbes et al. (2007) and Roberts et al. (2007) did test males and females together in the same study, however, the number of males and females were uneven in the study performed by Forbes (11 male, 4 female) and the total number of participants in the study conducted by Roberts was very small (10). A large study consisting of both males and females at a relatively close ratio would eliminate the variables when comparing similar studies. Even if two studies had very similar methods and procedures the results cannot be accurately lumped into one general correlation. Factors such as the environment of the testing facility and attitude of the researchers can factor in to how the participant performs regardless of the methods and procedures of the studies.
Research performed using participants varying in age would also increase the knowledge regarding caffeine use during exercise. Studies conducted by Beck et al. (2006), Forbes et al. (2007), Roberts et al. (2007), and Ahrens et al. (2006) all used participants with an average age ranging from 20-29. This is a small window of people that use caffeine, exercise, or a combination of the two. Information regarding the use of caffeine on the changing metabolisms and physiologies of an aging population would be interesting to compare to the current studies focusing on a young to middle-aged healthy population.
Conclusion
A critical review of literature pertaining to the ingestion of caffeine prior to physical activities and athletics shows that caffeine does in fact have a positive effect on performance in some areas of fitness. Specifically, athletes participating in events that depend heavily on aerobic endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and/or sustained mental concentration could improve their performance by ingesting caffeine prior to an event. However, there is no dosage that is applicable to every athlete. Each athlete would need to relate the findings in of the research studies to themselves. A common theme from many of the research articles suggests that a dose equal to 3-6 mg/kg of the athlete’s body weight ingested 30-60 minutes prior to exercise would be most beneficial in enhancing performance. Even with that recommendation the athlete must weigh the risks versus the perceived benefits. Prior to combining caffeine with exercise the athlete should see a physician to ensure they do not have an underlying cardiovascular disease that could be aggravated by caffeine’s stimulus of the central nervous system and cardiorespiratory system. If the athlete experiences headaches, tremors, unnecessary nervousness, or tachycardia, they should immediately refrain from combining caffeine and exercise. Hopefully in the future athletes will be better educated on the subject of how caffeine affects the physiology of their exercising bodies.In doing so they will be able to more precisely determine the amount of caffeine that will be beneficial to their performance.
Ryan will graduate in May 2009 with a B.S. degree in Kinesiology, with an emphasis in exercise science. He is personal trainer, certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and hopes to obtain a more advanced certification such as ACSM upon graduating. Ryan will always have passion for performance training athletes, but he hopes to broaden his health and fitness knowledge base and work in a clinical setting in the future.
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