Just F'ing Awesome

[Big Fatty (Premo)]

Two great blog entries

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Moments of Clarity Part V
Hypertrophy is a systemic response and effect – not a localized one.

All the talk about bodypart training versus full body routines, isolation exercise versus compound exercise etc is based upon a fundamentally flawed concept – that hypertrophy is somehow completely regionally specific.

Here’s a study that examines this in a bit more detail:


Rogers et al
The Effect of Supplemental Isolated Weight-Training Exercises on Upper-Arm Size and Upper-Body Strength
Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
NSCA Conference Abstract (2000)


The researchers compared the effects of a weight training program on 5RM strength and arm circumference and divided the subjects into two groups.

Group One performed four compound upper body exercises

Group Two used the same program but included bicep curls and triceps extension

The results showed that both groups significantly increased strength and arm size

However – the addition of direct arm training to group two produced no additional effect on strength or arm circumference after 10 weeks of training.

The additional localized training did not result in anything that the bigger compound exercises didn’t provide.

Let me present a hypothetical example:

Twin brothers eating the same diet, working at the same job. Three times a week for the next 52 weeks – both brothers undertake a progressive resistance training program – each adding weight, sets or reps in a logical manner over the whole year.

One difference The first brother does deadlifts only. The second brother does arm curls only.

After a year – who do you think will be bigger overall? Including bigger arms? Obviously it will be the first brother – who put more overall stress and load through his system. Even though he didn’t bend his elbow at all.

Charles Poliquin is fond of quoting that – in order to gain an inch on your arm – you’d have to gain 10lbs of muscle mass. If that’s true – it will happen a lot sooner with an exercise like the deadlift than it will with the dumbbell curl.

Bottom line is that muscle growth is a systemic issue - not a localized one. If I put a stress on the forearm only -- it would grow of course -- but there would be a limit to that as the systemic load is small. But if you did deadlifts - the systemic load would be so big - everything would grow.

And when we think about anabolics or anything that can enhance muscle growth – they are injected or consumed into the system. You don’t inject steroids in equal amounts into every muscle group. You don’t rub Surge or another post workout recovery drink on your arms – increased protein synthesis is a systemic phenomenon.

Therefore why not develop training strategies that target the entire system at once if hypertrophy is what we want? <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
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AC
The Science of Total Training <!--[endif]-->

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posted by Alwyn Cosgrove at 10:48 AM

Monday, April 28, 2008
Fat burning 101
How do we actually lose fat? What do we mean by fat "burning"?
Here's a very simple, (dumbed down) explanation of what actually goes on to create a fat loss effect.

Fat "burning" is essentially a two step process.

One - mobilization. How do we get fat out of the fat cells so that we can actually use it as a fuel source?

Fat mobilization is governed essentially by levels of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL). It's an oversimplification but basically if we ramp up HSL we get more fat mobilization.

How do we ramp up HSL? Increase catecholamine levels.

How do we do that? Exercise.

But HSL is also limited by insulin. High insulin levels = low HSL levels = low fat mobilization.

So a great strategy for part one is low insulin levels (from diet and training), plus high catecholamines (through training).

Part two of the process is transport and oxidation.

If HSL is high - fat cells break down into free fatty acids (FFA) which circulate in the blood and eventually end up in a muscle (which needs energy) where they can be burned off.

But there's another rate limiting step here. Transporting the FFA into the mitochondria where it can be burned off. That transport is controlled by carnitine levels.

If carnitine levels are high - fat transport is high.

Think of carnitine like passport control officials. If you get off a plane with 500 other passengers and there is one official at passport control - it'll take a long time to get through. If there are 500 officials - then you go through quickly and can leave the airport. (Leaving the airport is the equivalent of fat being burned off). The more officials (carnitine) the easier the process.

So how do we ramp up carnitine levels? Well - again we have a rate limiting step. If muscle glycogen is high then carnitine levels are low.

So if we reduce muscle glycogen through metabolic work -- we have the optimal fat oxidation state.


High levels of fat mobilization + High levels of fat oxidation = Accelerated fat loss.


So if you figure out how to integrate all those steps, and circumvent each rate limiting step - you'll find that fat loss is simple .....

Or you could just buy Afterburn as I've done it all for you.....

--
AC
PS - for more on the science of fat loss - pick up the Real World Fat Loss Manual
posted by Alwyn Cosgrove at 7:04 AM

[Big Fatty (Premo)]

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Pumps vs Drains
Great guest blog today from my friend Nick Tuminello

Pumps Versus Drains
Nick Tuminello

I wanted to talk briefly on a concept that I feel has helped me with both my financial and physical health.

The concept is called Pumps vs. Drains.

Traditionally, business / financial gurus talk about pumps and drains in reference to money in vs. money out.

Pumps = Things that make you money
Drains = Things that cost you money

It's a very simple way of evaluating your money situation. In order to become financially fit, your pumps must drastically exceed your drains. If this is not the case, you must work to eliminate your drains and create more pumps. It's a simple and very effective concept that anyone can follow to evaluate his or her current financial status and plan for a better future.

With that said, I found that applying the concept of pumps vs. drains has helped me in other, non-financial ways as well.

We can use this concept with our diet and nutritional habits.

Pumps = healthy food that gives you vital energy
Drains = Junk food that pulls down our vital energy

Looking at food in this manner adds a new perspective on the food that we eat everyday and can help us make better nutritional decisions.

Another valuable way that we can use this concept of pumps and drains is to look at the effect we have on others and the effect that others have on use.

Pumps = People that are positive and give off positive energy
Drains = People that drain energy or give off negative energy

If we are positive, we give off positive energy and therefore create a positive environment that people want to be in. On the other hand, if we are a drain, we make ourselves and everyone around us miserable.

I have made a rule for myself to not only be as positive minded as possible but to eliminate the negativity and negative people in both my personal and social life.

The rule is simple-

If you're a pump of positive energy, you're in! If you're a drain of energy, you're out!

I have always been a happy person but have found that I'm even a happier person now that I have eliminated the negativity in my life. As you can see the concept of pumps vs. drains is a valuable concept to apply in all aspects of your life.

Put it to work for you and reap the benefits of better financial and physical wellness.

Check out more from Nick at PerformanceU.

--
AC
The Science of Total Training

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

...how about a list of 'pump' foods and drain foods so I can stare at it every day and start eating right!?


Good posts.

[GetFitBeHealthy]

Great articles! I found the one on hypertrophy very interesting.

[thurley42]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...how about a list of 'pump' foods and drain foods so I can stare at it every day and start eating right!?


Good posts.

I can tell you that dirty pizza is definately a drain food......i looked so forward to last Saturday...it was my eat as much crappy food as possible night to resurge my metabolism.after three months of extremely clean eating..I had pizza hut and a lot of it...I woke up Sunday morning and felt like I drank a bottle of Vodka....my head hurt, i had zero energy and I laid in bed all day...it was horrible.....

[Big Fatty (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...how about a list of 'pump' foods and drain foods so I can stare at it every day and start eating right!?


Good posts.

This "pump/drain" idealogy will always have individualistic preferences. what works for me may/may not work for the next person.

I have always performed at a high level on carbs/fat. I have set records in the gym and on the competition platform with Nachos as my pre-training food. Go figure. So nachos are a "pump" food for me.
Alcohol is definitely a "drain" food. Big bummer.

I have tried to eat clean before meets (i.e. oatmeal, fruit, protein shakes) and done terrible on the platform.

Damn, now I am craving some nachos.......

[Big Fatty (Premo)]

I will add to my post and say this:

The body must get used to eating clean or dirty. Once acclimated it will perform better.