Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Articles.

I've recently purchased a few books (here, here, here , here, here, here and here) and I was considering doing some basic reviews, an giving my thoughts on them, so keep an eye out for that over the next couple of weeks.

P Diddy, this one is for you a la our conversation on this blog the other day. In this post Kyle Newell discusses, a prima facie, anecdotal case for sprinting, and as per a discussion I had with a critic here (scroll down to the last comment) Newell also makes a case for an evolutionary basis for sprinting and weight lifting, something I think Gray Cook and Michael Boyle (et al) would get behind (re: fundamental movement patterns). 

Is there a theme in the posts this week? Ferrugia has a great meandering post here, going from his thoughts on music, movies etc an how they've affected him, where he's come from and where he's going. The fact that he mentions a Henry Rollins quote:
"I believe that one defines ones self by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.” 
 A personal hero of mine, this quote is the reaosn this blog is in this week. 

I've cited Robertson in a blog on abs before, and it seems after some time, this information is still relevant. A nice, short post. 

Some research articles on grains from someone with a "beef" against grains (see what I did there?), but don't let that affect you, is his evidence valid?

Some tips here from Tumminello on pre workout meals, he's chucked in a couple of links that you guys should chase, as this is pretty important stuff. This post also backs contentions I've had on this blog regarding meals, which I discuss here, here and here.

I like to add meta analysis articles on science itself sometimes, so we can always remember to base what we do on empirical research. I'm certainly not saying that anecdotal evidence and experiential evidence means nothing, often times professionals (re: top coaches and physiotherapists in the world) can lead the way, ahead of the research, but I wouldn't advocate for someone at my level, to not "stick to the recipe". The more discussions I have with trainers and the more I realise it about myself, I see a lot of pseudoscience creeping into our training methodology's, into what we preach. The more I can learn about proper scientific methodology, the more I can be aware when someones training modalities don't pass muster. To whatever extent I'm qualified to make that assessment, and I admit, that may be very little. 

This is a blog post by Eric Cressey, much in the same vain of this blog itself, a collection of (his) articles to check out, he's always worth a read.

Training Diary-Phase 3- Wk2.

Hey guys, well I know this post is coming late, I guess with the public holidays and such, I haven't been terribly keen to report on my antics. I only trained 3 of the 4 days this week. Due to the public holidays I'm only able to train twice this week, and with there being only one week left of this program after that (in which I was due to have a week off after it), I'm going to call this my week off now. I'm going to write up a new program (possibly "German Volume Training" or some kind of superset program again), and begin afresh. I'll do some regen and recovery this week so I'm fresh for next week.

Back's still a little tight, but no more than any stiffness you might feel from this kind of training and my complete disrespect for warm ups, recovery and regen work. It's certainly not sore anymore. The below weights basically stayed the same, went down a little to protect my back, but it wasn't affected (negatively) at all.

















This is me at about 99kgs, and I don't know what bodyfat percentage, I'll post it this week, I'm gonna hazard around 18-19%? Any takers on that? In 6 weeks I've gone up about 5-6kgs, so we can imagine a bit of it is fat.

Rob Superset



Phase 3


Day 1


Upper BodySRWk1
DB Bench/ 3 Point Row38 32.5kg/32.5kg, 40kg/45kg, 40kg/45kg.
DB Dec/Wd Gp Std Rw38 35kg/90kg, 35kg/95kg, 40kg/95kg.
Pushpress/ Pullup38 60kg/BWx8, 60/BWx8, 60kg/BWx8.
Cble Pushdwn/ BB Curl38 Had to start work.








Day 2


Lower Body/AbsSRWk1
BB Deadlift38 80kg, 100kg, 120kg.
BB Lng/BB Good Mrng38 60kg/60kg, 70kg/70kg, 70kg/70kg.
Leg Prss/Sgl Lg Vd Lg Crl38 200kg/1, 200kg/1, 220kg/1.
Rollout/Jacknife38 1,1,1.




Day 3


Upper BodySRWk1
BB Bench/Unsppt T-br Rw38 70kg/60kg, 90kg/70kg, 100kg/70kg.
DB Inc/ Machine Row38 35kg/14 (Plates), 40kg/14+10kg, 45kg/14+10kg.
Hang Clea/Press/ Wd Chin38  60kg/12.5kg, 60kg/15kg, 60kg/15kg.
Skullcrusher/ DB Curl38 -.





Day 4


Lower Body S R Wk1
Wide Back Squar 3 10  -
Lateral Lunge/SLDL 3 10 -
DB Step Up/Valsld Lg Crl 3 10 -
Bodysaw/ Hanging Leg Rs
10-

As per Chad Waterbury's article on "The Warrior Diet" I've added some pure vegetable smoothies to my diet, during the week n a bit off I'm having now,  I'm consuming them at any point I choose during the day, but when I get back into my routine I'll be having one with breakfast and one with dinner perhaps, I highly recommend them (as I imagine most of you are not having enough serves of vegetables). I'll also be adding photos of them to my smoothies blog.

Breakfast: 1 cup of oats with 1 scoop protein powder, Hilo milk, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. 700mL of water. Vegetable smoothy- 1/3 of a cucumber, handful of alfalfa, a carrot, handfuls of beans, peas, corn, spinach, a few sticks of brocolli.

Post workout shake: x2  up n go "energize"'s, 30g of protein powder. 500-700mL of water during training.

Post workout meal: Nachos.
 
Meal before afternoon shift:  Smoothy- 1/2 cup of berries, 1 cup of mixed veggies, 1 banana, 1 pear/apple, 1/2 cup of walnuts/cashews, a touch of cinnamon, 750mL of water, 1 cup of yogurt, 150g cottage cheese, 3 broccoli stems, handful of cherry tomatoes, lentils, chick peas (or various other types of beans/lentils). I also forgot to note, this makes 2 shakes that I have over the course of the day, or I have the leftover one the next day.

Dinner: Various egg options, usually 2 eggs on wholemeal toast. The second vegetable smoothy.

Supplements. 3-4 fish oil tabs with my afternoon smoothy, and I've started taking a multivitamin supplement once-twice a day.

My creatine hasn't come in the mail, but it should be here for when I start my new program.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Articles

I usually send out a bunch of articles/blog posts to my clients via email, but viz Bret Contreras' blog I think I'm going to start putting them in blog form, that way I practically have a place to store them and can access them when doing research, and they can also then be accessed by others who read the blog, but aren't on my mailing list. I'll attach a short annotation if appropriate on my musings, recollections, anecdotes etc. Getting more interactive I guess is the point and the goal. Enjoy.

Healthy Habits 

Contreras discusses teaching your clients to train for themselves and how trainers should look at themselves as educators, not just bosses. I can agree with that. It’s surprising how a relatively simple article (for Contreras) like this can make something clear that might not have otherwise been prominently in your mind. I always try to teach my clients how to workout on their own, an I encourage them to do so. This article just reminds you to make it a serious consideration. 

Mental and Emotional Aspects of Long-Distance Running
This article was sent to my latest blog of research into aerobic running as a possible psychological component to running that I perhaps hadn't factored into my analysis of the situation (hence a reason why someone may not want to give it up in light of evidence?). I admit I was using cold data to persuade people to move away from an emotional choice, which may persuade those who couldn't care either way, but they aren't the ones who are "addicted" to running are they (generally)?

Muscle Imbalances in the Research 
 This article is from Rick Kaselj's blog, it's a research review of several journal articles. Why did I include it? When promoting resistance training as a viable, appropriate and in many cases superior tool for things like fat loss, injury prevention many of the nay sayers are going to (rightly) ask for evidence. The more I can promote peer reviewed journal articles demonstrating the efficacy of resistance training, perhaps more people will rely on it, and use it correctly. 


Are We Still Dieting the Wrong Way?
This article from Waterbury inspired in me an idea which was obviously logical but something I hadn't considered. Anyone who knows me or reads this blog, knows I'm a fan of smoothies, but what I hadn't considered, as a health option, was to (keep my other smoothies and) add a straight vegetable smoothy, to have once or twice a day, a cheeky little way to get some vegetables in that I might not be getting now (I admit I'm certainly not eating enough in quantity or variety). 

3 Tips for Anyone Who Wants to Improves Perfomance and Look Better Nakes Part 3- Cardio
This is an article from Dave Tate's blog, and it's just some anecdotal evidence to support my contention on aerobic training, resistance training and interval training, which I admit and concede, may mean nothing to runners. 

Evolution of a Strength Coach
The man himself, Michael Boyle discussing many coaches (and I'm assuming for my purposes personal trainers) progression in their own training. I can agree with the timeline even if my progression wasn't strictly the same; I understand the mentality, even if Boyle would not rate me as a trainer.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Research Into The Negative Effects Of Aerobic Training, And The Superiority Of Interval Training.

Please excuse the tedium of simply putting up a blog with research articles in it, but as per my blog yesterday on my philosophy, and my blog the other week on running, I thought it best to make sure my references were in order.  Eric Cressey put out a blog today on why your (my) fitness blog/s might not be getting the hits and have the readership, from this I extrapolated "why people might not listen to me". It could be due to my content; if I want you to listen to what I have to say, I have to make sure my content is appropriate, well sourced, and pleasing to read. I admit, I may not have done this correctly thus far. Some of these references are from other blogs I've done on this subject, I've since removed them, sourced them accurately here, and put them all together, that I might convince even the most ardent skeptic, that I at least have evidence for my position.

It's worth putting in a caveat here, when I use the term "aerobic work" I'm referring to continuous, long distance walking and/or running. Though aerobic interval training is useful, it is still inferior to anaerobic interval training (from now on referred to as: HIIT) and as Cosgrove suggests (below) should only be done if you have time after doing metabolic resistance training and HIIT. I would be willing to concede that there is evidence that aerobic work has resulted in fat loss, but that is nullified by the fact that it takes longer training sessions to gain an effect, something that should already discount it as a fat loss tool (think of a 15 minute HIIT session versus a 45min running one). Due to the continuous and repetitive nature of aerobic exercise it is more likely to cause injury than short duration, high intensity work (though not necessarily). HIIT raises metabolism and does not reduce muscle mass (whereas aerobic work can) and finally HIIT is simply better at increasing overall fitness and fat loss (it is even suggested in studies below that it is great for increasing aerobic fitness). The only times I would suggest aerobic work is in the cases of: beginners, injured individuals (in the sense of: stroke victims, individuals prior joint/muscle injury) etc. For healthy individuals with a base level of fitness, HIIT is more effective in almost every way.  I've covered much of this in another blog, but I wanted to put it altogether and perhaps explain more eloquently my position.

I think this blog establishes my argument, it establishes my evidential basis for this tentatively held acceptance of the inferiority of aerobic training and the superiority of HIIT. Anyone who wants to disagree and wants to convince me of their position has a heavy burden of proof to meet, they have to demonstrate to me a valid argument that overcomes its 4 main faults and HIIT's success in them:
1.- Extended time of training sessions.
2. -Propensity for increased likelihood of injury.
3. -Decreases in muscle mass.
4. -Ineffectiveness as a fat loss tool.

Articles from Strength coaches (containing studies)

Alpert K., Getting Maximum Results Part I - Alternatives to Aerobics-Six Reasons Why Aerobic Work is Counterproductive. Retrieved 21/04/2011. http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/25/Getting_Maximum_Results_Part_I_-_Alternatives_to_A.aspx

Alpert K., Getting Maximum Results Part II - Alternatives to Aerobics- Alternative Exercise Strategies to Help You Break Through a Plateau. Retrieved 21/04/2011. http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/24/Getting_Maximum_Results_Part_II_-_Alternatives_to_.aspx

Boyle M., (2008). Death to Long Slow Distance. http://www.bodybyboyle.com/articles?show=16.

Boyle M., (2008). Interval Training. Retrieved 21/04/2011. http://www.enhancedfp.com/training/interval-training-mike-boyle

Cosgrove A,. (2010). Hierarchy Of Fat Loss. http://alwyncosgrove.com/2010/01/hierarchy-of-fat-loss/
Cosgrove A,. (2011). New Studies on the Afterburn Effect. Retrieved 21/04/2011   http://alwyncosgrove.com/2011/03/new-studies-on-the-afterburn-effect/

Cosgrove A,. (2010). Training techniques to maximise fatloss. Retrieved 21/04/2011. http://alwyncosgrove.com/2010/06/training-techniques-to-maximize-fat-loss/
Studies

Aerobic work is ineffective
Knechtle B., Knechtle P., (1994). [Run across Switzerland--effect on body fat and muscle mass]. Praxis. 96(8):281-6.
 
Scharhag-Rosenberger F., Meyer T., Walitzek S., Kindermann W., (2010). Effects of one year aerobic endurance training on resting metabolic rate and exercise fat oxidation in previously untrained men and women. Metabolic endurance training adaptations. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 31(7):498-504.

Van Aggel-Leijssen D.P., Saris W.H., Hul G.B., Van Baak M.A., (2001). Long-term effects of low-intensity exercise training on fat metabolism in weight-reduced obese men. Metabolism. 51(8):1003-10.

Van Aggel-Leijssen D.P, Saris W.H, Hul G.B, Van Baak M.A., (2001). Short-term effects of weight loss with or without low-intensity exercise training on fat metabolism in obese men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.73(3):523-31.

Van Aggel-Leijssen D.P., Saris W.H., Wagenmakers A.J., Hul G.B., van Baak MA. The effect of low-intensity exercise training on fat metabolism of obese women. Obesity Research. 9(2):86-96.

Aerobic work/endurance running causes injuries
Genin J., Mann R,. Theisen D., (2011). Determining the running-related injury risk factors in long distance runners. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 45(4):349.

Jacobsson J., Timpka T., Ekberg J., KowalskiNilsson S., Renström P., (2011). The swedish athletics study: annual incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in elite athletics athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 45(4):353-4.

Junior L.C., Carvalho A.C., Costa L.O., Lopes A.D., (2011). The prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in runners: a systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 45(4):351-2.
Lopes A.D., Saragiotto B.T., Yamato T.P., Adami F., Costa L.O., (2011).Musculoskeletal pain in recreational runners prior to race participation: a cross-sectional survey in 1049 runners. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 45(4):361.

Tenforde A.S., Sayres L.C., McCurdy M.L., Collado H., Sainani K.L., Fredericson M., (2011). Overuse injuries in high school runners: lifetime prevalence and prevention strategies. PM& R. (2):125-31; quiz 131.

Anaerobic work is more efficient for fat loss and fitness
Ahearn K. J., Leighton B.H., , McManus J.J., Scott C.B., (2011). Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Excess Post exercise Oxygen Consumption Energy Expenditure of Muscular Endurance and Strength: 1-Set of Bench Press to Muscular Fatigue. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 25(4):903-8.

Daussin F.N., Zoll J., Dufour S.P., Ponsot E., Lonsdorfer-Wolf E., Doutreleau S., Mettauer B., Piquard F., Geny B., Richard R., (2008). Effect of interval versus continuous training on cardiorespiratory and mitochondrial functions: relationship to aerobic performance improvements in sedentary subjects. American Journal of Physiology Regulatory Integrative Comparative Physiology.295(1):R264-72. Epub 2008 Apr 16.

Gaiga M.C., Docherty D., (1995). The effect of an aerobic interval training program on intermittent anaerobic performance. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. 20(4):452-64.

Hoffor A.S., Harrison A.C., Kirk P.A., (1990). Anaerobic threshold alterations caused by interval training in 11-year-olds. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 30(1):53-6.
Kanaley J.A., Weatherup-Dentes M.M., Alvarado C.R., Whitehead G., (2001). Substrate oxidation during acute exercise and with exercise training in lean and obese women. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 85(1-2):68-73.

Ratel S, Lazaar N, Dore E, Baquet G, Williams CA, Berthoin S, Van Praagh E, Bedu M, Duche P. (2004). High-intensity intermittent activities at school: controversies and facts.  Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 44(3):272-80.

Sartor F., De Morree H.M., Matschke V., Marcora S.M., Milousis A., Thom J.M., Kubis H.P., (2010). High-intensity exercise and carbohydrate-reduced energy-restricted diet in obese individuals. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 110(5):893-903.

Smith T.P., Coombes J.S., Geraghty D.P., (2003). Optimising high-intensity treadmill training using the running speed at maximal O(2) uptake and the time for which this can be maintained. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 89(3-4):337-43. Epub 2003 Mar 25.

Van Aggel-Leijssen D.P., Saris W.H., Wagenmakers A.J., Hul G.B., Van Baak M.A., (2001).Influence of training status on maximal accumulated oxygen deficit during all-out cycle exercise. Obesity Research. 9(2):86-96.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Killsession Musings.

No real point to this blog I guess, no investigation or form to follow, simply a meandering cascade of likely to be incoherent gibberish, thrown your way in an attempt to justify my position.

You may be wondering where am I coming from when I dispense blogs, articles and rhetoric? What am I trying to do and, perhaps more importantly, what gives me the right?  I've wanted to put some words down on virtual paper that I might elaborate to some of my readers, particularly those who don't know me, hence don't spend time with me, my philosophy.

I write, I like to do it, I like the mouthpiece that this blog affords me, I do only very basic, prima facie cases for whatever I investigate, I admit this. I try not to talk in absolutes, I try not to punt above my intellect, I am aware however that I fail, on many of these standards. I also respect the fact that there are people reading this who know more about what I'm talking about, and that I may be wrong on much of what I say, I would only ask those people to step forward, and correct me, or allow me to justify my position, if I haven't done so to their liking.

Recently I did an article on running, and it got me to thinking about how I might be perceived when I talk about HIIT, giving up running, avoiding roids and basically telling people how to live their lives.

I guess I firstly wanted to say, to all who are my clients, and all who read this, that I don't consider it my job to tell you how to live your life, in the sense that, you don't pay me to make your choices for you, and those of you who don't pay me, you don't read me to be made to feel bad for doing something you enjoy. I consider this blog to be mostly written dispassionately, in the sense that, in my life, I really don't mind what you do with your body, like to run? Please do so. Like to take roids? You have my blessing. Want to eat meat? I'll be jealous but it's your life. But, as a trainer and as a person learning about the world, I consider it my responsibility to myself at the very least to do subtle investigations into things, to learn about my world and my place in it, and my effect on it. I want to share what I find, right or wrong. I essentially leave it up to you to make up your own choices, but it should be noted, that this is not a moral blog, I don't make or cast any dispersions on any choice people want to make with their lives, it's just that it is my job, as a trainer to inform you, and as I'm doing this most basic of research, you might as well reap the benefits. If this information can help show you the most time efficient, safe, and effective ways to achieve your goals. Then the mouthpiece that is this blog is worth some small work on my part.

I do have limited space, I understand this may seem like a line I pull out often and I can understand if some of you want to call shenanigans. But I hope that I provide evidence for my claims, that I attempt to justify my positions, and more importantly, I'd like to hope I change my conclusions when convinced I'm wrong. Which, I might add, can only come from reason, argument and evidence, which I value most.

I did want to make special mention to the people that I might offend with this blog, or the people who think I'm a loud mouth telling them, quite presumptuously I'm sure, how to live a life they enjoy, that I respect your choices, even if I don't understand them.

In the end, nothing gives me the right to tell anyone how to live their lives, people can listen to me, or not, they can follow what I say, or not. I would only ask that you challenge me when I'm wrong, listen to me when I'm right, never take what I say on faith, always ask for evidence and justification for my positions, and know that I have only the best interests of myself and you in mind, when I dispense information, right or wrong. I'm not attacking you, only attempting to educate myself and others who might benefit.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Training Diary-Phase 3- Wk1.

Hey guys! Week one of this last phase, and what did I do on my first workout Monday morning? Crank my low back, so I've been foam rolling, stretching and doing my mobility before every workout, with a specific focus on my hips (loosening up hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings) and my quads, I also specifically worked on my t-spine which has been noticeably tight lately and has been giving me some pain in my upper back. I did some foam rolling (with a roller and 2 tennis balls sticky taped together), mobility and stretching for my upper body too. I haven't specifically done anything on my low back as I wanted to see if relief would come from stretching, foam rolling and mobilizing the surrounding structures (as per Boyles "joint by joint" approach), but might get into it with some foam rolling and light stretching this morning (Friday morning) before I train lower body.

Ok, well I didn't end up training Friday morning due to the sleeping pilll I took on Wednesday night (more below), plus with my back being sore, thought best to get some recovery. Chris gave me a low back stretch called the "pretzel" (picture below) on Friday morning which has given me a huge amount of relief in my low back (just a bit of tightness remains), which is great. What's the take home message? Don't wait til something goes before you do this stuff! It's better now, but still tender. I think it's in part due to my almost zero amount of recovery/regeneration/warm up, my lack of sleep, increased stress due to lack of sleep and the weight I've been moving (yes to those of you who are actually strong, please hold your chuckles!).

While not the same, this is close to the "pretzel" stretch Wedge showed me
So I've been sleeping better, somewhat, but have still been really run down, it appears to be overtraining, which could be from the program or it could be from the program plus my insomnia bout last week (circular reasoning?), I've been irritable, tired but can't sleep, rundown, suffering with flu like symptoms, classic overtraining symptoms.  So, I bit the bullet and took some sleeping pills Wednesday night and subsequently spent most of Thursday (and Sunday) asleep, which was nice, and needed! Now I know you can get them over the counter I'm going to partake on the days I'm free to lay around. Is that addressing the symptoms and not the cause? Possibly, but I need my rest and want to make sure I'm recovering properly before I jump to any great conclusions, even if it is the program I have 3 more weeks then I'm done, so I can tough it out til then, either way. I am, after all, still making gains in both strength and weight (another weight and bf% test may be in order soon, I think I'm sitting at about 98ish).

Rob Superset


Phase 3


Day 1


Upper BodySRWk1
DB Bench/ 3 Point Row38 32.5kg/32.5kg, 40kg/45kg, 40kg/45kg.
DB Dec/Wd Gp Std Rw38 35kg/90kg, 35kg/90kg, 40kg/90kg.
Pushpress/ Pullup38 50kg/BWx8, 60/BWx8, 60kg/BWx8.
Cble Pushdwn/ BB Curl38 65/40kg, 70/40kg-








Day 2


Lower Body/AbsSRWk1
BB Deadlift38 80kg, 120kg, 120kg.
BB Lng/BB Good Mrng38 60kg/60kg, 70kg/70kg, 70kg/70kg.
Leg Prss/Sgl Lg Vd Lg Crl38 200kg/1, 200kg/1, 220kg/1.
Rollout/Jacknife38 1,1,1.




Day 3


Upper BodySRWk1
BB Bench/Unsppt T-br Rw38 70kg/60kg, 90kg/70kg, 100kg/70kg.
DB Inc/ Machine Row38 32.5kg/12 (Plates), 37.5kg/14, 40kg/14.
Hang Clea/Press/ Wd Chin38  60kg/10kg, 60kg/12.5kg, 60kg/15kg.
Skullcrusher/ DB Curl38 -.





Day 4


Lower Body S R Wk1
Wide Back Squar 3 10  -
Lateral Lunge/SLDL 3 10 -
DB Step Up/Valsld Lg Crl 3 10 -
Bodysaw/ Hanging Leg Rs
10-

Diet wise, I've dropped the pies, a bit hard to claim to be a "semivegetarian" when you're consuming 4 meat meals a week, plus I was still having nachos on top of that, my waistline couldn't take it! I have only had one meat meal this week at Hans before we went and saw Scream 4 (it's awesome by the way! "Scream 4": More meta than ever! And almost as much fun"), so I'm feeling good about that. Still eating nachos, but as I'm training in the morning now they have become my post shake, post workout meal, not great I know, but if ever there was a part of the day when a meal like that would be less detrimental, it's after a weights workout (when your body is in recovery and can use excess calories for muscle glycogen, muscle repair etc). This is just a self justification, ad hoc mentality that I certainly don't encourage, and a la Jason Feruggia's "Keep it Real(istic)" post last week, the fatter I get now, means the smaller I'm gonna be when I diet down. Which effectively makes all this hard work useless. I am, after all, not a bodybuilder, I don't use drugs, that would allow me to bulk and cut, I'm just a recreational lifter, whose primary goal is looking good, and being big, a fine line to walk sure, but eating crap is not the way to get there. So, as with the removal of the meat pies, I just need to rationalise the removal of food I like that's subordinate to a goal I actually want to achieve (pleasure of eating nachos v having abs). I've been listening to a podcast on the psychology of "terror management" (scroll down to the podcast entitled "RD Extra: Denying Death") and it's made me realise how important psychology is to a trainer and how little I know about it, could be something for me to research.

I've also ordered some creatine (monohydrate) which I'll start when it gets here, as my goal was to start it when I hit 100kgs, which I almost am. I'll see if it adds any muscle and not just water, I'll also start a Beta-Alanine supplement when/if I get to 105kgs.

Breakfast: 1 cup of oats with 1 scoop protein powder, Hilo milk, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. 700mL of water.

Post workout shake: x2  up n go "energize"'s, 30g of protein powder. 500-700mL of water during training.

Post workout meal: Nachos.
 
Meal before afternoon shift:  Smoothy- 1/2 cup of berries, 1 cup of mixed veggies, 1 banana, 1 pear/apple, 1/2 cup of walnuts/cashews, a touch of cinnamon, 750mL of water, 1 cup of yogurt, 150g cottage cheese, 3 broccoli stems, handful of cherry tomatoes, lentils, chick peas (or various other types of beans/lentils). I also forgot to note, this makes 2 shakes that I have over the course of the day, or I have the leftover one the next day.


Dinner: Various egg options, usually 2 eggs on wholemeal toast.

Supplements. 3-4 fish oil tabs with my afternoon smoothy, and I've started taking a multivitamin supplement once-twice a day.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Training Diary-Phase 2- Wk4.

Well, about mid week I actually got sick (flu like symptoms, most likely CNS fatigue), because of this insomnia I've been suffering from, which hindered my ability to train, as I didn't want to exacerbate my condition by training too hard. With that in mind I took Friday morning off, and skipped the last couple of sets on Wednesday. Decided to focus on getting some rest and recovering, which as of writing this on Sunday morning I can say I am.

Perhaps due to feeling as crap as I did, my diet this week has been, not super great. 4 servings of pies (post workout meals), 1 beef ginger at Hans Cafe, and 2 serves of nachos, frozen coke and malteasers at the movie (Sucker Punch- highly recommended) on Saturday night. Feeling bad is not an excuse I know, I can only try to fix it up next week. I'm going to remove the pies, and attempt to keep the nachos to a minimum. Starting to get less than desirable in the health and waistline departments

Rob Superset


Phase 2


Day 1


Upper BodySRWk1
BB Inc Press/ DB BO Row310 70kg/35kg, 90kg/42.5kg, 100kg/45kg.
DB Bench/ Core Row310 35kg/22.5kg, 37.5kg/25kg, 40kg/25kg.
DB Std Prss/ CG Pullup310 30kg/BWx9, 30kg/BWx9, 32.5kg/BWx9.
Dip/ Preacher Crl310 BWx10/42.5kg, BWx 10/42.5kg, Skipped due to time
CG Pushup/ DB Hammer Crl310 Yes I continue to be weak.




Day 2


Lower Body/AbsSRWk1
Front Squat310 70kg, 80kg, 90kg.
DB Rvrs Lng/ PullThrough310 25kg/140kg, 32.5kg/160kg, 32.5kg/170kg.
Hack Squat/BB  Hip Ext310 80kg/70kg, 80kg/70kg, 80kg/70kg.
Pallof Press (each side)310 100kg, 100kg, 100kg.




Day 3


Upper BodySRWk1
DB Inc Bench/ BB BO Row310 32.5kg/70kg, 40kg/100kg, 40g/100kg.
Wghtd Pushup/ Invrtd Pullup *310 BW/BW, BW/BW, BW/BW*.
DB Std Arnold/ Mx Grip Pullup310 25kg/BWx8, 25kg/BWx8, 25kg/BWx6.
CG Bench/ DB Alt Curl310 Skipped due to feeling sick
DB O/H Ext/ BB Curl310

Day 4


Lower Body S R Wk1
BB Sumo Deadlift 3 10
RFESS/ Kttlbll Swg 3 10
Leg Press/ Sngl Leg Curl 3 10
Valslide Rllt/ Plank
10
*There was no-one in the gym to help me put plates on my back and chest.



Aside from being as rundown as I have been, my training itself isn't suffering too much, still going up in weights, feeling strong, and getting bigger. All of this is somewhat consoling considering how crap I've been feelinng.

Not too much to report this week, I've been feeling crap, but I'm sleeping more which is nice, and feeling better, looking forward to the new program next week. I'll post it now, as I really have little to say, but I may update it later, expect more detail next week.

Breakfast: 1 cup of oats with 1 scoop protein powder, Hilo milk, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. 700mL of water.

Post workout shake: x2  up n go "energize"'s, 30g of protein powder. 500-700mL of water during training.

Post workout meal: x2 Mrs Mac's Pies, half a glass of Hilo milk.
 
Meal before afternoon shift:  Smoothy- 1/2 cup of berries, 1 cup of mixed veggies, 1 banana, 1 pear/apple, 1/2 cup of walnuts/cashews, a touch of cinnamon, 750mL of water, 1 cup of yogurt, 150g cottage cheese, 3 broccoli stems, handful of cherry tomatoes, lentils, chick peas (or various other types of beans/lentils). I also forgot to note, this makes 2 shakes that I have over the course of the day, or I have the leftover one the next day.


Dinner: Various egg options, I cooked up my chicken and made a korma curry with it.But as you see above, have only had 2 meals from it, other meals included eggs on toast, egg white omelette's with toast etc.

Supplements. 3-4 fish oil tabs with my afternoon smoothy, and I've started taking a multivitamin supplement once-twice a day.

Friday, April 8, 2011

"Letters To The Editor"

In response to some of the great responses I've been getting on the blog, I thought I'd re-post them in their own blog, see if we can't continue and expand some of the discussion we've been getting.

On the Steroid blog, Sean "P Diddy" Powell had this to say:
"My thoughts are (together with a disclaimer that I don’t use steroids), are basically:

• Where do you draw the distinction between artificial supplements? For example is taking whey protein powder the same or slightly lower on the scale of artificial supplements than steroids. I don’t know if there are any negative side effects to taking protein, creatine, hydroxycut or the various other fat loss or bodybuilding type supplements commonly available from fitness stores or sites like T-Nation etc. You could even say that just going to the gym is artificially increasing your muscle size because lifting weights isn’t a “normal” activity, its something that you’re doing specifically to increase muscle mass, although with that you’re not putting anything artificial into your body. Taking protein powder (or fishoil tablets or multivitamins) adds something which is not naturally there in those quantities (although perhaps it should be if not for our inadequate diets) whereas steroids, depending on the type and method adds something which is either naturally produced by the body (eg, testosterone or human growth hormones) or artificially constructed/concentrated substances.

• Secondly, even if you do take steroids, my understanding is that you still need to work out like a nutcase, probably even harder than normal (which frankly, most of us office workers don’t get to) for it to have any or maximum effect otherwise your body doesn’t use all that extra juice to build muscle.

• Third, I think the major desire for average gym goers (as opposed to competitive athletes) to use steroids is the desire to get a quicker result, so you don’t have to put in 12 months of 5x per week nutbusting effort, which frankly, is hard work when you are there, and hard work just to get there. If you can pop a pill, work out once a week and get more muscle then its an easy fix. If you could take a pill and melt the stomach fat and build muscle, would you still go to the gym? Ie, do you enjoy the process or the result? I’m not sure where I come down on that – probably that I enjoy the process (to a certain extent) but I want the result. I suspect most of your clients would opt for a magic pill and the result though.


My 2c…
"
Then there was Wolf on the Vegetarianism Pt. 2 (The Nutritional Argument) blog:
"The vegetarian diet has some nutritional good points to it but I do not think it is the optimal diet to choose for purely health reasons nor do I think it is a sufficient justification on its own to become a strict vegetarian.

Here are a few points. While vegetarians tend on avereage to have lower total cholesterol, higher fibre and plant mass and less saturated fat in their diet than the general population, this translates to fairly small end-point reductions. The general findings from large studies and meta-anaylsis are that there is a reduction in ischemic heart disease but no significant difference in several other end points including heart disease and various cancers.

They also tend to have higher levels of Advanced glycation end products, homocysteine and small,dense LDL fractions while also having lower levels of DHA and bone mineral density. All these measurements have been implicated in chronic diseases.

Additionally, meat isnt simply a source of iron and protion (of which vegetarians are also commonly deficient in) but it is a rich source of a vast array of nutrients including CLA, taurine, CoQ10, carnitine, carnosine, EPA+DHA and creatine. All of which seem to play important roles in the body and are almost entirely absent in a vegetarian diet. Even the more common nutrients (vitamins/minerals) are on average, more absorbable from meat. Plants have numerous anti-nutrients including phytates or trypsin inhibitors that bind to nutrients are inhibit their absorption or digestion.

Then there are the common concerns of anemia and protein dificiency. The standard range of 0.6-0.8g/kg was based on nitrogen studies in a small population and does not account for the wide range of metabolic variations as well as the additional benefits that a higher protein diet may provide (hypolipedmic, satiety, BMD etc).

These are just some issues that I think warrent some caution when thinking about adapting a vegetarian diet. I do think that if you do some extensive reading and consistantly monitor your diet then I think you can live a happy life as a vegetarian but I do not think that it is an optimal diet by any means and on its own, I see no reason to adapt it. Including an array of nutrient dense vegetables, I think is advantagous and there are many health issues related to meat that one must consider (cooking methods, HCA etc) but meat is a hugely nutrient dense food source that you shouldnt give up completly, atleast not for your health."

And on the CBD Facebook website (scroll down to the blog post and comments section), in response to my Want To Stay Fat? Keep Running post, Kevin Snedker had this to say:
"Really? We were genetically engineered for running. We're able to lower our internal body temperature via sweating (unlike every other animal out there) thus allowing us to maintain extended periods of strenuous exercise, ie. running. We are able to breathe during intense exercise, where animals cannot breathe and pant at the same time, thus cannot run as long as we can. The arch of our foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, able to distribute our weight evenly at any pace. We used to run down our prey, that is how we fed ourselves - I doubt caveman managed to get any food into their bodies by living heavy rocks. Don't get me wrong, I think lifting weights is an important part of any fitness regime, but to say running is bad for you? Seems like there is a lot more research that suggests otherwise. There are plenty of people that run marathons well into their 90s - when was the last time you saw a 90 year old bodybuilder."

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Training Diary-Phase 2- Wk3.

OK, so, what have I been up to this week? How many times have I eaten meat? Junk food? Well, I've had 6 pies over 2 servings (as post workout meals), n nachos twice, other than that no junk and no meat. So, that's a total of 8 bad meals, which makes it closer to 20% of total meals were bad, this is obviously not good, and my waistline is starting to show it.

I was really bad over the weekend, I've actually been having real trouble sleeping this week, CNS problems? Could be. Over training? Possibly. It does seem kind of circular though, I'm not sleeping because I'm stressed out and I'm stressed out because I'm not sleeping, I dunno, seems fishy. Whatever the mechanism though, I'm only getting 2-3 hours a day, and that is in turn keeping my body fat levels up, it's causing me to get lax on the diet (I had chicken on Saturday night, then pies when I got home), which becomes it's own self fulfilling cycle of shame, reward, repeat.  I go through phases like this, but it's starting to get to the "hand me a sleeping tablet" point. If it continues I'll consider some options (climb a clock tower with a carbon gas powered rifle with nuclear scope?).

Otherwise training has been surprisingly good, I feel strong, focused, alert, and pumped, I'm training in the mornings, which is nice change (and also a result of my bizarro sleep schedule). Perhaps my pumped up CNS is allowing me to train like a beats? Who knows, but I feel like I'm gonna crash sooner or later! I'm feeling big, and getting more n more comments all the time (and not just "hey yo've gotten fat"). So things aren't all bad!

Rob Superset


Phase 2


Day 1


Upper BodySRWk1
BB Inc Press/ DB BO Row310 70kg/37.5kg, 90kg/40kg, 100kg/40kg.
DB Bench/ Core Row310 35kg/20kg, 37.5kg/22.5kg, 37.5kg/22.5kg.
DB Std Prss/ CG Pullup310 30kg/BWx9, 30kg/BWx8, 30kg/BWx8.
Dip/ Preacher Crl310 BWx10/42.5kg, BWx 10/42.5kg, BWx10/42.5kg.
CG Pushup/ DB Hammer Crl310 Yes I continue to be weak.




Day 2


Lower Body/AbsSRWk1
Front Squat310 70kg, 80kg, 90kg.
DB Rvrs Lng/ PullThrough310 25kg/140kg, 25kg/150kg, 25kg/150kg.
Hack Squat/BB  Hip Ext310 70kg/60kg, 70kg/60kg, 70kg/60kg.
Pallof Press (each side)310 90kg, 90kg, 100kg.




Day 3


Upper BodySRWk1
DB Inc Bench/ BB BO Row310 35kg/700kg, 37.5kg/90kg, 40g/100kg.
Wghtd Pushup/ Invrtd Pullup *310 BW/BW, BW/BW, BW/BW*.
DB Std Arnold/ Mx Grip Pullup310 25kg/BWx9, 27.5kg/BWx9, 27.5kg/BWx8.
CG Bench/ DB Alt Curl310 60kg/42.5kg, 60kg/42.5kg, 60kg/42.5kg.
DB O/H Ext/ BB Curl310

Day 4


Lower Body S R Wk1
BB Sumo Deadlift 3 10  80kg, 120kg, 140kg.
RFESS/ Kttlbll Swg 3 10  25kg/28kg, 25kg/28kg, 27.5kg/28kg.
Leg Press/ Sngl Leg Curl 3 10  200kg/1, 200kg/1. 240kg/1.
Valslide Rllt/ Plank
10  1/1, 1/1, 1/1
*There was no-one in the gym to help me put plates on my back and chest.



Went up on much of what was lifted this week, continuing a trend of steady progression upwards, which I'm happy with. Next week I'll try for a 150-160kg deadlift, and over 40kgs for the DB bench presses. Feel good, no joint pain, not tendon, muscle, ligament etc pain which is good considering how little I stretch and foam roll! I'm either lucky, or my program is good enough to not create too many imbalances (say 50/50?).

I've changed my diet below, have my post workout food in the morning. I like training in the morning, it gives me a full day of eating to recover, and replenish my muscles with calories, instead of coming home at night, having one, reasonably low calorie meal, then going to be. And I think the results are showing!

Breakfast: 1 cup of oats with 1 scoop protein powder, Hilo milk, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. 700mL of water.

Post workout shake: x2  up n go "energize"'s, 30g of protein powder. 500-700mL of water during training.

Post workout meal: x2 Mrs Mac's Pies, half a glass of Hilo milk.
 
Meal before afternoon shift:  Smoothy- 1/2 cup of berries, 1 cup of mixed veggies, 1 banana, 1 pear/apple, 1/2 cup of walnuts/cashews, a touch of cinnamon, 750mL of water, 1 cup of yogurt, 150g cottage cheese, 3 broccoli stems, handful of cherry tomatoes, lentils, chick peas (or various other types of beans/lentils). I also forgot to note, this makes 2 shakes that I have over the course of the day, or I have the leftover one the next day.


Dinner: Various egg options, I cooked up my chicken and made a korma curry with it.But as you see above, have only had 2 meals from it, other meals included eggs on toast, egg white omelette's with toast etc.

Supplements. 3-4 fish oil tabs with my afternoon smoothy, and I've started taking a multivitamin supplement once-twice a day.