In my previous post, I had a side-note saying “while we’re discussing conditioning, for all of you interested in gaining muscular size or strength – strength/hypertrophy training hinges on variations of work/rest.  What do you think all of those set/rep/rest schemes are about?”

They’re about variety.  Even beyond your standard rep/set/rest schemes, periodized programs have been shown to be superior to non-periodized programs (here’s one study, among many – http://ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/28/5/626).  In fact, go here to read a great review by Steven Fleck of the literature on the benefits of periodized programs versus non-periodized programs.

What does periodization mean?  It means you’re planning your training to allow for successive periods of effort and recovery.

Studies vary as to whether or not linear periodization (increasing intensity/volume successively to a rest stage, then starting again at a higher level), or undulating periodization (varying volume/intensity within a phase of training before a period of rest) are superior to one another.   Certainly, if you’re an athlete, with specific training goals and needs, your requirements will dictate your training method.

That being said, it seems obvious that the body will respond favorably to varying periods and degrees of exertion and rest, as long as the trend is continually challenging to the adaptations gained from previous sessions.

“Wave-loading” is an example of this.  Instead of performing three sets of 10 reps, after your warmup perform one set of 8 reps, followed by a set of 15, then a set of 4.  Even after the relatively high volume in the first two sets, you may be able to perform more weight in the set of 4 than you have previously been able to.  The secret is that you’ve tricked your muscles, by performing a lighter-weight set of the same movement, you’ve neurologically prepared yourself to be able to do high repetitions.  For people concerned with higher reps, the same holds true.  Do a set of 15, followed by a set of 6, then a set of 12.  The heavier weight will tell your brain to prepare for hard exertion, and allow you to perform more reps than you may previously have been able to.  I’ve done it, and seen it happen.

Beyond all of this rep/set/rest/tempo/periodization talk, though, there is a much more important, fundamental issue waiting to be revealed, which is this:

As long as you’re continually challenging your body’s capacity for a particular skill (whether that skill is continuous-effort/work, balance/proprioception, maximal strength), and allowing for sufficient rest, it doesn’t really matter what form that challenge comes in.

If you don’t believe me, take a look at Ross Enamait’s 495lb deadlift at a bodyweight of 170 lbs is awe-inspiring – especially because Ross doesn’t do the barbell deadlift in his routines!

The point, though, is that Ross consistently challenges his body’s ability to explosively move heavy weight in a controlled manner.  He uses full-body/multi-joint exercises.  He has periodized his program, so that his nervous system isn’t getting fried by doing 3×10 squats every third day.  He incorporates a back-off week into his training.  He’s done his homework.

That’s all folks!

I have to post about this, because it’s been on my mind, and hasn’t been sufficiently addressed anywhere, to my knowledge.  There are many blogs, articles, etc, claiming that one should consume some nutrition directly post-workout, while others state the exact opposite.  Both sides have scientific studies that back up their claims.  Who is right?!

First, let’s figure out what common sense would dictate.

Do I want to eat something immediately before doing intensive exercise?  My common-sense-meter (CSM) says “no.”  If the exercise is too intense (or intense enough, depending on your current stage of training), I might just puke up all that “pre-workout nutrition.”  At which point it has only helped me by providing a little additional abdominal work.  Having been around athletes quite a bit, I’ve seen this time and again.  What a waste of money, planning, time, and energy.

What about during exercise?  Should I be eating during exercise?  I guess, if I’m going for a really long time, I’ll need something to keep me from bonking.  Some carbs+protein…maybe some of that sugary junk in the squeeze tubes, and some water, will help me.  However, if I’m like 90% of exercisers, and my session is lasting less than an hour (at least, less than an hour of real work), and my intensity is somewhere around 60-70% of my total work capacity, consuming extra calories during my workout doesn’t really do much for me.

How about post-exercise?  Common sense says I would want to refuel after exercise.  Somewhere between immediately after and an hour or so after.  I’ve exerted all of this energy, depleted my stores of carbohydrate and damaged muscle.  I need to help my body recover, and rebuild.  A small amount of carbohydrate, protein, and fat might help me out here.

Ok Josh, that’s great.  So what’s the perfect time to partake of your postworkout nutrition, and what are the perfect quantities of macronutrients?  And what are the perfect micronutrients/supplements to consume, and at what intervals?

If you’re really asking these questions, you are either a professional athlete, or a victim of our “scientific” age, or both.  If you are a pro athlete, contact me for referral to a qualified nutritionist.  If you’re both, or just a victim, read on.

The big problem I have with all of this debate is that it lacks perspective.  Let me fill you in on something.  There is no perfect anything.  “Perfection” is a philosophical idea created by human brains.  In many cultures, the idea of “perfection” refers to the ability to live within the bounds of what is natural – to be natural.  In Western culture, “perfection” usually refers to an abstracted ideal – Plato’s “Forms.”  In our culture, we believe there is such a thing as a perfect square, circle, diet, workout, post-workout meal, macronutrient balance, fat-burning zone, etc.

The truth is that, while there may be optimal types of all of those things, everything in nature exists by virtue of fluctuations.  There is no static “perfect” state.  Even in my Anatomy/Physiology course in college, the textbook and professor referred to homeostasis as “balance.”  However, homeostasis is not balance…at least, not static balance.  It is dynamic equilibrium among, often competing, elements.

So, my friends, what is “perfect” for you today, is not “perfect” for you tomorrow.

Now, back to nutrition and exercise.  Heart rate variability is an accurate measure of adaptation to aerobic conditioning.  That is, the amount that your heart rate is capable of varying is a good indication of how fit you are.  Not your resting heart rate.  Not your max heart rate.  Not your “perfect heart-rate training zone.”  The amount of variation.

[As a side note, while we're discussing conditioning, for all of you interested in gaining muscular size or strength - strength/hypertrophy training hinges on variations of work/rest.  What do you think all of those set/rep/rest schemes are about?  But let's save this discussion for another entry.]

And many of the “experts” whose blogs are mentioned above are now recommending “fasting days.”  Which is what?  Intermittent nutrition.  But, strangely, it is these same “experts” that advise always to refrain from eating directly post-workout, or always to consume nutrition 30-minutes before exercise, or 30-minutes after, or 1-hour after, and no more or less!

If you want to get really technical, caloric restriction/reduction in general is associated with longevity (at least in rats), and isn’t that what we’re all after anyway – longevity?  Fitness is great, but being a good-looking corpse is not very high on most people’s list of goals.  So, consuming all those extra calories really necessary?  In fact, the link above takes you to a study that shows that sedentary, calorie-restricted rats lived longer than their exercising counterparts who were able to eat whatever they wanted.  That’s right.  I’m ready for the new exercise fad/expert/guru who uses this study to full effect.  The program is called -  Live Forever!  Stop working out and start eating less!

You can find a scientific study to support whatever you want to believe.  However, the fact of life as we know it is that it is variable, it exists by virtue of dynamic variability, and thrives in states where variation occurs in small, medium, and large amounts.  As the old saying goes – VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!

Aside from clinging to an idea of “perfection,” our society has the tendency to do something else – it encourages trust/belief in “experts” over feeling your own body.  How about this as a good rule – always listen to your body.  If you worked out really hard, your body will crave nutrition.  Don’t believe me?  Try it.  If your workout, on the other hand, didn’t even involve breaking a sweat, you might just get a little thirsty.  Have some water.

Dear hearts, listen to your body.  In the words of the Oracle – Know Thyself!

Hi there, welcome to the LIFT blog, where I’ll be posting all manner of fitness, exercise, and related material!  Stay tuned!