Pre-Training Nutrition Part I: Green Tea

I work from home in Avalon on Wednesday and Friday's, which gives me the opportunity to swim in the ocean in the morning when I would usually be training clients. While I was swimming today, I thought I might write a quick piece on the virtues of a nutrient which I use to enhance fat burning during aerobic exercise. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised - it's tea, in particular green tea.

Green tea has been well noted in recent years for it's numerous health properties. The key to tea's health benefits is a class of polyphenols which tea contains in abundance. So far, over 4,000 phenolic compounds have been identified. Polyphenols, like other antioxidants, help protect cells from oxidative damage. One of the most powerful and researched phenolic compounds is a group called catechins, in particular, a catechin known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Research has demonstrated that EGCG may be protective against certain cancers, heart disease, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Green tea has also been shown to lower blood glucose, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, increase feel good brain chemicals (dopamine and GABA) and stimulate the metabolism.

Of interest for the exerciser is the effect that green tea has on fat oxidation rates at both rest and during exercise. A study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a green tea extract supplement containing around 900 mg of polyphenols and 365 mg of EGCG increased fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise 17% more than the placebo and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance by 13% in healthy young men.

Using this information, I provide green tea for all clients at my gym prior to training. I use the Jasmine tea from expert tea merchant Clayton Pine http://www.pineteacoffee.com.au/ and if clients don't like the taste of green tea, I suggest taking a green tea extract similar to the one used in this study. The highest quality EGCG supplement is made by Kingsway Compounding 1300 564 799.

If making the green tea, you'll want about 2 cups of tea that has been steeped for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy and have a great Christmas. I'm off to sunny Forster for a month to get my year's dose of vitamin D.

Tony,

Avalon

Accumulation Phase

A few months back, I posted an Intensification program for the upper body. That session was followed 6 times by my client, and this week we commenced his next phase which is an Accumulation program. Now the key emphasis is volume, using incomplete-recover sets combined with ascending load supersets.

A. Low incline dumbbell press, 4 x 10 on a 4110 tempo, rest 60 seconds

B1. Low decline dumbbell press, 3 x 12 on a 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
B2. Low decline barbell press, 3 x 15 on a 2010 tempo, rest 90 seconds

C. Lat pulldowns, wide grip to throat, 4 x 10 on a 4110 tempo, rest 60 seconds

D1. Seated row, pronated grip to chest, 3 x 12 on a 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
D2. Seated row, supinated grip to waist, 3 x 15 on a 2010 tempo, rest 90 seconds


Tony, Avalon

Optimizing Your Training Drink

It was low tide, so I thought I would take a break from writing up my PhD and go walk around the foreshore of Careel Bay in Avalon. I ended up walking for over 2 hours - talk about procrastinating! While I was out, I thought about writing a short piece on the importance of carbohydrate for those training regularly.

There is extremely good evidence that consuming carbohydrate during intense cardiovascular exercise under one hour's duration or prolonged aerobic exercise over an hour benefits performance and enhances immune function. Taking carbohydrates in the post training period, regardless of whether the session has been strength or cardiovascular training, has also been shown to improve recovery, promote greater adaptation and enhance the immune system.

Research from Professor Asker Jeukendrup's lab in Birmingham has demonstrated that one source of carbohydrate alone is less beneficial than multiple sources. The ideal ratio of carbohydrate types in the training drink is 2 parts glucose or maltodextrin to 1 part fructose.
The reason for this, according to Jeukendrup, is that glucose and fructose use two different transporters to gain access to the blood. By taking advantage of these two transporters, more of the carbohydrate you consume will be available and eventually oxidized by the skeletal muscle, rather than sitting in the stomach and intestine, causing gastrointestinal problems.

Bottom line:
During aerobic exercise lasting longer than an hour, take in around 40g of glucose or maltodextrin with 20 grams of fructose per hour of exercise.

Post strength or aerobic training, take in a minimum of 1g per kg of body mass of carbohydrate using the 2 to 1 ratio of carbohydrate sources outlined. 20-40g of high quality protein should also be consumed after exercise.

Tony,
Avalon

A Sample Intensification Program

Here is a sample program during an Intensification Phase of training. The client's goal is hypertrophy, so the broader periodization scheme utilizes a phase of Accumulation, where the primary method is volume (sets x reps x exercises), alternated equally with a phase of Intensification, where the primary stressor is intensity (high % of 1RM). Each program is repeated 6 times.


DAY ONE

A1. Incline barbell press, 5/4/3/5/4/3 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 120 seconds

A2. Single-arm cable row, 5/4/3/5/4/3 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 120 seconds

B1. Incline dumbbell press, 4 x 8-10 on a 3010 tempo, rest 75 seconds

B2. Single-arm pulldowns, 4 x 8-10 on a 3010 tempo, rest 75 seconds


NOTES
The A1 & A2 exercises are to be performed as a pair, so too is the B1 & B2.
The methodology of the A exercises is wave loading: perform 3 sets using a rep scheme of 5/4/3, increasing the weight each set. Then perform 3 more sets but using more weight than the 1st time through.
The 4-digit tempo indicates a 4 second lowering speed, no pause, lift as fast as possible, no pause at the top.

I will post this athlete's Accumulation Phase after this program has been repeated 6 times.

Tony,
Avalon

Unilateral Training, Part II

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE
Single-arm presses are usually performed in a standing posture and not seated. The lying single-arm press has too many limitations to be of general use. For example, the load able to be lifted before one become unbalanced is too insignificant to overload the prime movers of the shoulder and elbow joints. The limiting factor is the contralateral abdominals and obliques. The same applies to the standing single-arm cable press. A recent study showed that if a trainee can bench press 100% of their body weight, the amount they can press in a standing position with one arm drops to 33% of body weight. This is obviously an insufficient stimulus for the prime movers. Again, the stabilizers are the limiting factor and not the prime mover. Although fashionable in today’s gyms, these two exercises are inferior to their bilateral counterparts – the bench press and lying dumbbell press – and should therefore be used with a great deal of circumspection. On the other hand, unilateral versions of the pulls, rows and overhead presses are excellent choices because they do not decrease the load lifted less than 10% of the bilateral counterpart.


The Braced, Standing Single-Arm Dumbbell Press
· Split the stance, contralateral leg forward;
· Contralateral arm holds an immovable object directly to the side, with elbow locked out and arm parallel to the floor;
· Dumbbell touches either the front or side of the shoulder and the elbow is tucked into the side of the torso;
· Keep the dumbbell in a semi-supinated hand position throughout the full range of motion. This allows for a more shoulder friendly flexion/extension movement;
· Push the dumbbell straight up without movement in the rest of the body;
· Finish with the biceps next to the ear and the elbow 99% of full extension;
· Lower back until the dumbbell touches the shoulder and the elbow is in to the side of the torso.

The Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
Stand behind an adjustable bench to 60-degrees and bent over resting the forehead on the contralateral forearm;
Split the stance, contralateral leg forward;
Keep the spine in neutral curvature;
Reach down and slightly forward so that the dumbbell is aligned under the shoulder. This fully extends the elbow, flexes the shoulder and protracts the scapulae;
Keep the dumbbell in a semi-supinated hand position, this allows the shoulder to work in flexion extension. Another variation is to hold the dumbbell in a pronated grip. The movement is to send the elbow out to the side (rather than close to the body – as in this variation), increasing the recruitment of the scapulae retractors;
Initiate the movement with scapulae retraction and follow with smooth extension of the shoulder and flexion of the elbow;
The top position has the dumbbell touch the shoulder, forcing all three working joints to work through their fullest range;
Lower the dumbbell down and slightly forward to the start position.

This exercise can be performed with a cable machine as well. The body position will be dictated by the height of the pulley, and whether the client is seated, kneeling or standing, but the movements at the scapulae, shoulder and elbow remain exactly the same.

A quick note of importance: the scapulae should never be ‘set’ during the movement of a row or pull. The scapulae must be allowed to fully protract and retract and the glenohumeral joint must be taught to work in smooth concert with this scapulae movement. Using a ‘set’ prior to and during rowing or pulling develops faulty glenohumeral-scapulae rhythm, predisposing the shoulder to risk of injury.

Finally, to ensure that the upper body is in structural balance, I use the following ratios*:

Single-arm dumbbell press to bench press ratio:
1RM bench press, medium grip = 100%
Standing single-arm dumbbell shoulder press = 20% of 1RM bench press, medium grip for 8 repetitions.

Dumbbell press to dumbbell row ratio:
8RM lying dumbbell press, semi-supinated grip to 8RM single-arm dumbbell row should be a 1:1 ratio or the row should be at least 90% of the press.

* all lifts performed with up speed as fast as possible and a lowering speed of 4 seconds.

Tony,

In the sun at Avalon

Unilateral Training, Part I

Here is a short 2 part article on unilateral training which will appear in the trade magazine for New Zealand's premier personal training college, NetFit. See http://www.netfit.co.nz/ for more.

TRAINING THE SHOULDER PRESS AND ROW UNILATERALLY

Unilateral versions of traditional bilateral strength exercises have certain distinct advantages. Firstly, training one limb at a time appreciates that most trainee’s have strength imbalances between limbs. Unilateral training is the best method of training to correct these imbalances. Secondly, unilateral training allows for a greater range of motion and more unrestricted movement in the scapulae. Thirdly, unilateral training increases muscle tissue (motor unit) activation, as the neuromuscular system sends its drive to one limb and not disperses it amongst two. There is also data to show that some unilateral exercises increase the recruitment of stabilizer muscle activity around the working joints. Finally, research has demonstrated that unilateral exercises provide significant recruitment of the torso muscles. For example, the contralateral obliques and quadratus lumborum are heavily activated in the single-arm press and the contralateral obliques, erectors and multifidii are heavily used during a single-arm row.


SHORT TERM PERIODIZATION AND PROGRAM SEQUENCE
Due to their ability to correct muscle imbalances between limbs and increase the recruitment of stabilizing and torso muscles, unilateral exercises should be periodized to dominate the exercise selection in the general preparation of a client. I suggest that all strength exercises should be unilateral until a client has demonstrated correct structural balance between limbs and muscle groups.

An example of an upper body strength session during the general preparation phase might look like this:

A1. Single-arm dumbbell press, braced, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds
A2. Single-arm dumbbell rows, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds

B1. Single-arm bent over side raise, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds
B2. Single-arm shrug with external rotation, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds

C. Low cable external rotation, 3 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds

Once bilateral exercises are introduced into a program, unilateral exercises, as a rule, should be sequenced after the primary bilateral exercise. I say, as a rule, because more weight or higher velocities can usually, but not always, be used with bilateral exercises. And the rule of exercise sequence is to prioritize the exercises that require the most load or speed. An example of sequencing exercises this way might look like this:

A1. Incline barbell press, 6 x 4-6, rest 2 minutes
A2. Chin ups, medium grip, 6 x 4-6, rest 2 minutes

B1. Single-arm dumbbell press, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds
B2. Single-arm cable rows, 4 x 8-10, rest 75 seconds

Part II will cover exercise technique.

Tony,
Avalon

Functional Strength?

One of the common arguments made against the use of traditional strength training exercises, such as the bench press, is its lack of transferability to athletic situations. It is thought by these strength coaches that sports which involve in pushing actions from an upright position, such as shot put and wrestling will have little strength transfer to their given sport, also known as poor functional strength development. One noted fitness expert has a cartoon picture on the cover of one of his books depicting an athlete performing a bench press with a massive load but the next picture below shows him unable to perform a single-arm standing cable press with minimal load. The point is clear: pressing while lying on you back has little transfer to real life standing pressing movements – or functional strength.

It makes sense in theory, but I remain unconvinced. If this idea of functional strength vs. traditional strength were true then why do we see such a strong reliance on traditional strength training exercises amongst the world champions involved in these sports? For example, a colleague of mine has observed a champion Russian wrestler bench pressing 245kg for 8 reps with a 2 second pause on the chest and an American shot put champion incline pressing with a 3 inch thick bar 340kg for 3 reps. Both these sports require pressing unilaterally or bilaterally in an upright position and both athletes have incredible ability to press while lying on their back. There is obviously a great deal of transference of traditional strength development to functional sports performance.

An interesting study recently published reveals why: bench press maximum was compared to one or two arm cable pressing from a standing position. The average weight lifted for the bench press was 95% of body weight. The average weight lifted for the 2-arm cable press was 41% of body weight. And the average weight lifted for the 1-arm cable press was 33% of body weight. So pressing from a standing position spreads the muscle activation away from the prime movers towards the stabilizing muscles. The ability to generate force from a standing position decreases by over 60% and the abdominals and the ability to maintain balance while standing becomes the limiting factor. Obviously, the single arm and double arm cable press is an inadequate exercise to develop pushing muscle strength or power.

So based on the above, we can conclude that the prime movers should be trained using traditional strength and power methods in the gym and the training of the sport itself transfers the strength of the prime movers. This makes me very skeptical of the term ‘functional strength’ and the use of exercises that are promoted as 'functional'.

Tony,
Avalon, Sydney

Post Training Nutrition

The final talk I gave at the Sunshine Coast Fitness Summit was on optimizing training adaptation using post training nutrition. Here are the main points:

1. Examine all sports nutrition claims carefully. Ask yourself:
a) What is the mechanism, how does it work?
b) What is the level of evidence? Magazine or peer review journal?
c) For the benefit, what is the cost? Is it really worth is?
d) How do you take it for best benefits? What is the dose, duration of use, side effects, and drug interactions?
e) Is it legal?

To find evidence, use these research search engines and texts:
www.pubmed.com
www.scholar.google.com
SPORTDiscus
www.jissn.com (journal of the international society of sports nutrition)
www.nsca-lift.org (journal of the national strength & conditioning association)
Practical sports nutrition Louise Bourke Human Kinetics 2007
Essentials of sports nutrition & supplements Jose Antonio et al. Springer 2008.

2. There are three nutrient timings
pre-training, during-training (which I didn't cover) and post-training

3. What's happening?
Training causes significant up regulation of certain genes controlling a myriad of adaptational responses.
The stimulus occurs during the strength training session.
The adaptation occurs post training.
Therefore, fitness gains are the cumulative effects of the post training period
So, optimize the post training window with nutrition.

4. The acute adaptation to strength training:
Marked protein breakdown
Increase in several key anabolic hormones (Testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1)
These interact with certain nutrients to enhance the tissue remodeling & recovery

5. The acute adaptation to endurance training:
Severe glycogen depletion
Significant enzyme & mitochondrial up regulation
Severe electrolyte disturbance
Significant protein breakdown
Significant suppression of immune function

6. The acute adaptation to fat loss training:
Severe glycogen depletion
Severe increase in acidosis
Significant increase in insulin sensitivity
Significant increase in non-insulin signaling mechanisms
Significant disturbance to homeostasis

7. Pre-training nutrient interaction with strength training
Caffeine (~2-4mg/kg/bm)
Green tea (2-4 cups)
L-carnitine (~3 grams)
High glycemic carbohydrates (1-2 grams/kg/bm)
Protein & essential amino acids (0.5g/kg/bm)

8. Post-training for strength training
Whey protein concentrate (0.5g/kg/bm)
Essential amino acids (~ 6-10 grams BCAAs)
High glycemic carbohydrate (1-2g/kg/bm)
L-carnitine3(~3g)
Taurine (~4g)

9. Post training nutrition for fat loss training
Whey protein concentrate (30-50 grams)
Cinnamon (~3-5 grams)
Taurine (~ 4 grams)
Glycine (~ 5 grams)

I also discussed the research on beta alanine. It seems very promising and anabolic. Here are the key points:
Works synergistically with creatine
Increases carnosine, which is a buffer of acidosis
Enhances work capacity
6.5 grams for 2 weeks
3.5 grams for maintenance
No long term studies yet

Tony,
Avalon, Sydney

Functional Training Lecture Summary

The first lecture I gave at the Sunshine Coast Fitness Summit was on the training method called Functional Training. At the outset, I stated that any form of exercise is to be encouraged, whether is be deemed functional or not. That being said, I argued that Functional Training has several limitations when compared to traditional strength training. These limitations might be considered when designing strength training programs. Here are my main points:

1. Functional training has any number of definitions, so mine was that is means sports-specific or movements encountered in everyday life-specific. However, most people use the term to mean exercises that are performed on unstable surfaces - and that is where I directed the majority of my comments;

2. Defined as a term of specificity, it's a pretty meaningless term, as everyone involved in physical training - whether it be athlete or fitness enthusiast - must do exercises that are simple and easy, either to develop basic strength and control early in their training programs (ie a novice) or to give the neuromuscular system a break to avoid over-training (ie an athlete). in time, novices progress to more advanced lifts to challenge more muscle tissue and athletes use more exercises that related to their sport. So in reality, over the course of the training career, exercises must be periodized to include non-specific and specific exercises. Hence, chosing exercises that are only functional severely limits the amout of choices a trainee has;

3. Many have argued that for the strength benefit to transfer to everyday life or sport, exercises must closely resemble those movements. For example, squatting transfers to sitting on a chair and standing cable press transfers to sports such as shot put. This, of course, relates to the Principle of Specificity. But this Principle does not mean that exercises that do not resemble the sports or every-day life movement have no transferrance. For example, studies performed on the elderly have shown that simple machine-based exercises (non-functional) have an incredible ability to improve functional strength, such as getting out of a chair, stair climbing and carrying bags. All strength exercises improve the functional of skeletal muscle and are therefore 'functional'.

4. Health and fitness benefits are not limited to functional exercises. Improvements in bone density, insulin sensitivity, sarcopenia, hypertension, depression, CVD, muscle strength, power, rate of force development, and hypertrophy have all been clearly demonstrated with traditional strength training.

5. Several recent studies have shown that unstable training reduces the ability to generate strength, power and velocity. Reductions of 60% in strength seem to be the norm. As such, the load lifted is an insignificant stimulus to overload the prime movers and create health and fitness benefits.

6. Unstable training can be dangerous and create overuse injuries. 2 studies have shown this with the knee is volley ball and soccer players. Besides, standing on a Swiss ball or BOSU ball forces you to squat bow legged. This is not a particularly clever posture.

7. Observation of top level athletes reveal a strong reliance on traditional strength training exercises. This is the case even when force requirements occur from standing and running positions. For example, wrestlers and shot putters can routinely bench press 300kg, skiiers can front squat over 200kg etc. This tells me that the primary aim of the weights room is to develop the strength and power of the prime movers involved in sport or every day life and sport and every day life takes care of the transferance.

This is a very brief summary of a 90 minute talk.

Tony,
Avalon, Sydney

Sunshine Coast Fitness Summit 5th-6th September

I have just returned from the gorgeous Sunshine Coast where I gave 3 lectures at the Fitness Summit. I encourage personal trainers to attend this convention every year: the location in Moolooba is exceptional, it's a close drive up to Noosa (the walks through the National Park are amazing), the convention is extremely well run and the talks are always interesting and stimulating. See this site for more details http://www.sunshinecoast.tafe.qld.gov.au/FitnessSummit/

On Friday, I gave a lectures on Functional Training and Periodization and then had a fantastic Indian dinner with Australia's foremost strength expert Mark McKean and his family. On Saturday, I gave another talk on Post Training Nutrition and then I spent the rest of the weekend increasing my Vitamin D stores up in Noosa!

I will post a summary of my 3 talks soon.

Tony,
Avalon, Sydney

Welcome to the New Site for Strength Coach Tony Boutagy

This is the new site for Tony Boutagy. Stay tuned for strength and holistic nutrition articles and pictures from the Sydney Sports & Athletic Performance Centre.