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Perhaps you’ve seen the headlines: Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds. In case you missed it, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, conducted a weight loss experiment. The premise: could he lose weight on a diet consisting primarily of junk food? The results: 27 pounds lighter over the course of ten weeks!

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. As I’ve noted in previous posts, Haub simply followed Newton’s First Law of Thermodynamics by consuming fewer calories than he expended. Specifically, he cut his calories from about 2600 calories per day to less than 1800–a daily deficit of 800 calories. Given that there are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of fat, do the math and it all adds up. What might be somewhat surprising is that in addition to losing weight, Haub actually saw an improvement in his lipid profiles, with a 20% drop in LDL (i.e. the “bad” cholesterol) and a 39% reduction in triglycerides. Pretty impressive, huh?

Now before you run out to your local 7-11 and stock up on Twinkies and Ho-Ho’s, a couple of things must be taken into account. For one, based on body fat estimates provided by Haub, he lost about 6 pounds of muscle over the diet period. Given that muscle is metabolically active tissue, his metabolic rate would have crashed, hastening the onset of a weight loss plateau. For another, the excessive intake of sugars undoubtedly sent his blood sugar levels skyrocketing, increasing hunger. Taken together, these factors would make it increasingly harder for him to sustain weight loss over time and likely result in the dreaded rebound effect where body fat is regained at an accelerated rate.

The take home message here is that any diet will help you to lose weight in the short-term provided there is a caloric deficit. Long-term weight maintenance, however, requires a change in lifestyle. This involves adopting a “metabolically friendly” nutritional regimen combined with regimented resistance training. Central to this approach is making sure that protein intake is maintained at approximately 1.6 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight (slightly less than 1 gram per pound of body weight). Studies repeatedly show that protein intake is the most important determinant of body composition, particularly during times of caloric restriction (i.e. when you are “dieting”). Consuming adequate protein attenuates muscle loss while enhancing satiety–essential factors in achieving lasting weight loss.

Bottom line: take a sensible with your nutrition. If weight loss is desired, make sure you take in fewer calories than you expend. Science tells us it’s the only way to lose weight. What’s more, focus on eating protein-rich foods that furnish your body with the necessary raw materials for building lean tissue. Despite what you may have been led to believe, protein is the most important dietary nutrient, hands down. I’ll address the research on the topic in an upcoming post. Stay tuned…

Stay Fit!

Brad

You’ve probably seen the ads. They begin with images of a guy flexing his biceps while an announcer makes some pretty heavy-duty claims: “Now, big arms, a ripped chest, and cut abs can be yours with the Perfect Push-Up…” I won’t go into the physiology disputing the ability to get “big” or “ripped” from doing push-ups, but suffice to say such claims are widely exaggerated. Par for the course with As-Seen-On-TV fitness products. That’s an article for another day.

The more pertinent question is whether the Perfect Push-Up, which retails for $39.90 plus shipping and handling (apparently you can get it cheaper online), does anything to improve results over and above ordinary push-ups. The first question that must be answered is whether there is a physiological basis for such improved results. According to the promotional material supplied by the parent company, Perfect Fitness, the Perfect Push-Up uses the “latest in biomechanics and engineering to achieve better results from pushup workouts.” Although this may sound impressive, it is little more than standard hype used in fitness advertising. More to the point, the benefits of the unit supposedly come from the “smooth-rotating handles (that) accelerate results by engaging more muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders, and back, while also reducing strain on wrists and elbows and stabilizing the shoulder joint.”

So what does the research say on the topic? A recent study by Youdas et al. (2010) investigated muscle activity in the Perfect Push-Up versus traditional push-ups using a technique called electromyography (EMG). Muscle activation was evaluated on 20 healthy subjects during the performance of push-ups using 3 different hand positions: (a) shoulder width, (b) wide base, and (c) narrow base. The study controlled for tempo by using a metronome and randomized the testing order to reduce the potential for bias. The muscles studied included the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, serratus anterior, and posterior deltoid muscles. What were the results? Not good news for manufacturers of the Perfect Pushup. EMG analysis failed to show any differences between groups leading researchers to conclude that the “Perfect·Pushup handgrips do not appear to preferentially enhance muscular recruitment when compared with the conventional push-up method.” It remains questionable as to whether other muscles, particularly the biceps brachii, might have improved muscle recruitment with the use of the Perfect Pushup. Even so, the claims made in advertising for the product are clearly overstated and misleading.

Now this is not to say the Perfect Push-Up has no value whatsoever. Namely, it may be of benefit to those who find it unconformable to perform traditional push-ups. The Perfect Push-Up elevates the hands from the floor which can take pressure off of the wrists, thereby facilitating performance. That said, a couple of properly placed hexagon dumbbells can achieve the same outcome for a fraction of the cost. The Perfect Push-Up does come with rubberized grips that may be easier on the hands for some people. Whether this is worth the inflated price tag is, of course, up to you.

As an aside, the Perfect Push-Up was reportedly developed by a US Navy SEAL. I’m not really sure why that is a selling point? What type of training does a SEAL receive in exercise biomechanics and/or physiology? To my knowledge, none. As always, caveat emptor.

Stay Fit!

Brad

Reference:
Youdas, JW, Budach, BD, Ellerbusch, JV, Stucky, CM, Wait, KR, and Hollman, JH. Comparison of muscle-activation patterns during the conventional push-up and perfect·pushup™ exercises. J Strength Cond Res 24(12): 3352-3362,

For those who’ve read my books and/or articles on fitness, you’ll know I constantly preach the fact that you can’t escape genetics. Specifically, you can’t get “Platz’s thighs” or “Schwargenneger’s biceps” unless you happened to be born to said parents. Genetics are unique to the individual. Your fitness goal therefore should be to optimize your own God-given attributes. Everyone can have a terrific physique within their own genetic framework provided they’re willing to work for it.

My friend and colleague Bret Contreras wrote an excellent article on the topic of genetics in bodybuilding. Bret reviews the research on the subject, and explains how genetics affect results. It’s a very insightful read that pulls no punches. Here is a link to the article:

The Truth About Bodybuilding Genetics

Stay Fit!

Brad

Feeling sore after a workout? What do you do? Perhaps pop a couple of Advil, Motrin, Aleve, or some other brand of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and wait for the discomfort to subside? If so, you might want to reconsider. Here’s why…

These drugs work by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX). COX catalyzes the production of various prostanoids that play a role in inflammation and algesia. Theoretically, reducing prostanoids should help to alleviate localized muscle muscular pain.

Most research, however, fails to support the efficacy of NSAIDs in reducing muscle soreness. For instance, creatine kinase levels (a marker of muscle damage) have not been shown to be significantly different between those taking NSAIDs and a placebo group, indicating that NSAIDs have little effect on attenuating the root cause of pain. Moreover, the majority of studies show no differences in self-described pain ratings associated with muscle soreness after taking NSAIDs. This is particularly true in severe cases of muscle soreness, which is when a pain reliever would be of greatest value.

While a lack of effectiveness in reducing post-workout pain is certainly reason enough to avoid NSAIDs, there is a larger issue here for those who are serious exercisers. Namely, prostaglandins are known to regulate protein metabolism. Specifically, they help to stimulate protein synthesis, which is the mechanism by which muscles repair themselves and grow stronger. Studies have shown that post-exercise protein synthesis is virtually non-existent following consumption of NSAIDs. And if your muscles don’t synthesize protein after a workout, you won’t see any appreciable improvements in muscle development.

If that wasn’t enough, there is emerging evidence that NSAIDs may impair satellite cell activity. Satellite cells are muscle stem cells that have a number of functions in promoting muscle development. When activated by exercise, they multiply in number, become more specialized, and then fuse to existing muscle fibers to provide the precursor materials needed for repair and subsequent growth of new muscle tissue. Perhaps more importantly, they donate their nuclei to the stimulated muscle fibers so that protein synthesis can be increased to support growth.

Bottom line: Try to steer clear of NSAIDs whenever possible. Understand that the inflammatory response following an intense training session is part of the healing process that is necessary to develop your muscles. Shortchange healing and you shortchange muscular development.

So what to do about the pain from soreness? The best advice is to stay active—don’t just lie in bed or sit around at your desk all day. An active recovery will help to maintain blood flow to the affected muscles, which will aid in healing. There is some evidence that massage can help to restore muscle function and reduce achiness. It’s certainly worth a try. If nothing else, it can provide temporary relief by taking your mind off the pain.

Stay Fit!

Brad

If you want to learn about muscular anatomy, I highly recommend you visit the Get Body Smart website. It’s an excellent interactive site that goes into intricate detail on the major skeletal muscles of the body. The anatomical drawings are well done and there’s a wealth of information provided, including the respective joint actions for each muscle. Enjoy!

Stay Fit!

Brad