Conditioning Research

This is a study to put next to or even in tension with the one I was referring to a few days ago about melatonin and the implication that I drew from it that darkness is needed to maximise your Growth Hormone production. These scientists examined the influence of acute bright light exposure on anxiety. If you read the full paper there are lots of limitations to which the researchers admit, such as a lack of a control (!) but their conclusion is that: ....consistent and significant (albeit modest) anxiolytic effects following acute bright light exposure in low anxious adults (lets just say that it cheers you up!). This is an interesting paper to read here in the UK where we have just put the clocks back as we return to GMT. In Scotland it is now getting dark at 4:30pm......and it is depressing. I personally feel better if I am able to get some sunlight during the day. Talk about seasonal affective disorder , I can feel it kicking in already! Darkness is still important for me...

Everywhere you look, people are carrying plastic bottles of water....you see it at work, on the bus, in the theatre, in church(why?!)....it is as if we are living in a chronically dehydrated society in which people are dying of thirst.... What is going on? Partly I believe that it is a fashion thing. There is a tipping point process going on in which eventually it is the standard thing to be drinking lots of water. The science as far as I can see is fairly clear : the 8 glasses a day mantra lacks scientific proof and is basically an urban myth . What is the harm of drinking lots of water? "The fact is that, potentially, there is harm even in water," explains Valtin. Even modest increases in fluid intake can result in "water intoxication" if one's kidneys are unable to excrete enough water (urine). Such instances are not unheard of, and they have led to mental confusion and even death in athletes, in teenagers after ingesting the recreational drug Ecstasy, a...

Just a quick heads up on a couple of recent bits of news about the alleged benefits of antioxidants in your diet. Firstly a study that looks at the benefits of eating the herb Rosemary: Rosemary not only tastes good in culinary dishes such as Rosemary chicken and lamb, but scientists have now found it is also good for your brain. A collaborative group from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham Institute) in La Jolla, CA and in Japan, report that the herb rosemary contains an ingredient that fights off free radical damage in the brain. The active ingredient in rosemary, known as carnosic acid (CA), can protect the brain from stroke and neurodegeneration that is due to injurious chemical free radicals. These radicals are thought to contribute not only to stroke and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, but also to the ill effects of normal aging on the brain. And secondly one that looks at polyphenols : In the study, French scientists describe how high and low...

I came across this video on the Crossfit Central Scotland site. I really like Crossfit CS. These aren't the chiselled Californian superhero crossfitters that you see in the videos from CS HQ . These guys look like normal people....plus they are from Motherwell, which is about as down to earth as it gets. Anyway, this is an inspiring video of a 500m world record on the rower. If you have ever tried it you will know how hard this is. The 500m distance is a real challenge. It is further than a sprint, but no so far that you can settle into it. Smooth and powerful.

Here is another interesting one. The conclusion of this study was that Physical activity improves not only physical fitness but also cognitive functions - specifically reaction time. When thinking about functional training, so often we think in terms of using movements that are appropriate to those in your chosen sport or the activities of daily life that you are wishing to strengthen. For example over on hillfit , I often talk about training balance or using exercises like the lunge which mimic the movements that you use in hillwalking. But there is more to being fit and functionally fit than simply strengthening the movements that you use, or even the energy systems that you will use to power those moves. There are also things like reaction time. In a fight you need to be able to react fast to the strike coming at you. in a football match you need to react quickly to the pass coming at you....when walking in the hills and you slip on a ridge, you need to react fast to the fal...

A couple of days ago I posted some thoughts about darkness and melatonin and Growth Hormone.... In reading more about Intermittent Fasting (IF) I came across this article Augmented growth hormone (GH) secretory burst frequency and amplitude mediate enhanced GH secretion during a two-day fast in normal men. Full article available here Serum GH concentrations are increased in fasted or malnourished human subjects. We investigated the dynamic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in nine normal men by analyzing serum GH concentrations measured in blood obtained at 5-min intervals over 24 h on a control (fed) day and on the second day of a fast with a multiple-parameter deconvolution method to simultaneously resolve endogenous GH secretory and clearance rates. Two days of fasting induced a 5-fold increase in the 24-h endogenous GH production rate [78 +/- 12 vs. 371 +/- 57 micrograms/Lv (Lv, liter of distribution volume) or 0.24 +/- 0.038 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.16 mg/m2 (assuming a distribution vol...

This article just stresses how confusing the science can be. I suppose we need to remember that the science is usually provisional. One study says one thing then another comes out and points in the opposite direction. Public health guidance on cardiovascular benefits and risks related to fish consumption Historically, concerns with fish consumption have addressed risks from contaminants (e.g., methylmercury (MeHg), and PCBs). More recently public health concerns have widened in appreciation of the specific benefits of fish consumption such as those arising from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in fish oil. Fish contains varying levels of PUFAs and MeHg. Since both address the same health outcomes (in opposite directions) and occur together in fish, great care must be exercised in providing public health guidance. Mozaffarian and Rimm in a recent article (JAMA. 2006, 296:1885-99) have made a strong case for the beneficial effects of PUFAs in reducing the risk of coronary heart dise...

The post a few days ago on shoes caused little bit of discussion in the comments and also on the Ironworks board . I came across this article on the website of the conditioning coach Vern Gambetta . Materials: Do soft soles improve running shoes? Most athletic shoes advertise injury protection through “cushioning,” but real world studies have not shown impact moderation. There is a stark claim here that the problem includes deceptive advertising and the danger that expensive shoes actually cause injury. You should read the whole article but the conclusion is worth pondering: Shoes with cushioning fail to absorb impact when humans run and jump, and amplify force under certain conditions, because soft materials used as interfaces between the foot and support surface elicit a predictable reduction in impact-moderating behaviour. This behaviour is not a response to sensations directly caused by impact because, whereas barefoot humans estimate impact precisely, humans judge it inaccura...

Last year I read a very interesting book Lights Out: Sleep Sugar and Survival : In some ways it is a fairly standard paleo / low-carb diet book, but it takes this idea a little further with the proposal that one of the key problems we face in the world today is that we do not get enough sleep nor - importantly - enough darkness. It looks at how various hormones in the body are promoted by sleep and darkness and how others are released in response to light. The premise is that today we live in an environment where we are almost always in the light. Our bodies and their hormones think we are living in a perpetual summer. A review on Amazon explains: Our internal clocks are governed by seasonal variations in light and dark; extending daylight artificially leads to a craving for sugar, especially concentrated, refined carbohydrates that, in turn, cause obesity. More seriously, lack of sleep inhibits the production of prolactin and melatonin--deranging our immune systems and causing d...

OK, so this is not the usual type of post on this blog, where I highlight a recently published article and note its implications for your training or diet....but hey, this is what it is all about in the end! This comes via Lean and Hungry Fitness I think I have referred previously to Ross Enamait . he is a very good strength and conditioning coach working primarily with conditioning fighters (he is a former boxer himself). He has written a couple of excellent books on training too which are probably the most complete and but accessible things I've read on strength and conditioning. Anyway, in a recent discussion on his forum someone doubted Ross' claim that he could deadlift 400lb and challenged him to do so..... So he did....and more.... They are some impressive lifts for someone who doesn't train the deadlift!

We have talked about stretching before on this blog: Not before exercise; It can improve strength/endurance and flexibility; Concentrate on the tight muscles; and It can improve joint stability at the knee and so help prevent knee injuries. Here is another thing to bear in mind: Stretching before or after exercise does not prevent muscle soreness. Many people stretch prior to or after engaging in physical exercise. Usually the purpose is to reduce the risk of injury, reduce soreness after exercise, or enhance athletic performance. Or that is what they will tell you if you ask them. Or maybe they just do it because everyone else does it. Researchers looked at 10 relevant randomised trials looking at the effect of stretching before or after physical activity on muscle soreness. The studies produced very consistent findings - there was minimal or no effect on the muscle soreness experienced between half a day and three days after the physical activity. (The effects of stretching on o...

Just after I posted the last one entry saying that I'd not seen anything interesting, I come across this study! Study Shows Some Athletic Men May Risk Low Bone Density A new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that men engaging predominantly in low-impact forms of exercise - have an increased incidence of osteopenia—a condition resulting in two times the risk of bone fracture. The researchers measured bone mineral density in 43 competitive male cyclists and runners ages 20 to 59. Findings of the study included: The cyclists had significantly lower bone mineral density of the whole body, especially of the lumbar spine, compared to runners. 63 percent of the cyclists had osteopenia of the spine or hip compared with 19 percent of the runners. Cyclists were seven-times more likely to have osteopenia of the spine than the runners. Regular, non-weight-bearing activities, such as swimming and cycling are effective measures for preventing the leading risk factors for...

I haven't come across much in the last few days that I have found interesting enough to post up here. There is something I'm thinking about but I need to do a bit of research before it comes together. So, for motivational purposes check out this video from the great Ross Enamait Ross explains what he is doing - and why in an article here , but you will note the functional and explosive movements that we have discussed previously on this blog. Hillfit You might also be interested in a couple of posts over on Hillfit.com I have tried to apply a lot of the principles that we have looked at in this blog to develop a training routine for recreational hillwalkers / hikers. One post describes a typical week's training and one looks at suggestions for a woman with sore knees who wants to get fitter and doesn't enjoy running.

The other day I gave what I think is the basic question about fitness training - is this natural, is this what we were designed for? You can apply that to your diet - what to eat and how often - to your training - what and how frequent - but also to other parts of your life, the social bits, the spiritual bits. For example there was a study recently showing that loneliness can be bad for your immune system . It fits again with the basic question - being properly healthy also means being social...to some degree anyway, again it is what you were designed for. What about stress? What then about stress? It seems that we are all suffering from stress nowadays. Bryce Lane recently wrote : My point is that at one time, stress was about something and once you had dealt with that issue, the stress stopped at least until the next problem. However, now stress is a commodity our society can't live without. "Stress" undifferentiated and as raw as possible. Stress isn't ab...

Just a short one. I spotted this research the other day. (also here ) Expensive trainers are a waste of money Expensive trainers are not worth the money, finds a small study published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine Expensive trainers are not worth the money, finds a small study published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Cheap and moderately priced running shoes are just as good, if not better, in terms of cushioning impact and overall comfort, it concludes. The research findings are based on a comparison of nine pairs of trainers, bought from three different manufacturers, in three different price ranges. The cheapest pairs were priced at £40 to £45, with the moderate range costing £60 to £65. The three most expensive pairs cost £70 to £75. The 43 participants were not told how much any of the shoes cost. Plantar pressure - the force produced by the impact of the sole hitting the ground - was recorded in eight different areas of the ...

We have talked alot about plyometrics and balance training in past posts. This combines the two elements. I think that in the light of the study that I referred to here I would probably prescribe these with no added weight.

Way back, well at least 12 years ago or so, there was no internet for me. That meant there were fewer distractions. Today every day there are new articles, new books, new routines, new ideas to absorb my attention. Back then I would read Hardgainer magazine, or Ironman or books. That was when I first heard about Creatine in a book by Clarence Bass . It sounded fantastic - a supplement that gave what we all wanted: more strength, more size and no side effects. Plus it was legal. So the marketing hype started and it became the latest in a long line of supplements that promised the world to desparate young bodybuilders too sensible to try steroids. It was the new Ornithine, the new yohimbe extract, the new aminos.... But apparently it worked. I tried it and all it did as far as I remember was give me a raging thirst and extreme cramps in my calves. It was also expensive so I did not persevere. The thing is, creatine is still around. Most such supplements fade into the outer dar...

We often talk here about interval work and sprinting. Art DeVany recently said: If you could only do one thing for your body You should sprint for your exercise. It is fun, builds coordination, and will make you stronger and leaner. The damage to your joints is far less than jogging and it is more effective than walking. Sprinting trains anaerobic and aerobic pathways, but with less oxydative load than jogging. Interval sprints, mixed with walking are my favorite way to make my "come backs" when I have been traveling or busy. Even when my joints get a bit sore from working out. Yes, I have reached the age where I sometimes have joint soreness from working out. I find there is no better way to ease the load on the joints and come back to the gym with fresh energy than to sprint and walk. here is video of Mark Sisson showing what we are talking about

We have discussed intermittent fasting (IF) before and I listed some useful resources in a posting here , including books you could read. (If you want an ebook there are two recommendations: a free one Fast5 or one you will have to buy - but it is worth it for the additional material - Eat Stop Eat ) New Research Anyway, I just wanted to highlight a couple of other studies that have either recently been published or have recently come to my attention regarding this way of eating. Firstly one about Ramadan fasting - a basic IF regime: Our study findings indicated Ramadan fasting affected body weight, BMI, body water percentage and body fat percentage ( they got leaner! ). Interestingly, these changes were effected despite insignificant changes in energy and macronutrient intake. Abstract / Full Text Body composition, nutrient intake and physical activity patterns in young women during Ramadan. INTRODUCTION : Muslims abstain from food and fluid between the hours of sunrise to ...

Just a quick post to follow on from Saturday's , and continuing the cholesterol theme.... Dr John Briffa 's blog popped up in my google reader today, with a posting titled "When it comes to cholesterol, is lower really better?" He draws attention to: a study in the journal Neurobiology of Aging in which Dutch researchers assessed the relationship between cholesterol levels and mental function in about 1200 individuals aged 65 or older. The participants in the study were assessed over a 6-year period. Lower cholesterol levels in this group were associated with a reduction in both general cognition and information processing speed. The authors of this study concluded that their results indicate that: “…lower total cholesterol may be considered as a frailty marker, predictive of lower cognitive functioning in elderly.” Barry Groves has a similar article which notes several things that scientific studies have shown to be dangerous about low levels of cholesterol, incl...

We are often told to make sure we are properly hydrated in order to perform well in endurance exercise, but what about strength and power training? This research indicates that having enough fluid in your system is also vital to performing at your best in terms of strength. This is another one of those studies that sort of confirm something that we all know deep down. In thinking about this, however, remember that the "Drink 8 glasses a day" thing is a myth..... Hydration and muscular performance : does fluid balance affect strength, power and high-intensity endurance? Significant scientific evidence documents the deleterious effects of hypohydration (reduced total body water) on endurance exercise performance; however, the influence of hypohydration on muscular strength, power and high-intensity endurance (maximal activities lasting >30 seconds but A critical review of the available literature suggests hypohydration (not having enough water in your system) limits strengt...

[via Dr Eades ]Somewhere on the right of this page there is an advert for a book by Dr Malcolm Kendrick - The Great Cholesterol Con! Here he is talking about cholesterol and how it is not as bad as it is made out to be..... This is a very good book, written in a witty style, explaining some interesting science in a very readable and accessible way. It should be in your library as it draws attention to much that is wrong in the way in which science is presented and used..... Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. Check out Kendrick's book, or that by Anthony Colpo , or read some of the material here at The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics. Margaret Cook - the former wife of the former Foreign Secretary wrote a good article on this topic in the New Statesman in 2005: Heart of the matter: Cholesterol is a killer - or is it? Margaret Cook reveals how the drugs market flourishes on misinformation Identify the enemy, label and demonise him. A reputation destroyed...

This is an interesting article. We have talked before about the benefits of stretching and also about how research has shown that stretching immediately before exercise can diminish performance . This study however showed that in the absence of any other exercise , simply stretching the muscles had a training effect. The trainees got faster, stronger and more flexible. The article suggests that a stretching routine might be a good introduction to training for those who are not yet fit enough to train with other exercises or modalities..... It is possible that persons who are unable to participate in traditional strength training activities may be able to experience gains through stretching, which would allow them to transition into a more traditional exercise regimen. Chronic Static Stretching Improves Exercise Performance. Abstract : Purpose : This study investigated the influence of static stretching exercises on specific exercise performances. Methods : Thirty-eight volunteers...

Just skimming through these recent articles from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , you would think that refined carbohydrates are associated with: cancer; loss of sight ( updated 8/10/07...the Modern Forager blog has a good posting about this story) ; and increases in the so-called "bad" LDL cholesterol . Indeed, fructose is presented as a pretty dodgy thing to eat. It is amazing that we are told to eat so many carbohydrates!

What a video! The idea apparently is to inspire you before you go off to train..... Anyway, how do you train the jump? We have touched on this before ....but I thought you might like to read this article. It basically says that in training the jump, you are best not to use added resistance, i.e. forget the dumbbells or weight vests. If corroborated by the results of future studies performed on other rapid movement, our findings could support the hypothesis that the muscular system is designed for producing maximum mechanical output in rapid movements when loaded only with the weight and inertia of its own body. Positive and Negative Loading and Mechanical Output in Maximum Vertical Jumping. APPLIED SCIENCES Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 39(10):1757-1764, October 2007. MARKOVIC, GORAN 1; JARIC, SLOBODAN 2 Abstract : Purpose : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of external loading on mechanics of vertical jumping. We hypothesized that the muscular m...

I've posted before about the debate over the health benefits of red wine. Praised for its antioxidant properties it seems to be a good thing to drink for health. However, as I mentioned in that post, there remains some debate over the role of antioxidants. Here are a couple of further studies for your consideration, one (potentially) on each side of the debate. First of all.... Red wine is good for you. ... Even relatively low doses of resveratrol—a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine—can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism Low doses of a red wine ingredient fight diabetes in mice SIRT1 Improves Insulin Sensitivity under Insulin-Resistant Conditions by Repressing PTP1B Cheng Sun, Fang Zhang, Xinjian Ge, Tingting Yan, Xingmiao Chen, Xianglin Shi, and Qiwei Zhai Insulin resistance is often characterized as the most critical factor contributing to the development of type 2 diabet...

In several posts I've mentioned the alleged benefits of intermittent fasting (IF). For example: Intermittent Fasting Shrinks Fat Cells Fasting burns belly fat Intermittent Fasting cures Type 2 diabetes? For other posts, just look for ones tagged " IF ". If you want to read more on this approach I thought I'd suggest a few resources: Free Resources There is a free book available from the Fast5 site, or by download here . This is an accessible introduction focussed on weight loss, with a little bit of the supporting science. Dr Eades wrote a couple of very interesting posts on this topic, inflammation and IF , Fast way to better health and Protein Power vs IF . These are all excellent starting points for your research into this way of eating. Art Devany has some useful posts here , here and here . He sees IF as an element of the evolutionary fitness way of life, mimicking the typical energy intake of our palaeolithic forefathers. Martin has a blog with some info...