Conditioning Research

I first came across the concept of tensegrity a while ago when I read a book called Anatomy Trains . The idea is that we are not about individual muscles. Rather individual muscels are actually linked together functionally. There is a bag of fascia around groups of muscles. A guy called Tom Myers wrote the book and developed the idea really from looking at disections. Everything is connected. It is a really interesting concept with lots of applications in sports and massage and it is worth reading the book and at least looking at some of the stuff on his website . Anyway I spotted this article today that seems to indicate that there is something to i t: Tensegrity principle in massage demonstrated by electro- and mechanomyography. Based on a tensegrity principle, direct or indirect connections between fascia or muscles which stretch the aponeurosis or intermuscular septum may allow the transfer of tension over long distances, without loss of muscle force produced during rest and a...

An interesting story. ?Association or causation? AUGUSTA, Ga. – People with schizophrenia are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found. In a study of 50 people newly-diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder with no other known risk factors, 16 percent had either diabetes or an abnormal rate of glucose metabolism, says Dr. Brian Kirkpatrick, vice chair of the MCG Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior. In a similar size control group of people without schizophrenia, none had signs of or had developed the disease. People with diabetes cannot produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that converts glucose, starches and other food into energy.

That was one of the things that came strongly out of my interview last week with Doug McGuff . Get stronger using appropriate rational strength training. Then, through skill training, apply that new strength to your sport. The idea is that skill training is really specific, so if you want to get better at a skill you have to practice that skill....exactly. For example say you want to train a throwing movement, maybe throwing a cricket ball. You decide to simulate the movement with a 5lb dumbell. The mechanics of throwing a 5lb dumbell will be very different from those of throwing a ball. When you go back to throwing a ball you are having to learn a new skill. Doug would say that the rational thing to do is to develop overall strength with weights and then improve your skill at throwing the cricket ball. This - by the way - is challenging some of the things I've pointed to in the past about the value of "functional" training. Anyway, I spotted this study that seem...

Last week I posted an interview that I had done with Doug McGuff, co-author of Body by Science . A couple of days ago Doug featured in Jimmy Moore's podcast with an interesting interview that covers much of the material that is in the book. There is some good stuff in there.

Jumping from foam is much harder than jumping from a hard surface because your force is absorbed into the foam (which obviously has much more "give" to it than a hard gym floor).

Apart from the amazing athleticism of this, I find it really interesting to watch them running round my city of Edinburgh. They picked one of the few sunny days!

Natural Athlete has a really interesting post: a fascinating article about the physical activity patterns of a couple modern hunter forager tribes something that should be of interest to anyone who believes in an evolutionary approach to fitness. A day in the life of a Hunter forager .

A few weeks ago I had a video up of Peter Consterdine demonstrating the double hip motion for getting real power into strikes. Last night Rannoch - remember Rannoch?... there was an interview with Rannoch - led a class at Krav Maga Edinburgh looking at developing striking power and it is the same thing....it is all in the hips. - Firepower . Here is a video of Rannoch demonstrating how to develop power . It starts at the feet, up through the hips and the whole body is involved. One analogy that was used was the idea of firing a cannon from a canoe on water or from a solid base. In the canoe there is no foundation, no base. ...no power. With a firm foundation there is something to react against, to push from. It is basic mechanics. The body is a single unit but sometimes we forget that. ( As Dan John says " the body is one piece ") Rannoch and Marcus focussed on teaching us how to use the body as that one piece and generate real, useful power in our striking - with ...

U.S. researchers have found a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, offering new clues about how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity. Reuters.... The actual abstract is here - although I don't think you would immediately get the pasta makes you fat message from that! Anyway, what is interesting to me is the way the news story presents some things: there is a process in the liver that turns carbs into fat; the researchers seem to know that bread, pasta and rice make people fat: "We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat," Roger Wong, a graduate student who worked on the study, said in a statement. there is this potential genetic method of stopping carbs making you fat... "The DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40 percent less body fat compared with a control group of normal mice because of their deficiency in turning carbs into fat,"...

I have been reflecting more on the interview that I did the other day with Doug McGuff . In particular I've been thinking about this issue of strength training versus skill training. Here is a quote from Richard Winnett that says something similar to Doug: Similar arguments can be made concerning 'functional' and 'stability' training. The basic assumptions are that training in a specific way transfers directly to a sport or activity of daily living and training in unstable environments activates more muscle fibers and also will better transfer to unstable 'real life tasks'. The arguments made for this kind of training fall apart when the research literature is consulted. At best, studies suggest that transfer of training occurs very little or not at all. This is what is meant by these outcomes. Training in a certain way such as very rapid movements or jumping with weights does not enhance rapid movements or jumping, for example, in a sport, any more than...

Jimmy Moore interviews Lyle McDonald. I've previously recommended Lyle's books especially his Stubborn Fat Loss Solution

Here is another interview - this time with Doug McGuff - one of the authors of the recently published Body by Science . ( Available from Amazon if you are interested). I've read it and found it a fascinating book, but it left me with some questions. Doug has helpfully answered those questions and clarified some things about which I was a bit confused. Body by Science is a really good book. It is built in the way that I like - it starts with the foundational principles and builds from there. It will get you thinking and challenge some of your assumptions. If you want a flavour of it, check out some of the videos on YouTube . (The book is also reviewed here ) Doug, normally when I do an interview, the first question gives the interviewee the chance to explain a little bit about themselves and their interest in health and fitness. The Body By Science website has this helpful biography: Doug McGuff, MD became interested in exercise at the age of 15 when he first...

From Joe DeFranco ..... If you like this stuff, make sure you check out his DVD STRONG . It is an inspiring and motivating film....and a well made documentary.

This made me laugh . Saturday's run reminded me of some of the things that make ultra running so unique and enjoyable. The joy of stopping for a number 2 in the fresh air, miles from anywhere, and then witnessing the shock on the faces of the two old ramblers who had just come round the corner to find a runner in mid squat. Or stopping for a quick streamie, only for one of the women in the race to choose that very moment to catch up - thanks Aileen. Or the odd sensation of running a bit too soon after eating a pot of Muller rice (with apple), not entirely sure whether it would stay down or not. Or watching my chicken and rice soup blow away towards the Falkirk Wheel. Or finding that both my legs had decided to cramp at the same time, with my arms joining them seconds later in a painful spasm. And finally, the serious embarrassment of trying to spit into the canal but making such a hash of it that most ended up in my hair and on my backpack. So, dear reader, ultra running is not all...

One of the things I've posted about previously is the need for decent sleep in the dark e.g. here and here . That ideas has now gone mainstream: Night shifts spark cancer pay-out The Danish government has begun paying compensation to women who have developed breast cancer after long spells working nights. It follows a ruling by a United Nations agency that night shifts probably increase the risk of developing cancer ...... there was evidence to support the hypothesis that alterations in sleep patterns could suppress the production of melatonin in the body. "Melatonin has some beneficial effects in preventing some of the steps leading to cancer," he said. "The level of evidence is really no different than it might be for an industrial chemical." I'm off to bed..... .

So the BBC News website has a headline - " Vegetarians get fewer cancers " . All very interesting until you actually read it and find out that this is not the whole story: ......surprisingly, the researchers also found a higher rate of colorectal cancer - a disease linked with eating red meat - among the vegetarians. epidemiological studies are always a bit dodgy, but it is amusing that the headline was as it was rather than saying: Vegetarians get more cancer!

High Protein beats High Carb? (but where is the fat?) Background : High-protein (HP) diets are often advocated for weight reduction and weight loss maintenance. Objective : The aim was to compare the effect of low-fat, high-carbohydrate (HC) and low-fat, HP ad libitum diets on weight maintenance after weight loss induced by a very low-calorie diet, and on metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy obese subjects. Design: Forty-eight subjects completed the study that consisted of an energy restriction period of 5–6 weeks followed by a weight maintenance period of 12 weeks. During weight maintenance subjects received maltodextrin (HC group) or protein (HP group) (casein (HPC subgroup) or whey (HPW subgroup)) supplements (2 25 g per day), respectively and consumed a low-fat diet. Results : Subjects in the HP diet group showed significantly better weight maintenance after weight loss (2.3 kg difference, P=0.04) and fat mass reduction (2.2 kg difference, P=0.02) than subjects in ...

Despite what you may have read.... On the basis of the results of this quantitative assessment, the available epidemiologic evidence does not appear to support an independent association between animal fat intake or animal protein intake and colorectal cancer. Meta-analysis of animal fat or animal protein intake and colorectal cancer

I thought this was moderately interesting.... There is already a fair bit of research abotu protein being the most satiating nutrient - it makes you feel full. This one says that eating it at breakfast is even more effective at making you feel full (when on a diet) than at other meals Increased dietary protein consumed at breakfast leads to an initial and sustained feeling of fullness during energy restriction compared to other meal times. The objective of the study was to assess whether the timing of increased dietary protein throughout the day influences the feelings of fullness during energy balance (EB) and restriction (ER). Nine men (age 48 (sem 6) years; BMI 32.7 (sem 0.7) kg/m2) randomly completed five controlled feeding trials, each consisting of 3 d of EB, followed by 3 d of ER of a 3138 kJ/d (750 kcal/d) reduction). The diet was composed of a normal amount of protein (NP) (0.8 g protein/kg per d), or an additional amount of protein (HP) (+0.6 g protein/kg per d) given at bre...

I posted a couple of videos ( here and here ) last week from Exuberant Animal . They have just posted a superb essay - Pathology on Parade - that is well worth reading. It is about observations of bodybuilders - and the bodybuilding culture - at the recent Arnold Bodybuilding Festival. where’s the health? In the end, the whole experience brought me to an entirely new level of misunderstanding. For years I have agonized over the state of the modern human body, especially our epidemic of sedentary living and physical apathy. But here I observed something altogether different. The bodybuilders weren’t sedentary and they obviously weren’t obese, but they certainly weren’t healthy. Outside of the convention center, I observed normal Americans as they passed: they were fat and sedentary as usual. As I stood on the sidewalk and looked around, the contrast was stark: On one side of the door, a parade of diabetic adipose tissue. On the other, a parade of obsessive-compulsive muscle and sili...

Helpful video from Will Heffernan

Thomas Kurz: People ask me how to do Hindu push-ups and Hindu squats. Instead of describing these exercises in many words, I show them in a movie below. The movie shows how I cool down after my typical strength workout at the same time maintaining muscular endurance and getting my vitamin D too. It was shot right after I have done my overhead lifts, squats, and deadlifts.

You will recall the interview here recently with Erwan Le Corre and the videos of him. Men's Health in the States are now running an interview with him in the current edition. It is in the April issue with a 11 pages and about 15-16 photos about MovNat. Here is the link A Wild Workout for the Real World - Long before Cybex machines and stationary bikes, men built their bodies in the gym of the jungle. It's time to renew your membership Read it - it is superb..... A smart body, he explains, knows how to convert force and speed into an almost endless menu of practical movements. Hoisting yourself onto a pole may seem as trivial as a circus stunt, but if you're ever caught in a flood or fleeing an attacking dog, elevating your body 5 feet off the ground could mean the difference between safety and sorrow. And with that one word -- "practical" -- Le Corre exposes a key weakness in modern exercise: Our workouts are domesticated, while the world out there is still ...

I saw this excellent joke on the Crossfit NYC blog . This is of course worth remembering when reading scientific studies. Just because x goes up if y goes up it doesn't mean that y causes x to go up. There are lots of examples especially in the world of diet.....

Korean Dips are extremely effective at increasing shoulder girdle flexibility while simultaneously building dipping strength. They are especially valuable for those who have been increasing maximal strength at the expense of maintaining their athletic mobility. From Gymnastic Bodies

Following on from the video of Frank Forencich talking about his ideas of how to move as Exuberant Animals, here is a video of him taking a training session, training people to be trainers in his approach. He makes it fun and makes it a game (a tribal game?) which I think is really important ( as some commenters also point out there is a vaguely hippy vibe to the whole thing too - it wouldn't fit in the sweaty gym i grew up in!) Exuberant Animal - an invitation to physical happiness from Lauren Muney on Vimeo .

Core training helps rehabilitate injuries but does not seem to improve athletic performance..... A further confounding factor is that because of the differing demands on the core musculature during everyday activities (low load, slow movements) and sporting activities (high load, resisted, dynamic movements), research performed in the rehabilitation sector cannot be applied to the sporting environment and, subsequently, data regarding core training programmes and their effectiveness on sporting performance are lacking. There are many articles in the literature that promote core training programmes and exercises for performance enhancement without providing a strong scientific rationale of their effectiveness, especially in the sporting sector. Interesting Optimizing performance by improving core stability and core strength .

Exuberant Animal Presentation I've talked about Frank Forencich - and his book Play as if your Life depends on it - before. His books are great for ripping through the science and getting to the heart of having fun moving. Here, Frank Forencich gives a live presentation on "A Body Centered Curriculum", subtitled "The Primate's Predicament". In the presentation he reviews the current state of modern health - while this seems like a bleak picture, he then offers suggestions on how to improve our bodies, minds, and culture(s) by doing a slight mind-set slide. Absolutely superb. Exuberant Animal's Frank Forencich gives hope to the modern man (and woman) from Lauren Muney on Vimeo .

Is it just me or does this study make it sound like a paleo diet (plus diary) - dairy product, red meat, white meat and fruits - reduces the risk of oral cancer? It is hard to tell from the abstract. Dietary patterns and risk of oral cancer What do you think?

Well, is that what this study says? Consumption of red or processed meat does not predict risk factors for coronary heart disease Objectives: To investigate whether a high consumption of red or processed meat is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Subjects/Methods: The subjects were 517 men and 635 women, who were members of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, 1946 birth cohort. Assessment of diet was carried out at two time points 1989 and 1999 with outcome measures collected in 1999. Food intake data were recorded in 5-day diaries. Meat consumption was estimated by adding individual meat portions to the meat fractions of composite dishes. Results: There was no significant association between red or processed meat consumption in 1989 and 1999 and serum cholesterol concentrations and blood pressure measured in 1999. The combined intake of red and processed meat in 1999 had a significant positive association with blood ...

Diet composition does matter after all ? According to a new study , diets with reduced carbs and higher protein are more effective. The low carb blogs have been alight in the last few days with deconstructions of a recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine . It purports to show that: Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize. So it doesn't matter what your diet is as long as you cut calories. The composition of the diet - protein%, carb%, fat% doesn't matter.... Well the study was picked up by the media - but has been well and truly demolished by some very capable doctors and bloggers. e.g. Dr Briffa , Dr Eades and Eugene . At the most basic level it is worth noting that the low carb diet was not low carb. As Dr Briffa says: Because the diets were so similar in composition, it seems inappropriate to use it to vindicate the ‘calorie is a calorie’ concept. And what this study certainly ca...

More on posture , from Keith at Evfit - a great site that is worth exploring. Keith from evfit has some interesting thoughts on posture and body shape in general: As to how I look, I actually make a point of not caring how I look. I value performance first and I'm interested to see what body shape emerges from my activity regime and the diet I eat to deliver the best performance, rather than building an activity regime and diet to deliver a body image. (There were no mirrors in the Pleistocene, so you'd never really know what you looked like.) ........I have endeavoured to build a body that could deliver health, strength, power and endurance, a body that could provide food and protection, on the assumption that food, protection and longevity would have a greater survival value (for female mates) and that those females would be more attracted by what it appeared able to deliver than any other criteria. What you see is the result of my quest for performance, not for appearanc...

I hope this doesn't sound too pervy. Thinking about joint mobility I noticed a woman walk past my desk at work the other day with a great gait and a real "wiggle" in her walk. What really struck me was the evident healthy mobility in her pelvis and lower back. I've been thinking about mobility quite a bit recently and what this walk made me think about was that such mobility is a sign of youth and fitness.....and therefore sexual attractiveness. Older people are not mobile - they do not move the same but they are "solid" and their movements look less fluid. Keeping mobility keeps you looking young.....and attractive. .