Posts Tagged ‘metabolic training’

(I talked about kettlebell training for cardio previously – part one here and part two here).

I just recently read the results of a new study using kettlebell training:

Scand J Work Environ Health. 2011 May;37(3):196-203.
Kettlebell training for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health: a randomized controlled trial.
Jay K et al.

This study split 40 participants with a high prevalence of reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms, into two groups- a kettlebell training group and a control group (no exercise).

The exercise group consisted of “ballistic full-body kettlebell exercise 3 times per week for 8 weeks” The main outcome measures were pain intensity of the neck/shoulders and low back, isometric muscle strength, and aerobic fitness.

After 8 weeks the exercise group had reduced pain levels significantly in the neck/shoulders and low back and increased muscle strength of the trunk extensors but not the trunk flexors or shoulders. Aerobic fitness did not improve at all in the exercise group.

The pain results are great as we’d normally have shied away from high speed ballistic training in a clientele reporting pain – but why was there no improvement in trunk flexor strength ? Quite simply – they didn’t train trunk flexion at all. They only trained trunk extension…

From the study:

Each session lasting 20 minutes included a 5–10 minute warm up and a 10–15 minute interval training.

 

The interval training consisted of 10 intervals of 30 seconds with rest period of 30–60 seconds. The intervals consisted of constant work with participants choosing an appropri-ate progression level as follows: (i) unweighted swing; (ii) deadlift with a kettlebell; (iii) two-handed swing with a kettlebell; and (iv) one- handed swing with a kettlebell.

 

During the first 4 weeks of training, the rest between sets was one minute of active recovery. During the last 4 weeks, the rest was compressed to 30 seconds of active recovery

They only did deadlift or swing-type movements. That’s training specificity 101 – the SAID principle – specific adaptation to imposed demands – you improve what you train. If you want to improve the whole body, you need to train every movement.

What about the lack of aerobic fitness improvement? (as that contradicts earlier studies).

Same thing basically — it was 4 weeks of 1:2 work:rest using low loads, and then 4 weeks of 1:1 (using higher loading or more advanced exercises). So the lack of aerobic improvement may just mean that the routine wasn’t cardiovascularly demanding enough.

The researchers noted: “We attribute the lack of change in aerobic fitness to insufficient cardiovascular stimulation in the brief training sessions. The session duration of 20 minutes (consisting of 5–10 minutes of warm-up followed by 10–15 minutes of kettlebell training) does not leave ample duration to stimulate significant cardiovascular adaptations.”

Overall it’s a pretty cool finding though. This was one of the first studies to look at power training or ballistic movements and their effect on reducing pain. The researchers mentioned “Our study is the first to demonstrate that ballistic cyclic training with high peak forces markedly lowers pain symptoms in both the neck/shoulder and low-back region.”

My take home advice:

An earlier study showed that explosive training burns 13% more calories during training than slow controlled reps, and 7% more calories post training. The kettlebell studies I posted earlier in this blog show how this type of training can create metabolic demand, the following study-

J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Dec;24(12):3369-80.
A comparison of high-speed power training and traditional slow-speed resistance training in older men and women.
Sayers et al.

- recommends that training programs for older adults emphasize high-speed movements at low external resistances, I think it’s safe to say that training programs both for yourself, and for your clients need to include some form of ballistic or explosive training.

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AC

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A little Saturday morning challenge for you…..

 

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AC
PS – Click here to enter the TRX 28-28-28 challenge!

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Muscles are just plain dumb. Despite their ability at some level to perform amazing Cirque De Soleil type feats, muscles only ‘know’ two things—tension and stretch. They can’t differentiate between tension or stretches regardless of how the tension got there..

Let’s talk tension. As far as a fitness enthusiast is concerned, muscle tension comes when you place resistance on the muscles. It doesn’t matter what form that resistance takes. As far as the muscles are concerned, resistance is resistance is resistance.

The muscles have no idea what form the resistance takes, whether it is a dumbbell, a resistance band, a barbell, or your body weight. Free weights are superior to machines when it comes to building strength because free weights require you to stabilize the load in three planes, however, the weight on the muscles is not any different.

In fact, the only reason to ever use an external load (i.e. weights) is because your body weight is not enough resistance. Most guys are making exercises harder by adding an external load when they aren’t even capable of handling their body weight in the same exercise. I’m constantly amazed by how many people I meet who can bench press whatever pounds of weight, but are unable to perform ten correct push-ups (typically due to a lack of core strength and synergistic muscle stability). As far as I’m concerned, unless you can do an easy 20 push-ups, you have no business getting under a bar for bench pressing. In my training facility, everyone begins with body weight exercises. You have to earn the right to lift weights.

Now, I’m sure some of you are jumping up and down, convinced that your body weight is not enough for you to get a ‘good workout.’ You think you’re much too strong. And you’re probably right. If you’re an Olympic gymnast, that is. Remember that most gymnasts use primarily their body weight in their conditioning programs, and they have no problems developing great physiques and great strength levels. I’d go as far as to say that most gymnasts have better physiques than most weight trainers. And these guys train exclusively for performance—not for mass or aesthetics. Former conditioning coach to the Great Britain Olympic gymnastics team, Nick Grantham, noted that the majority of male gymnasts, after years of body weight training, could typically bench press double their body weight the first time they ever benched. If that’s not evidence of the efficacy of body weight training, then I don’t know what is.

The key to effective body weight exercises is the same as with any exercise—time and tension. We need to select exercises that load the muscles effectively through the entire range of motion, and select a speed of movement that eliminates all momentum.

Sample Workout

CIRCUIT ONE:

1A: Rear Foot elevated split squat: 20 each leg with 2s pause at the bottom of each rest. 30s rest
1B: “T’ push-ups  10 reps each side , 30 sec rest
1C: Hip thigh extension (single leg glute bridge):  20 reps ea. 30s rest
1D: Inverted row:  15 reps 30 sec rest
Repeat the circuit one more time.

CIRCUIT TWO:

2A: Step Up (high box):  20 reps each side, 30s rest
2B: Mixed grip chins:  5 reps EACH SIDE, 30s rest
2C: Single Leg Bent Knee Deadlift:  10 reps each side: 30s rest
2D: Dips (or Wide Grip Push ups):   AMRAP (As many reps as possible), 30s rest
Repeat the circuit one more time.

Bodyweight only exercises are a great addition to your own training. If you currently train clients in groups, perform sports conditioning, do bootcamps outdoors, teach martial arts classes  or just want some extra workout ideas for days outside of the gym that can replace cardio training , check out  : 101 Bodyweight Exercises

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AC

Special thanks to fellow geek :)  Craig Ballantyne for letting me know about a couple of these:

Knab et al.
A 45-Minute Vigorous Exercise Bout Increases Metabolic Rate for 14 Hours.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Feb 8.

These researchers had subjects undergo a bout of cycling at approx 73% of VO2 max (approximately 84% of max heart rate) for 45 mins.

The subjects burned on average 520 calories in the 45 min training session. The following day their resting energy expenditure was increased an average of 190 cals compared to normal. Basically – the subjects burned an additional 37% MORE calories than the workout itself in the 14 hour post workout period — meaning that a single high-intensity session, when including the post-workout metabolic boost could burn up to 710 cals in total.

A second study

Heden et al.
One-set resistance training elevates energy expenditure for 72 h similar to three sets.
European Journal of Applied Physiology. Volume 111, Number 3, 477-484, Mar 2011

The subjects were put on a very simple resistance training routine – full body training, either 1 or 3 sets per exercise of ten exercises.

The researchers then examined the subjects resting energy expenditure at 24, 48 and 72 hours post workout.  Both groups showed an elevated metabolism (afterburn effect) of around 100 cals per day.

But there was no difference between groups. It seems that it’s intensity that determines how many calories are burned post-workout, not volume (obviously a higher volume program would burn more calories during the session than a lower volume program.

A third study confirmed this:

Scott et al.
Energy expenditure characteristics of weight lifting: 2 sets to fatigue.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2011 Feb;36(1):115-20.

The researchers looked at the caloric expenditure of bench pressing using three different loads and concluded “As more work is completed (i.e., lower weight, more repetitions), aerobic and anaerobic exercise energy expenditures appear to increase accordingly, yet absolute EPOC remains essentially unchanged”. In other words – the post workout caloric burn (in this case measured aerobically)

One more:

Astorino et al.
Effect of acute caffeine ingestion on EPOC after intense resistance training.
J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2011 Mar;51(1):11-7.

This study showed a 15% increase in post-workout calories burned after the ingestion of caffeine as a pre-workout supplement. The total extra calories burned as a result of this only added up to around 27 cals in the hour after the workout. Not a lot but still something to consider. Plus I like iced coffee :)

As usual my questions/ideas for real world application are:

What if we trained every 24-48 hours? Would we see a compounding effect of the additional calories burned post-workout?
What if we did full body training using free weights and multiple planes of movement instead of machines?
What if we paired exercises (studies have shown enhanced calorie burning during training with supersets)? Would that change things?
What about full body ground based exercises (the last study used a bench press )? Does that change anything?
What about exercises using tools such as the TRX where not only the prime movers are being worked, but also the entire core (all the time!)

Right now at Results Fitness our fastest fat loss results are coming from a combination of resistance training and metabolic circuit training (or intervals) – two sessions per week of each). The term we use for our resistance training is “metabolic resistance training”, really just to differentiate what we are doing from traditional strength training. It can be characterized by:

* Full Body Routines
* Paired or circuit based sequencing
* Incomplete recovery periods or rest intervals
* Free weight or bodyweight based (no fixed axis machines or seated work)
* strong emphasis on “self limiting” exercises

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AC

My good friend Todd Durkin did a gust post for me last week (check it out HERE) where he challenged us all in 2011 to be the most positive person you know.

I think that’s a great goal and one I’m going to really strive for. I think I’m a positive person overall, but maybe not the most positive person I know (which is tough because I know Todd – he’s the most positive person I’ve ever met!)

That said – it’s really easy to write a blog post slamming the Biggest Loser show. There are probably a zillion posts out there from fitness professionals talking about how bad it is, and how Jillian can’t swing a kettlebell properly.
It’s EASY. They make it easy to do, but that’s not what this blog post is about.

I’m accepting Todds challenge and am only looking at what the show does well.
So let’s look at the positives…

There are some good things about the Biggest Loser show that smart trainers can learn from:

1. They train people in a group and show how valuable small or large group training can be (it’s not just one-on-one)
2. Whether you like the methodology or not — the contestants on the Biggest Loser get great results (100lbs in 6 weeks is the shows average result – which is better than most any trainer or gym out there).
   Yes I know they get multiple hours of training per day, but rather than focus on the “why that won’t work for me” let’s focus on the “what actually happened”
3. The trainers on the Biggest Loser train people HARD – very hard — and overweight people are a demographic that the fitness industry has traditionally babied…
   In fact, one of the leading fitness certification organizations has a recommendation that overweight people begin with 20mins of walking at 40% of maximum heart rate (e.g. 72bpm for a 40 year old). That’s REAL advice from a reputable fitness certification! I think most sedentary people could get their heart rate over 40% of max just watching a sporting event or a scary movie?
4. The Biggest Loser contestants use high intensity circuit training, kettlebells, battling ropes, the prowler, the TRX suspension training, sandbags and free weights.
   This educates the general public that it’s not about fixed axis machines, supplements, acai berry juice or, as I stated above – walking slowly….
5. They use circuit training and resistance training on the Biggest Loser – not just low intensity cardio

I know it’s easy to talk about how bad the show is (it’s actually hard for me NOT to talk about how bad it is…..) – but I’ve accepted Todd’s challenge to be positive.
There are a lot of things about the show that I dislike, but it’s also fair to point out that there are good things too.

If we learn one thing from the show it’s that we can train overweight beginners harder than we traditionally have.

Instead of immediately slamming the show – try to find something positive from it.
Maybe we can all focus on being positive.

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AC

In Part One, we covered the reasons we wrote NROL for Abs, and you explained your core-training philosophy and methodology. But core training is maybe one-fifth of the program in our book.

Let’s start with mobility, since that’s the way readers will start all the workouts. Pretend I’m a reader who picks up this book with the goal of finding a bunch of exercises that’ll help me get ripped abs. How do you convince me that the mobility exercises are just as important as the core training? What do I lose if I don’t work on mobility?

AC: Take a look at most 70 year olds and get back to me! That should be reason enough.

Let me illustrate this with a story. When I got out of the hospital in 2006 I was struggling to regain fitness. As part of my “comeback” training I was doing multiple sets of push ups. I think I had worked up to 4 when my Dad came to visit from Scotland.

Watching me struggle, my Dad dropped to the floor and banged out 10 “marine style” push ups (where you clap your hands in front of you between each rep). He was 64 at the time!

About 18 months later I was visiting him and challenged him to see how many he could do. At this point my Dad was unable to get into the push up position.

What had happened in the 18 months?

He’d retired. My Dad had a physical job all his life. Since retirement he’d become sedentary and lost mobility faster than any other qualities..

Mobility is the one thing we take for granted that can enhance all our other training, and our overall quality of life the most.

So I’ve done the mobility exercises, and I’ve done the core training. I finally move on to the weight room. But once I get there, the strength workouts in NROL for Abs have me doing all kinds of things I’ve never done before.

There’s a bench press where my shoulders are on the end of the bench and my feet are on the floor, with my torso completely off the bench. There’s a one-arm row where I have one hand on a bench, my feet on the floor, and my body in a plank position. And there are some squats and deadlifts that are so evil I can’t really describe them to a family audience.

People who know you know that you do everything for a reason – every exercise is part of an overall training mechanism. Take one part out, and you’ve changed the entire program.

So why these exercises? What do they offer that you can’t get from the basic movements?

AC: My goal was to present an athletically challenging program where we are training core “all the time”. Of course there are some traditional exercises in there, but in order to provide a new stimulus I wanted to provide some more challenging exercises for people, rather than just say “Add 5lbs and start over”.

Once you get past Phase One of the program, the workouts finish with 5 to 10 minutes of metabolic training. The exercises themselves are pretty simple – burpees, kettlebell swings, body-weight squats, push-ups. But they kicked my ass. I started doing the metabolic training at the beginning of the workouts because if I waited until the end, I didn’t have the energy for them.

Even so, I got leaner on this program than I’d been in years. This isn’t really a question so much as an observation that if you want to get lean, you have to get way the hell out of your comfort zone at least once or twice a week.

AC: I think everyone needs direct metabolic training. The problem is that for years we’ve prescribed traditional cardiovascular exercises (jogging, cycling etc).

If we think about jogging, one mile is around 1500 plyometric reps with forces of 2-4 times bodyweight. If our goal is just to challenge the metabolism and cardio systems of the body – that’s a ton of joint stress. Cycling reduces the loads obviously, but of course there are more repetitions involved.

So the way we do “cardio” at Results Fitness is to do high intensity metabolic circuits where we take something like the kettlebell swing and perform density circuits. Studies came out of Truman State last year showing kettlebell swings to have an oxygen cost higher than running (with similar heart rate responses), but with about 20% of the reps performed when compared to a mile run.

Basically it’s a more effective and safer option than traditional cardio when the goal is purely cardio conditioning and calorie burning.

The downside, you’re going to have to work!

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AC
PS – You can pick up a copy of the New Rules of Lifting for Abs – HERE .