In this video, we go in-depth to the world of energy balance and macronutrient calculations.
Category: Nutrition
The Sweet Truth About Simple Carbohydrates
First off, let’s clarify what carbohydrates are not:
Carbs have gotten a bad reputation in recent years with the increasing popularity of diets such as paleo and keto. Carbs are not bad. They will not make you gain weight if consumed and they are not these mythical little critters that turn to blubber if eaten after 8pm. So, what are they?
The primary role of carbohydrates is to serve as an energy source to the body. They supply an ergogenic effect and elevate muscle glycogen on aerobic performance, work output, and high intensity activity. They basically help you do everything in life at a higher level. Did you know that carbs are the only energy source utilized by brain tissue? This makes it the preferred energy source for nervous system functioning. Appropriate and adequate consumption of carbs allows for better muscle recruitment, better muscle growth, and greater fatigue resistance. There are three types of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Today we’re going to be talking about the mono and disaccharides AKA the simple carbs or simple sugars.
Monosaccharides are single-sugar molecules, mono meaning one. These are our glucose, fructose, and galactose carbs. Glucose is our most common mono and the building block of larger sugars. It is the primary energy substrate for cells and composes glycogen. Glycogen is extremely important as it is stored in the cytoplasm of cells in muscle tissues and the liver until needed for ATP, which is what fast-acting energy is! You can consume glucose via intravenous fluids or some sport drinks in the form of dextrose. Fructose is our monosaccharide that is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. These carbs cause less insulin secretion than other sugars. Galactose is our mono that combines with glucose to make lactose, the sugar found in milk.
Disaccharides are made up of two simple sugars, di meaning two. These are our sucrose, lactose, and maltose carbs. Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose. This combo creates our most common table sugar and occurs naturally in most fruits. Maltose is two glucose molecules combined. Maltose normally occurs as a polysaccharide, also called a complex carbohydrate, and is broken down during digestion; however, maltose also occurs during fermentation and is the primary carbohydrate found in beer.
Pre-Exercise Simple Sugars Provide:
-Readily available fuel sources of energy
-Help fight fatigue to help you keep pushing through tough training sessions
-Help muscle contraction
Not all of your carbohydrate intake should come from simple carbohydrates, but we will discuss complex carbohydrates(polysaccharides) on another day. Simple sugars have been found to regulate muscle protein synthesis. Simply put, it helps stimulate and regulate muscular growth. This occurs by an increase in insulin secretion from the pancreas. The greater the insulin secretion, the greater the muscle growth. This is especially true when insulin levels are elevated when amino acids are present. Essentially, insulin is anabolic to muscle. Unfortunately, insulin is also anabolic to fat. Carbohydrates play an extremely important role in fueling the body for action and recovering after activity. Simple sugars in conjunction with amino acids from protein should be your go-to for recovering from a workout.
Post-Exercise Simple Sugars Help:
-Refuel depleted energy
-Stimulate insulin secretion for muscle growth
-Increase energy levels to keep you moving
Inadequate carbohydrate intake while exercising can have a detrimental effect. Individuals that partake in regular exercise or have active jobs may see a decrease in motivation and effort in blood glucose is too low. Inadequate carbohydrate intake for a prolonged period of time will likely cause decreases in single session and multi-session performance due to chronically low muscle glycogen. These individuals may also see a decrease in muscle growth due to the lack of insulin secretion and chronically low muscle glycogen. Thankfully, there seems to be no known effect on the body with too much carbohydrate intake if calories are properly balanced. So, what is the “optimal” carbohydrate intake?
Studies show that on non-training days under 0.5g/lb, light training days 1g/lb, moderate training days 1.5g/lb, and heavy training days 2g/lb is optimal for body composition purposes. Not all of your carbohydrates should be from simple sugars, however. Remember how simple sugars spike insulin levels? Our body only optimizes this insulin spike during or after a bout of exercise. Meaning, simple sugars are great for during and post-exercise or elevates bouts of activity, but aren’t essential throughout the rest of your day. The goal for the rest of your carbohydrate intake should be from complex carbs.
To sum it all up, simple sugars:
-aid in muscle growth
-supply fuel for fast-acting energy
-aid in recovery
-are great around high levels of activity, but are not necessary all day or even every day
References:
Baechle TR, Earle RW. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. NSCA 3rd Ed. 2008. 208-211.
Burke LM, Kiens B, Ivy JL. Carbohydrates and Fat for Training and Recovery. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan; 22(1): 15-30.
Burke LM, Loucks AB, Broad N. Energy and Carbohydrate for Training and Recovery. J Sports Sci. 2006 July: 24(7): 675-685.
Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A,, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of Two Different Weight-loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-related Performance in Elite Athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011 April; 21(2):97-104.
Howarth KR, Phillips SM, MacDonald MJ, Richards D, Moreau NA, Gibala MJ. Effect of Glycogen Availability of Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Turnover During Exercise and Recovery. 2010 Aug. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00108.2009.
Kenney WL, Wilmore JH, Costill DL. Physiology of Sport and Exercise 5th Ed. 2012. 50-52.
Big Gulps: Why You’re Forgetful and Not Losing Weight
Our body weight is comprised of 50-70% water, so it’s no surprise that water should be a daily staple in your fluid consumption. We dehydrate through sweating, digestion, and even breathing. It’s suggested that even at 1% dehydration, our cognitive function can be impaired. By the time you start to feel thirsty, your body has already dehydrated by 2-3%!
Feeling hungry constantly? This could also be due to dehydration. Adequate hydration will not satiate the sensation of hunger. So, are you hungry or just really thirsty and forgetful? Many of us forget to consume water throughout the day. Our day gets packed with meetings and projects. You dehydrate. You become even more forgetful. Work becomes more difficult as thinking becomes more difficult due to a lack of fluid intake. Are you seeing a pattern, yet?
Dehydration can lead to drowsiness and slower metabolic functioning, as well. Adequate hydration aids in lipolysis, which is the breakdown of fatty acids or lipids. Water helps to increase metabolic function by increasing mitochondrial activity. Easiest way to break this down: WATER = breakdown of FAT = YOU LOSING FAT MASS!!
Alright, you get it. Water intake is important, but how much do we need and how do I make sure to get enough on a busy schedule? A study in 2004 states that ~91oz for females and ~127oz for males is adequate. If you’re doing any activity that raises body temperature, i.e. exercising or sweating out in the summer sun, make sure to increase the amount you are ingesting.
Tips and Tricks for More Gulps:
-Try carrying a bottle of water everywhere you go. BONUS: be environmentally conscious and friendly by carrying a reusable bottle!
-Water’s too plain? Try adding a fresh slice of lemon or lime
-Drink water before, during, and post-exercise to replenish what you’re excreting
-Try a water schedule. Set a 60-90min timer on your phone. When the timer goes off, take a few sips and reset your timer
-Check your pee. Colorless or light-yellow pee usually means you’re adequately hydrated
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2004/dietary-reference-intakes-water-potassium-sodium-chloride-and-sulfate.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17921465
“Eyes Up, Head Up, Chest Up!” Why You Should Ditch The Gym Bro and Hire a Professional
We’ve all heard the hype man in the gym yell at his buddy while sporting his cut off/bro tank/no shirt, “Eyes Up! Head Up! Chest Up!” while his friend quarter squats 225lbs. After that they move to the bench where they bench press 225lbs for a few sets, slam some mass gainer, do a few curls in the squat rack and head home. Fast forward a year and they’re still quarter squatting 225, slamming mass gainer, and benching 225lbs while still looking the exact same as they did a year ago. While they are enjoying their gym sesh and doing better than the other ninety percent of the population that’s sitting at home binge watching Netflix all night, these aren’t the people you want to take advice from while trying to make lifelong changes to your physique and health.
5 Reasons You Should Hire a Professional
1. When Your Car’s Broke, Do You YouTube How To Fix It?
We have so much at our disposal with these amazing computers sitting in our pockets and palms all day. A workout you find online might be fun every once in a while, but this is not the most effective or efficient way to make safe, lifelong adaptations to your body. Think about it, the average American owns 8 to 12 cars in their lifetime. When your car starts making some odd noises, you take it to a mechanic. Majority of the population could not google search the issue and fix the car themselves.
In your lifetime you get one body, not 8 to 12. However, when our knees hurt, our body doesn’t look the way we want, or we develop Type 2 diabetes, we google search fad diets and crazy workouts that we stick to for a week or two. Why are we willing to spend money on something that’s replaceable, yet have a difficult time justifying investing in the only body we will ever have?
2. What Works for Some Probably Won’t Work for Most
We’ve all seen it on social media: the competitor that does one show/meet and now is taking up to twenty online clients. Unfortunately, what worked for them to succeed is not likely to be what you require to succeed. Every BODY is different and has different requirements to reach the same goal. Exercise programming is not a one-size-fits-all. This is why we have so many different nutrition and training styles. A professional can help you figure out which path is likely to help you succeed, as well as help you make changes along the way when something isn’t working the way it was intended.
3. Desire and Execution Do Not Go Hand-In-Hand
Week 1 Day 1 of starting a new program: You wake up super excited to start! You hit your food goals for the day and crush your workout.
Week 1 Day 5: You’ve been sticking to the plan for five whole days. You’re starting to feel better, but you’re not seeing results yet.
Week 2 Day 4: You had a rough day at work. Maybe you’ll skip the gym today. You worked hard and you’re tired, you deserve the night off, right?
Week 2 Day 5: It’s Friday. Sure you missed yesterday, but so what? You’re friend asks you out for drinks after work when you planned on going to the gym. Drinks sound more fun than pushing through a workout after a tough few days at work.
Week 4: You’ve completely fallen off of the wagon. Oops! Oh well, better luck next time. Better wait for January 1st of next year to try again.
Wanting to get healthy and fit is great, but what about the days when your motivation and desire are low? Many people don’t stick with their fitness goals because they don’t have anyone or anything holding them accountable on the days they don’t “feel like it”. We take care of the things we invest in the most, why not make that your health?
4. The Food Pyramid, The Mile Run, and Dodgeball
Odds are grade school P.E. was the last time you had someone teach you about exercise and nutrition. Research in the field of exercise and nutrition more than double every 6 months. That is a lot of new information that has come out since you were in grade school! It’s not your job to keep up with new research, but when we know better we can do better. Smart programming can help you reach your goals in a realistic timeframe that is safe and maintainable.
5. The Ultimate Investment Opportunity
We invest in random companies, our home, our cars, and much more so why not invest in your health? The estimated lifetime cost of treating diabetes in the US is around $85,000. The average cost of knee replacement surgery is $45,000. The average cost of a coach is $50/hr in person per session and the average cost of an online coach $150/month. This means you could have 1700 sessions or 47 years of online training for the same cost of having diabetes, and 900 sessions or 25 years of online training for the price of a new knee. How crazy is that? Working on your health under the supervision of a professional sounds like a better investment than diabetes or spending time in the hospital getting your knee sawed open, right?
Gym bros, youtube workouts, and fad diets aren’t likely to help you reach your goals in a timely, efficient, and safe manner. Find a knowledgeable and trusted professional in your area or online and invest in your health and fitness goals. Go crush your goals and live a long, healthy life!
The Food Fight: Part III Does Fat Make You Fat
Nutritional fat, or lipids, come in four primary forms: triglycerides, free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids, and sterols. Fat has gotten a bad rep in the media due to excess fat consumption being linked to an increased risk for cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Contrary to popular belief, however, fat consumption has not been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) with over 21 recent research studies supporting this finding.
Fat is utilized for a multitude of purposes by the body. Fat is an important part of the cell membrane and of nerve fibers. Fat is our primary energy source, consisting of around 70 percent of our resting energy. It aids in support and cushioning of vital organs. The body’s natural steroid hormones are produced from cholesterol from fat and fat-soluble vitamins are stored and transported by fat.
Nutrition labels lay out saturated and unsaturated fat content. Unsaturated fats come as polysaturated or monosaturated, which is a fancy way of saying it has either one(mono) or two or more(poly) double bonds in their structure. Unsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature, with a few exceptions. Good ideas when looking to fulfill your unsaturated fats are almonds, nuts, plant oils, salmon, tuna, and avocados. Saturated fat is different than unsaturated as it has no double bonds, it is fully loaded with hydrogen atoms. Saturated fat is typically solid at room temperature. The AHA recommends 5-6 percent of your daily fat intake should come from saturated fats. Great ideas for saturated fat includes animal meat, coconut oil, and dairy. The types of fat we really want to avoid are called hydrogenated fat. This is the bad guy of fats. Hydrogen is added to “create” a saturated fat. We find this kind of fat in pretty much any processed foods. This fat is toxic and should be avoided.
Nutritional fat can be used for many performance and body composition outcomes. We use carbohydrates as a form of fast-acting energy, but just as fast as we use it we also deplete it. Limited levels of muscle and liver glycogen can make us feel fatigued, which is why fat consumption in moderation is extremely important. The use of free fatty acids can delay muscle exhaustion. Endurance training can increase the ability of the body to use fat as energy. However, there is no evidence that supports “fat loading” in improve endurance. Additionally, there is also no evidence to support fasted cardio and burning more fat regardless of what the gym bros might lead you to believe.
Nutrient timing of fat can be tricky. It is recommended to consume fat early in the day and late in the evening as fat is a slow digesting food that will help you feel full as well as help avoid catabolism. Due to the slow digestion of fats, we should avoid fat consumption around our most active parts of the day, ESPECIALLY around exercise when we want nutrients shuttled to our muscles as quickly as possible.
Suggested fat intake is 20-35 percent of your daily caloric intake. When you have a diet high in fat, typically characterized as about 35 percent, you are at risk for increasing your LDL levels as well as your risk for stroke, cancer, etc. When you neglect to consume enough fat, lower than 20 percent, you will see a decrease in energy levels as well as a decrease in immune functioning.
Nutritional fats will not make you fat if consuming the correct kinds and in correspondence to your goals. Be smart and eat your fats! Your body will thank you.
Easy At-Home Workout
Home for the holidays without access to a gym? No problem! Check out this easy-to-do, minimal equipment workout.
Squats 4×12
PullUps 4×2 (Substitute pullovers 4×12 if no access to pullup bar/rings)
SL RDL 4x8ea
SA Rows 4x12ea
PushUps 4×8
SL Glute Bridge 3x20ea
Hollow Rock Bicycle 3×20
Reverse Lunge to Tuck 3x6ea (Substitute jump lunges or reverse lunges depending on fitness level)
Consume BCAAs peri-workout. Consume whey protein post workout followed by high protein, high carb meal.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutrition program. Use at your own risk. PR Training Systems is not liable in any capacity with regards to using this workout.
The Food Fight Part II: Protein
For in-depth description, read below.
Macronutrients and flexible dieting have become a hot topic in body composition for performance, increasing muscular size, and fat loss. So what exactly are macronutrients or “macros”? Macronutrients are our primary sources of energy, or calories, required to complete activities of daily living along with any other activity that we decide to participate in. There are three macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Throughout the next few articles, we will break down what each of the macronutrients are, why they’re important, and how to use them to best fit your goals. First on the chopping block: Protein.
What Is Protein?
Protein is a long, nitrogen containing molecular compound comprised of amino acids. Protein is the structural component of a cell. It is responsible for the structural component of cells as well as cellular growth, repair, and maintenance of tissue. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential at birth and 8 going into adulthood. This means that of the 20 amino acids, our body can naturally create 12 amino acids, but 8 must come from our daily nutrition. Amino acids promote protein synthesis, which is the process of cells creating new proteins.
How Much Protein Do We Need?
How much protein you need depends on your specific goal as well as weight.
Maintaining Current Body Composition: ~0.4-0.5g/kg of body weight
Increase Muscular Size without much change to daily activity: ~0.6-0.7g/kg
Active Individuals: ~0.9-1.2g/kg
Endurance Athletes: ~1.2-1.4g/kg
Strength and Power Athletes: ~1.6-1.7g/kg
MAX Muscular Growth: ~2g/kg
What Kind of Protein Works Best?
Any time you can get your protein from a natural source, such as meat and vegetables, the better! Your body breaks down the food into amino acids and initiates protein synthesis. However, most people have a tough time consuming that much food and sometimes the source of protein might not get to processed as quickly as we’d like (i.e. post-workout). This is where protein supplementation can help!
So you walk into your local supplement shop and the walls are lined with a bunch of different protein. What kind should you get? Soy? Casein? Whey? The choices seem endless and the guy at the register only seems interested is selling you something instead of educating you. Here’s your breakdown of each:
Whey: This type of protein contains all 9 essential amino acids (EAA) and contains ~25% more EAA than other types. It is particularly high in the EAA leucine, isoleucine, and valine which is awesome as these don’t need to be metabolized by our liver before our body can use them! Be careful, though, as there are different types of whey.
–Whey Hydrolase: This particular whey is already broken down into amino acids
–Whey Isolate: This whey is a pure form of whey protein minus the lactose (milk sugar)
–Whey Concentrate: This is the most common form of whey. It used to be high in lactose, but has been fortified to contain less in recent years.
Casein: This protein is high in the EAA Glutamine, but is lower in concentrate of the other EAA(BCAAs). Casein’s primary downfall is that it causes gastrointestinal(GI) issues in many consumers. The benefit of casein is that it is slow to digest. Because of the slower digestion of casein, many athletes will consume it before bed in order to sustain protein synthesis during the nighttime fasting.
Soy Protein: This protein is very rich in EAA/BCAA’s. Soy protein contains no lactose as it is a plant protein; however, it tends to be lower in the EAA methionine. The more recent versions of soy protein is fortified with methionine, though! Since soy protein is derived from plants, it makes it a great option for vegans looking to increase their protein intake. However, soy protein contains plant hormones(isoflavone) which, in some research, can increase the estrogenic effect in the body.
Why Is Protein Important?
When sufficient protein is present(in form of amino acids), we inhibit AMP Kinase(AMPK). During exercise, ATP is released for energy. This increases AMPK levels which activates AMPK protein. AMPK inhibits a pathway called mTOR and protein synthesis. When AA are present(as well as carbs, but we’ll talk about that next time), we inhibit AMPK and hit the gas pedal on gains through the mTOR pathways. EAA/BCAA = Gain Train!!!
When Should I Consume Protein?
Simply stated: You should shoot to consume your protein allotment in evenly spaced meals containing 20-30g/meal.
If you’re training, it can be a little different and should go as follows:
Pre-Workout: 30-50g of easily digestible protein
Peri-Workout(during your training): 10-20g of BCAAs
Post-Workout: 30-50g. You have about a 2 hour window to get this is. Ideally, get part from a shake while you cook yourself a meal containing the other part.
Evenly split your remaining allotment of protein into meals of 20-30g/meal.
Beelen M, Koopman R, Gijsen AP, Vandereyt H, Kies AK, Kuipers H, et al. Protein coingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis during resistance-type exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2008;295:E70-E77.
Dennis MD, Baum JI, Kimball SR, Jefferson LS. Mechanisms involved in the coordinate regulation of mTORC1 by insulin and amino acids. J Biol Chem 2011;286:8287-96.
Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, et al. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:161-8.
Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D, Jr., Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. Am J Physiol 1999;276:E628-E634.
The Food Fight Part 1: Understanding Metabolism
Nutritional demands of the body is one of the most commonly misunderstood processes when trying to change body composition. Everyone throws around this magical word: Metabolism (or Metabolic Functioning). Who can tell me what metabolism is? No one? Some seem to think it’s this magical little thing that floats around in our body and is either “fast” and chews up fat and swells up our muscles, or is “slow” and balloons our body and makes us gain weight.
The thing about the human body is that it only does what we tell it to do. Imagine that food is a text message from your boss at a fancy chemical factory. You receive the text that you’re to mix up these chemicals to create something, so you do it. Well, if you put the wrong chemicals in, your boss gets upset because you’ve created one thing even though you meant to create something totally different. This is kind of how metabolism works in terms of flexible dieting and tracking macronutrients.
Metabolism is an all-encompassing term for the chemical reactions that collectively occur in the body. It is the all energy producing and using processes that occur within the body due to food. It is the process that allows our body to “adapt or die”. Different food sends different “text messages” to our body to use this energy for different purposes through three metabolic pathways to create adenosine triphosphate(ATP), or ENERGY!
Metabolic Pathway #1: ATP-PCr System
-Anaerobic Metabolism
-Maintain energy(ATP) levels early in exercise
-Limited capacity/only lasts a few seconds
Metabolic Pathway #2: Glycolytic System
-Anaerobic Metabolism
-Process of turning the carbohydrate glucose(sugar) into pyruvate to create ATP(ENERGY!)
Metabolic Pathway #3: Oxidative System
-Aerobic Metabolism
-Primary energy system used at rest or during long-duration, low intensity activity
-Can use carbohydrates, but primarily fat
The food we put into our body allows for metabolic functioning to supply us with enough energy to go about our day, to create an energy surplus or energy deficit. This determines if we have enough energy to help build/maintain muscle and exhale fat(yes, exhale. However, this is a topic for another time), or if our body needs the energy to just survive day-to-day tasks.
What text messages are you sending your body? Are you building and adapting or are you in a constant state of just survival?
Stop Starving Yourself
Flexible Eating
What is flexible eating? Many people refer to this as flexible “dieting” or IIFYM; however, I dislike the term dieting as it has a negative stigma attached to the word. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) is a great idea as long as people understand that you must still keep your daily nutrition relatively nutrient dense. You will not maintain an ideal body composition eating kitkats and ice cream all day even if they do fit your macros. You will become “skinny fat”.
Sticking to a plan is the most difficult part of any nutrition plan. Flexible eating is the solution to sticking to a plan and maintaining it with realistic expectations. Flexible eating helps to avoid binging and allows for slow weight loss. Having as small caloric deficit that still elicits weight loss is the best plan to follow when looking to maintain your weight loss.
Refeed
Maintaining a caloric deficit day in and day out will lead to a decrease in leptin. What is leptin you ask? Leptin is the “satiety hormone”, the hormone that keeps you feeling full. As leptin levels decrease, you will begin to have intense cravings and your metabolism begins to slow.
Refeed days can replenish leptin levels and help to avoid catabolism. Refeed days include an increase in calories anywhere from 10-50%. The higher the increase in calories, the shorter the time the refeed should last. The increase in calories comes greatly from an increase in carbohydrates.
Refeed days heavy in carbohydrates replenishes muscle glycogen. The increase in glycogen causes muscles to swell and look fuller. The leaner you are, the more often you will need to refeed in order to avoid potential dreaded catabolism.
Refeed days should ideally be done the day before your heaviest lift day and the day after your weekly weight-in day. The increase in muscle glycogen will increase mental focus and strength. Due to the hormone aldosterone, weight gain may occur one to two days post-refeed. I suggest weighing in before your refeed due to the delayed weight gain.
Training
Helms, Argon, and Fitschen’s article, Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation, had interesting research findings on training. According to their article, the following training protocols created the best…excuse my bro talk… “gainz”:
-Heavier weight for fewer reps with more sets elicit better muscle size increase compared to the old approach of very high reps with 3-5 set (see RP-21 Training System)
-The hypertrophy effect is greatest when low repetition, high intensity sets are followed by one set of high repetition, low intensity
-Endurance training decreases strength and/or hypertrophy when added to strength training
-Full-body exercises (i.e. kettle bell swings or barbell cleans) and cycling may reduce decreases in strength and hypertrophy compared to running when cardio is needed to reduce body fat