Nutrition
Extreme Diets: Why Do People Do Them?
08/06/12 07:21
A few days ago, I was watching a 20/20 episode we recorded a while ago. It discussed a number of diets out there that are controversial, yet a lot of people follow them.
First, the episode showed more about the feeding tube or K-E Diet. This in particular was extremely concerning. Basically, a doctor puts a tube in your stomach through your nose and a pump provides you with a blend of nutrients throughout the day, for a total of 800 calories a day.
This amount of calories is shockingly low as it is not even enough to support your body’s basal metabolism (the amount of energy your body needs to keep vital functions going without any extra activity). Therefore, you end up losing a lot of important tissue in your body which is not fat, plus it is not enough to support your organs to function properly.
Surprisingly, many brides do this diet since it gives quick results for their special day. However, it is not without danger for your health. It also makes your body retain more after the diet and I can imagine many people splurge and gain more weight back later.
The statistics show that 80% of people on diets regain their weight. Now why is that? One reason for it is that most diets are so extreme that people can’t stay on them. They get some results (often not as much as they are hoping for) and they get back in their old habits. Other diets revolve around pills, of which many are nonsense. Some that do have active ingredients may have some effect. However there is no such thing as a magic pill. Instead, you need to change your habits, eat well, work out responsibly and adjust your lifestyle.
Also please be wary of ‘before and after’ pictures. Just check out this video.
We all know obesity rates are extremely high and it is a huge problem. Even though we live longer than we did hundreds of years ago, we can do much better. Many companies and individuals take advantage of people feeling desperate and helpless and promise them amazing results. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way and even more sad is that so many people believe these ads or claims.
Please do not let someone talk you into spending tremendous amounts of money for something that doesn’t really work or may be hazardous for your health. Instead, find an honest professional who will tell you the truth. And you may not really like it but at least you will do the right thing and get your body healthier. Instead of losing 30 lbs. in 30 days, it may take you 90 days but at least you can rely on this information and your body will become healthier without any exaggerated stress, chemicals or deprivation. Plus you will not have to spend an extraordinary amount of money.
With hard work, dedication and good support, you can change your lifestyle and become a healthier you. However, be cautious and critical when looking for ‘magical’ solutions.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
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Carb Loading for Athletes
07/06/12 14:51
If you are familiar with the term carb loading, you know it’s a method used by a lot of endurance athletes to increase the storage of glycogen (for energy use) in the body.
For many martial artists, this does not necessarily apply if you are cutting weight for tournaments. You can still cut carbs the days before (which you have to anyway) and then maximize your intake after weigh ins but you will by far not have the same exact effect as for example a cyclist doing carb loading because you do not have enough time to load carbs after weigh ins, which are often the day before the event.
An average person in normal circumstances has enough glycogen stored in the body to last you for 90 minutes when doing a physical activity, such as running, cycling, etc.
When you carb load, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored from 25-100% (for adult men shown in some studies, results for women are less steady), which means it your body’s reserves will last you longer than 90 minutes so any loss in performance by lack of energy will be postponed or not be present at all if you fuel your body during the activity.
First and foremost, it is important to increase your carb intake the last few days before your goal event or race. You do need to make sure this does not cause any intestinal problems that may affect your performance. If you have never done carb loading before, try it out before during training to see how your system reacts.
The first phase of carb loading:
A week before the race, decrease your carb intake (don’t cut them out all together) and resume your training as normal. Increase your protein and fat intake to compensate for the lowered carb intake. This will make your body react to the lack of carbs but not deteriorate your body of performance by cutting calories. About 50-55% of your caloric intake should come from carbs during these two to three days.
The second phase of carb loading:
Three to four days before the event or race, increase your carb intake drastically and cut back on your fat intake. At this point, about 70% of your total calorie intake should consist of carbohydrates. Lower your training intensity and frequency to allow your body to store more glycogen (converted from carbs) than normal. The day before the race, rest completely or do an extremely light workout to loosen your muscles.
Even though you do carb loading, you may still feel fatigued during or after the race. This may be muscle damage, buildup from lactic acid etc. Energy storage and processes are only one piece of the puzzle. However when done right, it may benefit your performance drastically. Don’t forget to continue to fuel your body during the race to prevent fatigue. When carb loading, a temporary weight gain is seen frequently. When your body stores more carbs it also stores more water, therefore the weight gain. This should however be temporary. If you have long term weight gain, you are most likely consuming too many calories overall.
Every individual responds differently to carb loading and discuss the process with your doctor, trainer or nutritionist in more depth before attempting.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Final Article
03/04/12 11:25
During March, I participated in a 30 day Paleo challenge. As you may have read in my previous posts, my experience was double sided. I did really enjoy some of the healthy changes I had to make, such as eating more fruit, vegetables, soup and nuts. This made a huge difference and got me more into a routine of eating these items, which are of course fantastic for your body and health. Please note I will not go into the details of the diet and what to do, this is purely about my experience and not intended to explain what you should be eating.
Other things, I wasn’t as much a fan of. So many things were cut out of my diet that it caused me to get very bored of certain foods. Also, dropping so much water weight (6lbs. at a certain point) wasn’t very fun. I was thirsty all the time and got dehydrated very quickly, not to mention I looked very deflated (since you retain more water when you eat more carbs).
During the challenge, I ran into a bigger problem though. Since my work requires me to stand, run, exercise and do many more things for long periods of time, my total exercise duration every week (with individual training as well) easily exceeds 15-18 hours of sports. Doing the Paleo diet caused my performance to go down. As I wrote in my previous article, I switched to Paleo for Athletes and reintroduced carbs to accommodate my high levels of exercise. This made a huge difference and got my performance levels back to their original levels (and went up since). This was more in line with how I normally cut weight and watch my food intake when cutting. It is a very manageable way of eating and fueling your body right. The right amount of carbs in the right times are hugely important, combine that with the health benefits of some Paleo ideas and you’re on the right track! Since starting on March 1st, I lost 10lbs, am close to my goal competition weight and did not compromise my performance or lean mass.
In my opinion, athletes need to eat more carbs than the Paleo diet can offer, that is why Dr. Cordain, who wrote the books on the Paleo diet, recommends athletes to make these adjustments.
Even though it was not ideal for me (which I knew beforehand but I considered this an experiment), the Paleo diet may work much better for others. Certain ideas of it make perfect sense and most importantly of all, it does not allow you to eat manipulated and processed foods, chemicals etc. These foods are a huge reason why so many individuals are unhealthy and obese. In my opinion, eating unprocessed foods is one of the most important changes you can make in a diet.
People need guidance. Perhaps that is why the Paleo diet is so popular and I am positive it works for many people. If you are looking to cut weight and you are not very active, it is likely to do just that for you. If you are very active, it may still work but I think there may be better ways. There are many articles and studies out there that tell you why to eat and why not to eat certain foods. Many foods have changed (the nutritional value) over the last 10,000 and even 50 years. However, for every pro study there is a con study. At the end, you need to do what works for you, using common sense.
You should strive to eat as healthy as possible, fuel your body and give it what it needs and don’t get frustrated along the way because if you do, you are likely to give up. Go ahead and cheat a bit every once and a while, just be smart and disciplined about it. If you need help or you plan on starting a new nutrition or training program, go to a professional and ask for advice and motivation, both for nutrition and training needs.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Switching to Paleo for Athletes!
20/03/12 14:11
Since my latest blog I’ve made quite a few changes in my 30 day Paleo experiment. I have also made a lot of progress!
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Day 7
07/03/12 14:07
Let’s start with the numbers: 7 lbs. in 7 days! I know, I was shocked too. However, keep in mind that a big part of this amount is water weight. Since I eat much less carbs, my body also retains less water. Fortunately, I still feel energetic and have no dips in my energy levels throughout the day. Also, after weight lifting my muscles seem to be recovering at the same pace as they did before the Paleo diet. This seems to demonstrate that my post training recovery is similar and this should prevent muscle atrophy (I hope)! I am keeping a close eye on feeling weak or lacking energy since that may be a concern (although there are no signs at all yet).
As I mentioned before, Saturdays are a pretty intense workout day for me. This is what I did last Saturday:
- Youth martial arts class (teaching and joining in the interactive games)
- 60 minutes of weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- 30 minutes of a Modern Martial Arts class (Drew taught the rest of the class)
- 30 minutes of a Strength & Conditioning class (instructed the rest without joining)
- 1.5 hour Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, of which about 40 minutes rolling (grappling with your opponents)
As you can imagine, I was eating all day (to a point that my clients said: ‘Are you eating again??’) Nonetheless, I dropped a good amount of weight that day, mostly because I couldn’t keep up with my water intake vs loss.
Sunday and Monday I was mostly out of town, which did not make this diet any easier. Luckily, we were able to bring a lot of previously prepared foods and we had access to an empty fridge where we stayed. This made it more manageable but it was still not easy at all.
So far I have been able to keep up with the diet but it is definitely a challenge. This is not how I normally eat at all. I can imagine the Paleo diet is a slight change for many people but for me it’s pretty much a complete turnaround. The temptation is not a major issue right now, however the biggest problem is variety. This is why we’re exploring more options to cook the same foods, the problem is that I am a picky eater so I am forced to resort to the same foods pretty often. I have to say I am eating many different things but considering the amount of food I have to eat, it gets quite boring.
So far this week these have been my workouts:
Monday:
- 45 minutes weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (60 minutes)
- 30 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- Modern Martial Arts (60 minutes)
Tuesday:
- 30 minute run
- 45 minutes weight lifting (back)
- Modern Martial Arts (of which I joined 30 minutes)
Wednesday:
- 60 minutes weight lifting (upper back and shoulders)
- 60 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- 60 minutes Modern Martial Arts
I have not yet measure my body fat % but will most likely do tonight. I will keep you posted!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
30 Day Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 2
02/03/12 15:57
This is day 2 of my Paleo diet challenge. Please don’t consider me a Paleo specialist, all this is intended for is to share my experience :) Please consult a nutritionist or dietitian for nutritional advice.
Unfortunately, during the first day I couldn’t satisfy my hunger. I don’t think it was as much physical as it was mental. I do believe we are addicted to some foods and after eating those, you need more and more in order to satisfy yourself. Not being able to eat these items, makes it hard to satisfy my hungry feeling! However, since it is such a change in diet, I think it just needs time. The first 2 weeks I expect to be pretty rough. However, today (2nd day) I am doing better already and feel less hungry (believe me, I’m eating a large amount of food).
Training wise I was pleasantly surprised I didn’t feel a dip in energy! I am sure it has a lot to do with all the meals I had, which kept my blood levels more steady. Although, I was still surprised since I did not have any pasta, bread, rice, potatoes etc. and I didn’t feel weak at all. My training yesterday was:
- A light Modern Martial Arts class (60 minutes)
- A Strength & Conditioning class (50 minutes + 10 minutes stretching)
- Teaching a Self Defense class (some parts can be pretty intense when instructors are the subjects to takedowns, self defense techniques etc.)
Today, my wife and I went for an hour hike and I worked out for about 45 minutes (weight lifting) and still did not feel a drop in energy! This was a major concern for me but I’m happy to admit there is no such drop!
Tomorrow I’ll be training a good amount (at least 3 hours) so I’ll let you know what happens!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
My Training Progress & Paleo Preparations
26/02/12 16:30
Last Thursday, Mike and his wife Jessica told us more about their experiences with the Paleo diet (aka Cavemen diet). The concept of doing the hunter/gatherer diet really appeals to me since it doesn’t allow anything that was not available at that time in history. And if that isn’t enough, just keep in mind that individuals such as Jason Statham, Frank Mir and Forest Griffin use the Paleo diet to cut weight!
I won’t get into the details since I’m not a nutritionist and also don’t know all the details about the diet but here are some great links if you are interested:
During the month of March, I will strictly follow the Paleo diet. It’s my intention to eat healthier (goodbye manipulated or processed foods) and also lean out. After all, many off the illnesses and diseases we deal with are caused by our nutrition.
To prepare, I have slightly adjusted my meal plan already before starting on the Paleo diet. Since last week, I have slightly dropped to 12% body fat. My workouts have been the same but my meals have been leaner. The 2% drop corresponds well with the weight difference on the scale, however I believe I was holding water before which played a factor in my earlier measurements. My body does adjust quickly and is very responsive, which helps a great amount and just makes me more excited for my Paleo experience!
A few examples of my workout days this past week:
Wednesday:
- Bag striking drills and kicks (45 minutes)
- Shoulder workout with cleans, shoulder raises and front raises (40 minutes)
- Full body strength & conditioning class (60 minutes)
- Modern Martial Arts class, leg heavy (60 minutes)
Thursday:
- Drills and games in the Youth martial arts class
- Full body strength & conditioning class (60 minutes, I focussed mostly on abs and back)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (45 minutes)
This wasn’t my hardest week since I took a few days off and lacked some time to work out. However, the training was plenty to maintain and in combination with my adjusted meal plan, good to cut some weight. My average week will contain 4 weight lifting sessions, 3 full on strength & conditioning workouts and a mix of Modern Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 5-6 days/week.
By Sander Vanacker, owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Paleo Diet Workshop
07/02/12 10:03
| Join us on Thursday February 23rd at 8.15pm for a workshop about the Paleo Diet (free)! You'll learn what the Paleo Diet is about and hear our speaker’s experience. You'll also be able to ask questions. Register here: |
Three basic supplements
20/07/11 17:44
Define Defense has started a partnership with Max Muscle in Boulder, CO. This partnership will benefit all existing and new clients for both businesses. For example: all our Modern Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clients receive a $75 gift card to use towards nutrition plans or sports nutrition products.
Since our clients have voted on our Facebook page on the subject of our next article, I will be discussing some general supplements. These can be taken by any athlete, regardless of your level.
Creatine
Creatine is a natural substance that is produced by our body and also found in red meats. Creatine plays a vital role in providing energy to the muscles. It does this by splitting away from a phosphate group, which provides energy to form Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which provides the energy to the muscle to contract.
When cooking red meat however, most of the creatine is degenerated. Since Creatine Phosphate is used for anaerobic efforts up to 8 to 10 seconds, supplementing your body is mostly done by athletes who require a explosive effort, such as sprinters, weight lifters, wrestlers etc. As an endurance athlete, supplementing with creatine will not be beneficial unless you want to focus on sprint training. The basic form of creatine is creatine monohydrate and will make you hold water so this is a negative side effect, especially for endurance athletes. Also note it has been associated with asthmatic symptoms and overuse of creatine can lead to kidney and liver damage so always cycle on and off! When used properly however, it can be a very advantageous supplement.
Protein
Protein are the building stones of your muscles so are of extreme importance in an obvious way. Protein are made out of amino acids, essential and non-essential ones. Non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body itself while the 8 essential amino acids can’t. This means it is important to provide your body with enough of the essential amino acids:
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
Essential amino acids are mostly found in meats but also in some vegetables such as beans. Foods can be classified by biological value. This means that the higher on the scale, the more it compares to what your body is made of and needs. Eggs are excellent sources of protein (but be careful of the fats in the yolk).
Flax Seed
Flax seeds are very beneficial to the human body, especially when straining it by working out. It is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, magnesium etc.
Because of the Omega 3’s, it controls inflammation which is important for athletes. This may also prevent heart disease, diabetes and breast, prostate and colon cancer.
Please note: flax seed supplements are more ‘whole’ than flax seed oil (which only contains a part of the whole seed).
Of course there are many more supplements out there but this blog would become a book if I discussed all of them. These 3 substances are basic supplements that may be beneficial to you. Please consult your doctor before commencing supplementation. This blog is meant to be purely informative and does not cover all the aspects of every substance and does not instruct you to any actions.
Getting your body into an anabolic state
29/06/11 17:22
As discussed in a previous post, with health and fitness comes recovery. If you don’t pay attention to recovering and giving your body the time to heal, you will not just feel tired and unmotivated but the training you have put in will not pay off.
The trick is to find a healthy balance in training, proper nutrition and recovery. A big part of the latter will be sleep, which we have addressed in another article. Nutrition plays a big role as consuming (for example) 3,000 calories in junk food will be very different than spreading it over 6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, protein and complex carbs.
Training by itself will never give you the results you want, whether is is increasing endurance, losing weight, gain muscle etc. In my experience, I feel like nutrition plays a 60-80% role in achieving your goal, depending on what that is.
When you want to achieve a larger amount of muscle mass, you will need to get your body into an anabolic state. This means that your body will combine amino acids to construct polypeptide chains, which will build protein strands and finally muscle tissue.
Even if your goal is not to build muscle mass and are for example a cyclist, you will still want to keep that anabolic state when you want to improve your performance. If you train hard on the bike and do not achieve this anabolic state, your muscles will start breaking down which ultimately ends in performance loss and perhaps overtraining.
Please note: an anabolic state of mind does not automatically mean you will be gaining weight, it means that your body is in a position to build mass instead of breaking itself down (or staying neutral).
Now how do we reach this opportunistic situation? The first and main way is to prevent any catabolic processes to occur in your body. As you may know, catabolic is the opposite of anabolic and will break down larger molecules into smaller molecules. This may be breaking down muscle tissue, cells, membranes etc.
The big enemy of athletes is the cortisol hormone. As we have addressed this in a previous post, I will not be getting into its ‘evils’.
The second way is to train. When you train, especially short and intense resistance training, your body will release more growth hormone and testosterone. These are the prime anabolic hormones and they naturally occur in the body. When you overtrain, these hormone levels go down while cortisol goes up and you end up in a negative spiral unfortunately.
The third method is sleep. Sleep is so important for your mental and physical health and recovery so make sure to sleep enough. Rest is the prime anabolic time for your body to heal.
As mentioned, nutrition plays a vital role as well. As an athlete, no matter what level you are at, you need good quality food. Make sure you get enough protein as training damages the muscle tissue and this needs to heal. This muscle damage is not a bad thing, it actually makes your body make the muscle stronger than before. However, there needs to be a balance between training and recovery as it needs time to heal.
Carbohydrates are of extreme importance as well as they ‘fuel’ your body. When you have the option, choose complex carbs (whole wheat rice, pasta, bread etc.). Try to avoid simple carbs such as sugars, white bread etc. These will make your blood glycogen levels spike, which is unhealthy and should be prevented. There are times you do need simple carbs but more on that in another article.
Water water water! Drink tons of water. When training, you lose so much water that you need to substitute. Water has a direct effect on your health and performance so is is very important.
Finally, if your goal is to build muscle or improve the quality of your muscle, you need to have a positive calorie diet. This means your intake will exceed your needs. However, if your nutrition is right you will not be gaining fat.
The trick is to find a healthy balance in training, proper nutrition and recovery. A big part of the latter will be sleep, which we have addressed in another article. Nutrition plays a big role as consuming (for example) 3,000 calories in junk food will be very different than spreading it over 6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, protein and complex carbs.
Training by itself will never give you the results you want, whether is is increasing endurance, losing weight, gain muscle etc. In my experience, I feel like nutrition plays a 60-80% role in achieving your goal, depending on what that is.
Even if your goal is not to build muscle mass and are for example a cyclist, you will still want to keep that anabolic state when you want to improve your performance. If you train hard on the bike and do not achieve this anabolic state, your muscles will start breaking down which ultimately ends in performance loss and perhaps overtraining.
Please note: an anabolic state of mind does not automatically mean you will be gaining weight, it means that your body is in a position to build mass instead of breaking itself down (or staying neutral).
Now how do we reach this opportunistic situation? The first and main way is to prevent any catabolic processes to occur in your body. As you may know, catabolic is the opposite of anabolic and will break down larger molecules into smaller molecules. This may be breaking down muscle tissue, cells, membranes etc.
The big enemy of athletes is the cortisol hormone. As we have addressed this in a previous post, I will not be getting into its ‘evils’.
The second way is to train. When you train, especially short and intense resistance training, your body will release more growth hormone and testosterone. These are the prime anabolic hormones and they naturally occur in the body. When you overtrain, these hormone levels go down while cortisol goes up and you end up in a negative spiral unfortunately.
The third method is sleep. Sleep is so important for your mental and physical health and recovery so make sure to sleep enough. Rest is the prime anabolic time for your body to heal.
As mentioned, nutrition plays a vital role as well. As an athlete, no matter what level you are at, you need good quality food. Make sure you get enough protein as training damages the muscle tissue and this needs to heal. This muscle damage is not a bad thing, it actually makes your body make the muscle stronger than before. However, there needs to be a balance between training and recovery as it needs time to heal.
Carbohydrates are of extreme importance as well as they ‘fuel’ your body. When you have the option, choose complex carbs (whole wheat rice, pasta, bread etc.). Try to avoid simple carbs such as sugars, white bread etc. These will make your blood glycogen levels spike, which is unhealthy and should be prevented. There are times you do need simple carbs but more on that in another article.
Water water water! Drink tons of water. When training, you lose so much water that you need to substitute. Water has a direct effect on your health and performance so is is very important.
Finally, if your goal is to build muscle or improve the quality of your muscle, you need to have a positive calorie diet. This means your intake will exceed your needs. However, if your nutrition is right you will not be gaining fat.
Weight Training for Women
08/06/11 18:53
When you enter a gym and walk over to the free weights section, you will mostly see more men than women. In my personal opinion, I feel this is unfortunate because women can benefit as much from weight and resistance training as men.
The reasons behind why women often stay away from resistance training can be very diverse. A few could be:
In this article, I would like to specifically dig deeper into the last reason. Many women mistakenly think they will become bulky and overly muscular because of weight training. These images of female professional bodybuilders linger through our heads and have caused a dramatic fear of resistance training for women.
The fact is, the female body will not allow you to become that muscular and the only difference in weight training between men and women will be the weights used. Men naturally produce more testosterone and build more muscles than women. This will cause more natural strength. However, even with this in mind, studies have shown that, during the first 16 weeks, the short term gains in power are very similar between men and women (although much of this is caused by an improved neuromuscular function). After, the long term gains in strength are higher for men. This is not an issue since most women do not wish to become powerlifters or bulky anyway. Most women’s goals are to tone up and gain more definition, which is exactly what weight training will do for you.
As a woman, you will use the same methods, rests, techniques etc. You will simply use less weight and you will see different results. Will you gain muscle? Yes you will, that is what weight training does but that does not mean you will become bulky. The female body will not build anywhere as much muscle as a man’s body does but the quality of muscle will be the same for both sexes. It has been shown that women have 10 to 30 times less the amount of anabolic hormones as men do. You will gain definition and tone up if you combine weight training with cardio.
Other advantages of resistance training for women:
The reasons behind why women often stay away from resistance training can be very diverse. A few could be:
- intimidation by men working out with weights
- don’t know how to train with weights correctly
- afraid of hurting themselves
- think they will become bulky and masculine
In this article, I would like to specifically dig deeper into the last reason. Many women mistakenly think they will become bulky and overly muscular because of weight training. These images of female professional bodybuilders linger through our heads and have caused a dramatic fear of resistance training for women.
The fact is, the female body will not allow you to become that muscular and the only difference in weight training between men and women will be the weights used. Men naturally produce more testosterone and build more muscles than women. This will cause more natural strength. However, even with this in mind, studies have shown that, during the first 16 weeks, the short term gains in power are very similar between men and women (although much of this is caused by an improved neuromuscular function). After, the long term gains in strength are higher for men. This is not an issue since most women do not wish to become powerlifters or bulky anyway. Most women’s goals are to tone up and gain more definition, which is exactly what weight training will do for you.
As a woman, you will use the same methods, rests, techniques etc. You will simply use less weight and you will see different results. Will you gain muscle? Yes you will, that is what weight training does but that does not mean you will become bulky. The female body will not build anywhere as much muscle as a man’s body does but the quality of muscle will be the same for both sexes. It has been shown that women have 10 to 30 times less the amount of anabolic hormones as men do. You will gain definition and tone up if you combine weight training with cardio.
Other advantages of resistance training for women:
- Increased bone density (important to prevent osteoporosis)
- You will burn a good amount of calories and benefit from the afterburn once the workout is over
- It will make you stronger so every day activities will not be as intense as they used to be
- Decrease your risk of diabetes
- Strengthen your core muscles, which will prevent back pains and injuries
- Improve your mental health
- Become a more diverse athlete
Sleep & Recovery
23/05/11 15:18
When training or working out, we focus on form, intensity, cardio levels, heart rate, reps and sets etc. One thing most don’t pay enough attention to is sleep - even though it is one of the most important factors in your recovery and progress.
During our workouts, we put our body to the test by decreasing or depleting our energy supplies and putting a strain on our muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs etc. For example, after doing an intense workout, your muscle fibers suffer from micro damage. This is what causes you to be sore 1-3 days after a workout. However, since these muscle fibers got damaged, your body reacts by making them better. This means they can get larger (hypertrophy) after weight lifting or become more efficient (better blood flow, more mitochondria in the cells etc.) after an endurance workout. These are only a few examples of how the body improves the function of the muscle that was trained and micro damage is not the only aspect that needs recovery. Think about restoring the glycogen levels, processing the excess lactate* in the muscles, re-instituting body fluids and much more.
All of these processes take time and can be sped up if you do certain things after training. One of the most important is sleeping enough.
Everyone knows that rest between workouts will help you recover but there is still a difference between rest and sleep. A few processes that occur while you sleep:
So instead of getting paranoid over your supplements or whether you did or did not train hard enough today... get some sleep first. It will benefit you both mentally and physically and the next day you will be ready to work out again.
During our workouts, we put our body to the test by decreasing or depleting our energy supplies and putting a strain on our muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs etc. For example, after doing an intense workout, your muscle fibers suffer from micro damage. This is what causes you to be sore 1-3 days after a workout. However, since these muscle fibers got damaged, your body reacts by making them better. This means they can get larger (hypertrophy) after weight lifting or become more efficient (better blood flow, more mitochondria in the cells etc.) after an endurance workout. These are only a few examples of how the body improves the function of the muscle that was trained and micro damage is not the only aspect that needs recovery. Think about restoring the glycogen levels, processing the excess lactate* in the muscles, re-instituting body fluids and much more.
- Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid is not what builds up in skeletal muscles - lactate is. Biochemist used to believe that the body produces lactic acid which immediately turns into lactate after losing a proton. Now it has been proven that this was incorrect.
All of these processes take time and can be sped up if you do certain things after training. One of the most important is sleeping enough.
Everyone knows that rest between workouts will help you recover but there is still a difference between rest and sleep. A few processes that occur while you sleep:
- Cortisol levels go down. Cortisol levels elevate in periods of stress. Since training is a form of stress on the body, cortisol gets released. This unfortunately can be catabolic in long term. When you do not rest enough in between training sessions, your body will go into a state of overtraining and cortisol levels will remain high while insulin levels will remain low. Since insulin is a great hormone to build tissues, this may lead to performance and/or muscle loss. Sleeping is a great way to lower the cortisol levels.
- Increased levels of Human Growth Hormone. When sleeping, your natural levels of HGH get elevated. This mainly occurs in the later and deeper phases of sleep so when you cut your sleep short, you are missing out on a significant opportunity to recover. HGH supports muscle recovery, promotes lipolysis (decomposing fat), stimulates the immune system etc. No doubt this will aid your recovery and performance.
- Higher testosterone levels. The more and better you sleep, the higher your testosterone levels will be when waking up. This gives you mental and physical energy and promotes bone and muscle mass since it is an anabolic steroid. The body produces testosterone itself in men and women. The levels differ but women have testosterone in their system and men have estrogen in their body.
So instead of getting paranoid over your supplements or whether you did or did not train hard enough today... get some sleep first. It will benefit you both mentally and physically and the next day you will be ready to work out again.
The Science Behind Training
16/05/11 18:46
Training is a science. Slowly but surely we are starting to understand how the human body works and even though we believe we grasp the functions and processes that take place in our bodies, we have only scratched the surface.
Thankfully for anyone active in the field of sports, there is an extensive knowledge about how the body reacts to training, what and when it does certain actions and how we can improve how we train. After all, for most of us it’s not about training harder but it’s about training smarter.
That is why we at Define Defense have created our own straightforward assessments and follow up logs for our clients (and ourselves). This enables us to keep track of your performance, progress and helps us detect flaws or aspects that may need improvements. As a client, you will get these logs and assessments every 2 months so you can review them yourself and see your progress. You can even hang them on your refrigerator if you want.
Keeping track of your actions this way will help you make better progress as we continuously review, adjust and personalize the logs. One of the main principles in training is that nobody is the same so why treat them the same? Every person will react differently to exercises, training, nutrition or may simply have different goals.
As a trainer, I always try to educate my clients/students about the basic principles of their training. That is why we never do the same workout twice and every change or step is explained. It is important to know what aerobic vs anaerobic means, what the different nutrients are, what creatine phosphate does in your fast twitch muscles etc.
Even if you don’t have much time to train, keep a log when you do. You will understand better how your body reacts and you may become much more motivated to make more time once you see progress on those logs!
Stay tuned as we will be posting several more articles soon, more specifically about the basic principles of training and the science behind them.
Thankfully for anyone active in the field of sports, there is an extensive knowledge about how the body reacts to training, what and when it does certain actions and how we can improve how we train. After all, for most of us it’s not about training harder but it’s about training smarter.
That is why we at Define Defense have created our own straightforward assessments and follow up logs for our clients (and ourselves). This enables us to keep track of your performance, progress and helps us detect flaws or aspects that may need improvements. As a client, you will get these logs and assessments every 2 months so you can review them yourself and see your progress. You can even hang them on your refrigerator if you want.
Keeping track of your actions this way will help you make better progress as we continuously review, adjust and personalize the logs. One of the main principles in training is that nobody is the same so why treat them the same? Every person will react differently to exercises, training, nutrition or may simply have different goals.
As a trainer, I always try to educate my clients/students about the basic principles of their training. That is why we never do the same workout twice and every change or step is explained. It is important to know what aerobic vs anaerobic means, what the different nutrients are, what creatine phosphate does in your fast twitch muscles etc.
Even if you don’t have much time to train, keep a log when you do. You will understand better how your body reacts and you may become much more motivated to make more time once you see progress on those logs!
Stay tuned as we will be posting several more articles soon, more specifically about the basic principles of training and the science behind them.
Motivation and Training
02/05/11 16:09
Everyone knows that working out has major benefits for your physical and mental health. Doing sports can relieve stress, make you look and feel better, prevent diseases, improve your health, give you some fun alone time and much more.
So if everyone is aware of all the advantages of working out, why do many people feel like they are not doing it enough?
The answer can be lack of time, injuries, fear of failing and so on. However, one of the main reasons is motivation issues.
Before we get into the factors that influence motivation, we need to understand the types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is your internal desire to get something done, accomplish something or simply win. It does not matter what anyone else thinks or what the prize is because you are doing it for yourself. Athletes who are intrinsically motivated believe they can control the outcome by the effort they put in, luck is not a factor and they want to be the best in what they do.
Extrinsic motivation refers more to the rewards an individual gets when they reach a certain goal. This can be prize money, a trophy or simply a confirmation of one’s accomplishment or a tap on the shoulder. Extrinsic motivation can also apply when a person tries to prevent punishment. Too much extrinsic motivation can lead to a decline in intrinsic motivation since the subject learns that a reward is always waiting. Also, a person may not even really enjoy the activity but will do it anyway since a reward is waiting.
Motivation theories have been widely studied and many more factors apply in this field of study. However, let’s move on to why and how you motivate yourself.
Someone who trains for a race may be motivated either way. A person training for the beach season as well. For example, if you want to accomplish looking better for yourself it would be intrinsic. If you want people to notice you being in better shape and maybe get a compliment, it is extrinsic.
Now does this really matter? Yes it does... Depending on your goal and reasons, you need to be motivated differently - whether it’s by your trainer or yourself.
A few ways to motivate yourself to go work out:
Not everyone enjoys certain activities as much as others but remember Henry Ford’s quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!”
We hope this helps you find your own motivation!
So if everyone is aware of all the advantages of working out, why do many people feel like they are not doing it enough?
The answer can be lack of time, injuries, fear of failing and so on. However, one of the main reasons is motivation issues.
Before we get into the factors that influence motivation, we need to understand the types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is your internal desire to get something done, accomplish something or simply win. It does not matter what anyone else thinks or what the prize is because you are doing it for yourself. Athletes who are intrinsically motivated believe they can control the outcome by the effort they put in, luck is not a factor and they want to be the best in what they do.
Extrinsic motivation refers more to the rewards an individual gets when they reach a certain goal. This can be prize money, a trophy or simply a confirmation of one’s accomplishment or a tap on the shoulder. Extrinsic motivation can also apply when a person tries to prevent punishment. Too much extrinsic motivation can lead to a decline in intrinsic motivation since the subject learns that a reward is always waiting. Also, a person may not even really enjoy the activity but will do it anyway since a reward is waiting.
Motivation theories have been widely studied and many more factors apply in this field of study. However, let’s move on to why and how you motivate yourself.
Someone who trains for a race may be motivated either way. A person training for the beach season as well. For example, if you want to accomplish looking better for yourself it would be intrinsic. If you want people to notice you being in better shape and maybe get a compliment, it is extrinsic.
Now does this really matter? Yes it does... Depending on your goal and reasons, you need to be motivated differently - whether it’s by your trainer or yourself.
A few ways to motivate yourself to go work out:
- Share the experience with friends
- Do group classes
- Get a trainer to motivate and/or push you
- Take a before and after picture
- Take out those old jeans that don’t fit anymore
- Wear a heart rate monitor and keep a training log to track your improvements
- Set small realistic goals for yourself and take small steps to accomplish them
- Think about your long term health and what you want to do later in your life
- For experienced athletes: the ‘Runners High’ by endorphin production
- Think about how good you will feel after your workout/class
- Give yourself rewards if you accomplish a good training session
- Visualize yourself reaching your goal over and over again
- ...
Not everyone enjoys certain activities as much as others but remember Henry Ford’s quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!”
We hope this helps you find your own motivation!
Isometric vs. isotonic
22/02/11 07:55
When working out, you do exercises that fall into two categories: isometric and isotonic exercises.
Isometric exercises do not create a shortening or lengthening of the muscles but keep the muscles at a steady length. This means that these exercises involve techniques in which you activate the muscle but it’s not moving anything. For example you are pushing with all your weight against a (sturdy) wall. The wall won’t move but you are using your muscles and it does cost you a good amount of effort!
Isotonic exercises are the most well known and commonly used exercises. Think of bench presses, squats, biceps curls and simply running, jumping, throwing a ball etc. All these activities involve a shortening and lengthening of the muscle. For example, when you do a biceps curl, your biceps will shorten since the muscle contracts. At the same time, the triceps will lengthen. If the triceps would work as hard as the biceps is, then your arm would not move and it would not be an isotonic exercise.
Now which technique is best? Well I’m sure you can see this one coming but the answer is neither. Both categories are useful for their purposes.
A client that would like to gain muscle mass, would primarily be doing isotonic exercises since these are proven to gain more muscle than only isometric exercises. However, isometric activities do add ‘hardness’ to a muscle.
If your goal would be fat loss, general conditioning, muscle endurance, core power or just about anything else I would advise a combination of both categories. This means that you combine them in your workouts and your training regime. Not necessarily in each workout but in your overall training program. The key to success is variation. If you do the same routine over and over again, your body will get used to it and will not improve anymore. This means your progress will stagnate, no matter if your goal is to become leaner and more toned, gain muscle or improve your endurance.
We strive towards variated programs and workouts so your body, as well as your mind, will never get used to the same routine. Boredom is a dangerous opponent in any training!
Isometric exercises do not create a shortening or lengthening of the muscles but keep the muscles at a steady length. This means that these exercises involve techniques in which you activate the muscle but it’s not moving anything. For example you are pushing with all your weight against a (sturdy) wall. The wall won’t move but you are using your muscles and it does cost you a good amount of effort!
Isotonic exercises are the most well known and commonly used exercises. Think of bench presses, squats, biceps curls and simply running, jumping, throwing a ball etc. All these activities involve a shortening and lengthening of the muscle. For example, when you do a biceps curl, your biceps will shorten since the muscle contracts. At the same time, the triceps will lengthen. If the triceps would work as hard as the biceps is, then your arm would not move and it would not be an isotonic exercise.
Now which technique is best? Well I’m sure you can see this one coming but the answer is neither. Both categories are useful for their purposes.
A client that would like to gain muscle mass, would primarily be doing isotonic exercises since these are proven to gain more muscle than only isometric exercises. However, isometric activities do add ‘hardness’ to a muscle.
If your goal would be fat loss, general conditioning, muscle endurance, core power or just about anything else I would advise a combination of both categories. This means that you combine them in your workouts and your training regime. Not necessarily in each workout but in your overall training program. The key to success is variation. If you do the same routine over and over again, your body will get used to it and will not improve anymore. This means your progress will stagnate, no matter if your goal is to become leaner and more toned, gain muscle or improve your endurance.
We strive towards variated programs and workouts so your body, as well as your mind, will never get used to the same routine. Boredom is a dangerous opponent in any training!