I did the following WOW before going in to work.

MedX Overhead Press-used pop-pins for a triple drop

EZ bar biceps curl

Nautilus plate-load triceps extension

Formulator Flex/Ext

Med X Leg Press- Entire stack at “0″ holes and using a packing strap for end-stop technique

I was still in recovery mode when I arrived at work, but I was back to baseline as I began to see patients.  It has been a busy series of shifts, and I am again amazed at the poor protoplasm of the folks we see in the ER.  It is sad to know that almost everything I see could be prevented or reversed with simple diet and exercise interventions.  On the up side, lots of patients have an i-phone or i-pad with them to pass the time.  A lot of patients will “google” my name which unleashes a treasure trove a BBS articles, interviews and youtube clips.  This has led some of them to seek further advice on the lifestyle we advocate on this blog, whereas they otherwise never would have been receptive to any such advice.  Slowly and steadily we are changing things.

I have always maintained that muscle is the storehouse for “the active genotype” and that proper strength training results in a spontaneous rise in physical activity.  The following article is another one for the “BBS told you so file”.

High-intensity training increases spontaneous physical activity in children: a randomized controlled study.

Ed had an opening in the schedule at 10:00am, so I was invited down to UE for a 50th birthday beat-down.  We repeated my last WOW as Ed had everything tuned from the prior workout such that he could really deliver a whopper.  Without any awareness of my prior performance, I added a rep on everything.  Despite the intense urge for carpet time, I remained standing.  This was truly a fantastic workout for my 50th birthday, and I felt a much better tribute to the day (and to the spirit of BBS that John and I try to represent) than some psycho “milestone” workout.

Lumbar Extension on SS Pulldown- as pre-exhaust for….

Med X Leg Press- set up for end-stop technique

Med X Chest Press

Nautilus Pullover with SS Retrofits

Med X Compound Row with SS Retrofits

There is some fun stuff going on in the training world.  Chuck Spencer (Chasberi of the Darden forum) has moved his thinking and insights to his own blog.  If you are ready to “take the red pill” and “see how deep the rabbit hole goes” then hop over to www.go2strength.wordpress.com. Get a big cup of coffee and put on your thinking cap before you do, though….Chuck delves into some really deep material.  For every time you’ve done some HIT protocol and felt that something just wasn’t quite right, only to bury that feeling; Chuck will resurrect that feeling and offer some shocking insights into the origins of that feeling.  There are incredible similarities between his internalized approach to exercise and that of the RenEx guys, even though he has gravitated toward infimetrics instead of an “external load-based protocol”. What is coming out of this guy’s mind could change everything, or at the very least stimulate some fascinating discussions.

Chris Highcock over at www.conditioningresearch.com has a new book out called Hillfit. It is basically a high intensity training program directed toward hikers and climbers.  Even though it is directed at this particular sport, it is pertinent to any sport as it effectively shows how to combine (and separate) physical conditioning and skill conditioning in the most user-friendly fashion I have seen to date.

Speaking of Chris Highcock, hat tip to him for uncovering this gem that goes into the Body by Science “told you so” file.

The role of skeletal muscle glycogen breakdown for regulation of insulin sensitivity by exercise.

Since the interview at Dr. Mercola’s website (www.mercola.com) Body by Science has been selling like gangbusters!  This morning Amazon has listed BBS as “temporarily out of stock”.   You can still make purchases and Amazon promises to ship as soon as it is available and not to charge your credit card until your order ships.  I have contacted the publisher and made them aware of the situation and they will be re-stocking Amazon as quickly as possible.

Anyone wishing to order from Amazon should do so without concern for a significant delay in their order.  Anyone visiting from Dr. Mercola’s site, please feel free to join the discussions on our weekly WOW (workout of the week).

I had a day off and had to work day shifts on the weekend, so I took Ed and Sherry’s invitation to workout with the UE team.  I got to put Ed and Sherry through the paces incorporating some of my new toys for end-stop technique.  I went through the following workout supervised by Ed and Sherry (who were both anxious to deliver payback for the workouts I had just put them through).

Lumbar Extension on SuperSlow Pulldown (as pre-exhaust for…)

MedX Leg Press (set up for end-stop/squeeze technique commencing on the third rep)

Med X Chest Press (used a foam yoga block between the handles for end-stop/squeeze technique).  Also used pop-pins for a triple drop (heavy, medium, light)

Nautilus Pullover with SS retrofits (as pre-exhaust for…)

MedX Compound Row with SS cam

This was an incredibly intense workout.  Definitely on par with my RenEx visit…so much so that I was worried that I would be wiped out the next morning for my day shift.  Amazingly, I felt better systemically than I have in a very long time.  I actually felt like I could have worked out again Sunday or today.  Perhaps the supervision really curtailed “outroading” and extraneous, non-productive workload.  I have one more workout before my first workout at age 50.  I am trying to decide if I should have a benchmark workout (you know, the “I’m not really that old, look what I can do” sort of thing) versus just another well-planned productive workout.  I may lean towards the latter, because in the end we are all getting older just one day at a time.  Perhaps the BBS community can offer their thoughts and suggestions on this dilemma.

Post your WOW’s and your thoughts.

What better way to start off the New Year than with a WOW?  I did the following workout before heading into the ER for an afternoon shift.

MedX Overhead Press

Thick Bar Biceps Curl

Nautilus Plateloader Triceps Extension

Thick Bar Wrist Flexion/Extenison

MedX Leg Press

All sets were done to simple failure.  The only intensity amplifier was using an end-stop technique/squeeze on the leg press.  With the amount of ER work that I have been doing over the Holidays I have found it necessary to modulate the intensity of my workouts.  The interesting thing is that my (subjective) results seem to be just as good as when I am more rested and am able to push the intensity and inroad further.  My experience seems to show that the point of failure seems to be the optimal target.  Going a little beyond that line (deep inroad technique, rest-pause, rep-assist) seems to require a disproportionate attention to recovery.  Stopping at the instant of failure allows a good response when there is a lot of work or other stressors going on.  Stopping at form failure (as soon as failure is approaching) allows for a disproportionate increase in volume or an ability to maintain during much more stressful periods.  For those new to BBS, follow the WOW’s on this blog and observe how the experienced trainees learn how to “surf” along the edge of this continuum.  With a little experience listening to your own body, you too will develop this fine tune dial.

Happy New Year!  Post your WOW’s and your thoughts.

Once again, I apologize for the delayed post.  Between the Holidays and having to work it is hard to find a spare moment to post.  Now is that moment.  I worked a day shift on the day after Christmas.  I worked out at 6am before work.  Since Christmas fell on a Sunday, the entire rest of the world (including the medical world) seemed to feel that Monday should be a holiday.  Needless to say, I got to follow this week’s WOW with an unbelievably busy shift.   Oh well….I love my 6am workouts, and if you mess with the bull, you sometimes get the horns.

Lumbar Extension using the SS Systems pulldown

MedX Leg Press- set with a hard end-stop so I could do a squeeze technique

MedX Chest Press

Nautilus Pullover with SS Retrofits

MedX Row with SS fall-off cam

I hope everyone had a great Holiday and that we can all expect a great 2012.  As for discussion, there has been a lot of back and forth on the discussion boards about end-stop technique and the effect on inroad.  Many in HIT focus on the inroad theory as the key stimulus in training.  Personally, I do not believe in a single key stimulus.  There is not a single biologic system that seems to respond to only one stimulus.  Instead, there are usually complex overlying stimuli with intricate feedback loops.  I do believe the inroad theory is useful because it likely describes an event that occurs when multiple stimuli are optimally overlapped (for further discussion use the blog search engine to the right and search “Venn diagram”).  However, like so many things in the world of science, we have to remember….it is still just a theory.

Post your WOW’s…and your thoughts

Sorry for the delayed posting, it has been very busy for me lately.  As a result I have last week’s and this week’s WOW to post:

Last week:

Lumbar Extension on SS Systems Pulldown>>>>as pre-exhaust for>>>MedX Leg Press

Nautilus Pullover with SS retrofits>>>>as pre-exhaust for>>>MedX Compound Row with SS fall-off cam

TSC Chest Fly (using yoga blocks)>>>as pre-exhaust for>>>MedX Chest Press

This week:

MedX Overhead Press

EZ Barbell Curl

Triceps Cable Pushdown

Formulator Flexion/Extension

MedX Leg Press

Since the last posting BBS has been featured on Mark’s Daily apple (www.marksdailyapple.com) and Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website (www.mercola.com).  The response was excellent on both sites and had much less resistance from doubters and haters than we have encountered in the past.  In large part this was due to the excellent job both of these gentlemen did in presenting the material. The comments from the followers of both of these blogs were very open-minded and upbeat.  I believe this is a testament to the folks on those sites who have already seen excellent results bucking the conventional wisdom.  This is very uplifting for John and I, because it at times feels like a losing battle trying to overcome the tsunami of bad fitness advice delivered through incredibly slick marketing.  However, something that can’t go on forever won’t go on forever.  The following Washington Times article (that I was alerted to through one of my professional journals) demonstrates that the public may finally be “getting it”.  However, the article also demonstrates how deeply flawed most doctors’ and nurses’ thinking is regarding exercise.

Zumba’d: A fitness craze can lead quickly to the ER

Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post - Hundreds of participants join Zumba instructors Leonardo Lins and Roberson Magalhaes, both from Brazil, for a Zumba workout at the Franconia Fire Station on Beulah Street.

I did the following WOW on Sunday morning.

Med X Overhead Press

SuperSlow Systems Biceps (with coupled movement arm)- Great machine with an alligator cam.  I rarely use this one because I have had cubital tunnel syndrome in the past due to overuse of a computer mouse since we now have to use electronic medical records at work.

Nautilus Plateload Triceps with SS retrofits

Formulator Flex/Extension

Med X Leg Press with EST- This was the best squeeze/end stop technique I have experienced to date on the leg press.  The key was to push through the heels (as opposed to pushing through the talus/midfoot).  The degree of muscle contraction that resulted was off the charts.  Perhaps this was due to the angle of the push, or simply that the calcaneus is a more solid pushing platform as compared to the talus that can sag into the space between the medial and lateral malleoli.

For topics I want to refer you to Keith Norris’ blog at www.theorytopractice.wordpress.com.  He has an interesting post about a wellness expert interpreting his bloodwork.  I have had many questions on this topic, as well as phone consult requests.  I intended to write a stand-alone post here on that topic, but I think the thread that developed on his site is very instructive.  Simply read my responses to see where I stand on this topic.  If you have further interests in this topic we can explore them here.

I also want to make everyone aware that Bill DeSimone’s new book CONGRUENT EXERCISE: How To Make Weight Training Easier on Your Joints is out.  I found mine in the mail box on Sunday and immediately burned through it.  I must say, Bill has not only lived up to his already famous reputation…he has really outdone himself.  The concepts are all still there, but have been clarified and are much easier to understand and digest.  In my opinion this book should be required reading for anyone who trains themselves or clients, and it should be a key component of any certification program.  Contact Bill at optimalexercise@comcast.net for ordering information.

Lastly, for some fun articles that jive nicely with BBS, check out Dave Landau’s website www.exercisefraud.com.  I especially like the articles Return to the Primative I & II.

Post your WOW’s and your thoughts.

I did the following WOW on Sunday morning.  My 8 year old daughter came along.  My son had a friend over to the house to play so he skipped this week.  When I was done with my workout I set up for the first client on Monday morning, but I had to undo it because my daughter asked “What about my workout?”.  How cool is that?

Lumbar Extension with SuperSlow Systems Pulldown (pre-exhaust for…)

MedX Leg Press

Nautilus Pullover (with SuperSlow retrofits)

MedX Compound Row (with SuperSlow falloff cam)

MedX Chest Press

This was a great workout.  Pre-exhausting leg press with a trunk extension is my favorite new application.  I used a squeeze technique  on the trunk extension, pullover and row.  I was able to use a hard end-stop on the chest press and leg press.  I also did a timed static contraction arm cross as a pre-exhaust for the chest press.  This produced about a 50% reduction in resistance, but an intense sensation of contraction and inroad.  I performed this by simply turning backwards on the seat and used the seat back as the object against which to contract.  I did 50% effort for 30 seconds, then transitioned to 75% for 30 seconds and then went 100% for a final 30 seconds.  I then immediately turned around and commenced the chest press.  The TSC before as pre-exhaust had an effect similar to a good end-stop technique in that it seemed to make speed of movement a non-issue.  Attempting to move as fast as possible resulted in a 7-10 second cadence at best, and 13-15 seconds in the final 2 repetitions.  I suspect TSC creates a lot of actin/myosin cross-bridging which makes for the millipede (vs centipede) version of muscle contraction.  Anyone who has used this technique, please chime in and give your opinion.

Post your WOW’s and your thoughts.

I did the following WOW on Sunday morning before going in to work an 11am-7pm shift.

MedX Overhead Press

EZ Curl

Nautilus Plateloader Triceps Extension (SS retrofits)

Formulator Flexion/Extension

Calf Press on MedX Leg Press

The extra recovery really expressed itself in this workout.  This always make me wonder about the whole intensity/frequency continuum.  I have experimented with an every 14 day frequency with good results until 6 or 8 workouts in I started to decondition such that the workouts were too devastating.  I do think that every 6-12 workouts that there may be some real value in missing a workout.  I am curious as to other’s experiences.

We have spent a lot of time lately talking about optimizing the workout from the standpoint of equipment and/or protocol.  I think this is always a good thing to be doing….continuous improvement is what keeps us going.  However, if we want to really give our optimizations of protocol a fair trial we need to make certain that all the elements that make for good recovery are in place.  Without these elements, any optimizations that increase the intensity of our exercise may actually produce negative results and falsely paint an alteration in protocol in a negative light.  To any extent we increase intensity, we probably need to disproportionately augment the elements of recovery.  So before you start on new/perfect equipment, or perfect your end-stop technique you may want to try some of the following suggestions:

-Sleep an extra hour every night.  Go to bed early.  Any hour of sleep before midnight is probably twice as valuable as any hour obtained after midnight.

-Eat a natural “Paleo” diet.  Eat grass fed meats and pastured eggs if you can afford to.  Supplement with fish oil if you cannot afford grass fed meats.

-Drink at least 3 liters of water per day.  No sodas, juices or diet sodas.

-Take between 4,000 and 10,000 Units of Vitamin D3 at least 3-5 days per week.

-Take BCAA’s after your workout.

-Do not produce the illusion of muscular growth by getting fat.  This produces significant physiologic stress and inflammation.

-Limit your internet time.  Don’t constantly hit all the blogs and websites.  Restrict yourself to one or two days per week.  To many opinions will undermine your confidence and produce training angst.

-Avoid the news.  No CNN, FOX, CNBC.

-Practice Mindfulness and be in the moment….especially with Family and Work.

If you can do all of these things, you will be in a good position to give a fair trial to any tweaks/improvements in your workout.

Post your WOW’s and your thoughts.