Currently I’m finishing a new look for the blog where we will concentrate on giving you ideas and programs for the dedicated gym junkie.. No fluff and no crap!

I’d like to introduce a new member of our team Alicia Neasmith.

Alicia is a Freelance Personal Trainer & Lifestyle Coach located in Montreal, Quebec specializing in nutrition & body transformation on a mission to motivate & energize her clients to live a happy & healthy lifestyle.

She is the youngest Professional Swimsuit Model & Fitness Model in the history of the World Natural Sports Organization and competes in Fitness, Swimsuit & Figure competitions all around the world in different federations with numerous titles under her belt. She one her first title at the age of 18 at her very first competition and turned pro right away.

Alicia is also a BodyParts Model & Body Double in a renowned agency in Los Angeles California specializing in body doubling in film, leg, abs, butt, & back modeling.

http://www.bodypartsmodels.com/home.html. She also does stunt work in local movies in Montreal.

Alicia hosts Bootcamp Group Classes all over Montreal with the goal of giving back to the community where all proceeds for each event are donated to charity every summer.

She is alsothe Spokesmodel for a sports supplement line based out of Canada called Revolution Nutrition: www.revolution-nutrition.com.

Alicia practices what she preaches & lives the fitness lifestyle day in & day out.

She has been a competitive athlete her whole life; was a national & provincial record holder swimmer for Canada for many years as well as an elite level soccer player before making the transition to becoming a personal trainer & competing in fitness competitions.

Needless to say we are excited to have Alicia on board and look forward to her prose and advice.

You can fan her on facebook here

Cheers

Anthony

Looking for an easy way to jump start your nutrition. We’ll here a no-brainer approach to optimal dieting.

Get yourself a free account at www.fitday.com to count your calories track your carb, protein and fat intake.

Download your free 12 day Fat Blasting Meal Plan.

Right click on this link  and save link Download

Enjoy!

U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team, 1940

Originally uploaded by markason

The Following is an article from 2004. An excellent read for those of us into a fitness lifestyle. http://www.westonaprice.org/men/splendidspecimens.html

With the resurgence of old-school training this article gives us a good insight into nutrition and training philosophies of a previous generation.  Seems a lot of these ideas are back in vogue..

Give it a read..

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they need a SPECIAL
PLAN designed to meet their individual needs and that is a MISTAKE,
at first.

Eventually you can incorporate some more advanced nutrition
techniques but if you’re not flaunting a ripped six-pack, right
now, or exuberating all-day energy, you are probably swimming in
water too deep.

===================
You’ve Been Lied To
===================

We’ve both been conditioned to believe that you need a nutrition
plan different than everyone else. You’re right, partly!

You’ve been told to worry about calories, macronutrient rations and
other advanced details in the beginning, which in my opinion is
wasted energy.

Focusing on these details is like working on your finishing sprint
in the marathon when you’re not even in shape to run 1 mile yet.

The best meal plan is based on BALANCE and VARIETY which is exactly
catered to your physiological make up. You can’t get more
personalized than that!

==========
The TRUTH:
==========

At the start, EVERYONE’S nutritional quest should begin at the SAME
starting line.

Plainly put: You Need A SIMPLE Nutritional Plan You
Can Implement IMMEDIATELY, COMPLETE With The CORRECT,
Foundational Nutritional Principles.

That’s why I want you to download Vince DelMonte’s “Done-For-You”
Fat Loss Meal Plans available at  http://www.empowerednutritionmealplans.com/

It’s critical that you put your meal plan into action TODAY – not
tomorrow, not next week or next month.

I love these plans because they are SO EASY to implement your very
next meal and continue until you have developed the habits
necessary to see results so that you stay motivated and finally
perfect your body and health.

===================================
The Best Part Of Your Own Meal Plan
===================================

There are no rules to follow, complex formulas, expensive
supplements, ridiculous macronutrient ratios that you need to
concern yourself with.

Everything is already DONE-FOR-YOU!

Don’t get me wrong, once you get to being a few percent away from
“camera-ready” and “contest-ready” shape, you’re going to have to
incorporate some more advanced tricks but for now, it’s best you
accept the 3-phase meal plans as the best place to start.

Get your complete set of 30 unique 84-day fat loss meal plans TODAY

http://www.empowerednutritionmealplans.com/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNw_6DnFJ90

I first got interested in tabata while training my teenage hockey player son. I was looking for some intense conditioning protocols that would somehow mimic intense hockey shift followed by a short period of rest. I stumbled upon Tabata.  After a few session of Tabata I knew I was on to something not only for hockey conditioning but also a way for me to burn off fat and show those muscles I’ve been developing all these years. Yes I’ve done interval training and steady state cardio to expose the six pack.. But .. I’ve found something that in 4 minutes kicks my butt.. Tradition HIIT (High Intensity Training) describes a protocol of work to rest ration of 1 :3 or 1:4 . Therein lies the difference in Tabata which prescribes a 2:1 work to rest ration.. Prepare to have you ass kicked! Let’s explore Tabata training protocols and how it can benefit athletes .. whether you want to just show off your six pack or are training in the off season for hockey, football, rugby, etc. etc.

Background

The Tabata Protocol is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata. He is a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports. Tabata is an interval training method developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It is termed a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach’s workout and studied it to quantify how effective it really was.) The Tabata workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.

In Tabata’s study, the researchers found that skaters who used the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity (a measure of your body’s ability to consume oxygen) by 14%. Even more impressive is that the training also improved anaerobic capacity (which measures your ability to sprint and/or maintain a high pace for an extended period) by 28%. So the Tabata Protocol is the rare workout that benefits both endurance athletes and sprinters. By comparison, a study of traditional aerobic training (running at 70% of aerobic capacity for 60 minutes) for the same number of weeks showed an improvement in aerobic capacity of only 9.5% and no effect on anaerobic capacity. Wow now those are results. Here’s a pubmed link for find out more about the study.

What is Tabata Training Exactly

• A tabata training  interval is 20 seconds of intense work followed by 10 seconds recovery
• Eight intervals are completed
• Total of 4 minutes.. recover 3 minutes then repeat if needed (If you can take the pain)

The 20 seconds of work can be anything from body weight squats, treadmill, bench press, hitting a heavy bag (I like that one) or a circuit. Whatever you want,  as long as the intensity is a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.  Here are a couple of examples of what I mean:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v2xm2bkeRQ

Tabata and Fat Loss
We’ve all be led to believe that steady state aerobics is the way to go to melt away  bodyfat.. You know the routine. 30 minutes on the treadmill or bike or stairstepper watching the calorie counter on our favorite display panel. Yuk there has to be a better way.  Traditional thinking is that the source of calories in steady state aerobics is from fat rather than carbs. When Tabata intervals are practiced, research shows that the percentage of fuel from carbs is increased, while the amount of fat utilized is greater than that burned during low intensity exercise. Dr. Tabata’s research found that short-term intense interval training is highly effective in lowering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without wasting muscle .  Additionally, Tabada has been shown to burn fat tissue more effectively than low-intensity exercise:  up to 50% more efficiently! In other words, Tabata increases your metabolism and keeps it elevated for some time after your workout ends.  The bottom line is Tabata burns a greater number of total calories than low intensity training, and more calories burned equals more fat loss.

Department of Physiology and Biomechanics, National Institute of Fitness and Sports, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. This study consists of two training experiments using a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. First, the effect of 6 wk of moderate-intensity endurance training (intensity: 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), 60 min.d-1, 5 d.wk-1) on the anaerobic capacity (the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit) and VO2max was evaluated. After the training, the anaerobic capacity did not increase significantly (P > 0.10), while VO2max increased from 53 +/- 5 ml.kg-1 min-1 to 58 +/- 3 ml.kg-1.min-1 (P < 0.01) (mean +/- SD). Second, to quantify the effect of high-intensity intermittent training on energy release, seven subjects performed an intermittent training exercise 5 d.wk-1 for 6 wk. The exhaustive intermittent training consisted of seven to eight sets of 20-s exercise at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max with a 10-s rest between each bout. After the training period, VO2max increased by 7 ml.kg-1.min-1, while the anaerobic capacity increased by 28%. In conclusion, this study showed that moderate-intensity aerobic training that improves the maximal aerobic power does not change anaerobic capacity and that adequate high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly, probably through imposing intensive stimuli on both systems.

A few online programs use interval training as the basis of their systems. I highly recommend Turbulance Training as a way to loose body fat quickly. Sample Tabata Routines Thrusters .. 20 Sec (As many as you can) 10 Seconds rest repeat 7 more times. So here is the rule.. It’s very simple.. Pick a weight or exercise that you feel comfortable with and  tabatacize your butt off! Do tabata once or twice a week to compliment your aerobics and you’ll see an improvement in both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.. How’s that for a reason to do tabata’s.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLFTePbfDQ

Front Squats (probably the best tabata exercise)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q1f1sZZzv4

To get back to my hockey playing son for a sec..  I have him do slideboard with variety of weights or throwing a medicine ball.. I’ve found that it’s good for his stride power also.. In case you don’t know what a slideboard is.. here is a video..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmDZBPt0j94

Good Luck and remember to have fun!

By Alan Aragon  © 2006
The “Fat Burning Zone” On Trial

Origin of the myth

Dietary variables aside, the body’s proportional use of fat for fuel during exercise is dependent upon training intensity. The lower the intensity, the greater the proportion of stored fat is used for fuel. The higher the intensity, the greater proportional use of glycogen and/or the phosphagen system. But this is where the misunderstanding begins. Although I’m burning a greater proportion of stored fat typing this sentence, getting up and sprinting would have a greater impact on fat reduction despite its lesser proportional use of fat to power the increased intensity. Alas, sufficient investigation of the intensity threshold of maximal net fat oxidation has been done. In what’s perhaps the best designed trial of its kind, Achten & Jeukendrup found peak fat oxidation to occur during exercise at 63% VO2 max. This peak level got progressively less beyond that point, and was minimal at 82% VO2 max, near the lactate threshold of 87% [1].

Misunderstanding is perpetuated in fitness circles

It has been widely misconstrued that a greater net amount of fat is burned through lower to moderate intensity work, regardless of study duration and endpoints assessed. In addition the confusion of net fat oxidation with proportional fat oxidation, the postexercise period is critically overlooked. No distinction is ever made between during-exercise fat oxidation, recovery period fat oxidation, total fat oxidation by the end of a 24-hr period, and most importantly, a longer term of several weeks.. Thus, the superiority of lower intensity cardio continues to be touted over the more rigorous stuff that takes half the time to do. Fortunately, we have enough research data to gain a clear understanding. Let’s dig in.

Dissecting The Research

Mixed study protocols + mixed results = plenty of mixed-up trainees

As with all research involving applied physiology, the highly mixed set of results is due to a wide variation of study designs in terms subject profile, dietary manipulation, energetic balance, and actual intensities used. Nevertheless, the body of exercise-induced fat oxidation research can be easily deciphered by stratifying it into 3 subgroups: Acute effect (during exercise & immediately after), 24-hr effect, & chronic effect (results over several weeks).

Acute effects spawn ideas for further research

In addition to measuring fat oxidation during exercise, most acute effect trials look at fat oxidation at the 3 to 6 hr mark postexercise [2]. Fat oxidation during exercise tends to be higher in low-intensity treatments, but postexercise fat oxidation tends to be higher in high-intensity treatments. For example, Phelain’s team compared fat oxidation in at 3hrs postexercise of 75% VO2 max versus the same kcals burned at 50% [3]. Fat oxidation was insignificantly higher during exercise for the 50% group, but was significantly higher for the 75% group 3 hours postexercise. Lee’s team compared, in college males, the thermogenic and lipolytic effects of exercise pre-fueled with milk + glucose on high versus low-intensity training [4]. Predictably, pre-exercise intake of the milk/glucose solution increased excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC, aka residual thermogenesis) significantly more than the fasted control group in both cases. The high-intensity treatment had more fat oxidation during the recovery period than the low intensity treatment. This implicates pre-fueled high-intensity training’s potential role in optimizing fat reduction while simultaneously setting the stage for quicker recovery.

24-hr effects come closer to reality

You can call it Murphy’s Law, but the promise of greater fat oxidation seen during and in the early postexercise periods of lower intensity cardio disappears when the effects are measured over 24 hours. Melanson’s research team was perhaps the first to break the redundancy of studies that only compared effects within a few hours postexercise [5]. In a design involving an even mix of lean, healthy men & women aged 20-45, identical caloric expenditures of 40% VO2 max was compared with 70% VO2 max. Result? No difference in net fat oxidation between the low & high-intensity groups at the 24 hr mark.

Saris & Schrauwen conducted a similar study on obese males using a high-intensity interval protocol versus a low-intensity linear one [6]. There was no difference in fat oxidation between high & low intensity treatments at 24 hrs. In addition, the high-intensity group actually maintained a lower respiratory quotient in postexercise. This means that their fat oxidation was higher than the low-intensity group the rest of the day following the training bout, thus the evening out the end results at 24 hrs.

Chronic effects come even closer

Long-term/Chronic effect studies are the true tests of whatever hints and clues we might get from acute studies. The results of trials carried out over several weeks have obvious validity advantages over shorter ones. They also afford the opportunity to measure changes in body composition, versus mere substrate use proximal to exercise. The common thread running through these trials is that when caloric expenditure during exercise is matched, negligible fat loss differences are seen. The fact relevant to bodybuilding is that high-intensity groups either gain or maintain LBM, whereas the low-intensity groups tend to lose lean mass, hence the high intensity groups experience less net losses in weight [7-9].

The body of research strongly favors high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for both fat loss and lean mass gain/maintenance, even across a broad range of study populations [9-12]. A memorable example of this is work by Tremblay’s team, observing the effect of 20 weeks of HIIT versus endurance training (ET) on young adults [9]. When energy expenditure between groups was corrected, HIIT group showed a whopping 9 times the fat loss as the ET group. In the HIIT group, biopsies showed an increase of glycolytic enzymes, as well as an increase of 3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (HADH) activity, a marker of fat oxidation. Researchers concluded that the metabolic adaptations in muscle in response to HIIT favor the process of fat oxidation. The mechanisms for these results are still under investigation, but they’re centered around residual thermic and lipolytic effects mediated by enzymatic, morphologic, and beta-adrenergic adaptations in muscle. Linear/steady state comparisons of the 2 types tends to find no difference, except for better cardiovascular fitness gains in the high-intensity groups [13].

Summing Up the Research Findings

• In acute trials, fat oxidation during exercise tends to be higher in low-intensity treatments, but postexercise fat oxidation and/or energy expenditure tends to be higher in high-intensity treatments.

• Fed subjects consistently experience a greater thermic effect postexercise in both intensity ranges.

• In 24-hr trials, there is no difference in fat oxidation between the 2 types, pointing to a delayed rise in fat oxidation in the high-intensity groups which evens out the field.
• In long-term studies, both linear high-intensity and HIIT training is superior to lower intensities on the whole for maintaining and/or increasing cardiovascular fitness & lean mass, and are at least as effective, and according to some research, far better at reducing bodyfat.

References

1. Achten J, Jeukendrup AE. Relation between plasma lactate concentration and fat oxidation rates over a wide range of exercise intensities. Int J Sports Med. 2004 Jan;25(1):32-7.
2. Thompson DL, et al. Substrate use during and following moderate- and low-intensity exercise: implications for weight control. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1998 Jun;78(1):43-9.
3. Phelain JF, et al. Postexercise energy expenditure and substrate oxidation in young women resulting from exercise bouts of different intensity.J Am Coll Nutr. 1997 Apr;16(2):140-6.
4. Lee YS. Et al. The effects of various intensities and durations of exercise with and without glucose in milk ingestion on postexercise oxygen consumption. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1999 Dec;39(4):341-7.
5. Melanson EL, et al. Effect of exercise intensity on 24-h energy expenditure and nutrient oxidation. J Appl Physiol. 2002 Mar;92(3):1045-52.
6. Saris WH, Schrauwen P. Substrate oxidation differences between high- and low-intensity exercise are compensated over 24 hours in obese men. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. June; 28 (6): 759-65.
7. Grediagin A, et al. Exercise intensity does not effect body composition change in untrained, moderately overfat women. J Am Diet Assoc. 1995 Jun;95(6):661-5.
8. Mougios V, et al. Does the intensity of an exercise programme modulate body composition changes? Int J Sports Med. 2006 Mar;27(3):178-81.
9. Okura T, et al. Effects of exercise intensity on physical fitness and risk factors for coronary heart disease. Obes Res. 2003 Sep;11(9):1131-9.
10. Tremblay, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. 1994 Jul;43(7):814-8.
11. Yoshioka M, et al. Impact of high-intensity exercise on energy expenditure, lipid oxidation and body fatness. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Mar;25(3):332-9.
12. Broeder CE, et al. The effects of either high-intensity resistance or endurance training on resting metabolic rate. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Apr;55(4):802-10.
13. Gutin B, et al. Effects of exercise intensity on cardiovascular fitness, total body composition, and visceral adiposity of obese adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 May;75(5):818-26.

By Alan Aragon  ©

False Hopes

The bandwagon is lead by blind horses

Many trainees pigeonhole weight training as an activity exclusively for building muscle, and cardio exclusively for burning fat. On the contrary, weight training can yield very similar results to cardio of similar intensity when 24-hr energy expenditure and macronutrient oxidation is measured [1]. The obvious advantage of weight training is the higher potential for lean mass and strength gains. In the bodybuilding context, cardio should be viewed as merely an adjunctive training mode to further energy expenditure and cross-complement the adaptations specific to weight training. As far as cardio being absolutely necessary for cardiovascular health, well, that depends upon the overall volume and magnitude of your weight training – another topic for another time.

Chaos theory strikes again

On the surface, it seems logical to separate carbs from cardio if you want a maximal degree of fat oxidation to occur during training. But, there’s the underlying mistake – focusing on stored fuel usage during training instead of focusing on optimally partitioning exogenous fuel for maximal lipolytic effect around the clock. Put another way, it’s a better objective to coincide your carb intake with your day’s thermic peaks, where insulin sensitivity & lean tissue reception to carbs is highest. For some reason, this logic is not easily accepted, nor understood. As we know, human physiology doesn’t always cooperate with logic or popular opinion, so let’s scrutinize the science behind the claims.

Let The Research Speak

Carbohydrate ingestion during low-intensity exercise reduces fat oxidation

As far as 3 decades back, Ahlborg’s team observed that carb ingestion during low-intensity exercise (25-45% VO2 max) reduced fat oxidation compared to fasted levels [2]. More recently, De Glisezinski’s team observed similar results in trained men at 50% VO2 max [3]. Efforts to determine the mechanism behind this phenomenon have been made. Coyle’s team observed that at 50% VO2 max, carbohydrate availability can directly regulate fat oxidation by coordinating hyperinsulinemia to inhibit long-chain fatty acid transport into mitochondria [4].

Carbohydrate’s effect on fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise depends on conditioning level
Civitarese’s team found glucose ingestion during exercise to blunt lipolysis via decreasing the gene expression involved in fat oxidation in untrained men [5]. Wallis’ team saw suppressed fat oxidation in moderately trained men & women when glucose was ingested during exercise [6].

In contrast to the above trials on beginning and intermediate trainees, Coyle’s team repeatedly showed that carb ingestion during moderate-intensity (65-75% VO2 max) does not reduce fat oxidation during the first 120 min of exercise in trained men [7,8]. Interestingly, the intensity margin proximal to where fat oxidation is highest was unaffected by carb ingestion, and remained so for the first 2 hours of exercise.

Horowitz’ team examined the effect of a during-training solution of high-glycemic carbs on moderately trained men undergoing either low intensity exercise (25% VO2 max) or high-moderate intensity (68% VO2 max) [9]. Similar results to Coyle’s work were seen. Subjects completed a 2-hr cycling bout, and ingested the carb solution at 30, 60, and 90 minutes in. In the low-intensity treatment, fat oxidation was not reduced below fasted-state control group’s levels until 80-90 min of exercise. In the 68% group, no difference in fat oxidation was seen whether subjects were fasted or fed throughout the trial.

Further supporting the evidence in favor of fed cardio in trained men, Febbraio’s team investigated the effects of carb ingestion pre & during training in easily one of the best-designed trials on this topic [10]. Subjects exercised for 2 hrs at an intensity level of 63% VO2 max, which is now known as the point of maximal fat oxidation during exercise. Result? Pre & during-training carbs increased performance – and there was no difference in total fat oxidation between the fasted and fed subjects. Despite the elevated insulin levels in the carb-fueled groups, there was no difference in fat availability or fat utilization.

Summing Up the Research Findings

• At low intensities (25-50% VO2 max), carbs during exercise reduce fat oxidation compared to fasted trainees.

• At moderate intensities (63-68% VO2 max) carbs during exercise may reduce fat oxidation in untrained subjects, but do not reduce fat oxidation in trained subjects for at least the first 80-120 minutes of exercise.
• Carbohydrate during exercise spares liver glycogen, which is among the most critical factors for anticatabolism during hypocaloric & other conditions of metabolic stress. This protective hepatic effect is absent in fasted cardio.
• At the established intensity level of peak fat oxidation (~63% VO2 max), carbohydrate increases performance without any suppression of fat oxidation in trained subjects.

References

1. Melanson EL, et al. Resistance and aerobic exercise have similar effects on 24-h nutrient oxidation.. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Nov;34(11):1793-800.
2. Ahlborg, G., and P. Felig. Influence of glucose ingestion on fuel-hormone response during prolonged exercise. J. Appl. Physiol. 1976;41:683-688.
3. De Glisezinski I, et al. Effect of carbohydrate ingestion on adipose tissue lipolysis during long-lasting exercise in trained men. J Appl Physiol. 1998 May;84(5):1627-32.
4. Coyle EF, et al. Fatty acid oxidation is directly regulated by carbohydrate metabolism during exercise. Am J Physiol. 1997 Aug;273(2 Pt 1):E268-75.
5. Civitarese AE, et al. Glucose ingestion during exercise blunts exercise-induced gene expression of skeletal muscle fat oxidative genes. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Dec;289(6):E1023-9.
6. Wallis GA, et al. Metabolic response to carbohydrate ingestion during exercise in males and females. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Apr;290(4):E708-15.
7. Coyle, et al. Muscle glycogen utilization during prolonged strenuous exercise when fed carbohydrate. J. Appl. Physiol. 1986;6:165-172.
8. Coyle, et al.. Carbohydrates during prolonged strenuous exercise can delay fatigue. J. Appl. Physiol. 59: 429-433, 1983.
9. Horowitz JF, et al. Substrate metabolism when subjects are fed carbohydrate during exercise. Am J Physiol. 1999 May;276(5 Pt 1):E828-35.
10. Febbraio MA, et al. Effects of carbohydrate ingestion before and during exercise on glucose kinetics and exercise performance. J Appl Physiol. 2000 Dec;89(6):2220-6.

Visit alanaragon.com for more informative articles

By Alan Aragon  ©

Not an “Either-Or” Issue
The current facts have been presented in parts 1 & 2, and the bases for conclusion should be self-evident. Let me clarify that HIIT and linear high-intensity cardio are not the best and only ways to go. Many folks have perfectly legitimate orthopedic, cardiac, and even psychological reasons to avoid them. Not only that, I sincerely believe that both low and high-intensity cardio have unique benefits unto themselves. Optimally, both types should be done, since each has specifically different effects. Saying that one is bottom-line superior to the other for improvement in body composition is as false as blanketly saying 5 reps per set is superior to 15. On the contrary, there is well-established benefit in periodizing training variables, or as they say in the trenches, “mixing it up”.

Too Much of the Same?

I’ve heard it mentioned that high-intensity cardio shouldn’t be done concurrently with high-intensity weight training due to excessive stress on the central nervous system. Perfect excuse. My primary response is, there’s no solid proof of that danger. Certainly there’s no evidence of it in my observations as a professional in the field, working with bodybuilders, and all types of other competitive athletes such as gymnasts, sprinters, boxers, etc (you know, athletes whose incredible physiques have nothing to do with weights + high intensity cardio). It’s true that some folks regard a precociously low carb intake as a legit reason to keep intensity low. However, if your nutritional program doesn’t adequately support productive training, then you’ve designed it ass-backwards, painting yourself into a corner of compromised adaptation.

The Options

Options can be broken down in the following ways: If you’re pressed for time, and you can do HIIT without any delayed onset muscle soreness overlap (by virtue of doing a low frequency of HIIT), and you can tolerate it joint-wise & heart-wise, and you hate spending time doing cardio to begin with, then do HIIT. On the other hand, if you have the time to allot for low-intensity steady state (LISS), and you do a particularly high volume & magnitude of resistance training which raises potential recovery conflicts posed by a high frequency of HIIT, then do LISS. If you’re somewhere in between the aforementioned 2 camps and you don’t have a specific preference or tolerance limit, do both types on either a cyclical, rotational, or even combined basis. Also, it can’t be overstated that unless you undergo a very gradual progression towards the musculoskeletal tolerance for something like sprinting, you can get hurt pretty bad & there goes your productive training for several weeks.

Fasted = Suboptimal

Fasted cardio is not optimal for reasons spanning beyond its questionable track record in research. There’s unavoidable positive metabolic synergy in fed (read: properly fueled) training, regardless of sport. This effect increases with intensity of training; even in untrained subjects, whatever fat oxidation is suppressed during training is compensated for in the recovery period by multiple mechanisms, many of which are not yet identified.

Athletes are known for their gravitation towards self-sacrifice, but some rely on hearsay, while others rely on science. Did you know that way back in the 60′s, it wasn’t uncommon for coaches to tell athletes in various sports to avoid drinking water before and during training? No comment needed. Good thing researchers questioned it, and enough data surfaced to validate claims of the skeptics. Sometimes counterproductive dogma indeed dies, thank goodness. However, the myths addressed here are admittedly more subtle than the water example. Even on suboptimal protocols, athletes all over the world still inch along, although not at optimal rates, and not necessarily to optimal levels.

So…

I see the bottom line like this.. Do the type you have a personal preference for, and also respect your physical limits. HIIT is quicker but riskier. LISS is safer but takes twice as long to accomplish the same thing. Again, do what you prefer & can tolerate, but do NOT make the mistake of assuming that LISS burns more fat. That’s misunderstanding the physiology of the matter.

I’ll end off by challenging you to diligently review the facts before blindly latching onto the myths.

Visit www.alanaragon.com for more research

Franco and Gerard

Originally uploaded by musclebuilder

Franco and Gerard Butler after training for the movie 300. Very lean and ready to be the King of Sparta!

A very low bodyfat level as seen here is only achievable with dedication to training and diet.