Scientific Answers
Starting back a few weeks ago, I've been incorporating John Berardi's recommendations of never combining fats and carbs together in a single meal; however, I'm confused as to when I should eat my 3 carb-containing meals and my 3 fat-containing meals each day. Any insight? Well, you have definitely put yourself on the right track by incorporating John's Massive Eating guidelines into your nutritional regimen. For those readers who aren't familar with Massive Eating, it's a revolutionary approach to nutrition that calls for trainees to never combine carbs and fats (in significant amounts) in a single meal. By doing this, you can keep insulin in check by limiting its release to the times of day in which you need it most, and can steer away from it when it is not desired. This approach has helped literally thousands of athletes eat more calories, pack on more muscle, and with less fat gain than when consuming meals containing all three macronutrients. For the typical bodybuilder or strength athlete eating 6 meals a day, this means 3 of those meals should contain protein and carbs (P+C) and 3 should contain protein and fat (P+F). Now back to your question. How you set up these meals in a given day is highly dependent on 1) whether or not you are training that day and 2) what your current goal is. On any training day, regardless of your goal, it is my recommendation that your 3 P+C meals be breakfast, the beverage you consume pre/during/post training, and a whole food meal about 60-90 minutes after your session. This approach provides you with carbs and insulin when you need them most. In the morning, your body is longing for carbohyrates to combat the catabolism of an overnight fast. It is probably a good idea to consume at least some fructose in this meal (fruit, a glass of orange juice, etc) as your liver will be somewhat depleted upon arising. The time period surrounding your workout (during and continuing for a few hours after) is without a doubt the most anabolic time period of the day; an insulin surge is a must during this time to facilitate the transport of nutrients into muscle cells as well as to increase the rate and efficiency of protein synthesis (muscle growth). Below is a table outlining a typical training day, assuming that you train in the evening: Meal 1: P+C Meal 2: P+F Meal 3: P+F Meal 4: P+C Meal 5: P+C Meal 6: P+F The meal before you go to bed should always be P+F (with the exception that you train [I}very late in the evening) as large amounts of carbs and insulin are not desireable prior to bed. Now, as mentioned previously, the second thing you must consider is your goal. If your goal is fat loss, you want to steer away from carbs and insulin during the latter part of the day on your non-training days. If your goal is to maintain or add muscle mass, it's probably best to stagger your carb and fat containing meals to give your muscles a steadier flow of all macronutrients (still without creating the lipogenic environment that occurs when combining fats and carbs) throughout the day. Here is an outline of what each respective case looks like: Goal- Fat Loss Meal 1: P+C Meal 2: P+C Meal 3: P+C Meal 4: P+F Meal 5: P+F Meal 6: P+F Goal- Maintenance or Hypertrophy of Muscle Mass Meal 1: P+C Meal 2: P+F Meal 3: P+C Meal 4: P+F Meal 5: P+C Meal 6: P+F Again, the above is for non-training days only; on training days, the go with the aforementioned meal schedule. -JM After a rather successful mass gaining phase, I'm getting ready to commence a fat loss phase to drop some of the chub that I put on during my rather heavy eating. I'm planning on going with a low-carb approach, but I was wondering if it might be advantageous to use the during and post-workout liquid nutrition? Congratulations on your new-found mass! Just like an artist, you need to have a decent amount of granite with which to work before you start carving away. Now you're ready to break out that chisel and get ripped and huge. Your question is a darn good one, and it's surprising to me that, as many knuckleheads and ignoramouses as there are out there, there are a few thinking heads in this field, too. As a bodybuilder or strength athlete embarking on a fat loss phase, you should also have as a priority to maintain or build muscle as well. Yes, a low-carb diet is very efficient "for most people" in achieving the goal of fat loss; however, many experience a loss in muscle mass whilst dieting with low carbs. My take on fat loss is as such: we are very well aware of certain times of the day when you can significantly increase your muscle protein status and muscle protein synthesis while simultaneously halting muscle protein breakdown. In answer to your question, yes, you should still implement the same type of during and post-workout liquid nutritional schemes during a fat loss phase as you would during a maintenance or mass gaining phase. The reasoning is as follows. (Note: for the purpose of the simplification, the following discussion about protein status is limited to skeletal muscle alone) Think of your skeletal muscle mass as the amount of water in a sink. Adding water to the sink (i.e. positive muscle protein balance) increases your muscle mass, while removing water from the sink (i.e. negative muscle protein balance) decreases your muscle mass. Ingesting fast-acting protein (i.e. hydrolyzed whey) and carbs (i.e. maltodextrin, glucose, etc.) after an intense bout of resistance training results in the most favorable response for those looking to add muscle. This is because the protein acts as the faucet adding more water to the sink (i.e. protein synthesis), while the carbs plug the drain (i.e. halting protein breakdown). Opting for just one or the other, or perhaps none at all, will simply result in a lesser accumulation of water in the sink (i.e. skeletal muscle protein), if not a net loss! My recommendation is to continue to utilize during and post-training liquid nutrition or at least post-training during your low-carb approach. You can tone down the amount of nutrients that you're taking in at this time by cutting your servings in half from your normal intake. Why, then, sacrifice this time period when you have 22-23 other hours in the day to focus on fat loss! Tipton, KD and RR Wolfe. Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 11(1): 109-132; 2001. -TS I recently started switching back and forth between opposing muscle groups (i.e. chest/back, biceps/triceps) during my strength training workouts because I heard doing so can increase strength. Interestingly enough, I seem to be weaker when incorporating this technique as opposed to simply conducting a straight set routine. Am I doing something wrong? This is a good question. Antagonistic supersetting is a technique that has received quite a bit of attention as of late because it 1) has some research to support it and 2) allows for a more time efficient training session. It is based on the principle that most weight training movements involve agonist (the working muscle) and antagonist (the opposing muscle; for example, the triceps would be the antagonist to the biceps) co-contraction (1,2,3). When the agonist contracts, the opposing muscle or antagonist contracts simultaneously, causing a decreased force production of the agonist. In other words, the contraction of the opposing muscle acts as a "brake" and has a negative effect on strength levels. Here is where the theory of antagonistic supersetting comes into play. If, for example, you perform a set of bicep curls, the biceps become temporarily fatigued and are unable to contract at their full potential. It is during this time (when the biceps are fatigued) that you would perform a triceps exercise because the "brakes" are off so to speak. Theoretically, this allows you to maximize your strength potential by taking away the limiting factor of antagonistic co-contraction. Quite a few studies have shown this theory to be true (4,5,6,7). Having said that, it does not work in all cases, and this is most likely why you aren't experiencing the positive benefits of incorporating the technique into your training. A more recent study founded that while antagonist supersetting proved to be beneficial with sets of higher reps and lighter loads, it was detrimental when performing sets of lower reps with heavier loads (8). Therefore, this is a technique that should only be implemented in programs utilizing higher reps and a high velocity of movement (bar speed). If, in fact, you have been using this technique with a high rep/high speed protocol, there may be another factor contributing to your lack of results. While the triceps may not be fatigued after a set of bicep curls, your cardiovascular system certainly will be. Obviously, you are not going to be able to produce maximum strength when gasping to catch your breath; a high level of cardiovascular fitness is a prerequisite to using this technique. It should also be noted that there is another technique known as antagonist prestretch that will produce similar results to antagonistic supersetting. The antagonistic prestretch technique calls for you to passively stretch the antagonist prior to a working set as studies have shown that doing so temporarily weakens the muscle in question, which is exactly what we want to do. This may be a better technique to experiment with for individuals using lower rep/lower speed programs and/or individuals who find cardiovascular fitness to be a limiting factor when using the antagonistic supersetting approach. Lastly, casually alternating (taking a minute or so between sets) back and forth between opposing muscle groups is viable way to conserve time without compromising performance when conducting lower rep/lower speed programs. 1. Baratta, R. et al. The role of the antagonistic musculature in maintaining knee stability. Am. J. Sports Med. 16:113-122. 1988. 2. Hunter, G.R. Metabolic cost of antagonist EMG activity during low intensity arm curl exercise. Am. Assoc. Heatlh Phys. Edu. Dance J. 14:47-49. 1991. 3. Jaric, S. et al. Role of agonist and antagonist muscle strength in performance of rapid movements. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 76:41-47. 1997. 4. Caiozzo, V.J. et al. The effect of isometric contractions on the slow velocity-high force region of the in vivo force-velocity relationship [Abstract]. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 13:128. 1981. 5. Caiozzo, V.J. et al. The use of precontractions to enhance the in vivo force-velocity relationship [Abstract]. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 14:162. 1982. 6. Grabiner, M.D. Maximum rate of force development is increased by antagonist conditioning contraction. J. Appl. Physiol. 77:807-811. 1994. 7. Grabiner, M.D., and D.L. Hawthorne. Conditions of isokinetic knee flexion that enhance knee extension. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 22:235-240. 1990. 8. Burke, D.G. et al. The influence of varied resistance and speed of concentric antagonist contractions on subsequent concentric agonist efforts. J. Strength Cond. Res. 13:193-197. 1999. -JM I've just been diagnosed with impingement syndrome in my right shoulder. My shoulder is clicking and I can't even comb my hair without wanting to cry like a schoolgirl. What is impingement, and how do I get rid of it? I recommend you have the entire right side of your body amputated; it'll save time. Seriously, first off, check out my article, Cracking the Rotator Cuff Conundrum to learn about the structure of the shoulder. Now that you've done that, I can assume your realize that the muscles of the rotator cuff function not only in humeral motion, but also in humeral stabilization within the glenoid fossa during upper body movement. That said, when they are weak or at a mechanical disadvantage due to structural deformities, they don't work properly, and the humeral head moves in ways that it shouldn't. The subacromial space becomes problematic here. Basically, primary external impingement syndrome means that the rotator cuff tendons (always the supraspinatus, usually the infraspinatus) and subacromial bursa are pinched between the humeral head and the coracoacromial ligament and acromion of the scapula. Over time, the glenoid labrum and long head of the biceps can get irritated as well. Eventually, tears and fibrotic changes can occur in any of the involved structures. I should once again note that I'm speaking only in regards to primary external impingement (the diagnosis most common to bodybuilders). Internal impingement is a newer diagnosis more commonly seen in overhead throwing athletes; it's a whole other ballgame and is thus beyond the scope of this column. Scapulohumeral rhythm refers to the movement of the scapula during abduction/flexion (i.e. lifting) of the humerus. Try this: feel someone's shoulder blade (scapula) with their arms at their sides. Then, have them raise their arms 30 degrees; you won't feel the scapula move because all the motion is at the glenohumeral joint. Once they pass 30 degrees, though, the scapula must begin to upwardly rotate. There's a tremendous amount of synergy among several muscles at work here. Basically, for every 2 degrees of humeral abduction beyond 30 degrees, there is 1 degree of scapular upward rotation. Here are the muscles involved: Upward rotation: Mid and lower trapezius, serratus anterior Downward rotation: Rhomboid major and minor, pectoralis minor If your scapulohumeral rhythm is out of whack, you'll eventually develop some faulty movement patterns and muscular imbalances. Basically, to treat impingement, you need to strengthen the external rotators (infraspinatus, teres minor, and posterior deltoid) to control superior displacement of the humeral head and the mid/lower traps and rhomboids (both scapular retractors) to prevent chronic anterior positioning of the scapula. Additionally, you need to really stretch all the internal rotators (pecs, lats, anterior delts, subscapularis, teres major) to keep the posterior muscles from getting tight and allowing the protracted scapula problem to continue. This should be gentle stretching, however, as exaggerated movements can irritate the impinged structures. Simultaneously, you have to kill down the inflammation in the involved structures by limiting irritating activities (overhead movements, horizontal adduction, and protraction especially). Generally speaking, acute cases respond well to this conservative modality of treatment. In the worst-case scenario, though, an orthopedist will mechanically make room for the tendons/bursa by shaving off part of the acromion process. This used to be a very messy surgery; nowadays, there are "neater" arthroscopic methods available. Before you even consider surgery, I highly recommend you look into Active Release Techniques (ART). This form of soft tissue manipulation is highly effective; I've known individuals who have had cases of impingement fixed in only two sessions with a certified ART practitioner. You can locate a provider and learn more about the techniques at www.activerelease.com. As a final thought, for all of you who don't think this is important because you don't have impingement now, I recommend you take this information to heart. With the sheer volume of bench-happy trainees and the ubiquitous nature of "only-train-what-you-can-see-in-the-mirror" syndrome, it's no surprise that we see a lot of rounded shoulders and poorly developed midbacks and external rotators. You'd be wise to nip these issues in the bud before they become real painful problem. -EC |