As I have tried to emphasize before, fitness is all encompassing, it must be an ever present part of our lives. If your goal or definition of fitness then is yourself 15lbs lighter and more toned, then you must eat, sleep, and live in a way the progresses you towards that self-made definition.

Eating smarter is step number 1. Sure everyone says, oh but I am eating better and adhering to a more rigorous nutrition schedule but if I asked you to document your every intake, what would be the true story. Weight loss is simply taking in less calories than you expend, and maximizing the quality of those that you decide to ingest. That means low GI foods, with higher ratios of protein and good fats than carbs. Take care of your diet and bust your ass (excuse the vernacular) in the gym, and trust me, you WILL see results. Sure some people have more stubborn fat deposits than others or are prone to retain fat in key areas, but that is something again that can be targeted and eradicated. I just get so fed up with people that complain about not being able to be who they want to be and I know they are the kind of person that barely breaks a sweat or reads a magazine on the treadmill. Put up or shut up.

So to take away from this, remind yourself every day that if you have a weight goal in mind, do not simply rely on your one hour in the gym; accomplish your goal through a combined effort of excellent nutritional techniques, hard work, and a constant reminder that the quality time you put in, will produce results.

It’s what pushing for implosion means: You are who you are, if you want to change, even if only slightly do so by releasing your image of who you are currently and rewrite yourself.

Defy your Limits.

First we need to understand some key concepts and know that the following is a simplification of a much more complicated set of biochemical processes but will suffice for our purposes.

So to begin, we should dispel a long circulated myth that while running we are not producing lactate at all and that the burn we feel well into the run happens because of a sudden onset of its production. This is wholly untrue. The hydrolysis of ATP, our body’s main source of energy, within our muscle’s causes a steady accumulation of hydrogen protons H+ within our muscle’s capillaries. Lactate production is actually our bodies response to this acidification by the hydrolysis of ATP thus reducing the burn.

There is a point though when our body begins to produce lactate at rates that are too fast for our bodies to metabolize, and this is the lactate threshold. To demonstrate, try sprinting a 400. At some point, unless you are a seasoned athlete, your legs are going to want to stop moving and it will happen very quickly. Rest for a few minutes and you will be able to repeat the exercise likely sprinting the same distance or slightly shorter. Each time your legs want to stop, you have experienced your anaerobic threshold which is the anaerobic expression of your lactate threshold.

For distance runners, since you are employing aerobic energy pathways which are far more efficient than anaerobic pathways, which produce about 1/18 the amount of energy, you experience, at some point, an onset of blood lactate accumulation. Prior to this you were at your maximal lactate steady state which is basically the exercise intensity at which, as you might have guessed, lactate production is equal to lactate metabolization.  Many researchers say that this measure is definitively one of the best indicators of athletic performance out there. That is how important it is.

So how does one increase their ability to effectively clear lactate at the rate it is being produced? There are several training regimens that can be employed. The first can be ignored if you are a seasoned athlete already but it is increasing the volume of your training. Say you do 90 minutes of cardio a week currently. Your goal should be to double that to 180 minutes over the time span of four weeks, gradually increasing the overall time each week. This helps to pump up our bodies capacity for mitochondrial respiration.

Another method, and one that I personally love, is interval training above your lactate threshold. So using the sprint 400m example. Say you could only sprint 200m of the 400m. Well a good interval then would be to sprint for 100m then jog 100m back to your starting point and rest 45 seconds. Repeat this 8-12 times. Do this 2-3 times a week increasing the distance every week as you feel yourself being able to complete the routine with greater ease.  One particular variation that I enjoy is what some call corner-burns, which essentially is sprinting the curves of a 400m oval and jogging the straights, taking a one minute break after each lap and repeating that 5-6 times.

You can also do things like run at 95% of your max intensity for one minute then jog for two, then speed up to a sprint again for another minute for a total of 10-15 minutes depending on how much you can handle. The general idea is to exceed your lactate threshold then slow down and let your body recover, then speed up again and over time this trains your threshold.

If you train hard enough, your LT could be as high as 95% of your VO2 max, which is the max capacity of your body to utilize oxygen, though levels this high are generally reserved for elite athletes. A discussion of VO2 max and vVO2 max will come later.

I am just saying it’s possible and if you have the will to push, you will beat the wall down.

Check out this awesome infographic of our bodies metabolic pathways!

Everyone wants to be the best, be at the pinnacle of whatever sport or activity they may be participating in. We get it in our heads that to beat everyone else, we have to give ourselves a one up and this is where steroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PEDS) enter into the equation. Sure there are side effects to their use, but they can be mitigated by incredibly careful, doctor assisted monitoring. What I mean is frequent blood work and hormone panels. 98% of PEDS users do not fit into this category of careful use. So why even decide to go that route? You are short changing yourself, determining that you will fail at achieving your goal without even trying.

Some will say, oh but I have peaked after one year of training. To that I say, it has been a damn year you idiot. Even two or three still leaves you in the relative area of newness to training. You might know how to train better but as far as packing mass, you have not been doing it for all that long. If you are 6 foot 200 pounds, you have not peaked. Genetics will limit us to some degree but different training method, can and have been proven to overcome a weak genetic predisposition to being a hard-gainer.

Be brave for once in your life, please. Accomplishing anything is not easy, and getting bigger or changing your body is no small feat. It takes time and dedication, a steadfast mindset. Create who you want to be, do not accept an image. You are who you want to be, and that is the final word on that. A majority of you all out there WILL have to work harder. A lot harder. This challenge is what we call living your life. You see something you want and so you do everything in your power to achieve it; you sweat you bleed, wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning just to get a meal in or to run 3 miles before work because you know you will not have time later.

Do not settle to simply exist, squander the life you have been given. You do not know your limits as we mentioned before… No one does for that matter and with this in mind go out and DO because you can. Because you want to, because somewhere down the line someone said you couldn’t. Make this testimony to yourself now, today, not tomorrow or the day after. This is the trap of simply existing on this Earth. Recognize that now if you are the kind of person who tries to take shortcuts every step of their lives.

There is a distinct reward to accomplishing your goals naturally. You know that every pound, every striation, every line of muscle that clings to your body was created by you and the struggle you have endured. And guess what you have ENDURED and you are that much stronger now. Both mentally and physically. Never think that just because something might be hard that you should take the cheap way out, this attitude will get you nowhere.

You are your own weapon. What will you do with yourself tomorrow?

For all those out there busting ass the natural way
The AITank Crew recognizes you

Dynamic warm ups are not exactly new, but they have yet to go mainstream. What are they? Well its warming up your body by stretching through movement. Examples of this are lunges, side bends, high knees, back pedals, scorpions, side stepping, high knee skipping, Frankenstein walk and MORE! Descriptions will follow.

So what is the deal with old school static stretching. Well get on pubmed @ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ and if you do a little research you will find numerous studies, all new that are all showing the same finding. That is, static stretching before an athletic event notably impairs the capability of our muscles to produce peak force output. It has been studied in specific sports, runners cannot sprint as fast, basketball players can’t jump as high, rugby players can’t push as hard, when they do a static stretching routine before these events.

Why? Well static stretching does not raise your core temperature at all, so your body is not becoming any more ready to go into full drive. You are stretching your muscles past their normal flexibility and this decreases the force capability of the contraction thereafter. In some cases, hyper extension injuries were shown to be occur more frequently when an athlete followed a static stretching regimen prior to an event. Now hear me out, I am not saying static stretching is bad! It just should not be done prior to a performance but rather after as a part of a cool down.

Dynamic warm ups get our bodies ready to do what we need them to. They increase our range of motion dramatically, warm up our bodies significantly, stretch all core muscles including the legs, trunk and upper body and can be made to be sport specific.

Another benefit is a dynamic flexibility regimen can be done significantly faster than a traditional 10-15 minute static stretching routine. This is how

Pick 6-8 of any of the following exercises:

• lunge
• side bend
• frankenstein walk
• high knees
• jumping jacks
• back pedaling
• scorpion
• high knee skipping
• side lunges

Then find yourself 15-20 yards of space. One way do one of the previous exercises and on the way back jog, then repeat with the next exercise until you have done all the ones you chose for your routine. Do this three times and that is your warm up. Simple huh? Yeah I thought so to. Take a short 30 second rest between each set of 6-8 exercises. But other than that it is pretty straightforward. Now for a description of the above mentioned exercises.

Lunge - Step forward with one leg keeping your upper body straight and diving your knee into the ground. There should be about 2 and a half feet between your feet and you should feel the burn in your hamstrings and quads.

Side Bend – Bend at the waist from one side to the other keeping your torso straight and using only your obliques to pull you up. Best when done with an exercise ball for added mobility.

Frankenstein Walk - Just as they sound, put your arms straight out and kick your toes up to your hands as far as you can trying not to bend at the knee. This gets your hip more flexible and works your legs at the same time.

High Knees – While trying to run kick your heels up to your butt or around your waistline if you can while pumping the opposite arm. Great mobility enhancer for all the joints in your lower body. These are not about distance so do not try and cover the 15-20 yards quickly.

Jumping Jacks – Ah how we all love this arcane exercise. Try some variation to keep things new by having your arms in front of you instead of above or crossing your legs instead of just spreading them. Anything you can think of.

Back Pedaling – Run backwards making sure you are not dragging your heels or toes on the ground. Great for your calves and the muscle that wraps in front of your shins.

Scorpion – Lie face down on the ground with arms extended to your sides, palms facing down, so your body forms a mock T shape. Keeping this facedown position and keeping your shoulders flat on the ground, bring your left heel and swing it back towards your right hand. Repeat for the other leg.

High Knee Skipping – Just as we did when we were little go and skip! Only difference is with each skip try and bring your knee up as high as you can exploding of your toes with each skip.

Side Lunges - Get in a low athletic position, like a wide squat almost. Step to the side with one leg maintaining the same athletic position and not getting any taller. Much like I envision a ninja looks like. Yes you are the NINJA! Now step together with the other leg. Switch sides and repeat for the distance. These mega burn the glute and quads!

And there you have it, a dynamic flexibility warm up to get you ready for anything you might need to do. Want a sport specific routine? Drop a line in the comments.

Before we get into the details let me say a few words. Drinking in this article will be defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. Thus, we are not promoting in any way heavy drinking. Further, if you do not already drink do not start drinking because of this article. Most of the research in this area is new, and though it comes from prestigious institutions it is still not fully understood.

A Spanish study of over 40, 000 people and lasted 10 years was conducted to determine the effects that alcohol consumption patterns have on heart health. As we discussed in a previous post on cholesterol, LDL can have detrimental effects on one’s coronary health by promoting the developments of atheromas. Well, the study concluded that the consumption of alcohol does seem to offer very concrete protection against coronary heart disease.

The reason for this protection is that alcohol seems to raise HDL levels, lower blood pressure, and helps prevent arterial damage caused by high levels of LDL. More significantly but not mentioned in the above linked article, wine is said to have a more compound effect because of its high polyphenol content. Polyphenols are potent antioxidants and as we discussed previously, this class of substances in our bodies helps to prevent premature cell oxidation which is enhanved by LDL. Wine will be covered in a later post.

Alcohol in general though lowers the size of LDL particles in general though and this is how it helps prevent coronary heart disease. Think of it this way. Our arteries are small tubes, and LDL particles being the largest cholesterol particles of the four we discussed previously, can clog these small tubes easily. The larger the particle size the easier the clogging happens. This clogging can lead to stroke, heart attack, infarction etc. So, if we reduce the size of the particles then there is a smaller chance that they will be given the opportunity to clog our arteries, oxidize, and form legions.

So, the next time you are at dinner or at home pouring a glass of wine, don’t feel as guilty. You may actually be doing your body a service by fighting LDL and lowering your blood pressure. Again, don’t go binge or heavy drinking, this will eventually destroy your liver. A glass or two is what we are after.

Be sure and check out the two links two the studies referenced in this post. They are both linked above.

Till next time, live well, be fit.

Cholesterol is a sterol, which basically is a steroid with a hydroxyl group added to it. More simply, it is a steroid alcohol if you will. It is not, as many people assume, a form of fat. It is though found in all fats and oils.

Some sources of it in our diets can include eggs, fish oils, chicken,  coconut, cream cheese, some seafood, and organ meats. Basically, the chances are that if it comes from an animal then it likely has cholesterol, most fruits and vegetables are cholesterol free. Before you run off and buy all cholesterol free foods or better yet, become vegetarian, let’s go over a few things.

Cholesterol is absolutely essential to the healthy function of your body. The myelin sheaths of our nerves are composed primarily of cholesterol, as is our brain. It is also a critical component of our cell walls as it helps to make them permeable allowing nutrients and substances in and out of them. Low cholesterol diets have been linked with stunted brain growth and a plethora of other diseases. Thus we cannot simply cut it out of our diets.

One thing you need to understand is that there are four types of cholesterol:

• VLDL or very-low-density lipoprotein
• IDL or intermediate-density-lipoprotein
• LDL or low-density-lipoprotein
• HDL or high-density-lipoprotein

The first three are related and forms of each other in various stages which we will not go into detail about. All you need to know is that they are what we call “bad cholesterol”. The reason for this is because these LDL variants can bind to arterial walls causing swelling and blockage. This swelling and blockage of an artery is called an atheroma.

LDL levels are at their highest when we eat processed and refined foods high in trans fats and saturated fats. Dietary sources of cholesterol like eggs and chicken do not have as direct a link with heart related disease, but processed and refined foods are unquestionably linked with it! It is because our livers are not designed to process these refined foods, and when it tries to metabolize the trans and saturated fats, it produces large amounts of LDL cholesterol.

Let me make sure that you understand this clearly. It is not the cholesterol in refined/processed foods that is bad for you, it is the saturated and trans fats. Your body converts these fats in your liver, into LDL, and large amounts of it! So even if a food label says it is cholesterol free, take note of how much trans and saturated fats it is serving you.

HDL on the other hand is considered “good cholesterol” as it can remove cholesterol from cells and prevent the buildup which leads to atheroma.  You can help raise your HDL levels by eating at least two servings of foods high in soluble fiber, using cooking oils high in monounsaturated fats (like olive oil). Soy has been proven to be very effective in raising HDL levels as have omega-3 fatty acids which are found in flaxseed, safflower, dark green vegetables and fish. A healthy regimen of cardiovascular activity has also been shown to lower LDL levels and increase HDL levels.

What should these levels be? For LDL you want to fall into the optimal range listed below:

• Less than 100 mg/dL       Optimal
• 100 to 129 mg/dL              Near Optimal/Above Optimal
• 130 to 159 mg/dL               Borderline High
• 160 to 189 mg/dL               High
• 190 mg/dL and above       Very High

With HDL on the other hand, the higher the better! 60 mg/dL or higher has been proven to give protection against coronary diseases. You should check your cholesterol levels at least once a year to ensure that you are staying within healthy range and to do this most outpatient clinics and now even pharmacies are offering cheap tests that give you instant results.

So, coming away from this article it is important to remember a few things. Avoid processed/refined foods if you can! Avoid trans fats and saturated fats like the devil. Try to eat dark green vegetables, flax and soy products, and healthy non-processed foods.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via the comment form.

There are two types of muscle fibers, fast-twitch and slow-twitch or TypeII and TypeI. Within the TypeII class there are fast-oxidative-glycolytic TypeIIa and fast-glycolytic TypeIIb fibers. Contrary to what some people believe, both exert the same amount of force, it is simply the rate at which they do so that varies.

TypeIIb fibers, as their name implies, are primarily anaerobic by nature possessing larger stores of glycogen and the enzymes necessary for anaerobic respiration, meaning they operate without oxygen. Adding to their architecture they have few mitochondria, the primary structure that is utilized for aerobic respiration. TypeIIa fibers on the other hand possess the enzymes necessary for anaerobic respiration and glycogen stores, along with oxidative enzymes and more mitochondria. Think of them as a hybrid fast-twitch slow-twitch fiber that can still exert maximum force as fast as the fast-glycolytic fibers. This characteristic of the TypeIIa fibers means they will out endure their TypeIIb counterpart.

Sprinters rely on these fast-twitch muscles to explode with every foot strike, batters to engage their shoulders and forearms instantaneously and basketball players to explode with their quadriceps calves and hamstrings into the air for a rebound or to slam it. So what is the deal with slow-twitch fibers.

Slow-twitch or TypeI fibers are what keep a marathon runner going, or a triathlete on his feet. They sacrifice contractile speed for long term endurance by having a complex network of capillaries and vast quantities of mitochondria within their structure to facilitate aerobic respiration, which will always out endure the utilization of glycogen stores which deplete quickly (more on glycogen utilization later). The capillaries that entangle these fibers ensure a steady supply of nutrients to the mitochondria, the same way a steady flow of fuel will keep your vehicle going. Which type of muscle fiber do I want then? Well unfortunately you do not have much say in the matter.

Your genetics determines your muscle fiber composition for the most part. It has been shown though that after years of training, and yes I do mean years, TypeIIb fibers can transition to TypeIIa fibers. Actually biopsies of some elite athletes show that after many years of training, they possess almost no TypeIIb fibers, meaning there is hope for creating a more elite YOU. Dedication to your training regimen is what is going to decide how successful this recruitment is. Stick to the explosive movements, your clean press, power cleans, jump squats and high pulls. Or on your normal exercises such as bench, uses intervals like 3-2-1. What this means is that when you are bringing the weight down to your chest take three seconds, so slow controlled movement, then hold for two seconds and explode up. There will be a detailed article on Explosive Strength regimens here soon.

Still confused? Think of it this way, birds legs, take a thigh for example are darker slow twitch fibers. They stand around and walk all day so they need these muscles to last. Their wings, are white meat, fast-twitch, ready to get them airborne if farmer john comes around looking for dinner. With a proper routine, you too can train to be explosive, increasing your overall athleticism dramatically. Jumping higher, running faster, and being able to be quicker in all movements just gives you an edge that pure bulk does not. So examine your routine, mix it up every so often and train to be explosive. Plyometrics are a great way to train explosive movements, refer to the playlist here for great plyometric exercises.

Until next time.

BMI is calculated via the following formula:

Thus, it is merely a factor of your weight and height. 703 is a conversion factor from imperial to metric units as the formula was originally derived by a Belgium statistician early in the nineteenth century. It is incredibly accurate at predicting the overall state of health of a population, but for individuals it is terrible. Now I will say that the CDC and most physicians use this measurement as a general rule of thumb, but it is still mind boggling trying to figure out why.

What is wrong with it? Scientifically, it makes no sense. It makes no account for body composition or waist size, the primary indicators of obesity level. Using myself as an example, if I go here http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/?htf=6&hti=1&wt=192&bmi=24.4 and enter my body information, 6′0” and 191lbs, it tells me  my BMI is 25.9, overweight. Similarly, many athletes are considered overweight by the BMI calculation. It is not taking into account physiological differences between different people. Some people have more bone mass than others and fit individuals have higher levels of muscle tissue which weigh more than fat.  Back to me, I know for a fact from skeletal muscle analysis that I fluctuate between 11 and 13 percent body fat as percent total of body weight and have a 32 inch waist. Thus, I am not overweight, I am merely fit. The same would hold true for others using this system of analysis. It is a system whose basic logic is flawed. A obese person will always have a high BMI, but a high BMI does not mean an individual is overweight. Like me, they could be fit and very healthy.

It gets scary when premiums for health insurance vary according to your BMI and it makes the United States look rather outdated using a number as nonsensical as BMI. NPR reported on a grocery chain that had different surcharges for health insurance if they had high BMIs. A much more accurate way to assess obesity is by measuring waist circumference and the CDC has it listed on their page as an alternative way to assess your health risks related to obesity. More complex methods are even more accurate but are also more expensive.  These include body composition analyzers and hydrostatic weighing.

Many, including myself, believe that it is because these alternative methods cost more and involve more time and effort that they are not more prevalent in their use and that this is why BMI continues to be the most widely used measure of body health. Just do yourself a favor and if you really want to assess the status of your body either simply measure your waist circumference or buy a cheap pair of calipers or if you want to spend a little more and get a body composition analyzer. Both would give you far more accurate information than BMI can.