He also runs a vegan supplement company, check that out here
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
New profile: Dean Howell vegan footballer
He also runs a vegan supplement company, check that out here
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Ladders: An easy way to increase volume
Here is a quick way if you feel a need for more volume in your training, it is fairly easy to do. It can work with either a person on their own or a pair as long as they are similar strengths, it is quick & easy to include (although it is slightly long winded to describe).
First let's look at some ways to increase volume in your workout. The easiest ways are to either increase the amount of sets you do or increase the repetitions in each set. The draw-backs are that if you increase a workout by an extra set, then volume goes up quite a bit as a set can be 5-10 or more repetitions & so that is a big jump in reps in one go (ladders also increase reps, but the set ranges are very, very different & so it kind of dodges the issue a bit in my view). If you increase the repetitions per set then you usually have to lower the weight, so you get less intensity in a workout & so less adaptation (ladders can dodge this one as 'sets' in this case is of a different design). You can also do things like cut down on time between sets (ladders does this, as you will see). There are other ways to increase volume, such as a 'finisher' set, that is doing as many as physically possible (while still keeping good form), drop sets, & many other ways to increase volume, so ladders are another variation to stick into your toolbox.
So, now you what ladders are NOT, just what are they? Let's start with an easy example. In this example you are a relative beginner, you can do let's say 6 chin-ups if you go to failure (failure in this case is failure in form, not the total inability to move yourself by heaving & swinging as many people do when doing chin-ups). So, we want you to do 16 reps, that would be a hard slog & you would probably be exhausted by using a normal rep-set scheme. But here is the rep scheme using ladders:
Basic ladders
(If you are doing this with a partner, simply take turns -you go, they go etc...if you are on your own imagine a friend is going & simply rest for that long then go again - be honest, do not loaf!).
first you do 1 rep, then the friend does 1 rep
next you do 2 reps, then the friend does 2 reps
then you 3 reps, then the friend does 3 reps
You then do 4 reps, then your friend does 4 reps
Next you do 3 reps, then your friend does 3 reps
Then you do 2 reps, then the friend does 2 reps
& finally you do 1 rep, then your friend does 1 rep
There you go you have stayed 2 below your absolute max ability & still managed an easy 16 reps. Can you see why it is called "Ladders"? First you go up, then you come down the ladder, each time you are either one step up or one step down the ladder. It's an easy way to increase volume.
OK so we have the basic ladder sorted in our minds, how do you progress using this model. This looks complex, but once you have it in your mind it makes perfect sense. Let's stick with the ladder that goes up to 4 reps. We want to add volume to this system. If we just go up to 5 reps on the way up we go from 16 reps to 25 reps! A BIG leap in reps. Doing an easy movement that may actually be possible, but something like chinning, this usually won't happen, so this is the method I use:
So, week 1 you get
a/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1
the next session go
b/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
the session after
c/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1
the one after
d/1, 2 , 3, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
the one after that
e/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
next you go
f/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
then
g/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1
then
h/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
then
i/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
finally
j/1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
You see how you first work up to a set of 2 at the highest number, then 3 at the highest number, then go up a number & start the whole process again. This is for exercises you can only add a single rep to each session, so you can add more & if that is the case simply use the every other one in the list (so go a, c, e, g, i for example, or a, d, then h whatever works for you).
There is a simple way to work out how many reps each ladder is, you just times the top number by itself, that's how you know a ladder going up to 4 has 16 reps (4x4), a ladder going up to 6 has 36 reps (6x6) & a ladder going up to 10 has 100 reps (10x10). See how if you can get say 12-14 reps of a movement, you could build up to a frightening amount of reps very quickly using this method, your 'tonnage' (the amount of weight lifted per session) could sky rocket!
So there we have basic ladders, with a progression you can use. Let's look at some progressions & variations you could use if you wanted to.
Ascending ladders
Simply a ladder but only going up, so with our example you would do 1, 2, 3, 4 & stop , notice you get a lot less you get 11 reps rather than 16, so it could be used to get you started on using ladders if you are used to very low volume.
Descending ladders
I thing you've guessed this one, it is simply 4, 3, 2, 1 again it's 11 reps rather than 16reps, so has less volume than a full ladder, but might be of use.
Even ladder
Use only the even numbers. So, 2,4,2 so in this case 8 reps would get done.
Odd ladder
Use only the odd numbers. So, 1,3,3,1, so 8 is the same in this case.
Inverted ladder
This is like starting at the top, going down, then back up. So, you would go 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4. This is the hardest variation as you start & end on the highest reps you can do. I don't usually do this variation, but as I thought of it, I will add it in as you never know in some specific circumstances it might be of use to someone?
Summing up
Really the variations are limited to your imagination. I could continue to imagine an endless variety of variations for you, but you get the idea. This method has been used by the military in some countries, who use it to keep up there pull-up numbers (in some cases being able to do 20 pull-ups at any time is required in some branches of the service in some countries). If you trained doing set after set of 20 rep pull-ups you would find that when you needed it, you could be so fatigued that you were unable to complete the task. So, the introduction of ladders allowed the military personnel to still keep the ability they needed without over-training or fatiguing themselves too much. At least that is the version of how they came about that I have heard, I don't promise that it is true, but I thought you might be interested.
As a final note ladder do not have to be only used on chin-ups or pull-ups. You can use them on dips, shoulder pressing, bench pressing, squats (ouch!), deadlift (if you feel the urge for high volume deadlifting!), I've not used them on curls, dumbbell kickbacks (to be honest I haven't even done a dumbbell kickback in years), or many other things, but they should work with anything that isn't designed for single rep work (so do NOT use them on the Olympic lifts) & most kettlebell work is designed better for reps under time rather than this method in my view [NOTE: If you are interested I can do you a quick how to on kettlebells using density training which is a great way to increase your kettlebell volume (& to prepare for the RKC or HKC if that is your goal), again post below & ask & I'll be happy to do it for you.]
First let's look at some ways to increase volume in your workout. The easiest ways are to either increase the amount of sets you do or increase the repetitions in each set. The draw-backs are that if you increase a workout by an extra set, then volume goes up quite a bit as a set can be 5-10 or more repetitions & so that is a big jump in reps in one go (ladders also increase reps, but the set ranges are very, very different & so it kind of dodges the issue a bit in my view). If you increase the repetitions per set then you usually have to lower the weight, so you get less intensity in a workout & so less adaptation (ladders can dodge this one as 'sets' in this case is of a different design). You can also do things like cut down on time between sets (ladders does this, as you will see). There are other ways to increase volume, such as a 'finisher' set, that is doing as many as physically possible (while still keeping good form), drop sets, & many other ways to increase volume, so ladders are another variation to stick into your toolbox.
So, now you what ladders are NOT, just what are they? Let's start with an easy example. In this example you are a relative beginner, you can do let's say 6 chin-ups if you go to failure (failure in this case is failure in form, not the total inability to move yourself by heaving & swinging as many people do when doing chin-ups). So, we want you to do 16 reps, that would be a hard slog & you would probably be exhausted by using a normal rep-set scheme. But here is the rep scheme using ladders:
Basic ladders
(If you are doing this with a partner, simply take turns -you go, they go etc...if you are on your own imagine a friend is going & simply rest for that long then go again - be honest, do not loaf!).
first you do 1 rep, then the friend does 1 rep
next you do 2 reps, then the friend does 2 reps
then you 3 reps, then the friend does 3 reps
You then do 4 reps, then your friend does 4 reps
Next you do 3 reps, then your friend does 3 reps
Then you do 2 reps, then the friend does 2 reps
& finally you do 1 rep, then your friend does 1 rep
There you go you have stayed 2 below your absolute max ability & still managed an easy 16 reps. Can you see why it is called "Ladders"? First you go up, then you come down the ladder, each time you are either one step up or one step down the ladder. It's an easy way to increase volume.
OK so we have the basic ladder sorted in our minds, how do you progress using this model. This looks complex, but once you have it in your mind it makes perfect sense. Let's stick with the ladder that goes up to 4 reps. We want to add volume to this system. If we just go up to 5 reps on the way up we go from 16 reps to 25 reps! A BIG leap in reps. Doing an easy movement that may actually be possible, but something like chinning, this usually won't happen, so this is the method I use:
So, week 1 you get
a/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1
the next session go
b/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
the session after
c/1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1
the one after
d/1, 2 , 3, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
the one after that
e/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
next you go
f/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
then
g/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1
then
h/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
then
i/1, 2 , 3, 4, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
finally
j/1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
You see how you first work up to a set of 2 at the highest number, then 3 at the highest number, then go up a number & start the whole process again. This is for exercises you can only add a single rep to each session, so you can add more & if that is the case simply use the every other one in the list (so go a, c, e, g, i for example, or a, d, then h whatever works for you).
There is a simple way to work out how many reps each ladder is, you just times the top number by itself, that's how you know a ladder going up to 4 has 16 reps (4x4), a ladder going up to 6 has 36 reps (6x6) & a ladder going up to 10 has 100 reps (10x10). See how if you can get say 12-14 reps of a movement, you could build up to a frightening amount of reps very quickly using this method, your 'tonnage' (the amount of weight lifted per session) could sky rocket!
So there we have basic ladders, with a progression you can use. Let's look at some progressions & variations you could use if you wanted to.
Ascending ladders
Simply a ladder but only going up, so with our example you would do 1, 2, 3, 4 & stop , notice you get a lot less you get 11 reps rather than 16, so it could be used to get you started on using ladders if you are used to very low volume.
Descending ladders
I thing you've guessed this one, it is simply 4, 3, 2, 1 again it's 11 reps rather than 16reps, so has less volume than a full ladder, but might be of use.
Even ladder
Use only the even numbers. So, 2,4,2 so in this case 8 reps would get done.
Odd ladder
Use only the odd numbers. So, 1,3,3,1, so 8 is the same in this case.
Inverted ladder
This is like starting at the top, going down, then back up. So, you would go 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4. This is the hardest variation as you start & end on the highest reps you can do. I don't usually do this variation, but as I thought of it, I will add it in as you never know in some specific circumstances it might be of use to someone?
Summing up
Really the variations are limited to your imagination. I could continue to imagine an endless variety of variations for you, but you get the idea. This method has been used by the military in some countries, who use it to keep up there pull-up numbers (in some cases being able to do 20 pull-ups at any time is required in some branches of the service in some countries). If you trained doing set after set of 20 rep pull-ups you would find that when you needed it, you could be so fatigued that you were unable to complete the task. So, the introduction of ladders allowed the military personnel to still keep the ability they needed without over-training or fatiguing themselves too much. At least that is the version of how they came about that I have heard, I don't promise that it is true, but I thought you might be interested.
As a final note ladder do not have to be only used on chin-ups or pull-ups. You can use them on dips, shoulder pressing, bench pressing, squats (ouch!), deadlift (if you feel the urge for high volume deadlifting!), I've not used them on curls, dumbbell kickbacks (to be honest I haven't even done a dumbbell kickback in years), or many other things, but they should work with anything that isn't designed for single rep work (so do NOT use them on the Olympic lifts) & most kettlebell work is designed better for reps under time rather than this method in my view [NOTE: If you are interested I can do you a quick how to on kettlebells using density training which is a great way to increase your kettlebell volume (& to prepare for the RKC or HKC if that is your goal), again post below & ask & I'll be happy to do it for you.]
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
REVIEW: Sportique range of bodycare products
Every now & again you come across a product you never even knew existed before. Long time readers will know that we have been fans of v-pure a DHA/EPA pill made from algae (NOT from fish - in fact the fish eat this algae to get the oil in the first place). Anyway, a company called nuique have taken over distributing v-pure & this company also do the sportique range of body care products.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I looked about on their site & found that they had some 'weird stuff', stuff I'd never heard of like 'Warming up cream', so I thought to myself "What the hell is warming up cream & why would I need it? I warm up- hell before I workout these days I foam roll, stretch, then do activation/mobility before I even touch a weight!" So, as I had some contact with the people producing v-pure I decided to see what the whole deal was?
It turns out that nuique make a whole range of creams & oils that are suitable for vegans & all barre one is suitable for drug-tested athletes (the 'Get Going – Warming Up Cream' contains geranium which can give a false positive in a drugs test- thanks to Pat from the BDFPA for pointing that one out). So, I got a few different products to try out & I will go through all the one's I have tried. I will have to get a non-drug tested athlete to test out the 'Get Going – Warming Up Cream' as I can't test that one myself. Although I haven't got a review of that product yet, I have been able to review several of the products that I thought would be directly related to anyone interested in training or exercise of any sort.
Warming up cream
This was the first one I tested. I have used chilli style creams before, but never really thought of them as a pre-workout product. In the past I have used them to aid muscle soreness & recovery. This cream does all that. In fact if you want to REALLY heat an area I accidentally discovered the benefit of applying warming up cream to yourself then going to bed on an electric blanket - talk about warming! By the next day my muscle soreness was totally gone, but it was a weird feeling as it felt pretty hot! One thing I found about this is that it is a slow building heat. As I said I've used other chilli based warming products before & this one acts more slowly than some I've tried before, so do not make the mistake of my partner & slap on another layer or two, it will work, just not as fast as you expect. Now let's talk about what it is named after warming-up, I'd never thought to use anything like this as part of my warm-up. So, anyway, during this recent cold weather I've been slapping it on & then starting my warm-up & by the time I'm ready to hit the weights I can feel the very first hints of warming on the joints. For me I used it where it was needed so if I was doing a lower body session, the knees got some & the hips, if I was really going to hammer the upper body, then it would be applied to elbows, shoulders & if necessary wrists got a rub of the cream. Using it as a pre-work out warm-up cream I didn't use it on pecs, or much of the upper back (I did use it on the lower back-especially before a squat or deadlift session). I actually found it pretty good - this could all be in my head, but the muscles & especially the joints feeling warm, made the workout really go well. I wasn't on my first set thinking, "Hell, that joint still doesn't feel ready", the blood was there! I have only used this in colder weather so far. I will give it a go as temperatures go up, but I'm betting that it works a lot better in the colder weather as a pre-workout muscles & especially joint warmer.
This product does have another use. I found it useful for muscle soreness, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness - also called PEMS by some people), tired achy muscles & some forms of joint issues (I'm thinking the more arthritic type of joint pain); some over-use injuries are actually better served by another of their products in my view the 'Cooling cream'.
Cooling cream
This is about the opposite of the 'warming up cream". It does what it says on the packet really. It cools an area down. If you suffer from overuse issues, sprains etc, the quick application of a cooling product can help. If you use ice, for some areas applying this after your ice treatment can improve the effect I've found. My partner also used it on some localised swelling when she wore stupid shoes, it worked wonders with the swelling vanishing really quickly (obviously I can't guarantee it will work on every type of swelling & any cuts should be avoided as should any personal or delicate places - that goes for the warming-up cream as well). I use this less often than the warming up cream myself, but if you suffer from overuse issues, or related issues then this could become your good friend! Also as the temperature goes up I might actually find myself using this a bit more after training on those tired out muscles, but we'll have to wait for some warm weather to test that one out!
Foot gel
This is supposed to be anti-fungal & anti-bacterial, but as I am fungus-free & my feet do not smell too bad (which implies not too many stinky bacteria), but sometimes I am on my feet for some time & so having a foot cream is ace. It is supposed to be 'calming of the nerves', I can't vouch for that, but I can say that especially if you have someone to apply this cream for you, it is an ace way to renew those tired old feet. I actually found that it works two ways. 1/ It relaxes tired feet, but 2/ If you come home after a long day, but need to go out in the evening, it can actually energise those feet & let you go out for an evening so you can dance, walk or generally have a good time on newly refreshed feet.
Warming up oil
I must confess I haven't used this one pre-workout even though it's a warming-up oil. One of my hats is I'm a massage therapist & I have used it to massage a few people. The oil has a nice texture & you will need to use less than you expect when you massage (either yourself or others). It is a warming oil, so it can be used on the joints of arthritic clients & the warming effect & increased blood supply can be very beneficial. It can also be used by athletes to aid recovery as increased site specific blood flow does appear to aid recovery (that's personal, anecdotal evidence I haven't actually researched that, it just seems to be the case). Also for really tired people this will really knock them out if you give them a softer massage. They will often fall asleep on the couch or make it home & really sleep soundly with the benefit of the massage & the warming oil. I wouldn't use this & gentle massage if you've had a long day & plan to go out, but if you have specific arthritic or muscular pain areas, then rubbing some on before you go out could help relieve the pain enough to enjoy the evening (just remember to wash your hands well as there is few things worse than rubbing chilli into your eyes or if male using the bathroom & getting chilli where you REALLY don't want it!)
There were some things that looked really good, but have bee products in, so they are ok for vegetarians but not us vegans. They are all obvious as they have stuff like beeswax in them, so a quick read will tell you if they are ok for you to use. I have got some 'Get Going – Warming Up Cream', but the review on that will have to wait until I can find a non-drug tested athlete to give it a go. But those are the products I've tried so far - I'm guessing it is going to be similar to the warming-up cream? There are a whole load of things in the sportique range from aftershave balm to deodorant so it is certainly worth checking out if you are after any body care products, as I said a few aren't vegan, so check the ingredient (& if you would like the look of a product, but it isn't vegan then let them know, if they get enough communication they may well be able to reformulate if the demand is there?). The stuff I have tried though I definitely like & I have found with the warming up cream a new way to improve my warm up especially on colder days & the cooling product seems ace for swelling, sprains & overuse issues where cooling down is the best approach.
For the full sportique range of body care check them out here
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Vitamin D - a growing consensus
There does seem to be a growing consensus within the scientific community that not only are many in both the UK & US suffering from chronically low vitamin D levels1,2,3, but that vitamin D also could affect muscular performance4,5. Bear in mind that 'vitamin' D is actually a hormone & the term vitamin is actually inaccurate. There also appears to be receptors both in muscles & the genes themselves for vitamin D, this could have an effect on injury & training6,7,8. It has also been noted that low vitamin D levels affects the infiltration of fat into muscle tissue (how that could affect performance isn't really understood at all yet!)9. As well as the fat in muscles at least one study has found an inverse relationship to various bodyfat measurements (as well as BMI), so the lower the vitamin D levels, the higher the fat in at several ethnic groups10. One thing that may affect this fat level association with vitamin D is the apparent concordant levels of vitamin D & androgenic hormones in the body11, that is as vitamin D levels go up in the summer, so do a persons androgen levels, at least in males (in females I'm not sure this has been tested?). It is not totally proven that it is vitamin D or some other factor that raises androgenic levels in the males tested, so it's not a totally proven theory, but not worth dismissing either. There is also yet another interesting use of vitamin D for the athlete. Vitamin D is an anti-inflammatory12 & so can aid in recovery (all exercise causes inflammation, to recover from exercise the inflammation must be allowed to recover & the tissue has to have time to rebuild just a little more strongly than before, that is the basic idea of how it is thought we build muscle). So, having a high level of vitamin D may speed up the recovery process?
We are not going into the beneficial effects outside of athletic performance here, but it should be noted that high vitamin D levels have been linked to lessening the chances of autoimmune disease, lessening the chances of cancer, lessening the chances of disease generally & improved overall health (avoiding all of the aforementioned is probably a good idea for any athlete I would have thought)
So, when you take an overview of vitamin D & it's possible effects on muscular performance, injury reduction, effects on hormone levels,body composition effects & general overall health benefits, I'd say that you don't really have any reason not to take some precautions to make sure you are getting enough. If you feel you are getting enough I would suggest that you get a vitamin D test, these days they are cheap (get the 25 OH Vitamin D test there are others that don't show how much active vitamin D you have in you).
Lastly I will just add (putting on my nutritionist hat) to try to eat foods that contain vitamin K. So eat your greens everyday for vitamin K1, but just as important think about finding a vitamin K2 source - natto is my choice for vitamin K2 as vitamin K2 works with vitamin D. Also foods containing magnesium are vital for proper vitamin D usage & so are the things like boron, zinc & vitamin A (eat foods high in β-carotene to get all the vitamin A you need). Lastly, there is some concern about whether to use vitamin D2 or vitamin D3, I did talk a little about that issue here, but it isn't a referenced piece as it was basically just reviewing a product, not the sort of piece to clog up with references. I personally have moved over to the vegan form of vitamin D3 simply because some studies say vitamin D2 & vitamin D3 are the same, while others say vitamin D3 is superior, but none say that vitamin D2 is superior, so having vitamin D3 at the least is the same as having D2, while it 'could' have added benefits, so the choice is yours. If you would like me to look into the whole vitamin D2 Vs vitamin D3 thing with a referenced piece covering all the whys & wherefores then post a quick reply below & I will do it for you.
So, if you are like me, in the western world & still in winter, then NOW is the time to get vitamin D if you have not been taking it as you have been out of the sun for months now & your levels will remain very low until summer comes & you get out in the rays (to get vitamin D though you need to be without sunscreen, so if you wear sunscreen or avoid the sun then vitamin D is doubly important for you!).
Two companies that sell vitamin D (& just to make the point I get nothing for saying this, I have just used both these companies at some point) are vitashine who sell the new vitamin D3 (made from algae & vegan society approved), you can get either a spray (5 squirts equal 1,000IUs of vitamin D) & a 5,000IU pill formulation, the other company is viridian vitamins who make a vitamin D2 1,000IU pill formulation. As I said both these companies are one's I have used & both make excellent products.
Last warning please check if getting vitamin D3 pills or sprays as vitashine is the only company I know making guaranteed vegan vitamin D3, every other company get their vitamin D3 from animal sources, so double check before buying vitamin D3 (saying 'vegetarian' will usually still mean the vitamin D3 comes from an animal source, so be warned!).
References:
1/ Solar UV doses of adult Americans and vitamin D3 production
2/ Diet, environmental factors, and lifestyle underlie the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adults in Scotland, and supplementation reduces the proportion that are severely deficient.
3/ Recommended summer sunlight exposure amounts fail to produce sufficient vitamin D status in UK adults of South Asian origin.
4/ Vitamin d and athletic performance: the potential role of muscle.
5/ Athletic performance and vitamin D.
6/ Vitamin D and athletes.
7/ Vitamin D and its role in skeletal muscle.
8/ Vitamin D and Human Skeletal Muscle.
9/ Vitamin D Status and Its Relation to Muscle Mass and Muscle Fat in Young Women
10/ Association of Plasma Vitamin D Levels with Adiposity in Hispanic and African Americans
11/ Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men
12/ Vitamin D status, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and the immune system
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Veggies diets, likelihood of death & longevity
This started as post on the messageboard, but it got so long I decided to post it on here....
Here's a few abstracts I've been looking at lately. The question: Are you likely to live longer with or without meat? I think you may have an idea of the answer to that one, so let's just look at a few I found interesting:
First one is a 7 year study of 10,943, this one is interesting because it is based on people who are 'into health food', so the usual rebuttal of it is clean living veggies V average meat eaters doesn't hold true. It is likely the meat eaters are 'healthy eaters' too, so it's healthy eating meat eaters V healthy eating veggies. There was a negative association between being veggie & ischemic heart disease, so the simple inclusion of meat appeared to clog your arteries, also the 'fibre card' that is sometimes played "Oh it's just that veggies eat more fibre" was shown NOT to be true, fibre was not a factor in this study. There was also an interesting finding that showed regular wholemeal bread lowered mortality from cerebrovascular disease, which is an interesting finding which could be looked into further, lastly it confirmed veggies had lower mortality from heart disease than even health conscious meat eaters! Abstract here (from there you can read the full text for free)
This study compares the components of a veggie diet to beneficial effects - less chance of heart disease, less chance of stoke, reversal of angina & heart disease, less chance of cancer. The negatives & I quote here "...There are few adverse effects, mainly increased intestinal gas production and a small risk of vitamin B12 deficiency...." So, there is a possibility you may fart a bit more (which can occur at the start but generally decreases as you adapt to the diet) & make sure you take a multi with B12, that was it really, in this study. I'd also include maybe a focus on getting your omega 3 fatty acids (ground flax, walnuts or hemp seeds first thing & if you want an algae based DHA/EPA pill some other time during the day is an option for hard training athletes & older people). Again here's the abstract (you can again find the full study for free from there)
Here's the third study that peaked my interest today - this one had a line that jumped out at me, here it is "...Studies have shown a lower than expected death rate in vegetarians with a significant association between meat eating and mortality from all causes in men...", it then goes on to list a whole pile of reasons why being veggie is better. I could only view the abstract for this one, but that one line kind of says it all for me - you can eat meat, but you have to start facing up to the fact that you are doing yourself harm over the longer term. Here's the abstract for that one.
If it wasn't for the power of the meat & dairy industry I think scientists would be starting to reach a consensus that giving up meat is the way to go for maximum health, both of ourselves & for the planet generally, but so much of the eating of animal products seems to be tied into habit, tradition, money & people having to face up to the fact that not only have they been doing damage to themselves, but individuals from other species & even the planet itself.
Finally this was not a definitive review of the research out there, just a few studies I stumbled across today, there are many, many more that catalogue a plethora of benefits that giving up animal products can bring to a person, just searching through the literature & it jumps out at you the amount of positive research about people who give up animal products, it's kind of sad that the message is lost & people wander off down blind alleys like the whole paleo, Atkins & now those anti-fruit diets that are springing up - science is pretty clear that fruits, veggies & grains are all beneficial for virtually everyone (Ok there may be some people with issues with certain fruits, veggies or grains, but we're talking generally right now), but people still cling to these fad diets that have no basis in fact they use vague things like "Oh people 10,000 years ago ate like this, so it must be right!" - No, even if people did eat like that 10,000 years ago (which isn't proven), they also lived in caves, in extended family groups where the dominant male probably beat the weaker family members into compliance ,lived short, brutal lives & could only ate food they could walk to find. Does that sound like you (yes, you sitting in front of your computer, having a green tea from India, munching on a pineapple from the tropics, digesting that stew you made with foods from many, many places that was delivered to your door after you ordered it on the internet yesterday). I prefer research - that shows interesting stuff like a direct link between bean intake & longevity (see here for that one), so paleo-guy how come that bean your avoiding appears to be the best thing you can eat for a long life? How come Mr Atkins (who died an obese man with heart issues) would have you swear off beans when they force upon you the 'side effect' of a longer life? Why would you avoid fruit when it is shown to reduce inflammation, increase health, lower the chances of some cancers & have zero negative effects upon the body? Sometimes you just want to scream "Wake up, you are making yourselves live short lives, hurting the planet & causing the death of other creatures!" the only benefit is a few seconds of a taste as it is chewed, that is it! The rest is just negatives. I'm off on one again so I'd better end it there, hopefully you get the idea though.
Bill Pearl veggie & certainly not paleo (despite the outfit :-)
Also still alive & still training well into old age
First one is a 7 year study of 10,943, this one is interesting because it is based on people who are 'into health food', so the usual rebuttal of it is clean living veggies V average meat eaters doesn't hold true. It is likely the meat eaters are 'healthy eaters' too, so it's healthy eating meat eaters V healthy eating veggies. There was a negative association between being veggie & ischemic heart disease, so the simple inclusion of meat appeared to clog your arteries, also the 'fibre card' that is sometimes played "Oh it's just that veggies eat more fibre" was shown NOT to be true, fibre was not a factor in this study. There was also an interesting finding that showed regular wholemeal bread lowered mortality from cerebrovascular disease, which is an interesting finding which could be looked into further, lastly it confirmed veggies had lower mortality from heart disease than even health conscious meat eaters! Abstract here (from there you can read the full text for free)
This study compares the components of a veggie diet to beneficial effects - less chance of heart disease, less chance of stoke, reversal of angina & heart disease, less chance of cancer. The negatives & I quote here "...There are few adverse effects, mainly increased intestinal gas production and a small risk of vitamin B12 deficiency...." So, there is a possibility you may fart a bit more (which can occur at the start but generally decreases as you adapt to the diet) & make sure you take a multi with B12, that was it really, in this study. I'd also include maybe a focus on getting your omega 3 fatty acids (ground flax, walnuts or hemp seeds first thing & if you want an algae based DHA/EPA pill some other time during the day is an option for hard training athletes & older people). Again here's the abstract (you can again find the full study for free from there)
Here's the third study that peaked my interest today - this one had a line that jumped out at me, here it is "...Studies have shown a lower than expected death rate in vegetarians with a significant association between meat eating and mortality from all causes in men...", it then goes on to list a whole pile of reasons why being veggie is better. I could only view the abstract for this one, but that one line kind of says it all for me - you can eat meat, but you have to start facing up to the fact that you are doing yourself harm over the longer term. Here's the abstract for that one.
If it wasn't for the power of the meat & dairy industry I think scientists would be starting to reach a consensus that giving up meat is the way to go for maximum health, both of ourselves & for the planet generally, but so much of the eating of animal products seems to be tied into habit, tradition, money & people having to face up to the fact that not only have they been doing damage to themselves, but individuals from other species & even the planet itself.
Finally this was not a definitive review of the research out there, just a few studies I stumbled across today, there are many, many more that catalogue a plethora of benefits that giving up animal products can bring to a person, just searching through the literature & it jumps out at you the amount of positive research about people who give up animal products, it's kind of sad that the message is lost & people wander off down blind alleys like the whole paleo, Atkins & now those anti-fruit diets that are springing up - science is pretty clear that fruits, veggies & grains are all beneficial for virtually everyone (Ok there may be some people with issues with certain fruits, veggies or grains, but we're talking generally right now), but people still cling to these fad diets that have no basis in fact they use vague things like "Oh people 10,000 years ago ate like this, so it must be right!" - No, even if people did eat like that 10,000 years ago (which isn't proven), they also lived in caves, in extended family groups where the dominant male probably beat the weaker family members into compliance ,lived short, brutal lives & could only ate food they could walk to find. Does that sound like you (yes, you sitting in front of your computer, having a green tea from India, munching on a pineapple from the tropics, digesting that stew you made with foods from many, many places that was delivered to your door after you ordered it on the internet yesterday). I prefer research - that shows interesting stuff like a direct link between bean intake & longevity (see here for that one), so paleo-guy how come that bean your avoiding appears to be the best thing you can eat for a long life? How come Mr Atkins (who died an obese man with heart issues) would have you swear off beans when they force upon you the 'side effect' of a longer life? Why would you avoid fruit when it is shown to reduce inflammation, increase health, lower the chances of some cancers & have zero negative effects upon the body? Sometimes you just want to scream "Wake up, you are making yourselves live short lives, hurting the planet & causing the death of other creatures!" the only benefit is a few seconds of a taste as it is chewed, that is it! The rest is just negatives. I'm off on one again so I'd better end it there, hopefully you get the idea though.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Strength is fun!
...or it should be!
I like lifting weights, for me that is fun. You may come with me, train & think "I don't like this", it may be that the way I train I may not 'do it' for you. Maybe you have to try out other ways of lifting weights, maybe Olympic Weighting, maybe strongman training, maybe highland games, maybe circuit training using machines is 'your thing'. To be honest it doesn't really matter what it is as long as you have fun & enjoy doing it. It may be that using weights at all might not be of interest to you, maybe you prefer bodyweight training, or some form of fight training like wrestling, boxing or MMA, or maybe you like to run, swim & bike or play soccer?
Whichever activity you like, I do suggest you aim at getting the strongest you can without adversely affecting your sport as that will make you a better athlete, but how you get there....well there are 101 ways to achieve that & it should be fun. Now 'fun' is relative in some ways, if fun for you it doing a heavy squat, then it really isn't 'fun' doing that, the achievement is the fun, the getting there is the fun, the actually few seconds of the lift, let's be honest, that isn't fun in anything other than a really weird, warped version of 'fun' that some of us develop. When I boxed I knew fun was not getting hit in the face, but getting hit in the face was part & parcel of the whole fun of getting into the ring, so I suspect ultra-distance runner have 'fun' at certain part of their race, but probably not as they get to a really hard part, but that 'really hard part' makes the completion of the run that much more 'fun' for them as they look back.
They say "You have to find your poison" & with all of us we find fun in our own special style of discomfort, for some lifting low reps very heavy will be their fun (that's my fun right there), for others it will be doing higher reps & really 'feeling the burn', still others will find doing gymnastic movements are the way they enjoy themselves, some will enjoy the world of machines, while other will insist upon free weights, some will go for kettlebells, while other will pick up rocks & tree trunks. None of these are wrong, doing 100 push-ups is a great feat, deadlifting twice your own bodyweight is a great feat, throwing a hammer for a long distance is a great feat, doing an iron cross on gymnastic rings is a great feat - so if you have tried one type of training & thought "This isn't for me", then think again, go out & try lifting a big rock, find some kettlebells & give them a go, try machines or free weights, find a coach & learn some Olympic weightlifting, try out bodyweight exercise & some gymnastics. Find the training that is hard, but fun for you, then keep at it & really achieve a decent level of fitness & strength at that activity.
I believe that there is probably something for everyone out there, you just have to find it, so if you have so far failed to be motivated & are still thinking "I SHOULD exercise", then you are in the wrong mind set. Yes, you do have to exercise, but you should not be doing anything you loath doing or you will not commit long term to it & exercise is a long term commitment. Conversely, if you find an activity you enjoy you will not have to drag yourself to every session, you will be planning it, looking forward to it & be eager to get to it, THAT is the mentally you should attempt to achieve. This attitude will almost guarantee success for you. Just like you don't force a kid to play, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to exercise, it should be a form of play, if it's not then you are going wrong somewhere?
Oh yea & the final point, once you get 'strong' at your chosen activity it is fun, it really is :-)
I like lifting weights, for me that is fun. You may come with me, train & think "I don't like this", it may be that the way I train I may not 'do it' for you. Maybe you have to try out other ways of lifting weights, maybe Olympic Weighting, maybe strongman training, maybe highland games, maybe circuit training using machines is 'your thing'. To be honest it doesn't really matter what it is as long as you have fun & enjoy doing it. It may be that using weights at all might not be of interest to you, maybe you prefer bodyweight training, or some form of fight training like wrestling, boxing or MMA, or maybe you like to run, swim & bike or play soccer?
Whichever activity you like, I do suggest you aim at getting the strongest you can without adversely affecting your sport as that will make you a better athlete, but how you get there....well there are 101 ways to achieve that & it should be fun. Now 'fun' is relative in some ways, if fun for you it doing a heavy squat, then it really isn't 'fun' doing that, the achievement is the fun, the getting there is the fun, the actually few seconds of the lift, let's be honest, that isn't fun in anything other than a really weird, warped version of 'fun' that some of us develop. When I boxed I knew fun was not getting hit in the face, but getting hit in the face was part & parcel of the whole fun of getting into the ring, so I suspect ultra-distance runner have 'fun' at certain part of their race, but probably not as they get to a really hard part, but that 'really hard part' makes the completion of the run that much more 'fun' for them as they look back.
They say "You have to find your poison" & with all of us we find fun in our own special style of discomfort, for some lifting low reps very heavy will be their fun (that's my fun right there), for others it will be doing higher reps & really 'feeling the burn', still others will find doing gymnastic movements are the way they enjoy themselves, some will enjoy the world of machines, while other will insist upon free weights, some will go for kettlebells, while other will pick up rocks & tree trunks. None of these are wrong, doing 100 push-ups is a great feat, deadlifting twice your own bodyweight is a great feat, throwing a hammer for a long distance is a great feat, doing an iron cross on gymnastic rings is a great feat - so if you have tried one type of training & thought "This isn't for me", then think again, go out & try lifting a big rock, find some kettlebells & give them a go, try machines or free weights, find a coach & learn some Olympic weightlifting, try out bodyweight exercise & some gymnastics. Find the training that is hard, but fun for you, then keep at it & really achieve a decent level of fitness & strength at that activity.
I believe that there is probably something for everyone out there, you just have to find it, so if you have so far failed to be motivated & are still thinking "I SHOULD exercise", then you are in the wrong mind set. Yes, you do have to exercise, but you should not be doing anything you loath doing or you will not commit long term to it & exercise is a long term commitment. Conversely, if you find an activity you enjoy you will not have to drag yourself to every session, you will be planning it, looking forward to it & be eager to get to it, THAT is the mentally you should attempt to achieve. This attitude will almost guarantee success for you. Just like you don't force a kid to play, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to exercise, it should be a form of play, if it's not then you are going wrong somewhere?
Oh yea & the final point, once you get 'strong' at your chosen activity it is fun, it really is :-)
Moving servers
I've just been told that our server is closing down at some unspecified point in the next couple of weeks. So, we have to find a new server, move everything over, the email has to be moved etc. So, over the next few weeks we will be having some time off-line I expect as we move over, test stuff out & whatever other stuff you need to do to move servers (no, I don't know either)?
Most of the pictures for this blog are hosted via our website, so some might disappear for a bit (but they will be back!), the main vegan bodybuilding website might go down & emailing will have to be through veganbodybuilding@gmail.com just to make sure emails don't bounce (just for a week or so). There will still be the VBB facebook group (don't forget the free weekly contests we are running over there!), the messageboard & email list will still all be there so plenty of ways to keep up if we vanish for a few days.
The blog may look a bit weird if the pics vanish for a bit, but it's only while we move everything over to a new home (once I find one!).
Thought I'd better let you all know.
Most of the pictures for this blog are hosted via our website, so some might disappear for a bit (but they will be back!), the main vegan bodybuilding website might go down & emailing will have to be through veganbodybuilding@gmail.com just to make sure emails don't bounce (just for a week or so). There will still be the VBB facebook group (don't forget the free weekly contests we are running over there!), the messageboard & email list will still all be there so plenty of ways to keep up if we vanish for a few days.
The blog may look a bit weird if the pics vanish for a bit, but it's only while we move everything over to a new home (once I find one!).
Thought I'd better let you all know.
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