Fat is Now Good

So after 30 odd years of demonizing fat, it looks like we have turned the corner! After last night's Lau Gar session I headed to the climbing wall to meet a few mates for a bit of bouldering fun.

I had fasted all day (no problem with hunger pangs), and returned home to enjoy my usual fast-breaking meal of liver and steak lightly fried in chicken fat, steamed broccoli and cauliflower topped with (full fat) grated cheese and a side order of boiled eggs.

For the fat-phobic who recoil at the use of chicken fat, full fat cheese and eggs in my diet I should point out that I was BodPodded at 10.3% body fat last week. I do no 'cardio' as such although the Lau Gar does go in to cardio territory but seldom for more than two minutes 'under tension'. So much for conventional advice on lowering bodyfat!

What really got me choking on my refined-carb free feast was an advert I saw on TV. It came with the link to a program called FatSatNav. This hit me for several reasons not least because of another story appearing in the papers over the weekend.

The first point I'd like to make is that we really do seem to be coming to a point in nutrition where the media (and so popular consciousness) is isolating refined carbohydrate as enemy number one rather than fat (with salt coming in third). And secondly, the thrust of FatSatNav is clearly an attempt at the rehabilitation of fat (albeit the WRONG fat!).

So what does FatSatNav advise? Here are their (Unilever's) Fat Facts:

1. Fat Fact: Margarine can be a great source of mono - and polyunsaturates (like Omega 3 and Omega 6), and a good source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E Fat
2. Fact: Most margarines contain only trace amounts of trans fats (bad ones!), whereas butter typically contains 3% trans fats
3. Fat Fact: Some margarines can contain up to 78% less saturated fat than butter
4. Fat Fact: Four slices of bread spread with margarine could contain as much as 15% of your daily requirement of good fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and as little as 5% of your daily calorie intake or GDA for calories
5. Fat Fact: Switching from butter to margarine as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle can help to manage your cholesterol level

An alternative view can be found here posted by Stefan who offers a firm riposte to the idea that margarine is in anyway healthful. ('Foodie-types' might be interested to learn that margarine was invented by the French, who are known for their passion for food!)

There is also a debate embedded in the piece devoted to saturated fat. Sadly it is ruined by talk of 'consensus' rather than robust science. Worse still is the lame idea of 'everything in moderation' that permeates several of the addresses.

Dr John Briffa is involved in the debate and gives a sound performance but the whole piece from beginning to end is steeped in fat-phobic verbiage. The questions section at the end is a bloody travesty of editing where there seems to be favourable bias given to those speaker in support of the fat-phobic line.

Briffa is the only one that actually seems to refer to specific scientific literature whereas the rest give either anecdotal evidence or vague references to 'scientists think this...', 'we know that saturated fat does that...' and '...we have 50 years of evidence the other.... Sadly his contribution seems to have been limited in the debate so much (presumably because he was not 'on-message'), he comes across as a bit isolated and out-of-step with the others.

There is some agreement amongst the panel about giving percentage breakdowns of fats, sugars etc...but I have addressed the difficulties of maintaining a daily running total of how much you have eaten of a particular food group before. It will not work!

For me, I just follow my paleo compass. If you can eat it raw, eat it. Eat seasonally. Sprint, throw and climb a bit. Walk and carry frequently.

I do take heart that the usual 'fat message' is HAVING to adjust and that the spotlight of obesity is being retrained on refined carbohydrate and HFCS. Mahatma Ghandi said "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." We have left first base!

Tuesday Training

I hooked up with an old mate today and we decided to do a broad based workout. The sun was shining and so we tried to make it as 'outdoors' as possible.

Warm Up (5 mins)
Main (25 mins)
1) Field Sprints (3x10+s)

2a) Pillar Jumps (3x8)
2b) Partner Medicine Ball Throws (3x8 per arm)

3a) Muscle Up On Rings (3x6)
3b) Ring Rows (3x8)

We kept things pretty brisk and up-tempo. The field sprints were brutal - or rather the last 30m of the last set put me right in the hurt-locker. I left the gym feeling 'oiled' but not burnt out. A good session and nice to train with a partner for a change.

This evening I did some deadhanging (7s load, 3s rest x 7 sets) for each of the three main grip positions on the lounge doorframe (don't tell Mrs A).

The Rules

Chris at Conditioning Research has turned up a paper that offers a broad critique of training methodologies. It seeks to debunk a lot of the complexities proposed around optimal training including rep schemes, periodisation etc...

I like it because it gives me some support to my idea of whatever I do, I want to hit my body from all angles and get out of the gym in 30 minutes!

I am in a great position to assess the impact of this advice on body composition and will post further on this in the near future. In the meantime it looks like I will be doing even less in the gym! Bwahahaha! ;)

The paper itself is published by the Journal of Exercise Physiology online (Official Journal of The American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) , ISSN 1097-9751 An International Electronic Journal Volume 7 Number 3 June 2004)

The Least You Need to Do!

• Select a mode of exercise that feels comfortable throughout the range of motion. There is very little evidence to support the superiority of free weights or machines for increasing muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
  
  • Choose a repetition duration that will ensure the maintenance of consistent form throughout the set. One study showed a greater strength benefit from a shorter duration (2s concentric/4s eccentric) and one study showed better strength gains as a result of a longer duration (10s concentric/4s eccentric), but no study using conventional exercise equipment reports any significant difference in muscular hypertrophy, power, or endurance as a result of manipulating repetition duration.
  
  • Choose a range of repetitions between three and 15 (e.g., 3-5, 6-8, 8-10, etc.). There is very little evidence to suggest that a specific range of repetitions (e.g., 3-5 versus 8-10) or time-under-load (e.g., 30s versus 90s) significantly impacts the increase in muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
  
  • Perform one set of each exercise. The preponderance of resistance-training studies shows no difference in the gains in muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance as a result of performing a greater number of sets.
  
  • After performing a combination of concentric and eccentric muscle actions, terminate each exercise at the point where the concentric phase of the exercise is becoming difficult, if not impossible, while maintaining good form. There is very little evidence to suggest that going beyond this level of intensity (e.g., supramaximal or accentuated eccentric muscle actions) will further enhance muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
  
  • Allow enough time between exercises to perform the next exercise in proper form. There is very little evidence to suggest that different rest periods between sets or exercises will significantly affect the gains in muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
  
  • Depending on individual recovery and response, choose a frequency of 2-3 times/week to stimulate each targeted muscle group. One session a week has been shown to be just as effective as 2-3 times/week for some muscle groups. There is very little evidence to suggest that training a muscle more than 2-3 times/week or that split routines will produce greater gains in muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.

Less IS more.

Friday's Movement Based Workout

I had intended to work out yesterday lunchtime, but the word on the street was that it was going to be much sunnier today. Now THAT is the kind of decision that should dictate WHEN you work out!

As predicted it was sunny but still nice and cool. I hacked about with my intended workout so that it was outdoor based. The workout was a bit longer than normal - largely due to the sunbathing aspect!

Warm Up (5 mins)
Main (35 mins)
1) Field Sprints (5x10+s)

2a) Walking on Hands (4x60%RM)
2b) Kneel Backs (4x60s)
2c) Frog Planch (4x15s)
2d) Cuts LHS (3x30s)

3a) Feet Elevated Inverse Row (4x7 60%RM)
3b) Tuck Lever (4x15s)
2c) Cuts RHS (3x30s)

The planche and levers were well within RM - around 60%. I will start to look at reintroducing the Tuck Planche and extending my legs on the levers, next week.

Evening Session
I tagged another workout on my return home this evening. Captain Kid wanted to run about and given the field sprints earlier, wesimply ran around playing chase for 20s or so. I also go to use my new tug-o'-war rope!

1a) Chase (4x20s)
1b) Ring Routine (x4 light)
1c) Ring splits 4x8

I interspersed this sequence with several sets of ladders, changing between the three main grips. I did a total of about 7 sets of laddering and finished with a two sets of rope climbs and rope lock-offs.

Table Climbing

The Stairgator post got me thinking about some of the other exercises I used to do around the house. At the time they were 'exercises' in as much as they were taxing physically, but they were hardly part of some formal program - they were more a form of play or general 'cocking about'....and there is one activity that is due a recall....

In my late teens and early twenties there was one activity that was popular amongst climbers - particularly drunk climbers, that gives a full body workout. It is a 'pull and press' workout but will test your core strength, climbing strength and your grappling skills!

Now, a decade on, this self same exercise would appear to be a fantastic training exercise that complements a set of Stairgators (the alcohol is optional).

Google the words 'table' and 'climbing' and the forthcoming result-set will yield lots of links to South Africa and Table Mountain. But, right at the top of the list in pride of place you will find a YouTube clip dedicated to the black art of 'Table Climbing'. The only kit that is required is a sturdy (preferably freestanding), table. A table for four or six is optimal but masochists may wish to opt for a banquet sized structure. Although table shapes may vary, a square or rectangular table is traditional!

Table Climbing
If you have never tried it before, Table Climbing looks to be a simple exercise in cocking about, but there are rules:

1. Start from the top of the table.
2. Leave the table top (head or feet first), at one of the table's narrowest ends.
3. You must climb BETWEEN the legs of the narrow end.
4. At NO point must you touch the floor (and the elite may wish to avoid touching the table's legs)
5. Traverse along the underside of the table to the opposite end.
6. Ascend back on to the top of the table.
7. Heel hooks and hands may reach around the broad side of the table - but no other part of the body.
8. The 'athlete' has completed one circuit when successfully back on top of the table.

Here is a link by way of example. The technique in this clip is pretty lame (and it is generally considered bad form to 'broadside'), but hell, they look like they are having fun. One of the guys nails it just after the four minute mark.

Here is a second link showing that even small tables can be used.

No iron. No need for specialist equipment. Short, brutal, functional and intense. No guesses for what Captain Kid and I will be doing this weekend!

;)

Stairgators

I thought I would bring you a new exercise/strength test - which is unique in that it will work your shoulders and core, but is not available to people in bungalows and harder for those who live in a Victorian terrace! Stairgators!

This exercise is part of a game I used to play as a child, and is something that was re-inspired by watching Flash working out how fast she could negotiate her way down the stairs (she settled for belly down and feet first).

1. Start on the landing of your house.
2. Get down on to all fours (feet and hands - not the knees).
3. Walk down the stairs on all fours (but do NOT use your knees), head first.
4. When at the bottom of the stairs (that means both hands and feet are off the stairs), reverse the process walking back up the stairs on all fours, feet first.

This is one of those exercises that works the core as well as the more obvious muscles. You'll find your thighs might also ache after a set. You might want to do the 'reverse' version before you try the full Stairgator, just to assess your abilities.

It is much harder than you think and way more fun than you can imagine. It is also highly productive.

Take care with it and above all enjoy!

Tuesday Session

I am trying to crank up the volume a bit and am also playing around with sets, reps and rests. I aim for a total number of 35 reps per muscle group but as I can hit muscles from plenty of angles given the nature of my training, my biggest objective is simply to complete a few exercises per muscle and be out of the gym in 30 minutes. This causes me to cut sets accordingly and increase density.

Warm Up (5 mins)
Main (25 mins)
1a) Assisted Pistols(3x12)
1b) Frog Planche (4x15s)
1c) Cuts (30s Per Side)

2a) Headstand Leg Raise (3x8)
2b) Assisted Handstand PressUps (3x12 steps)

3a) Kneel Backs (3x15s)
3b) L-Sit Stretch (3x 60s)

4a) Tucked Body Lever (4x15s)
4b) One Arm Lowers (One Per Side)

The OALs were single reps and pretty easy. In fact, only the pistols and Assisted HeSTPUs milked me! Rests were kept short (hence the smaller combinations of exercises).

That night I performed a Stairgator to test my upper body strength. It was tough but not that bad (at least as not as bad as I remember).