Weight Training and Flexibility

Does weight training increase flexibility? Well the best answer is yes….and….no. Beginning weight trainers will see an increase in flexibility as they typically use lighter weight and are thus able to go through a full range of motion during exercises. More experienced lifters can experience the same if making a conscious effort to lower weight and ensure that they are performing exercise through a full ROM. What we typically see as folks become more experienced in weight training, they increase weight and the number of repetitions, which results in a loss of flexibility. Because of the heavier weights, athletes are not able to achieve a full range of motion and full extension of the limbs being targeted is not an option. Heavy weight training can increase the size of muscles and it also promotes a shortening of muscles, both of which limit flexibility.

So that being said, if weight training is a part of your current fitness program, it makes sense to take some time to work towards increased flexibility. I suggest coming up with a simple yoga or stretching routine that you engage in at least 3 times per week.

Naturally Increase Testosterone Levels

As I enter into my mid-30’s one area that males my age to begin becoming more concerned with is the decreasing levels of testosterone in our bodies.  There are no shortage of dietary and sports supplements on the market these days that promote large claims promising to increase testosterone levels and therefore reverse the effects of aging in us guys.  They claim to promote lean muscle building, fat loss, increased sexual performance and more energy.  As with most sports supplements out there, I am weary of not only the claims, but as to whether these chemically produced products are even remotely safe to consume.  Most supplements end up being flushed out of the body relatively quickly and you typically only end up with some pretty expensive urine, not bulging muscles and six-pack abs.

So I decided to look into some ways to naturally increase testosterone production, both through types of workouts and from a nutritional standpoint.  So let’s start with the type of training that males should be doing in order to produce higher levels of testosterone.  A 1998 research study published in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found that performing heavy resistance training increases testosterone levels in males for up to 2 hours after a workout.  Exercises that target large muscle groups such as bench presses, squats, dead-lifts, power cleans, military presses and leg presses are all highly effective movements you should work into your training plans.  In terms of repetitions, I shoot for 4-10 reps per exercise for 3-4 sets, while increasing the weight for each subsequent set.  The final set should be taken close to failure with the 4^th repetition.  You should include one to two compound exercises (like those listed above) into each workout and then add another 2-3 more isolating type exercises into the mix, totally 4-5 total movements per body part.  Isolating exercises are those movements that target a specific muscle or group such as leg extensions (quadriceps) or bicep curls (biceps).  One thing to keep in mind in terms of training is to make certain that you get an adequate amount of rest in between workouts.  Shoot for 8 hours of sleep per night (if you have a life like mine that can be a real challenge) and I suggest only lifting weights 4 times per week, meaning you will have 3 full days each week to recover from heavy lifting.  Overtraining can cause the body to produce and release an excess of Cortisol, which lowers testosterone.  Napping has also been shown to increase the release of growth hormone, which also helps build lean muscle mass, decrease fat, etc.

In addition to training, certain types of foods and nutrients have been linked to increased testosterone levels in males.  Zinc is important in the natural production of testosterone because of its ability to prevent it from being converted into estrogen.  In fact, one article I read reports that zinc can convert estrogen into testosterone.  Both seafood and nuts are high in zinc content.  Research has also found that eating healthy fats increases the natural production of testosterone.  A study conducted by Harbor University in 2005 found that a test group of males that ate a high-fat, low-fiber diet had a higher testosterone level after 8 weeks than those in another group that ate a low-fat, high-fiber diet.  This might be worth considering during the off season when you are more willing to add a bit of weight, both muscle and fat.  In terms of eating fats, try to consume healthy fats such as Omega-3 and monounsaturated fats.  Good sources include fatty fish (salmon and tuna), nuts, seeds, avocados, peanut butter and non-hydrogenated oils (my favorites are coconut and olive oils).

Vitamin-C can help lower Cortisol levels and helps reduce the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen.  It is recommended that you get around 1000 mg of Vitamin-C per day.  Vitamins A, B, and E are all also necessary in the production of testosterone.  I personally think that it is worth investing in a quality multi-vitamin to take daily just to ensure you are getting an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. 

Alcohol consumption has been linked to lower levels of testosterone, even as low as 24 ounces per week.  Alcohol decreases the amount of zinc in the body as well as making it more difficult for the liver to breakdown estrogen.  Many of the pesticides used on fruits and vegetables will actually cause the body to increase production of estrogen.  Make certain to wash all fruits and vegetables well before consumptions and if you will be eating the skin of a fruit of vegetable (such as apples and grapes) consider purchasing the organic variety.

Working to lower your experiencing of stress can also assist in maintaining higher levels of testosterone, as stress triggers the release of Cortisol, which again reduces your ability to produce testosterone.  Working out is a proven means of lowering stress, so just another reason to be working out and engaging in physical activities more often.  I am a big advocate of a daily yoga practice, even if only 10-15 minutes per day, as a means of stress reduction.  Check out my yoga postures throughout the blog page for examples of poses that are simple and effective at lowering stress, while increasing strength and flexibility.

So here are just a few ways to go about creating an environment within our bodies to increase the natural production of testosterone.  Give them a shot and again I seriously hope you reconsider spending money on chemical supplements making exaggerated claims to raise testosterone levels.  Instead use that money to hire a well educated trainer that can help you design an effective workout and nutrition plan that will assist you in gaining muscle, losing fat and increasing energy levels.  Hope this helps and thanks for reading!!!!!

Embrace Change!

If the best answer you can honestly come up with as to why you do something a certain way is because it's the way you have always did it, it's time to reevaluate your reasoning!  Training is no exception.  In order to make continual gains in fitness, we have to be open to change.  The body responds in a positive manner to change.  So if you are doing the same workout you did 30 days ago, change some things up.  Increase the number of sets, increase weight, focus on the negative phase during weight training exercises, increase duration, switch up the order in which you do your workout, reverse your cycling route, do something that's different and I promise you'll see some results and break through those training plateaus that are common.  Not to mention you might actually find that you love working out again :)

Strength and Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes

One area of debate that relates to sports training is whether or not resistance training is beneficial for endurance athletes?   Those that oppose this type of training of course say that it is not beneficial and that the time spent resistance training would have been better spent doing sports-specific workouts.  I want to start out by stating that my position on it is that ALL athletes can benefit from a well-designed and well-executed resistance and weight training program….period.   I am a big proponent of weight training as a means to increase performance and I look at it like this: The stronger that I am, the more capable I am to perform and compete at my best.  I apologize if this upsets you but POWER=SPEED, and folks resistance training builds power.  

It is well documented that resistance training helps to strengthen the tendons, ligaments, and stabilizer muscles involved in the sport-specific movements we engage as endurance athletes.  Some of those stabilizer muscles are those found in the knees, back, neck, ankles and most importantly the core.  Running and cycling put a lot of strain on joints and they endure a tremendous amount of pounding during training.  By working to strengthen all areas of the body (again those ligaments, tendons, etc.), the body will be more capable of absorbing the punishment placed on it during mile after mile of endurance training, while at the same time helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Weight and resistance training also builds muscle, which in turn has a positive effect of our basal metabolic rates (the amount of energy used to sustain life while at rest), meaning that our bodies will become more efficient at burning calories and stored fats.  This translates into an increased potential for fat loss and therefore weight training assists us in maintaining a lower body fat percentage, which also helps improve endurance performance.   There is still that fear that weight training produces bulk, which will in turn slow endurance athletes down.  Unless you are planning on adopting weight training and nutrition plans designed for body building, you have nothing to worry about in terms of gaining too much muscle!  Any gains in muscle resulting from a weight training plan designed for increased endurance performance will certainly present an athlete with more benefits and performance gains than limitations resulting from the potential for a small amount of weight gain.  Remember that athletes that have overly muscular physiques are training and eating in a manner to produce those types of results.  By balancing endurance and resistance training, your physique will also be balanced.  Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers are both utilized during swimming, biking and running, therefore it is important to work towards improving the strength and efficiency of both muscle fiber types.  The way I see it is I want to create the best possible environment I can for my muscles to become strong, while at the same time doing what I can to perform my best.  By having a well rounded training program that includes all my endurance workouts, with a healthy dose of strength and flexibility training thrown in, I feel that I am giving my body the exercise it needs to perform optimally. 

Resistance training programs for endurance athletes should have two areas of focus (1) Explosive power (such as the power used in sprinting) and (2) Strength endurance which give us the ability to resist fatigue and can allow us to exercise for a longer period of time before becoming fatigued.  So how do you go about designing a weight and resistance program for endurance athletes?  Let’s actually start at the end…. Weird right?  What I mean is at the end of a race season is the best time to start a weight training program.  First off now is the time to begin working to increase strength and after a lengthy race season with tons of sport-specific training, your mind and body will love the change of pace that weight training presents.  So after recovering for a couple of weeks after the race season, I begin getting more serious about resistance training and my initial focus is on gaining muscle and building strength.  I use simple power producing exercises such as squats, overhead presses, incline bench presses, barbell curls, dead-lifts, etc. to increase strength and stimulate growth.  These types of exercises (those that in essence work the entire body at one time) actually cause the body to produce more testosterone which in turn helps us build muscle.  Remember do not freak out here, I promise you are not going to turn into Arnold!  I am talking a natural and healthy release of testosterone and growth hormones, not to the degree needed to build body builder type muscles. 

I suggest doing 3-4 exercises per body part (i.e. chest, shoulders, arms and legs), do 3-4 sets per exercise of descending repetitions (start with a weight you can do 10 reps, then increase the weight until you can only do 8 the next set, then 6, then 4).  I suggest doing chest Monday, arms Tuesday, legs on Thursday and shoulders on Friday for a total of four weight training workouts per week.  I shoot for a total workout time of at least 45 minutes and no more than 1 hour.  During the power building phase, I allow plenty of rest in between sets, in the range of 30 seconds to a minute.  This type of weight training should correlate with the base and endurance phase of your endurance training. 

As you shift into the building phases of your endurance training, I suggest shifting the focus of your weight and resistance training into building more explosive type power and strength endurance.  You can achieve this through engaging in 1 to 2 plyometric type workouts per week (performing plyometric exercises of box jumps, vertical jumps, skipping, power jumps, sprints and jumping rope).  Shoot for 2 to 3 weight training workouts where you use less weight during exercises, but increase the number of repetitions so that the intensity remains high.  At this point in your training, I no longer recommend during the power and strength type exercises and instead suggest using more weight training machines verses free-weights.  Perform leg extensions, hamstring curls, chest fly machines, and arm machines during resistance training workouts.  Continue doing 3-4 exercises per body part, 3-4 sets per exercise, yet now the repetitions should fall in the range of 15 to 20 per set.  This style of weight training will increase endurance as well as helping the athlete to gain muscle definition.

During the peak phase of your sport training, I recommend reducing weight and resistance training to no more than 2-3 times per week, just as a way to maintain strength and the musculature you have gained.  The intensity in your training should come from the sport-specific exercises at this point.  Just like in the other workouts during this period, the duration of weight training sessions should drop to 20-30 minutes per workout.

To carry over from my last blog post, athletes must make certain to consume an adequate amount of protein.  It makes no sense to weight train if you are not going to fully reap the benefits of muscular growth and strength.  Without adequate protein in the diet, these increases cannot take place.  Protein is also necessary in the recovery process and weight training increases the need for muscle recovery in order for the muscles to grow stronger.  Weight and resistance training can offer a huge boost in overall athletic performance so use it and train smart!

Importance of Protein in the Athlete's Diet

Protein is especially important in the diet of athletes. Amino acids are combined to form complete proteins and enzymes in the body, and if certain amino acids are missing, the protein chains cannot be completed. Certain amino acids are classified as “essential” meaning that the body cannot produce these independently, and therefore it is necessary that we get these amino acids through the foods that we consume. This is why adequate consumption of complete proteins (proteins containing all essential amino acids) is an absolute must for athletes, which put their bodies through hard and intense workouts. Keep in mind that the muscles primarily consist of protein. If essential amino acids are lacking in the diet, protein synthesis can be reduced or even stopped for a period of time. It is possible that the body is getting the calories that it needs to function, yet not getting the essential nutrients that it needs to properly function and perform to its highest level. Protein is needed for muscle growth to take place and for recovery to occur after workouts. So with all of this in mind, why would we continued to train our hardest, yet limit our abilities to receive the greatest rewards for our hard work by not eating adequate amounts of protein? Endurance athletes that train hard need more that the current RDA guidelines for protein. Athletes should be looking at consuming ¾ g of protein per pound of body weight, which is a simple as multiplying your weight in kilograms by 1.7 to get the grams of protein needed daily. This amount will help to offset the negative effects that inadequate protein consumption can cause such as extended recovery times, muscle weakness and suppressed immune system. Two vegetarian sources of complete proteins are quinoa and eggs (which I am a big advocate for…see my earlier post on benefits of eggs). So if you train hard, do yourself a favor and get your protein on people!!!!!!

Health Risks Associated with Sedentary Living

So I am currently working on my Fitness Trainer certification through the International Sport Science Association, which if you’re ever looking to get your certification, might I suggest going through this particular program.  After months (well honestly years because I have been reading about their programs and trainers since the 1990’s) I decided to go with their program in hopes of doing some trainer work in addition to my full time job as a mental health professional.  Anyway, one thing that was highlighted in my recent studies is the fact that 25% of all Americans live a sedentary lifestyle (meaning no exercise).  What makes this even worse is recent studies have demonstrated that living a sedentary life is just as detrimental to the body as smoking 1 ½ packs of cigarettes a day! 

Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States with estimates that 1/3 of the adult population is currently obese.  What’s worse in this case is the fact that more and more children and young people are within the obese category.  Studies have demonstrated that children that are obese have a substantially higher risk of heart disease as an adult.  Poor dietary choices, lack of education, and lack of exercise are what I see as the main causes of obesity in our country.  In my opinion I personally feel that while genetics can play a small part in a “predisposition” to being overweight, it has more to do with the choices the individual makes.  My entire family is overweight, with most members falling into the obese range and at one point in my adult life, I too battled with obesity.  That experience demonstrated to me that if I could lose weight, then so to could the rest of my family.  I made the choice to do something about my weight (meaning eating a clean diet and adding exercise to my daily routine). 

Another area that I just wanted to hit on in this blog post is the ever rising healthcare costs in our country.  Being overweight and non-active almost certainly doubles the need for medical care as we age, and more and more insurance companies are denying coverage or increasing premiums for those people that are obese.  I too have some experience with this being that prior to losing weight, I was facing being put on both cholesterol and blood pressure medications, for what the doctor said would potentially be for the rest of my life.  It was amazing that within 60 days of exercising and losing weight, both my blood pressure and LDL level were within the healthy range.  That honest-to-goodness is all it took to avoid being put on medications for the rest of my life!  So that being said, I became a huge advocate for health and fitness and I hope that we all can become passionate about taking our health and wellness seriously.  Even if you are fit and eat a well balanced diet, go out and inspire others to join the wellness movement!  We can all use a little motivation to push ourselves to the next level, regardless of where we are!

Proper Triathlon Racing Rules to Keep in Mind When Competing

These were shared by Glory Hound Events, one of the larger race organizing groups here in WNC.  I thought these were important rules to keep in mind for both safety and to ensure you're not penalized while racing!

Bar End Plugs – Nothing will bring your race to a more abrupt halt than not having plugs in the ends of your handlebars.  Officials look at every bike in transition for these to be in place.  Those who don’t have them will be disqualified so check your bike before you leave home.  If you don’t have an actual plug, wine corks or quarters with duct tape will work in a pinch.  You can also check with the bike techs at the race that should have them.

 

Drafting – For those who train with groups, it is a natural tendency to jump on somebody’s wheel to draft but in triathlon racing, it is a big no-no.  The rule is pretty simple: Stay 7 meters behind the bike in front you (about 4 bike lengths).  If you want to pass, make sure you do it.  It is then the bike you passed responsibility to be out of the 7-meter zone.  If someone passes you, it is your responsibility to get out of their zone.

 

Head Phones – Headphones are unfortunately common at road races but they are forbidden in triathlons.  The easiest way not to get dinged for this infraction is to not bring them to race in the first place.

 

Pacing – As tempting as it is to go out on the run course after you’ve finished and find your friend or family member to run in with them, don’t do it.  It is called pacing and it is illegal.  Let them run their own race and you can see them at the finish line.

 

Run Numbers – It is amazing how many people leave T2 without their run number.  The rule is your number must be visible on your front when you cross the finish line.  We recommend getting a race belt and putting it on top of your running shoes in transition.

Making Fitness a Part of Your Daily Routine

One of the biggest complaints that I hear in terms of why people are not working out regularly is that they do not have time.  Obviously being a father, full time social worker, competitive age-grouper triathlete and part time student working on my Fitness Trainer Certification, I get that time can be limited.  This being the case for a lot of us, it simply means that we need to become more creative with working exercise into our everyday lives.  Once you can get to the point that fitness and wellness become a part of your lifestyle, it is easier to do this.  Some simple ways to start working at this can be using part of your lunch break to walk around outside the office, take a yoga ball into the office to use to sit on in place of a chair (been shown to burn up to 65-85 calories per hour alone), jog around the parameter of the playing field at the kids soccer practices, make the weekend days to go hiking with the kids, or playing active games like hide-and-seek with the children (which is healthy for both you and the kids).  The way that I structure my workouts into the day begin at lunchtime.  Instead of going to eat, I typically do a swim or weight training session.  Then after work my wife and I take turns working out, so I’ll use that time to get in my run or a session on the elliptical machine.  I then do my bike workouts on the indoor bike trainer at night when everyone else goes to bed.  Afterwards I stretch and do my yoga routine.  It’s all about making fitness a priority.  I promise that once it becomes a part of your everyday, you’ll do what you have to do to get in your workouts, otherwise your day will seem off balance, which is a good thing…..it should feel that way because physical health is an equal ingredient in the wellness pieJ 

So here is my challenge to you if you do not think that you have time to exercise.  Write down everything that you do in a day.  This includes travel to work, hygiene routines, talking on the phone, watching TV, reading….whatever it is that you do in a day.  Then evaluate this list and see if there are things that can be shortened, combined, shared with the spouse, or otherwise eliminated (ex. Instead of watching 2 hours of TV a day, maybe shoot for one hour, or get a treadmill and watch TV while working out).  Dare I even suggest getting 7.5 hours of sleep instead of 8 if that means you can squeeze in a 30 minute run?  You get where I am going here, its again as simple as making your health as much of a priority as you do other things in your life that you can take a bit of time from here and there to carve out some time to exercise. 

So get creative!  We all get 24 hours in a day, yet those of us that make fitness a priority and strive to live a healthy lifestyle make time each day to exercise.  I promise that soon after you start a consistent exercise routine, you feel much more energized and much more capable of getting the most out of each and every day!