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Recently
,Vern Gambetta, one of the most distinguished Athletic Performance coaches of
the modern era, posted a great opinion piece on Facebook this week that argued
about the potential uselessness and dangers of using Olympic lifting as a means
of developing athletic prowess in the athlete. And from an injury perspective I
could not have agreed more.
Read
on for more...
The risks of Olympic
lifting.
To
set the record straight, both Vern Gambetta and I are not against the idea of
Olympic lifting as a means of strength and power development in the non-Olympic
lifting athlete. I just believe that sometimes Strength and Conditioning
Coaches overuse the Clean and Jerk (or Power Clean) and the Snatch as a basis
for the strength and conditioning programs without understanding the inherent
risks involved in such technical movements.
All
training modalities come with some inherent risk. Speed and agility work can
pull hamstrings, high intensity mixed interval training can lead to overuse
tendinopathies, bench/dip/shoulder press can all lead to a host of shoulder
problems etc... However, often what a good Strength and Conditioning coach can
do is ascertain which movements are inherently "self-limiting". What
this means is that if the movement/lift goes wrong, they still have a chance of
pulling out without hurting themselves. A great example is barbell bench press
versus dumbbell bench press. When using a barbell if things go wrong in the
lift the athlete does not have a lot of wriggle room to avoid either dropping
the weight on themselves or wrenching their shoulder joint. With dumbbell bench
press, if things go wrong the athlete can simply drop the dumbbells off to the
side.
This
holds true for Olympic lifting also, particularly the Snatch as it is not
"self-limiting". If things go wrong in a Snatch, often the shoulder,
neck and back will cop a hammering. Just have a look at any site that promotes
"gym fails" on Facebook and you will understand what I am on about.
Not a lot of wriggle room if a Snatch goes wrong.
In
my experience in rugby, I have seen a host of "Olympic lift" injuries
in my time dealing with rugby players. These include injuries such as ruptured
Achilles tendon, torn meniscus (too deep on the catch with the clean), a ton of
lumbar spine disc injuries, traction injuries to the brachial lexus, wrenched
cervical spines and a bunch of wrist impingements. Missing 2 weeks to 6 months
of rugby due to a lift gone wrong can be a very frustrating and annoying issue
for the coaching staff.
Risk
vs Reward
Therefore,
this brings us to the crux of this issue - risk vs reward. What is the inherent
benefit in including such technically proficient lifts into a training program
if the risk of injury is potentially higher than with another
"self-limiting" lift? Is a lumbar disc herniation worth the potential
benefit of doing a heavy power clean? Could they get the same benefit of doing
a jump squat movement instead? The Strength and Conditioning coach would need a
solid basis of argument to include such movements into a program of a
non-Olympic lifting athlete. I am sure countless physiotherapists and doctors
who read this newsletter may philosophically agree with me on this point. As a former Strength and Conditioning coach i have always used the Risk vs Reward formula to determine whether a specific lift should used i a programme. I am always telling my athletes you don't want to get to strong. When you use the Risk vs reward formula you quickly realise that in some case's it just not worth it.
When you think of risk factors for
hearing loss, over-the-counter pain relievers probably aren't among them. But a
Harvard study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that
frequent use of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be an
important contributor. In the study, women who took the pain relievers at least
twice a week were more likely to experience hearing loss, and more frequent
usage increased the risk by up to 24%. The findings are similar to a study of
men and hearing loss, although aspirin was also found to contribute to risk in
that study.
Researchers speculate that the pain
relievers may be damaging the cochlea, the snail-shaped hearing mechanism in
your inner ear. "Ibuprofen can reduce blood flow to the cochlea, which
could result in cellular damage and cell death. Acetaminophen may deplete the
antioxidant glutathione, which protects the cochlea from damage," says
study author Dr. Sharon Curhan, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical
School.
Does this mean you should think twice
before popping a pill for headache or back pain? These medicines do provide
good pain relief for many people. "However, frequent use of these
medications and use over long periods of time may increase the risk of hearing
loss and may cause other adverse health effects. Therefore, it is important to
take these medications mindfully and to limit their use as much as
possible," says Dr. Curhan. As always, talk to your doctor before making
any changes in your medication use.
If you
have read any of my blogs, you know I have certain exercises I can’t stand. I am
always trying to educate people why you should not be doing them and that they are
totally useless. Well I just found another one. The burbee or squat thrust.
The
burpee, or squat thrust, is a full body exercise used in strength training and
as anaerobic exercise. The basic movement is performed in four steps and known
as a "four-count burpee"
Every time
I see a burpee, I just ask myself “why?”. When we think about the idea of
"Start With Why".
Don't you
just look at a burpee and think “why?”.
Don't you
just watch people do burpees and ask why?
I know I
do. Wrist impact, shoulder impact, lumbar flexion. A million opportunities for
bad mechanics with what upside? It's hard? Is that upside?
When you
do them or program them, ask yourself a simple question. Why? Why is this
exercise in my program?
Then try
to find me a really good reason. I'm going to bet you can't.
Then ask,
what are we getting from the burpee? Back to tired again?
It's my
job to choose exercises that are effective. It's also my job to keep my clients
and you healthy.
If you
look at an exercise and see injury risk and then can't really explain why you
do it, that makes it a really bad choice.
Don’t
train hard. Train smart !
It’s hard not to notice that the
range of gluten-free foods available in supermarkets has increased massively in
recent years. This is partly because the rise in the number of people diagnosed
with coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity, and partly because celebrities
such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Miley Cyrus and Victoria Beckham have praised
gluten-free diets. What used to be prescription-only food is now a global
health fad. But for how much longer? New research from Harvard University has
found a link between gluten-free diets and an increased risk of developing type
2 diabetes.
Gluten is a protein found in cereals such
as wheat, rye and barley. It is particularly useful in food production. For
example, it gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and keep its shape,
and providing a chewy texture. Many types of foods contain gluten, including
less obvious ones such as salad dressing, soup and beer.
The same protein that is so useful in food
production is a nightmare for people with coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is
an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly reacts to gluten as if it
were a threat to the body. The condition is quite common, affecting one in 100
people, but only a quarter of those who have the disease have been diagnosed.
There is evidence that the popularity of
gluten-free diets has surged, even though the incidence of coeliac disease has
remained stable. This is potentially due to increasing numbers of people with
non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. In these cases, people exhibit some of the
symptoms of coelaic disease but without having an immune response. In either
case, avoiding gluten in foods is the only reliable way to control symptoms,
which may include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.
Without
any evidence for beneficial effects, many people without coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity are now turning to
gluten-free diets as a “healthy”
alternative to a normal diet. Supermarkets have reacted to meet this need by
stocking ever growing “free from” ranges. The findings of this recent study,
however, suggest that there could be a significant drawback to adopting a
gluten-free diet that was not previously known.
Inverse association
What the Harvard group behind this study
have reported is that there is an inverse association between gluten intake and
type 2 diabetes risk. This means that the less gluten found in a diet the
higher the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The data for this exciting finding comes
from three separate, large studies which collectively included almost 200,000
people. Of those 200,000 people, 15,947 cases of type 2 diabetes were confirmed
during the follow-up period. Analysis showed that those who had the highest
intake of gluten had an 80% lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared
to those who had the lowest levels of gluten intake.
This study has important implications for
those who either have to avoid or choose to avoid gluten in their diet. Type 2
diabetes is a serious condition that affects more than 400m people worldwide –
a number which is certain to increase for many years to come.
Most people generally know that protein
is related to building muscle, even if they don't understand the science behind
it. Protein is a critical macronutrient necessary for maintaining body and helping you keep up with your
workouts. A high-protein diet tends to generate some controversy (how much
protein is too much?), but undoubtedly, a low-protein diet can have negative,
harmful and potentially life-threatening side effects for athletes, which is
why it's almost never recommended for those who are especially active.
Even if a low-protein diet doesn't cause
severe health problems, going too low can still bring about many unpleasant and
unenjoyable side effects. Here are some of the classic symptoms of a
low-protein diet to watch out for.
Low energy
Protein
has 20 types of amino acids, which are essential for moving oxygen around in
the blood. Oxygen is critical to all the functions in the body. Without enough
of these amino acids, the body starts to experience the subtle signs of low
oxygen, which typically manifests itself as low energy levels, fatigue and
tiredness. As a result of not consuming enough protein, you can experience
muscle atrophy, struggle with weight gain and feel a constant need to sleep. On
top of that, low protein has negative effects on everything from your liver to
your skin to your hair to your brain. The resulting damage to your body also
produces the effect of low energy, as your body attempts to function without
enough protein to power your muscles and organs
Loss of muscle mass
For
athletes, undoubtedly the worst symptom of a low-protein diet is the loss of
muscle mass. Protein is necessary for the construction of healthy muscles.
Conversely, when your dietary intake doesn't give your body the amount of
protein it needs to function, it will begin to cannibalize the protein in your
muscles in order to sustain itself. Your muscles begin to atrophy, in the
absence of SARMs, even if you continue to work out and try to build them up.
The loss of muscle leads to slower metabolism and weight gain, creating a cycle
of weight gain that no amount of exercise can effectively combat. The loss of
muscle mass also aggravates fatigue and makes you feel weaker, and it can
produce uncomfortable symptoms like muscle cramps that cause pain and make it
harder to exercise.
Weakened immune system
A low
protein diet can have a harmful, weakening effect on your immune system.
Without the full range of amino acids, particularly glutamine and arganine,
your immune system cannot function effectively. The absence of protein can
deplete your white blood cell count, making it difficult for your body to fight
off infection. Researchers have linked a deficiency in protein to HIV infections,
as the body is less prepared to fight off the virus, leaving you more likely to
become infected.
Edema
With a
low-protein diet, your body may begin to retain water, which can cause weight
gain and uncomfortable bloating; this is called edema. This is because the
amino acid albumin found in protein is normally used to help keep fluids from
passing through the cells of the blood vessels. When you don't have enough of
this amino acid, fluids begin to seep through and escape into your tissue,
flooding it and producing swelling and pain. It typically goes down to your
lower extremities, causing swollen legs, ankles, feet and hands. An increase in
protein would help introduce the albumin your body needs to treat the edema.
Blood sugar problems
Insufficient
protein in your diet can lead to blood sugar problems, particularly if
carbohydrates are replacing the protein in your diet. Protein is broken down
into glucose, which helps your blood sugar, but it is broken down slowly, which
prevents the need for a sudden spike in insulin levels. Protein also keeps you
fuller longer, which helps stabilize blood sugar. An erratic and frequent
change in blood sugar is linked to increased rates of diabetes, whereas regular
blood sugar, controlled by a diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates,
can help keep your blood sugar stable.
Protein is
necessary for virtually all your organs to function well, and for the health of
your muscles. Don't neglect this macronutrient in your diet, or you may find it
harming more than just your workouts. It may being harming your health !
Think about it. Your brain is always “on.” It takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses — it works hard 24/7, even while you’re asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat — and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.
Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from “low-premium” fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.
It makes sense. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain’s enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected. What’s interesting is that for many years, the medical field did not fully acknowledge the connection between mood and food.
Today, fortunately, the burgeoning field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many consequences and correlations between not only what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut.
How the foods you eat affect how you feel
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Since about 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract, and your gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, or neurons, it makes sense that the inner workings of your digestive system don’t just help you digest food, but also guide your emotions. What’s more, the function of these neurons — and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin — is highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome. These bacteria play an essential role in your health. They protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food; and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.
Studies have shown that when people take probiotics (supplements containing the good bacteria), their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and mental outlook improve, compared with people who did not take probiotics. Other studies have compared “traditional” diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, to a typical “Western” diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet. Scientists account for this difference because these traditional diets tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy. They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples of the “Western” dietary pattern. In addition, many of these unprocessed foods are fermented, and therefore act as natural probiotics. Fermentation uses bacteria and yeast to convert sugar in food to carbon dioxide, alcohol, and lactic acid. It is used to protect food from spoiling and can add a pleasant taste and texture.
This may sound implausible to you, but the notion that good bacteria not only influence what your gut digests and absorbs, but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body, as well as your mood and energy level, is gaining traction among researchers. The results so far have been quite amazing.
What does this mean for you?
Start paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel — not just in the moment, but the next day. Try eating a “clean” diet for two to three weeks — that means cutting out all processed foods and sugar. Add fermented foods like kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, pickles, or kombucha. You also might want to try going dairy-free — and some people even feel that they feel better when their diets are grain-free. See how you feel. Then slowly introduce foods back into your diet, one by one, and see how you feel.
When my clients “go clean,” they cannot believe how much better they feel both physically and emotionally, and how much worse they then feel when they reintroduce the foods that are known to enhance inflammation. Give it a try!
Let me ask
you a question: Did you know that there's literally ONE solitary hormone that can either make or break
every weightloss goal you set? In fact,
if you don't learn to control this hormone, you might as well forget about
losing fat at all...it really is that big of a deal.
The hormone?
Leptin.
Leptin
(derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning thin), is essentially the
"master" hormone that more or less controls EVERY other weight loss
hormone in your body... and your ability to burn fat as a whole.You see, when
you have leptin on your side, fat loss becomes easy. When you don't, losing even a single pound
can become virtually impossible.And here's the unfortunate news: just about everyone is unknowingly fighting a
losing battle with leptin each and every time they attempt to lose weight.
You see,
the REAL underlying reason you’ve failed to lose weight in the past isn’t for
lack of trying, you don’t have bad genetics, and there’s nothing physically wrong
with you... the truth is that you failed simply because you didn’t know the
simple ways to control your #1 weightloss hormone... leptin.
With that
said, it's pretty easy to see why so many folks, and perhaps you're one of
them, downright struggle to shed their unwanted body fat, month after month,
year after year.
Let me explain...
First, in
order to burn fat, your body depends on these two things:
1) high
levels of leptin
2) highly
sensitive leptin "receptors" (which acts as the "lock" to
leptin's "key")
Now for the bad news...
Anytime
you go on a diet and reduce your calorie intake, leptin levels plummet and fat
burning is dramatically reduced to a snail's pace.
Why?
Because
leptin's main function is to protect your body against starvation, and in the
midst of decreased food intake (i.e. dieting), your body unfortunately views
your stored body fat as a huge asset to survival. After all,
body fat provides a vast supply of stored energy and warmth, both highly-valued
resources when food is in short supply.
You see,
when you go on a diet, your body isn't aware of your hopes for a slim, tight
waistline or your desire to drop 20 lbs in time for your high school reunion or
summer beach season. In fact, the only
thing it does know is that your calorie intake is now below
"normal"... and to your brain, that's a big red flag.
The result: reduced leptin levels and
dramatically decreased fat burning.
In fact,
research has shown that leptin levels drop by as much as 50% after just 7 days
of dieting. That puts you at only 50% of
your fat-burning potential just one WEEK in to your fat loss plan, and it only
gets worse with each passing day. And if
that wasn't bad enough, with every pound you DO struggle to lose, leptin levels
fall even further, making it even more difficult for you to continue to lose
fat.
Why?
Because,
as mentioned, in the face of calorie restriction, your body views stored body
fat as an asset to survival. The more fat you lose, the more "danger"
your body senses, and the harder it is to strip away that next pound.
Hello, fat loss plateaus!
Now, I
hate to continue to be the bearer of bad news, but the scenario I just
explained is actually only HALF the problem.The other unfortunate reality is
that the vast majority of people are ALSO suffering from a condition known as
"leptin resistance" due to years of high body fat levels and a diet
full of processed foods.Leptin
resistance simply means that even at high levels, leptin is no longer able to
properly signal fat burning to your body, dramatically decreasing its fat loss
effects.That's a
pretty disheartening truth for the fat loss enthusiast, but as I mentioned
earlier, there IS something you can do about it.
Let me ask you this:
What if I
told you there was a drop-dead simple way to keep leptin levels high as you
lose weight, while also increasing your body's sensitivity to the hormone? Is that something you might be interested in?You see,
if you could do that, you could essentially keep your body in a fat-burning
state all the time... high leptin levels = high levels of fat burning... 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
Can you
just imagine how much MORE fat you'd burn if your body was no longer limiting
your rate of fat loss on a daily basis?
A LOT MORE
!
BOTTOM LINE : The best way to keep your leptin levels high
is to eat . Don’t count calories,make calories count.
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