It’s Coming!
Just a heads up that I will be having a very special announcement in the next few days here on my blog. Until then, it will be top secret. For coaches/trainers or neuro freaks, I have an announcement at the end here just before the latest study also.

New Videos
I am working on updating my You Tube Channel, so check it out here

The newer videos can be found on the lower left hand side and more to come, so let me know what YOU want to see.

Z Health R Phase in Minnesota this August and September
Just got word from the fine folks at Z Health, that the Z Health level 1 R Phase cert will be here in Minnesota on Aug 14-16 and the second part on Sept 18-20.

If you are a personal trainer/fitness professional in the Twin Cities area, now is a perfect time to sign up for the course. Heck, it is well worth traveling for too as I’ve done almost all of my Z Health certs in AZ, CA or NC. I can honestly say that I have no regrets from doing any Z Health cert and I fully recommend them.

Full disclosure: I don’t work for Z Health and I make ZERO money off of recommending the certs to anyone. I do however, get some money off further certifications for myself. I will be at the 9S Nutrition course they are doing for 5 days in AZ this July to further my own knowledge once again.

Any questions about the R Phase, please feel free to email me directly. If you talk to Z Health directly, tell them hello and that I sent ya. Email me by clicking HEREl

Below is MC’s excellent review of R Phase, so don’t just take my word for it.

What is Z-Health R-Phase: not your daddy’s joint mobility

Z Health Information on this blog

Brand New Study on Fear Response
Below is an amazing new study, thanks to Andrew Schimming for sending it to me.

I’ve been following this research since about 4 years ago now when I was taking an advanced neurology course here at the U of MN. A researcher in the class brought this topic as he was working on it with mice. Fast forward several years and now we have HUMAN data on it!

Why Should I Care?
In general, you can learn by 2 different mechanisms
1) Fear based
2) Positive based

Now this it not in a classical sense, it is just the way I divide them up to illustrate a point.

For fear based learning, it is primarily driven by the amygdala in the brain aka “the fear center.”

An example is to have an instructor teach you a deadlift, but now he says to deadlift 315 lbs for 4 reps or else he will shoot you. Ok, so this is an extreme example, but you will probably be able to do it.

A more positive based learning experience would be for him to take you through the steps of learning a deadlift by using positive exercise cues. So instead of putting a gun to your head or yelling “YOU SUCK”, the coach would show you the CORRECT way to do the lift and address areas of the lift where you can improve.

Both methods will work, but at what cost? Everything has a cost. My argument is that learning via positive based emotion will have a much lower cost and long term will be better. You may deadlift 315 lb for reps, but you may not get out of bed the next day if it is your first time and you are not Andy Bolton (world record deadlift holder who was rumored to have deadlifted 500lbs the first time he ever did the lift–that bastard!).

The amazing part about this study below is that it hints at a mechanism that may decrease the cost of fear based learning. This could have huge implications for post traumatic stress disorder also as the memories stored could be “retrieved” later with a much lower cost (less anxiety, stress, etc).

Anyone Want More? (Coaches Read Here)
If people are interested in coaching cues based on neurology, let me know. I have a whole presentation already completed. It literally took me quite some time to pull all the literature, do some experiments myself, consult with other really smart trainers and steal their ideas (hey, you think I come up with all of this stuff on my own).

If you are interested, drop a note in the comments section or email me directly. I have not seen this material presented anywhere else and feel it is very valuable.

Beyond extinction: erasing human fear responses and preventing the return of fear

Merel Kindt1, Marieke Soeter1 & Bram Vervliet1

Abstract Animal studies have shown that fear memories can change when recalled, a process referred to as reconsolidation. We found that oral administration of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol before memory reactivation in humans erased the behavioral expression of the fear memory 24 h later and prevented the return of fear.

CONCLUSION: Disrupting the reconsolidation of fear memory opens up new avenues for providing a long-term cure for patients with emotional disorders.

Brand new, bleeding edge research that will be published in March! (Epub was Jan 21)

Fruit, vegetable, and fish consumption and heart rate variability: the VA Normative Aging Study.

Park SK, Tucker KL, O’Neill MS, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Hu H, Schwartz J. Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

BACKGROUND: Higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, and dark fish may prevent sudden cardiac death and arrhythmias, but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood.

OBJECTIVE: We examined whether high consumption of fruit, vegetables, and dark fish would be associated with beneficial changes in heart rate variability (HRV).

DESIGN: HRV variables were measured among 586 older men with 928 total observations from November 2000 to June 2007 in the Normative Aging Study, a community-based longitudinal study of aging. Dietary intake was evaluated with a self-administered semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire and categorized into quartiles.

RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounders, intake of green leafy vegetables was positively associated with normalized high-frequency power and inversely associated with normalized low-frequency power (P for trend

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that higher intake of green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through favorable changes in cardiac autonomic function.

My Notes: HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is a way to measure the sympathetic (gas pedal) and parasympathetic (brake) of the heart. In general, standing on the gas pedal is bad. It is one method to perhaps measure a state of “health”
Once again fruits and veggies come out on top! I was surprised that fish oil did not have any effect.

There are mixed data currently with fish oil related to heart arrhythmias (bad heart stuff). I went to the Heart Rythms Society (HRS) conference in San Fran last May and there was an excellent presentation on the effects of fish oil on the heart. The researcher’s conclusion was it currently seems to NOT help with electrical issues, but we really don’t have a ton of data to draw from. My thoughts for now is that fish oil is still good, but as always check in with your doc first.

I am currently looking to see if commercially available energy drinks such as Monster Energy Drink have any effect on HRV. Time will tell.

Welcome again and thanks for stopping by! This issue will not make me any friends with the supplement companies, but I stand by science; so off we go! See the full abstract below and my comments after that.

Thermogenic effect of an acute ingestion of a weight loss supplement.

Hoffman JR, Kang J, Ratamess NA, Rashti SL, Tranchina CP, Faigenbaum AD. Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718, Ewing, New Jersey 08628, USA. hoffmanj@tcnj.edu.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a weight loss supplement on resting oxygen uptake (VO2), respiratory quotient (RQ), caloric expenditure (kcal), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) in healthy and physically active individuals.

METHODS: Ten subjects (5 male, 5 female; 20.2 +/- 1.2 y; 172.2 +/- 8.9 cm; 71.5 +/- 17.2 kg; 17.3 +/- 2.6% body fat) underwent two testing sessions administered in a randomized and double-blind fashion. During each session, subjects reported to the Human Performance Laboratory after at least 3-h post-absorptive state and were provided either 3 capsules of the weight loss supplement (SUP), commercially marketed as Meltdown(R) or 3 capsules of a placebo (P). Subjects then rested in a semi-recumbent position for three hours. VO2 and HR were determined every 5 min during the first 30 min and every 10 min during the next 150 min. BP was determined every 15 min during the first 30 min and every 30 min thereafter. The profile of mood states was assessed every 30 min.

RESULTS: Area under the curve analysis revealed a significant 28.9% difference in VO2 between SUP and P for the three hour study period. In addition, a significant difference in energy expenditure was also seen between SUP (1.28 +/- 0.33 kcal.min-1) and P (1.00 +/- 0.32 kcal.min-1). A trend (p = 0.06) towards a greater utilization of stored fat as an energy source was also demonstrated (0.78 +/- 0.23 kcal.min-1 and 0.50 +/- 0.38 kcal.min-1 in P and SUP, respectively). Significant elevations in HR were seen during hours two and three of the study, and significantly higher average systolic BP was observed between SUP (118.0 +/- 7.3 mmHg) and P (111.4 +/- 8.2 mmHg). No significant differences were seen in diastolic blood pressure at any time point. Significant increases in tension and confusion were seen in SUP.

CONCLUSION: Results indicate a significant increase in energy expenditure in young, healthy individuals following an acute ingestion of a weight loss supplement. In addition, ingestion of this supplement appears modify mood and elevate HR and systolic BP following ingestion.

My Comments
First off, I love that they actually sponsored real research and I do have to give them kudos for that as it is much more than most supplement companies do. So hats off on that part.

The big question is, does it work?

According to the study, it was significantly better at burning more calories. Keep in mind that when they say SIGNIFICANTLY they are talking about STATISTICAL significance and many times this adds up to a hill of beans in the really real world.
“a significant difference in energy expenditure was also seen between SUP (1.28 +/- 0.33 kcal.min-1) and P (1.00 +/- 0.32 kcal.min-1)”

Er, what? They measured for 3 hours, so 1.28 X 180 minutes= 230 calories compared to 1.00 x 180 minutes = 180 calories.
So over 3 hours you would burn a whole 50 more calories. Whoo ha. That would be about an 1/2 of a granola bar at best.

If you took that every day 2xs a day for a week you are at an extra 700 calories per week,so after 5 weeks you may burn an extra pound of fat (3,500 kcal) ASSUMING that this effect stays the same for that entire time (my guess is that it would not, but we don’t know since this was an acute study).
What is in it?
Above is the ingredients. Holy freakin’ stimulants batman!

Cost?
I typed in an Internet search and found it a vitacost for about 34 clams without shipping and gives you 40 servings (3 caps a serving). So at 2 servings per day (6 caps), it will last about 3 weeks. To get to 5 weeks you will need just under 2 bottles and you will be out about $70

My rough math says that at best, 1 pound of fat will cost you $70 and 5 weeks of your time.

Personally, I can find many ways to spend a 70 clams and my first would be to buy a session with a fitness professional and put it towards a kettlebell!

So, does work?
I guess so, but the amount adds up to pretty much nothing; so I will give it a thumbs down for now.

Add to this that I would never personally take stimulants for that long a period of time either. I can just hear my adrenal glands start to shrink.

In the end it is a free country and each person has to make a decision for themselves. I just ask that they look at some science first and at least there is some science to investigate here.

Comments?
Mike N

Kind of a “Duh” study below, but it is always nice to have research back up what we already “think” we know. I have my standard comments at the end as always.

I think it was Dr. Peter Lemon (someone correct me if I am wrong) that stated (paraphrasing here) “just because it is logical doesn’t mean is physioloLOGICAL”

Just in case you need some music to get you through the reading of the following abstract, here is the new video from my boys Five Finger Death Punch. They got their name from a martial arts move. The first 35 seconds may not be work friendly if you are being watched, just a heads up.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfr_nWsXOBg&hl=en&fs=1]

Resistance exercise increases postprandial muscle protein synthesis in humans.

Witard OC, Tieland M, Beelen M, Tipton KD, van Loon LJ, Koopman R. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM.

PURPOSE: We examined the impact of an acute bout of resistance-type exercise on mixed muscle protein synthesis in the fed state.

METHODS: After a standardized breakfast, 10 untrained males completed a single, unilateral lower-limb resistance-type exercise session. A primed, continuous infusion of l-[ring-C6]phenylalanine was combined with muscle biopsy collection from both the exercised (Ex) and the nonexercised (NEx) leg to assess the impact of local muscle contractions on muscle protein synthesis rates after food intake. Western blotting with phosphospecific and pan antibodies was used to determine the phosphorylation status of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), 4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1).

RESULTS: Muscle protein synthesis rates were approximately 20% higher in Ex compared with NEx (0.098% +/- 0.005% vs 0.083% +/- 0.002%.h, respectively, P 0.05).

CONCLUSION: We conclude that resistance-type exercise performed in a fed state further elevates postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates, which is accompanied by an increase in S6 and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation state.

My Notes: This study pretty much tells us what we know already, to build muscle you need to lift some darn weights! I wish they would have used TRAINED subjects for it, but it does give us some insights into the mechanisms behind it.

This was also interesting since it used subjects in a fed state, so they had eaten and were NOT fasted.

Greetings! I have declared today an official De-Lurk Day. If you have enjoyed this blog or you happen to stumble across it via a search or however you ended up here, drop me a comment and say what is up.

Let me know where you are from, your interests, what you enjoy and what you hate. What do you want to see featured on here? What questions do you have?

There are so many people that read this blog from all over the world! Heck, we had our fist letter from Serbia posted just yesterday! Who will be the first person to post a comment from Australia? China?

To give you even more incentive, I will be giving away a copy of Dave Tate’s awesome book “Under the Bar” to a random poster by next week. So get your post/comment up there and maybe you will get a free book shipped to your door. I apologize to our international friends as this will only apply to US and Canada residents. Sorry for the inconvenience.

So say hello, drop a note in the comment line and I look forward to hearing form you! Thanks in advance for your time!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson