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

Happy Monday to all of you! I trust your weekend was a good one.

I spent all day in the lab on Friday (6am-7:30pm) and stopped by Chipotle for a nice chicken burrito (hmmmm, burrito) and watched an episode of Myth Busters on DVD! Ahhhhh, the good life. I was in bed by 9pm. Mr Excitement lives next door, not here this weekend.

Z Health Case Study
Saturday I worked around my townhome for awhile and had a Z Health session with a client in the afternoon that went well.

Here is how it went down:

We got her left glute(butt muscle) to fire with Z Health ankle work on the left side. There are 4 spots in the foot/ankle that correspond to muscles in the hip. If the ankle is goofed up, it will start to shut down the muscle in the hip to prevent you from exerting any more high forces on your ankle. as your body is trying to protect itself. Once the ankle area is “open” with some Z Health mobility work, many time the muscles in the hip fire much much better. The technically name for this is “arthrokinetic reflex” and is taught in the Z Health R Phase cert. See this post below for more information.

Jammed Joints and Muscular Weakness–Stability and Mobility

We got her abs to work much better also! She could not do a strict sit up, and after some specifc exericse for her head (yes I know that sounds very weird), she could do a sit up!

She was having some issues getting her right tricep to fire, and we got it working pretty good with a combination of neck (C7) mobility, radial nerve glide with elbow and shoulder movement, and motor point work. For information on nerve flossing, see this post below

Nerve Flossing Z Health Style: I Can Rotate My Neck

Z Health Question and Answer
Hi Mike! I’m a 15 year old fan of yours work. I’m from Serbia so sorry for my bad English.I read your blog every day and I read whole archive of your blog and I can tell you it’s FANTASTIC! Readers can see that you enjoy learning new stuff about our bodies and you want to share that with them.

I have a question for you. I had a car accident while I was in a car with my dad. I had just a minor left hip contusion but my father ended dislocating his left hip (luxatio coxae) and ortho said that he must not put left leg down for 6 months. He can sit now and ortho gave him some exercises to do but his muscles are weak a he feels pain in the injured hip .

I’m wondering if Z can help him now? There is no Z trainer in Serbia or anywhere near my country and I’m desperate seeing him in pain.

I am going to buy some Z product to try it myself since I play basketball and want to increase my performance.Is it better to buy R phase or the Quick Start Guide?

Thanks in advance!Greetings from Serbia!!!
Boki

P.S.Keep up the good work!

Answer
Thanks for the kind words all the way from Serbia. Much appreciated and no worries as your English is great.

Sorry to hear about the car accident.

For your dad, the best advice to work with his orthopod. If his doc will give him the ok to start some very light NONpainful movement; he too could start with some Z Health. If he can only do it while seated, that is fine too. Once cleared for movement, I would have him start on the RIGHT shoulder and see if that helps.

Yes, R Phase is great for basketball, since that has lots of running and a higher impact on the joints. I would start at R Phase and once you are moving well with those drills, you can try the Neuro Warm Up 1 next.

It is worth saving to get the R Phase over the Quick Start Guide as the exercises on the Quick Start Guide(QSG) are repeated in R Phase. But if money is super tight and you are looking to start something now, the QSG can be a good place to start.

The key is to make sure you are doing the drills with PRECISION in a relaxed state.

You can purchase and Z Health product from the box on the upper right hand side of my blog. I do make a few dollars off of each sale, but the price is the same to you and I will be my best to answer any questions you have.

Let me know how it goes and I wish both of you the best!
Rock on
Mike N

Here is a great review about an age old question.

Does caffeine help you burn more fat?

The use of burning more fat for fuel is referred to as the “Randle effect” The more technical definition is the inhibition of the oxidation of glucose by an excess of fatty acids.

What?

The theory goes that caffeine should increase the LIBERATION of fat (e.g pulling those pesky fats out of their comfy home in the fat cell). In order to BURN fat, you first most get it into the blood stream.

However, I am not convinced that liberation of fat is the limiting step, I think BURNING fat is more limiting.

How does this help me loose my muffin top?
In short, I am not convinced that caffeine by itself is all that helpful to deflate your spare tire and shrink your muffin top. My recommendation is find a local fitness professuional (hey, I know a good one in White Bear Lake MN, shameless I know) to get you on the right track. Some Precision Nutrition, Z Health and Kettlebells make a killer combination!

If you are serious, drop me a line!
Mike T Nelson

Does caffeine alter muscle carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise?

Graham TE, Battram DS, Dela F, El-Sohemy A, Thong FS. Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada.

Caffeine, an adenosine receptor antagonist, has been studied for decades as a putative ergogenic aid. In the past 2 decades, the information has overwhelmingly demonstrated that it indeed is a powerful ergogenic aid, and frequently theories have been proposed that this is due to alterations in fat and carbohydrate metabolism. While caffeine certainly mobilizes fatty acids from adipose tissue, rarely have measures of the respiratory exchange ratio indicated an increase in fat oxidation. However, this is a difficult measure to perform accurately during exercise, and small changes could be physiologically important.

The few studies examining human muscle metabolism directly have also supported the fact that there is no change in fat or carbohydrate metabolism, but these usually have had a small sample size. We combined the data from muscle biopsy analyses of several similar studies to generate a sample size of 16-44, depending on the measure.

We examined muscle glycogen, citrate, acetyl-CoA, glucose-6-phosphate, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in resting samples and in those obtained after 10-15 min of exercise at 70%-85% maximal oxygen consumption. Exercise decreased (p

Conclusion: There is very little evidence to support the hypothesis that caffeine has ergogenic effects as a result of enhanced fat oxidation. Individuals may however, respond differently to the effects of caffeine, and there is growing evidence that this could be explained by common genetic variations.

Tim Ferris Does KBs!
As most of you know, I am a huge fan on the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. The ironic part is that I don’t even count how many hours I work in a week, but currently it is WAY too many.

The end goal however is to do only the things I am absolutely passionate about and have someone else do the rest. To me, that is the point of the 4 Hour Work Week–what you do to make money does not HAVE to be the same thing you do with your life. If you can blend both of them together into a true passion-more power to you!

Plus I never plan to retire anyway. Way too many things I want to get done first.

If you are looking for some free background, click on this link below from Zen Habits

Exclusive Interview: Leo Talks With Tim Ferriss of 4-Hour Workweek

The great part is that Tim lays it all out for you on how to reach your goal in an efficient manner.

For fitness, KBs (kettlebells) are a killer way to do the same–reach your goals in an efficient manner.

Enter the Kettlebell
Below is a video of Tim doing the RKC Snatch Test. You have 5 minutes and you can put the KB down and switch hands as many times as you like. The requirements are different, so for a full description, check out Taieki’s blog post HERE.

For example, if you are a male, here are the requirements:

RKC Kettlebell Snatch Requirements Weight Class, kg/lbs.Snatches, total L+R
60 / 132 60
90 / 198 80
90+ / 198+ 100
Open Class 24kg Kettlebell

Masters (50 and Over 20kg Kettlebell)

In my case since I am over 198 lbs I would need 100 reps in 5 minutes. It is hard, but definitely achievable with some good instruction and effort. My PR (personal record) was last year’s TSC at 120 reps with the 24kg KB.

Nice work Tim! Just a bit more hip drive towards the end around the 3:30 mark and he will be close to 100 reps.

If you are interested in it, you can sign up for the Tactical Strength Challenge by clicking HERE for more information.

The TSC consists of 3 events 1) a max RAW (no supportive gear) deadlift, 2) max pullups 3) KB snatch max reps in 5 minutes.

It is a brutal combination of max strength, relative strength and CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness).

Check out the report from last year. B-Rad has assured me that there are a few fun surprises at Kinetic Edge this year too.

Model Integrity and Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC)

I will be competing in the TSC this April 4, so come on out and enjoy the pain. I will also be assisting at the June RKC right here in Minnesota, so sign up and come say hi.

You can follow my training at the link below
http://miketnelsontraining.blogspot.com/

If you are interested in doing the RKC or competing in the TSC and need help with the preparation, drop me a line by clicking this link Email Me

If you are interesting in getting your own KBs, click HERE

Comments?

After the onslaught of crazy science stuff, I figured a few of your brains may need a break.

Below is a great video of some crazy mobility work done to the song “Loose Cannon” by the band Killing Joke. I had heard of Killing Joke for quite some time, but the first CD I bought from them was the “Democracy” release in 1996. I have a video from that album at the end here. It is a great album and I would recommend it.

Mobility and Music
The first video below is perfect, as it combines my love for music and mobility work all in one!

Keep in mind that rhythm can be developed also. In the S Phase Z Health class we did some mobility work to a metronome. This is harder than it sounds at first.

So if you are doing an elbow circle, your goal is to complete one rep at each beep of the metronome. Or you can reach the mid point at each beat. This will also force you to practice mobility work at a different speed. Most do too much at the SAME speed. Remember that just like exercise, your body will adapt and not change much after that point.

So the next time you are told “Yo’ got no rhythm booooooy” break out the metronome and Z Health drills.

Special thanks to Sheriff in the UK for sending this one to me.

Democracy

Even more data for all you on how to stay “functional” and add muscle.

Off to the U of MN for some early morning testing on subject in my Energy Drink study.

Aging, exercise and muscle protein metabolism.

Koopman R, van Loon LJ. NUTRIM, Maastricht University.

Aging is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, leading to the loss of functional capacity and an increased risk of developing chronic metabolic disease. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass is attributed to a disruption in the regulation of skeletal muscle protein turnover, resulting in an imbalance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation. As basal (fasting) muscle protein synthesis rates do not seem to differ substantially between the young and elderly, many research groups have started to focus on the muscle protein synthetic response to the main anabolic stimuli, i.e. food intake and physical activity. Recent studies suggest that the muscle protein synthetic response to food intake is blunted in the elderly.

The latter is now believed to represent a key factor responsible for the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Physical activity and/or exercise stimulate post-exercise muscle protein accretion in both the young and elderly. However, the latter largely depends on the timed administration of amino acids and/or protein prior to, during, and/or after exercise. Prolonged resistance type exercise training represents an effective therapeutic strategy to augment skeletal muscle mass and improve functional performance in the elderly. The latter shows that the ability of the muscle protein synthetic machinery to respond to anabolic stimuli is preserved up to very old age.

CONCLUSION: Research is warranted to elucidate the interaction between nutrition, exercise and the skeletal muscle adaptive response. The latter is needed to define more effective strategies that will maximize the therapeutic benefits of lifestyle intervention in the elderly.

My Notes: A very astute reader of my newsletter (seriously, I would put the average IQ of my newsletter readers up against anyone in an IQ Battle and day of the week), pointed out that in my previous blog (see link below) that the response of protein in older athletes is not the same. He was exactly correct and this is a great review of what may be going on.

Research Review: Do You Only Need 20 Grams of Protein Post Workout?

As you age, you really want to keep as much muscle as possible since it is muscle/strength that allows you to function on a day to day basis and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Differential stimulation of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis with protein ingestion at rest and after resistance exercise.

Moore DR, Tang JE, Burd NA, Rerecich T, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. McMaster University.

We aimed to determine whether there is a differential stimulation of the contractile myofibrillar and the cellular sarcoplasmic proteins after ingestion of protein and how this is affected by resistance exercise. Fasted (FAST) muscle protein synthesis was measured in seven healthy young men with a primed constant infusion of L-[ring-(13)C6]phenylalanine. Participants then performed an intense bout of unilateral resistance exercise followed by the consumption of 25 g of whey protein to maximally stimulate protein synthesis. In the rested (FED) leg myofibrillar (MYO) protein synthesis was elevated (P0.05).

In contrast, MYO protein synthesis in the exercised (FED-EX) leg was stimulated above FAST at 1, 3, and 5 h (~100, 216, and 229%, respectively; Phe synthesis of muscle contractile proteins is stimulated by both feeding and resistance exercise early (1 h) but is still elevated at 5h after resistance exercise. In contrast, sarcoplasmic (SARC) protein synthesis was similarly elevated (P

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis are similarly, but transiently, stimulated with protein feeding. In contrast, resistance exercise rapidly stimulates and sustains the synthesis of only the myofibrillar protein fraction after protein ingestion. These data highlight the importance of measuring the synthetic response of specific muscle protein fractions when examining the effects of exercise and nutrition.

My notes: Interesting to note that it was still elevated at 5 hours, but 5 hours was the last measurement they took, so it could be going on even longer. Keep this in mind the next time you hear that the ‘anabolic window is only 2 hours long’

Maximizing muscle protein anabolism: the role of protein quality.

Tang JE, Phillips SM. Exercise Metabolism Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown are simultaneous ongoing processes. Here, we examine evidence for how protein quality can affect exercise-induced muscle protein anabolism or protein balance (MPS minus muscle protein breakdown). Evidence is highlighted showing differences in the responses of MPS, and muscle protein accretion, with ingestion of milk-based and soy-based proteins in young and elderly persons.

RECENT FINDINGS: Protein consumption, and the accompanying hyperaminoacidemia, stimulates an increase in MPS and a small suppression of muscle protein breakdown.

Beyond the feeding-induced rise in MPS, small incremental addition of new muscle protein mass occurs following intense resistance exercise which over time (i.e. resistance training) leads to muscle hypertrophy. Athletes make use of the paradigm of resistance training and eating to maximize the gains in their skeletal muscle mass. Importantly, however, metabolically active skeletal muscle can offset the morbidities associated with the sarcopenia of aging such as type II diabetes, decline in aerobic fitness and the reduction in metabolic rate that can lead to fat mass accumulation.

CONCLUSION: Recent evidence suggests that consumption of different proteins can affect the amplitude and possibly duration of MPS increases after feeding and this effect interacts and is possibly accentuated with resistance exercise.

My Notes: Wow, they are cranking out the killer studies up in Canada there eh! So the type of protein you take in appears to affect the response. While still debatable, I would go with a high quality whey protein per and post training (ab
out 20-40 grams).