Merry Christmas to everyone and time for feats of strength!

This is the Christmas edition and tons of great stuff.  I trust that you are having some great times with family and loved ones, so take time to enjoy it.

Here is my Holiday video for you!

Motivation

The Great Kaz is probably the greatest strongman ever. If this video does not get you excited to go lift something heavy you need to check out your pulse!

Notice how easy he makes it LOOK. These feats are FAR from easy, but he is making them look easy. The squat is over 850 lbs I think and the deadlift is around 800 lbs (around the 2:30 mark).

Flipping cars–no problem! Pulling semis—bring it on! Wow.

Maybe it is the hair?

Festivus PRs

I am a huge Seinfeld fan, so I am sure you remember the Festivus episode. From the wikipedia entry on it says

“the holiday’s celebration, as shown on Seinfeld, includes an unadorned aluminum “Festivus pole”, practices such as the “Airing of Grievances” and “Feats of Strength”, and the labeling of easily explainable events as “Festivus miracles”.

One of my goals for 2009 was to deadlift 425 lbs (no belt) by the end of the year. I had planned to do that in a meet in July, but I ended up not doing a meet until September and pulled 413 lbs, then a few weeks later at the TSC pulled 420 lbs. I put my DL on hold after that and began to work on my squat since I felt it was holding my DL back (and was very weak). Fast forward to recently and I had planned to squat today, but noticed that I still have not made my DL goal.

I went into the Extreme Human Performance Center (my garage) and tested my DL using biofeedback. It tested great. Whoo ha. Warmup at 135, 225, 275, and 315 –all felt great and tested good. 365 came up fast and tested well. On

to 405 lbs. 405 in training most of the time is hit and miss, but it came up the fastest yet; so 425 was within reach and I made it.

Notice that I still need some hip work near the top as my hamstrings were shaky, but overall it felt pretty good (most PRs are never perfect).

It is a Festivus Miracle!

Deadlift PR Video (music by American Head Charge)

Your Festivus Miracle

I want to hear about YOUR Holiday “Feats of Strength” by placing a comment on what PRs (Personal Records) you have broken recently. Any PR counts, so post away! I want to see ATLEAST 10 comments here.

Happy Holidays
rock on
Mike T Nelson
PS
If you don’t have any PRs to report, I have 1-2 spots open for online training. Email me HERE.

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3 Tasty Tips for More Muscle Mass

In this video

• Find out my 3 favorite foods to gain muscle (the answer may surprise you)

• Can you eat “bad” foods and gain muscle?

• Do calories matter? (a hint, YES!)

Let me know what you think by posting a comment.   Let me know if you like video format or more written format too.   I love comments!!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

If you are looking for high quality protein at rock bottom prices, check out Protein Factory HERE (note, I do make 4% on each sale, but this is the same protein I have personally used for the past 5+ years).

3 Tips for Muscle Hypertrophy (Bigger Muscles): Research Review for November 2009

Jack Leon[between 1910 and 1915]

Just a few very cool studies this month and see my comments on how you can apply these for increased athletic performance on the field and in the gym!  Let’s roll

Local NSAID infusion inhibits satellite cell proliferation in human skeletal muscle after eccentric exercise

Despite the widespread consumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the influence of these drugs on muscle satellite cells is not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a local NSAID infusion on satellite cells after unaccustomed eccentric exercise in vivo in human skeletal muscle. Eight young healthy males performed 200 maximal eccentric contractions with each leg. An NSAID was infused via a microdialysis catheter into the vastus lateralis muscle of one leg (NSAID leg) before, during, and for 4.5 h after exercise, with the other leg working as a control (unblocked leg). Muscle biopsies were collected before and 8 days after exercise. Changes in satellite cells and inflammatory cell numbers were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Satellite cells were identified using antibodies against neural cell adhesion molecule and Pax7. The number of Pax7+ cells per myofiber was increased by 96% on day 8 after exercise in the unblocked leg (0.14 ± 0.04, mean ± SE) compared with the prevalue (0.07 ± 0.02, P < 0.05), whereas the number of Pax7+ cells was unchanged in the leg muscles exposed to the NSAID (0.07 ± 0.01). The number of inflammatory cells (CD68+ or CD16+ cells) was not significantly increased in either of the legs 8 days after exercise and was unaffected by the NSAID. The main finding in the present study was that the NSAID infusion for 7.5 h during the exercise day suppressed the exercise-induced increase in the number of satellite cells 8 days after exercise. These results suggest that NSAIDs negatively affect satellite cell activity after unaccustomed eccentric exercise.

My thoughts

Very interesting study, but I am not convinced that NSAIDs are actually bad for muscle growth.  The data about 2-3 years ago, said that they were bad for muscle hypertrophy; but newer data is not pointing that way.     The eagle observer would notice that this study showed a negative effect on satellite cells, which would say that it is bad for muscle growth.  The downside is that muscle growth was not measured in this study.  Muscle can get bigger by various mechanisms, and while satellite cells is one way, it is not the only way.  Satellite cells are the little guys that hang out at the end of the muscle fibers and work to repair them from damage.   So for now I would not automatically reach for NSAIDs if you have muscle soreness, but if you have to, it is probably not affecting growth too much.  If people are interested, drop a note in the comments and I will do a blog post just on this.

Working around the clock: circadian rhythms and skeletal muscle

The study of the circadian molecular clock in skeletal muscle is in the very early stages. Initial research has demonstrated the presence of the molecular clock in skeletal muscle and that skeletal muscle of a clock-compromised mouse, Clock mutant, exhibits significant disruption in normal expression of many genes required for adult muscle structure and metabolism. In light of the growing association between the molecular clock, metabolism, and metabolic disease, it will also be important to understand the contribution of circadian factors to normal metabolism, metabolic responses to muscle training, and contribution of the molecular clock in muscle-to-muscle disease (e.g., insulin resistance). Consistent with the potential for the skeletal muscle molecular clock modulating skeletal muscle physiology, there are findings in the literature that there is significant time-of-day effects for strength and metabolism. Additionally, there is some recent evidence that temporal specificity is important for optimizing training for muscular performance. While these studies do not prove that the molecular clock in skeletal muscle is important, they are suggestive of a circadian contribution to skeletal muscle function. The application of well-established models of skeletal muscle research in function and metabolism with available genetic models of molecular clock disruption will allow for more mechanistic understanding of potential relationships.

My thoughts

Very cool study and the first I have seen in this area.  The age old question of what is the perfect time to lift has been around for a long time.   From what I have seen, there does not seem to be a perfect time.  The perfect time is when you can get to the gym and seems to be highly individual.  First priority is to get there, lift the weights and then later worry about finding the best time.  If I could set up my perfect schedule it would be to lift at 3pm in the afternoon.   Keep in mind that if you have a contest, say a powerlifting meet that start at 9am, you may want to do some lifts at that time in practice just to see how your body reacts.

For now, get to the gym first.

Translational signaling responses preceding resistance training-mediated myofiber hypertrophy in young and old humans

While skeletal muscle protein accretion during resistance training (RT)-mediated myofiber hypertrophy is thought to result from upregulated translation initiation signaling, this concept is based on responses to a single bout of unaccustomed resistance exercise (RE) with no measure of hypertrophy across RT. Further, aging appears to affect acute responses to RE, but whether age differences in responsiveness persist during RT leading to impaired RT adaptation is unclear. We therefore tested whether muscle protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) and Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in response to unaccustomed RE differed in old vs. young adults, and whether age differences in acute responsiveness were associated with differences in muscle hypertrophy after 16 wk of RT. Fifteen old and 21 young adult subjects completed the 16-wk study. The phosphorylation states of Akt, S6K1, ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6), eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein (4EBP1), eIF4E, and eIF4G were all elevated (23–199%) 24 h after a bout of unaccustomed RE. A concomitant 62% increase in FSR was found in a subset (6 old, 8 young). Age x time interaction was found only for RPS6 phosphorylation (+335% in old subjects only), while there was an interaction trend (P = 0.084) for FSR (+96% in young subjects only). After 16 wk of RT, gains in muscle mass, type II myofiber size, and voluntary strength were similar in young and old subjects. In conclusion, at the level of translational signaling, we found no evidence of impaired responsiveness among older adults, and for the first time, we show that changes in translational signaling after unaccustomed RE were associated with substantial muscle protein accretion (hypertrophy) during continued RT.

My thoughts

There is more and more research coming out on hypertrophy in older folks.  My good buddy Carl Lanore likes to say “muscle is metabolic currency, so go to the gym and make a deposit today,’ and I totally agree.   It appears that muscle size is harder to come by as we age; but how much harder is still not clear.  Early studies showed that it was difficult, but recent data like the one above show that maybe there is not much difference.  Again, this is a 16 week study (which is pretty good for most studies) and note that they used NOVEL exercises.  I think this is a key point.  You need to give the body a REASON to adapt.  It also showed that strength increased, so the old people in the study were not all show and no go!

What 3 Tips Did We Learn Today?

1. NSAIDs may not be as bad for muscle hypertrophy as we once thought

2. Timing may become a bigger issue in the future, but for now get to the gym first

3. If hypertrophy is your goal, you need to “surprise” the muscles.  Now don’t go all crazy with the Weirder “confusion” principle, as plain old overload (doing more work over time) is a very powerful stimulus as the work load is novel.  I am a big fan of adding volume since it allows you to manage fatigue (Charles Staley’s ears are burning) and keep doing perfect reps.

Any questions/thoughts, let me have it in the comments

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

You will have to come back here on Monday as you will have to see what I am posting.  The feedback on it so far has been crazy (both good and bad crazy),  Stay tuned!

Q and A Time: How Much Protein Do You Need to Build Muscle?  Is Whey Protein the Best?  Is Glutamine Good?

I have been looking to get some stuff from Protein Factory per your recommendation for post workout and I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. A lot of the stuff just confuses me past the regular whey, casein, isolate, concentrate, hydrolysate… So that would be a big help. And is it worth getting the glutamine and creatine dropped in with it?

Just curious, you know more about this one than i do so any info is appreciated!

Dustin Schlichting BS, ATC, CSCS, USAW

Answer:

Hi there Dustin!  Thanks for the comment, and yes, it can get VERY confusing and few people want to sit down and read tons o’ research on new types or protein.  Ok, I do, and I will put my hand down now.  Add to the confusion is very supplement company telling you that their gold micro filtered subfractioned protein from organic goats that live up in the Himalaya is the most anabolic thing you can buy for $90 a bottle since it will add 27 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks!  Ok, so we all know that is bogus!  There is ZERO literature to support it.

Back to the Future: Got Protein?

Protein is good.  Get some first before you go bananas trying to figure out which is best.  Cover the basics first.  Protein has been a key thing for strength trainers for decades.  Make sure you actually LIKE it as the best protein on the planet if it tastes like you are drinking week old cottage cheese gone bad will not do you any good.  You have to consume it first before it can have any effect.

Once you get that down, there are some great proteins that work well, taste good and won’t break your bank.

Got Protein, Now What?  Do I Need Whey Protein?

For post training my favorite is some type of whey protein.  Whey protein has tons of benefits for building muscle and my favorite is CFM Whey as it is high quality and tastes good. If you add enough carbs and sweetner, the Hydrolyzed 1400 is good and does not have any lactose either.  With athletes over the years, I’ve found it to be the most non allergenic of almost all proteins too (rice protein would be high on that list too).  On its own, Hyrdolyzed 1400 (and Hydrolyzed 520 is worse) tastes like crap and mixes just as bad. I get it with vanilla and sucrolose and it is fine, but most don’t care for it.  A hydrolyzed (or hyrdo) protein is one that is broken into very small pieces.  The smaller the number, the more hydrolysis, thus the smaller the pieces (measured in daltons).  The theory goes that the smaller the proteins, the faster it is absorbed and should spike protein synthesis (building muscle processes) higher.   Not sure I am completely sold that yet, but the protein seems to work well; esp if you have allergies.

A slightly cheaper whey protein is Isochill and tastes pretty good too. I have used the TriFX whey and it is good also with a slightly bitter taste if you get it plain with no flavor or sweetner.  Can’t say I notice any huge difference or have found any lit. to show a massive difference to all the different types of whey.   Buy a good high quality one (such as the ones listed above) and add about 20-40 grams around your training time and you are set.

Total Amount of Protein?

Total protein should be around 1 gram per pound of body weight.  Yes I know there is not one piece of literature that comes up with that EXACT amount, but it is pretty close and I like easy math.  Currently i weigh about 215 lbs, so I shoot for about 215 grams of protein per day.   If I get 200 or 240 grams I don’t worry about it.  6 meals a day with about 30-40 grams works great.  No, your kidneys will NOT explode and fly across the room with that amount if you are healthy.   If you want some more benefits of protein, see this newsletter from Dr. John Berardi here JB answers “Is there a limit to protein?”

I love the Precision Nutrition system and use it all the time!

Protein Factory (Click below to order)

Creatine?

You can add creatine to it directly, but I just add it on its own and I buy my creatine from Protein Factory also.  5 gm per day is about all you need. Don’t waste your money on other forms of creatine; just go wtih creatine monohydrate.  Hundreds of studies to show it is safe and effective.  I have personally been using creatine monohydrate since my graduate work at Michigan Tech in about 1995, back when I was in college the first go round – ha!  You can take some time off from it, which is a good idea with any supplement, but taking a small amount on most training days should be just fine.

Glutamine, Don’t Believe the Hype?

Glutamine is worthless. There, I said it.  Most of the studies done to show its “anti catabolic” properties were done initially on burn patients, who break down muscle at an incredibly rate; not a rate seen by even the most hard training athlete. I have not seen one study yet that shows glutamine to help your average gym rat.  If you find one in trained athletes, please post it below as I would seriously like to read it.  Heck, if it works I will report on it here.

Evil Doers of the Gut

You can make an argument that glutamine may help gut health, but I would go with a pro-biotic first then and maybe some special types of fiber (like FOS). Here is a tip, if you or your athletes you work with have been on an antibiotic in the past 1-2 years I would automatically have them use a probiotic.  While antibiotics have there place in medicine, they are like indescriminate killers and they wipe out tons of good and bad bacteria in your gut.  If your gut is left on its own, the bad guys can start to take over.   Kind of like the US in the Middle East.  We could wipe out a whole area, but it may be built up to more “evil doers”; so we would be better off seeding it with new buildings, security and returning it to the people that will take care of it and keep out the evil doers.

Protein Factory

Click on the link below to get all the great products from Protein Factory.  ff you use the links here I make a whole 4%, but every bit helps.  I lost count of how many supplement companies I have turned down offers from since I feel that clients hire me to provide the best to them, not sell them some supplement that I make 50% commission on and they pay for it.   I have not disrespect to anyone that works or sell other supplements, it is just a personal decision that I made only for myself.  If you find a company that you believe it and it helps your athletes, go for it.

Get Protein Here

This can be a confusing area, so drop me some comment love with your thoughts on this article and any questions you have.

Rock on
Mike N

The Perfect Pull Up

Below is a short video on how to do the perfect pull up and chin up.  Anyone else remember the Presidential Fitness test in middle school?  Man, I HATED that thing.  Let’s drag the most unathletic, string bean (read me) out in front of everyone else and see just how weak he really is.  Ugh.  The only part of the contest I even close to 50% was the shuttle run since I was in basketball and figured out that if you clean off your shoes before you run, you can stop exactly on the line.  Everyone else was sliding around like they were trying to be human dust mops on the floor.

Guess which exercise I hated the most?  Pull ups.  You had to do them in front of EVERYONE so there was nowhere to hide.  I got up there and just hung from the bar as the gym teacher told me to GO!  Well, I was pulling and I swear to you that my elbows did not bend at all.  The gym teacher told me to start again and I said that I was pulling.  After the third time of him telling me to start the exercise I just let go of the bar.  Oh, the good times.

Rant Almost Over

That stupid test is worthless.  You want to have kids HATE exercise really fast, that is your ticket.  I have not seen one President do it either.  You should teach kids HOW to move and HOW to do the darn test and maybe have them PRACTICE it a few times first.   Ok, back to today’s lesson.

Why Bother With Pull Ups?

• They are a great developer of the back muscles (you know, those on the opposite side of your chest you crazy 3 day a week bench nut!)
• Muscles like to be balanced and many time that stall in your bench press is actually from your body attempted to not let you get too far out of whack.  Start to balance it out with some pull ups and you will be rocking.
• Pullups and Chins can be done almost anywhere too!  No more excuses

What You Will Learn

• A cool neurologic “hack” to dramatically increase your pull ups.
• What perfect form looks like
• Options if you can’t do a full pull up

Testimonial Time

Here is what Gail has to say about it.  Gail first came to see me at the very end of August to work on her pull ups for the Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC).  We did a Z-Health movement session and some pull up practice.  Here is her exact email sent on Sept 1.

September 1, 2009

From: Gail Jensen

To: Mike T Nelson

Training continues to go well though I can still do only 1 pullup (of course, I was on vacation for a week-I did work out one day at the Gold’s Gym in San Juan-they are still pretty old school-not a kettlebell on the premises!). I keep trying to convince myself that pullups are easy and I visualize myself doing 2 or more. I also do the chicken neck prior to each pullup. I hope I can soon move beyond this “plateau” I seem to be facing. It helps to train with a partner, too.

Fast forward only 4 weeks and Gail cranks off 6 at the Tactical Strength Challenge.  Check the stats for yourself below

TSC Results Fall 2009

First off, I need to send a huge congrats to Gail as she did all the work; I just provided her a few tips that I show in the video below.

Perfect Pull-Up Video:

Techniques, Tips and Neuro Hacks to Increased Performance

Contest Time (read How to Win a FREE T-Shirt)

Ok, here is the deal.  I am so confident that if you do perfect practice pull ups as above along with some neck mobility (as shown) above that you will increase your pull up numbers in record time I will put a T-shirt on it from my friends at Protein Factory again.

Details

• Contest starts today and ends exactly 45 days from now, but you need your numbers in the comments section below within 6 days from today
• Go find a pull up bar and do your initial numbers today if you don’t have them.
• Use the techniques above and follow them to a T.   Do perfect reps only!
• Get as much volume (read practice) in as you can without any pain.  Do chins, pulls up, neutral grip, etc.
• Report your numbers back here in the comments section by Wed Oct 28 at 5pm CST to be in the contest.  No exceptions
• The one that shows the most improvement (measured by number of reps) wins the Protein Factory T-shirt shipped to them on me (sorry to my international friends, USA only for the T-shirt since customs is a big pain but if you win outside the US I will think of something for ya).

Its Go Time!

What are you waiting for.  Send this on to as many friends as you want.  You have only 6 days to enter your comments below with your starting reps to be in the contest.  I would love to see at least 20 people in the contest.  It is FREE, you may win a free T-shirt from Protein Factory, I will provide answers to your questions below, and your bench will probably even go up!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

I am still down here in AZ and I fly back later today and I had a big personal announcement that I sent out over facebook and twitter just recently and more info on it here soon. You can follow me on Twitter at the link below

http://twitter.com/MikeTNelson

MC from “Begin To Dig” fame was down here in AZ also at the Z-Health 9S Advanced Nutrition course and she caught me on film with some great questions about protein, BCAAs, Leucine and whey protein.  Head on over to her blog at the link below and check it out.  It just a few minutes long, so click below

A Minute with Mike: BCAA’s, Leucine, or Plain Old Whey – does it make a difference?

Rock on

Mike N

PS

This tip alone may save you some money without compromising your performance too!

A Minute with Mike: BCAA’s, Leucine, or Plain Old Whey – does it make a difference?

The killer grip series rolls on with that extreme human himself, Adam T Glass.

Below, Adam shows you some hammer lifts, and I even give it a go although I think my nervous system was still in a mess from the TSC just a few hours below as I could not understand a command from Adam to save my life!

Take it away Adam….

Thanks Adam!

Updation

So I have decided to do a few random updates here while I am working out the video issues. I am keeping the web people hopping!

I just got done with an interview with Mark Young, a fitness professional in Canada who also writes for T-Muscle.  We chatted about the power of the nervous system, neuroplasticity, working the opposite joint for better strength, arthrokinetic reflex (bad joints= piss poor strength),  how the brain gets information for performance (hint, think joints, eyes and inner ear), Z-Health and much more!  Mark will drop me a line once it is live and I will have a link here too for all of you!  In the meantime, check out Mark’s blog at

Mark Young Training Systems

Treadmills

By now everyone is familiar with my disdain for treadmills and the cardio bunnies you see on them putting in countless hours.

Get Off the Treadmill

They have the best intentions, but there is a much better way.   Go outside, grab a kettlebell, pull something, push something, heck, even do bodyweight drills.  If you are in Minnesota, come out by my place and you can smash some tires with a sledgehammer, play with kettlebells, push cars, pull the tire sled, deadlifts, heavy tire flips, etc.   Kick your butt and have fun doing it!  Plus it is summer now, so get out in the sun and stock up on your Vitamin D!

Below is an article from Alwyn Cosgrove discussing treadmills (may not be uber work friendly site) and thanks to Nate Green for doing the Myth Busters article series.

Myth: Sweating on a treadmill is just as good as sweating outside.

Mythbuster: Alwyn Cosgrove

I predict a treadmill backlash coming.   I wrote a whole very technical article on treadmills and have submitted it awhile ago.   I can’t say much more at this point, but I am hoping it will see the light of day in August and hopefully sooner.  I have a lot of the literature reviewed in it; so I can’t go into detail here.

Have a great weekend!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Hold on to your shorts, as tons o-studies headed your way soon. I was able to cut out some time and blast through a bunch, so you have been warned!

As always, any and all comments are welcome!

Protein supplementation before and after exercise does not further augment skeletal muscle hypertrophy after resistance training in elderly men.

Verdijk LB, Jonkers RA, Gleeson BG, Beelen M, Meijer K, Savelberg HH, Wodzig WK, Dendale P, van Loon LJ. Department of Human Movement Sciences, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands. lex.verdijk@bw.unimaas.nl

BACKGROUND: Considerable discrepancy exists in the literature on the proposed benefits of protein supplementation on the adaptive response of skeletal muscle to resistance-type exercise training in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the benefits of timed protein supplementation on the increase in muscle mass and strength during prolonged resistance-type exercise training in healthy elderly men who habitually consume adequate amounts of dietary protein.

DESIGN: Healthy elderly men (n = 26) aged 72 +/- 2 y were randomly assigned to a progressive, 12-wk resistance-type exercise training program with (protein group) or without (placebo group) protein provided before and immediately after each exercise session (3 sessions/wk, 20 g protein/session). One-repetition maximum (1RM) tests were performed regularly to ensure a progressive workload during the intervention. Muscle hypertrophy was assessed at the whole-body (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), limb (computed tomography), and muscle fiber (biopsy) level.

RESULTS: The 1RM strength increased approximately 25-35% in both groups (P

CONCLUSION: Timed protein supplementation immediately before and after exercise does not further augment the increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength after prolonged resistance-type exercise training in healthy elderly men who habitually consume adequate amounts of dietary protein.

My Notes: I will be presenting some more data next week showing a difference between elderly people and younger people in response to protein. Keep in mind that this was done in older people, and from what we know currently, the response in younger (less than about 70 years old) is NOT the same as this study. My recommendation is the same–add some protein before and after your strength training sessions.