Fasted exercise - Matt Metzgar

Matt Metzgar

Fasted exercise - Matt MetzgarSeptember 18, 2011

Running on Empty

I've noticed a couple curious things lately in regard to eating and exercise. First, I've noticed that if I ocassionally skip dinner, or just have some carbs like potatoes but no meat for dinner, that I actually feel better upon waking the next morning. Of course, I'm not doing this every day, but if I do this once or twice a week, then I am virtually guaranteed to feel better the next morning. This points to how occassionally restricting calories in the evening, or perhaps restricting protein in the evening seems to yield benefits.

Today, I noticed how this carried over into exercise. I have been exercising fasted in the morning, going for an intermittent run on the nearby trail. Last night, I just had some potatoes instead of dinner, and this morning I ran before eating anything. This combination seemed to really prime my body for running. I don't know if it put me in "fat-burning" mode or something, but I was just really cruising on the trails today.

It's amazing how good you can run on an empty fuel tank. I wish someone would have told me about this 15 years ago. I remember reading Runner's World for a few years straight back in my twenties. Never once did I see an article that recommended running while fasted. Guess it wasn't the expert publication it was supposed to be!

A self help guide to beating tennis elbow

Articles
A self help guide to beating tennis elbow

Imagine this scenario (it probably applies to most of us!)...

A while ago you may have hurt a muscle, or been in a stressful situation for a bit too long. Your muscles tensed up in an automatic protective response to limit range of movement (ROM) so as to prevent further injury. To free up your conscious mind, your sub-conscious mind took over the job of maintaining the tension. Some time has passed, the injury has healed, and the need for the ROM limiting tension is no longer there. You try to relax the muscle to stretch it, but because the sub-conscious mind is still fighting against you to restrict ROM, it hurts. The sub-conscious mind wins, and another "stiff muscle" develops as we get older. Its now time to re-program the sub-conscious mind to let go the tension, but this can be very difficult because most people don't know it needs to be done, let alone how to do it!

Re-programming the sub-conscious mind is a bit like self hypnosis. Before you can send a message to your sub-conscious mind to re-program it, you have to believe it first! You have to genuinely believe that its not going to hurt if you relax and let that muscle stretch - and that's hard to do if its got a recent history of hurting every time. The best way to stretch tight muscles is to take the time to totally relax first, using as many techniques at your disposal as necessary. Wear loose, warm clothing. Warm up the muscles before stretching with heat or exercise. Get as comfortable as possible, with soft padded support under all areas subject to local pressure forces - the sofa could be ideal. You need a relaxing environment with no interruptions. Think relaxing thoughts - relaxing music or relaxation tapes can be useful.

All this leads up to the most important point I have saved for last - consciously relax when stretching (breathing out helps) to release all tension and pain. If you are conscious of the possibility of overstretching, you will probably subconsciously tense up, so make sure your muscles are fully supported to prevent overstretching - preferably with soft firm padding. Also make sure that you have no unpleasant pain (sometimes a mild "stretch pain" can feel good and this is ok). The ROM of your stretch should not exceed your pain threshold if you want to successfully re-program your sub-conscious mind into "permanently" releasing the protective spasm.

Use the "contract-relax" method of stretching (described below) - it is probably the most efficient and effective method developed to date.

All muscles, particularly those that are damaged, should be protected from excessive overload at all times. In some cases, support systems such as braces may be appropriate.

Stretching and strengthening exercises can be a useful part of the rehabilitation process because controlled loading improves collagen alignment of the tendon and stimulates collagen cross-linkage formation, which improves tensile strength. It is important that the state of the muscle/tendon injury is given due consideration when prescribing the loading forces. The exercises should focus on improving the flexibility, strength, power and endurance of the entire muscle-tendon unit. The duration of this program would generally be at least 12 weeks.

Before starting any specific forearm exercises it recommended to loosen up the neck, shoulders, upper back and chest muscles with a hot shower or bath, followed by a few stretching exercises. After that, it is beneficial to heat the most problematic area (probably the wrist extensor muscles in the elbow region) before stretching, to improve its ability to stretch. Heat to 390 C to 430 C - the warmer the better. For best results follow up with tissue cooling prior to stretch release on the last passive stretch. Cooling the muscle to normal temperatures (370 C or less) before releasing the tension allows the passive stretch to be held longer and apparently allows the collagenous microstructure to restabilise in its new stretched length.

Check with your therapist to make sure you are ready for these stretching or strengthening exercises.

The exercises described below should be done carefully and are based on the well established principle of progressive overload to gradually improve both strength and flexibility. As a rule of thumb, don't exceed pain-free muscle loading or stretching by more than 5%. In other words, slowly stretch further (or push harder) until extremely slight pain is felt, then go a comfortable small margin past this point. These pain levels should not be unpleasant. If your injury is substantial, expect the flexibility and strength to be low, and the appropriate amount of "overload" will also be small. Progress will be slow and patience is required.

Stretching the wrist extensor group using the widely used "contract-relax" method provides the benefit of also strengthening the extensor muscles and the damaged extensor group tendon. A typical exercise is shown in the first photograph below for a right arm injury. First gently stretch the extensor group with the method as shown below - note that your range of movement will probably be less than that shown in the photograph if you are injured. Notice that the hand has also been rotated so the little finger approaches horizontal - this also stretches the elbow supinator muscle which is commonly involved in tennis elbow injuries. Hold the stretch position for about 30 seconds or 5 slow breaths. Next (while breathing out slowly through the nose) push carefully with a very light effort for about 5 seconds with the back of the right hand against the left hand, which is held steady. After that slowly breathe in through the nose, then breathe out slowly through the mouth and at the same time gently stretch a little further (try to relax and release any tension). Hold for one slow breath cycle, then repeat the procedure two more times. Unless you have overdone the stretch, you should be able to hold the last stretch position for 30 seconds or 5 slow breaths. I like to finish off with a slow "yawn stretch" to further accentuate the stretch, using the antagonist muscles to create the additional movement (reciprocal inhibition). Repeat the exercises twice a week. Allow about 3 days rest between exercise sessions.

A strengthening exercise for the wrist flexor group is shown in the next two photographs. Push from position 1 to position 2, with the left hand providing a resistance force which allows a pain free movement. The right hand would be typically pressing with approximately 20 to 30 percent of full strength, but this could be significantly less for more severe injuries. The number of repetitions would also vary with the severity of the injury, but would typically be one to three sets of 6 repetitions, building to 12 repetitions, done twice a week. Allow about 3 days rest between exercises. Using position 1, the contract-relax method can be used as described earlier for the wrist extensor group to provide a stretching exercise for the wrist flexor group. This exercise can be useful for carpal tunnel injuries. A more comprehensive set of exercises for the arm and hand, and a method of doing them can be seen in an excellent book by Kit Laughlin, see reference 2 below.

Stretch for extensor tendon	Strengthening - position 1	Strengthening - position 2

References

1. Hammer, W: On Stretching. Dynamic Chiropractic February 12, 1993, Volume 11, Issue 04
2. Laughlin, K: Overcome Neck & Back Pain, Edition 4. Simon & Schuster, 2006

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Evolutionary Correct Guide to Running - Matt Metzgar

Matt Metzgar: The Evolutionary Correct Guide to Running
 

Running can be a tricky activity to do well. This guide looks at how a person can run in a healthy, injury-free manner as nature intended.

Current research suggests that humans are "born to run". If a person runs in the same way as our hunter-gatherer ancestors, then this can turn running into a positive, enjoyable activity.
The following are the key points to running in a natural way:

1. Run barefoot
2. Run on natural surfaces
3. Run with correct form
4. Run at the optimal pace
5. Take walk breaks
6. Run in a fasted state
7. Breathe in through the nose

Each of these will now be discussed further.

1. Run barefoot

Humans have run barefoot for millions of years. New research by Daniel Lieberman shows that there important differences in footstrike when running barefoot versus in shoes. Many people who have thought that running was drudgery in shoes have found that they can run barefoot and pain-free.

Though minimal running shoes are currently becoming popular, running in a minimal shoe is not anywhere the same as running barefoot. Once a person develops a proper barefoot stride, then they can learn to run in shoes "as if" they were barefoot.

2. Run on natural surfaces

Humans have run on trails for millions of years. This uneven, rocky surface is the best running surface for a number of reasons. Primarily, running on an uneven surface causes the body to spread out the load over the foot and also to reduce vertical impact. This website,which features the work of Steven Robbins, MD, discusses the topic further.

3. Run with correct form

For those that grew up running barefoot on natural surfaces (like the Kenyans), running with proper form is not a problem. It is something that develops naturally over the years. For those of us who have grown up with shoes, relearning to run is often necessary. There are a number of different schools of running technique: Pose Running, ChiRunning, Evolution Running, and others. Each has different strengths and weaknesses.

These techniques all have a few elements in common:

• Postural alignment (straight line from ankles to hips to shoulders)
• Quick turnover (180 steps per minute or more)
• Slight whole-body lean from the ankles

Another great resource for learning technique is this video by Pose coach Lee Saxby.

4. Run at the optimal pace

This study found that there are optimal running paces for each gender in terms of metabolic efficiency. Running either slower or faster than these paces is less energy efficient. These paces are:

• 7:15 minute per mile for men
• 9:15 minute per mile for women

These paces are averages, and there can be slight differences due to body size and leg length.
The paces most likely developed in humans as the speed to successfully perform an endurance hunt. The idea for an endurance hunt is to run at a moderate speed that will cause the prey to overheat.

5. Take walk breaks.

During a hunt, hunter-gatherers would often take walk breaks. This could be to check the trail, or it could be the give the lead runner a break and let another runner take the lead. Plenty of runners have found that walk breaks are beneficial in distance races. Former Olympian Jeff Galloway has written about this for years and is still running marathons this way in his 60s.

6. Run in a fasted state

Hunter-gatherers went on endurance hunts for a reason: they were hungry. New research has shown that endurance training in a fasted state can be more effective than training in the fed state.

If a person runs in the morning, then fasted training can be done easily by running before breakfast. If a person runs later in the day, they could try not to eat a few hours before a run.

7. Breathe in through the nose

Nasal breathing is a way to make your running truly aerobic. The theory is that running with the mouth open stimulates the fight-or-flight response while nasal breathing keeps the nervous system calm.

Running coach John Raucci recommends breathing both in and out of the nose during running. More information is available in this article he wrote. On the other hand, the Tarahumara Indians, featured in the book, "Born to Run", breathe in through the nose but out through the mouth. Either way, breathing in through the nose can be a key to relaxed running.


FAQS

What about long slow distance (LSD) training?

Much of the development of LSD training comes from the famous running coach Arthur Lydiard. Lydiard prescribed lots of long, aerobic runs. However, these runs weren't necessarily slow. As Peter Snell points out here, these runs were often done at a 7 minute mile pace (which is right around the optimal running pace mentioned above).

What about speedwork?

A minimal amount of speedwork is probably beneficial. A number of new studies have shown how sprints can build endurance. However, consider the training of top masters runner Nolan Shaheed, discussed in this article. He does all his off-season training at a 7 minute per mile pace (again, close to the optimal running pace) and often jumps into shorter races like 800 meters with no speedwork. Aerobic training is still the basis of successful performance.

What about chronic cardio?

Mark Sisson wrote a great article about the dangers of chronic cardio. Running at a high heart rate for a continuous period of time is unhealthy. Historically, the objective of an endurance hunt was to exhaust the prey, not the predator. By running at the optimal running pace, using nasal breathing, and including walk breaks, a person can protect against the dangers of chronic cardio.

Doug McGuff - Ancestral health symposium

Mon 15 Aug 2011

W.O.W. 8/13/11- Back from the Ancestral Health Symposium

Posted by Doug McGuff under Uncategorized
[6] Comments

After decades of working rotating shifts I cannot understand how a 3 hour time change keeps me trapped in circadian hell for days on end. Perhaps coming back to a long string of rotating shifts does not help. Nonetheless, I had a great WOW on Saturday before work.

SuperSlow Systems Pulldown (done in Jreps 1/3rds)

Nautilus Pullover with SS retrofits

MedX Chest Press

MedX Row with SS retrofits

MedX Leg Press

Without a doubt the Ancestral Health Symposium was the best conference I have ever attended. All of the presenters that I saw were excellent, and there were many that I spoke with that I will definitely go back and watch the videos of their talks. You can also see these lectures at ancestryfoundation.org. Some general comments about the meeting are as follows:

-I have never been at a gathering that had such an outstanding collective body composition. Now this is certainly not a scientific observation, and there is a lot of selection bias when you consider people who are motivated enough about health and fitness to travel from all over the globe, but there is enough observational data to suggest that the paleo diet (in all of its various incarnations) definitely works. There was a wide variation in exercise approaches, but they were almost all high intensity. However, my overall impression is that the diet was most responsible for the incredible condition of this crowd.

-The internet is a powerful tool for freedom. In times past a movement like this could have been crushed by “the powers that be”, and notions of ancestral health and dietary approaches most certainly have been in the past. However, the internet allows such a free flow of information that the best ideas can still percolate through an ocean of viagra ads, porn sites, gambling sites and get rich schemes to be found by a motivated individual. Once a few rational minds find the best information, sparks get thrown off and eventually a wildfire results. The AHS certainly felt like such a wildfire. As Stephen Guynet said “this is like being IN the internet”.

-Once the wildfire is set, it becomes evident that being a high-calibre expert does not require that you come from a prestigious institution. Some of the really excellent presentations did come out of major universities, but some of the best came out of seemingly nowhere. For instance, be sure and watch Denise Minger’s lecture. This is a young lady in her 20’s who refused to bow to the “argument from authority” and disemboweled T. Colin Campbell’s China Study. Finally, the absolute best lecture that I have ever seen anywhere was given by Tom Naughton. Please look for his lecture, as it should be required viewing on the first day at every medical school in this country.

-I noticed a pattern where those participants from prestigious universities felt that “change” in the field of nutrition and metabolism should be enacted through legislation or by bringing supporting data to large regulatory agencies such as the USDA or FDA. Being brilliant themselves, they tend to feel that the really smart people should be in charge in order to make things safer for the populace. Those from more independent backgrounds seemed to have more confidence in the sort of spontaneous organization that made this meeting possible in the first place. To paraphrase Tom Naughton “we need to keep doing what we are doing and in the process show these large institutions that they are irrelevant”. I guess you can tell which camp I fall in.

-The Efficient Exercise Crew (Skyler Tanner and Keith Norris) put me through a quick workout on their ARX equipment. It is a motor-driven resistance system similar to the infamous Cra-Z-Train workout I experienced and many have seen on Youtube. Due to scheduling problems, it had to be done in a storage area of the Ackerman building and the machine was not completely assembled. As a result I got a little too much rest between sets, and the setup on the chest press and belt squat was a little less than optimal. One neat difference I noted was that the turnarounds now involved a definite end-point and squeeze technique rather than the brief respite I experienced on the Cra-Z-Train prototype. Hopefully others got to try it under better circumstances during the movement sessions. If so, please comment.

-The Paleo approach or Ancestral Health field has advanced to the point where there is some significant discourse and differences of opinion. While several theories clashed, the discourse was refreshingly polite. As for me, it seems that all of the incarnations are producing great results for their adherents. In the end it may be most important to “not eat crap out of a box”.

-Having talked with some of the most serious adherents of this approach to diet, I wonder how much my observation data about recovery intervals may be related to how bad people’s diets are and how much more we may be capable of with an ideal diet. I certainly have noted improved recovery and response and wonder what others experiences have been.

-I definitely plan on attending AHS12

book review - Body By Science (Doug McGuff)

Ultimate Exercise - Personal Weight Training

Body By Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week, by John Little and Doug McGuff, MD now available!

Ultimate Exercise Video Seminar and Demonstration Workout

click here for more info

Result-Producing Training Approach

We understand that proper exercise is a stimulus which acts on your body to demand an adaptive change. There are three fundamental variables involved in this relationship which we use at Ultimate Exercise to produce the best results for our clients.

I. High Intensity- To stimulate your body to make an adaptive change your exercise intensity must cross a certain threshold before your body will respond. By training to muscular failure, we send an alarm to your body that more muscle and improved metabolic are needed. Also, we use a training protocol called "SuperSlow" which involves lifting and lowering the weights over a 10 second time frame. This eliminates acceleration and momentum which keeps the muscle under continuous load and more effectively fatigues the muscle.

II. Brief Workouts- All of our workouts last 20 minutes or less. We desire the minimum amount of exercise that will produce the stimulus for adaptation. Anything beyond this amount of exercise only acts to consume precious recovery resources.

III. Infrequent Workouts- Reaching the required stimulus intensity threshold consumes a large amount of your body's resources and the subsequent adaptive changes are metabolically expensive. Replenishing resources and making metabolic investments takes time. Reintroducing the stimulus (a workout) too soon will interrupt these processes.

IV. Precise Record-Keeping- Keeping precise records of your workout performance allows us to know if we are manipulating the variables of intensity, duration, and frequency appropriately. By doing this our clients can show progress on every exercise of every workout.

Ideal Training Environment

I. Privacy- during your workout only you and your instructor are allowed in the training area.

II. No Distractions- no mirrors, no music, no phones ringing, no children, no loud colors, no plants, foliage or decorations.

III. Continuous Professional Supervision- Your instructor will monitor every aspect of your workout, never leaving to answer the phone or deal with other clients. Your instructor will be professionally attired in dress slacks, shirt and tie.

IV. The Best Equipment- We use Med-X and SuperSlow Systems equipment. All of our Equipment is specially modified for using the SuperSlow training protocol.

V. Environmental Control- The temperature is kept at a stable 61 degrees F. Research has shown that this is the optimal temperature for performing high intensity exercise. Also the facility is impeccably clean.

A "No Compromise" Facility

Your time is valuable and we will never waste it by having you do any form of exercise that is inefficient or non-productive.

You will not find any aerobics equipment. It would be easiest if we simply "gave clients what they wanted", but aerobics is not done at Ultimate Exercise because it is an activity that consumes precious recovery resources for no productive purpose. Instead, we spend large amounts of time educating our clients about the actual requirements of proper exercise.

We train our clients very infrequently. During the first few weeks our clients train twice a week. Within 2-3 weeks all of our clients go to once a week training. This is not just something we can "get away with", it is an actual requirement for the production of the best results. Make no mistake, we could make more money if we trained clients 2 or 3 times per week but the results would suffer. At Ultimate Exercise we want the client to be paying for results, not time spent in the gym.

Ultimate Exercise is under the direct control of those who will provide your training. We do not have to answer to investors or shareholders. Our only concern is the production of rapid, uninterrupted results for our clients.