Study Review from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Effects of Carbohydrate Restriction on Strength Performance
Michael Leveritt and Peter J. Abernethy

Introduction
The concurrent training of strength and endurance has been shown to impair strength development in athletes. Though unclear, it’s hypothesized that the fatigue caused by the depletion of muscle glycogen during endurance training will cause reductions in strength. Muscle glycogen is an important energy source during resistance training and carbohydrate supplementation enhances strength performance. Other studies have shown that glycogen depletion will reduce isometric strength, but not iso-kinetic strength. It has been shown that strength performance is impaired after a bout of endurance exercise. However, the mechanisms of fatigue have not been studied. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of carbohydrate restriction on iso-inertial and iso-kinetic strength exercise.

Methods
One female and five males participated. All were physically active, but were not on a specific training protocol. Initial measurements were taken in two separate sessions. The first measured height, weight, and squat 1RM and the other measured peak cycle ergometer oxygen consumption.

Experimental Design
Subjects performed strength exercise on two occasions-under control conditions and one after a 2 day carbohydrate restriction program.

Carbohydrate Restriction Program
The carbohydrate restriction program consisted of a specific exercise protocol at varying intensities, followed by 2 days of carbohydrate restriction prior to strength exercise. Subjects were restricted to 100g a day.

Strength Exercise
Subjects performed iso-inertial and iso-kinetic strength exercise. For iso-inertial exercise, squat lifts were performed at 80% of 1RM for three sets to failure. For iso-kinetic exercise, the knee extension was performed, on their dominant side only, for five sets of 5 repetitions.

Results
Squat repetitions after carbohydrate restriction were significantly reduced. However, knee extension after carbohydrate restriction was not significantly different from the control. Theses results suggest that the 2 day carbohydrate restriction program depleted muscle glycogen stores, affecting iso-inertial strength performance, but not iso-kinetic strength. This difference may be due to the difference in the metabolic demands of each exercise modality. For practical applications, athletes training strength and endurance concurrently must ensure adequate carbohydrate intake for optimal strength performance.

Review by

Adam Eckart, BA, USAW

Fitness Together

Manager

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The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Disease

Harvard Alumni Studies
The Harvard Alumni studies were conducted to show the correlation between caloric expenditure and mortality rates due to heart disease and/or heart attack. 17,000 Harvard Alumni were given a questionnaire for information on health and physical activity. Physical activity included various sports, stair climbing, and walking. The study found that those “who consistently exercised during their lifetimes had lower heart attack and mortality rates than their sedentary classmates.” The study showed that as caloric expenditure through various activities increased, mortality rates decreased. “The highest heart disease and mortality rates were found in alumni who expended fewer than 500 kilocalories per week.” The same study also showed that mortality rates and heart disease dropped with caloric expenditure at about 2,000 kilocalories. In another study, college athletes who did not remain physically active after college were shown to have the highest risk for heart disease.
The Harvard Alumni studies concluded that physical activity is “a major determinant of public health.” Public health researchers determined that eliminating physical inactivity reduced the prevalence of risk factors for what is called community-attributable risk- an estimate of the potential reduction of heart attacks in the population if the risk factors were not present. “The higher the prevalence, the greater the potential improvement in public health if the risk factor was eliminated.” This meant that if the Harvard Alumni remained physically active, the heart attack rate would have been about 25%. Physical activity showed to have the greatest effect on mortality rates from heart disease than any other risk factor. The study also concluded that those that stayed physically active extended life expectancy to about 2.5 years longer than their sedentary classmates.

Adam Eckart
B.A. Physical Ed./Adult Fitness
USAW


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The REAL Reason You Are In Pain

Key to the ability to perform efficient movement patterns free from discomfort and/or pain is the proper function of muscles and joints. In most cases the cause of muscle and joint decreased range-of-motion (ROM) is stiffness in the joint and muscles that originate at or near the joint, innervate the joint, or are located adjacent to the joint. Stiffness in other soft tissue structures such as tendons, ligaments, and fascia (connective tissue) may also be responsible for decreased ROM. For example, the inability to lift the arm in the proper over-head position may be a result of tight rotator-cuff muscles, tight deltoids and pectorals, and/or tight upper back muscles located in the scapulo-thoracic region. Interestingly, this issue could, in fact, originate from faulty walking patterns. If a person has weak foot or ankle muscles, the body will attempt to compensate for this by relying on other body segments near, below, or above the weak areas, such as the calves or knees, to produce the desired gross movement. Overuse of the calves and/or knees can affect the way the hip joint functions, which will place more stress on the lower back. Pain in the lower back will cause compensatory movement in the upper extremity [shoulder complex-shoulder joints and scapulas (shoulder blades)], which will cause overuse of these areas resulting in decreased ROM and/or potential injury. If injury occurs, scar tissue build-up and overcompensation will tighten the muscles and joints even more. You must also understand that faulty movement patterns may begin by consciously changing the way you move. However, overtime these movement patterns become learned by the Central Nervous System (CNS). The CNS is responsible for the conscious and subconscious firing of muscles. When the brain senses a problem (pain), it will change the sequence of the muscle-firing pattern, using the uninjured muscles first.
Once this happens, you subconsciously use these faulty movement patterns in lieu of more efficient ones. So you see, that an issue that may originate in the foot, left uncorrected for long enough, can snowball UP the kinetic chain and affect movement in the shoulders!

Adam Eckart
B. Physical Ed/Adult Fitness
USAW


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Exercise of the Week

CRAZY CORE!

At Fitness Together- Red Bank, the core (no pun intended) of our training philosophy is efficient movement. And with movement must also come stability. To keep it simple, great movement starts with great stability. So to train efficiently, we must learn stabilization before mobilization. And where does most of our stabilization occur? You guessed it, our core. And our core (abdominal muscles and spinal erectors) stabilizes most efficiently when our spine is in its natural position (erect). This means to train our core, we must position ourselves accordingly. When training our clients, the most basic progressions usually start in a static, neutral spine position. Then, with progression, we simply change the center of gravity of the position requiring more stabilization. As compared to "old school" core training, e.g. sit-ups and crunches, you'll find the following simple progressions far more challenging.





This is one of the more basic progressions:

Begin on your hands and knees, back flat-you can ensure this by performing this in front of a mirror.

Then inhale through your nose, then tighten (draw) your core in.


First raise the one leg (you can keep your knee bent to make it easier or fully extend it to make it tougher), then once you have the leg stabilized, raise the opposite arm in-line with your head as shown. Exhale your breath through your mouth as you raise your arm.


The next progression is simply a hold in standard push-up position.

Shoulders should be directly over the hands.


Back should be level with the floor.


You can spread the feet for a more stable base, or you can keep your feet closer together to make it tougher.



As I stated earlier, to progress this, we simply change our COG.


Once in position, inhale through your nose, tighten your core, then raise your foot off the ground. Exhale as you stabilize.

We can also change the degree of difficulty by raising the arm in-line with the head, or moving the arm across the body.

The sequencing is the same as the other progressions.

Enjoy!






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Exercise of the Week

Wall Sit with Shoulder Press

with Fitness Together Co-Owner Adam Eckart

Hello, its Adam here. I'm going to show you a great exercise for total body mobility. This exercise was created by top physical therapist and strength coach Gray Cook. Its purpose is to help correct immobility in the hips, upper extremity and core stability. This exercise is a popular one at Fitness Together. We have our clients perform this as a part of their warm-up to prepare the body for the coming workout.

• Sit on the floor, with your back against the wall and the soles of your feet together, pulled towards the body.




• Hold your arms out to the side against the wall, with the elbows bent at about 90 degrees. Place the back of your hands flat against the wall or as close to the wall as possible.




• Press hands upward towards the ceiling. Press knees towards the floor at the same time as raising the arms over head.




• Perform the pressing as far as possible while keeping the hands against the wall, or as close to the wall as possible.

Perform this exercise everyday, as a part of your daily stretching routine or as a corrective method, especially for those that sit for long periods. Enjoy!

Visit our blog weekly for informative articles, exercise tips and ideas, and video demonstrations.

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732-747-2611

What is the purpose of training? How can it help me? Am I ready for training? Who can help?

Fitness Together trainer Anthony Lopez, BA Physical Education, ACE-CPT

These are the questions that you should ask before starting a fitness training program. Everyone thinks they know exactly what kind of training to do. However, many people do not understand what training really means. If you are currently working out do you know what you did the day before? Could you explain to me how long it will take you to reach your goal? Do you even have a goal? Finally, be honest, are you lost going from machine to machine or looking at the person next to you for ideas. If you are, that person is probably looking at somebody else to figure out what to do.
To begin, let’s start with the science of training. Genetically speaking, we can only go so far in our performance and our overall physique. Our genetics are like a ceiling and we can do our best to reach the top but we cannot break that ceiling. Do not be disappointed there is still a lot of work to be done if we can ever reach that ceiling. We need a starting a point to figure out where to begin our training.
We start by evaluating our body and movement patterns. Is our body mobile? Can we move correctly? Is it stable enough to hold or move in a correct pattern? Basic movement is the start because if we cannot move properly our training becomes compromised. Basic movement goes back to being a being a toddler beginning to crawl, stand, and walk. If you’ve ever seen a baby go to reach for a toy on the floor, watch their hips. The baby will amaze you with how well they can properly squat to pick up that toy. Picking it up any other way would lead to incorrect patterns and eventually injury.
The point is if you can’t move properly then you can’t train appropriately. Lifestyle is going to determine how the baby changes his or her movement patterns. In our full time jobs, strenuous work and our sedentary lifestyles we will encounter movement imbalances.
Now that we see movement imbalance, the next question is, how do we fix it? Honestly, to fix many of the issues the best thing to do is ask a fitness professional. Speak with a trainer who has a degree in an exercise related field, years of experience, and a nationally accredited certification. You can also see a physical therapist to correct many severe movement issues. Last option if the first two are too expensive, pick up DVDs on movement patterns by credible strength coaches and physical therapists for example Mike Boyle and Gray Cook.
Training is a commitment and cannot be taken lightly. It can be a very powerful tool or it can work against us. Do the research if you are really looking for the changes to happen. Stop looking at the person next to you for answers and take charge of changing the way you train today!


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5 Tips For Making Exercise A Habit

To make exercise a habit and keep it that way, you'll need to get support from a personal trainer, make room in your life, and mix things up every now and then. Here are five ways you can do that:

• Log your exercise time. Keep an exercise log of some sort—whatever works for you. You can make it as simple or detailed as you like. Logging the exercise you have done gives you a reference to go back to see the different things you've done and how much effort you've already put in. An exercise log also acts as a sort of tangible proof that you've done what you said you would do.
• Get help. A personal trainer is an excellent resource to make sure you exercise safely and effectively and also an excellent motivational support. You'll find you want to meet the expectations you and your personal trainer have set, and so you'll continue working towards those goals. Having a scheduled appointment with someone never hurts, either. Personal trainers at Fitness Together can provide the resources you need.
  Mix it up. Varying your exercise routine by cross training and introducing new exercises keeps you interested in what you are doing. It also helps solve fitness goal troubles during periods when you might plateau. Your personal trainer will prove his or her worth here, too, because they will always be able to bring you something new and interesting and help you modify your exercise program.
• Buddy up. Partnering with an exercise buddy (or more than one) is motivating and again adds interest. Exercise friends are supportive and help distract you from the task at hand so exercises stay interesting longer and are easier to bear. Fitness Together makes it easier to meet up with a partner after work.
• Schedule it. Humans as a whole are creatures of habit. Schedule your exercise for the same days and times so that it is a natural part of your day, rather than something you'll get to 'later'. You might even find yourself looking forward to your trip to the Fitness Together studio.

Starting and staying with an exercise program is not always easy. Feed off the motivation and support of Fitness Together's friendly and knowledgeable trainers, and use the rest of these tips to help keep you moving.

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732.747.2611