Video Friday - Ready to Train

Blunt force trauma...what are your weight lifting session like???

Have a great weekend!!!

EAA, CLA, and Whole Grains...

I just had a new Q&A article published on Bodybuilding.com

Go check it out!

Adapation to Low Carbs

I just read a great post by Dr. Michael Eades, the author of Protein Power (a low carb classis and a great title). It is about the adaptations that occur in your body when you switch to a low carb diet.

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We’ve all had the experience. We go off our low-carb diet for a while, then decide to get serious and get back on the straight and narrow. We start counting every carb and being good as gold, and suddenly we’re fatigued. We find ourselves puffing and panting just walking out to the mailbox. Old time low-carbers know this will pass, but newbies aren’t so sure. No one told them about this, and all they can think of are all the horror stories they’ve been told about low-carb diets.

I’ve had countless people tell me of how they tried a low-carb diet once and got so tired they had to give it up. They then usually tell me that a low-carb diet just doesn’t work for their bodies. I tell them that if they’ll just hang in there a while, it will all get better, and, in fact, they will have more energy and less fatigue than before they started the diet.

There is an adaptation period that takes place when starting a low-carb diet. Someone who has been on a high-carb diet–the standard American diet, for example–has to metabolize a lot of sugar. All metabolic processes require enzymes to carry them out. Our DNA codes for these enzymes, but we don’t make them unless we need them. And when we do need them it takes a while for them to get brought up to the necessary levels. So, when we’re on a high-carb diet, we’ve got a lot of sugar-metabolizing enzymes kicking around, ready to metabolize sugar. All the sugar-metabolizing pathways are working efficiently.

Suddenly we switch to a low-carb diet. Now we don’t have much sugar to be metabolized–we’ve got fat instead. But our fat metabolizing pathways are kind of rusty. We’ve got plenty of sugar enzymes, but not enough fat enzymes. The body stays put for a bit to see what’s going to happen. Is this just a few hours without carbs or is it a real low-carb diet for sure? Once the body gets serious, signals go to the DNA, which starts coding for the fat-burning enzymes. They are soon made and start to work, and the fatigue goes away because the body can now efficiently metabolize fat, the main fuel on a low-carb diet.

Read the rest of his post here

Tags: protein power, low carb diets, metabolism, weight loss, Dr. Michael Eades

Flexible Nutrition

I sometimes think of myself as a nutritional anomaly. See, in the world of nutrition in order to get a book published you need a gimmick. It doesn't even matter if the diet you prescribe sucks you just need a good gimmick. Don't believe me? What about the Flavor Point diet?



Is this guy serious? We're fat because our brain is stimulated by too many flavors. Anyway...I don't have a gimmick. I'm not a low carb guy, high carb guy, high protein guy...I'm none of those, yet I'm all of them. I don't want to limit myself by proscribing to a particular dogma because most of them work. Do I eat low carb all the time? No. Some of the time? Yes. Sometimes I'll use simple sugars after my workouts and sometimes I'll just use protein and amino acids.

I personally like to periodize my nutrition like I do my training. Sometimes I'll train full body and sometimes I'll train like a bodybuilder with bodypart splits. This keeps it interesting. When you eat low carb you get to eat foods that you normally wouldn't eat as much of when your carb intake is higher (like whole eggs, cheese, maybe even...bacon..but not that much). When I eat higher carb I get to enjoy more whole grains, oatmeal (my favorite), sweet potatoes.

Have you been having trouble sticking to your nutritional plan lately? why don't you switch it up? Have you tried the Metabolic Diet? Give it a shot! Are you a low carb guy? Start having carbs post workout and in the 2 meals following your workout. You'll love the muscle pumps! Most of all don't be so dogmatic because in the end everything works...just don't try the Flavor Point Diet.

Tags: low carb diet, metabolic diet, protein, fat loss

Video Friday - Awesome Squats

Here is an incredible sequence of various people doing squats. Squat til you drop! Have a great weekend.

Tags: squats, video, weight lifting, you tube

Fat Burner or Cough Syrup??

I recently reviewed the fat burner by SAN called Tight. My next review will be of the ready to drink (RTD) fat burner Redline. The tagline for Redline products is "freeze and burn". I'm not actually sure what the "freezing" part is about but I'm sure the "burn" is inferring fat burning. Initially, I wasn't really impressed by the ingredients:

Caffeine Citrate
Caffeine Anhydrous
EvoburnTM (Pure Evodiamine)
N-acetyl-tyrosine
Yerbe Mate
Green Tea
5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan
CAMP (adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate)
Vinpocetine
Yohimbine HCL

It is a bunch of stimulants sort of like Tight, fat loss by brute force nothing really elegant. I thought that the addition of cAMP was rather interesting. cAMP is a second messenger that is responsible for many things, one of which is lypolysis (freeing stored body fat). But I highly doubt that ingesting cAMP is going to help that AT ALL. Plus it is probably in such small amount that it couldn't possibly do anything (Note: I'm researching an article on supplements that stimulate cAMP so look out for that).

I knew off the bat that this supplement would take away my appetite (and it did) as it has my friends yohimbine HCL and caffeine. Like a jerk I drank the whole 8oz bottle without taking the time to "determine my tolerance level". To make it even worse I took it at 4pm before I went for a jog. Well, I was up literally all night. Man was I wired! I just laid in bed staring at the ceiling for hours. I finally got 2 hours sleep but woke up extremely jacked up and not rested at all. I found I did best with the Redline if I only took 2-4oz.

In the end I only used 2 of the 4 Redline RTDs that came in the package because the taste was awful! It tasted like cough syrup!!! I gagged every time I drank it. Even if the drink was chilled it was nasty. VPX (the makers of Redline) need to go back to the drawing board in the flavor/taste department.

I'll be testing out a free sample of MuscleTech's naNOx9 tomorrow. Now MuscleTech says that "Within 9 seconds of taking naNOX9, rapid compound diffusion is initiated, setting the stage for the most extreme, skin-stretching muscle pumps you'll ever experience." I've never used a nitric oxide supplement before (because I think they are a waste of money) but I'll let you know how it works out.

Technorati Tags:fat loss, supplements, reviews

Fish Oil Q & A

I've recently participated in a inpromptu questions and answer session online regardings fish oil supplementation. Here are some of the highlights:

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Mike R: I just glanced through Charles Polquin's new article and I noticed a misleading/incorrect statement that is important to note:

"4. Fish oils diminish C-reactive proteins..."

There is an epidemilogical study that shows that people that eat more fish have lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) HOWEVER data from randomized clinical trials (the "gold standard" of research) show that EPA/DHA have no effect on CRP (I wish it did). Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) as found in flax does have powerful CRP reducing effects.

IK: Charles mentions consuming 45 grams a day. He mentions 3 tablespoons a day, instead of the 45 capsules you'd have to take.

That's a LOT. Mike, what do you think about that?

Mike R: The problem here is the same problem that I mentioned in my 27 Nutrition Facts article on T-Nation

2. I hate it when people give fish oil recommendations and talk in terms of capsules or grams of fish oil. Talk in terms of EPA and DHA! Otherwise it just confuses people! There is no standard concentration of fish oil so saying that you take 3 one gram capsules means crap. EPA and DHA is what matters.

Charles didn't specify EPA/DHA and if you go to his website and look at the liquid fish oil he sells you can't see the nutritional facts to see how pure it is. I would assume (it is a pretty safe assumption) that Charles' fish oil is 30% pure and thus 45 grams of fish oil is only 13.5g EPA/DHA. Thus he is recommending 9-13.5 grams of EPA/DHA. This isn't that outrageous in that studies have found that 25-30g EPA/DHA is well tolerated without adverse bleeding effets. But as Canadian_Bacon has pointed out "results may vary". I wouldn't recommend that you follow Charles' recommendations using a 30% pure fish oil supplement as your exposure to potential toxins will be greatly increased. But if you choose a higher purity/potency product, increase you dosages in a stepwise manner over time, and spread your intake out across the day (I wouldn't consume more than 5 grams at a time) I'm sure you would see a benefit....to what extent I'm not sure because the most I've ever consumed was 7 grams EPa/DHA per day......

Oh yeah just a CYA...check with your doctor first.

IK: So Mike, when you say "purity", you mean the percentage of EPA/DHA per gram?

If that's the case, then mine is 50% pure. (Vitamin World's Super Omega-3)

I had a discussion with Alan the other week on this, and he was of the opinion that, like so many other products, more isn't always better, including fish oil.

What I take now is 6 pills = 3g epa/dha.

Obviously you don't know my specifics, but would you say that if I slowly ramped up to say 6g epa/dha, that I would feel noticeable differences? Would those be largely joint related? I know there are myriad benefits to the stuff, but what would be noticeable to me in the short run (over 4-6 month period)?

(I'm mainly just curious, but my asthma has been "less than under control" recently, and I'm curious as to how supplements might help.)

Mike R: A rough inference of purity is potency (% of EPA/DHA per gram). 50% is not bad.

I agree that more is not alway better, even with my most loved fish oil. But if you are increasing the amount for a specific reason (e.g. improve asthma) then it can be warrented. If I were you would I move up to six grams EPA/DHA to see if it improved my asthma, yes.

The data with EPA/DHA and asthma is far from conclusive but it is suggestive (wow that was a vague statement!). You would notice the difference much sooner than 4-6 months. Red Blood cell levels of EPA/DHA can equilbrate in as little as 4 weeks (4-6wks is the range found in the literature). So I would imagine that if you were going to see a difference then you would see it by then.

Keep a journal so monitor the status of your asthma (inhaler use, frequency of chest tightness, response to exercise, etc) as that will be the marker of improvement in this situation.

Again...check with your doctor

Tags: fish oil, supplement, asthma, omega-3, nutrition

When to supplement with BCAA

Branched Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs are one of the hottest supplements on the market. People always want to know:

"Do BCAA work?"
"When should I use BCAAs?"
"What BCAA should I buy?"

I've recently participated in a great discussion on BCAA, their effectiveness, and use. You can check it out (and you definately want to) over at the JP Fitness Forums.

Friday's Video - Inspiration

Here's a GREAT video. Super inspirational...pass it on to a friend and have a great weekend.

Great Salmon Recipe

Here's a great recipe for Garlic Dill Salmon that I found in the new Yahoo Food section. Just add some veggies and you'll be good to go!

Garlic-Dill Salmon
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1. 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2. 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
5. 4 (7 ounce) salmon fillets

Nutrition Info - 4 servings

Calories: 388 kcal
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 21 g
Protein: 40 g


Cooking Directions
1. In a medium baking dish, combine the garlic, orange juice, lemon juice and dill. Place the salmon, skin side up, in the marinade and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Discard half of the marinade and bake the fish in the remaining sauce until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Alwyn Cosgrove is a Bad Man.

I've been doing Alwyn Cosgrove's Afterburn II Fat Loss Training program. It is pretty tough but I was able to make it through the first 4 weeks and I felt like I was hitting my groove. However, yesterday I had to change up the rep ranges in the complexes from 8 reps to 4 reps. This coincides with an increase in weight. That coupled with new exercises at lower rep ranges later in the workout (more heavier weight), plus intervals, and the introduction of these devilish things Alwyn calls finishers (we talked about those when Alwyn was on Max-Out Radio) left me EXTREMELY sore this morning when NPR (National Public Radio) woke me up at 6:00am.

With these adjustments in the program Alwyn as arranged for me to become reacquainted with every muscle fiber in my trapezius (he's a bad man).

In regards to fat loss the program is dynamite. My wife even made some comment last night about how I was getting "skinny". I proptly corrected her that the proper term was "lean" not "skinny" (she'll ruin my reputation tossing around the s-word like that!)

Have a great day,
MR

Resveratrol - The New CLA??

The past couple weeks resveratrol has been all over the news. It's popularity and the research that has been done on it makes me think if CLA. CLA? You may be thinking "But CLA is a fat and resveratrol is a phytochemical how are they similar? "

The thing is that a lot of the early work (research) on CLA was done in animals (mainly mice/rats). What we found out with more research is that CLA can turn a fat mouse into Mighty Mouse no problem but it doesn't do the same things in humans. I'm not knocking CLA because studies have shown that it can be an effective agent in the fight against body fat at about 3.5g/day but it hasn't worked in humans like it does in mice.

I wonder if resveratrol will be similar. Below is a quote from a recent NY Times article:

"Resveratrol has been shown, in mice, to double their endurance They also have a reduced heart rate and energy-charged muscles, just as trained athletes do, according to an article published online in Cell. “Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training,” author Dr. Auwerx said in an interview.

If this would work in humans this would be incredible! Right? I'm not going to start celebrating quite yet. Plus another thing to mention is that the dosages of resveratrol that they are giving mice are HUGE compared to the average dose of a resveratrol supplement (for humans). In fact the only company that I've found whose product gives a large dose of resveratrol is Rez-V by Biotest. I would guess that if you are looking for the results that they are finding with mice that you would need to take large doses (like they do with mice) and not the small ones found in most supplements.

I'm intrigued by resveratrol. I'm going to start taking it myself. I figure the worst case scenario would be that my health greatly increases. We can sometimes get caught up in all the body composition / performance excitement that has been surrounding resveratrol but forget to realize that resveratrol have been shown to have great health benefits in HUMANS.

And if you're not into taking the supplement....have a glass of red wine. You'll get some resveratrol (not nearly as much as if you supplemented), you'll raise your HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), but you'll temporally put a stop to fat burning (nobody said it was a perfect world).

Thanks to Aaron W for sending me the NY Times article.

Have a great day (and plan your meals!),
MR

Weight Training Below Freezing, Biggest Loser, and Marty

The new Max-Out Radio has been released.

This episode contains an interview with Marty Gallagher. Marty is a world renown powerlifter and author. Listen to my interview with him along with a look at caffeine research, and how to cook oatmeal while you sleep at the Max-Out Radio Website.

Accurate Thinking

This week's Friday's Focus of on Max-Out Radio was about applying Napolean Hill's theory of Accurate Thinking to you physique development and health. You can download it at the Max-Out Radio Website.

Video Friday - Picnic Table Workouts

I saw this video a week or so ago and LOVED IT! I'm a big fan of Strength Coach Zach Even-esh in the first place but this could be his most creative idea to date. I re-watched the video before I left to go to my in-laws house for Thanksgiving and was so inspired that I did a Picnic Table workout and a playground workout at the local elementary school - It was great.

My to my suprise when I woke up this morning I saw that Zach had released the ebook that was mentioned in today's video. Even if you aren't interested in the ebook watch the video, get inspired, and have a killer workout outside this weekend.

WARNING: The music in the video contains some profanity so turn the volume down if you get easily offended.

Zach is practically giving the Picnic Table Workout ebook away as a new release promotion. You can find HERE.

Have a great weekend,
MR

Your Kitchen...

Last night I came across a great idea while reading Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy. He wrote a looking and acting the part. This has great carry over to achieving the physique and level of health that you desire. One of Brian Tracy's examples was if someone walked up to your desk when you weren't there would they conclude that you are a successful and efficient worker?

Let's apply this to you and your training/nutrition life. If a person were to enter your kitchen and examine it what would they conclude?

1. That you are a fit and lean person that eats clean is lives a healthy life.

2. That you are a person that tries to eat clean foods but enjoys having processed foods.

3. That there is no food because you always eat at McDonald's.

So which one are you?

This point goes right along with one of my favorite things that John Berardi has ever written called Berardi's 1st Law. Here it is:


Berardi’s First Law:
If a food is in your possession or located in your residence, you will eventually eat it.

Corollary to Berardi’s First Law:
If you wish to be healthy and lean, you must remove all foods not conducive to those goals from said residence and replace them with a variety of better, healthier choices.

Second Corollary to Berardi’s First Law:
If you know someone whose house is stocked only with optimal food choices and yet who is not healthy and lean, look under his bed.


I'm off to clean my desk :)

What is in My Library - Part I

Most people don't read enough. How many books have you read this Week? Month? Year? Hopefully a lot. Often times we aren't able to surround ourselves with mentors and role models. For example let's say you really want to drop some body fat but everyone around you IS fat. You can't just start hanging out with myself or John Berardi. The next best thing is books. Books allow you to enter the world of your mentor, hero, or role model. Blogs are really good at this too. Blogs are personal and thus you can get a real feel for the person that is blogging.

What I'm trying to get at here is that reading is your gateway to creating the world your want and developing the skills you desire. Currently one of the most overlooked genre of books is success literature. I LOVE SUCCESS LITERATURE. Most people mistake this for "get rich" books. Yes, the authors often write about making money but the skills, ideas, and techniques outlined in these books are applicable to all areas of life.

Here is a list of the books that I picked up over the holiday weekend.

I had given my copy to another friend


This is a great book that outlines skill not limited to making money


Napolean Hill is a dynamite author


This came highly recommend from a friend


Another Success Classic

27 Nutrition Facts

Yesterday I had a new article published on T-Nation entitled "27 Nutrition Facts". It is full of great nutrition (and non nutrition tidbits). If you are into fish oil then check it out because I have a bunch of fish oil facts covering areas such as purity, the effects on asthma, and fish oil vs. flaxseed oil.

Here's the link: 27 Nutrition Facts by Mike Roussell



-MR

The Line Was Backed Up Into the Road

Oh Americans....they are fat! My wife just called me and gave me some distressing news. She is out running errands and found that there was a line of cars backed up and at a stand still (this is out of the ordinary in State College, PA). She couldn't figure out what the hold up was until she eventually rounded the corner and saw the source of this traffic hold up - Wendy's.

So many people were trying to get a Wendy's burger for lunch that the line extended out of the parking lot and into the road! Now if you are reading my blog you don't need a reminder that that the American rear end is growing larger with every french fry but I would like to take a moment to dismantle an argument that many people use when they refuse to eat clean.

"Eating 'healthy' is too expensive" - I hate this excuse. I had a friend in college that started the "Body For Life" challenge. He was doing great - losing fat, getting stronger, etc. Then he stopped. He said he ran out of money. However, he still had the money to drink and party on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Do you know people like this? Are you like this?


Fast Food Meal ~ $5

Mike's Fast Meal
3oz Bagged Triple Washed Spinach - $1.25
1 can Chunk Light Tuna - $0.60
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil - $0.25

I'm going to stop there. With my meal I've only spent $2.10 so you have at least $2.90 to spend on whatever you would like (other things to spice up the lunch). I would also like to add that 3oz of spinach is a BIG serving of spinach (volume wise). Even if you just ate the three things I outlined (though I suggest that you add some more variety) you would get an incredible amount of nutrients as well.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive so don't let that be an excuse.

Charles Staley Interview - EDT and More

If you haven't checked out my recent interview with Charles Staley head over to MaxOutRadio.com and have a listen. Charles is a brilliant strength coach. We talk about escalating density training but we also delve into goal setting, consistency, clarity of goals, using olympic lifts to spice up your training....lots of good stuff. This is an interview you won't want to miss.

-MR

Friday's Video - Olympic Lifts

Happy Post Thanksgiving!! I hope that everyone is over their insulin induced post stuff/sweet potato coma. I've got a great video today for Friday's Video. It is a great
clip of Olympic weight lifting. Even if you aren't into the olympic lifts you can definitely appreciate the raw strength displayed here. Don't miss the kids around the 2:50 minute mark on the video.

I Can't Take This Anymore --> S.A.N. Tight

I recieved a bottle of S.A.N. Tight some time ago and have been using it off and on for for a month or so. I say off and on because I've had a reaction to Tight like I've never had to any other "fat burner".

It KILLS my appetite!

I'm not trying to hype up this supplement but I have discontinued the use of Tight several times for two main reasons.

1) The jitters - Interestingly enough the dosage of Tight is only one capsule but they must mega load caffiene and yohimbine because this stuff gives me the jitters and an unpleasent anxious feeling like no other supplement I've used.

2) Reduced hunger - I have a killer appetite but Tight completely eliminates my appetite. I have been putting off eating my 4th meal for about 30 minutes becuase I am uncomfortably NOT hungry.

The bottom line is that I've haven't been able to assess Tight's fat burnering capabilites because it is so full of stimulates that it makes taking it uncomfortable. This is a problem with several products on the market. They jam them so full of uppers so you feel like you are taking something. Because 1 serving of Tight is one capsule it is impossible for me to reduced my dosage - poor supplement design if you ask me.

I'll review Red Line in the future. I also have some Hot-Rox Extreme coming and I'll let you know what I think of that. I have high hopes for it because I think that forskolin has potential a supplement.

Thanksgiving Nutrition

This week begins a yearly journey for many people. A journey that the probably wish they didn't go on. A journey to pack on 5-10lbs of blubber. Depressing huh? Make this year different. The holiday season doesn't have to be all bad. In fact it can be a nutritional feast! I found the below article that extols the benefits of various thanksgiving foods. I've add commentary as usually and bolded the good stuff.

During the holidays, I typically offer endless advice on how people can trim down their meals. But this time I'm touting the good stuff that's hidden within our traditional holiday fare. Hooray! But remember, you still have to be accountable for calories, fat, and sugar. Dietitians are obsessed with calories, fat, and sugar. Get proactive instead. Look for nutrient dense and high protein choices.



Turkey
Skinless turkey provides ample protein with very little fat. It's also a good source of several B-vitamins and selenium.
4-ounce servings:
Turkey breast without skin - 153 calories, 1 gram fat You should hord all the left overs of this part of the turkey to have the week after thanksgiving for various meals. "Regular" folks don't appreciate the joys of skinless turkey breasts - give 'em the dark meat.
Turkey breast with skin - 214 calories, 8 grams fat
Dark meat without skin - 211 calories, 8 grams fat
Dark meat with skin - 250 calories, 13 grams fat
Turkey wing with skin - 235 calories , 11 grams fat

Candied Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are nutritional powerhouses. They're an excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Sweet potatoes rock! But they are sweet enough as it is - See if you can score some unCandied yams.

Cranberry Sauce
A half-cup of fresh cranberries provides 10% of the daily value for vitamin C. What's more, according to the largest USDA study on antioxidant rich foods, cranberries ranked #6! Just make sure your cranberry sauce isn't loaded with high fructose corn syrup because that will essentially negate all the benefits from the antioxidants.

Pecan Pie
Fresh pecans play a starring role in this delicious dessert. Pecans provide a good source of heart-healthy fat (they contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), along with some fiber, vitamin E, and zinc. They ranked #14 in the USDA's study on antioxidant rich foods. Pecans are a nice substitute for is you are looking for a buttery flavor but extolling the health benefits of pecan pie is too far fetched for me.

Homemade Apple Pie
One medium-sized apple contains only 80 calories and has zero grams of fat. Plus, they are a good source of fiber -- specifically soluble fiber -- the type that stabilizes your blood sugar levels and helps lower bad cholesterol. I love apples. I wrote a whole article on apples once. But this is the same situation as with pecans. Once you add a stick of butter to your apples the health value drops significantly.

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin, a type of winter squash, is naturally fat free and packs only 30 calories per one-cup serving (of course, that's plain unadulterated pumpkin!). Pumpkin is also a good source of fiber, beta carotene, potassium, and two antioxidants called lutein and beta-cryptoxanthin. Lutein helps reduce the risk of macular degeneration and beta-cryptoxanthin helps fight arthritis. What is this woman's obsession with trying to make pies healthy?? Again pumpkin rocks but in a pie form you're getting much more than 30 calories per serving...

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I don't want people to think that I'm anti enjoying thanksgiving because of my comments because I'm not but I think it is important that we are honest about our food choices and not let our thanksgiving eating habits stretch to Christmas.

Friday's Focus

I've added a new 5 minutes weekly feature to Max-Out Radio. Head over to http://www.MaxOutRadio.com and check it out.

Have a great weekend,
Mike

Video Friday: - Preparing for Combat

We're back with another edition of Video Friday. Check out the video below of coach Zach Even Esh training some high school wrestlers

If you like what you see in the video then you should check out the Underground Strength Coach website. I'm a member. It is a dynamite site.

The Corruption of the Food Industry - Part 2

My most recent post has generated quite a bit of discussion (via email and Internet forums). I wanted to follow up with the study regarding whole grain cereal and the lay press article that was published by Reuters. I want to preface this post with the statement that not every company or interest group is corrupt.

For example the Cattleman's association, where I got the cookbook, is genuinely interested in funding studies that will show how beef can be a healthy part of ones diet. Now I know that beef can be part of a health diet but beef has gotten such a bad rap with the whole saturated fat thing that many people don't think so. The Pistachio council is another stand up organization that is interested in further developing scientific studies that examine the benefits of pistachios (ex: healthy fats, plant sterols, phytonutrients, etc).

Back to the studies at hand. I've bolded the part's I find interesting and put my comments in italics. First the lay press article.

---------------------------
High-fiber cereals promote healthy weight loss
Dieting strategy reduces fat and calories, boosts nutrients
Reuters
Updated: 4:10 p.m. ET Sept 15, 2006

NEW YORK - High-fiber whole grains may help dieters lose weight while making gains in some nutrients, new research suggests.

In a six-month study of 180 overweight adults, researchers found that whole-grain cereals helped people lose weight [How? The non grain group lost just as much weight] while boosting their consumption of fiber, magnesium and vitamin B-6.

Their intake of these nutrients was higher than that of dieters who cut calories but did not eat whole-grain cereal. The implication, say researchers, is that fiber-rich cereals can help people cut calories while maintaining or improving the quality of their diet.

The study, which received funding from Kraft Foods, Inc. [at least they were up front about this], is published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

A problem with cutting out calories or certain foods to shed pounds is that nutrients can be lost from the diet. The current findings suggest that whole-grain cereals can help prevent some of these losses, according to Dr. Kathleen J. Melanson, an assistant professor of nutrition science at the University of Rhode Island, Kingston and the study’s lead author.

She and her colleagues arrived at their results by comparing three weight-loss strategies: exercise only; exercise plus a reduced-calorie diet that emphasized whole-grain cereals; and exercise plus a low-cal diet that included no cereals.

The researchers randomly assigned 180 overweight, sedentary men and women to one of the three groups. Those in the “cereal” group were given packets of whole-grain breakfast cereal and were told to eat a serving twice a day for the first half of the study, then once a day for the remaining time.

In the end, both diet groups lost more weight than the exercise-only group, with dieters in each dropping roughly 12 pounds, on average. But the cereal group cut down on saturated fat to a greater extent and bumped up their fiber [this is a plus], magnesium and B-6 intake.

On the other hand, all three groups were short on calcium and vitamin E, the researchers found.

“Many study volunteers who were in the cereal group ate their cereals as snacks from baggies rather than with milk or yogurt,” Melanson explained, “so that may be why their calcium intakes did not increase as much as expected.”

Besides having their cereal with milk, dieters can get calcium from foods like green vegetables, almonds and canned fish with bones, she said.

Vitamin E sources include vegetable oils like canola and safflower, some fish, wheat germ, almonds, peanut butter, avocado and mango.

Some of these foods, like nuts and oil, are high in calories, Melanson noted, so people trying to lose weight will have to exercise portion control.
Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14853327/

--------------------------------
Now the abstract from the actual manuscript.
--------------------------------------

Consumption of Whole-Grain Cereals during Weight Loss: Effects on Dietary Quality, Dietary Fiber, Magnesium, Vitamin B-6, and Obesity

Kathleen J. Melanson, PhD, RD, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, PhD, MPH, Von T. Nguyen, MS, RD, Margaret Martini, PhD, RD, Linda Zukley, MA, RN, Joshua Lowndes, MA, Thomas J. Dube, MA, Justin J. Fiutem, MS, Byron W. Yount, MA, James M. Rippe, MD
<br>Abstract

Objective
While various weight-management approaches produce weight loss, they may differ in dietary quality. We monitored changes in nutrient intakes in overweight and obese subjects on three different weight-management programs.

Design
Randomized clinical trial (pilot study) with two 12-week phases: phase 1, weekly counseling; phase 2, monitoring only.

Subjects/setting
One hundred eighty nonsmoking, sedentary overweight and obese adults began this outpatient study; 134 (body mass index [calculated as kg/m2]=30.9±2.4; age=42.3±1.2 years) were used in analyses.

Intervention
Twenty-four weeks of exercise only (control group), hypocaloric diet plus exercise, or hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise.

Main Outcome Measures
At weeks 0, 12, and 24, diet quality was assessed by 3-day food records and body weight was measured.

Statistical Analyses Performed
Three-way analysis of variance with repeated measures.

Results
The hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise decreased energy intake more than exercise only (P=0.032). By week 12, the hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise and the hypocaloric diet plus exercise decreased total fat more than exercise only, which was sustained in the hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise at 24 weeks (P<0.001). style="font-weight: bold;">The hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise increased total fiber, insoluble fiber (both P<0.001), magnesium (P=0.004), and vitamin B-6 (P=0.002)[the vitamin this isn't that huge of a finding] intakes more than the hypocaloric diet plus exercise and exercise only. Calcium and vitamin E intakes were inadequate in all groups. Weight loss was similar in the hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereals plus exercise and the hypocaloric diet plus exercise.

Conclusions
Weight-reduction strategies may be associated with reduced intake of micronutrients, such as calcium and vitamin E. However, a hypocaloric diet with fiber-rich whole-grain cereal is effective for improving or maintaining other aspects of dietary quality during weight loss.

My wife is tougher than YOU!

For the past two years I had been working out in my basement. It was just great - barefeet, no easy listening music, and no concentration curls. Since August, when we moved to PA, I've been working out in a public gym - what a disaster! It is no wonder that you rarely see fit, tone, well muscled individuals walking around. Everyone in the gym is wasting their time.

Just last week I say a guy doing concentration curls while hitting on the girl next to him! Is he serious? The bottom line is that most people who don't workout use not having enough time as an excuse. But most people that do workout are wasting their time. Quite a paradox huh? This brings us to my wife. She is a busy lady but in living with me the excuse of "not having enough time" wouldn't fly. The answer is time efficient workouts. Here is just a glimpse of one of the supersets she did yesterday:

1 Arm DB Snatch (Left) x 5
1 Arm DB Snatch (Right) x 5
Bulgarian Squat (Left) x 10
Bulgarian Squat (Right) x 10

Rest 1 minute and repeat two more times.

In all honesty she could have stopped after this and have done more work than 95% of the people I saw in the gym today. Her workouts are short and hard. Most people want short but can't handle hard.

What is your training like? Do you ever use time as an excuse? Be different. Workout hard. Set the standard in your gym for results and dedication.

Oh yeah...her workout was done in the spare bedroom in our apartment. No fancy equipment just some dumbbells.

Video Friday - Take it to the next level

Sorry I've been MIA from the blog scene. This week has been pretty crazy with research, school, Max-Out Magazine, and Max-Out Radio. Last night the latest edition of Max-Out Magzine was release so check your inboxes.

Video on the internet has truely taken off between You Tube and Google Video there are some good clips out there (there is a lot of crap too). So each friday will now be video friday here at the Street Smart Nutrition blog. I'll post my favorite video of the week.

I've watched the below video several times this week because it is just incredible. I personally think wrestlers are some of the best conditioned athletes on the planet. Check it out!

Alwyn Cosgrove Fat Loss Interview

I just posted the lastest episode of Max-Out Radio. It is a killer fat loss interview with Alwyn Cosgrove. Alwyn is the master of fat loss. His advice is straight from the trenches and it works. If you have any interest in losing bodyfat then don't miss out on this interview. You can download it at www.MaxOutRadio.com

-MR

Hardcore Fat Loss

I was looking over Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program the other day. One of the most over looked parts of the package that Craig offers is his Hardcore Fat Loss program. This workout is killer. I recently had a client that I put on a turbulence training type workout call me the next day to tell me that

1. It was the toughest workout he had ever done (he used to play top level college basketball)
2. That looking around the gym everyone else was just wasting their time compared to him.

Both statements are very true. Turbulence is brutal yet burtally effective and most people do waste their time in the gym.



Check out Turbulence Training here.

iTunes Recognizes Max-Out Radio

Max-Out Radio has truely taken off! After only three episodes the iTunes Music Store has recognized Max-Out Radio in their "New & Notable" section for the Fitness & Nutrition category.

You can check this out at the iTunes music store under the following directory Podcasts > Health > Nutrition & Fitness.

If you are a regular listener to the show subscribe through iTunes to help boost the shows popularity.

Train Hard & Stay Focused,
MR

Stress - Quote of the Day

"Stress is caused by your ego's inability to control the situations, people, and events around you." - Barbara Mahaffey

This quote is awesome! Stress negatively effects just about everyone's lives. For men stress is the anti-testosterone. Learning to control and limit stress is extremely important.

Set apart some time each day to reflect, relax, and diffuse any stressful feeling that you have built up. You will be healthier for it.

-MR

Metabolism Boosting Workout at Home

I've been stuck at my desk at home since Friday working on a take home exam for my Nutrition and Atherosclerosis class. Up until about 15 minutes ago I thought I had had enough. I went to save my work when I came across a copy of Zach Even-Esh's ebook Real Man Fit Tips. If you haven't gotten this free ebook you are missing out on some great stuff. Just go to www.RealManFitTips.com and get a copy free, no strings attached.

...I digress...seeing Zach's ebook got me thinking about Zach's core message about how you only need 10 minutes and your body to get a great workout. That's what I needed... a quick workout to break a sweat, get my heart rate up, and clear my mind. So I turned on the Sunday night football game and did the following circuit:

BW Squats x 10
Offset Push Ups 10 switch hands 10 more
Lunges 10 each leg
Close Grip Push Ups x 10
Windshield Wipers 10 each side
Rest 1-2 minutes and repeat 2 more times

I feel great, my metabolism is up and I'm ready to write. What are you doing right now? Can you spare 10 minutes? I'm sure you could. Go ahead bang out 3 rounds of the circuit I just did and bump up your metabolism.

-MR

Workouts for a Change of Pace

Tomorrow I'm starting a new training cycle. That means that yesterday was the last day of my current workout plans. When I got to the gym I decided to ditch what I was going to do and do what ever I felt like. The workout turned out to be great. As I type this I am extremely sore. Here's how it went down:

Push Press 5 x 3 (to failure)
Push Press 1 x 15

Chin Ups (twice through the circuit)
Palms Away x 5
Palms Towards x 5
Neutral Grip x 5
Plate Row x 5 (Bent over row gripping 45lbs plate in each hand)

Incline DB Bench x 8
Flat DB Bench x 8
Decline DB Bench x 8
Twice Through the whole circuit

Starting tomorrow I'm off to some more serious stuff - 12 weeks of fat loss....I know who diets during the holidays?? Nobody...that's the whole point.

"Because you needed to do it."

If you don't occationally head over to the Elite FTS website to check in on what Dave Tate is doing then you are really missing out! Dave keeps a killer training/life log. I've pasted below an excerpt from an entry Dave made a couple days ago. Basically Dave did two training sessions in one session and went ALL OUT - the session lasted over 3 HOURS. The part I pasted below is Dave remember another time he did something similar to this.

Dave admitted that in his brain "the guy who knows about training" thought it was a bad idea but "the guy does training" thought it was a great idea. For Dave it was all about going beyond the normal. Pushing himself to a point where he thought his training session was going to kill him - but knowing it would only make him stronger. It might sound corny but as Dave puts it at the end of his entry "Only a hand full will understand" Do you? When was the last time you threw out your periodization plan, set/rep scheme, and went all out? What do you do to make yourself feel alive?
--------------------------------------

This began as a workout...: "Yep I guess so but I remember years ago after another one of these dumb ass sessions. I asked Louie why he let me do that (I think that session was 40 sets of box squat with 45 seconds rest) when there is no way it would do anything good or help me get stronger.

His replay was...

'Because you needed to do it.'

We spoke more about this and there were other factors involved such as this was way out from a meet, I was healthy and did not have a big session planed for a couple weeks. If these factors were different he would have stopped the session (as he had to do many, many other times with not just me but almost all the lifters he works with).

What I have grown to understand is these sessions do not KILL us and make us stronger. They make us more ALIVE. These are the ones where you test who you really are and what you are really made of. These tests the essence of who you are. When this is what is being challenged then it does not freaking matter what you are doing and what the physical outcome will be. What matters the most is like I said at the beginning...

Only a hand full will understand. "

Research Review: The Zone Diet and Fish Oil

Research Review: The Zone Diet and Fish Oil

I just came across this pretty cool study that looked at the effect of Omega-3 (EPA, DHA, and ALA) and the Zone diet on mood, body composition, and inflammation. Enjoy!

Blood profiles, body fat and mood state in healthy subjects on different diets supplemented with Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
G. Fontani*, F. Corradeschi*, A. Felici*, F. Alfatti*, R. Bugarini*, A. I. Fiaschi*, D. Cerretani*, G. Montorfano+, A. M. Rizzo+ and B. Berra+


Background Diets and Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been considered as important factors to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, but there are few details on the effects on healthy subjects. The aim of the present study was to examine the variation of several physiological parameters in healthy subjects on different diets supplemented with Omega-3 fatty acids.

Materials and methods The experiment was carried out on 33 subjects divided into four groups according to a double-blind cross-over design with a 1 : 1 ratio for Omega-3 (vs. placebo) and open-label parallel-groups with a 1 : 1 ratio for the Zone diet (vs. the diet suggested by the Italian National Research Institute for Nutrition and Foods). Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the experiment and after 35 (cross-over) and 70 days. The Profile of Mood States test (POMS) was also performed.

Results The arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio (AA/EPA) was strongly reduced by Omega-3 with a supplementary effect of the diet and in particular the Zone diet. The AA/EPA reduction was correlated with a concomitant decrease of insulin and homocysteine levels. The Zone diet reduced skinfold thickness and body fat percentage and also showed antioxidant effects. The mood state changed after Omega-3 supplementation, with an increased POMS index. This was related to a concomitant reduction of AA/EPA and was particularly evident in the Zone diet.

Conclusion AA/EPA and mood state are differently influenced by diet and Omega-3, body fat is particularly reduced by Zone diet, while blood parameters such as triglycerides/HDL ratio, insulin and homocysteine are related to AA/EPA variations. These findings are discussed in terms of differences in the composition of the diets and the influences of Omega-3 on physiological functions.

Eur J Clin Invest 2005; 35 (8): 499–507

My Blog Died

If you are wondering why my blog layout is different and why all the archives are missing it is because a couple days ago I had some HUGE computer problems. I was in the process up upgrading my server and I lost my blog. Lost as in gone...off in cyberspace. I was pretty bummed. Over 6 months of blogging.....gone.

But I had two choices.

1. Wine about how I lost all my entries and give up.

2. Set up a new blog and keep blogging.

I chose option 2. This a great example of how successful people function. When sh*t happens you have two choices and successful people always choose option 2. I've learned a ton from this disaster and am a better person because of it.

Have you had situations similar to this? Which option did you choose?