MUSCLE CRAMPS?

Hey to all,

Are you one of those people that have constantly muscle cramps?
What is the reason behind those painful muscle cramps?

Personally, some clients of mine were affected by muscle cramps recently, so let's clarify the reasons behind the topic. The reason behind muscle cramping remains unclear, but the are 3 possible explanations which are:

1. muscle fatigue or overexertion
2. dehydration, and
3. electrolyte imbalance

In addition, high potassium foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, low fat dairy foods and adequate sodium can eliminate muscle cramps. Try these simple nutritional tips and I think you are on the right track. I'm out........

Reference:
Jose Antonio et al. 2008. Essentials of sports nutrition and supplements. 1st Edition, Humana Press Publishing.

The 3 Forgotten Laws of Functional Training!

Its been a long long time to write anything on the blog. I do apologize,but I have been really busy. Well, today I'm going to talk about the 3 funtamental laws of functional traininig that any coach/ trainer or individual that trains should be aware of.

Here they are:

1. The Law of Facilitation. It depicts that 'when a nerve impulse has passed through a certain set of neurons and caused excitation, it will tend to take the same path in the future and each time it does this, it will encounter less resistance with each attempt' (Osar, 2005, pp. 69). This goes back to falthy movements and postures while training. If someone that trains does not have the proper technique and posture, these faulty patterns are carried outside their training environment and towards real life.
2. The Hilton law. It states that ' the nerves that innervate a joint also innervate the muscles, skin, and cutaneous structures of the surrounding area' (Osar, 2005, pp. 69). That's what Kinesio taping is all about. In training, the Hilton law is illiustrated when inhibiting the core muscles by wearing the weightlifting belt when exercising.
3. The Sensory- Motor Amnesia law. It 'describes a condition that arises within the neuromuscular system in which decreased muscle recruitment results from a decrease in sensory input into the system (Osar, 2005, pp. 70). In training, this phenomenon occurs when someone is training on fixed plane movements such as machine resistance training. There is only one movement involved and the core stabilizers are shout down completely. That is the reason why people get injured not only during activities of daily living, but also implementing this kind of training in sports.

I hope you find these 3 forgotten laws of functional training useful. I want to wish to everyone a lovely Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope TRAINING will be your no. 1 priority for the 2011-2012 year. Take care........I'm out!

Reference:

Evan Osar, 2005. Form and Function: The anatomy of motion. (2nd ed.), Fitness Education Seminars Publishing.

Oat bran study!

Effect of oat bran on time to exhaustion, glycogen content and serum cytokine profile following exhaustive exercise

Felipe F Donatto^1,3 , Jonato Prestes^1,2 , Anelena B Frollini¹ , Adrianne C Palanch¹ , Rozangela Verlengia¹ and Claudia Regina Cavaglieri¹

¹ Health Science Faculty, Methodist University of Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

² Graduation Program in Physical Education - Catholic University of Brasilia, - Brasília/DF/Brazil

³ Molecular Biology of the Cell Group, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of São Paulo, Brazil

author email corresponding author email

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2010, 7:32doi:10.1186/1550-2783-7-32

Published:	18 October 2010

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oat bran supplementation on time to exhaustion, glycogen stores and cytokines in rats submitted to training. The animals were divided into 3 groups: sedentary control group (C), an exercise group that received a control chow (EX) and an exercise group that received a chow supplemented with oat bran (EX-O). Exercised groups were submitted to an eight weeks swimming training protocol. In the last training session, the animals performed exercise to exhaustion, (e.g. incapable to continue the exercise). After the euthanasia of the animals, blood, muscle and hepatic tissue were collected. Plasma cytokines and corticosterone were evaluated. Glycogen concentrations was measured in the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles, and liver. Glycogen synthetase-α gene expression was evaluated in the soleus muscle. Statistical analysis was performed using a factorial ANOVA. Time to exhaustion of the EX-O group was 20% higher (515 ± 3 minutes) when compared with EX group (425 ± 3 minutes) (p = 0.034). For hepatic glycogen, the EX-O group had a 67% higher concentrations when compared with EX (p = 0.022). In the soleus muscle, EX-O group presented a 59.4% higher glycogen concentrations when compared with EX group (p = 0.021). TNF-α was decreased, IL-6, IL-10 and corticosterone increased after exercise, and EX-O presented lower levels of IL-6, IL-10 and corticosterone levels in comparison with EX group. It was concluded that the chow rich in oat bran increase muscle and hepatic glycogen concentrations. The higher glycogen storage may improve endurance performance during training and competitions, and a lower post-exercise inflammatory response can accelerate recovery.

A short and sweet workout!

A 15-25 minute workout.... a continuation after the short and sweet warm up posted a few weeks ago. The 2 arm KB swing is performed with a 16 and 20kg to challenge the core more.

Perform 3-5 sets. Rest 1-2 minutes in between. Enjoy....I'm out......

Do you fish oil?

Effects of supplemental fish oil on resting metabolic rate, body composition, and salivary cortisol in healthy adults

Eric E Noreen, Michael J Sass, Megan L Crowe, Vanessa A Pabon, Josef Brandauer and Lindsay K Averill

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2010, 7:31doi:10.1186/1550-2783-7-31

Published:	8 October 2010

Abstract (provisional)

Background

To determine the effects of supplemental fish oil (FO) on resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition, and cortisol production in healthy adults.

Method

S: A total of 44 men and women (34+13y, mean+SD) participated in the study. All testing was performed first thing in the morning following an overnight fast. Baseline measurements of RMR were measured using indirect calorimetry using a facemask, and body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography. Saliva was collected via passive drool and analyzed for cortisol concentration using ELISA. Following baseline testing, subjects were randomly assigned in a double blind manner to one of two groups: 4g/d of Safflower Oil (SO); or 4g/d of FO supplying 1,600mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 800mg/d docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All tests were repeated following 6wk of treatment. Pre to post differences were analyzed using a treatment X time repeated measures ANOVA, and correlations were analyzed using Pearson's r.

Results

Compared to the SO group, there was a significant increase in fat free mass following treatment with FO (FO= +0.5 +/- 0.5kg, SO= -0.1 +/- 1.2kg, p=0.03), a significant reduction in fat mass (FO= -0.5 +/- 1.3kg, SO= +0.2 +/- 1.2kg, p=0.04). and a tendency for a decrease in body fat percentage (FO= -0.4 +/- 1.3% body fat, SO= +0. 3 +/- 1.5% body fat, p=0.08). No significant differences were observed for body mass (FO= 0.0 +/- 0.9kg, SO= +0.2 +/- 0.8kg), RMR (FO= +17 +/- 260kcal, SO= -62 +/- 184kcal) or respiratory exchange ratio (FO= -0.02 +/- 0.09, SO= +0.02 +/- 0.05). There was a tendency for salivary cortisol to decrease in the FO group (FO= -0.064 +/- 0.142ug/dL, SO= +0.016 +/- 0.272ug/dL, p=0.11). There was a significant correlation in the FO group between change in cortisol and change in fat free mass (r = -0.504, p=0.02) and fat mass (r = 0.661, p=0.001).

CONCLUSION: 6wk of supplementation with FO significantly increased lean mass and decreased fat mass. These changes were significantly correlated with a reduction in salivary cortisol following FO treatment.

If you are not..... you are surely missing out. I'm out....

Multi- events for 2010!

Check with official contact for event verification Dates Event Name Contact October 10 , 2010 Quantum 5km, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon Run Quantum October 23, 2010 Lemesia 10km & 3km run Limasol Municipality October 23, 2010 5km open water swim Federation of Swimming 22449840 October 24 2010 Mountain Triathlon @ Governors www.cytrifed.org October 28th 13 km hike trail - Madari Get out Shop November 7, 2010 Nicosia Kids triathlon - 7-14 years old www.cytrifed.org November 20, 2010 Aktotiri 1/2 IRONMAN TRIATHLON K1 TRIATHLON CLUB November 21 Amathunta 1/2 marathon & 10 km Nikis Sports Management November 28 21Km and 5 Km Races (Pafos www.runclub.com.cy/new_races_2010.htm November 25- 28 Akamas 4-day running challenge Paphos http://www.cypruschallenge.com/ December 4, 2010 Athalassa 5km www.dromearacing .com January 30, 2011 21 km and 5 km , Pervolia G.S.Z. February 2, 2011 Mountain bike - Cyprus Sunshine Cup #1 – Voroklini, Larnaka http://sunshine.mtbcyprus.com/ Febrary 25- 27, 2011 Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2 – «Afxentia 2011» Stage Race http://sunshine.mtbcyprus.com/ February 27 , 2011 Lemesos Marathon, half Marathon & 10km G.S.O. March 6, 2011 Cyprus Sunshine Cup #3 – Amathous, Ag. Tychon http://sunshine.mtbcyprus.com/ March 13, 2011 Duathlon - (run/bike/run) Nicosia www.cytrifed.org March 25, 2011 Strovolos 5km run Cyprus Health Runners Club

Goooooooo for it! Emailed to me by a great triathlon coach Mr. Kypros Nicolaou. I'm out......

Are you one of those trendy Pilates person?

Recently, I came across so many individuals that are crazy about Pilates. They consider it the best exercise ever, and especially women love it. Hhhhhmmm.........is Pilates a complete training philosophy for you? What is Pilates ?...do you really know or you just join cause you want to look cool.

Personally, people's ignorance on the topic is one thing that drives me nuts. Here are my pros and cons on Pilates philosophy.

Pros:

1. It's a form of a less strenuous activity...which is great....targeting mainly the core.

On the other hand, the Cons:

1. Gooofyyy Instructors. These are people that do a 2 weeks certification and they think they are the experts on the topic. They literally do not know anything else. They just know few exercises. They do not have a justification for what is going on and they are the ones that most of the people out there, especially in Cyprus that trust and they consider it as 'value for money'.
   
2. No specificity what so ever. Is there a connection between Pilates and a sport or an activity that you are part of? If you have a back pain...maybe is the right form of exercise for you, but does the trainer understands exactly what is the problem and what he can do to help.
3. Forgotten other important elements of training such as power, cardiovascular endurance, and joint stability and mobility.
4. Not such a variety of equipment used. Challenging the body with different equipment can keep the workouts more fun and surely more beneficial towards your fitness goals.
   
5. Not much resistance used. The resistance that is use is not that much sooooooooo that equals with a lower metabolism and not an effective method if you are goal is to loss excess fat. This goes out to all the women out there who think that weights are bad for them.
6. Low intensity. Have you ever seen someone doing a pilates class and be out of breath or depict that pilates is a tough training regime? Easy workouts are not very beneficial for you health, performance and great results, so accept it and move on. Of course you need easy workouts, but in the long run tough workouts to the point of your goals are crucial.

Finally , I believe that there are some great Pilates instructors out there that know really the WHY of everything. If you want to experience a more complete training philosophy just come by the 3 D studio anytime. The question remains...Why do you use Pilates for? I'm out......