A message from Ben:

Welcome to the April 2nd edition of the Pacific Elite Fitness Newsletter!

The brand new book from Pacific Elite Fitness "100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism" is now shipping as a complete book/DVD package, complete with exercise videos, nutritional support, supplement tips, and wellness lifestyle tips. So what exactly is included in this collection?

My secret collection of combined tips to melt through over 10lbs of fat per month

23 different herbs and supplements that have a maximum effect on metabolism

The one metabolism-depressing vegetable form you must avoid if you want to lose weight

17 easy-to-learn exercises you must incorporate into your workouts

Specific instructions on how to burn calories while in a car, bus, or airplane

38 separate food groups that jump-start your metabolic rate

Exactly how to eat carbohydrate, protein and fat for ideal calorie burning

11 proven mind tricks to control weight gain and appetite

Comprehensive introductory lecture on human energy and metabolism

and that's not all...

...for this week's newsletter special, you also receive my FREE E-Health Handbook of Diet & Fitness Secrets with your order of "100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism". That's a $19.95 value, for absolutely free! What are you waiting for? Click here to order "100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism" rightnow and receive your FREE gift!

Then once you have your book, you'll want to check out this week's article, which discusses the results of several new research studies that have a significant effect on both performance and weight loss goals. Keep reading to find out more.

Ben Greenfield

MS PE, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Recent Research

Constant advances in science have allowed us to improve our performance and health goals far more efficiently than our predecessors. Here's my synopsis of this month's studies that were of interest:

Exercise order matters

In a study of female exercisers engaged in weightlifting programs, performance and form suffered the most in exercises that were done at the end of the session.

Take home message: do your most important exercises early in your circuit or towards the beginning of your workout. For instance, if you struggle with a saggy butt, work on glute exercises like the squat and the lunge before completing your core or arm exercises.

Hamstrings should be trained as much as quads

A high number of individuals, especialy female athletes, have weak hamstrings relative to the quadriceps muscles, which increases risk of hamstring and ACL injuries. At normal speeds, the hamstring must be at least 60% as strong as the quads, and at high speeds, at least 100% as strong.

Take home message: since most traditional weightlifting exercises and activities of daily living strengthen quads more than hamstrings, important exercises to include in your program are leg curls, low back extensions, straight legged deadlifts, and stability ball curls.

VO2 max decreases over the course of a competitive season

Over the course of a competitive season, oxygen capacity decreased in soccer players. The rigors, traveling time, and skill practice of the season was not conducive to enough training to maintain a high level of cardiovascular fitness. Take home message: for athletes in the midst of a racing or competitive season, it would be helpful to include a high intensity interval training session at 85-95% of VO2 max at least once per week.

Immune system weakens after competition or heavy exercise

Following a rugby match, salivery IgA levels decreased by up to 40% in competitive athletes. IgA levels are indicative of immune system host defense, with a drop in IgA indicating increased susceptibility to infection.

Take home message: it is important for athletes to focus on post-competition recovery and limit exposure to viruses, colds, or large groups of people following a game, match, or race.

Free radicals form during both high and low intensity exercise

Elevation of free radicals can damage the lipid membranes of cells and result in several detrimental effects on the metabolism. Although high intensity exercise results in a lack of oxygen to muscles and increased formation of free radicals, a similar effect is noted during low intensity exercise.

Take home message: antioxidants and post-workout recovery are very important, even if a workout is not high intensity.

Functional training increases club head speed in golfers

Following 8 weeks of "functional training" that included single leg balance drills, spinal stabilization drills, rotation drills, stretching, and elastic band work, male golfers increased club head speed by 3.9 miles per hour.

Take home message: A "functional training" program would be a highly effective addition to any golfer who wants to improve their handicap.

Downhill running decreases strength more than power

In runners who performed strength and power testing following a 40 minute bout of downhill running, decreases in strength (force applied over a distance) were far more signficant than decreases in power (force applied over time).

Take home message: Immediately following a "hill" workout, runners should not perform a weightlifting protocol, but may still benefit from plyometric training.

Women do not select a training load sufficient to induce a training response

In a study of college age women, the study subjects underwent an unsupervised strength training protocol, without any guidance in choosing their resistance, repetitions, and intensity. The "unguided" group did not choose a load sufficient to induce a training response, typically choosing "low-weight, high-rep" modalities that were highly ineffective.

Take home message: use a personal trainer to guide your weightlifting protocol choices!

Interval training is highly effective at improving aerobic and anaerobic fitness

A group of runners performed interval training sessions at varying intensities and volumes.

Take home message: the most highly effective combination on a combination of aerobic and anaerobic fitnes was high intensity (up to 100% VO2 max), low volume (15-30 seconds) bouts with 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1 work:rest ratios, depending on fitness levels.

Exercise has a similar effect as hormonal replacement therapy

In early post-menopausal women (a little over 50 years old), bone mineral density and blood lipids were studied over a 4 year period of time. One group performed 4 training sesson a week, while the other group did not. The exercise group had a significant decrease in several post-menopausal risk factors, including bone mineral density, body fat, and blood lipids.

Take home message: before turning to HRT for post-menopausal support, an exercise program should be considered as an alternative

High rep/low weight vs. Low rep/high weight weightlifting in cyclists

One group of intermediate to advanced cyclists completed a high rep/low weight resistance training protocol (2 sets of 20), while the other group completed a low rep/high weight protocol (4 sets of 4). No difference in cycling performance was observed, but all groups improved in hill climbing and short sprints.

Take home message: If you're a cyclist, you may want to choose a weightlifting program that you enjoy, knowing that you'll benefit either way!

I constantly pour through research to make sure I'm doing everything possible to help my clients. Be assured that if you sign up for a training program with Pacific Elite Fitness, you'll be a direct beneficiary of this research applied in a practical and understandable way to your personal program!

QUESTIONS? Contact elite@pacificfit.net.