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#1. Re: Mr. Intensity! - from Eric Deaton
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Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 06:59:57 -0600 From: Eric Deaton <Eric.Deaton@lmco.com> Subject: Re: Mr. Intensity! Howdy, Mr I. I got to sat that you are right on the money! Over the years, I have lost more training partners to intensity than anything else, period! It is kinda a rush when you get a major head rush, getting off a leg sled, and watching your partner dread what your about to put them through! You got style, Mr. Intensity! You ain't ashamed to tell any of those whiny, mislead individuals who think the "muscle" rags got a clue, where to get off! Sometimes I want to toss chunks listening to some of the (heh-heh) experts that I work with toss out garbage that won't work to people who wouldn't know a workout if it HIT them in the head! I get a big kick reading your stuff! Keep up the terrific job, my friend! Here's to keeping HIT! Eric Deaton Eric.Deaton@lmco.com
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#2. Re: DOY! - from James Krieger
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Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 14:03:13 -0700 From: "James Krieger" <jkrieger@wsu.edu> Subject: Re: DOY! >From: "Joe Venier" <jvenier@zdnetmail.com> > "Have two 8 week periods. The first 8 weeks have one group go 8 to 1. Have the other do 1-2 sets of 8 HIT style with double progression. Then, immediately after another 8 week period is performed. The first group does the same protocol, and the second group also does the same protocol (8 reps to a 1-RM over 8 weeks). Then compare the results after the 16 weeks. By your reasoning, the group that stuck with 8-1 should have better strength as tested by the 1-RM at the end of 16 weeks?" ----------------------------- You're putting words in my mouth. First of all, I never said that the group making the progression down to 1 RM was definitely going to have better strength gains. I said, "If the second group makes a better improvement in 1 RM over the first group, then the second group had better strength gains." I never said, "The second group is going to make a better improvement in 1 RM." I don't care what types of training protocols you are comparing. One of the training protocols could be shoulder pressing toilet paper rolls while sitting on the toilet for all I care. Let's say I take two subjects with a 1 RM in bench press of 200 lbs, and I put subject A on protocol A, and subject B on protocol B for 10 weeks. At the end of the 10 weeks, I test 1 RM again. Subject A's 1 RM is now 210 lbs, and subject B's 1 RM is 225 lbs. Who made the better strength gains? Subject B, of course. Not only did his 1 RM improve more, but his 3 RM will have improved more, his 5 RM will have improved more, his 8 RM will have improved more, and his 10 RM will have improved more than subject A. This is because as 1 RM improves, the relative intensity of submaximal loads goes down. If you add 40 lbs to your 1 RM bench, I guarantee you that the weight you can do with 8 reps will also have improved more than if you only added 10 lbs to your 1 RM bench. I think this is OBVIOUS. DOY! James Krieger
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#3. Re: New rule? - from James Krieger
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Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 14:05:47 -0700 From: "James Krieger" <jkrieger@wsu.edu> Subject: Re: New rule? >New rule: no writing posts when drunk and/or chromium deficient. Does that mean I'm going to get kicked off the list? I guess Jack Daniels and I need to stop hanging out together whenever we write posts :). Oh, I guess I also need to start buying TWINLAB CHROMIC FUEL and stop using so much MALE FUEL. Jim
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#4. Re: Valsalva maneuver - from James Krieger
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Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 15:01:47 -0700 From: "James Krieger" <jkrieger@wsu.edu> Subject: Re: Valsalva maneuver >From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> > >Contrary to what James Krieger stated regarding the role of val salva in >reducing compressive forces on the lumbar discs through increased >intra-abdominal pressure, it should be discouraged in all cases, due to the >dangers associated with the increases in blood pressure resulting from it. >This is especially important when dealing with elderly populations, >subjects with high blood pressure or vascular problems, anyone with a >history of stroke or aneurism, or anyone who has recently eaten a large >volume of those potato chips containing Olestra. Are you saying that a valsalva maneuver should be discouraged in a powerlifter performing a 1 RM squat? Or an Olympic lifter doing a clean? Or someone doing sets of squats with near maximal loads (such as 3-5 RM loads)? This would not be a good thing as far as prevention of spinal injury is concerned. I agree with you a valsalva maneuver should be discouraged in individuals with heart problems, elderly people, etc, where dramatic increases in blood pressure are contraindicated. However, during short-term maximal efforts in exercises that involve tremendous compressive forces upon the spinal discs, such as 1-RM or near 1-RM squats or deadlifts, or Olympic lifts, a valsalva maneuver is an important protective mechanism that should not be discouraged. It also aids in force production. A valsalva maneuver usually occurs as a reflexive action when lifting maximal or near maximal loads. There is an important reason why it is a reflexive action. James Krieger
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#5. Re: Vanadyl - from James Krieger
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Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 20:47:16 -0700 From: "James Krieger" <jkrieger@wsu.edu> Subject: Re: Vanadyl >From: MSdfense51@aol.com > >Ok we all know that creatine works, but what else have you all tried? Does >vanadyl sulfate work? Amino acid supplementation, such as glutamine? The only peer-reviewed study on vanadyl sulfate in athletes found it to have no effects on strength or body composition (1). Most research with vanadyl sulfate has been done on diabetic rats, which has little applicability to weight-training humans. I personally tried vanadyl sulfate a number of years ago and it didn't do a thing for me. There is no evidence in the scientific literature to indicate that supplementation with individual amino acids, such as arginine, lysine, or ornithine, is of benefit to strength athletes. As far as glutamine is concerned, there is a theoretical foundation in which glutamine supplementation *may* be of benefit to strength athletes, but no research has been done directly on weight trainers, so currently no evidence exists to point to any ergogenic effect. However, since intense strength training can compromise the immune system by decreasing the body's glutamine stores (glutamine is an important fuel for the lymphocytes and macrophages of the immune system), glutamine may help prevent infections, which can be opportunisitic in a body which has had its defenses compromised by intensive training sessions. One study found that endurance athletes supplemented with 5 g of glutamine after a competition were much less likely to come down with an infection than athletes who were not supplemented (2). Only 19% of the athletes that took glutamine reported coming down with an infection within 7 days after an event while 51% of the athletes receiving a placebo came down with an infection. 1. Fawcett, J., S. Farquhar, R. Walker, T. Thou, G. Lowe, and A. Goulding. The effect of oral vanadyl sulfate on body composition and performance in weight training athletes. Int. J. Sports Nutr. 6:382-390. 2. Castell, L.M., and E.A. Newsholme. The effects of oral glutamine supplementation on athletes after prolonged, exhaustive exercise. Nutri. 13:738-742. 1997. James Krieger
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#6. Observations - from Mr. Intensity
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Date: Wed, 17 Jun 1998 07:03:00 PDT From: "Mr. Intensity" <mrintensity@hotmail.com> Subject: Observations Hey fellas, I have ta share this wit yous guys. I went out ta da new gym in town last night. One of my buddies asked me ta take him through a HIT session. I ain't a personal trainer or anything like dat, but I will try and help a man or woman out if dey ask. Any way, he completes da work out, did real good too for some body who never tried HIT before. I like it when people put forth an honest effort, I don't know about yous, but I can tell when some body is just half assin' it at the gym. So, I'm talkin' ta Joe, I'm givin' him a few pointers, like..don't hold yer breath, don't watch the spandex bunnies, stay away from supplements, you know the routine, all yous HITers dat is. When in walks some guys I used ta run around with. These guys call themselves power lifters. I'm watchin' these guys get ready, dey do some warm ups, one rep with different weight at da bench press. they get ready to bench, one of'em loads da bar wit 400 pounds. Suddenly, dey start circling da bench, there's about six of these guys in da group. I started wonderin' about the pagan religion thing, so I looked around to see if there was any livestock in their gym bags. While I was distracted, one of da guys pulls out a knee brace, "Huh.." I thinks ta myself, why would ya need a knee brace for benchin'? Suddenly dey all stop circlin' da bench, five of da six guys each grab da knee brace, one of da six stood in da middle of da other five. Dey start pullin' dis knee brace over dis guys head until it fits on him like a shirt. So dis guy wit da shirt on, he's about 5'4", 360 pounds, has quite a gut on him, he's got dis knee brace on as a shirt. He looks like he's havin' trouble breathin', his arms are forced way out to his sides, he's all compressed inward, so he lays on da bench, has one guy on each side help him grab da bar, he can't bend his arms ta lower da weight! Seriously, he also had ace bandages wrapped tight around his elbows. Now, tell me, What da hell is goin' on? I hung around and watched these guys for a long time, they had five guys help one guy into a body suit for squats and had their knees wrapped so tight dat dey could barely walk. Is dis da kinda work out dat's productive? The only work I saw these guys perform was takin' their suits and wraps off and puttin' em on some body else. Just my opinion here, but now I see why most power lifters I see have large pot bellies, and walk funny. I almost forgot, not only did they have all those wraps and squat suits on, but they also had a weight liftin' belt, they went to a rack, wedged the buckle in it some way, and pulled the damn thing so tight, they went from a 58 inch waste, yea, I said waste, immediately to a 26 inch waste. fat was squashed out on the top and bottom. I want some body to tell me how this is so great. To me, this was a carnival side show, hell, I paid the gym owner money just for lettin' me watch. Mr. Intensity
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#7. Re: HIT Digest #159 - from Jim White
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Date: Wed, 17 Jun 1998 17:38:12 -0400 From: Jim White <jimwhite@NOSPAMerols.com> Subject: Re: HIT Digest #159 > Ok we all know that creatine works, but what else have you all tried? Does > vanadyl sulfate work? Amino acid supplementation, such as glutamine? I am > trying to pack on some mass before football starts and any help would be much > appreciated. > > Thanks, > > Mark My answer to any question like this is, what do you mean by "work". Stated another way, I think it is important to specify the intended effect of the supplement in question. Many of the supplement companies will tell you that a supplement works, but if you read carefully, they don't really say how. So, to say vanadyl "works", I would have to qualify this by saying something about its effect. When drug companies say their substances work, they are usually this specific. An example, Prozac works to alleviate depression in a certain percentage of individuals diagnosed with depression as measured by .....(whatever). Getting back to your question, do any of the supplements you listed provide the effect (mass building) you're looking for. Well, if you eat enough protein, you will get all the amino acids you'll ever need. As far as glutamine, this is just another amino, and if you drink a whey protein shake (which a lot of exercise enthusiasts, myself included, do) you should get plenty of that as well. Vanadyl SO4 has been promoted in a number of ways, the most common as an aid in glucose clearance (helping insulin to do its job better). Does it really work like this? I don't know. If it did, would this help you pack on mass? Again, I'm not sure. Insulin is responsible for (among other things) assisting the transport of substances from the blood into the cells (one of these cells being muscle), but this is a far cry from saying (even given the assumption that Vanadyl imitates or accentuates the actions of insulin) that V-SO4 will give you muscle mass. Personally, I think a good workout routine and a sound diet (that is -- eat, man, eat!) followed with enough rest and maybe some multi vitamins and a protein drink every now and then, will go a long way towards packing on the mass. -- James White Center For Bioresource Development Dept. of Psychology, George Mason University
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#8. Smith Machines - from Verbal2213@aol.com
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Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 14:09:50 EDT From: Verbal2213@aol.com Subject: Smith Machines Are Smith machine squats good or bad?
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#9. Re: Spot reduction - from Lyle McDonald
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Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 23:16:54 -0500 (CDT) From: lylemcd@onr.com (Lyle McDonald) Subject: Re: Spot reduction >Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 23:01:30 EDT >From: Beber0190@aol.com >Subject: Spot Reduction > >I know that the general feeling is that spot reduction is not possible, but I >thought I'd share a personal observation with you. At one point, I decided my >abs were looking too flat, so I added a couple hundred crunches a day at night >to my routine. After two weeks, my abs were looking better, but here's the >strange part. I had lost about a pound, and had reduced skinfold measures on >my abs, but on other parts of my body they were the same. Is this empirical >evidence in favor of spot reduction being possible, or is there another way to >explain it? I would speculate that you may have added some muscle to your abs (hard to explain considering the reps but stranger things have happened) which stretched out the fat on your abs, giving both an improved appearance AND a smaller skinfold. The one pound weight loss is difficult to explain, *perhaps* the added calorie burn from the crunches caused this but crunches don't burn a ton of calories, even 200 per night. did anything else change in your routine. Studies ahve been done examining spot reduction, working people up to hundreds of crunches per day with no changes in skinfolds. Lyle McDonald, CSCS "I woke up the next morning and shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know." Groucho Marx (not to be confused with Karl)
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#10. TUL = Time Under Load - from Andrew M. Baye
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Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 08:04:27 -0400 From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> Subject: TUL = Time Under Load TUL = Time Under Load, the duration for which one performs an exercise. There is an excellent article on this at http://www.x-net.net/ult_ex/articles.html Maybe somebody should put together a list of exercise related acronyms for the digest? Andrew M. Baye The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc http://www.superslow.com
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#11. How To Squat? - from Michael Meadows
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Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 12:03:00 -0400 From: "Michael Meadows" <meadows@mvps.org> Subject: How To Squat? I am having a problem learning how to squat correctly. If I squat with no weight and with my arms crossed in front of me, I can get a good deep squat with no problem. But if I hold a bar behind my neck, or hold dumbbells down at my sides, my weight shifts onto my toes as my thighs approach parallel to the ground. I tried to find the proper balance by going down into a crossed arm squat, then slowly moving my arms back while keeping my weight on my heels. Fortunately my wife was behind spotting me because I tipped over! I have read that taller people (I'm 6'2") have more of a balance problem and need to put something under their heels. I found that if I put a 10 lb plate under each heel, I can squat with no problem and keep my weight on my heels. But I just read the following at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~griffin/carrell_legs.html - "The "balance-on-your-toes" method will work your thighs (quadriceps), but will also grind your knees to dust. " and then "Also, no blocks under heels; it's the same as squatting on your toes." What do the esteemed members of this list recommend? Michael Meadows
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#12. Plyometrics & wrongness - from William Measor
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Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 22:19:05 +0100 From: William Measor <parsifal@foobar.co.uk> Subject: Plyometrics & wrongness I saw something quite bizarre at the gym on Wednesday. A small, skinny, long distance looking bloke hoisted 90lbs on his back on a straight bar and proceeded to leap up and down frantically!! I kept well clear of him, didn't want to get squashed! Can someone confirm to me whether this is "plyometrics" ? JJHBowers wrote: > When they finally started to TALK to each other and made a strong attempt at > peace?? No. It was when one side, the USA, proved their point, and spent the > other side, the misguided, evil, and WRONG USSR into oblivion, (Thank you, > Ronald Reagan), that the cold war finally disappeared. > What an offensive statement. You are the sort of person who tarnishes the Americans' wonderful reputation. ;) But seriously though, what is evil about the USSR? I find your post funny because you obviously haven't a clue about why this list exists. It is to discuss training, not just to voice your opinions.
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#13. Not All Plyos are Wrong - from PRSNLFTNSS@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 17:55:25 EDT From: PRSNLFTNSS@aol.com Subject: Not All Plyos are Wrong <<Plyometrics are wrong>> The Stretch Shortening Cycle Movement of the body and implements (e.g., weights, balls, bats, racquets, etc.) by the body occur as a result of volitional and reflexive recruitment of skeletal muscle. These movements are classified as being either eccentric (lengthening), isometric (static), or concentric (shortening) muscular actions, and their combinations. A "stretch shortening cycle" (SSC) can occur when an activated muscle is eccentrically stretched and immediately performs a concentric action (Komi, 1984). Stretch Shortening Cycle SSC's are an integral component of nearly all natural and sporting movements. From another perspective, the "explosive" and "ballistic" movements preformed during sprinting, counter movement jumps, hurdling, throwing, acrobatics, gymnastics, weightlifting, trampolening, diving, and the majority of sport could not be performed to the same level without incorporating SSC's (see Huijing, 1992). Acute Mechanisms for Enhanced Efficiency and Performance SSC's enhance both movement efficiency and performance levels, primarily by utilizing stored potential elastic energy and to a much lesser extent by increasing muscle activation (EMG) Bosco, et.al., 1982). Traditional Plyometrics Traditional plyometric training exercises range from the popular ground based low- to moderately-intense horizontal bounding, skipping, hopping, and jumping drills. These exercises have been used for leg/sprint speed improvement by nearly all coaches. However, it must be emphasized, that only those exercises involving rapid prestretching and maximal efforts can be considered truely plyometric versus regular jumping or SSC exercises. That is, any of the aforementioned exercises involving rapid prestretches and maximal efforts are plyometric. Controversial Plyometrics More controversial high-risk, higher-intensity plyometrics include vertical "weighted counter movement", "box jumps" and "depth jumps". Counter movement jumps with additional loads ranging from 0 up to 120%BW and depth jumps from specific heights (10 up to 110 cm) are generally prescribed to enhance the force component of power equation. Counter movement jumps are used to assess the load-velocity relationship or load at which jump height produces the greatest power outputs. These exercises can also be used to assess changes in the ability to elevate the center of mass (based upon flight time) under increasing stretch loads. The ability to tollerate greater stretch loads is directly related to ones elastic strength. Training has been successfully prescribed under those conditions where power output is maximal. Biomechanical analysis of squat jumps, counter movement jumps (with no load), and drop jumps illustrates the significance of conter movements, particularly drop jumps from heights (60cm+), on the magnitude of the preload and ultimate take-off force. These values, respectfully range from 2-3xBW. Biomechanical Analysis: Support for Weightlifting as a Plyometric Exercise and Prerequisite for Sport The fears of, and potential for, injury during fast/ballistic exercise relative to other activities have been discussed (see Brzycki, 1989; Kearns, 1990) and appear to have been inflated to encompass the full spectrum of SSC exercises. From a weightlifting/weight training perspective, the force deviations across a range of motion (ROM) during "ballistic" lifts can involve forces three to four times greater than the minimal force required to lift a given mass (Weiland, 1964; Hay, 1981). However, forces 2 to 4 times that required to lift a load are only a fraction of that encountered during normal physical activity (Burkhardt and Garhammer, 1990; Cavanaugh, et. al., 1990). Cavanaugh et.al. (1990) analysis of ground reaction forces during various jumping maneuvers during basketball play reveals peak forces up to 14 times body weight. Burkhardt and Garhammer (1990) contrasted Olympic lifts with various jumps and reported greater impulse and propulsion forces during depth jumping versus ballistic weightlifting. However, the magnitude of forces during jumping and ballistic lifting are only be a fraction of that experienced during contact-collision sports. Thus, integration of faster exercise, appears to be a necessary and important last step in the elite athletes conditioning program.