The Miracle of Massage: Unmasked

An article posted in sciencemag.org in early February has many researchers, athletes and massage therapists with the knowledge of how they feel or make individuals feel after a massage could actually be due to a change of tissue at the structural cellular level. This research that was performed at McMasterson University Located in Hamilton, Canada showed from a series of muscle tissue samples that athletes who received a massage after a bout of exercise showed less inflamatory cells in the musculature and a greater amount of PGC-1alpha which is known to help muscle cells build mitochondria, the power plant of the cell. Interested in reading more about how massage was shown to decrease inflammation and increase recovery?  Go here for the article or the research.

Find a New Peak by Adding Some Intensity in Your Training

After a long winter many cyclist and triathletes will look back at the hours of tapping out a steady rhythm on the pedals for hours at a time accumulating base miles.  With the warmer weather approaching in many regions in the U.S.  there will be races and events for each and everyone to participate in if you haven’t already.  The one thing that has been neglected for months, if not longer for some, is our high end intensity.  VO2 work is not the most pleasant thing to do and I think that is probably why many of you have been avoiding it for so long, however, the gains that you can see from it is often very eye opening to many! I have had many of my athletes log in to look at their schedules and see a solid block of VO2 work and the next thing that usually happens is my phone starts ringing.  First they tend to start off with a half serious question of, “Are you trying to kill me?!” which is then followed with, “My event doesn’t have me doing this sort of intensity, so I don’t need to do this.”  Yep, you may be right… In your century, or Ironman you probably won’t spend a great deal of time at VO2 but that does not mean that you can not see added benefits from these workouts.  Not only can you see increases in lactate threshold through these workouts but you are also raising the ceiling of your ability level both physically and mentally!  So, consider upping the intensity and increasing your power on the bike. When doing VO2 work there are several things to consider:

  1. Achieve the greatest benefit for the time you are putting in.  A perceived exertion of 10/10 achieves the greatest effort (peak and fade) as opposed to maintaining a consistently high power (plateau).
  2. Be sure to get enough time in of interval work:  15minutes of VO²max training has been shown in research to be the minimum amount of time to achieve significant results.
  3. Don’t stretch out the recovery:  Whether you are measuring on distance traveled or power don’t increase recovery when you see the numbers start to become less and less.  Keep up the maximal effort and finish strong.  1:1 recovery is optimal
  4. Don’t go off of your heart rate:  Heart rate has a lag time to it because it is your bodies response to the work being done so if you are shooting for a maximal heart rate you will more than likely not reach it.

Sample workout:

  • 10-20 minute warmup (dependent upon what you need to feel ready for a maximal effort)
  • 5x3min VO2 intervals
    • 3minutes rest between intervals
  • Cool down

Resources:Poole D.C., Gaesser G.A.Response of ventilatory and lactate thresholds to continuous and interval training, J Appl Physiol, 581985, 1115–1121 Free Full Text  Tabata I.,Nishimura K., Kouzaki M., Hirai Y., Ogita F., Miyachi M., et al.Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 281996, 1327–1330 Medline

SoS in the Tallahassee Democrat

Science of Speed was in the Tallahassee Democrat Saturday the 10th as an introduction to the multisport community.  Look for future articles posted from SoS in the future to help aid you in your training, racing and nutrition.  Be sure to come by and see us!

SoS in the Tallahassee Democrat

The Science: Using Fat During Exercise

Background: For years there have been many people telling people in the gym, for training or for general weight loss that you need to be working in your “fat burning zone.”  A great deal of the time this is more for the weight loss crowd that they have been feeding this line but unfortunately this has been a little misconstrued and has lead to a great deal of people being mis-informed about what they can or should be doing from weight loss. 

So, you might be wondering, “how did this idea get into so many peoples minds.”  Well it all comes down to one simple little graph.  This graph is known as several different names, whether you call it the “cross-over theory” or the “fat oxidation chart, it doesn’t really matter, it is the same thing.  What this simply shows is a rough estimate of where your body begins to burn a great percentage of carbohydrates in relation to fats in relationship to your VO²max.  These two fuel sources are chosen because during exercise those are the predominent fuel sources used by the body and therefore they chose to compare them.  Sounds simple, right? Study: “Determinants of fat oxidation during exercise in healthy men and women” This study was designed to determine whether the changes in fat as a fuel source associated with increases in exercise previously observed in healthy trained men would also occur in a large group of healthy trained and untrained men and women.  An incremental step test was performed by each athlete on a treadmill and was then followed by a VO²max test.

The results show, without any of the additional data recorded (dependent variales) being taken into consideration, that their Carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation was significantly higher in males than females and that the males Maximal Fat Oxidation (MFO) per kilogram of Free Fatty Mass (FFM) was lower.  In other words… men tend to burn a greater percentage of carbohydrates at a lower intensity than women 

With all of the dependent variables (variable being measured) taken into consideration they account for over 12% of the variance.  In this study they found that the cross-over happened between 48 and 53% VO²max which is comparable to previous findings (Brooks and colleagues).  Both VO²max and Self-reported physical activity (SRPAL) can increase fat oxidation by having an increased FFM.  Or… Your activity level can have a direct impact on your fat mass which alters fuel metabolism percentages.   Practical Application: This is not telling you that you need to spend all of your time in the “fat burning zone.”  It is simply stating that individuals with a higher FFM(musculature) will have a higher overall calorie expenditure with weight being equal.  The biggest thing to keep in mind, however, is just because you are burning a higher percentage of fat does not mean that you are burning a higher total number of calories.  Yes there is a sweet spot where you are burning more calories of fat but it will be different for all.  If weight loss is your ultimate goal there is one thing to remember, “Calories out is greater than Calories in,” and to burn a high number of calories you can optimize your available time by doing a higher intensity workout.   J Appl Physiol-2005-Venables-160-7

*”THE SCIENCE:” BLOGS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP KEEP ATHLETES AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH.  THE ARTICLES THAT ARE ANALYZED HERE WILL RANGE IN DATES FROM CURRENT TO SEVERAL YEARS OLD BUT ARE HERE TO GIVE YOU A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR BODY AS AN ATHLETE.  BE WARY OF WHAT YOU READ IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, NOT ALL RESEARCH IS EQUAL AND THERE ARE CERTAIN SOURCES THAT ARE CONSIDERED MORE CREDIBLE THAN OTHERS.

Nutrition: The Skinny on Calorie Consumption and Exercising

Many times people begin running and cycling as a form of exercise to help with weight loss.  These are two activities that we either have fond childhood memories of, or we simply know that increasing our activity level will help reduce our statistics in the ever expanding American waistline. Unfortunately many individuals enter into this new exercise habit misinformed or unaware of what is required for the exercise time frame that they are out there for.  Many of us have heard that to lose weight calories out must be greater than calories in.  The downfall of this is that many have never been taught the timing of this calorie consumption and it leads to many people eating sparingly throughout the day, exercising after work and then gorging on the meal the last meal of the day.  This can lead to consuming far more calories than if we were to more evenly space out our actual calorie consumption taking several things into consideration:

  1. How many calories should you consume throughout the day.  There are many online calculators to figure this out
    1. One more accurate way is a Resting Metabolic Rate Test which we offer at Science of Speed
  2. What your physical activity level actually is
  3. When you tend to exercise during the day
  4. How long you exercise for

So for most people one and two make complete sense and loosely mean “Calories out are greater than Calories in.”  Now 3 and 4 are less common considerations for a great deal of people but here is why they are important.  If you are focusing on improving fitness as well as losing weight you will want to focus on fueling for your workouts.  This includes pre workout, during workout and then your post workout nutrition and is important because your body burns predominantly carbohydrates to fuel your workout for optimum performance.  Once you have this part figured out the next step is your exercise time and your total amount of calories required to lose the weight that you are shooting for. Weight loss information: 3500 Cal ~ 1lb of fat 1-2lbs of weight loss per week is considered healthy¹ To help with your long term success weight loss is not about a “diet” but about a lifestyle change To maintain weight loss, aim for at least 60-90 minutes of daily moderate physical activity¹ ¹http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/aim_hwt.pdf

Be Realistic With Your Event Selection

Now is the time of year that so many people are looking at their calendars and ironing out what their plans are for the next 3 months, 6 months or for some the next several years.  Depending up what your goal is and what your level of experience is drastically determines the path that many will take.  You don’t see too many people go out for their first run, ride or swim and say I am going to go for an Olympic gold in the next Olympic Games.  This is one of those things that some spend multiple years if not a decade or more preparing for with the proper training, nutrition, lifestyle and focus to get to that point.  Much like the Olympic Gold medalist we as weekend warriors or age group athletes need to be realistic with our goals. Some organizations have systems in place to help bring many individuals down to reality, however, there are some that are not set up that way and often end up leaving people ill prepared for an event that is way over their head.  Ten to fifteen years ago I would have said that this was marathons with people getting injured with the distance or even the extreme circumstances of death because of their lack of preparation.  Many people are still looking at Marathons as a “bucket list” item but there seems to be a large shift to triathlons due to the sheer number that have become available and the massive population of triathletes and the amount triathlon is publicized this seems to be the newest “bucket list” item.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I think triathlons are an amazing thing for many people whether you are racing or participating it is a great motivation for many to become active.  My bigger concern is the over glamorization of the event in the sense that you see a lot of the very inspirational moments on race day.  From the winners crossing the line in record time, the masters competitors pushing their bodies to even the double below the knee amputee who finishes his first Ironman many are lead to sign up for the event.  The thing that is not shown, much like the gold medalist, is the great deal of preparation done by all of these individuals and that they have worked long and hard to make it to where they are today.  There have been countless hours put in staring at the bottom of a pool at 5:30 in the morning for a masters swim, endless hours dazing as they tap out time on the trainer and an endless number of shoes worn out pounding on the pavement.  The most important thing though is the progression that so many of these individuals have made to get to this point.  Many and hopefully most started modestly with a sprint triathlon, working to an Olympic distance and then maybe into a half IM to finally reach a full IM distance and then better yet, they did well enough to qualify for the most prestigious triathlon event of all, Kona. So, as you sit down to consider your event schedule for the year think about your progression of events and be realistic.  If you have swam your whole life but never ridden a bike without training wheels or run to the end of the street don’t sign up for an Ironman this year or if you have been on walks with your dog a few times don’t sign up to do an Ultramarathon in the fall.  Learn the skills of your sport(s) first and what it takes to get to the point you need to be at and then make that decision of your progression.  Not only will it help to keep you grounded but more importantly it will help to make your event much more enjoyable and keep you wanting to come back for more.  

New Years Resolution? Not for me!

Many people that I know tend to chose a New Years Resolution that they want to stick to.  No matter what it is many people don’t make it past the first week with these resolutions and the feelings tend to make them more demoralized than they were before.  Personally I do not set a New Years resolution.  “Why?” you might ask.  I personally feel that setting one goal that is often an obscure far reaching goal that you fantasize of obtaining is only setting yourself up for failure and let down.  I personally set goals, now maybe this is my sport background or my competitive nature but I feel that this is a better way for me.  I do not set goals that are “low hanging fruit” so to speak but I set some that I know are achievable in the year’s time frame and then some that will be a challenge for me.  I have found this to be very beneficial for me for three main reasons:

  1. There are multiple things that I would like to achieve so if I don’t meet one it is not a complete failure for the entire because I didn’t make it.
  2. Some of them seem to be long shots when I am planning them and I might not make them but it makes me continue to strive to be my absolute best.
  3. I make them defined so I know what success is.  Much like a sport and training you can leave your goals vague and then success is up to your decision where if you have a quantitative aspect to it you will be able to gauge the level of success.

So you might be wondering “What sort of thing should I do as a goal for the year?”  Here is my recommendation.  Make more than one goal, I personally chose 10, this allows for many things to strive for but gives you stepping stones to success.  Make your goals something you desperately want or desire, but more importantly be sure it is your goal and not someone else’s.  The drive must be from within, otherwise you will dread the task of getting to your goal and drastically reduce your rate of success.  So to give you an idea of what I mean here are 5 of my 2012 goals:

  1. Be a better father and husband for my family: Put down the cell phone, put away the laptop and enjoy the time that I have available with them by giving them my undivided attention.
  2. Win RAAM 4 man team: This is very high hanging fruit but if I am going to do something I am going to do my best to win.
  3. Increase power at Threshold by 20 Watts by June: Consistent training and hard work is the only way too get there.
  4. Get more consistent sleep:  Sleep no less than 6hrs and no more than 8hrs/night unless I am sick.  Bed time consistent w/in 30min of 10:30pm
  5. Stay Positive: Stop negative talk and thoughts, Positive self talk and surround yourself with positive people.  Strive for a “get to” attitude versus a “have to” attitude.

So, as you look at a lot of my list you may notice that they are all fairly simple in terms of what to do but a lot of them are related around RAAM.  This is a large event for me and my teammates and I do not want to let them down so 2012 up until June is almost solely centered around the race.  After June I have other goals as well but they are on a different level.  If you have someone who can hold you accountable that you are willing to share your goals with do so.  Be sure it is someone that won’t nag you but someone to support, encourage and keep you honest.  I have set my goals as a recurring meeting in my phone for Monday mornings and I hope that I will start each week with a positive reminder of what I am striving for.  I do not know how this reminder will work but I will let you know!  Do it because you want to, not because you have to, and love every minute of it!

Training During the Holiday Season

With so many things going on during the holiday season the first thing that always tends to go, after diet at least, is exercise.  Between all of the hustle and bustle of buying gifts, traveling, meals with family and food induced comas the exercise routine is put by the way side. Over the years I have found several things that have really helped me out and I hope will help you to keep a more normal exercise routine. 1. Set up a schedule- Yes the training schedule is import but I am talking about the schedule with your family in this instance.  This is how you will stay out of the dog house with your significant other as well as not miss out on any/many of the family activities.  It is important to have your family supporting you in this and setting it up ahead makes that easier. 2. Travel Days- Take the travel days off or easy.  These always tend to be the most stressful.  Whether you are driving with kids screaming in the back seat or dealing with the re-circulated air of an airplane take the rest of the time easy and relax.  The stress of travel always takes a toll and be sure to remember to recover! 3. Intensity over time- Trade off overall intensity for time if things are busy.  This is a good way to get a legitimate workout in and not add any stress in the family. I was able to get my first ride in this morning and it was a nice 32degrees in the dreary Kansas winter.  I can not thank my wife enough for letting me get in the saddle time today and even though it was cold and damp it was nice to get out after a long drive.  The one, and most important thing, to remember is that you aren’t getting paid to be an athlete.  So… if it comes down to it and you miss a workout or two it doesn’t result in you losing your career.  Happy Holidays and safe travels!

“How can testing help me?”

After chatting with many of you the number one question that was posed turned out to be, “How can this(lactate threshold testing) help me with my training and race performance?”  For many of you out there who might be asking the same question let me answer that for you as well: The lactate threshold testing is designed for two different reasons.  The first reason is to provide you with customized training ranges for your workouts.  The training ranges that are created based off of your test allow you to train more consistently and more accurately.  This increased accuracy in your training allows you to get more benefit from your structured workouts and more importantly make the most out of the limited time you have available.  Secondly testing adds consistency to your results.  Field tests can be performed to help out with training ranges, however, lab testing does one thing that field testing can not do and that is take out many of the variables.  The controlled environment of the lab allows for much more consistency between testing and gives you a more realistic measure of where your fitness actually is.  The testing also helps to reduce the overall affect that fatigue or mental fortitude (depending on the day) can have on your results by utilizing the blood samples that are taken.