Oxford, Britain’s 52nd largest city with a population of 151,900 people [1]. Once the capital of England during the English Civil War, Oxford is known as the “city of dreaming spires”, a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold, and is one of the most sought after cities to live. Home to Oxford University the oldest university in the English speaking language. Proud to have educated some of Britain’s finest Prime Misters, the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Oxford has links to some of the best selling authors of all time including; Lewis Carroll, JRR Tolkein, and Philip Pullman, to name a few, and boasts Sir Roger Bannister, the first person in history to break the sub four minute mile barrier back in 1954.
Those who live in Oxfordshire are generally healthier and are expected to live longer than the national average for England. In 2012, only 20.2% of adults were classified as obese, which again is better than average [2].
I believe people living in Oxford tend to place greater value on their health and well-being and take pride in looking and feeling great. In fact, 53.9% of Oxfordshire are aware or concerned about their weight [3]. Oxford County Council have stated they are making it a priority of theirs to reduce obesity figures in both children and adults as well as to see an increase physical exercise [2].
Personally, I love Oxford and wish to see it live on as one of the greatest cities to live in, in the world. One reason I launched Hall Training Systems, was to offer the people of Oxford and those who visit the opportunity to take their health and fitness to the next level, and so founded one of Oxford’s finest personal training services.
I understand we cannot cater for everyone, nor is personal training a service that you may be ready to take up just yet. So, it’s why every month I bring you a review of Oxford’s sporting and fitness events that’s going on in the commmuity. I hope there’s something for everyone.

Let’s get Oxfordshire moving!

Fitness events this month around Oxfordshire:

G-Fit Mums
About: Get back into fitness after having a baby!
Where: Gladiator Fitness Studio
When; every Wednesday, Friday
How much: £6:00
More Info

Yoga Class
Where: The Clifton Centre
When: every Wednesday
How much: contact elaine@yogabeing.co.uk
More Info

Hot Bikram Yoga
About: Hot Bikram yoga suitable for all levels and fitness abilities
Where: YogaVenue
When: see website
More Info

Active Forever
About: Sport and social session for over 60’s
Where: The Park Club Milton
When: every Monday
How much: £2 non-members, free for members

Team Gladiator Running Group
Where: Gladiator Fitness Studio
When: every Sunday
How much: free

Pole Fitness
About: Pole Fitness combines dances, gymnastics and virus skills to get you fit!
Where: Jherico Community Centre
When: Sundays
How much: £7

Zumba
About: Dance based fitness
Where: The Old Fire Station
When: every Monday, Wednesday
How much: £5-£6

Multi-skill Sport & Fun Exercise for 2-4 year olds
About: Basic key skills. Games, balls, parachute, hoops, balance, gymnastics, running and lots of fun.
Where: St Clements Family Centre
When: see website

Oxford Walking and Bike Tours
About: See the best parts of Oxford as you take a 2 hour bike tour in and around the parks and collages of Oxford
Where: Tours start opposite Fudge Kitchen, 5 Broad Street
When: Monday to Sunday
How Much: Free – £25 per person
More Info

Sources
[1] http://www.oxford.gov.uk/PageRender/decC/Population_statistics_occw.htm
[2] Public Health Profile: Oxfordshire, 12 August 2014
[3] Oxfordshire Insight. Mosaic Dashboard

“I’m all about them weights, ’bout them weights, no treadmill!” 

I wish this was a line more women repeated, as I find a lot of women in the gym are either reluctant or too scared to lift weights. The main belief is that “lifting weight will make me bulky…” Although it is true, lifting weights will encourage muscle size and volume, weights alone cannot elicit a sufficient hypertrophic response unless you have everything else in place too, i.e diet, sleep, etc.
In fact, there are multiple reasons why women should be lifting weights if they’re serious about improving their health and physique. It’s time to break up with the treadmill and think about entering a new relationship with something a lot more stable, solid, and above all with having a positive impact on your life!

Here are just five reasons why I think strength training will be your perfect partner:

1) Increased calorie expenditure
Resistance training helps to increase muscle tissue and increase energy expenditure hours after you train. A study published by the National Institute of Health showed a 7.4-8.7 percent increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) was observed 24hrs after resistant training [1]. Strength training also helps to build muscle, which helps to burn calories at rest. It was thought muscle burnt 30-35 calories per day per pound [2]. Unfortunately, this was later disproven with an actual finding of around 6 calories a day per pound [3]. Despite this being a lot lower than originally thought, these calories add up over time.

2) Improved sleep quality
Strength truing greatly improves sleep quality, adding in the ability to fall asleep quicker, stay sleep and enter a deeper sleep. Research suggests that morning resistance training or high intensity training greatly affects the quality of sleep and lengthens the time of sleep the night after training [4].

3) Better Heart Health
A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that those who participated in strength training were less likely to have heart disease as improved the risk factors associated around heart disease such as:
• large waist circumference
• high triglycerides
• elevated blood pressure, and elevated glucose levels [5].
Another study conducted by researchers in Brazil found that blood pressure and resting heart rate were significantly lower the following the morning of a resistance based program [6].

4) Stress Reliever
Don’t deny it! We all know women tend to get worked up and hot under the collar, mainly as a result of us men, but, exercise in general is a great way to manage this stress. Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly strength train tend to manage stress better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations as those who do not exercise [7].
In addition, resistance training studies on older adults show that moderate intensity weight lifting improves memory and cognitive function, which is great for you! Not only do you get to offload the stress we cause you, but, you’ll also remember what we did, ready to recall it again, 5 years down the line!

5) Improved Bone Health
Twenty percent of Caucasian women age 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis with one in two women over the age of 50 breaking a bone because of osteoporosis [8]. Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer secretes estrogen [9]. Resistance training is an excellent way to combat loss of bone mass, and it decreases the risk of osteoporosis. A study conducted at McMaster University found that after a year of resistance training, postmenopausal women increased spinal bone mass by 9 percent [10].

So, the next time you enter the gym, and through the habit, hop on to the treadmill, take a minute or two to remember these points and utter the words – “it’s all about them weights, ’bout them weight, no treadmill!” Trust me, your body will thank you for it!

If you believe weight training will have a positive impact on your health and physique but feel a little out of your depth, then why not take a look at our online personal training packages. Alternately, if you wish for something a little more personal, then take advantage of our complementary training consults – book yours today and discover how strength training can change your life for the better!

Sources
[1] Kirk, Erik P., et. Al. Minimal resistance training improves daily energy expenditure and fat oxidation” Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010; 41(5): 1122-1129
[2] Van Etten, L.M., et al.. Effect of an 18-wk weight-training program on energy expenditure and physical activity.. J Appl Physiol. 1997 Jan;82(1):298-304.
[3] Wang, Z., Heshka, S., Zhang, K., Boozer, C.N., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2001). Resting energy expenditure: systematic organization and critique of prediction methods. Obesity Research, 9, 331-336
[4]Roveda, Eliana, et. Al. Effects of endurance and strength acute exercise on night sleep quality.” International SportMed Journal. 2011; 12(3): 113-124.
[5] Magyari PM, Churilla JR. Association between lifting weights and metabolic syndrome among U.S. Adults: 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Nov; 26(11): 3113-7.
[6] Cardoso, Crivaldo Gomes, et. Al. “Acute and chronic effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on ambulatory blood pressure.” Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2010; 65(3):317-325.
[7] Stone M, Stone Meg, Sands W. Psychological Aspects of Resistance Training. In: Principles and Practice of Resistance Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2009. p. 229-241.
[8] National Osteoporosis Foundation http://nof.org/articles/235
[9] Garnero P, Sornay-Rendu E, Claustrat B, Delmas PD. Biochemical markers of bone turnover, endogenous hormones and the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women: the OFELY study. J Bone Miner Res. 2000;15(8):1526-36.
[10] Muir JM, Ye C, Bhandari M, Adachi JD, Thabane L. The effect of regular physical activity on bone mineral density in post-menopausal women aged 75 and over: a retrospective analysis from the Canadian multicentre osteoporosis study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2013 Aug 23; 14: 253.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

We’ve all heard the phrase: “Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a pauper!” – Adelle Davis (1904-1974)
In fact, the Spanish are very good at this and adopt this pattern of eating today! The theory around losing weight isn’t difficult or necessarily complex, it’s basic physics. The law of thermodynamics dictates if we expend more energy than we consume we’ll inevitably lose weight, no doubt about it! There’s also evidence to suggest that it doesn’t matter where these calories come from as long as we’re in caloric deficit [1]. Despite this all sounding very easy, energy intake and expenditure are not the only factors known to influence the success of a dietary intervention on obesity. Recently, there have been several studies looking at the timing of meals and caloric intake to predict whether ‘when’ we eat our calories has an effect on weight loss too.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity, looked at how timing of meals had an impact on weight-loss in humans [2]. The study took 420 overweight men and women. Dietary intake was assessed in all volunteers during the entire 20-week trial and the subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 (the early eaters) consumed 51 percent of their total daily Kcals before 3pm, and Group 2 (the late eaters) ate 49 percent of their calories after 3pm. Wide ranges of biomarkers were monitored throughout the study. They included obesity and metabolic syndrome parameters, such as weight, height, total body fat and body fat distribution, as well as the levels of the appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin. Plasma concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins were also assessed.
Following the 20 weeks both groups had lost weight, with the early eater losing a significantly greater amount of weight (9.9kgs on average) compared with the late eaters (7.7kgs on average). It was also observed that late eaters showed a slower rate of weight loss after five weeks of the treatment and this difference was maintained during the remaining period of the study. The differences in weight loss between the groups came as a surprise to the researchers, since there were no significant differences in total energy intake or energy expenditure between late and early eaters.

A second study conducted back in December 2013 compared a weight loss diet in overweight and obese women looking at high caloric intake during breakfast (700kcals breakfast, 500kcals lunch, 200kcals dinner) compared with a high caloric intake at dinner (200kcals breakfast, 500kcals lunch, 700kcals dinner) on an isocaloic diet of 1400 calories per day.
After 12-weeks the breakfast group showed greater weight loss and reduced waist circumference, along with significantly lower mean hunger scores and a greater level of satiety compared to the women who ate 700 calories at dinner [3]. The researchers concluded, “High-calorie breakfast with reduced intake at dinner is beneficial and might be a useful alternative for the management of obesity and metabolic syndrome.”

A more recent study published in May 2014 also showed that eating the majority of your calories earlier in the day can help you lose weight. Two groups followed the Mediterranean diet, emphasizing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, legumes, herbs and spices, fish/seafood, poultry, eggs, diary, etc. For both groups, the diet they followed contained 55 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and 15 percent protein. The main difference between the groups was the distribution of these calories throughout the day.
Group 1 consumed 70 percent of their calories at breakfast, morning snack and lunch, and 30 percent for their afternoon snack and dinner. Group 2 consumed 55 percent of their calories for breakfast, morning snack and lunch, with the remaining 45 percent for afternoon snacks and dinner. After 3 months, the results indicated significantly improved body composition, metabolic parameters, lower blood pressure and cholesterol in both groups. However, group 1 lost more weight and had much better insulin sensitivity compared to group 2 [4].
The researchers concluded, “A low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day could establish greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet.” In conclusion, consuming 15 – 28.5 percent of your calories earlier on in the day may help you reach you weight loss and health goals that little bit faster, while also increasing your sense of satiety and feeling of fullness.

Studies like these are the first of their kind showing that although calories in versus calories out is important for weight loss, the timings of these calories may also play an important part. It also shows promise of brining back the traditional English breakfast, which is good enough for me!

Sources: 
[1] Buchholz AC, Schoeller DA. Is a calorie a calorie? Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(5):899S–906S.
[2] Garaulet M, Gómez-Abellán P, Alburquerque-Béjar JJ, et al. (2013). Timing of food intake predicts weight loss effectiveness. International Journal of Obesity 37:604-611. Doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.229
[3] Jakubowicz D, Barnea M, Wainstein J, Froy O. High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(12):2504-12. doi: 10.1002/oby.20460.
[4] Lombardo M, et al. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014 May 8:1-8. [Epub ahead of print.]

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

I’m now here to discuss the second in our two-part article on the potential spinach may offer in regards to performance. In the first part, I discussed how spinach was a superfood, a little powerhouse full of vitamins and minerals. I also talked about was how little iron spinach contained despite popular belief, and whether an active compound in spinach (ecdysterone) brought about an anabolic response and the potential for increased muscle mass. I’m sad to say unless you’re a rat, a pig or a sheep you’re unlikely to benefit from any significant anabolic response, sorry! If this is the case, then why did Popeye love his spinach leaf so much?
Well, what most people are unaware of is that spinach also contains a molecule called betaine. Yes, the same betaine that you would otherwise find in sugar beets, wheat bran, beetroot and spinach [1][2]. It can also be synthesised from choline in your body when dietary intake exceeds your current metabolic requirement (Ueland 2011). Interestingly enough though, if we look at figure 1 you’ll see spinach ranks higher in its betaine content than beets do, almost 3x higher in fact! (Craig. 2004) You can see wheat bran and wheat gem are at the top, which makes me wonder if Popeye had a wheat allergy. Why else would he miss these out of his diet?

(Figure 1)

So, the question is…
What is betaine and does it have any affect on performance or muscle growth?
Betaine is otherwise known as Trimethylglycine (TMG) but for the purpose of this article I’m just going to be referring to it as betaine. Most of you will associate betaine with beetroots and its vasodilatory properties. After all, every health store across the country has been advertising how beetroot’s nitrates can increase vasodilation – it’s been this years’ must-have supplement! I’m afraid to say the marketing claims behind beetroot and its ability to increase vasodilation of the blood vessels levels are mostly false.Despite its reputation, betaine has no affect on serum nitrate or nitrite levels. At least this is what two independent studies have found [3][4]. One study did find that consuming 6g of betaine per day did in fact increase levels of nitric oxide [5], but that’s 3x the dose of the previous studies, and would equate to the consumption of almost 1kg of spinach, or 3kgs worth of beetroot! This hardly seems worth the effort when other supplements will have the same affect. Instead, you could take 6g of the amino acid L’citrulline.

Another claims surrounding betaine is that it can help decrease fat mass, increase power output and increase muscle protein syntheses (Apicella 2012). According to a more recent study, betaine supplementation of only 1.25g twice per day saw increases in lean muscle tissue by as much as 4lbs, arm size by 10% and decreased fat mass by 7% in trained males [7]. Unfortunately, these claims and studies are locker room myths, misrepresented data or otherwise studies that failed to bring about noticeable results [8,9,10,11].
Although betaine doesn’t affect vasodilation or fat loss, it has been shown to increase growth hormone and IGF-1 by 7.8% following a morning fasted training session, and reduce cortisol levels raised by morning fasted training by 6.1% [12]. Both of these can only be a plus, but there are studies contradicting these results.

Where betaine really shines through is in its ability to reduce homocysteine levels in the body. Homocysteine is a marker of cardiovascular disease, and it is thought that higher circulating levels of homocysteine are indicative of a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks. Higher levels have also been linked to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease [13]. Betaine has shown promise across numerous human trails, being the number one supplement for reducing homocysteine. A single dose has previously lead to around a 10% reduction in persons with normal homocysteine levels [14] and a 20-40% reduction in those with high levels of homocysteine [15]. 

(Spinach – Popeye’s pre-workout)

So this begs the question…
Was Popeye right? Does spinach increase strength and muscle mass?
Given the evidence I’ll have to say no, until the research is clearer. Research around betaine’s ability to increase muscle growth, sports performance and positively affect growth hormone is conflicting, but there’s one thing for certain: it’s a wonder drug at reducing homocysteine levels and keeping yourself at bay from any type cardiovascular diseases! I think Popeye must have realized the importance of keeping his homocysteine levels in check, as well as an intolerance to wheat that left spinach as the go-to food for his daily betaine fix!

 Sources:
[1] Craig SA. Betaine in human nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. (2004)
[2] Zeisel SH, et al. Concentrations of choline-containing compounds and betaine in common foods. J Nutr. (2003)
[3] Bloomer RJ et al. Effect of betaine supplementation on plasma nitrate/nitrite in exercise-trained men. J ISSN (2011)
[4] Trepanowski JF, et al. The effects of chronic betaine supplementation on exercise performance, skeletal muscle oxygen saturation and associated biochemical parameters in resistance trained men. J Strength Cond Res. (2011)
[5] BETAINE INDUCED RELEASE OF TISSUE FACTOR PATHWAY INHIBITOR AND NITRIC OXIDE: IMPLICATIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
[6]Ochiai M, Hayashi T, Morita M, et al. Short-term effects of L-citrulline supplementation on arterial stiffness in middle-aged men. Int J Cardiol. 2012;155(2):257-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2010.10.004.
[7] Cholewa, J. M., et al. Effects of betaine on body composition, performance, and homocysteine thiolactone. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Aug 22; 10(1): 39.
[8] Schwab U, et al. Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations but does not affect body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure in human subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. (2002)
[9] Apicella JM, et al. Betaine supplementation enhances anabolic endocrine and Akt signaling in response to acute bouts of exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. (2013)
[10] Hoffman JR, et al. Effect of 15 days of betaine ingestion on concentric and eccentric force outputs during isokinetic exercise. J Strength Cond Res. (2011)
[11] Pryor JL, Craig SA, Swensen T. Effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2012)
[12] Apicella JM, et al. Betaine supplementation enhances anabolic endocrine and Akt signaling in response to acute bouts of exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. (2013)
[13] McCaddon A, et al. Total serum homocysteine in senile dementia of Alzheimer type. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. (1998)
[14] Schwab U, Törrönen A, Toppinen L, et al. Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations but does not affect body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure in human subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76(5):961-7.
[15] Effect of Folic Acid and Betaine Supplementation on Flow-Mediated Dilation: A Randomized, Controlled Study in Healthy Volunteers

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

Worried about eating too many nuts in fear of gaining weight? Relax, as new research suggests you may be able to have a few extra handfuls without undoing all of your hard work.
Almonds are considered the nut to eat when on any weight loss diet. Most of us by now have heard of the ‘almond mystery’, a mystery that people can eat copious amounts of almonds without putting weight on. Sound too good to be true? Well, let’s take a look.

One study [1] looked at the effect of consuming an additional intake of 320kcals from almonds, and the affect it had on body weight. Over a 6 month period, eighty-one male and female subjects were asked to eat an additional 320kcals from almonds and to keep their current diet the same. The results showed that after 6 months, “it did not lead on average to statistically or biologically significant changes in body weight despite an increase of 40%-50% in the ratio of unsaturated/saturated fat intake.” 

How is this possible?
The researchers from the study hypothesized that because the subjects were aware they were eating the additional calories, that they dispelled these calories by reducing caloric intake from other foods.
Researchers from the US Department of Agriculture think they’ve solved the puzzle. An average handful of almonds is worth at least 150kcals but the researchers believe you don’t absorb anything like all the calories that almonds contain. The researchers started by giving 18 test subjects a standard diet for 18 days, followed by a diet that was supplemented by 42g almonds each day for 18 days, and finally a diet supplemented by 84g almonds for another 18 days. Their findings showed you only absorb 68 percent of the energy that the nutrition table suggests, is present in almonds [2].

The researchers write:
“When an 84g serving of almonds was incorporated into the diet daily, the energy digestibility of the diet as a whole decreased by 5 percent. Therefore, for individuals with energy intakes between 2000 and 3000 kcal/day, incorporation of 84 g almonds into the diet daily in exchange for highly digestible foods would result in a reduction of available energy of 100–150 kcal/day.”

The amount of calories printed on the nutrition label is, in effect, overestimated by 32%. This means, if you like your almonds and consume 300kcals daily, you only really absorb 204kcals, leaving you with a ‘phantom’ 94kcals to play with. That said, the test was conducted using whole almonds. The study mentioned nothing about ground almonds and I imagine the energy uptake from ground almonds is considerably higher, leading to a greater caloric uptake.

Prefer pistachio nuts to almonds?
The researchers conducted a similar study using pistachio nuts, however, the results weren’t as attractive, as subjects absorbed 95 percent of the energy contained in the pistachio nuts [3]. Best stick to almonds.
This wouldn’t be the first example where nutrition labels have been wrong. It’s been shown that some overestimated the amount of calories a food is presumed to contain, showing an average of 8 percent more calories than the labels indicate [4]. Studies like these begin to question the accuracy of the Atwater system (a system that calculates the available energy of foods) and whether its accuracy of calculating the available energy from foods needs to be reevaluated.
Until such a time, I wouldn’t hesitate to have the occasional handful of almonds without worrying about weighing them out! After all, you’ll probably be undershooting anyway, as long as you’re sensible and don’t go nuts! – Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

Sources:
[1] Hollis J, Mattes R. Effect of chronic consumption of almonds on body weight in healthy humans. Br J Nutr. 2007;98(3):651-6.
[2] Novotny JA, Gebauer SK, Baer DJ. Discrepancy between the Atwater factor predicted and empirically measured energy values of almonds in human diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(2):296-301. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.035782.
[3] Baer DJ, Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Measured energy value of pistachios in the human diet. Br J Nutr. 2012;107(1):120-5. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511002649.
[4] Urban LE, Dallal GE, Robinson LM, Ausman LM, Saltzman E, Roberts SB. The accuracy of stated energy contents of reduced-energy, commercially prepared foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(1):116-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.10.003.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

It’s almost coming to the end of my Sunday, which to fair, has been a relaxing one. After all, Sunday is or was typically known as the day of rest. A day where banks are closed, schools are off, shops are operating under limited trading hours, all because Sunday should be a day where we relax and spend it with our families and loved ones.
However, there is a select group of people who would toss this philosophy out of the window whilst shouting – “Rest? Who needs rest? Rest is for the weak!” Hazard a guess who these people are? Yep, you’ve guessed it. You and me. People who enjoy going to the gym, lifting weights, and smashing our bodies to the limit day in, day out. Yet, how long can we endure this level of intensity before we throw in the towel and are forced to take a few days off? God forbid.
We’ve all seen them, the quotes online saying – “Rest day? Where is my rest muscle and how do I train it?” or “Rest Day? Worst day of the week!.” Jokes aside, your rest day is the most important day or days of the week. It’s when adaptation and growth occurs.

Remember: you don’t build muscle in the gym, you merely create a reason for them to grow.

The problem with rest, or taking days off is many of us feel guilty for not exercising and will often ignore the need for rest on the basis of, “I feel fine”so why not do a quick workout or HIIT session?
This then inevitably leads to problems and we then fall into a state of overtraining: A condition in which underperformance is experienced despite continued training.
Overtraining or overtraining syndrome (OTS) usually occurs if loads are too high with insufficient recovery time between sessions. Adaptations will not occur, and instead functional capacity is lost.
Any person or athlete who trains intensely, yet consistently under performs, is considered to be suffering from OTS.
OTS is a complex state that can be hard to recognise early on as overtraining is a gradual process and a subtle one. It occurs in three distinct stages:

The 3 stages of Overtraining Syndrome

Stage 1: Functional Overtraining. The first and earliest stage where very subtle signs and symptoms can indicate you’re starting to over train.
In this stage you may experience the following:
• Hormone imbalance. Elevations of cortisol (stress hormone) with secondary lowering of testosterone and DHEA levels.
• Abnormal hunger or craving for sweets.
• Sleeping irregularities and inability to fall asleep.
• Sexual dysfunction may be a problem for both men and women, typically producing reduced sexual desire and sometimes infertility.
• Mental and emotional stress, including mild or clinical depression. Anxiety is not uncommon either.

Stage 2: Sympathetic Overtraining. A more obvious stage associated with specific nervous, hormonal and mechanical imbalances causing a variety of signs and symptoms.
In this stage you may experience the following:
• Premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms may be secondary complaints for women. Women may find their period disrupted or even stopped at this stage.
• Abnormal craving for salty foods.
• Often joints will become inflamed and painful.
• Cuts or wounds will take longer to heal than usual.

Stage 3: Parasympathetic Overtraining. A serious end-stage of overtraining associated with the exhaustion of neurological and hormonal factors, typically with serious physical, chemical or mental injuries.
By this stage you will begin to notice:
• State of exhaustion, whilst many hormone levels are significantly reduced
• General state of depression
• Significant rate of injury
• Abnormally low resting heart rate and low heart-rate recovery from training
• Hormonal problems may result in dehydration through loss of sodium (hence the abnormal cravings for salty foods in earlier stages) which may and other mineral imbalances and severe cramping. You do not wish to get to this phase, believe me.

How do I know if I’m overtrained?

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, then chances are you’re reaching a state of overtraining.
• Increased morning or sleeping heart rate (HR)
• Muscle weakness – your usual weight will now feel about 3x heavier
• Altered mood, feeling of fatigue and tiredness
• Sleep disturbance and the inability to fall asleep as well as stay asleep
• Loss of enthusiasm and motivation towards training
• Loss of appetite and sudden drop in weight
• Abnormal cravings for sweet and/or salty foods
• The need to have up to 6 cups of coffee a day in order to keep upright!

 If you do recognise one or more of the following I advise you to:
• Decrease your total training time and intensity. Anywhere from 40-60%
• Remove higher intensity anaerobic training. i.e interval training, high volume work etc.
• Focus on re-developing the aerobic system through basic training (1-2 sets of 65-70% intensity) or walking, in order to keep active and begin the recovery process.

So, now when you’re contemplating on skipping rest days in favour for interval sprints you’ll think twice? Instead, kick the running shoes off, sit back, and enjoy watching an amusing gym clip on YouTube! Or, you could even watch one our popular recipe videos, and treat yourself our high in protein, low in carb chocolate coconut balls.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

It was several months ago when I posted a short article based on some research about the best ways to recruit and develop the hamstrings.
If you missed it, can check out the original article here – Research on the best exercises for developing the hamstrings!

Since then, there has been a new piece of research published. It looks at the muscle activation of the hamstrings between the two exercises; the stiff-leg deadlift and the lying leg curl. [1]
While studies have evaluated differences between these exercises in activation of the medial hamstrings (semitendinosus and semimembranosus) versus the lateral hamstrings (biceps femoris), The new study particularly looked at activity in the upper and lower aspect of the individual muscles of the hamstrings – i.e targeting specific ‘compartments’ of a muscle.
The study I recalled [2] back in my previous article looked at the comparison between eccentric and concentric contractions across four different exercises. Of which two out of the four exercises they compared were the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) to Lying Leg Curl (LLC) finding greater activation of semitendinosus, semimembranosus and bicep femoris in the RDL compared to the LLC for both eccentric and concentric contractions. However, according to this new study the evidence seems to be slightly different…
The new study, took 10 well-trained men (with a training experience of 3x per week for over a year) and got them to perform their 8 RM on both the stiff-leg deadlift (SLDL) and LLC across two days. The results showed the following:

• Activation of the upper hamstrings was similar for both exercises. However activation of the lower hamstrings, both medially and laterally, was significantly greater in the LLC. The difference in activation of the lower hamstrings was much greater in the leg curl, showing greater lower lateral (outer head) hamstrings activity of ~170% and lower medial (inner head) hamstrings activity of ~65% compared to the SLDL

Brad Schoenfield who conducted the study said:

• “The data for the lateral hamstrings was not unexpected; the short head of the biceps femoris does not cross the hip joint, so a knee-dominant exercise such as the leg curl would necessarily be the only way to directly target this muscle. However, the data for the medial hamstrings was somewhat surprising since both the semitendinosus and semimembranosus are biarticular muscles (crosses two joints). Results suggest that the partitioning of these muscles may allow for greater regional-specific activation in their lower aspect.”

So what can we take home from all of this?
Well if we look at back at the original study, it claimed that the bicep femoris was activated more when performing a RDL to a LLC. How could it make this claim? The more recent study didn’t so much look at total hamstring recruitment, but rather recruitment between the upper and lower portions of the hamstrings. Also, let’s not mix up the stiff-leg deadlift with the Romanian deadlift, even though people tend to categorise them as the same exercise, although they are similar. The stiff-leg deadlift is performed as a hip flexor/extensor exercise with the knees locked out, however the RDL is performed in the same way but with the knees slightly flexed. It’s this break at the kneecap, which may help slightly to recruit the bicep femrois, but only very slightly. I also find that unless they are under proper supervision, most people will over-flex at the knee, turning it into a deadlift, when performing an RDL. This will place slightly more emphasise through the bicep femoris, which may account forfirst study’s results.
In my opinion you will get greater activation of the bicep femoris through knee dominant flexion exercises, such like the lying leg curl, than through hip dominate ones (i.e Romanian Deadlift), as the bicep femoris does not cross the hip joint. Having said that we shouldn’t just discount one exercise in favour of another, and nor should we see muscles as simply spanning from origin to insertion through their movement. [3]
Both studies show that performing hip-dominant exercises, such as the stiff-leg deadlift and Romanian deadlift, and knee-dominant exercises, such as the lying leg curl or glute-ham raise (GHR), are both beneficial in terms of maximizing activation of the muscle complex as a whole. In addition, both types of exercise have the ability to place more emphasis on the upper and lower compartments of the individual muscles.
Here at Hall Training Systems, we believe in the use of a constantly varying the selection of exercises. With the aim of stressing a muscle from as many different angles as possible in order to elicit the best response.

Sources:
[1] Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Tiryaki-Sonmez G, Wilson JM, Kolber MJ, Peterson MD. Regional Differences in Muscle Activation During Hamstrings Exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;.
[2] McAllister MJ, Hammond KG, Schilling BK, Ferreria LC, Reed JP, Weiss LW. Muscle activation during various hamstring exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(6):1573-80. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000302.
[3] Young M, Paul A, Rodda J, Duxson M, Sheard P. Examination of intrafascicular muscle fiber terminations: implications for tension delivery in series-fibered muscles. J Morphol. 2000;245(2):130-45.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

“I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.
I’m strong to the finish
Cause I eat me spinach.
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.”

We all know the jingle and the infamous ‘bowling pin’ forearms that us guys all wish we had. In fact, I think you’d struggle to find any young boy who’s watched a couple of episodes of Popeye and didn’t want to grow up wishing he had those muscles. In fact it’s been noted that during the first decade Popeye was aired sales of spinach increased by 30%[1]. Moreover, a recent study (2010) noted that children were more inclined to eat spinach, and doubled their daily vegetable intake after watching an episode of Popeye. [2] Traditionally Popeye consumed his trusty can of spinach to help him become strong enough to fight off different villains, like Bluto. But is there any scientific basis for Popeye’s trust in spinach?’ Spinach has is known as a ‘superfood,  meaning it contains all the vital vitamin sand minerals the body needs. It’s typically high in calcium, copper, foliate, omega 3, vitamin A, B6, B12, vitamin C, E, K zinc ,and well the list goes on. But what it’s most famous for is its high levels of iron.
Despite claims of spinach being super high in iron, the science Professor Von Wolff who carried out the research on its iron content actually misplaced the decimal point, claiming it was 10x higher in iron that is actually was [3][4][5]. This myth continued on for more than 50 years before Professor Von Burge discovered the error with Professors Bender & Hamblin, who finally published the ‘Spinach, Popeye Iron, Decimal, Error Story (SPIDES),’ [4] and that spinach has no more iron than any other leafy vegetable [4][5]. In fact, spinach contains more Vitamin A and magnesium than it does iron and it was this that was thought to have contributed to Popeye’s level of strength, not the iron. [5] Despite all of these great things, it’s not iron, vitamin A, nor magnesium I want to talk about, but rather I want to direct your attention to two other nutrient ‘bombshells’ that Popeye may have known about and kept secret from Bluto.
Spinach belongs to the Amaranthaceae plant family, which is known to contain a steroid-like substance called ecdysterone [6]. Ecdysteroids are a class of compounds that are structurally similar to androgens (male sex hormones) and have been cited by some researchers as “behaving similar to anabolic steroids putatively without the androgenic effect” [7]
Ecdysterone is a compound found in spinach and is there to protect itself against being eaten by caterpillars. When caterpillars eat the spinach they also consume the ecdysteriods, which helps to change them into butterflies. Interestingly butterflies tend not eat spinach due to its potent hormonal effect.
Ecdysteriods have been shown across a multitude of studies to be pro-anabolic [8][9], improve performance [10] and cause increased muscle growth, [11] but only in animal studies. One study in the Molecular Nutrition and Food Research looked at the effects ecdysterone had on muscle hypertrophy in rats. When researchers fed 5mg (50-100mg human equivalent) of ecdysterone daily for three weeks to see what affect it had on muscle size compared to a control group, their results showed that the daily dose of 5mg had a modest and noticeable affect on the rats’ leg muscles. [12] This is thought to be down to the stimulatory effect ecdysteriods has on estrogen beta receptors, which have an anabolic effect in and of themselves, and also strengthen the anabolic effect of testosterone in muscle cells. They at least make sure that muscle cells produce more IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) when they receive anabolic stimuli from testosterone. [13] Nevertheless, despite numerous studies backing up the steroid-like affects ecdysteriods have there have been limited studies done on humans. To date there’s only one showing that ecdysterone may be able to indirectly exert testosterone-like affects through a series of pathways. [14] Ultimately, this did not have any direct affects on the body’s natural levels of testosterone [15]. However, one study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition did show signs to suggest Ecdysterone may be useful in muscle protein synthesis and gains in strength, [16] which may be the secret to how Popeye is able to lift 500lbs above his head: single handedly!

So the question remains, was Popeye right? Does Spinach increase strength and muscle mass?
Well, despite spinach being a nutritional superfood, containing a host of vitamins and minerals, more so vitamin A and magnesium than iron. Its somewhat steroid-like reputation may be a little over exaggerated from the results that current research suggests. By all means if you’re a rat, a pig or even a sheep [17] ecdysteriod consumption from spinach would no doubt have some sort of an impact when it comes to muscle size and performance. However, for us humans I’m afraid that these steroid-like affects may just be a wishful thought…

Stay tuned for the second part when I’ll be discussing the one other nutritional ‘powerhouse’ in spinach that most people are unaware of.

Sources:
[1] https://www.truthinadvertising.org/popeye-says-eat-your-spinach/
[2] Mahidol University, Thailnad
[3] http://sss.sagepub.com/content/44/4/638.full
[4]K. Sune Larsson in the Journal of Internal Medicine: The Spinach, Popeye, Iron, Decimal Error Myth is Finally Bustedhttp://www.bestthinking.com/articles/science/chemistry/biochemistry/the-spinach-popeye-iron-decimal-error-myth-is-finally-busted?tab=article
[5]http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Sutton_Spinach_Iron_and_Popeye_March_2010.pdf
[6] Schmelz EA, et al. Interactions between Spinacia oleracea and Bradysia impatiens: a role for phytoecdysteroids. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. (2002)
[7] Gorelick-Feldman J, Cohick W, Raskin I. Ecdysteroids elicit a rapid Ca2+ flux leading to Akt activation and increased protein synthesis in skeletal muscle cells. Steroids. (2010)
[8] Syrov VN, Kurmukov AG. Anabolic activity of phytoecdysone-ecdysterone isolated from Rhaponticum carthamoides (Willd.) Iljin. Farmakol Toksikol. (1976)
[9] The Effect of Ecdysterone on the Biosynthesis of Proteins and Nucleic Acids in Mice
[10]  Azizov AP, Seĭfulla RD. The effect of elton, leveton, fitoton and adapton on the work capacity of experimental animals. Eksp Klin Farmakol. (1998)
[11]20-Hydroxyecdysone increases fiber size in a muscle-specific fashion in rat
[12]Parr MK, Zhao P, Haupt O, et al. Estrogen receptor beta is involved in skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by the phytoecdysteroid ecdysterone. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;10. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300806.
[13] Velders M, Schleipen B, Fritzemeier KH, Zierau O, Diel P. Selective estrogen receptor-β activation stimulates skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. FASEB J. 2012;26(5):1909-20. doi: 10.1096/fj.11-194779.
[14] Báthori M, et al. Phytoecdysteroids and anabolic-androgenic steroids–structure and effects on humans. Curr Med Chem. (2008)
[15] Wilborn CD, et al. Effects of methoxyisoflavone, ecdysterone, and sulfo-polysaccharide supplementation on training adaptations in resistance-trained males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2006)
[16] Bucci LR. Selected herbals and human exercise performance. Am J Clin Nutr. (2000)
[17] Practical uses for ecdysteroids in mammals including humans: an update

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

So we’ve come to end of the week and I’ve rounded it off by a brutal legs session… Lovely!!
However whilst I cool down and catch my breath, it gives me a chance to pass over some of my tips for strengthening and developing the hamstrings, as I find people lack the knowledge and understanding of proper exercise selection and repetition ranges when it comes to gaining mass and size of the hamstrings.
Now before I begin it’s important we understand the function and anatomy of the hamstrings.
Comprised of three heads – semimembranosus, semitendinosus and the bicep fermoris, the hamstring serves both as a knee flexor and hip extensor.
Predominately comprised of fast twitch muscle fibres, the hamstrings servers a large role in explosive power movements, such as sprinting and jumping.

When training the hamstrings it’s important to take note of two things…
1) When the hamstrings are trained as a HIP EXTENSOR, so such exercises as – Romanian Deadlifts (RDL’s), Good Mornings, Hyper Extensions etc, the make up of the fibre type is predominately slower twitch, Meaning a higher rep range favor these movements better. i.e 8-15 reps. [1]

However…
2) When the hamstrings are trained as a KNEE FLEXOR, such as lying leg curls, standing leg curls, Glute Ham Raises (GHD’s) etc, the fibre type is predominately fast twitch so a rep range of 1-6 reps would suit better and of an explosive nature. [1]
Reasons for this is when flexing at the knee more of the bicep femoris is recruited which is higher in fast twitch muscle fibres compared to the semimembranosus, and semitendinosus which are slower twitch and recruited more when it comes to flexion/extension of the hip.

So where does this leave us when it comes to exercise selection?

Researchers at the University of Memphis published a paper in the June edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. [2] The researchers got 12 well-trained strength athletes to do four exercises for the hamstrings on different occasions: the Romanian deadlift, lying leg curl, good morning and the glute ham raise.
The researchers used electrodes to measure the electrical activity in the muscle groups, an indicator of how hard the muscles had to work during the concentric and eccentric movements.
Here are their findings:
When it came to recruitment of the bicep femoris – Romanian deadlift came top for both eccentric and concentric strengthening (lying leg curl was the least effective exercise) [3].

For the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus, the Romanian deadlift was the best exercise for the eccentric movement. However for the concentric movement the glute ham raise was shown to be the best [3].

The researchers of the study concluded, athletes wishing to strengthen and develop their hamstrings should look at prioritising RDL and glute ham raises in their program.
We here at Hall Training Systems always like to ‘mix it up’ and like to put our clients through progressions on exercise as well as a change in rep range, sets and tempos every few weeks or so. However one exercise that’s normally at the core of our programs is a variation of the deadlift, be it – deadlift, trap bar deadlift, snatch grip deadlift, single leg deadlift or Romanian deadlift!

Sources:
[1] PICP Level 2- Rhode Island
[2] McAllister MJ, Hammond KG, Schilling BK, Ferreria LC, Reed JP, Weiss LW. Muscle activation during various hamstring exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(6):1573-80. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000302.
[3] ergo-log.com

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

There was a time in my personal training career when I enforced the importance of post workout recovery and the timing of protein post workout. I was telling clients how vital it was that they consumed their post workout shake within 20 mins of finishing their workout, in order to maximize protein synthesis, muscle growth and repair… Well times have changed and thanks to Alan Aragon and Brad Schoenfield we now know the so-called ‘anabolic window’ isn’t within this ‘magic’ 20 min window but more along the lines of anywhere between 3 and 6hrs, with not so much the timing of protein being important, but the total amount of protein consumed across the day. [1] This is great news! No longer are we frantically rushing back to the locker room in the hope that we can consume our protein drink within those ‘vital’ 20mins. Instead it allows us time to relax, unwind and actually enjoy our shake. So why not take the time to make something enjoyable and tasty? After all you’ve just killed yourself in the gym, the last thing you want is to face some overly sweet, synthetic tasting strawberry shake!
Here’s the shake I had after a grueling 5×5 session on legs (admittedly the photo doesn’t do it justice, but was delicious, trust me)

Ingredients
60g Vanilla Whey
50g Blueberries
25g Cherries
1g Cinnamon
couple of ice cubes and 200ml water, all blended up to make a deliciously cold and tasty shake.

Macros per serving
Total Kcals – 283Kcals
Protein – 48g
Carbs – 15g (of which 1g fibre)
Fats – 3g

Now, certainly one could argue, “why didn’t I use higher GI fruits to help spike insulin?” Well for starters I would rather get my carbs from solid foods rather than liquids, the berries were there more for taste than anything else. Instead I like to take between 3 and 5g of leucine along with my shake, which we know helps to directly spike insulin [2] as well as increase the uptake of protein into muscle cells [3]. So unless you’re a competing athlete, training for an endurance sport or making your home in the gym, high GI carbs aren’t necessarily required.

How much protein should I add to my shake?

This is a good question and one I get asked a lot. From the study cited Alan and Brad recommend 0.5-0.6g per kgs of bodyweight. Chalres Poliquin (world renowned strength coach) recommends a similar amount too: 0.2-0.3g per lbs of bodyweight. Today I went with about 0.5g but it really does depend. If you struggle to hit your total daily protein allowance or haven’t eaten within 3hrs pre or post exercise, I would shoot for the higher range. Although if you’re like me, and love food, sometimes I won’t even bother with a shake as I consume enough through solid food having said that I do always try to encourage my clients to have some sort of a shake for two reasons:

1) Most clients struggle to hit their daily protein goal.

2) It’s seen as a reward more than anything else, something to look forward to after working your socks off in the gym!  After all you need some delights in life!

So there you have it. I hope the next time you finish your workout you’re not the one caught in a race to the locker room nor paying over the odds for some overly priced bottled protein shake at the gyms reception. Instead, take the time to get yourself showered, and then make yourself a delicious shake as a reward for your hard work in the gym.

Sources:
[1] Alan Albert Aragon and Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013, 10:5 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
[2] Hutton JC, Sener A, Malaisse WJ. Interaction of branched chain amino acids and keto acids upon pancreatic islet metabolism and insulin secretion. J Biol Chem. (1980)
[3] Blomstrand E, et al. Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise. J Nutr. (2006)

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training