Back pain! Getting to the core of the problem

As you may have seen from a previous post, I was asked by AXA PPP healthcare to take part in a live study, to explore the prevalence of poor posture and back pain in the UK. AXA PPP healthcare’s study included ten office workers and ten active workers, and the company also surveyed 2,000 workers in the UK. Fifty-five per cent of people said they were affected by back pain. Spending so much time in the gym, I regularly see examples of poor posture, and am finding the prevalence of back pain to be an increasing problem. This is often related to poor exercise technique, and weak or inactive core muscles.

Posture is one of the first things Hall Training Systems addresses in new clients, as we have seen the problems that can occur if it’s not tackled. These include limited joint mobility, increased muscle tightness, poor range of motion and limited power output, which will all have a detrimental impact on an individuals’ training and performance. This is of course alongside the more serious problems, both physical and mental. AXA PPP healthcare’s survey found that 60 percent of participants’ sleep is affected; while a quarter experience a negative impact on their work, and 19 per cent on their sex life and family life – Ah! Now I have your attention!

The majority of the muscles that control posture are collectively known as the core, and are found predominantly in the torso:

Muscles of the core
Upper torso
The trapezius muscle attaches the shoulder blades to the spine, covering the neck, shoulder and mid back. For good posture this muscle needs to be equally strong across the back as the front of the body. The rhomboid muscles are responsible for retracting the shoulder blades, helping to bring the shoulders back and together. I frequently see people in whom the rhomboids are overextended and weak across the back of the body, as a result of being too tight at the front, causing the shoulder blades to pop forward and resulting in a slumped posture.

Middle torso
The abdominals are also crucial in maintaining posture but probably the one that is forgotten is the transverse abdominis (TVA). This muscle lies deep below the internal obliques and is thought to be vital for thoracic and pelvic stability. On the back of the body, the muscles that run parallel to the spine – the spinalis, longissimus and iliocostalis, otherwise known as the erector spinae – work simultaneously to extend the spine. The vertebrae are connected and supported by a small group of muscles deep in the body, that runs the length of the spine – the multifidus muscles.

Lower torso
The lower part of the body is again supported by again our friend, the transverse abdominis. The iliacus and the psoas muscles support the lumbar region of the back. Let’s not also forget the glutes and adductors, whose job it is to provide pelvic stability and support. Contrary to popular belief the glutes and adductor muscles are and should be treated as part of the core.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Different people will have diverse weaknesses and need to focus on different exercises in order to correct them. But posture is something everyone should be aware of. Last week I got the results back from the live study and I was surprised to find that I spend 50% of my working day in bad posture. Most of this time is when I get back from work late, and spend a few hours at the computer writing programmes, nutrition plans, and social media posts. I spend most of my day on my feet, so I was quite surprised at the result, and asked to know about the results from the office workers. That group spent 66% of the trial in bad posture!

It is crucial that all people, but especially office workers, pay attention to their postural muscles and actively engage them. Unfortunately, it takes time to build good posture. It’s something that needs to be worked on every day, both in and out of the gym. The research by AXA PPP healthcare showed that 2pm is the time office workers are most likely to slouch, and that Mondays are the worst day of the week for poor posture. Getting up for a five minute walk every hour can help draw your attention to the problem, and give you chance to reset your position when you sit down again.

It is possible to tackle back pain and poor posture. It’s important to keep moving. A third of respondents to the survey thought it was best to rest and it’s definitely not! Try to maintain your normal routine, but avoid any activity that will put unnecessary pressure on your back. Always seek expert advice when pain occurs. It may be that there are a few simple exercises you can do to ease the problem. Two thirds of respondents to the survey said they knew what good posture was, but admitted they don’t usually apply it. It’s so easy to fall into this group, as the study I did revealed, but with some awareness and hard work the problem can be resolved.

Core Exercises
So, when you next find yourself presented with the onset of back pain, I would advise you take 10 minutes, to get up, walk about and even possibly work on that core of yours. At the end of the day, it’s pointless boasting how hardcore your workout was down at the gym when you lack the real definition of hard-core!

Visit AXA PPP healthcare’s online resource Muscles, Bones & Joints for more tips, advice and information on good posture and dealing with back pain.
Join the conversation on Twitter: @axappphealth @Hall_Training

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

5 reasons why women should be weight training!

“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.

The Importance of the ‘Rest Day’!

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.

Proper exercise selection for developing the hamstrings – revisited!

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.

Was Popeye right? Does Spinach increase strength and muscle mass? Pt 1

“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 Can 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!

Popeye and spinach with weight
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

Research on the best exercises for developing the hamstrings

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].

Bicep Femoris Exercises

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].

Semimembranosus/semitendinosus Exercises

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

The ultimate post workout shake – Why you deserve this!

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)

Post Workout Shake

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)

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

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