Month: April 2021

With regard to body composition, one is either maintaining (eucaloric), losing (hypocaloric), or gaining (hypercaloric). For most in their 50s, hypercaloric is a pattern that leads to progressive fat gain. It doesn’t take much. A hundred excess calories a day, after all will lead a gain of about a pound of fat a year. Most are creeping up in weight at a faster rate. So, for many, it is an endless cycle of restricting calories (hypocaloric) and falling back in to old habits (hypercaloric) to gain the weight back again—usually more than where the “diet” started. So, why would I suggest massing (i.e., gaining weight) in one’s 50s? Because our activity levels depend upon muscle mass.

Weight isn’t just a number on the scale. In fact, we should only use the scale to track our progress. Our goal should not be a weight (a number) per se.

Our body weight is essentially fat, bone, muscle, and other lean tissue (as well as water). Over the years, inactivity and caloric cycling decreases our muscle mass. Weaker muscles mean less work capacity. Diminished work capacity means less energy expenditure and more fat and less muscle over time. A goal as we age should be to minimize fat stores (to healthy levels) and to optimize muscle mass. Unfortunately, many are focused on weight and tend to be perpetually hypocaloric. The thought of “gaining weight” is lunacy. However, when we think with regards to body composition, an intentional massing phase might be warranted.
First, let’s understand that the goal is to increase muscle mass and lose fat. For the beginner/novice exercisers, this might come easy—providing the right training stimulus is applied. Certainly, losing fat is the easiest. Cut calories by 500 kcal per day and you lose a pound a week, right? Well, maybe. Sorta. In fact, one might still gain some muscle in the early stages of a hypocaloric exercise program because they are getting sufficient protein and carbohydrates to fuel the exercise and muscle growth, and fat can supply the other energy needs. Unfortunately, most who are trying to lose weight do excessive cardio (cardio favors the loss of fat and muscle). The weight drops, but so does the muscle—and the capacity to do cardio. It is a vicious cycle that leads to fragility in old age. Instead, one should focus on lifting weights and doing cardio (generally, favoring the former over the latter as we age). As the weight goes down on the scale, if be the result of a more significant fat loss.

So, again, why would I suggest massing in one’s 50s? Understand, I am not suggesting “bulking,” which I’d consider to be adding appreciable fat and muscle weight. I am suggesting, instead, a dietary cycle in which the calories are carefully increased with a proper focus on macro balance to facilitate muscle gains. Muscle increases best in a hypercaloric state. I’ll dispense with the physiology lecture on insulin, mTor, hormones, etc. and hope you will just accept that muscle grows best when it is fed. Consider that muscle is a luxury tissue and that energy will go first to where it is most needed. So, it behooves us to not always be in a state of “dieting” (i.e., in a hypocaloric state). On occasion, we should eat and train to gain muscle. Don’t worry about “big, bulky muscles,” because most of us are not willing to put in the effort to build these (it takes a lot of work!). Don’t go excessive the caloric intake. It doesn’t have to be much. Lift intentionally and eat intentionally. Try to add 5 pounds or so over a 2- to 3-month period. Do so by maintaining protein at roughly 1 g/lb BW and fat at around 0.3 g/lb BW and increasing carbohydrates—quality carbohydrates—slightly above what is required to be eucaloric. Then, exercise! Let the mirror—rather than the scale—be your guide.

If you still have quite a bit of fat to lose, spend a bit more time in a eucaloric state (“maintenance” phase) while ramping up the weight training. Don’t actively try to lose (or gain) weight. Focus on building muscles with higher volume hypertrophy training. More than likely, you will see changes in the mirror that aren’t reflected on the scale. After a 2- to 3-month cycle, if you want to lose more fat, cut calories slightly and perform another “cut” phase.

Weight management is cyclic—not is the sense of “yo-yo dieting, but rather in the sense of cut-maintain-cut-maintain. The goal is to get healthy-lean, but never at the expense of lean muscle. Don’t be afraid to gain muscle—even if it comes with a little bit of fat gain. Fat is easier to lose than muscle is to gain, and muscle mass is an important tissue (albeit luxury) to maintain.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“In the final analysis, the questions of why bad things happen to good people transmutes itself into some very different questions, no longer asking why something happened, but asking how we will respond, what we intend to do now that it happened.”–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

In the words of Forrest Gump, “It happens.” So when it does, how do we respond? It is not a matter of bad things happening to good people (or good things happening to bad people). Stuff happens.

I have long appreciated Arthur Ashe’s response to the question of whether he ever asked the question “Why me?” when he was diagnosed with A.I.D.S. He believed that if he were to say, “God, why me?” about the bad things that happen, then he should have to have said, “God, why me?” about the good things that happened. It is a sentiment to live by.

I have been asked (and, now, frequently ask others), “If I (you) could go back in time and change one thing in their life, what would I (you) change?” I have come to understand the correct response to be “nothing.” I find, as well, that I can almost guess how the person will respond. Personally, I know that were I to change the slightest thing—correct even the smallest mistake or regret—my life would not be the same. I would not be the person I am. I would not have found my lovely wife. I would not have the wonderful children I have—and they would not be the people they are and are to become. There is no cause to look back and ask, “What if…?” There cause, however, to look forward and ask this question. There is cause to address my past and ask myself how I will respond and what I intend to do going forward. After all, I have no control over the past. I do have control (albeit limited at times) over this moment. At the very least, I have control over how I will respond.

We can blame and create excuses, but the certainty of life is that “it happens,” and we have to deal with the circumstances we are dealt. How I am treated? Whether fortune or misfortune befalls me? It doesn’t matter, because I am shaped by my circumstance—for what I believe is a Purpose greater than myself. I also believe that what I experience isn’t necessarily for my benefit. Sometimes “it happens” so that the Universe might benefit. Indeed, I would dare to say “it” always happens for the benefit of the Universe. The question is, will we accept the opportunity or complain about the burden?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“We are all born with equal opportunity to be unequal.”—Dan Gable

There is so much jargon in education and not nearly enough education. I am increasingly disturbed by the efforts to address inequity by focusing on equal outcomes rather than equal opportunity. I often feel I am being told to remove the obstacles rather than to provide the skills necessary to overcome them. I perceive an underlying tone that under-represented students “can’t, so….” I don’t see this in my students. I see them as capable but under-prepared. I often see the potential that others have denied them. Our greatest challenge as educators is not in providing students with a path to a degree. Rather, our opportunity is to provide students with a path to an education.

I am hearing phrases like “equity grading” and “ungrading.” I hear “race” in the conversations about “racial bias.” By this I mean, I am made to feel racist because I am a white male professor. Because I am white I have to change my teaching (and grading) for my non-white students. I am not to have racial bias, but I am to have different expectations on the basis of race. I am sorry, if this offends, but I believe my students are all capable of succeeding no matter what their race or socio-economic background. I will not lower my standards because of race. I will do my absolute best to motivate my students and help them find the potential within themselves. I will not give them excuses (or allow them to hear the excuses they are being fed by others). I will not change my grading to help them “succeed.” Instead, I will change my teaching.

I see education like swimming lessons. One can be given a certificate of completion (whether they learn to swim or not); one can be pushed into the water to sink or swim; or one can be joined in the water by the instructor who will let the student struggle (without drowning) and help them to swim.

Part of learning is struggling. Everyone’s struggle is different. Equity in education is to recognize this and guide the student through the struggle. It is not to remove the struggle.

Education is to bring the student to the realization that they can. It is not simply to confer a degree. As an educator, my greatest reward is in seeing a student (regardless of race) recognize a potential that they could not see when they entered college. It is humbling when a former student later thanks you for helping them recognize their potential. No student has ever thanked me for making it “easier” for them to get a degree.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Most us aren’t seeing the calf development we desire, so we should just stop. That is, we should stop training the calf muscles like we always have (i.e., heavy with a sh**ing range of motion). If your calf raise weight exceeds your squat weight, it is probably time for a change.
For a long time, I did heavy calf raises in the 12-20 rep range and blamed my skinny calves on genetics. Eventually, I wised up and listened to what bodybuilders were saying. I tried other methods and they worked (though I still blame my genetics for the good, but not superior development). A few preferred methods include:

40-30-20-10. This is a high-volume, 100-rep scheme. The reps are performed at a moderate tempo with a good pause (e.g., count of two at the top). The sets can be at the same weight for each set, but I favor going up 5-10 lb with each subsequent set. The rest between sets should be 30-60 second.

6-10-6. This involves a 6-second hold at peak contraction, followed by 10 moderate tempo repetitions and another 6-second hold. Three sets of these at an appropriate weight will have the calves pumped and screaming.

Slow-Hold-Slow. Rather than exploding through the repetitions and letting the stretch recoil in the Achille’s tendon do most of the work (which is most often what is happening in heavy calf raises), perform the repetition in a very slow fashion (as slow as 5-10 seconds or longer), pausing at the top, and lowering slowly. Fewer repetitions are required—especially the slower the exercise is performed. The rep range will be determined by the weight and the time it takes to perform the repetitions. Try starting with 10 repetitions and work from there.

Carries on the toes. If you have space to walk (to do loaded carries), try doing your carries walking on you toes. You might feel a bit silly, but the calves will appreciate the extra work.

Not all of us are genetically-inclined to have big calves. We have to work harder for what little we can achieve. The effort is better rewarded, however, when we perform exercises that will actually stimulate hypertrophy. The calves depend on the stretch reflex for power. This doesn’t, however, equate to muscle size. Take the reflex out of the training and let the muscles do the work. Overload the calves properly, and they will grow.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

There are countless set/rep schemes for weight training. Most of us who are training for something less than athletics usually just want to keep it simple and build strength and hypertrophy somewhere between powerlifting and bodybuilding. The 5 x 5 programs (there are a few from which to choose—e.g., StrongLifts, Mad Cow, and, though technically 3 x 5, Starting Strength) are the “sweet-spot” for training strength and muscle mass.

Most 5 x 5 programs are three-day programs that incorporate the “basic 5” (squat, deadlift, bench, row, and overhead press) exercises, though frequency and exercise splits can be suited to taste and goals. StrongLifts, for example, includes a squat-bench-row and squat-deadlift-press split. The 5 x 5 is performed as A-B-A and B-A-B alternations, but can also be done as A-B-A-B, if one so desires.

The 5 x 5 can also be performed as upper body/lower body (squat-deadlift and bench-row-press), push/pull (squat-bench-overhead press and deadlift-row), or push/pull/leg (bench-overhead press, row, and squat-deadlift—or bench-overhead press, deadlift-row, and squat), etc. What makes it “5 x 5” is the repetitions and sets. The basic 5 simplifies the exercise selection (focusing on “bang-for-the-buck”) and can made more interesting (and, perhaps, effective) by working in variations of the basic 5 (e.g., front squats or Bulgarian split squats instead of back squats). Accessory exercises (e.g., bicep curls, tricep extensions, abdominals, calves, etc.) can be added, if so desired (usually for 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions).

I prefer a bit higher frequency, so a typical week for me is: Sunday—squat, Romanian deadlift, and calf raise; Monday—rows and dips; Tuesday—squat and press; Wednesday—deadlift and calf raise; Thursday—incline bench and chin-ups; and Friday—squat, floor press, and calf. Accessory work is usually done with HIIT work in 2-3 afternoon session.

Progression in 5 x 5 programs is usually linear—increasing 5-10 lbs when the 5 sets can be completed in good form. Once the plateau is reached, higher frequency sessions may require a bit more variation, particularly of intensities (e.g., hard, light, and moderate days). Another option might be to vary tempos, do pause-reps, or some other load variation. Building strength and size, after all, is just about constantly adding weight. Progression comes in many forms.

Of course, 5 x 5 isn’t for always, but it is a good option for many most of the time. For a change, include cycles of 10 x 3 or 3 x 10 or 4 x 8 (notice a pattern—keeping the total reps between 24 and 30?). Give yourself time in each cycle—at least 4 weeks, but, ideally, 8-12 weeks with occasional deload weeks for better recovery.

Lifting weights doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. It just needs to be planned, progressive, and effectively executed. For most of us, we just need to keep it simple and put in the effort. Results will come.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Obesity is a complex disease with many contributing factors. Neighborhood design, access to healthy, affordable foods and beverages, and access to safe and convenient places for physical activity can all impact obesity.  The racial and ethnic disparities in obesity underscore the need to address social determinants of health such as poverty, education, and housing to remove barriers to health. This will take action at the policy and systems level to ensure that obesity prevention and management starts early, and that everyone has access to good nutrition and safe places to be physically active. Policy makers and community leaders must work to ensure that their communities, environments, and systems support a healthy, active lifestyle for all” (CDC¹).

According to the CDC²:

• The prevalence of obesity was 42.4% in 2017~2018.
• From 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%.
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.
• The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 US dollars; the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.

According to the World Health Organization³, “obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese.” A J-shaped relationship has been observed between continuous BMI and risk for hospitalization, ICU admission, and death. Risks were lowest at BMIs of 24.2 kg/m², 25.9 kg/m², and 23.7 kg/m², respectively, and increased sharply with higher BMIs⁴.

Obesity is a central factor in the prevalence of hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertension (otherwise known as “metabolic syndrome”) which makes it a health concern beyond the risk of COVID-19.

As we focus attention on vaccination, masks, and physical distancing in the reopening of schools, businesses, and communities, in general, it is short-sighted to ignore the looming threat to the nation’s health presented by inactivity and obesity—a preventable epidemic. Nationally, we need a campaign to get Americans moving and eating healthier. It is not a cause for “fat shaming.” Rather, it is a call for solutions—for efforts to bring assistance to those who need it. It is a call to recognize what has largely been ignored during the COVID-19 pandemic—that America (like much of the world) has an obesity problem.

As many will say that “everyone should do their part and be vaccinated”, we should also be stressing that everyone do their part and strive to maintain a healthier body composition and more active lifestyles. The response to the present pandemic, however, has largely opposed such a movement. Little has been done to promote the role that obesity has played in the severity of symptoms and death rate of SARS-CoV2. Little has been said about the role of obesity and inactivity in the diseases known to elevate the risks of SARS-CoV2.

The American College of Sports Medicine promotes “exercise is medicine.” Indeed, it is the first medicine which physicians should prescribe. If it were, it is undeniable that the health concerns of this nation would dramatically decline. Even a modest decline in fat percentage is known to have a significant effect on one’s health. (I am not suggesting single-digit body compositions and six-pack abs.) Considering BMI (which can be a poor indicator of body fat, but is, nonetheless, an easily calculated marker of health risk—body weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters-squared), a modest target of 25-27 kg·m² would appear reasonable and ideal (and, possibly, the healthiest—especially if it includes a modest gain in muscle mass, as well as a loss in fat mass).

Let us, for the health of the nation, have the open conversation about obesity and seek the necessary solutions to the problem rather than simply treating the resulting medical conditions—or, worse, denying the problem altogether.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html

²https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

³https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/6-facts-on-obesity

I have been using the Renaissance Periodization Diet (RP Diet App) since August 2019 for weight management. I have done a few cuts and spent a lot of time in maintenance. Going into the 58^th birth year, I decided to try a massing phase instead of another cut phase. I have been doing a lot of self-experimentation with training as an “old man.” I am seeing success that I haven’t seen in decades. I have been doing this in a (more or less) eucaloric or hypercaloric state. So, I decided to see what will happen if I adjust the calories up (that is, I allow the RP Diet App to adjust my calories up). Not unexpected, I saw an immediate weight jump because the significant increase in carbohydrates. This, however (and thankfully), soon settled at a lower weight. I discover, though, that eating more is hard.

I have become accustomed to eating a lot of vegetables. Being full—when you are eating healthy—is easy. Boost those carbohydrates (my fats and proteins have stayed about the same), and it is too much food! I actually had to request a reduction in my macros. If I was less cautious about gaining fat, I might shift from vegetables to rice of potatoes. I have grown accustomed to broccoli and cauliflower rice. Of course, there is a lot of fruit, too.

I don’t expect to keep on a massing phase for long. Maybe a month—and back to maintenance.

When it comes to keeping the fat off and fueling exercise, it is all about smart choices. Choose wisely and eat a lot. Choose poorly, be hungry, and still eat a lot—too much. Of course, if you are young and skinny with a high metabolism, eat those foods that will help you eat more. Those of us getting up there in years, there is no reason why we can’t get stronger and gain (or at least maintain) muscle. We just have to make careful choices. Limit alcohol and junk food. Eat the nutrient dense foods that fill and fuel.

Train hard. Eat smart.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Thinking about Jordan Burrough’s loss to Kyle Drake in the finals of the USA Olympic Wresting Trials, one has to question how it is possible to “be your best today; be better tomorrow.” The reality is that we can always be “the best”. We age and often have to yield the title of “best” to another. Another reality is that few are ever “the best.” Few are ever elite. Above are, we are multi-dimension beings. We have room to grow “well-centered” Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially. Chances are that, if we were “best” at something, we sacrificed in some other dimension of our life (albeit for the truly “greats” only minimally).

Elite athletes put tremendous physical demands on their bodies. Training and competition takes its toll. The physical demands, however, are very specific. As such, other dimensions of physical fitness may receive as much attention. Retiring from competition (and I am not expecting Jordan Burroughs to leave his shoes on the mat anytime soon) generally means a shift in training. This creates an opportunity to better the dimensions that have received less attention.

For most of us, there remains quite a bit of room to improve. Physically, as well as the other dimensions of well-centered fitness, “better” may fall into a category of maintenance or an overall separation from our peers. As we focus on being better, despite a loss of adaptive capabilities (as with aging), we can avoid the principle of “reversibility” (i.e., “use it or lose it”). Moreover, most of us can continue to make gains as we have never quite reached of potential.

Whatever the dimension (Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, or Social, as well as Physical), we should always strive for today’s best and tomorrow’s better. Today’s “best” is wholistic. It is to seek greater balance and well-centeredness. Consider the potential and don’t limit your opportunities.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

It is quite simple. If you want to lose body there is one exercise you need in your programming. That exercise is… restraint. That is, you need to exercise restraint. Weight loss (that is, fat loss) comes with eating less—being hypocaloric. Exercise will help, as it increases the caloric deficit, but “What exercise?” is not the first question to ask. We should be asking how we can modify our diet—“How much should I eat?”; “What should I eat?” Then, focus on moving more. Truly, the best exercise for fat loss is the exercise that you “like” to do and will do often. There is no trick. There is no hack. Exercise restraint, and you will lose weight.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I saw yet another article about how to tone without gaining bulky muscles—directed particularly at women (who are “hesitant to do too many arm exercises for fear of gaining bulky muscle mass”). I love these articles because they give me inspiration for this blog.

First, if the reader is unaware, I despise the term “tone.” I am also not keen on the term “bulk.” In short, they really have little to do with muscle mass and everything to do with fat. When a woman (or a man) says they want to “tone”, they are basically saying that they want to lose fat to reveal what little muscle they already have. When a man (it is almost always a man) says he wants to “bulk up,” he is essentially saying that he wants to gain girth and doesn’t give a sh** about fat mass. Now, many intermediate to advanced body builders might pull this off because the hypercaloric state necessary to appreciably hypertrophy muscle often results in a gain in fat mass, as well as muscle. In this case, they are expecting to follow this massing phase (I prefer “massing” to “bulking” because it suggests some dietary restraint to minimize unnecessary fat gains) with a cut phase (fat loss).

“Toning” often refers to low-intensity (low-weight), high-repetition exercise with minimal overload and progression. It suggests that volume is relevant only when one is lifting heavy weight. It also suggests that weight training should be limited to aerobic exercise with weights. The author of this particular article (and most articles about toning) suggests three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions with about five or more reps in the tank. Frankly, at 20 reps with 5 in the tank, you are probably lifting a weight that, if you had the mental fortitude, you could get at least 10 more repetitions. Increasing the weight to an intensity that would permit 15 to 20 repetitions with a legitimate 3-5 reps in the tank (where the third set comes close to fatigue) can actually produce significant hypertrophy without “bulking.”

A number of years ago a student asked me how to respond to a client who didn’t want to lift heavy weights because she didn’t want to have “bulky muscles.” Ordinarily, I would have answered with a response about hormones, gender differences, muscle fiber types, etc. On this day, I was in a particularly puckish mood, and responded that she should “just tell your client that she isn’t willing to put in the work.” In reality, this is the correct answer. People with muscular athletic builds have put a lot of effort into developing their physiques. Few come upon big muscles with minimal effort. (If you are such a person, lucky you. You don’t have to put as much effort into training, if you don’t want big muscles.)

If you don’t want big muscles, don’t make lifting your priority. Lift moderately heavy (that is, build strength), but limit your training. Lift three days a week and perform the basic lifting movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, row, and overhead press variations) in a range of 5-12 repetitions for 3-5 sets (with 1-4 repetitions in the tank). Spend more of your week doing cardio and high-intensity interval (resistance) training (HIIT/HIIRT). Watch your caloric intake and macro balance. Eat healthy and limit alcohol and junk foods. You will invariably develop a lean (call it “toned,” if you must) physique. Don’t waste time in the gym moving light weights and calling it “exercise.”

If you want bigger muscles do the work in the gym. Calories will help but only when the carbohydrates and proteins you consume are stimulated to go to the muscle rather than fat deposits. Be sure that the size (bulk, if you prefer) you are putting on is mostly muscle. Consider body composition to be the priority, rather than only weight on the scale.

Bottom line: lose fat and gain as little or as much muscle as you are willing to work for and desire. Dieting and doing “toning” exercise will ultimately lead to “skinny fat” if the muscles aren’t adequately challenged. And a little bit more muscle looks better on pretty much everyone.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!