Exercise

Can you really lengthen your muscles, or is that a lie?

This comes from the myth of “toning,” which we’ll address some other time, but how many of you have heard this? Said this? The idea is to do exercises that burn fat while making your muscles look “long and lean.” Here’s the deal.

Muscles only grow one way: in diameter.

When muscles grow it is referred to as “hypertrophy.” Hypertrophy literally means an increase in cell size, versus hyperplasia which means an increase in cell number. Muscles cannot undergo hyperplasia, only hypertrophy. So when you’re increasing muscle mass you’re doing so by increasing the size of the individual cells in the muscle.

Additionally, let’s look at the physiology of muscles. Muscles are attached to bone at very specific spots, and are made up of muscles and tendons, plus other contractile proteins. Any medical student will roll their eyes and spew out the long list of origins and insertions, plus various attachments, of every muscle in the body they had to learn in anatomy. Knowing this, how do you increase the length of a muscle without changing the attachment of the muscle? It doesn’t make sense. It would imply that something else has to change too – like the ligaments or tendons it’s attached to would have to shorten in contrast, or the length of the bone would have to change to accommodate this new “length” in muscle to still allow the body to function normally.

Basically, picture a muscle on a bone. Now imagine that muscle growing in length, while nothing else around it changes. Doesn’t really work, does it?

When most medical texts refer to muscle length they’re referring to the tension of the muscle (usually using torque). When adding stretching routines to your workout (yoga, pilates, etc) that increased flexibility is a decrease in the slop of the angle/torque curve, or shifting that entire curve to the right. This is done by stretching the muscle, not by adding length or by somehow making the “bulkiness” of the muscle translate into longer muscles, not fatter muscle cells.

If you’re building muscle you’re building it one way: in diameter. Decreasing the fat that is covering your muscles is the only way for the muscle to appear “long” versus “bulky.”

July 4, 2012 Exercise, Myths Read more >

Where does fat go when you lose it?

What is fat?

Fat is extra energy that we store on our bodies. Any time you eat more than your body burns, that excess energy is converted into a storage form and placed various places in your body. The most problematic of these aesthetically (and health wise) is in fat cells, which translate to the padding you carry on your body. Some body fat is healthy and necessary – women require a certain amount in order to produce hormones necessary to maintain their period and become pregnant. Too much fat can be detrimental to our health.

Fat cells

Fat cells are located throughout our body and increase or decrease in size. The average human has 10 billion to 30 billion fat cells located around their body. An obese person can have up to 100 billion. Usually, fatty acids are stored inside these fat cells, making them increase in size. This tends to be genetic – certain people gain and lose fat in certain areas preferentially over others. It’s possible for your body to increase the number of fat cells on their body when they become obese. However, there is no way to “lose” fat cells. When you lose fat off your body, you’re shrinking the size of the fat cells, not getting rid of them.

How do you get rid of fat cells?

Liposuction is the only way to actually remove the fat cells. Otherwise, they remain deflated throughout your body.

So what happens when you lose fat?

Like I said above, the fat cells shrink. If you create a caloric deficit your body pulls energy from these storage forms of fat and uses that. As it pulls the energy out of the fat cells they shrink. That fat is used for energy, and the byproducts are excreted in your urine or feces.

Can the fat cells increase in size again?

Yes. If you start consuming more energy than your body can burn your fat cells will increase in size as that extra energy is stored in them.

July 4, 2012 Exercise, Fat Loss, , Read more >

If you don’t eat, does your body eat your muscle or fat first?

As expected, this is also false. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone – it just doesn’t make sense. Off of the top of your head name some important muscles: heart, diaphragm, right? These are necessary to our life. Without them, we don’t function. Why would your body go and target these areas BEFORE going and eating away at fat? After all, stored fat has more energy than muscle (over twice as much, actually) and when was the last time you called someone “starving” because they had only fat and no muscle on them? That’s right, you didn’t.

So why do we continue insisting that our bodies are somehow programmed to preferentially break down our muscles over our energy rich fat? I think Alloran on Fitocracy made the best analogy – “Why tear apart chairs, tables, bed frames, etc. to build a fire when there’s a pile of firewood just outside the door?”

But I wouldn’t call myself Bill Nye with a vagina is I didn’t throw some science at you.

During a two day fast you have a 5 fold increase in Growth Hormone. Growth hormone is what tells the body to conserve protein and therefore muscles. More GH, more protein conservation. GH is a jack of all trades, though, because this badass chick also promotes lipolysis. For those of you who need a Latin reminder, lipo = fat lysis = killing or destroying.  GH kills fat and saves protein.  I told you she was a badass chick.

Growth Hormone isn’t the only big bad chick proving that you burn fat during fasting. Glycerol (released when the body breaks down stored fat) and palmitic acid (also found in fats) are high in the plasma during the first 12-72 hours of fasting. In fact, they double.

But if there’s so much science – and common sense – showing that you don’t lose muscle preferentially, where did it come from? Turns out a few studies showed a decrease in lean body mass (muscle) during a fast. Don’t worry, new science helped to remedy what may have been a misunderstanding. Turns out that majority of the “weight loss” from muscle was a loss of glycogen and water. Glycogen, for you non-bio nerds, is the stored form of glucose. So most of the loss of “mass” from muscle was water and stored glucose. Additionally, these same studies showed that about 14% of the energy from a fast came from protein, whereas 85% came from stored fat.

So no, skipping breakfast, participating in IF, or even lying on the couch all day not eating because you’re sick and lazy won’t cause your body to eat your muscles away. It just doesn’t make sense.

July 4, 2012 Exercise, Metabolism Series, Myths, Nutrition, , , , Read more >

Hands OFF the treadmill!

  • Holding onto the treadmill creates a “fake walk” or “fake run” situation. Depending on how you’re distributing your weight onto your hands, you may actually be creating a lighter body load onto your legs. Since your legs hold some of the largest muscles in your body (and, you know, help you walk) cheating them from a good workout is only cheating yourself.
  • Your arms and shoulders sway in an unnatural fashion to accommodate the new movement, causing unwanted strain. Many chronic treadmill-holder-oners complain of shoulder pain.
  • You’re cheating your lower back muscles, which typically engage to stabilize your core and keep you upright.
  • You ruin posture. This is especially true of tall people, or people with short arms. Your body isn’t angled the way it is in the real world, and often you must hunch, lean, or otherwise screw up your posture to compensate.
  • Holding on reinforces improper spinal alignment. Your foot cannot extend fully so you take smaller step lengths. This can cause repetitive stress injuries in your hips.
  • You burn fewer calories (about 20% fewer) by essentially under exerting yourself. We already know the machines suck at counting your calories for you, now you’re making it think you’re engaging multiple muscle groups when really you’re cheating.
  • If working at an incline you’re creating an even more unnatural posture. imagine you’re hiking, or running up a hill…do you unnaturally lean back and hold your arms out in front of you? No. If the incline is at 10% and you’re holding on while leaning back, your body is now at a 10% incline.
  • You’re cheating your body of balance. The world has many uneven surfaces we often walk on without handlebars in front of you to hold onto.
  • Holding on at fast speeds can raise blood pressure due to the grip plus the speed.

Let go of the handlebars! Walk at an incline that you can maintain, don’t jack it up to impress someone else. You are at the gym for yourself. Pick speeds that you can maintain, don’t hurt yourself trying to show off.

July 1, 2012 Exercise Read more >

What does it mean to “lift heavy”?

You hear a lot of people advocating for men and women to forgo the mindless reps and trade it in for “lifting heavy.” Much like “clean eating” this is an ambiguous term that is often met with blank faces.

What is “heavy”?

How do you judge “heavy?”

Can you look at someones workout and say with assurance, “Yeah, that’s heavy”?

Nope, you can’t.

Heavy is a relative term. To “lift heavy” means that your 8th, 10th or 12th rep is extremely hard. Some people would argue that “lifting heavy” means your 5th rep should be nearly impossible. It’s really up to the individual to decide what is or is not heavy for that person.

For example, when I first started lifting weights it was really hard for me to curl 7 pounds. I think in December of 2011 I was fighting for that 10th rep. Now, some 5 months later I feel the same way about 20 pound weights.

As your level of fitness changes, so does what it means to “lift heavy.”

Don’t feel bad that you’re squatting the bar, or benching the bar, or even are trying to work your way UP to the bar. EVERYONE started at square zero, and if people make you feel inferior because you’re not squatting or dead lifting two plates then they’re judgmental assholes and you shouldn’t listen to them anyway. Once upon a time these same people were struggling to get one rep at the same weight you are.

No one comes out of the womb with a two plate squat.

In conclusion, “heavy” is a relative term. As long as you’re working hard, breaking a sweat, finding your workout challenging, etc. you’re lifting heavy. There are no rules, no guidelines, just you and your body.

You know your body best. Heavy is relative. 

June 20, 2012 Exercise Read more >