Low-Carb Diets in the NFL
From the 5/4/09 issue of ESPN: The Magazine's "NFL Insider" column, comes this line:
"Jaguars QB David Garrard ... since enduring 42 sacks, third most in the league, has added more workouts and cut out carbs this off-season. He's now 20 pounds lighter..."
For those who continue to think ketogenic or low-carb diets don't have a role in the athletic world, how much evidence do you need? Professional football is one of the most violent and taxing sports on the planet, yet NFL players go low-carb. Nice!
Two Worlds Colliding: Dave Tate Goes CrossFit
Is Dave Tate going to the dark side and becoming a CrossFit competitor? Nah, but believe it or not, CrossFit San Diego flew Dave Tate in to present a seminar on box squatting for CrossFit instructors and staff.
I found this surprising news in a recent issue of the The CrossFit Journal in Russell Berger's column,
"Squatting Outside the Box." Tate, of course, is well-known as a member of Louie Simmons' Westside Barbell, the founder of Elite Fitness Systems, an elite-level competitive powerlifter who for years gloried in the excess of his poor diet, then was re-made by John Berardi. What possible use would he have for CrossFit, and why would those people potentially subject themselves to his legendary, profane scorn and truth-at-all-costs dialogue?
Turns out Tate exhibited an open attitude, though he told his seminar audience he wasn't interested in CrossFit's GPP, or "general physical preparedness." As a competitive lifter, Tate is only interested in one thing: increasing the load on the bar. How he accomplishes that isn't too important. CrossFit, on the other
hand, is all about promoting the adaptation of general strength, increasing an athlete's work capacity. The assumption was that learning to squat in the Westside manner would somewhere along the line benefit CrossFit competitors.
Reality means few people can explosively box squat without tremendous amounts of training, as the physical movement is so different than a traditional, or CrossFit, squat. Tate taught the move and helped the CrossFit people experience a true, very wide stance, below-parallel box squat. But he was unable to answer one of the most fundamental questions asked in the CrossFit world: Will increased maximal strength assist an athlete moving lighter weights faster? Or, as author Berger puts it nicely, "Will an extra 100 pounds on my back squat increase my Fran time?"
Dave Tate replied: "I don't know, and anyone who says they do is probably bullshitting you." ‘Nuff said; now everybody go back to arguing about the validity of Crossfit! (www.journal.crossfit.com) (www.elitefts.com)
Chris Aceto starts up Pro Card Nutrition
Longtime bodybuilding nutrition and contest prep man Chris Aceto has launched a new supplement company, Pro Card Nutrition. Beginning in the industry more than two decades ago, Aceto's the author of countless articles in the mags and writer of a few books about diet, nutrition and training. I believe this is Aceto's first venture into supplements under his own name. He's worked with many companies in the past, and is currently riding high in the pro game, having recently helped Troy Alves get into arguably the best shape of his career recently to win the Orlando Europa Pro.
Aceto's line includes a fat burner, a pre-workout Kre-Oxi product, a night-time GH booster (while you sleep), and whey protein (titled ECDY N7) in three flavors.
Chris told me that when using "The Ecdy product....you gotta mix it with a little skim milk to get by the taste. It's the BCAA and Beta ecdysterone. There's so much in it you can SEE the crystals."
Watch for a "We used it . . . did we enjoy it" writeup in a future column. (www.procardnutrition.com)
Shirts I Like To Wear
Sometimes it's nice to throw on a mostly-black T-shirt without an excess of graphic overload. House of Pain can take you to either extreme, but I think this "Above All Else Strength" shirt looks great. It's almost a dress t-shirt, and I think the motto is a good bottom line credo.
Talk is cheap, so put on your House of Pain T, get under the bar and lift! I'm thinking this shirt is worth 10 extra pounds in the squat rack! It's sure worth spending the $18.
(www.houseofpain.com)
Stuff Anne Likes
Training Day Game Time
Anne gave Training Day's pre-workout "Game Time" a good one-month trial, and it passes with shining marks.
Training Day tells us a packet of "Game Time" powder should be consumed with water 15 to 30 minutes prior to the workout or event. They state, "Game Time is formulated to increase energy, explosiveness, endurance, intensity, and lean muscle tissue." That's a lot of good stuff in one 10.5 gram packet, isn't it? There are only 20 calories, and less than 1 gram of carbs and sugar in a serving.
For the trial month, at least half of Anne's use of "Game Time" was about 15 minutes prior to intense CrossFit training sessions. Increasing the effect on her, these workouts were at 8:00 a.m., a time of day she's unaccustomed to rigorous training. Generally, breakfast was a couple of hours earlier.
From the beginning she reported that her workouts were great while using "Game Time." She was able to maintain pace during a period in which her trainer was jacking the intensity and demands. Keep in mind these are sessions in which athletes are prone on the ground gasping for air within a half hour or 40 minutes. "Game Time" and water was all she had in her; no nitric oxide or other stimulant products.
She's come to depend on "Game Time" as her pre-workout drink, and considers it a standard part of her workout preparation. The berry flavor tastes wonderful and mixes cleanly and evenly. For these morning sessions, Anne consciously doesn't drink coffee and instead depends on "Game Time." It's worked beautifully. For CrossFit sessions, she just doesn't want more than the subtle stimulus "Game Time" easily provides.
Here's some detals on just what's inside "Game Time" (taken from the Training Day literature):
Cordyceps sinensis: A valued plant in herbal medicine, Tinospora Polysaccharides are believed by many to strengthen the cardiovascular system, regulate blood pressure, and increase energy production.
Arginine AKG: An essential amino acid chemically bonded to AKG (Alpha Ketoglutarate) which may increase the body's absorption rate leading to increased nitric oxide levels. Arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide which is responsible for vasodilation (expanding of blood vessels). Vasodilation allows blood vessels to carry more oxygen and key nutrients that help repair and grow muscle tissue.
Kre-Alkalyn: A creatine supplement involved in the reproduction of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the molecular currency for fast twitch muscle energy). Kre-Alkalyn also assists in recovery from competitions and workouts.
Citrulline AKG: An amino acid that converts to L-Arginine then nitric oxide which increases vasodilation and blood flow.
Siberian Ginseng: A perennial herb that elevates mood and increases energy levels.
Rhodiola Rosea: A Siberian herb that has a wide range of adaptogenic functions. Adaptogens help the body deal with stressful situations by stimulating the release of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
Valine: An essential branched chain amino acid that aids in tissue repair and maintenance of proper nitrogen balance in the body.
Isoleucine: An essential branched chain amino acid that stabilizes and regulates blood sugar and energy levels.
And better known to us all - sodium, taurine, leucine, whey protein concentrate, caffeine, vitamin B6 and B12. I wish the amount of whey was given, but it's not.
If this were a movie, "Training Day" would receive two thumbs up!
Abs For Everyone!
Vince DelMonte's No-Nonsense Muscle Building & Six Pack DVD series
I'm guessing that somewhere, Vince DelMonte is running infomercials on late-night television. His 8-DVD box set wore me out (it contains 12 hours of footage), but I made the mistake of attempting to watch several discs straight through (while I did other things in my office). There's far too much to take in without repeated viewing sessions.
DelMonte is a pretty regular looking fit guy, who certainly won't scare away anyone looking to get fit. From that perspective, he's very marketable. His advice is straight-ahead and mostly logical, though I strongly disagree with his theory that most supplements are not worthwhile. One reason he can even fill 12 hours of video is that he tells the viewer everything, from how to stock your kitchen and how to eat, to how to perform a crunch correctly.
Various discs show Vince going through workouts, with titles such as "Metabolic 4 Day Extreme" or "Metabolic 5 Day Overdrive). One of Vince's interesting theories, among others, is that a speed workout the day after training the same muscle groups hard for strength, creates a fat loss response. In other words, legs two days in a row! Anyone wish to debate the validity of this? Make sure to have your ProgenexSRG Recovery and Growth handy.
(Uh oh, avert your eyes, he's doing bodyweight squats on an upside down Bosu Ball on disc 6 right now!).
On his website, Vince makes a big deal of the fact that some newsstand bodybuilding magazines are owned by supplement companies. He treats this information like it's a secret, which it's not. He needs to update his site, as he lists Muscular Development as still being owned by Twinlab, information several years out of date. He definitely dislikes the bodybuilding and supplement industries, and feels they're lying to and misleading customers. Supplement companies not telling the truth?
Bottom line: Vince DelMonte isn't trying to reach the Rxmuscle.com crowd. He's going after the beginners, newbie's to gyms, and I've gotta believe, late-night TV watchers who want to get off the couch but don't know what to do. He's a great marketer, works hard in his workouts and never freakin' stops talking. For the most part, his information, ideas, nutritional advice and workouts are fine and will certainly advance the fitness of most people - other than bodybuilders and any other competitive strength athletes.
(www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com)
Lynx Performance Grips
These are a great example of a workout product I thought I would be scoffing at, yet now I carry them in my workout bag! In my mind I categorized the Lynx Grip as not for real strength-training athletes. Man, was I wrong!
This heavy-duty, yet extremely flexible, grip fits within the palm of your hand. The advertised purpose is to provide non-slip, protective gripping strength. Lynx' advertising copy claims greater strength for the user by increasing recruitment of wrist and hand muscles. They proclaim a reduction in forearm tension, hand cramping, slipping, and painful calluses.
Wow, all from this little plastic/rubber thing? I was skeptical, needless to say.
Then I hit the pull-up bar. My thought was to perform a couple of sets to failure, rest a minute, then using the Lynx grips, attempt more sets. Amazingly, I found myself attaining the same rep ranges, even though I could feel how tired the working muscles were. Experimenting with dumbbells, the same thing happened once more with curls. I can't say the effect was as dramatic as it was with pull-ups, but it's pronounced.
Lynx grips are super-convenient. They easily fit into your pockets so you can pull them out when you need ‘em, if your gym bag isn't with you. Throw ‘em in the washing machine when they begin to stink! I'm completely sold on the value of this accessory for bodybuilders; powerlifters and strongmen have no need for them. Strength assistance aside, some will find the Lynx grip more comfortable than lifting gloves; each will save skin and help prevent calluses.
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