Over the years I have been involved with fitness. I have heard of many tips on how to maximize strength and endurance. Some are based on scientific studies and others are tips from fitness gurus who did a workout and had some positive results. There are still a few of those tips that are still evident today. In the January issue of Nutrition Action an article on exercise myths was an interesting reading.
One section was, “Exercise before breakfast to burn more body fat.” It seems that information on diet and exercise is one of the most popular topics. For bodybuilders it is “eat more protein”. The body can only absorb a limited amount of protein depending on the person’s size and muscle. After that limit is reached the rest is either stored as fat on the body or eliminated by visiting the bathroom. Runners are told to ‘carbo-load’ before a marathon. That is why the spaghetti dinner the day before the big race is considered a standard meal. The way most runners follow the ‘carbo- load’ is not followed correctly. The two or three days before the race the runner is supposed to cut back on carbohydrates so the body needs that pasta to replace this loss. The body will then absorb more of the carbohydrate that will be used running the marathon. The point of burning more fat by working out before breakfast has no solid evidence to back it up. The theory is that after a hard workout the body’s metabolism is increased and will utilize the food eaten to build more muscle. I have read articles on the time frame of eating after a workout. The articles mentioned that the best return was after 30 minutes of working out. The limit of two hours seemed to be the cut off time of any advantage of eating after a workout. A balance of protein and carbohydrates is best for having any advantage for increasing muscle growth or fitness. Have some toast or oatmeal to go along with the “six” egg protein part of the meal.
The next section has been a staple for years in fitness. The “No pain, no gain” has been one of the most lasting standards over the decades. The word ‘pain’ is a misleading term in fitness circles. Any time you try to increase effort in a workout there will be a term I prefer to use as ‘discomfort’. Any runner who has tried to set a PR in a race will experience some discomfort for their efforts. I remember doing intervals on a track to try and increase my running speed. Running a quarter mile at 15 seconds faster was somewhat hard. When you try to run a mile at 15 seconds faster every quarter, I can tell you that the last quarter mile had a lot of discomfort. When a weightlifter attempts to lift a heavier weight in an exercise one of two things will happen. One is the lifter may need some assistance in finishing the lift. The muscle will have been pushed to its maximum capacity and will get stronger. The other thing that happens is that the weight is too heavy and the weight either rests on the person or remains on the floor. My first attempt at bench pressing 300 pounds was a perfect example of being too heavy. Lying on a bench with 300 pounds on your chest is a good example of extreme discomfort. The first effort to get the weight off was to roll it down toward my hips. It dropped off my rib cage and I could feel it move over every vertebra on the way to my hips so I could sit up. The next try was to tip it off to the side. As it slid across my chest the weights on the low end fell off and I was still left with 150 pounds on the other end. Lifting a heavy weight off the side of your chest is not an easy task with only one arm free. Another example of discomfort. And asking my wife to spot it was a total waste of time. She was laughing so hard at my huffing and puffing before the lift my concentration was lost. Belly roll #2.
