Nutri-Sport research: HIIT cardio and Beta Alanine supplementation
March 17, 2011 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
In the never ending battle to lose body fat and increase muscle, studies are constantly being conducted to see what the most efficient ways to exercise are. Gone are the days where people had to spend hours on a treadmill to melt away the fat. One method of exercise growing in popularity is High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.
HIIT appeals to many people because it not only breaks the monotony of slow-paced cardio, but also because it takes a lot less time than steady-state cardio. The idea is to break your cardio session up into intervals of low intensity and high intensity exercise. This will continuously spike and lower your heart rate, tapping into different energy and fat-burning pathways. The benefits of HIIT training were seen in a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that was originally designed to test the effects of Beta-Alanine on endurance training. The study showed that no matter which group the test subjects were in (Beta-alanine, placebo, or controlled), every test subject gained lean mass and lost fat mass as a result of the interval training used in the study. Beta Alanine has been show to increase work capacity by reducing blood-lactate accumulation (that muscle burn we all know well) that in the long-run will increase training volume and greater gain. The study also suggested that HIIT may be an effective and time-efficient training method for increasing oxygen uptake. See the abstract here.
HIIT is a form of training that we include in many of our clients’ personal programs. If you are looking for a new form of training, or want to make the most of your valuable gym time, contact us for training and program details today!
Beta Alanine available at Nutri-Sport in powder or capsules
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
Nutri-Sport
4400 East University, Suite B (in the Fitness World East building)
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327
515-266-2225
www.nutrisportfpt.com
Arnold Raw Challenge Powerlifting recap
March 10, 2011 by Ryan Irwin · 1 Comment
To sum up the IPF/USAPL Powerlifting Raw Challenge competition at the Arnold Sports Festival in on word would be: surreal. It was amazing to be in the warm up area with athletes from all over the world (Russia, Japan, Brazil, France, just to name some). The caliper of lifters there was top notch and I was honored to be in the same meet.
I flew in on Thursday 3/3 with my gear so I had all I needed. I competed in the 74 KG class (162.8 lbs). I weighed in at 159.9 Friday AM, which was almost 3lbs lighter than I wanted to be, but fear of coming in over and not having access to a scale (which I will remedy next time) caused this. We weighed in about 85 min before we started lifting so you don’t get a long time span to replenish if depleted.
Once I started warming up, I could tell I wasn’t feeling strong, but I kept plowing forward and didn’t want to psych myself out. On my last warm up squat (335) I had something happen the first time ever, I lost the bar off my back in the hole and it crashed down on the floor. Thankfully, I wasn’t injured but rather rattled. I quickly regrouped and got one more good squat in before I hit the platform. My first attempt with 358lbs went good, quick and easy (see video below) so I had hoped that I was in the zone. However on my 2nd attempt with 386lbs, I went down too deep. On my 3rd attempt, I took the same weight and while I got it (see below) I got called on depth.
On to bench, a bit disappointed but put the squats behind me. I opened with 276lbs, which was a solid opener (see video below). They have the same person lifting off for you, so if you have your normal training partner lift off for you, having someone different is a bit odd. Judging from squats, I knew that I wasn’t having my strongest day ever, so I lowered my 2nd attempt to 292lbs for a conservative weight. However, I couldn’t get it past the sticking point and was stuck with my opener as 3rd attempt was the same scenario.
At this point I was a bit deflated and started to worry about hitting my opener on deadlifts. However, I was pumping fluids all morning and by the time I got to my 3rd warm up attempt, I could tell I was feeling good again. I opened with 495, which flew up faster than it ever has. While that was the case, I still didn’t want to get too nuts as I didn’t want to repeat what happened on bench so I went with a modest 5lb PR over last meet and got 524lbs for my 2nd. In the video below, you can see it went up very well. Getting a 3rd attempt on deadlift is very tough and even a 5lb increase wasn’t happening today.
Overall, wasn’t satisfied with my performance, but I did get the highest deadlift in my class which is a great way to finish the meet. It was an amazing experience and loved every minute. The rest of the weekend equaled as I had the opportunity to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger and see many top athletes in the bodybuilding/powerlifting/fitness industry. I want to give a big shout out and thank you to my sponsors: Scivation, True Life Chiropractic and Hands On Sports Massage. Without these three, my body would not have held together! Also I want to thank my training partners Cody Nour and Mike Beiter, who pushed me to the limits!! Especially my wife Mandee who has always been there for me along every step of the journey. Next goal: IFPA International Bodybuilding competition in September at Kansas City!
First squat:
Third Squat attempt:
First bench:
First deadlift:
Second deadlift
Opportunity of a lifetime, meeting Arnold!
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
Nutri-Sport
4400 East University, Suite B (in the Fitness World East building)
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327
515-266-2225
Nutri-Sport training research: Unstable surface training
March 2, 2011 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
With new exercise equipment being introduced into the market daily, it’s sometimes hard to know what to invest your time and money into. One method of training that is becoming increasingly popular is unstable surface training (UST). UST refers to a method of training where exercises are performed on an unstable base instead of a stable base, such as the floor or a bench. Common UST pieces of equipment are stability/Swiss balls, BOSU balls, and balance boards.
There are many differing opinions on UST and what it should be used for in the health industry. In an article released in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, it states that certain exercises are beneficial if performed on an unstable surface, and some exercises are actually negatively affected if performed on an unstable surface. If you are trying to rehabilitate from an injury or increase core stabilization, the UST may be right for you. However, if you are looking to increase the strength or power of a muscle, the UST may be damaging your progress. Sometimes mixed signals are sent to your nervous system and it creates an overload that prevents your working muscles from producing the force necessary to make progress.
To make sure you are not creating a bigger problem for yourself, the article suggests looking for a certified and experienced trainer to help you select the right workouts to perform on an unstable surface. If you are curious about experimenting with unstable surface equipment, please make sure you are not just going off an internet video’s advice. Yes, the unstable surface makes it more challenging, but it does not always mean it is more beneficial.
As you can see by the picture of some of the Nutri-Sport Training Studio below, we have a variety of equipment that we utilize to ensure each of our client’s individual needs are met based on their goals and level of conditioning/strength.
If you have any questions about unstable surface training or if it is something you should add into your workout program, contact us here at Nutri-Sport and we will help you sort out the confusion and get you on the track to success.
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
Nutri-Sport
4400 East University, Suite B (in the Fitness World East building)
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327
515-266-2225
