How To: Implement Vascular Occlusion

Implementing a vascular occlusion protocol can be difficult given that ‘Kaatsu’ equipment is costly and notoriously difficult to come by (unless you live in Japan). However, nearly every gym goer has the practical solution in their gym bag –

WRAPS!

Knee, elbow or wrist wraps can be used to effectively occlude muscle groups for the purposes of restricted-blood flow training. Remember that Kaatsu is best performed at lower intensities (for safety reasons as much as others), as such you should be working anywhere between 20% - 50% of your 1RM. For the mathematically challenged, the former figure is calculated by multiplying your one rep maximum effort by 0.2, and the latter is achieved by multiplying the figure by 0.5.

That is, if your 1RM on bench press is 100kg, you would perform occluded exercises using between 20kg (100 x 0.2) and 50kg (100 x 0.5). In terms of sets, reps and rest periods, based on the literature reviewed in the prior article, I would recommend 4 sets, to failure with 30 – 45 seconds rest in between sets. Keep in mind that there is a difference between occlusion and chronic restriction of blood flow. As such, one would be ill advised to either restrict blood flow to a great degree (occlusion should be ‘moderate’) or keep the muscle bound for extended periods (i.e. anything greater than 10 – 15 minutes).

With regard to the physiological logistics of ‘wrapping’, depending on the muscle one wishes to target, you would occlude by binding the muscle at the ‘top’. E.g. for biceps / triceps, bind near the armpit / shoulder. For quads / hamstrings, the bands should be located near the groin. For calves, bind as feasibly close to the top of the calf (towards the kneecap) as possible. For some examples, see below -

Note: If you have impaired endothelial, vascular or cardiac function – do not attempt this form of training.

Vascular Occlusion: Mechanisms & Benefits For Muscle Growth

It is generally accepted that resistance training using more than 65% of one repetition maximum (1RM) is the minimum stimulus required to achieve noticeable muscle and strength gains.

For the young bucks in my reading-audience, these tidings will have little impact on their training style. Unfortunately, high-intensity training using >65% 1 RM can be potentially problematic for certain population groups such as the injured and elderly.

So what do you do if you find yourself unable to employ more traditional means of hypertrophic training? Should you throw in the towel, buy a yoga mat and take up Pilates? Thanks to emerging research in the area of strength and conditioning training such drastic measures may not be necessary.

In fact, significant and rapid increases in muscle hypertrophy could be gained using a training intensity as low as 20% 1RM. You read correctly ... Low-intensity (20 – 50% 1RM) resistance training, combined with restricted venous blood flow from the working muscle has been shown to provide an alternative training method to traditional HIT programs, giving hope to not only the frail or injured but to individuals looking for an additional burst of growth potential.

A number of studies have investigated muscle adaptations to Kaatsu training protocols. For example, according to Weatherholt et al. (2012), 3 sets (15 reps) of unilateral bicep curls and tricep extensions, 3 times per week for eight weeks, while wearing pneumatic cuffs was stimulus enough to produce increases in both strength and size in participants. Furthermore, a pilot study from the University of Tokyo, examining the impact of occluded-bench press training on hypertrophic responses found that performing bench press (30% 1RM) for four sets (75 reps) twice daily, 6 days a week for 2 weeks led to a significant increase in strength (6%) as well as a increase in major muscle thickness increase of 8% in the triceps and 16% in the pectoral muscles.

Takano, et al. (2005) also investigated the hormonal responses to a short-term low-intensity resistance program with reduction of muscle blood flow. In the study, eleven untrained men performed bilateral leg extensions with a Kaatsu band. At 20% 1RM, the subjects performed 4 sets until failure (which equated to 30 repetitions) with 20 second pauses in-between sets. Blood analysis found that, following this training modality, serum concentrations of growth hormone (GH), vascular endothelial growth factor, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) were significantly elevated. For the remaining Doubting Thomas’ out there, Kaatsu may be so powerful that even slow-walk training may induce muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. When individuals trained twice a day, 6 days a week for three weeks using 5 set bouts of 2 minutes slow walking (1 minute rest) researchers found that muscle volume increased by 4 – 7%, alongside a strength increase of 8-10%!

Similar effects have been replicated in a number of additional studies (see reference list).

The Mechanisms

So how exactly does restricting blood flow translate into bigger muscles? Scientists believe that there are three main mechanisms at synergistic work –

1. Fiber Type Recruitment

We know that the ‘fast twitch’ muscle fibers are those with the greatest potential for growth. While low-intensity training will usually activate slow-twitch fibers, a moderate restriction of blood flow causes the body to rapidly recruit fast twitch fibers to handle the workload. In fact, EMG data has revealed no difference in the extent to which fast-twitch fibers are activated using low-intensity occlusion and high intensity exercise

2. Accumulation of Metabolites

Occlusion training also increases lactate and growth hormone. Impressively, the GH spike using this modality has been shown to be even higher than that of traditional training.

3. mTOR pathway activation

Finally, use of restricted blood flow activates the mTOR pathway, which is responsible for protein synthesis. This increased activation is the equivalent of priming your body’s pump for growth.

Reference:

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand. (1998). The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 30, 975–991.

Moritani, T., Michael-Sherman, W., Shibata, M., Matsumoto, T., & Shinohara, M. (1992). Oxygen availability and motor unit activity in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol , 64, 552-556.

Yasuda, T., Ogasawara, R., Sakamaki, M., Bemben, M.G., & Abe, T. (2011). Relationship between limb and trunk muscle hypertrophy following high-intensity resistance training and blood flow-restricted low-intensity resistance training. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging, 31(5), 347-51.

Yasuda, T., Fujita, S., Ogasawara, R., Sato, Y., & Abe, T. (2010). Effects of low-intensity bench press training with restricted arm muscle blood flow on chest muscle hypertrophy: a pilot study. Clin Physiol Func Imaging, 30(5), 338-43.

Yasuda, T., Fukumura, K., Fukuda, T., Iida, H., Imuta, H., Sato, Y., Yamasoba, T., & Nakajima, T. (2012). Effects of low-intensity, elastic band resistance exercise combined with blood flow restriction on muscle activation. Scan J Med Sci Sports, DOI: 10.111/L.1600-0838.2012.01489.x [Epub ahead of print].

Nishimura, A., Sugita, M., Kato, K., Fukuda, A., Sudo, A., & Uchida, A. (2010). Hypoxia increases muscle hypertrophy induced by resistance training. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 5(4), 479-508.

Takano, H., et al. (2005). Hemodynamic and hormonal responses to a short-term low-intensity resistance exercise with the reduction of muscle blood flow. Eur J Appl Physiol, 95(1). 65-73.

Abe, T., Kearns, C.F., & Sato, Y. (2005). Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, Kaatsu-walk training. J Appl Physiol, 100(5), 1460-1466.

The Importance of Thinking Twice About Our First Time

It’s Valentine’s Day, and I would be remiss if I did not attempt to constructively contribute to the flood of vacuous, relationship-centred information we are being exposed to.

As a day of love, I have no doubt that some couples (and even singles) will be using today as an opportunity to consummate their relationships; sometimes for the ‘first time’. For many, the loss of virginity is often viewed as an important milestone in human development thought to herald the transition to adulthood. For others, it holds no special significance and plays little role in their sexual decisions.

However, recent research published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy suggests that, if you fall into the latter category, you may wish to rethink your standpoint. The researchers examined how first-time sexual satisfaction impact long-term sexual function as well as how first-time physical and emotional responses affect long-term sexual experiences.

The findings showed that positive first-time experiences were predictive of both physical and emotional satisfaction. This was particularly the case in those who felt loved and respected by their partners. These participants reported their later encounters more emotionally satisfying.

The scientists argued that, based on the results, we can suggest that our first-time sexual experiences could form a pattern of thought & behaviour that may dictate sexual experiences and our understanding of information concerning sexuality.

The moral of this story is simple ... Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve or simply a random encounter with a particularly attractive individual, this research supports the story that popular media has been attempting to sell us for years: your ‘first time’ is special and as such, should be dictated by feelings of attachment (if not love) and respect, rather than lust and sexual deprivation.

Reference:

Smith, C. V., & Shaffer, M. J. (2012). Gone but not forgotten: Virginity loss and current sexual satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 39(2), DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2012.675023

Practical Core Training: Leveraging Standing & Unilateral Movements

For the masses of ‘weekend warriors’ training for purely aesthetic purposes, the ‘core’ is a term that’s either entirely absent from their vocabularies or an afterthought in the larger scheme of their physique aspirations. However, the importance of the core muscles (around the hips, lower back and abdomen) are not to be scoffed at. They serve to stabilise the body during movement and unfortunately, due to our sedentary lifestyles, do not nearly often enough receive the appropriate amount of stimulation.

Enter The Trainer:

If you’ve stepped foot in a commercial gym, you might find the odd person here or there working with a trainer to perform bicep curls (or worse; squats) on a bosu ball. The field of personal training has wasted little time in latching onto the finding that core muscles can be stimulated by doing exercises on an unstable surface and exploiting it in unique and colourful ways. At the same time, an often overlooked consideration in the program-building repertoire of many trainers is that core muscles are trained to a greater extent when they require you to keep your body stable, rather than ‘flex’ the muscles. This is why a plank is a better exercise than a crunch. As such, you may find the same clients supersetting their bosu-squats with weighted-decline Russian twists, etc.

Now, The Study ...

Taking the former finding into account, Saeterbakken & Fimland (2012) investigated the effect of performing common resistance exercises when standing, compared to seated and unilaterally compared to bilaterally. Their marker for success: the muscle activation of the core.

The researchers used EMG activity seen in the rectus abdominis, external oblique and erector spinae of 15 healthy males as they performed five repetitions (at 80% 1RM) of unilateral, bilateral, seated and standing dumbbell shoulder presses.

The rectus abdominis (6-pack muscles) were found to work harder when the exercises were performed standing, whereas the obliques worked harder when unilateral movements were executed.

 

Their findings suggest that, in order to elicit the greatest amount of neuromuscular core activation, standing instead of seated and unilateral instead of bilateral exercises should be used.

The Practical Application

Unilateral movements can be performed with almost any upper body exercise. Consider the unilateral:

• Bench Press (Incline, Decline, Neutral Position)
• Shoulder Press
• Dumbbell Fly
• Lat Pull-Down
• One-Handed Pull-Up
• One-Handed Push-Up
• Dumbbell Row
• Kettlebell Movements (e.g. Swings, Snatch, etc)
  

In the case of standing to activate the core, this is easily done with anything including:

• Shoulder Press
• Snatch
• Clean & Jerk
• Push-Press
• Front Raise
• Lateral Raise
• One-Handed Dumbbell Snatch
• Kettlebell Movements (e.g. Swings)

One exercise that I cannot extol enough is the hand-stand push-up. Although many bodybuilder scoff at the premise of bodyweight training, I guarantee that the handstand push-up is no laughing matter. Full repetitions require months of training to achieve and the ultimate progression would involve you performing reps with no wall for support. This will provide maximum core activation in combination with a hell of a strength building exercise.

Naturally, these exercises performed in a standing or unilateral method will be initially humbling. Those individuals used to heaving gargantuan weight may find themselves back at the ‘herculean’ level. However, for the benefit of your core as well as your long-term performance, it may be advisable to swallow said piece of humble pie. When you find yourself able to dragon-flag until the cows come home, you (& your partner) will thank me!

References:


Duncan, M. (2009). Muscle activity of the upper and lower rectus abdominis during exercises performed on and off a swiss ball. J Bodyw Mov Ther, 13(4), 364-7.

Saeterbakken, A.H., & Fimland, M.S. (2012). Muscle activity of the core during bilateral, unilateral, seated and standing resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol, 112(5), 1671-8.

The Definitive Resource For Cosmetic & Personal Care Product Safety

A chief raison d’être for Genki-Do was the dissemination of evidence-based knowledge to the broader population. It’s mission is to use information to empower the public towards making better health choices and to assist them in moving closer to their objectives, whatever they may be.

I have blogged previously about the Environmental Working Group, with relation to reports they had published regarding sun-care and personal care products. However, today I’d like to step off the pulpit and place the power of information into the reader’s hands! Thus, without further ado – I give you

Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database

Launched in 2004, it is a vast repository of online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. This resource will provide you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for a range of products and ingredients on the market. The EWG have developed a hazard rating ranging from 0 (low concern) to 10 (high concern), which reflects known and suspected hazards associated with the ingredients found in products ranging from nail polish to shampoo.

Impressively, Skin Deep contains information and online safety assessments for 79,081 products, covering 2,897 brands.

Note – Currently, only nine ingredients found within these products are rates 0 (with robust data availability). These are: Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Meal, Blue Green Algae, Cellulose, Colloidal Oatmeal, Honey, Sea Salt, Sodium Chloride, Sucrose and Water.

This sparse number should speak volumes about the nature of the substances found in the vast majority of cosmetics / personal care products, and should encourage consumers to seek natural alternatives when they can. When in doubt just revert to the catch-cry of the Paleo movement; ‘What would Grok do?’

Intermittent Fasting as a Tool For Muscle Gain & Fat Loss

For those seeking to lose fat and build muscle, the idea of voluntarily fasting for 16 hours, followed by an 8 hour ‘feeding’ window may seem as far from practical as possible. For those same individuals, the prospect of then training in a fasted state before waiting several hours for one’s post-workout meal would equate to the highest form of exercise sin.

However, for those with both lean muscle gains and fat-loss in mind, Intermittent Fasting may be of more interest than face value would suggest.

Figure 1. The potential results of Intermittent Fasting, personified

Debunking The Myths Surrounding Fasting:

First off, let’s allay some irrational fears . A recent study looked at the signalling pathways associated with muscle protein synthesis after a resistance training session performed in either a fasted or fed state. Participants performed a standardized training session in either a fasted state or following the ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich breakfast. Thereafter, the trainees received a solution (6ml/kg of bodyweight) comprised of carbohydrates (50g/l), protein hydrolysate (33g/l) and leucine (16.6g/l). The results indicated that resistance training while fasted stimulated the intramyocellular anabolic response to the CHO/PRO/Leucine mixture, whereas ingestion of carbohydrates prior to training actually blunted this effect.

OK, so we’ve established that the anabolic process can still be stimulated through the use of fasting; how about HGH (Human Growth Hormone)? As we know, exercise stimulates the natural production of growth hormone. This is particularly so in the case of exercise modalities that stimulate blood lactate concentration (e.g. resistance training, sprinting, etc.). It is important to note that IGF-1 as well as GH concentrations in plasma are known to be unaffected by the fasting process. Ergo, as long as an appropriate exercise-induced stimulus is present – one would not need to fear decreased growth potential. In fact, recent evidence would suggest that, on the contrary, growth hormone may be increased during 24-hour fasting periods, to the order of 1,300% and 2,000% for men and women, respectively.

Implementing a I.F Protocol & Additional Failsafe’s:

Who wants to spend 16 hours fasting in a waking-state? The chances of successfully avoiding boredom-fueled hunger pangs and elevated ghrelin levels in this manner are similar to the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field (3,720:1). Thus, the simplest way to implement a fasting protocol would be to have your final meal of the day at approximately 8pm and fast until 12 noon the next day.

Naturally, you can begin and end the 16 hour window in accordance with your individual schedule. But, such a set-up would allow you to partake in a fasted morning training session and maximise the hormonal response from this exercise by holding off the first post-workout meal for several hours.

If you’re still worried about muscle catabolism, you can implement the additional failsafe of ingesting BCAA’s following training, coupled with EAA’s at several intervals during the fasting period to increase the markers of anabolism in skeletal muscle during and after resistance exercise. I opt for 10g EAA’s prior to training, a 5g EAA / 5g BCAA mix with 2.5g Glutamine intra-workout and 10g of BCAA’s (2:1:1 ratio) and 4g free-form Leucine post-workout.

 
References:

Karlsson, H.K., Nilsson, P.A., Nilsson, J., Chibalin, A.V., Zierath, J.R., & Blomstrand, E. (2004). Branched-chain amino acids increase p70S6k phosphorylation in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 287(1), E1-7, Epub.

Deldicque, L., De Bock, K., Maris, M., Ramaekers, M., Nielens, H., Francaux, M., & Hespel, P. (2010). Increased p70S6K phosphorylation during intake of a protein-carbohydrate drink following resistance exercise in the fasted state. Euro J App Physiol, 108(4), 791-800.

Godfrey, R.J., Whyte, G.P., Buckley, J., & Quinlivan, R. (2009). The role of lactate in teh exercise-induced human growth hormone response: Evidence from McArdle disease. Br J Sports Med, 434(7), 521-5.

Bouhlel, E., Zaouali, M., Miled, A., Tabka, Z., Bigard, X., & Shephard, R. (2008). Ramadam fasting and the GH/IGF-1 axis of trained men during submaximal exercise. Ann Nutr Metab, 52(4), 261-6.

Intermountain Medical Center (2011, May 20). Routine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart, study suggests. ScienceDaily. Rerieved February 5, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110403090259.htm