Are You Working Hard Enough?

The big question when resistance training is have you reached muscle failure or mental failure? Mike Mentzer said clients paid him to to get the last two reps. The reps you need for muscular development are typically the ones that are left undone.
Good Post by Drew Baye about breaking the mental barrier.

Intense burning in the muscles, a rapid heart rate and labored breathing are normal sensations resulting from high intensity muscular work, and not real pain or an indication of physical harm. These sensations are not a cause for concern. What they do indicate is that you have reached the most productive part of the exercise.

The notion that quantity is a substitute for quality is a common mistake made by many lifters regardless of their level of experience.

To stimulate the greatest possible increases in strength and size it is necessary to work as hard as possible. Do not make the common mistake of confusing doing more exercise for working harder. Working harder means putting more effort into each exercise, and if your level of effort is high enough you will neither need nor be capable of performing a large volume of work.

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr. David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

71 Years Old Man w/ Six Pack

Don't give the age excuse because this guy is 71 and I'd take his washboard abs any day! Another Blogger from Great Britan said that this gentleman does either 100 press-ups or 100 wheel reps on the Ab Wheel every day.



Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Do P90x and CrossFit qualify as good fitness programs?

I've been thinking about this subject for awhile; P90X & CrossFit are they Healthy?
Many assume if you workout more often that you become healthier or that all forms of activity produce health & fitness. True you may become stronger, faster,increase endurance and lose weight but that does not guarantee that you have improved your health.

The sheer volume of both P90X and CrossFit, in time will cause injury and illness. Most cannot sustain the level of intensity and and the time commitments. I believe if the activity is actually healthy than anyone can partake and can do so over their entire life. If not than I wholeheartedly believe it should not even be started.

My rationale stems from a more scientific approach. I want to do what I need to do ,exercise wise, to stimulate my body. Not any more or any less.

To determine if your exercise routine is increasing your overall health you have to define all the players; HEALTH, FITNESS, EXERCISE.

As ofter as we use these terms there really isn't a standard definition utilized by Medical researchers & fitness experts. I like the definitions laid out by John Little & Doug McGuff, MD in their bookk Body by Science They used multiple sources to come up with workable definitions.

Without quoting verbatim, health is when you are w/out dis-ease or pathology and your body is in a state of homeostasis. Homeostasis being the balance of catabolism (breaking down) and Anabolism (building up).

Our body is constantly building up and tearing down in order to maintain some type of balance. The complex process of blood clotting is an example. The blood is constantly clotting and breaking down clots in it's attempt to maintain a viscosity thin enough to insure smooth flow thru the arteries but capable of stemming any bleeding with out clogging the artery. This process is just one of many that when working efficiently displays the balance of catabolism/anabolism.

Fitness is the body's ability to withstand challenges, both internal and external, above a resting metabolism.

Example, one may be considered fit if he or she is capable of climbing 5 flights of stairs in a row. But another individual would be more fit if they were capable of climbing all the stairs in the Empire State Building. The least fit individual can hardly get out of bed.

Exercise in the end is any activity undergone that stimulates a positive physiological adaptation that maximizes fitness without minimizing Health.

I personally have reduced my training from 1 hr 30 min 4-5 days per week to 30 minutes once every 7 days. Now can every reduce their exercise to this level; absolutely. Will everyone mentally be capable of working out 1x a week; probably not. The issue is that many use exercise as a mechanism to cover up a poor diet or at least poor choices. Eventually, the bad diet overtakes the most avid exerciser.


Mark Sisson, a former workout-aholic, who now preaches intense exercise followed by adequate rest recently blogged about both P90X & CrossFit. His "Pros & Cons" type discussion is very balanced and his assesment factually based. Give it a READ!

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Why We Gain Weight As We Age

Building strength at any age has a large impact on our health according to this NPR Article.

And that's where exercise comes in. Wanagat says countless studies have shown that exercise — even among individuals in their 80s — works. It actually helps the muscle cells get bigger. And beyond size, it makes the muscles stronger.

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Weight Lifting Can Help Overweight Teens Reduce Risk Of Diabetes

Teens at risk of developing diabetes can prevent or delay its onset through strength training exercise, a University of Southern California study has found.

Research led by Michael Goran, PhD, professor of preventive medicine in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, showed that overweight Latino teenage boys who lifted weights twice per week for 16 weeks significantly reduced their insulin resistance, a condition in which their bodies don't respond to insulin and can't process sugars properly.

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle

I have made reference on a earlier post to Sarcopenia. I truly believe that this condition is at the root of many cases which erroneously are diagnosed as "Arthritis". Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is not an inflammatory condition. It does reduce mechanical advantage at the affected joint which increases the work load of the soft tissue (muscles & ligaments). These soft tissue entities will breakdown under the additional work creating the pain and inflammation common to sufferers. Increasing the capacity of the muscle is the only practical way to increase function.

Melov, et al "Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle" have potentially found the fountain of youth with their study. Many have advocated weight training for longevity of life but were unable to quantify the results, until now!

following exercise training the transcriptional signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise. We conclude that healthy older adults show evidence of mitochondrial impairment and muscle weakness, but that this can be partially reversed at the phenotypic level, and substantially reversed at the transcriptome level, following six months of resistance exercise training.

Now you know resistance exercise is more than just vanity and narcissism, will you participate or spectate? Maybe they can come up with a pill?

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Biggest Loser Sets a Bad Example

I think I've said this at least a hundred times to patients; The Biggest Loser is a joke! There are a lot of ways to lose weight, but only one way to maintain a healthy body weight. You must slowly adopt sound nutritional practices (low carbohydrate, moderate fat and protein) brief,intense weight training coupled with adequate rest. I have seen enough of the aerobic queens with bad knees and runner with multiple lower extremity degeneration to form an opinion on the subject. Bodybuilding guy isn't much better with the separating of body parts. Like the body knows you trained legs yesterday and today is chest and triceps?

So why is Biggest Loser a joke? They absolutely torture those people. I am shocked no one has stroked out yet. Could anyone maintain that 24/7 assault? They over consume polysaccharides, under consume fats and over train like nobodies business. The stress of the training volume alone is enough to send the cortisol levels thru the roof.
On the Subject of Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels is being sued by a woman who used a nutritional supplement (I am using the term very loosely) she endorsed and guess what; it didn't work!
Need another objective opine on the subject? Check out Dr.Doug McGuff's latest post on "Body By Science".

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr. David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon.com

Nautilus North Study

REVOLUTIONARY NEW FAT LOSS PROGRAM



In February of 2006, 33 subjects, comprised of 22 women and 11 men (aged 25-64) agreed to take part in a radical experiment at Nautilus North Strength & Fitness Centre. After years of listening to “the latest thing” to come down the river of diet programs, we decided to conduct a study to determine just how little exercise was required to lose pure body fat, understanding that simply losing “weight” was relatively easy as some of that weight would be lean tissue. The study lasted 10-weeks. No supplements or special dietary restrictions were imposed, save for using a well-balanced but modestly reduced calorie diet in conjunction with a workout that lasted a mere two minutes and performed but once a week. Here are the results:

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 442.4 lbs.

GREATEST WEIGHT LOSS (MEN): 43.2 lbs
GREATEST WEIGHT LOSS (WOMEN): 25.8 lbs
AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS: 17.02 lbs.

TOTAL PURE FAT LOSS: 405 lbs.

Greatest Fat Loss (Men): 33.8 lbs
Average Fat Loss (Men): 20.9 lbs.
Greatest Fat Loss (Women): 23.6 lbs.
Average Fat Loss (Women): 13.2 lbs.
AVERAGE PURE FAT LOSS: 15.58 lbs

STRENGTH INCREASES
(After only 10 workouts!):

Lower Body (Men): 43.05%
Upper Body (Men): 30.42%
Lower Body (Women): 43.73
Upper Body (Women): 32.51%
AVERAGE OVERALL STRENGTH INCREASE: 35.46%

TOTAL LEAN (MUSCLE) INCREASE: + 132.8%

Average Lean Gain % (Men): + 6.21%
Average Lean Gain % (Women): + 4.52%
OVERALL AVERAGE LEAN (MUSCLE) GAIN: + 5.11%

Never in the history of fat loss and exercise (and that’s quite a history) has there ever been this much fat loss from this little amount of exercise – and all of the above results were achieved employing a workout that lasted (on average) a mere 2 minutes and was performed only once a week! Moreover, when the results were compared between groups that trained with more exercise versus those that trained with less, that those who trained the least lost more fat and gained more muscle by a ratio of 2-to-1! No 45-minute per day sessions on a treadmill were necessary – nor any other form of aerobic exercise.

Knowing this, think for a moment of the billions of man-hours that have been wasted over the years by people who believe they “have to” train several hours a week if they wish to lose body fat.

In terms of diet, the subjects on the study consumed regular food – three meals a day, plus two snacks; food that you can find in any supermarket. No drugs were involved. No supplements were employed, nor were they required. And, in case you were wondering, we are half way through another round of this program, this time with 65 subjects – and ALL of them are repeating the results of those on the first study.

To learn more about the Type of Training utilized in this study go to Body By Science. and John Little's site,Max Contraction


Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr David Marcon
drdavidmarcon.com

Average Weight People May Still Be at Risk for Obesity Related Diseases

Too many people are still focused on their body weight and not on Body Composition. The more lean muscle mass one has the better health they will enjoy. To add lean muscle you have to lift weights or heavy objects.

So, why are health clubs packed with new members trying to lose weight by eating themselves to death on every piece of cardio available? It use to bother me when I went to the gym 4 and 5 times per week, but now that I train once a week it doesn't irritate me so much as it frustrates me.

My point was really driven home by a segment I saw on Good Morning America today. Click on the above link and watch the video because is was very poignant and the individual interviewed was very real and believeable.

Work Smarter Not Harder!
Dr. David Marcon
Cincinnati, Ohio
drdavidmarcon

Older Americans #1 Problem: Sacroplasty

Older americans are most noted for their slower pace, loss of balance and deminishing capacity to perform activities of daily living. One of the main issues is Sarcoplasty; the decrease in the number of muscle fibers and select type II fiber atrophy.
Many studies have alluded to the fact that as we get older our muscles become less fatigable as compared to our younger selves. This study Enhanced Fatigue Resistance In Older Adults During Repeated Sets of Intermittent Contractions published in the January 2010 issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning re-inforces this notion.
The point to be made is most exercise programs designed for older americans typically involve aerobic activities (walking,water aerobics,cycling) and possibly some high repetition/low resistance weight training. All of these activities avoid the key component neccesary to produce strength and power which in turn would aid in ADL's.
Personally, I find that 15-20 minutes of heavy resistance training ( based upon the client's ability) improves their overall health picture, including the ability to climb stairs, rise out of chairs, beds, autos,etc.

Exercise - Work Smarter Not Harder

Exercising has always been a part of my life as child and adult. As I grew older my joints began hurting more and more with each birthday. I figured out how to exercise properly. Since I have been following these protocols my health and fitness has made a huge improvement. No joint pain, increased fat loss, increased metabolism and increased energy levels.

My Motto is Work Smarter Not Harder.

If you interested and want to improve you health contact Clough Chiropractic today.

Watch the below video. Hear how proper exercise and rest made a huge difference for me!

Get Fit Today!

Dr. David Marcon

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.drdavidmarcon.com