Weight-Loss for Women

            

Weight-Loss for Women

By David Kathmann, MS, RSCC, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

&

Nicole Rubenstein, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE

Written on November 26, 2013

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            Women are at a disadvantage when it comes to losing weight compared to men.  Much of this has to do with differences in testosterone levels and the type of fuel burned at rest. In addition, women may be striving to achieve an unrealistic figure. Thank the media for this, as they have distorted what an ideal body looks like for women.  The pursuit of an unattainable body image, perpetuated by magazines and television highlighting unrealistic and unhealthy body images, leads women to try outrageous diets yielding rapid weight loss followed by weight regain.  Use the tips below to achieve a healthy body and weight that can be maintained for life!

•      Lift heavy weights
•      Perform high intensity sprints (or circuits)
•     Eat protein
•     Get your Vitamin D
•     Do not stress!!

      Women are afraid of getting bulky when lifting heavy weights. However, you do need to lift heavy weights using multi-joint movements over a full range of motion, like the squat and deadlift. The effect of lifting heavy weights will increase your lean body mass, decrease your fat mass, increase your testosterone, increase strength, and much more (11). An increase in testosterone and lean muscle mass, no matter how small, from lifting heavy weights will help to get rid of those stubborn inches on your hips and “tone up”, much better than aerobic exercise alone in women (4,8,12,14). Testosterone is much higher in men and helps explain why men are able to grow bigger muscles and have a lower body fat percentage.

      Don’t be afraid to sweat in the gym too. A woman’s body prefers to burn fat as a fuel source during exercise, but not as much during rest (glucose is preferred at rest for women; 1); which may lead to an increase in fat storage. Men, on the other hand, prefer to burn fat at rest and may help explain why they are able to lose fat and maintain a lower body fat percentage. Women, you can fight back by incorporating high intensity exercise (think heavy breathing, heart pumping, and muscle burning exercise; see my previous post on lactate). A lot of calories will be burned during intense exercise, and even more calories throughout the day after a hard workout (compared to a long, aerobic workout; 12, 14). Calories burned during exercise and throughout the day, in combination with extra lean muscle mass, leads to a rise in your metabolism; which equates to even more fat loss!

In order to grow that lean muscle mass you need to ingest protein.  Protein will help you to recover from workouts, repair and aid in the growth of your muscles, and raise your metabolism even more! A good rule of thumb is to eat/drink about 15 grams of protein before your workout and 20-25 grams after your workout. This might look like a Greek yogurt before your workout and 3 oz chicken breast after your workout. A diet that consists of at least 0.68 grams of protein per pound of body weight may be necessary in order to maintain lean body mass when restricting calories; thus, losing weight mainly from fat (6). An optimal goal would be to have 30% of your total calories consumed coming from protein. Also, a diet lower in carbs, as a means to decrease calories (compared to a low-fat diet), is more effective at losing body weight, specifically body fat (2,10,13,14). Make sure to round out that diet with vegetables, fruits, and low-glycemic carbohydrates (i.e. quinoa).

 One vitamin in particular that may aid in weight loss is Vitamin D. A lack of outdoor activities, sunscreen use, dark skin pigmentation, the latitude you live at (Colorado gets little vitamin D in winter months), and time of year can all lead to low blood vitamin D levels (3,7). Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml) can increase the risk for osteoporosis, bone fractures, and may be related to other health problems, such as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases; as well as a possible association of low vitamin D levels to muscle weakness and fat accumulation (3,7,9). Many people with a vitamin D level <20 ng/ml report fatigue, as well as muscle and joint pain (3). If you’re tired and your body hurts, you don’t feel like exercising! Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level. If it’s low, you may be prescribed a prescription dose of vitamin D for 3 months. Most people find 1000-2000 IU vitamin D to be a sufficient maintenance dose. However, check with your doctor first to see what is the best dose for you.

     

If all this information is an overload, do not stress. I repeat, do not stress!  Stress can lead to an accumulation of fat (5). Excessive stress leads to the production of cortisol.  Cortisol, in turn, leads to fat accumulation. Exercise should be viewed as means to get the body you desire and an escape from the stress of every day life; which leads to an improvement in body composition (decrease in fat mass) and psychological health.

      Take the information provided and use it to your advantage to transform your body into the body of your dreams.  If you need help in that pursuit, we here at Pro Fit S&C can help you achieve that dream with our 1-on-1 training, group training,and/or nutrition counseling.  Don’t wait till January to work on that bikini body, start today!

       Disclaimer: The materials and content contained in this article are for general health information only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Readers of this article should not rely exclusively on information provided in this article for their own health needs. All specific medical questions should be presented to your own health care provider.

Some photos in this article are not property of Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning and are intended only for visual entertainment.

REFERENCES

        1.   Blaak, E. Gender Differences in Fat Metabolism. Cur Opn Clin Nutr Metab Care 4:499-402, 2001.
 
2.     Brehm, B.J., Spang, S.E., Lattin, B.L., Seeley, R.J., Daniels, S.R., and D’Alessio, D.A. The Role of Energy Expenditure in the Differential Weight Loss in Obese Women on Low-Fat and Low-Carbohydrate Diets. Endocrine Care 90(3):1475, 2004.
 
3.     Cannell, J.J., Hollis, B.W., Zasloff, M., and Heaney, R.P. Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency. Expert. Opin. Pharmocother. 9(1):107-118, 2008.
 
4.     Curioni, C.C. and Lourenco, P.M. Long-Term Weight Loss After Diet and Exercise: A Systematic Review. Int J Obesity 29:1168-1174, 2005.
 
5.     Epel, E.S,  McEwen, B., Seeman, T., Matthews, K., Castellazzo, G., Brownell, K.D., Bell, J. and Ickovics, J.R. Stress and Body Shape: Stress-Induced Cortisol Secretion is Consistently Greater Among Women with Central Fat. Psychosom Med. 62(5):623-632, 2000.
 
6.     Evans, E.M., Mojtahedi, M.C., Thorpe, M.P., Valentine, R.J., Kris-Etherton, P.M., and Layman, D.K. Effects of Protein Intake and Gender on Body Composition Changes: A Randomized Clinical Weight Loss Trial. Nutrition & Metabolism 9:55, 2012.
 
7.     Grant, W.B. and Holick, M.F. Benefits and Requirements of Vitamin D for Optimal Health: A Review. Altern. Med. Rev. 10(2):94-111, 2005.
 
8.     Jakicic, J.M., Marcus, B.H., Lang, W., and Janney, C. Effect of Exercise on 24-Month Weight Loss Maintenance in Overweight Women. Arch Intern Med. 168(14):1550-1559, 2008.
 
9.     Kremer, R., Campbell, P., Reinhardt, T., and Glisanz, V. Vitamin D Status and Its Relationship to Body Fat, Final Height, and Peak Bone Mass in Young Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94(1): 67-73, 2009.
 
10.   Layman, D.K., Evans, E., Baum, J.I., Seyler, J., Erickson, D.J. and Boileau, R.A. Dietary Protein and Exercise Have Additive Effects on Body Composition During Weight Loss in Adult Women. J Nutr. 135(8):1903-1910, 2005.
 
11.   Marx, J.O., Ratamess, N.A., Nindl, B.C., Gotshalk, L.A., Volek, J.S., Dohi, K., Bush, J.A., Gomez, A.L., Mazzetti, S.A., Fleck, S.J., Hakkinen, K., Newton, R.U., and Kraemer, W.J. Low-Volume Circuit Versus High-Volume Periodized Resistance Training in Women. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 33(4): 635-643, 2001.
 
12.   Sanal, E., Ardic, F., and Kirac, S. Effects of Aerobic or Combined Aerobic Resistance Exercise on Body Composition in Overweight and Obese Adults: Gender Differences. A Randomized Intervention Study. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 49(1):1-11; 2013.
 
13.   Shai, I.S., Schwarzfuchs, D., Henkin, Y., Shahar, D.R., Witkow, S., Greenberg, I., Golan, R., Fraser, D., Bolotin, A., Vardi, H., Tangi-Rozental, O., Zuk-Ramot, R., Sarusi, B., Brickner, D., Schwartz, Z., Sheiner, E., Marko, R., Katorza, E., Thiery, J., Fielder, G.M., Bluher, M., Stumvoll, M., and Stampfer, M.J. Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean or Low-Fat Diet. N Engl J Med. 359(3):229-241, 2008.
 
14.   Stiegler, P. and Cunliffe, A. The Role of Diet and Exercise for the Maintenance of Fat-Free Mass and Resting Metabolic Rate During Weight Loss. Sports Med. 36(3):239-262, 2006.

Lactate: Friend or Foe?

Lactate: Friend or Foe?

By David Kathmann, MS, RSCC, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Written on November 14, 2013

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Lactate is not an evil super villain wrecking havoc on your body causing you to be sore for days after your killer workout.  Lactate is Robin to your body’s glycolytic Batman (use of sugar for energy) during intense exercise. Lactate is necessary in order to keep the process of glycolysis going and your ability to sustain high intensity activity.

The chemistry of lactate production. It goes both ways!

             Like a dressed up wookiee at a Star Wars convention, NERD ALERT! (skip this part if you aren’t in touch with your nerdy science side). Lactate is a product of anaerobic glycolysis. Glycolysis is the metabolism of glucose (sugar), which is especially necessary when energy demands (the demand for ATP) are high and can no longer be fulfilled by the decreased availability of phosphocreatine (PCr); or be met by the slower metabolism of fat. Hydrogen ions are shuttled from pyruvate (via NADH) to free up NAD⁺  (which is needed to continue helping in glycolysis) and, with the help of a catalytic enzyme (lactate dehydrogenase; LDH), produces lactate.  Lactate is essential for glycolysis to occur anaerobically and be able to continue to meet the demands of intense exercise for a short period of time (e.g. 90 seconds). When your body isn’t able to clear lactate at the same rate it is being produced (lactate threshold) lactate begins to build up. Lactate build-up is also associated with hydrogen ion build-up, which acts to decrease pH levels (e.g. “feeling the burn”) and, consequently, disrupts enzyme and muscle contractility activity.

            As soon as lactate is produced it is being shuttled out of the muscle to be oxidized else where for energy. Even though lactate builds up during intense activity and you start to feel the “burn”, lactate is cleared out once you begin your recovery. One example I hear about the “evils” of lactate is with baseball players.  Baseball players believe that lactate builds up when they pitch and that lactate hangs out in their shoulder for days on end causing soreness. However, pitching doesn’t produce any lactate build up because there is ample time between each pitch to recovery; and pitching utilizes phosphocreatine for energy, not glycogen. Shoulder soreness from pitching comes from the eccentric slowing of the throwing arm.

              There is a significant benefit that may be associated with feeling the "burn". That benefit is the release of growth hormone (GH; 1,2). The release of GH in the body leads to muscle growth, an increase in strength and a decrease in body fat. There appears to be a threshold of 10 minutes working at a high intensity (above the lactate threshold) to get a significant GH release.

           

              It is this (high intensity) type of conditioning we train here at Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning; in combination with heavy strength training. The combination of these high intensity activities helps in the release of GH and testosterone to get an incredible training effect that burns fat, builds muscle, and increases strength.  Contact us today to get your training started and get the results you want!

Disclaimer: Some photos in this article are not property of Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning and are intended only for visual entertainment.

REFERENCES

1     1. Godfrey, R.J., Madgwick, Z., and Whyte, G.P. The Exercise-Induced Growth Hormone Response in Athletes. Sports Medicine 33(8):599+, 2003.

2    2. Godfrey, R.J., Whyte, G.P., Buckley, J., and Quinlivan, R. The Role of Lactate in the Exercise-Induced Human Growth Hormone Response: Evidence from McArdle Disease. BR J Sports Med 43(7):521-525, 2009.

 2013 Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning www.pfstrength.com

Feet Out, Knees Out, Squat It Out

Feet Out, Knees Out, Squat It Out

By David Kathmann, MS, RSCC, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Written on May 5, 2013

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         “Feet out, Knees out . . . Knees OUT, OUT, OUT!” This is commonly what those who train with us hear when they are squatting.  But wait, could they be hearing this right? Feet out? Knees out?  The overwhelming majority of personal trainers, strength coaches, fitness gurus and fitness magazines (the list is much larger than this, trust me) are telling people to squat with toes straight ahead and knees tracking in-line with their toes. This teaching of the squat is incorrect and leads to an awful, mutilated appearance of a squat. And let me state that you don’t get to call an exercise harmful when you perform the exercise incorrectly.

           

            A squat not performed to parallel depth, which is measured by the crease of your hip being level with the top of your knee, is not a squat; it is a fraction of the squat.  Anything higher than parallel depth can be called a quarter (1/4) squat, a half (1/2) squat, a nine-tenths (9/10) squat, but it is still not a squat. Of course, there are other guidelines that must be adhered to in order to maintain safety while squatting.  These guidelines include a neutral lumbar spine (low back), heels flat on the ground, knees in-line with the toes and weight distributed evenly on your mid-foot.

Proper squat depth: crease of the hip level with the top of the knee

            Keeping these guidelines in mind, it is nearly impossible to squat to proper depth with feet straight ahead (neutral) stance and retain safety of the lift.  In every case I’ve encountered, those who have been taught a neutral foot position can only perform a 1/2 squat and maintain a neutral spine. Any attempt to squat deeper with a neutral stance will lead to the lumbar spine rounding. The reason for this is simple, attempting to squat to proper depth with a neutral stance will cause impingement (to collide) of your anatomical structures (e.g. thighs, stomach, and ASIS of your hip) and it becomes impossible to squat to proper depth while maintaining a neutral lumbar spine.  A relaxation of the erector spinae (muscle running straight down your back) and shortening of the hamstrings leads to a rounding of the lumbar spine to get deeper and this is a no-no.

           

            Some may argue that it is inflexibility that stops someone from squatting deeper with a neutral foot position while maintaining a neutral spine, but I assure you its your anatomy. Also, some may argue that if a 1/2 squat is where your body stops you, then that is as far as you need to go down, but again, I assure you they are wrong.

           

            Now, let me take my stance and provide you with why toes out, knees out is the optimal position for squatting.  First, squatting to proper depth (as described above) is optimal in order to get the most muscle activity from all of your main squatting muscles (e.g. quads, hamstrings and glutes), especially your powerful glutes (butt) and adductor muscles (1,3). A squat higher than proper depth is inferior in regards to muscle activity. I want to highlight a point here, adductor muscle (muscles on the inner part of your leg) activity is seen when feet are pointed out (30^o) and knees are pushed out (in-line with toes, 3), but not with a neutral foot stance. The reason is because the adductors help in hip extension (opening the hip up) and some of those muscles aid in external rotation of the leg. Adductor activity is also seen with a widening of the stance, but the extensibility of the adductor muscles and the ability to keep knees out may be compromised causing the knees to cave in; which can stress the knee ligaments negatively. The gluteus maximus activity also increased with an increase in stance. This (gluteus maximus activity) isn’t surprising because actions of the gluteus maximus are external rotation and abduction (stance widening) of the legs. These movements (as well as hip extension) also occur with the cue “toes out, knees out”.

           

Big squat weights have been moved with feet out, knees out

            Secondly, more muscle involvement over a wider range of motion will allow for more weight lifted, more distribution of the load, and a greater systemic strengthening and adaptation response.  This simply means you’ll be stronger, not just in the legs, but all over your body. An increase in the weight of the bar (e.g. getting stronger) also increases activation of the leg and trunk musculature (2,4; see my previous thoughts on trunk muscle activity). Also, the ability to stretch your muscles over a wider range of motion “activates” them more and induces a greater stretch-reflex, which will aid in lifting the weight up and to lift more weight.

           

            Thirdly, as mentioned above, the knees out position opens up space in your hips to allow you to squat to proper depth without impinging your anatomical structures; thus, allowing maintenance of a neutral lumbar spine (if the hamstrings are kept tight with hips staying back) throughout the squat.  Speaking of anatomical structures, in the majority of the population the femur bone is straight.  While standing straight up with the feet under the hips, the femur lines up with the tibia and the knee is tracking in-line with the foot.  If you perform a half squat from this position the femur remains in-line with the knee, which is tracking in-line with the feet.

           

            Now try this, widen your stance to shoulder width (or to some comfortable position in that area) and keep your feet neutral (pointed forward).  Squat down to proper depth and put your arms on the inside part of your legs and push out with your arms straight and fingers pointed in the direction of your femur. Which direction are your arms and hands (and subsequently your knees) pointing and which direction are your feet pointed? They are pointing in different directions! This implies then that the knee is somewhere in-between and is being twisted (torqued) along with the ligaments in the knee.  I don’t know about you, but I like to keep my knees healthy, neutral, and in-line with all the other structures of my leg.

Toes straight and knees out doesn’t line up

           I bet that your feet are straining to move into the position they want to be in, which is where? You should be observing about 30^o out.  Let them move out to where they want to be and put your arms and hands back on the inside part of your leg and push out like you did before and is everything lined up? Does the knee feel less strained?  The pushing out of the legs represents the conscience effort to keep your knees pushed out when you are squatting and to maintain alignment of the upper leg with the knee to the lower leg. If one of the jobs of the glutes is to help in keeping the legs out and tracking of the knees in-line with the feet pointed out, then why does everyone try to fight this with feet forward? Use your anatomy to your advantage.

Toes out and knees out allows for a proper squat

            Lastly, by keeping the feet out and knees out, this allows proper squat technique and depth allowing the hamstrings to be utilized and kept tight.  As mentioned before, a feet forward position impinges anatomical structures and does not allow proper depth to be achieved unless the low back and hamstrings relax.  The ability to avoid impingement allows the hamstrings to be kept taught and pull back on tibia allowing the knee to remain neutral with no excessive pull from the quads.  An excessive pull from the quads typically causes the knee pain people get from squatting, which implies improper squatting technique.

           

            If you are not squatting with proper technique then you are wasting your time, utilizing an inferior technique, and have a higher possibility of injury.  The squat has been shown to be highly correlated to many different athletic skills (e.g. top speed running and lower body power) and provides a solid base to advance on to different skills, but only when performed optimally.  Our ability to teach many people how to squat properly, increase squat strength and remain injury free at Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning is nothing extraordinary, but rather a result of proper coaching technique. At Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning, we will make sure you utilize proper squatting technique all the time and you’ll notice the significant improvements as you continue to reach strength levels you didn’t think were possible. If you think your training form is suffering and holding you back, we offer form checks to improve your technique and allow your training to be taken to the next level!

Disclaimer: Some photos in this article are not property of Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning and are intended only for visual entertainment.

References

1. Caterisano, A.; Moss, R.F.; Pellinger, T.K.; Woodruff, K.; Lewis, V.C.; Booth, W., and Khadra, T. The Effect of Back Squat Depth on the EMG Activity of 4 Superficial Hip and Thigh Muscles. J Strength Cond Res 16: 428-432; 2002.

2. Paoli, A.; Marcolin, G.; and Petrone, N. The Effect of Stance Width on the Electromyographical Activity of Eight Superficial Thigh Muscles During Back Squat with Different Bar Loads. J Strength Cond Res 23: 246-250, 2009.

3. Pereira, G.R.; Leporace, G.; Chagas, D.V.; Furtado, L.F.L.; Praxedes, J., and Batista, L.A. Influence of Hip External Rotation on Hip Adductor and Rectus Femoris Myoelectric Activity During a Dynamic Parallel Squat. J Strength Cond Res 24(10): 2749-2754, 2010.

4. Wretenberg, P.E.R.; Feng, Y.I.; and Arborelius, U.P. High- and Low-Bar Squatting Techniques During Weight-Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 28: 218-224, 1996.

 2012 Pro Fit Strength and Conditioning www.pfstrength.com