Are you an experienced lifter who has learned to focus on proteins and keep a serious eye on carbs? Some of you (like me) may be re-feeding after a very high protein, low carb contest phase and some may simply be under-estimating how adapted to a specific diet the body can become.

Despite what the media tells you, ample protein isn’t dangerous for healthy persons.(Lowery 2009, 2011) But can it be wasted? Now there’s a different question.

As I was recording a lecture on the topic today, I found myself emphasizing that there is such a thing as overzealous waste. It’s not the fault of the protein, of course, but rather the lack of carefully timed carbohydrates and energy that make the difference. As someone who can readily gain or lose 20 pounds, but who also enjoys his protein and fears carbs at times, I feel it’s my obligation to keep my iron brothers from being stuck or worse yet, losing muscle mass just because they were too disciplined with the knife and fork. Let me share a few tales, and a little science.

Case #1: Waiting on a plane with Protein Pete

Coming back from a seminar out West, as I sat waiting through another unconscionable flight delay, I was approached by a guy I’ll call “Protein Pete”. Pete looked frustrated. He said, “Aren’t you Dr. Lowery?” I confirmed his suspicion with a nod and we got to talking. Pete was frustrated. “I don’t get it,” he said. “I’m eating 400 grams of protein a day and after four years I’m still 170 pounds.” I said, “What else do you eat?” and I honestly think it caught him off guard.

“Well, I get plenty of chicken breasts and cottage cheese and I drink my shakes three times a day” he said. “And I train hard!” he added, almost defensively. He did look lean and fairly muscular – but thin and flat. He followed up by describing handfuls of nuts, fibrous veg, and other healthful foods but I heard almost nothing on carbohydrates. A few quick calculations and it looked like Pete was consuming about 2200-2400 calories per day. Maybe 50-75 grams of carbs. Apparently his discipline was backfiring because he had varied this little for years. He partly felt that protein was simply what he needed and he partly felt that carbs would make him fat.

This guy, for all his hard work, had conditioned his body to make do without carbs. But I’m sure he wanted to do more than just “make do”. He was busting his ass and struggling to training like an animal despite his Spartan intake and relative lack of energy. I bet he had forgotten what it feels like to walk into the gym, energized and bristling with muscle glycogen (stored carbs) and full, pumped muscles.

Although protein is not a preferred fuel source because of its many other needs in the body (enzymes, hormones, antibodies, contractile proteins, etc.) it can be burned. Most readers recognize that it does have a caloric value: 4 kcal per gram. That’s from burning it. In fact it has been estimated that, during exercise, protein can be burned to contribute up to about 15% of the kcal expenditure. (Williams, 2010)

What’s more, it is known that we can induce these systems to get better at it. (Not that we want to.) A military research manual I permanently “borrowed” from a senior colleague clearly shows what happens. Active men on high protein intakes become better at using, even reliant, on protein as a disproportionate fuel source. Note that I said fuel source, not source of building blocks. It‘s called “adaptive metabolic demand” and it‘s not necessarily pretty.(Millward, 1998, 1999, Price 1994)

Indeed changes in biochemical systems after introduction of a very high protein diet (with minimal carbs) have been demonstrated to take place very quickly, as I witnessed in a Frenchman’s lecture in Thailand (International Conference on Nutrition, Bangkok, Thailand, 2009). With 18 of the 20 amino acids being “glucogenic” in nature (becoming blood glucose when in not used for protein synthesis), it’s little wonder that our gluconeogenic pathways get bolstered in their excess. That is, our bodies get better at dealing with the surplus, especially in the face of few other energy sources. Clearly, this was Pete’s fate. Indeed in the excellent short textbook Biochemistry Primer for Exercise Science, author Mike Houston states in one of his “Key Points” (2006):

“Immediate oxidation of amino acid carbon skeletons or conversion to glucose is the principle fate for excess amino acids.”

Of course it is. It’s not like all of those building blocks automatically line up for insertion into muscle contractile proteins. For this to happen, there’s a certain requirement for anabolic hormones like testosterone and insulin and these are limited.

Case #2: Mr. So What

Once at a sports nutrition conference I got into a discussion with some other academics and a few athletes. The topic of becoming an excessive protein burner came up after a lecture related to high protein diets. One vociferous guy kept bringing up the point, “Who cares? I mean, so what if a guy becomes a protein burner?” A fair point. I have four moderate concerns about it.

First, once induced, the elevated protein burning lingers for about one to two weeks, even if we back off on the protein or find it unavailable.(Quevedo, 1994) Have you ever been stuck without your usual frequent protein meals? Well, your body doesn’t care; it’s going to burn protein and dump nitrogen even if that means taking it from your lean body mass! Again we see adaptive metabolic demand at work. Here, it’s already been induced from chronically high intakes and it’ll take quite a while sitting around in negative nitrogen balance (a muscle losing state) before our body decides it’s going to run at a more efficient, lower level.(see Figure 1.)

In the figure, everything above the gray bar is above basal losses; it’s protein demand we’ve taught our metabolisms to undertake. Note that over the entire study period, it doesn’t fully correct itself; it remains somewhat elevated even several  days (of muscle loss) later. What’s more, these data are based on leucine oxidation (burning of a particular amino acid), which underestimates total nitrogen losses.

But I digress. Let’s get to the other concerns. Second, all that protein is filling to the point that an athlete may be getting insufficient calories and not even know it. This is legit. Carbs and fats are the fuels we need to consume in quantity, to provide the energy to knit together all those amino acids into slabs of new muscle. The satiety value of protein is large and we don’t always want to feel full (i.e. in the mass gain season). Full = eat less = be smaller.

Third, all the ensuing deamination and gluconeogenesis from a high protein diet increases metabolic rate at a time when an athlete might be trying to get into a positive energy balance, leaving that energy for building muscle. Fourth, all of the left over nitrogen (urea) that is stripped from the excess protein can actually be a carbohydrate drain on the body. This was something else I learned in Thailand and I suggest those interested should do a search for that adventure in Chris Shugart‘s blog.

So how much do these concerns add up to interfere with gains? Probably only a little in some cases, but more in others. We’re all different. These are all factors to consider when one is eating tons of protein and little carbs or energy.

Case #3: The Body Wasting Competitions

I have known two bodybuilding competitors who did almost the exact same thing by obsessing over protein and eschewing carbohydrates to an extreme degree. Despite ample use of anabolic drugs and vast protein intakes, both guys dieted from muscular and very strong off-season body weights of approximately 270 pounds down to – wait for it – the middle weight class! That’s under 176 lb. for the uninitiated. In both cases (which I would never see in a textbook), I was floored that they could lose so much muscle mass despite being plenty jacked on androgens. I have oft-heard the old clinical adage “carbohydrates are protein sparing” but damn. That’s the power of carbs and insulin. Take them away for extended periods and watch years of hard-won muscle literally go down the drain.

Case #4: Richard Has the World’s Most Expensive Pee

In one of our protein studies at Kent State back in the 90s, we had a subject who stood out from the others. I’ll change his real name and refer to him as “Dick”. At every meal Dick would consume either two chicken breasts or half a container of cottage cheese AND a packet of Met Rx (30g protein if I recall correctly). He looked a lot like “Protein Pete” above despite desperate aspirations of muscular size. And like Pete, he just couldn’t get passed his habit of putting protein on a pedestal at the expense of carbs and kcal. Now, I’m all for an element of excess when it comes to protein – it’s safe and it acts as sort of an insurance policy (better to have a bit too much rather than too little). But this guy was clearly overdoing it; his urinary nitrogen was through the roof compared to the other guys in the study, even other lifters. Hopefully following this article, I’ll let some (accurate but simulated) lab reports on the urine samples do the talking. I remember staring at them and how they really hit home with me; they unquestionably show where his large protein intake was really going (the toilet).

The Solution: Don’t Be a Dick

So what can you do? My usual recommendations are straight forward. Break old habits and get into a more reasonable macronutrient range, depending on your current goals (I like half-year goals) and based on your volume of activity. First, consider the “old school, one gram per pound” dose when it comes to protein intake. It is surplus, trust me, but not an unreasonable one. Heck, I’d even say go slightly above this when dieting versus trying to gain mass.

Second, start to break your carb-o-phobic habits slowly. Unchecked, carbohydrates really are a problem for many guys’ metabolisms. If you currently eat 100g of carbs per day or less, allow yourself to increase that by 50-100g daily for two weeks. Choose quality carbs like red potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, moderately starchy vegetables, supplemental glucose polymers, etc. and eat them mostly during the day and peri-workout. If you are in the off season, a treat of bread or pasta or even pizza may be called for on occasion.

Check how you feel and look. Are you more energetic? Fuller through your arms and chest? How’s your body weight? Aha! You are finally providing more energy to shut down protein burning and instead put all those amino acids to work. Let me restate that:

“Nothing is going to shut down undesirable protein burning like some carbs.”

According to a review by Williams (2010), even a 33-55% reduction in muscle glycogen – common during a typical weight training session – increases protein catabolism. Yikes. Carbs are simply the preferred fuel source in many instances. Any brick layer (e.g. your Testosterone) needs “gas” for his equipment. Plus, you are now cautiously upping insulin (another brick layer!) into a range that can drive muscle protein accretion without much, if any, fat gain. At the very least it’s worth a try, as this is all limited in scope and thus low risk. Finally, give yourself a reason to make a modest change. This is where I am a fan of dietary supplements; they hugely bolster one’s motivation to change and can offer metabolic advantages. Enhanced carb-handling can be done in a variety of ways (see Intolerable on the T-Nation web site) and the buzz around Indigo 3G and other glucose tolerance supplements makes it a great candidate to kick off your little self-experiment.

Summary for Mega-protein, Very Low-Carb Guys

1. Over the course of one week, slowly drop protein to 1 g/lb. or even a little less.

2. Increase daily carb intake by 50-100g if you are a chronic carb-restricter or if you are coming off a contest-like diet. If you are using Indigo 3G, this increase should probably be greater; bump up by perhaps 150-200g per day.

3. Over the course of two weeks, assess your gains, adjust up or down using the mirror, scale, motivation (1-7 scale) and performance in the gym

4. Again, consider dietary supplements like Indigo 3G that offer both improved metabolic handling of carbs and a reason to institute some change for your stale, flat formerly protein burning physique.

References and Further Reading

1. Houston, M. Biochemistry Primer for Exercise Science. 3^rd Ed. Human Kinetics. 2006. p. 185.
2. Lowery, L., et al. Large chronic intake of protein does not affect markers of renal damage in healthy resistance trainers. FASEB J [Abstr] 2011. 25: 983.25.
3. Lowery, L., et al. DIETARY IMPACT OF SEEKING AMPLE PROTEIN: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS ON RESISTANCE TRAINERS. Ann Nutr Metab 2009. 55 (Suppl.1): 696.
4. Lowery L and Devia L: Dietary protein safety and resistance exercise: what do we really know? J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2009, 6(3): 1-7. http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/3.
5. Lowery, L., et al. DIETARY PROTEIN AND RESISTANCE TRAINING: PRELIMINARY DATA ON BONE HEALTH, Ann Nutr Metab 52009. 5 (Suppl.1): 696.
6. Millward, J. Inherent difficulties in defining amino acid requirements. In: The Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Sustaining and Enhancing Performance. National Academy press, 1999. pp.169-208.
7. Millward, J. et al. Metabolic demands for amino acids and the human dietary requirement: Millward and Rivers Revisited. J Nutr 1998. 128: 2563S-2576S.
8. Price, G., et al. Nitrogen homeostasis in man: 1. Influence of protein intake on the amplitude of diurnal cycling of body nitrogen. Clin Sci (Lond.) 86: 91-102.
9. Quevedo, et al. Nitrogen homeostasis in man 3: Diurnal changes in nitrogen excretion, leucine oxidation and whole body leucine kinetics during a reduction from a high to a moderate protein intake. 1994; Clin Sci (Lond) 86: 185-193.
10. Williams, M. Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport. 9^th Ed. McGraw Hill. 2010. p220-221.

Lonnie Lowery is an exercise Physiologist (Ph.D.), legitimate nutritionist (RD) and mid-level competitive bodybuilder (NPC and NABBA). He can be reached via the web site and pod cast he co-hosts weekly at www.IronRadio.org.

Episode #8:  Again  the hosts talk shop as your a fly on the wall about the Austin PC 2.0 work shop, Poutine, Canada Seminar, Crossfit as a fad and as a sport, Coaching, rep ranges and what works  and more..

Enjoy,

Phil Stevens

Click Here to Listen / Download

It’s something I have talked about a lot as it pertains to the fitness industry, but it does feed into all aspects of life and how parents today are coddling their young. Ruining their young.

The following article does a great job explaining the harm parents are doing by over protecting their children in play and in life. It is a real thing we are already seeing now in young adults and its getting worse.

It’s GOOD for a kid to explore, to play, to get hurt, to strip down and run around naked and piss on a tree. Let the child be a child and learn lessons of their actions

Click here to read A Nation of Wimps

By Hara Estroff Marano

To truly tap into our maximum potential we need to identify our body structure, our natural leverages, to identify our strengths and weaknesses. Like all else in training and nutrition the cookie cutter, one size fits all approach only goes so far. There is a lot of dogma out there as far as the “correct form” for every lift, when in fact what is strong and safe for you may be horrible for another, and vice versa.

#1 – Keep it close to your trunk.

The number one factor above all to moving maximum loads, in a safe and effective manner is to keep the load as close to your center of gravity as possible. The further the load travels away from this direct center the harder the movement becomes and the more undue strain is placed on your levers.

If you were building a tree house where would you look to place it? Of course if you didn’t want to send your kids falling to their demise you would place it on, around, and as near to the trunk as possible. Not out on the limbs. In the same fashion the closer the load during lifting can be to your trunk the better, That’s your center of power and stability, where you are the strongest.

#2 – Lean on your Strongest Shortest Levers.

The second factor to keep in mind when identifying the most effective way for you to safely and efficiently move a load is to identify and utilize your strongest and shortest levers. You want to place the most stress, have the most movement, on the levers with the shortest length. These more times then not are going to be the levers your body has relied on your whole life as its strong point and allows the load to again stay the closest to your center of gravity.

Think of these levers as a sledge hammer.

If you take a 16 pound sledge hammer with a 36 inch handle what is harder to when holding the hammer at a 45 degree angle hold it at the end of the handle (36 inches from the head) or to choke up on it (12 inches from the head)? Of course its much harder when your holding the hammer at the end of the handle. In the same manner if you lean your bodies long levers under a load to a great degree your going to put your body at a disadvantage.

For an example of this lets take the deadlift with two people of opposing body types as an example. They will have very different and distinct ways of executing the lift, neither of which is wrong, even though they are very different.

Body type number one has short limbs and a long torso in relation to said limbs. This is the LEFT vertical column.

Body type number two is the opposite with a short and powerful torso and long limbs. This is the RIGHT vertical column.

As you can see each figures short powerful levers are represented in red. Their lesser limbs or weak points of leverage are represented in green. Body type number one is MUCH more quad dominant with its short powerful levers. For this body type and this move its much more efficient to keep the long torso as upright as possible. As when you get that load out on the end of the handle your much more likely to reach a point of failure or even injury.

That said, those with this body type should also identify this weakness and make it a point to bring up the Low back, glute, and hamstring strength.

Figure number two is the polar opposite.

Due to the long limbs and short strong torso to deadlift efficiently there is going to be in a much greater torso lean with the majority of the load leaning on the hamstrings and low back as a prime mover. This figure will get most of its power generated from this position and have a tendency to be weaker in moves that require a great deal of limb movement as those long limbs will place a great deal of stress on a long handle. As such, much time needs to be spent trying to bring up those weak long limbs to both avoid injury and maximize potential, always however with the knowledge that their most powerful position will be very different from that of the other figure.

These are merely two examples of leverages, and one movement to serve as an example.

There are, of course, going to be many more variations of body type that mix and match these leverages. Many types of natural tendencies and body strengths, each having its individual strengths and weaknesses, movement patterns, and moves they will excel or struggle with.

There is more then one way to skin a cat. In-Turn there is NOT one single set way to perform a lift correctly. A coach must be able to recognize this and be able to instruct to the individual to make them the most efficient.

The way you execute a move may be nowhere near the way your training partner does, but that doesn’t necessarily mean either is wrong. No matter how much dogma you have read on the “ONE” particular way to execute a move. No matter what some cookie cutter program or personal trainer preaches as the only “WAY”, it may not be correct for you.

The fact is the “BEST” way, in some cases, may actually put you as an individual in a compromised position. Devote some time to assessing you. Figure out your leverages, your strengths, and weakness. Get a qualified coach to assess you and your lifting. In the long run it will pay back many-fold by not only allowing you to instantly move a load in a safe and effective manner, but as well, allow you to identify individual weaknesses that will lead to further success.

Episode #7: Austin PC 2.0 work shop, Sarah Robles, Women and training, paleo training eating the state of the populous and more..

Enjoy,

Phil Stevens

Click Here to Listen / Download

By: Sean Casey

September 6-8th 2013

Sarah Robles Workshop / Camp

1 Day Work Shop $100.00 USD 3 Day Camp $300.00 USD

Sarah is the USA’s top ranked weight lifter. Three time national Champion, 2010 Pan Am Games silver medal, and 2012 Olympian.

We will ONLY be accepting the first 10 who sign up for the three day camp.

Rough Outline of the 3 day camp. The end all be all is you will spend three days up close and personal with the USA’s TOP olympic lifter. You will work hand in hand on fine tuning your Olympic lifting for  hours a day. You will have an all access pass to dine, rest and talk shop with her and the other coaches and attendees.   Come rested and prepared to work, learn, and have the time of your life.

Come join us for a full weekend of learning and fun with Sarah Robles in a small group atmosphere where each attendee will get up close personal attention over three full days..

Weekend camp Details =

A total of ten people are going to have the opportunity to spend 2.5 days with “The best in the US,” and learn what they can to take them to the next level.

Friday =

Noon meet and great at hotel

1:30- 5pm = We caravan to Strength Guild where Sarah will lead, along with the helping hands of coaches Phil Stevens, Sarah Stevens and Justin Johnston in the Snatch. 3.5 hours of breaking down the snatchs. Helping people find where their power leaks are. Proficiency in the lifts. Personal deficiencies that need to be addressed as well as just the basics of correct movement.

5pm – 7pm Break for dinner, we will all go out to a selected place and share a meal.

7PM – 9:30 – Round table where we can continue discussions of training, nutrition, mindset and what it to get over the top in your sport. Anyone that has been to seminars and camps can tell you these times are where some of the best knowledge and fun is gained, Sitting around talking openly to the presenters. (weather dependent we will sit around a bon fire)

9:30 Hotel and sleep

Saturday =

9am up and ready to travel. We will all caravan down to fellow coach’s and friends facility in Olathe (Crossfit Olathe) for a day of snatch and clean and jerk.

10:30 – 6:30 We will join a class of others and we will all go over all the competition lifts. The coaching and learning of them. As well as hit on the assistance work needed. This will be a long full day with a lunch break when needed. Q & A Time and more.

6:30 the camp members will all break and go to dinner together again.

10PM arrive back at hotel and get some rest

Sunday:

10am caravan to Strength Guild

We will start the day with clean and Jerk. Sarah will lead you through the C&J from top to bottom for 3 hours. In that time we will address every individuals weak spots and build on what we have worked over the last two days.

1PM lunch

2:30-6pm EVERYTHING else. This is the time we will mop thing up and pull it all together. Work on assistance work. What each individual needs to address in their training. What’s holding you back. Squatting, pressing, lock out strength. Etc

6PM Dinner

8PM back to hotel where we will talk some final shop. Sit around a table and fire away questions you might have etc.

Sarah Robles Workshop / Camp

1 Day Work Shop $100.00 USD 3 Day Camp $300.00 USD

September 7th, 2013

Another joint Venture with Strength Guild and Crossfit Olathe

1 day workshop will take place at Crossfit Olathe.

Sarah Robles Workshop / Camp

1 Day Work Shop $100.00 USD 3 Day Camp $300.00 USD

Sarah is the USA’s top ranked weight lifter.

Three time national Champion,

2010 Pan Am Games silver medal,

and 2012 Olympian.

We will ONLY be accepting the first 30 who sign up for the one day workshop.

We will all go over all the competition lifts. The coaching, teaching, and learning of them. As well as hit on the assistance work needed. This will be a long full day with a lunch break when needed. Q & A Time and more.

Rough Outline of the day. The end all be all is we will be working on fine tuning your Olympic lifting for 8 hours. Come rested and prepared to work and learn.

10:30 – 12:30 = Snatch

Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 = clean and jerk

3:30 – 4:30 = assistance work, squatting pressing, working on personal weak points that need addressed in lifters present etc

4:30 – 6:30 = Open time. In this time we will let the attendees ask questions that they have. Work on things further that each individual has desire and need. Answer questions. Fine tunes things etc. There will be an attempt to let every person address an issue, SO stand up and let yourself be heard when called on.

Sarah Robles Workshop / Camp

1 Day Work Shop $100.00 USD 3 Day Camp $300.00 USD

Date : May 25th
Time; 10 am
Place: Crossfit Olathe
Donation to Compete:
$30 minimum

Other: Look also for food, snacks, bracelets for sale, and taking donations to raise money.

Events:
#1 Max Clean, 3 front squats and Jerk.
Three attempts

#2 Farmers walk tire flip Medley

#3 Squat Max Reps
Body weight for women,
1.5x body weight men

#4 Clean and Press Medley
Dumbbell, Sandbag, Barbell

#5 Med Ball Throw for Distance
Three Attempts

Light weight and Heavy weight divisions
men under 220 and over
women under 175 and over

Purchase Entry here and Pick light or heavy weight and then Email Phil @ Lift4hope.org with an email that tells your name, gender and weight class.

Weight Division

Lightweight $30.00 USD Heavy Weight $30.00 USD

To Purchase Cure For Cody Bracelets go Here