Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT)/Leangains, Workout 13

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Nutribody

Squats and military press today.

  • Weigh-in: 176.8lbs
  • 5 minutes treadmill (5mph) warm-up
1. Squats  
Warm-up sets (135×6, 135×5)  
Set 1: 6 reps 200
Set 2: 7 reps 180
Set 3: 8 reps 165
2. Standing Military Press
  
Set 1: 6 reps 120
Set 2: 7 reps 110
Set 2: 8 reps -
Stretch  

Still getting squats fairly easily. A little lower back discomfort when I unrack the bar, but no issues when doing the squats. I’m still a bit paranoid though…..

I got my rep goal with 120lb military press, theyr were floating today. Alas, I on’y dod one drop down set, and that one after probably 10 minutes of rest. Guy I know wandered up and we conversed, so I got pulled from my workout. I sort of consider military press to be an ancillary exercise though, so no biggie I guess. Plus, like I saud, I got my top set rep goal.

After weighing in at 179lbs, plus or minus .2, for almost 2 weeks, I was at 176.8 today. That seems to be quite a drop. Water weight? I’d had plenty of fluids that morning though. Odd.

I might be changin jobs. That will probably mean some bodyweight workouts coming up; split squats, push-ups, chins, and dumbbell mil press (with 25lbs – light!).

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Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT)/Leangains, Workout 12

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Nutribody

I skipped Monday (again) because it was a holiday, so I’m doing this workout right after my deadlifts on Tuesday.

  • Weigh-in: 179.0lbs
  • 5 minutes treadmill (5mph) warm-up
1. Bench Press  
Warm-up sets (135×5, 135×5)  
Set 1: 5 reps 195
Set 2: 6 reps 180
Set 3: 6 reps 165
2. Push-ups  
Set 1: 6 reps 15, 12
Stretch  

Hit the wall today. One rep short on the first set, one on the second, and two on the third. My pushup were low too. I’ll repeat these weights next bench workout.

My weight has been constant. Measurement wise, I’ve gone down about an inch in my waist, so there seems to be some recomping going on. I’m going to try harder to be more strict, especially on weekends….

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What is Creatine and How Creatine Works

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Nutribody

Creatine phosphate is part of the energy cycle performed in cells. Supplementing with creatine provides a higher capacity for exertion over a short period of time, like getting one or two more reps out of a challenging set.

Supplementing with creatine will result in more glycogen being pulled into and stored within cells. This requires about three times as much water to do. Combined, you’re looking at a few extra ounces of glycogen and the associated water, most of which is being stored within muscle tissue so while it is “water weight” it’s not useless water weight.

It takes a while to build up levels within cells, so you’ll usually do a week of “loading” with higher quantities before settling in to a regular daily intake. General guidelines suggest 10g a day for the first week and then 5g ongoing. Recent studies have indicated the loading phase isn’t necessary, so whether or not you decide to do that is up to you. A 1kg tub lasts damn near forever at that rate, so for the price it’s worth it.

Besides a multivitamin and high protein intake (however you get it), it’s the next highest recommendation I’d have for anyone who trains strength or endurance.

 

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Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT)/Leangains, Workout 11

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Nutribody

First squat workout in a while because my schedule has been a bit wacky.

  • Weigh-in: 179lbs
  • 5 minutes treadmill (5mph) warm-up
1. Squats  
Warm-up sets (135×5, 135×5)  
Set 1: 6 reps 195
Set 2: 7 reps 175
Set 3: 8 reps 160
2. Standing Military Press
  
Set 1: 5 reps 120
Set 2: 7 reps 110
Set 2: 8 reps 100
Stretch  


I’m still stuck at 120 for my first set of military press, although I got my two drop sets even though I went up. So…. up again for those two!

The whole workour was a bit of a pain, as I’ve still got the lingering effects of my cold in the form of hacking up juicy chunks of post nasal drip mucus. Yum…..

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Why Sugar Makes us Fat

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Nutribody

Robert Lustig, MD explains this concept best in his lecture “The Trouble with Fructose: a Darwinian Perspective”. Essentially, this is why sugar makes us fat from an evolutionary standpoint:

  • It’s only available abundantly during a small window of time per year, usually right before food scarcity during the winter.
  • When we eat sugar, insulin increases, which also reduces leptin sensitivity (they share the same receptor in the brain).
    • Leptin is a hormone that tells the brain how much fat is stored on the body.
    • The brain uses that information to determine metabolic rate and energy levels.
      • More leptin signaling = more energy = a higher metabolism
      • Less leptin =  signaling = less energy = a slower metabolism and hunger level
      • More leptin = less hunger, less leptin = more hunger
    • When insulain is high, leptin sensitivity is drastically reduced, resultnig in a slower metabolism, reduced activity level, and increased hunger.
  • Now we’re stuck in a positive feedback loop:
    • More sugar = more insulin (more fat gain) = less leptin signalingÂ
      • Metabolism is slowed to save energy for fat storage, activity level is decreased to save energy as well = more hunger = more sugar, repeat.
  • This is evolutionary beneficial so when fruit (and sugar sources) are available, we have a strong desire to eat as much as possible so we can store as much fat as possible right before the winter when we will be forced to live off a lot of that fat.

This is why sugar makes us fat, why we crave it when it’s available, why sugary foods are don’t make you full.

This is also why eliminating sugar has the opposite effect: makes you full, makes you have more energy and a higher metabolism, leads to more fat/weight loss, and eliminates carb cravings.

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