Lab Rat Redux

We have a new supplement guy here at Beachbody. His name is Dr. Bill Wheeler and he’s got a lengthy and impressive resume and will take our game to a new level. We’re working on improving most of our current supplements and adding a ton of new ones, as well as obtaining state-of-the-art certifications for everything we make. But we’ve got to keep our work conversations focused because when we get together we seem to drift off into what the latest research is showing and then theorizing about how this could lead to breakthroughs in diet and supplementation. This is often way beyond the scope of what we’re going to provide our customers in the near future but for me, as a human lab rat, it gets my brain spinning over possibilities.

Currently, however, I’m doing sort of the opposite. Along with the WFH I’ve begun a retro supplementation regime. Over time “de rigueur” supps come and go but, occasionally, things that work well fall off the radar for no good reason. Back in 1990 I was experimenting with a line of supps from the company in the pic. These guys had some fringe stuff and ended up getting closed down when some of their biggest sellers went onto the banned list. I’d become a test pilot for them during a period where I made tremendous fitness gains. I didn’t associate much of this to these supps but I’ve decided, given I’m in the business and all, that I should give these another run around the block.

The only supplement I’d used from these guys that got banned with GhB, which became a popular party drug and ended up killing a few celebrities who OD’d on it. I used it for recovery as well as to help me get to sleep. In 1990 I was trying to revamp me body from one of a lower body power athlete to an upper body endurance athlete. I was simultaneously catabolizing leg muscle while building up climbing muscle (back, shoulders, arms) which meant I was doing some wild training and eating a very low calorie diet. When you’re doing this it’s hard to sleep because you’re amped at night like Louden Swain in the 80s film Vision Quest, but that’s another chapter in the Workout From Hell saga.

Today I’m just announcing that I’m experimenting with Arginine/Pyroglutamate/Lysine and what they called Mesobolin. There's probably a reason they've never gotten popular but I’ll let you know how it goes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some studies to read on the difference between "fast" and "slow" proteinsm something on the fringe I just learned about from Dr. Bill.

WFH: Zigzagging Into Block 2

With block 1 in the books I finally get to start lifting some weight. Largo says “you'll savor going to the gym because you don't have to crank off 30 reps on every exercise” and I would tend to agree given I’ve been thinking about what 15 reps will feel like over the last week. It’s time to add some weight and actually feel as though I’m getting stronger. It’s also time to get a little more nitpicky about my diet.

After block one I feel good. I’ve lost about a pound and my body fat seems to have dropped a touch, or not much change as expected. The only downside is that an old shoulder injury flaring up, which was expected given that I’m pretty sure something in detached in the joint (which is quite common for athletes). The drop in volume will help this. My back is also getting slowly but steadily better. At this point I’m certain it’s a re-herniation of L5S1 but it ultimately doesn’t matter. I know the drill. If my rehab doesn’t work I’ll require cortisone and/or surgery.

The schedule for block 2 remains the same but many of the movements will change along with the repetitions. Largo emphasized standard lifting movements but, as I said at the beginning, I feel it’s important to focus on exercises that relate at least somewhat to the muscles you need in climbing. Even doing 15 reps, which is technically muscular endurance, will create some hypertrophy and avoiding adding mass that is not responsible to sports specific movement is vital. No strength gains can offset the effects of gravity. I’ll spend the first week experimenting with movements and post them later.

Fingerboard workouts get more focused. For this block I use Mike Anderson’s advanced routine:

Advanced Hangboard Workout:
If you’ve been training for awhile and you believe your body can take the punishment, then this higher volume workout may be better for you. Choose 6 grip positions, then do 3 sets on each grip. The first set I do seven reps each 7 seconds long, with 3 seconds rest. The second set is six reps of seven seconds with 3 seconds rest. The third set is five reps of seven seconds with 3 seconds rest. I take two minutes rest between each set within the grip position, and three minutes rest between each grip.

I also begin to diet. Namely, I’ll begin to zig zag my caloric intake. I’ll begin with 4 days “on” and 3 “off” and transition to 5 and 2. During the on days I’ll limit calories to around 1500. Off days will be closer to 3000. Since the volume of my workouts is down from normal (I do a lot more exercise than most people) I’m not sure where this will settle in. As with all dieting some experimenting is always necessary. One key element is that on my low-cal days I need to get some protein each time I eat. I’ll go into why in a later post but the gist is that when workload is high and calories are low it’s vital that your diet has as much protein as possible and eating small amounts often is the best way to make sure of this.

pic: we didn’t just have a yaniro board back in the day, we still have one. 20 years on and it’s the de facto board at the shed, in santa barbara.

WFH: A Tribute To John Bachar

As I finished up the last workout of the first block of the Workout From Hell I was reminded that John Bachar died one year ago. Bachar was a climbing legend, arguably the best climber in the world in any given period between the late 70s and mid 80s. He was also one of the first climbers who attempted to utilize cutting edge sports science and apply it to rock climbing. No remembrance of climbing training past would be complete without a nod Johnny Rock (click here if you’d like to read my personal obituary).

I’d like to thank eMurdock (whom I don’t know) for posting this image of one of Bachar’s training logs over at mountainproject. Written in ’91, years beyond the time he was establishing cutting edge routes, Bachar was still training like a youngster at the top of his game. In fact, his tick list of solos for this given day was still state-of-the-art for its time.

Bachar was one-of-a-kind. In his wake he still inspires me the same way he did when I was a wide-eyed fledgling in the sport. But mainly what I remember about him was his passion. For those who don’t click on the link to his obit, here’s my favorite Bachar quote:

“Every day I go out and climb, like a dancer who works on his dance. He probably has some goals, some pieces he would like to perform, but his main goal is to work on his dance. This is how he expresses himself. Both he and I are interested in the same thing. It’s the dance that counts.” – John Bachar 1957 – 2009

Milk Is For Babies. I Drink Beer.

Largo wasn’t too descriptive about his Workout From Hell fueling strategy. This matters little to me as I’d likely alter it anyway but it’s funny to read and no problem to post in its entirety:

Good balanced vitals, a basic multi-vitamin, plus a little extra C seems to do the trick. I also tried to drink a couple of light beers an evening for no apparent reason at all!

In block one I’ve altered this very little. Shakeology in place of the vitamins and striking the light from the beer is the extent my diet so far. Beer is worth some discussion at this point because comparing mass produced beer, even light, to microbrews is like comparing Wonderbread to homemade whole 9-grain.

Beer has a long history in fueling climbing performance. Inebriated pub banter has led to some of the boldest ascents of yore. I personally recall a few hazy evenings in Yosemite’s Mountain Room bar followed with my friends goading me to lead a pitch that I had no business trying because I’d boasted, a few pitchers into the previous night, that “it might not be too bad.” I doubt I’m alone when I say that some of my scariest leads came about due to beer.

But that’s not what I’m talking about here. Nutritionally beer can be better than a lot of the junk we eat regularly. Mass produced beer, however, is the junk we eat regularly as it’s made from the same crap ingredients that fill most of what you find at the corner 7 Eleven and the middle isles of your local supermarket. Mass produced beer doesn’t even bother with traditional ingredients and, instead, is often fermented rice mixed with various by products of genetically modified corn and/or soy production. Microbrews (real ones, at least, as the big corporations sell imposters that still contain nothing but junk and are flavored by extracts) actually use various plants (barely, hops, etc) in a combination that has a decent nutritional profile and are loaded with phytonutrients. So when Arnold boasts “Milk is for babies. I drink beer,” in the classic film Pumping Iron, it was only veiled hyperbole. As a performance fuel, handmade beer is nutritionally superior for adults than mass produced pasteurized milk.

Beer aside, I generally don’t diet during the first block of an intense training program. You need to eat in order to fuel recovery and I generally eat fairly well. My goal in any volume phase is to fuel for recovery and not to worry about weight loss or any sort of body composition change. Over the course of the program I will make dietary changes in order to address it. If a program has a power phase, as the WFH does, I’ll generally do it then because power requires more rest, shorter sets, and burns fewer calories. For that I plan to dust off another chapter from the archives but that’s a topic for another time. Today we’re talkin’ about beer. And climbing.



HEMLOCK
If you hauled beer up here you’re crazier than I thought.

BEN BEAUMON
I may be crazy, amigo, but I’m not stupid. I didn’t haul it up here. You did. It’s in your pack.

pic: beer is such an iconic part of climbing that it's used in ads, or at least is was in the pre-photoshop 80s.

Engage The Cage

Lance Armstrong likes to talk about how cancer survivors are the lucky ones because they are forced to re-evaluate their lives, often leading to a new lease on life. This analogy isn’t reserved for those with cancer. Anyone who has had a major illness, injury, or situation that’s forced them out of their comfort zone is privy to similar “luck”. Challenging situations can lead to us bettering ourselves. So much so that, I would say, most of us define our personalities when the chips are down.

Admittedly that’s a pretty lofty lead-in for a post on core training. But it’s often the smallest details that lead to the biggest improvements. My injury has forced me to re-evaluate what it means to focus on core and posture work, and it’s not a topic I’ve ignored over the years at all. But I can’t help thinking that if I’d done a better job with that aspect of my life (and not just training) I wouldn’t have re-injured myself.

In P90X + Tony talks about “engaging your cage” a lot during the workouts. This, no doubt, came from Isabelle Daikeler’s influence on the program. She’s a Chek-ian (my word for disciples of the Paul Chek school of functional training) where all movement begins with the core. And while trainers ubiquitously champion the importance of core strength the Chekians say it’s the fundamental starting point of all human movement.

Isabelle’s training style can be a little “out there”. She’s worked with me a bit and it’s fantastic cerebral stuff. We tried to have her create a program for us but it was canned by our CEO (her now husband) because he didn’t think we could sell it to the general public (though he must have thought a lot of it himself). She’s worked with a lot of famous athletes, too. She says “some get it, others don’t.” Those who do improve.

I tend to be part of the latter group. I say tend because while I get it I don’t always practice it. Like most athletes I’m far more motivated to do something sports specific, or at least powerful or painful. Her training is balancy and frustrating—like a lot of other training that is took nearly 50 years for me to do religiously. After all, I rationalize that if I can do front levels and weighted leg raises (which most can’t) doesn’t this make my core strong enough?

The answer is yes and no. It’s strong enough but not necessarily engaged enough. Just because you have ample strength does not mean that you’re using it correctly. In fact, it can be the opposite because you can get away with not using it correctly. The getting it aspect of core training is not actually the training; it’s the posture part where you teach your body to focus on its core for every physical action. You actually lead all movements with your core first or, engage the cage.

My injury has forced me to a place where I’d never been. If I lose core rigidity (not a flexed core but a rigid—contract your core to see where it should be then relax and do the movement) for a rep it hurts. I have a reminder, like an angel, to warn me anytime I’m not using perfect form. Coupled with my long 30 rep sets it’s providing an engrained postural change like I’ve not before experienced. Therefore, what appeared to be nothing but a sucky start to my summer has is instead made me one of the lucky ones.

pics: in what apparently is the di rigueur ab pose for climbers in the 80s two fit-looking lads show what a steady diet of off-widths and living out of a van can do for your core.

WFH: Survival

At its core the first training block of the Workout From Hell is about survival. You won’t gain much strength. You won’t gain much muscle. You won’t get ripped. And while you should get better at the workouts they don’t feel any easier the more you do them. It’s similar to why most sprinters hate the 400. Instead of feeling fast and powerful, as you do at shorter distances, the quarter is a war; an internal battle to keep your mind calm and focused while every sense you have is screaming for you to stop.

I think it’s vital to embrace this mindset before you begin. Because everyday, at some point during the workout, you’re going to want to stop and there many rational reasons why you should. You don’t look better. You don’t feel better. No one understands what you’re doing. The big guys at the gym are eyeing you quizzically and you aren’t impressing the ladies with those 5lb dumbbells. Mostly you hurt. Struggling for those last 10 reps is almost comically sadistic. If you haven’t convinced yourself you want to fight you will stop. It’s guaranteed.

I don’t write down my hangboard workouts during this phase. I increase them by one grip position each workout so they get longer but my only goal is to find holds where I can barely finish each 50 second set (10 on, 5off, X 5).

Choosing weight for the resistance movements is a little tricky because you don’t want things to be too easy. But almost any amount of weight gets hard near the end so slightly too light is better than too heavy (especially if you fail under 20) because you want to finish the 30 with as little pausing as you can. I don’t always get this right. It doesn’t matter. The point is to stay engaged in the fight. Block one is about volume.

I’ve been asked how you’re supposed to feel and it’s hard to describe. Each set feels as though it’s pumping you out of your mind but you’re not always pumped. Because you’re crossing energy systems during each set it affects your body in an odd way. Sometimes you can barely begin the next set. Other times it feels easy. Others feel easy then you die early in the set. The response to this training is complex. I’ve done it many times over the years and the only thing that’s a constant is that every workout will be painful.

Post workout has me feeling weary than anything. You break down very little fast-twitch muscle fiber during this phase so you won’t experience DOMS. It’s endurance work as far your muscles are concerned but there are other physiological changes occurring as well. Joints and connective tissues are being stressed in ways they probably aren’t used to. Oxidative pathways, too. Your entire system is turned on end and confused. Daily response can’t be predicted.

Some days I feel dead at night and wake up feeling fine. On others I feel great and wake up stiff, sore, or feeling like I’ve tweaked something. I’m icing my lower back about five times a day because it’s injured but I’ve had to ice my shoulders, elbows, hands, chest, and upper back at various times over the last couple of weeks. I think this is because your body is on edge so it responds more drastically than usual to any unusual damage.

Block one of the WFH is always a personal odyssey and I suppose that’s why I like it so much. I’m not sure that everyone needs to experience it. Glycolytic athletes can benefit but, beyond them, I think it’s probably most effective as a plateau buster. If take it on make sure and commit to surviving. Though not visual, it’s where your true transformations will occur. It will make everything that comes later seem easy.

pics: dudes, i said survival, not survivor. above 80s sport climbing legends dale goddard and jim karn train for the world air guitar championships at smith rocks but when you look at their style there's little question they hold faint hope of usurping aussie teen idol geoff weigand, top.

30 Is The New 20

Today’s installment of the WFH will discuss lean muscle; the stuff women are always on about over at our message boards. Well, ladies, I’ve got something you might want hear. Any of you seriously worried about gaining too much muscle mass can fret no more. The key is to make 30 your new 20. Or maybe we should call this part II of things your trainer will never tell you.

We’re talking about repetitions, of course. If you’ve been following along you know I’m in the first phase of the Workout From Hell where each set of exercise is done to as close to failure as possible at 30 reps. This is more or less un-heard of down at your local Gold’s, and for good reason. It makes it virtually impossible to gain much size. Conventional iron head wisdom would say “why bother?” So I’ll answer the why, which isn’t going to change their minds. But it might change yours.

Let’s open with the big caveat; the reason you haven’t heard me recommending 30 reps for any Beachbody program over the years. Well, we do 30 reps for some things, mainly abs and other slow twitch areas of the body that are trained well with volume, but never for the prime movers as a sustained target. It’s because it hurts. It hurts and it takes a long time. It hurts, it takes a long time, and it doesn’t yield the type of results quickly that most people are looking for. At this point it no longer sounds like a good idea to me.

What 30 reps does is train your glycolytic energy system. As I said in an early post, the glycolysis is what allows a fast 100 meter sprinter to win at 400 meters. Essentially, it’s the system that uses glycogen and oxygen to recharge your body’s anaerobic (Kreb’s Cycle) system. I ran the quarter and we used to refer to something we called The Bear. The Bear lived in the “block house” (housed the track equipment) that was located at the last turn of the track. In the 400, The Bear attacked at the last turn and slowed you down. Unless, that is, your glycolytic system was firing on all cylinders. Then you’d kick home, passing a bunch of guys who looked like they suddenly had a bear on their backs because their anaerobic system was finished at 300 meters (about as long as you can hold your breath while sprinting) and their glycolytic wasn’t trained well enough to keep their fast-twitch muscles firing.

But life isn’t the quarter so why train this? Essentially because it’s another energy system and the more efficient your body is that better it will work in life. It will allow more progress during your other training, no matter what it is, that leads to better results long term. A strong glycolytic system would be particularly useful for the latter rounds of P90X and high-level programs like Insanity (your ability to do Insanity should improve drastically). Basically, the more efficient your body runs the better it utilizes nutrients and can improve at other things.

During 30 reps sets you can actually feel your system load change. The weight you use may seem impossibly light during the first 6-10 reps. Around 15 (or less later in the workout) you’ll start feeling it. At 20, the point where most traditional weight exercises end and about as long as your can reasonably hold your breath under duress, you’re muscles will begin to give out as you change systems. From then on it’s a fight to the finish (providing you’ve used enough weight which takes a little practice). If you do these sets correctly you’ll be dying (in my case screaming) to get your last five reps done.

There are two very important techniques to adhere to. First is form. Reps should not be rushed and form should remain perfect throughout the set. If your form falters you should stop. There is no benefit to finishing a set with bad form, and anytime you do you risk injury.

Secondly you need to breathe, perhaps both loudly and exaggeratedly. Deep rhythmic breathing is the key to every single set. Remember that you are working on an oxygen based system. The more oxygen your force into your system the better chance you are have of finishing. This seems silly when you hoisting five pound weights because you could do this easily, with no focus at all, in the beginning. But if you don’t breathe early in the set it will catch up to you and you’ll fail near the end. When you nail your breathing it makes the transition between creatine phosphate and glycolytic systems smooth. The sets then get easier and more resistance can be added on your next set.

You should not do 30 rep sets for very long. I’m doing a three week cycle and I’m tired at the end of week two. It’s hard, stressful, and you could simply not remain focused for much longer than 3 to 4 weeks. In fact, 400 meter runners spend very little time actually running 400 meters. They train both under and over and save that targeted distance for peak periods and races. It pushes your body beyond where you want it to be very often.

For anyone looking for a performance edge I would recommend a block of 30 provided you have a decent fitness foundation. You could incorporate it into any weight training program. I think a block of P90X targeting 30 would be awesome. Keep in mind is that your resistance workouts will take a long time so you’ll need to use the pause button. Also, I haven’t guinea pigged this one so, until I do, you’re on your own.

pic: i can’t say whether isabelle patissier ever did the workout from hell but climbing definitely targets your glycolytic system and she did plenty of that. the former world cup champion showing off the fashion sense that made her a late-80s pin-up girl.