Metabolic Damage –> It continues…
It amazes me after all these years and so much information that is posted on the internet on “metabolic damage” that girls still manage to find trainers that hurt them. Perhaps it is the newbies who really don’t know any different, and end up unfortunately in the hands of the wrong trainer. Trainers have teams of girls, and they look good, so a newbie with very little experience just assumes this person must be a good trainer. The girls who end up looking like 2 different people post show – we just don’t talk about them. We see what we want to see.
Then there are the ‘trainers’. Perhaps these individuals [trainers] just don’t believe that metabolic damage actually happens, or they are not willing to change the method to get lean, as well, it works. But for how long?
I feel the need to write about this [metabolic damage] as I see girls in my gym who were at a normal weight/body shape before they began the dieting process for a show, and seemingly afterwards are anywhere from 20lbs to 60lbs over their normal weight months after the show is over.
The girls I speak of – do you know how many shows they did?
One.
Just one.
They try to eat a normal amount of calories, and gain weight, or they try to diet like they did for the competition, and think they are doing ok– and gain even more weight. Eventually they are unable to sustain that type of hard core dieting mentality and break down and have to eat. And when they eat – they binge eat.
This brings about this up and down roller coaster ride with food were they will try to ‘stick’ to another diet, and then somehow *think* they are sabotaging themselves by eating an apple, and then do 2 hours of cardio to try to fix the extra calories. It creates this emotional roller coaster with surrounding food, and exercise.
This process of gaining weight post show can be termed a ‘rebound’, ‘water weight’ or even metabolic burnout. If weight gain continues after eating a normal amount of food, or even try to diet – and you end up gaining weight this is termed ‘metabolic damage’. This is usually due to the abnormally high amount of cardio training recommended by a trainer prior to the show in the hopes to get lean, and a very low calorie diet.
The first time it works; the second time it is a bit harder, and the third – well, now you are up to 2 hours of cardio a day 10-12 weeks out from a show. Hun?
I too have to admit that I was a cardio bunny – in my early years. I would always wonder why girls had 2 separate wardrobes – one for the in-season and one for the off-season. Many followed this protocol of hours of cardio to get lean. I did. I did not have a trainer back in 1998 and the fitness magazine were the only information that could guide me. There was no Internet like it is today. I always thought that I would never be a big girl post show – however, my body told me other wise. I loved to eat – and a lot. I would binge on anything – and really through the message board that came after, there was solice in telling your story, and somehow it was looked at as normal. Luckily, I got pregnant, and everything returned to normal post pregnancy. I knew after having my son I could not spend that much time in the gym – and didn’t. I had to gain back all the muscle I had lost, and well, the weight basically came off with weight training. Little to no cardio. I found out the process on my own, however, there still exists that myth that you need to do hours upon hours of cardio to get in stage shape.
There is enough information out there on the Internet to inform girls about what might be in store for them pre and post show. If they do their research before hiring a coach to do your contest prep. And I say coach – as they should be coaching you through this process, including after the show, to help you transition out of pre contest diet, to regular healthy eating habits.
I have friends who are trainers themselves, and by being in the profession you would think that they would know better. This type of training style is not one they would prescribe for their own clients, but somehow when it comes to contest prep their common sense seems to be thwarted. They know in hindsight that this type of extremism is not necessary and perhaps no one has actually shown them the way to a more balanced contest prep.
Sometimes it is hard to know if you coach is a good one – especially if the girls he coaches look great and place an/or win shows.
“Just because a girl wins – does not always mean they have the winning formula” – Erik Ledin
Some girls can do this type of process a number of times before it catches up with them and the body refuses to respond. But it [the body] will eventually stop responding. Sometimes it is after one show – in the case of the girls at my gym – or after a couple of shows.
Methods to lose body fat such as, extremely low calorie intake, stressed, fasting, increased cortisol levels, overtraining, no salt diet, and high amounts of cardio such as 2-4 hours per day, over an extended period of time anywhere from 6 to 20 weeks can result in metabolic damage. All of these criteria do not need to be in place in order to suffer from metabolic damage however, it is the pairing of the high volume of cardio, absolute calories per day – below basal metabolic rate, and a long duration of a dieting period, that seems the biggest players in this metabolic equation.
Signs of metabolic Damage
- Weak nails
- Hair falling out
- Feeling lost
- Gaining weight while on dieting calories
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- General Malaise – you feel terrible
- Gas
- Nausea
- Bloating, cramps
- Digestive problems, digestive stress, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome,
- Menses abnormalities, colitis, and Crohn’s disease
- Living on caffeine or stimulants throughout the day
- Anti anxiety medication
- Anti depression medication
- Interrrupting sleep patterns
- Gaining weight, especially cellulite even while doing consistent training & diet
- Require sleep medications
How do you know if you have hired the right coach for you during the contest prep period? Unfortunately you don’t. But here are a few ‘red flags’ that you should watch out for, and perhaps consider hiring a different coach if you experience any of them.
Red Flag #1 – The girls who have trained with that trainer look like 2 different people in-season and off-season.
Red Flag #2 – You get a training meal plan that reads like this- about 10+ weeks out from the show.
meal 1: 4 rice cakes
4oz white fish
2 fish oil caps
Meal 2: 4oz white fish
1 cup cucumber
meal 3: 4oz white fish
6 spears asparagus
1 tsp olive oil
Meal 4: 4 oz white fish
1 cup cucumber
2 fish oil caps
Meal 5: 4 oz white fish (steak on sunday)
6 spears asparagus
2 fish oil caps
Red Flag #3 – Your supplement list is longer than your actually foods in your diet.
Red Flag #4 – Drug usage – need to say more?
Red Flag #5 – Your calories are set at an absolute level – like you are to eat “1200” calories today – and you just started your diet.
Red Flag #6 – Immediately cuts your salt out of your diet completely.
Red Flag #7 – Your training includes over 2 hours of cardio a day, 1 hour of weights over 5-7 days per week, starting at around 10-12 weeks out from the show.
Pre-contest dieting for a show requires a lot of discipline. You have to say ‘no’ to a lot, bring your cooler everywhere, prep food, and eat at specific times. So no wonder you might have difficulty adjusting to the off-season. Your training is intense, but in no way should you be training like a marathon runner on such little food. You should not suffer through your diet to the point where you are sacrificing your future health for only a few moments in the spotlight. If your common sense says that certain aspects of the ‘training’ does not feel right; it probably isn’t.
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Articles on Metabolic Damage on the Internet
Tom Venuto –Burn the Fat.com
Scott Abel – ScottAbel.com
Lyle MacDonald – BodyRecomposition - Part 1, Part 2
Erik Ledin – LeanBodiesConsulting
Kevin Myles – Bodysport.com
Update (Dec 02, 2011) – Many discussions are being had on Siouxcountry about this very topic.
Keeping reading click –> Here <—
Determining Load/How much weight do I use?
Load/How much weight do I use?
The reps prescribed will determine the amount of weight you will be lifting.
It is recommended to try the movement through the full range of motion first, without any weight or light weight to make sure you understand the body positioning of the exercise and are properly warmed up. Bodyweight exercises might be enough to get you started but as your body adapts you will need to alter certain variables to keep progressing and one way is with the load or how much weight you are using.
Upper body exercises
You will be choosing the load so that you achieved the desired number of repetitions. If you are able to get the desired repetitions plus would be able to continue with more repetitions, say +2-3 more your load is probably not heavy enough. Always start conservatively and then work your way up. It might take 3X or more times to go through your program to know the proper weight for each exercise of your program.
Generally for Upper Body exercises for a beginner the load increase is 2.5 to 5lbs. Smaller muscle groups such as biceps, shoulders, and triceps tend to land on the lower side of the range, while back and chest probably more likely the upper number.
For example – For the bench press exercises if you start with the bar which is 45lbs, and then can achieve your desired 12 reps and feel as though you could probably rep out more then an increase by 2.5lbs on both sides of the bar is a good start. Then try 50lbs. Still can get more than 12 reps, then increase by another 5lbs. Obviously the ‘testing’ of the load is going to cause fatigue, but it will give you an idea of where to start the next time you do that exercise. If you are losing form or are not achieving the desired reps through full range of motion of the exercise – the load is too heavy and you should lower the poundage.
Lower Body exercises:
Lower body exercises tend to be able to handle increases of 5-10lbs to establish the proper number of reps. I always tend to be very conservative when it comes to legs, as certain exercises such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts tend to cause delayed soreness due to the movement patterns of the exercise. Adding load the first workout is not recommended unless you are an experienced lifter to these movements. Not being able to walk 24-36 hours after a leg workout is not fun.
For example: If you are to do free squats and can do 12 reps without much effort, try adding 10lbs (two 5lbs dumbbells in each hand) and then do another 12 reps. Holding one dumbbell is always an option; one 10lbs dumbbell or if you are increasing from there a 15lbs dumbbell such that your form for the squat (or other exercise) is not compromised. That way you are not doubling the weight and have more of a gradual increase in weight.
Again if you are losing form drop back the weight. The goal here is to achieve the desired number of reps with good form.
How do I know when to increase the weight?
Once you can get all reps, and sets achieved in your program, and you feel strong you might be able to increase the weight.
It is the called the 2 for 2 rule.
The rule of thumb as given by the NSCA Strength and Conditioning guidelines, is if you can get 2 extra reps, on your final set for an exercise for 2 workouts in a row – you are ready to increase the weight.
These are, of course, general recommendations. Your current fitness level will determine how much to increase the weight. Staying conservative always allows for proper technique to be maintained, and a safe increase in weight.
Happy training,
A.
Food Trackers
Online food trackers are a great way to track your exercise, calories and macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates and fat. If you log all your foods for a couple of days, you might realize that you are eating much more than expected, and learn the difference in portion sizes. It is a simply way to keep on track and see where any pitfalls in the nutrition might be inhibiting you from achieving your goals.
A good program should have a huge database of foods, and make it easy to put in the foods and adjust their quantities. It should allow you to adjust the macros, and calculate for you how many calories (or macros) you have left for the day.
Each program listed allows you to set up your profile, input foods, and other foods and brands that might not be listed in their database. You can track your progress with your measures, and put in your daily food log activity. Most food tracker programs do come with mobile apps that allow you to use your profile log in information and track your progress on your phone.
Calorie King – This is the program that I have been using for the last few years. User friendly and easy, but it will cost you either monthly, yearly or you buy the program. If you buy the program you are able to create more than one profile. They offer a week trial of the program before buying which is a good draw. This online program in which you set up your profile you just have to enter the food, the amount and the calculations are done for you. In order to switch up the macros (as the program will give you a recommendation), you simply put in your own macros. Not a lot of scrolling around the page either. Just the basics, laid out into meals and snacks, and easy to read. Their monthly and annual memberships offer more perks than just entering foods, such as meal plans, their online community , success stories, and articles to help keep you on track for the long haul.
My Fitness Pal – The big draw for me to this tracker has an amazing feature where you can scan a product’s UPC code directly into the database, getting all it nutritional info into your log. This eliminates the time it would take to put in the pro, carbs, fat, calories and any other nutrient that you are tracking. I use it mainly on my phone, but setting up the macros, can be done through your computer. Similar to Calorie King it is organized into meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks). It also saves food that you use often so that you don’t have to look for them every time you enter your foods.
Fit Day – They have a free online tracker that you can use or you can purchase a yearly upgrade membership which entitles you to more premium features. I do not know what the premium features give you in terms of options, but just with the regular fit day I was clicking all over the place to find out how to adjust my macros. I did find it; but it took a bit longer than I would have liked. It does have a good journalling section, and you can even attach emotions to your eating habits for that day. I can see that the program offers a lot of information but the free version is quite a busy page, and I had trouble navigating through it.
Lose it! - Lose it! has a phone app which connects to your online account on lose it.com. It is divided into meals, and snacks, and does track your calories for the days, and how much exercise you have logged. It does track the macros but you cannot go in and tell it how much protein, carbs, or fat you would like to aim for during the day. It does require a bit more logging and some math to make sure you hit your macros for the day. Losing weight and seeing a body compositional change is about calories in and calories out, but aesthetically it is about what foods those calories come from. Good for tracking calories, and macronutrient breakdown however, limitations when trying to stay within a range of protein, carbohydrates, and fat for the day.
