Mark J. Tallon

Real Nutrition: Part III
Bringing Together THE TOTAL PACKAGE...for a Lean, Healthy, More Energetic Body

—By Mark J. Tallon, Clinical Reviews Editor

Piecing together the fitness puzzle CANNOT be achieved by simply taking one supplement and expecting miracles, nor can you take your body to the extremes of training in the gym for hours upon hours, or expect the "ordinary" dietary practices used by the sedentary population to fit your muscle-building and fat-burning needs.

To unleash your genetic, physiological, and even your psychological potential, you must devise a "smart" system of training along with "smart" nutritional habits and "smart" mind-set techniques that will allow you to reach your greatest aspirations. As much as bad habits can be damaging to health and state of mind, structured, attainable, and healthy lifestyle habits can do wonders for your confidence as well as your physique.

In this final part of the Real Nutrition series, we'll take a look at what, how, and which system will work best for you when it comes to training, nutrition, and mindset.

Beyond the Food Pyramid

The USDA food pyramid is an impossible dream of providing one system that will fit everyone's needs. How is it even conceivable that someone could create a system that can provide the nutritional needs for both men and women of all ages and activity levels? Let's pose the question this way, "Is Grandpa Joe, an 85-year-old with arthritis, who's been confined to his bed for the last few months awaiting a hip replacement, comparable to a six-day-a-week hard-training 200+ lb bodybuilder?" Eh, no. Yet the government will avidly defend the "one-size-fits-all" pyramid at all costs.

Or look at the nutrition industry: we have X, Y, and Z experts all touting their new must-have book with all the answers to nutrition, yet there is no doubt we have subsections even within the fitness and bodybuilding training community. We don't all work out six to seven times a week for two hours at a go. (Thank goodness!) In fact, some of us may train only three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. For this reason, diet has to be specific for each of us!

Next Level Nutrition: A Real Guide!

OK, enough of my ramblings and back to the science! As I said, strict rules and a definitive meal plan is impossible on a mass scale, but what is possible is a set of pointers and tips to at least help you stay on the right path.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are currently the flavor of the month following a study suggesting that high carbs are the key to fat loss. However, I have seen this all before, and when you look at the bottom of the current food pyramid, it is packed with refined high-glycemic carbs such as breads and cereals with enough sugar to give you an insulin rush you may never wake up from. I suggest going for unrefined carbs, and if bread is your weakness, like it is for me, go for brown, whole-grain bread, but limit your intake; the same goes for rice.

Protein

Protein-containing foods are grouped pretty much together and make little relevant distinction between meats, fish, nuts, eggs, and beans. The biggest criticism has got to be within the meats grouping, as how can you say skinless meats are equivalent to dark meats, which have a much higher fat content?

Your protein source should be selected from skinless meat cuts, lean read meat in moderation, and fish with a high content of beneficial oils (e.g., tuna or salmon).

Fats

This has got to be the worst part of the whole pyramid, as there is no differentiation between "good" and so-called bad "fats." Are all fats equal? No way! Then why are they grouped like they are?

Anyway, try to include within your regular diet higher levels of unsaturated fats, such as flax oil, fish oils, olive oil, avocados, and peanut butter. Limit saturated fats, like animal fats, butter, lard, red meat, cheese, cream, and milk. And avoid fats containing damaging saturated trans fats—the only way to avoid trans fats is to study food labels carefully and avoid foods that include "hydrogenated fat" and "partially hydrogenated fat."

Micronutrients

Micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, can have powerful effects on health and well-being as well as performance and recovery. As far as intake, you should take in as much vegetables and fruit as you can, but you will still need to supplement vitamin intake for some performance and health benefits.

Suggested supplementation outside of a multi-vitamin/mineral should include Vitamin E rather than C if you have to choose, as Vitamin C can be synthesized very easily by other nutrients in the body in a process known a redox cycling. Vitamin E, however, can't.

But, for those focused on muscle anabolism (build-up), try taking 1.5 grams of Vitamin C when you first wake as cortisol (a muscle-destroying hormone) levels are at their peak at this time, and supplementing with Vitamin C is an excellent way to suppress these high cortisol levels, making the physiological environment more favorable for growth and recovery.

Supplementation

There is no doubt that supplementation is a prime factor in your dietary program. So what's vital and what's not? Well, I hate giving the standard answer, as I know many of you will be tuning in for a "secret," but the truth is a top-notch protein powder is still the topper. For more suggestions, please read Parts I and II of this series.

Gym Time: What's Right for You?

What is the best time to train? For how long? How many times a week? What time of the day? When am I overtraining? These and many other pertinent questions are asked of all physiologists as well as regular gym goers.

Let me just open with some simple info. Yes, there are hundreds of methods out there when it comes to routine design and methods. Some based on rep speed or rep number, some on partials, drop sets, negatives, stretching... the list is endless, but they all have one thing in common: "PROGRESSION." Without continually stressing the muscle above and beyond its capabilities, it simply will not respond in strength or size. This simple key has really been made into a complex issue by many who just don't understand the fundamentals of muscle morphology.

Muscle is a simple tissue in respects to increasing strength and size—although some will respond faster and some slower—as long as you PROGRESSIVELY increase weight, sets, or reps used and consume adequate nutrients at the right times. If you follow this simple plan, then there must be adaptation on some level. The "repeated bout effect" is a process that occurs when you exercise a muscle and then repeat the exercise a few days later. The outcome is the muscle damage is always smaller in the second training session, giving a clear indication adaptation has occurred within the muscle.

What is the best time to train?

This is a great question, although obviously a little open, so I will try to answer it from a few angles. It starts with knowing your goal: fat loss or muscle building? I understand many of you will be after both, but let's start with the simple ones.

If your primary goal is fat loss, then there is no doubt first thing in the morning is the most effective time to train as muscle glycogen and blood glucose are low, helping you rely more on fats as a source of your energy.

I currently train at Gold's in Tokyo, and I see countless numbers of people carrying around bottles with carbohydrate-based drinks in the morning. What most of these folks don't know is that consuming these drinks is one of the best ways to suppress fat loss. Are your cheeks getting rosy because these comments are hitting home? There's an easy fix! Simply switch your morning drink to water.

If your goal is muscle building only, then mid-afternoon is the best time to train. I know many will have work commitments that prevent this, but this is when we see low cortisol and peak testosterone levels. So at this point in the day, we can really crank up those poundages.

What about the combo "fat loss and muscle gain"? This really isn't difficult to optimize if you split your training to either 1) Cardio work in the morning and weights mid-day and evening, or 2) Split your cardio and weights sessions to occur on alternate days.

I have received a few emails from people who claim to have two plus hour "marathon" training sessions of weights and cardio, but the truth is they can really cancel each other out. (Which probably explains why these emails are usually asking why they aren't seeing any real gains.) The simplest way to explain it without getting too technical (my usual way) is that the two systems (aerobic and anaerobic) involved in energy production use different enzyme systems and muscle fibers that will compete for the adaptive response when it comes to nutrient uptake for recovery and associated enzyme enhancement; e.g., which system gets the protein? So the take home is to split the type of exercise to maximize your gains.

For How Long? What Intensity?

Again, if you are looking for fat loss, your measures will be different than for muscle gain.

For fat loss, you're going to need an intensity of around 70% max heart rate. Although you will be able to burn more fat in terms of total caloric expenditure at higher work intensities, you will become exhausted very fast. Regarding the time issue, when it comes to cardio work, the longer you work, the more calories you burn. Personally, I still would never take a cardio session over an hour.

For weight-gaining sessions, there is a similar time constraint, as there is no doubt sessions extending over an hour, if you are primarily a resistance training athlete, will lead to overtraining symptoms in addition to a real resentment to the gym.

How Many Times a Week?

Again, check in on your goal. For fat loss, three to six days a week, depending on your time schedule, is sufficient, and weight/resistance work, you'll need no more than four sessions per week.

When Am I Overtraining?

Although many of you will read in fitness magazines about being overtrained, how it is used (in context) is actually a misnomer. Overtraining is not simply a few too many reps or sets. What they are really taking about is overreaching (OR), which can be characterized by an unexpected drop in performance despite increased training load, which may lead to the overtraining syndrome (OTS), a complex state of exhaustion and persistent fatigue. OTS is really like chronic fatigue. Never mind a loss in gains—you'll be lucky to be able to walk from your car to your doorstep.

OK, categorization out of the way, let's get back to distinguishing between well-trained, overreached (OR), and overtrained (OT) athletes. Here are a few symptoms to check for regarding overreaching:

1. Decrease in the maximum heart rate
2. Deterioration of the mood state and typical subjective complaints ("heavy legs," sleep disorders, etc.)
3. Decrease in volume and/or intensity during training
4. Loss of appetite

There are a host of histological and biochemical markers used to assess overreaching/overtraining, but they will be inaccessible to the wide majority. So, these are just a very few signs and symptoms that could show up consistently during training (that you can look out for), say, over a two- to three-week period (not just one session). This is the time to know when you need to back down on the total volume of your training, whether cutting out sets and/or reducing your number of training days. There are obviously dietary considerations, such as anemia that can account for these symptoms, but I am basing the above on the assumption that you're following a fairly good daily dietary intake.

It's All Up to You...

One of the most important and under-exposed attributes to any exercise program is ADHERENCE. Yes, the ability to stick with and carry out a new and challenging lifestyle change. Did you know 50% of those who begin an exercise program drop out within six months? Fortunately, there are methods to help prevent you from falling into this group.

Here are my top six:

1. Choose the most convenient time to exercise with the least distractions.
2. Include activities you enjoy.
3. Take advantage of social support. Find an exercise partner, hire a personal trainer, or exercise in a group setting. A training partner or exercise instructor can provide feedback, assistance, and motivation. Participate in physical activities with your spouse, family, or friends.
4. Monitor your progress. Record your activity and progress in an exercise diary or log.
5. Gradually increase the duration and intensity of your exercise. I have found over the years that although we all start out crazy keen, in the end, we need to settle into a fun yet structured way of training. There are numerous studies showing that increasing intensity and/or your time training too soon can increase drop out, so choose realistic increases in your training progression.
   "REMEMBER, CHANGING YOUR BODY IS NOT A RACE: IT'S FOR LIFE"

   There is no doubt that home life and work commitments will impact your training program, so pick a time when you know you can train every day!

6. Take a picture. Don't get bogged down with weighing yourself as it's never a true reflection of how much you have changed. Use photos, how your clothes fit, bodyfat levels, or a tape measure for a more accurate assessment.

As easy as 1-2-3...

So here we are at the end of our three-part series. I hope the info I have provided over the last few months has expanded your knowledge and given you some REAL SOLUTIONS for enhancing your diet, training, and even your mind. The cutting-edge answers are here for you in plain English with take-home messages, making getting from A to B in your search for a better body easier and more effective. Be sure to stay tuned into REAL SOLUTIONS (online and hard copy) for the best guides for advanced and applied nutritional and training solutions. You keep reading, and I'll do my best to keep you at the forefront of physique enhancement!

• Next Article: "Women's Health—Female Athlete Triad"
• Back to Issue 30 Table of Contents

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