City Coach | Coach Cane's Blog

Master Blaster

Water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  It sounds like something MacGyver would combine with a stick of gum to disarm a nuclear device.  Unfortunately, they're actually the ingredients of the much ballyhooed Master Cleanse diet. 

In the Master Cleanse, you basically fast for 10 days, taking in only a drink made from water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  You are pretty much guaranteed to lose some weight, but in the long term, you're probably going to gain it all back, and then some.  The only calories in this brilliant concoction come from the maple syrup, which is basically just sugar.  Some claim that the lemon juice's acidic property causes it to have some cleansing properties.  The only thing that claim lacks is a shred of science.  Then comes the cayenne pepper, which pretty much just gives you the runs. Essentially, you're taking a laxative and some water.

Spending a week on such a low calorie diet will serve to significantly decrease your resting metabolic rate.  Then once you go back to eating the same calories that you did before the diet, you'll actually gain weight because of the slower metabolism.  Oops. 

As for the nonsense about some sort of detoxifying effect, let's look at commentary from Dr. Ed Zimney.  "While it is true that the body absorbs a variety of toxic materials from the environment, the important thing to understand is that either the body already has a mechanism to remove the toxins or it does not. The body uses the liver, kidneys, GI tract and the lungs to rid itself of many toxic materials. This is normal. Some toxins, however, cannot be eliminated normally because they build up in “hidden” locations such as fat tissue or within the airways (think of miner’s lung disease). Some of these toxins can be removed using highly sophisticated medical treatments, but some can’t and some people who work with certain toxic chemicals can die from this exposure. Most importantly, however, is that drinking this peppered lemonade could not in any possible way eliminate any of these toxins."

Aside from the lack of health benefits, the negative effect on your metabolism, and the dangers of malnutrition, Master Cleanse seems like a great idea.

I Want to Reactive Hyperemia You Up

As I left our Central Park workout tonight, I overheard a couple of guys coming straight from a Mensa meeting talking about biceps exercises.  One mentioned that he preferred a particular exercise because he got a great "pump".  Problem is that a good pump doesn't necessarily translate to a good workout.

Here's the story.  When a muscle contracts, the diameter of the muscle increases as the fibers shorten.  During a sufficiently intense contraction, the muscle itself presses against the blood vessel and temporarily occludes the blood flow, causing a back up of blood to that area.  When the contraction ends and the occlusion is released, the body overcompensates and sends a rush of blood to the area.  This phenomenon is technically known as reactive hyperemia, and is commonly referred to as a "pump".  When a muscle is pumped and appears bigger after an intense workout, it's because of temporary blood flow - not because the muscle itself is bigger. 

Caffeine

A friend just mentioned that one of his new year's resolutions is to give up caffeine.  That's lovely I suppose, though I don't really understand why so many people have an aversion to caffeine or feel guilty for enjoying it.

In fact, caffeine has a well-documented ergogenic effect on athletes.  During sustained, sub-maximal activities it can increase the mobilization of free fatty acids.  In other words, it makes fat more available as fuel for your workout.  In addition, it appears to decrease a motor unit's excitation threshold.  (In non-SAT words, that means that you use more muscle for a given activity, which makes the activity seem easier.) 

Blood levels peak about an hour after ingestion, though the maximum fat mobilization appears to take place after 3-4 hours, so adjust your intake accordingly.  You may also want to consider decreasing your caffeine intake for a few days before a big event, since you build a tolerance after repeated use.  Also keep in mind that caffeine does have some potential negative issues including gastrointestinal distress, insomnia, etc, and is a diuretic, so it should be used sparingly when hydration is a consideration

Caffeine tablets are available, and for those who are particularly averse to the GI issues and have a little creatiivty, there are other, more invasive means of administration.  (Please don't make me draw a picture).

Lastly, if you're worried because caffeine is on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances, consider this little conundrum.  While a cup of brewed coffee has about 125 milligrams of caffeine, and 100-300 milligrams have the greatest ergognic effect, most people would need to ingest 1000 milligrams to reach the threshold for testing positive.  (The actual test is based on urinary concentrations, so the exact amount that you'd need to take varies, but is still in excess of the amount necessary for optimal ergognic effect.)

So, eschew the coffee, tea, cola and chocolate if it'll make you feel better about yourself.  Just don't think it's gonna make you healthier. 

And By The Way, There's No Santa Claus

I'm a big fan of massage for a 
number of reasons. Massage can 
reduce muscle spasms, it can
help increase ROM, and - 
possibly most important - 
it feels really good. 

Licensed massage therapists 
are health professionals who 
are required to study anatomy, 
physiology, kinesiology, etc, 
and they deserve more respect 
than they are often given. (Can 
you imagine unlicensed physical 
therapists or chiropractors practicing in storefronts or advertising without
any state intervention the way so many "masseuses and masseurs" do in NY?)

Still, there's a statement that's constantly repeated by a lot of massage 
proponents that I've never heard defended with science. I'm often told that
massage helps promote the removal of "toxins". In fact even Massage Today
has acknowledged the lack of truth in such claims. "There's a statement, 
seemingly pervasive throughout massage education and massage books, that 
unspecified toxins accumulate in the body, and that these toxins can be 
flushed out by massage. I believe this is yet another myth that continues 
to be passed on as misinformation to massage students. This is not to 
dispute that there are very real toxins that accumulate in the body, notably persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) in fatty tissues and heavy metals in skeletal
tissues. However, these toxins are too chemically bound to their
target tissues to be significantly liberated by the mechanical motions
of massage."

I also hear about massage promoting lactic acid removal. As previously 
discussed, lactic acid is not the culprit in delayed onset muscle soreness
- but even if it was, I know of no science supporting the claim that massage
can reduce lactic acid. A study published in the International Journal 
of Sports Medicine that examined massage vs. active recovery vs. passive 
recovery from exercise quickly debunks that myth. "Analysis of lactate 
values indicated no remarkable difference between massage and a passive type of sitting recovery period. It was
observed that in short term massage recovery, more oxygen was consumed
as compared to a passive type of sitting recovery. It is concluded
from the study that the short term body massage is ineffective in
enhancing the lactate removal and that an active type of recovery is
the best modality for enhancing lactate removal after exercise."

A Sore Point

If I had a nickel for every runner that told me they were sore due to lactic acid...let's just say I'd be sore from carrying a lot of nickels.  The only thing that could cause more misinformation about lactic acid would be a good internet rumor.  ("A friend told me that his buddy saw lactic acid at a mosque and he wasn't wearing an American flag pin.")

Here's a basic primer on lactic acid. Lactic acid is a strong acid, and when it's produced in the muscle cell it quickly loses a proton and becomes lactate. Lactate - not lactic acid - is what accumulates in the blood.  Lactate has a short half-life, which means that even after a brutal workout or race, your blood lactate level return to near resting levels within 30-45 minutes. An active cooldown can help facilitate this process (and prevent blood from pooling in your legs), but even if you skip the cooldown, lactate levels will rapidly decrease.  In fact, lactate can be used by your body as fuel, so it's far from the evil enemy that many folks make it out to be.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to pain and soreness that occurs 24-48 hours after exercise.  DOMS is typically due to micrposcopic muscle damage that takes place.  The eccentric (or negative) phase of an exercise (i.e. when you lower a weight or when you land while running) contributes more than its fair share to this soreness.  Localized edema and pain can often be relieved by applying ice to the affected area.  Praying to the lactic acid gods will have little or benefit.

When Comedy Isn't a Joke

I was just alerted me to this video from Crossfit Endurance. I could hardly control my laughter and was about to forward it to all my friends with the subject line ROTFLMAO, when I realized that it wasn't a joke.  For those of you who can't be bothered to click through to watch and read, here's a summary of what you're missing. 

The website shows three elite endurance athletes - Haile Gebrselassie (the greatest distance runner ever), Paula Newby Fraser (the most accomplished female triathlete ever) and Pam Reed (winner of the Badwater Ultra, and multiple world record holder) - and contrasts their appearance with that of a single Cross Fit athlete who is apparently their senior, but looks younger and healthier.  They blame the appearance of the world class athletes on "oxidative stress", ignoring a couple of minor technicalities.  Geb was born and raised in Ethiopia - a country at altitude with a tropical climate.  Pam Reed lives in Tucson and refuses to wear sunblock.   Newby Fraser also spent countless hours training in the sun, and presumably didn't always take good care of her skin.   Despite all this, CFE claims that all the training and the associated oxidative stress is why these athletes look the way they do.   Are the geniuses at Cross Fit aware of the concept of a confounding variable?  Let's make it simple for them.  Over the last few weeks I've lost some weight, and the stock market has dipped.  That doesn't mean that there's a causal relationship.  If I make a few extra visits to Krispy Kreme does Crossfit think that our economy will rebound?  (I'm happy to try it as a public service.)

The video gets even funnier.  The speaker says "Ryan Hall is doing 100-110 mile weeks, last I've heard on a report.... I would never in a million years have an athlete doing that. Not anymore."  Considering that Hall is an Olympian, a sub 60:00 half marathoner and 2:06 marathoner, it seems odd that anyone would hold him up as an example of what not to do, yet this comedian CFE spokesman does. 

There's no doubt that Cross Fit workouts are hard.  There is doubt that they're safe.  There is doubt that they're effective.  (CF and CFE have no peer reviewed science to support any of their claims that their methods are any more effective than more conventional means, and it's important to note that just because a workout is hard, it does not mean that it's good at anything other than making you better at doing the workouts.)  More to the point, it's interesting that CFE would take four of the world's greatest athletes and hold them up as an example of what not to aspire to.  Apparently Cross Fit is only concerned with aesthetics, and performance is irrelevant.  Winning a race isn't important.  Setting a world record or winning a gold medal isn't important.  Having show muscles and smooth skin when you finally cross the line - that's important.  Hilarious. 

Mythbusters - City Coach Edition

Anyone who has spent more than 15 seconds in a gym with me knows how much I hate the many myths and misconceptions about exercise that are perpetuated through esteemed publications like Men's Health (a/k/a Cosmo for Boys) and Muscle & Fitness (a/k/a Muscle & Fiction).  While I can't do an experiment to see if a Chevy with a rocket engine can get airborne or if Pop Rocks and soda will make your tummy explode like the TV Mythbusters do, I will begin to shine the light on some of the biggest nonsense that goes around the fitness world.  In the future, we'll address circuit training, heavy weights - low reps vs light weights - high reps, "specificity", plyometrics and explosive training, and lots more topics.  For now, since we're nearing the off-season and it's time to hit the weight room, I figured I'd start there.

Back in my days as a personal trainer, the most common apprehension I'd hear from women was that they didn't want to look like the freak on the cover of a bodybuilding magazine.   This ignored the fact that these women were genetically blessed (or cursed depending on your POV), have spent countless hours in the weight room for years and years, and in most cases are more heavily medicated than your average thoroughbred racehorse.  Unless you have the testosterone level of a champion bodybuilder you probably don't have to worry.  In other words, hitting the weight room 2-3x/week isn't going to force the average weekend warrior to get a new wardrobe to accomodate your "guns" any more than running on a treadmill a few times a week will have them breaking the tape at the 2009 NYC Marathon. 

Fortunately, most athletes can reap the benefits of increased strength without any significant muscle mass increases to weigh us down when racing.  For endurance athletes, the most significant benefit to added strength is related to injury prevention, as well as recovery after an injury or crash.  By addressing muscle weakness and imbalances in the off-season, an endurance athlete can perform better, and help stay injury free during the racing season.

Next up - will covering your bike with aluminum foil make it invisible to speed radar guns?