FitBits
October 15, 2007
Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Chris Marino, MS, CSCS
Director of Education, Exercise ETC
Creatine Supplementation Increases Muscle Mass in Older Adults
"Sarcopenia" is to muscle as "osteoporosis" is to bone. The age-associated decline in muscle mass becomes pathological when it reaches 2 standard deviations below the average peak muscle mass that is attained at around the age of 30. It’s estimated that functional impairment due to sarcopenia affects a quarter of adults over age 75.
Although resistance exercise is the best method for increasing lean mass across all age groups, gains in lean mass are dependent on hormones, such as testosterone, which facilitate anabolic activity. Levels of anabolic hormones are substantially lower in older adults than in younger adults, thereby delaying increases in muscle hypertrophy that would occur with resistance exercise alone. Due to the urgency presented by conditions such as sarcopenia, researchers are seeking alternative ways to augment the effects of resistance exercise on muscle hypertrophy in older adults. Creatine may be one such alternative.
A recent study assessed whether creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid would increase lean body mass, decrease fat mass, and increase strength when used in combination with resistance exercise in older adults. Thirty-nine men and women between the ages of 65 and 85 participated in 6 months of resistance training while supplementing with creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid. Researchers measured muscle strength & endurance, a variety of performance-based tasks, body composition and other markers.
The results were positive. Although resistance exercise alone improved functional capacity and strength, greater improvement in endurance, strength and lean mass as well as lower fat mass, were observed in the creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid group. In this study, the combination of creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid did effectively augment the increase in lean mass associated with resistance exercise.
It's important to note that this is the first known study to evaluate use of creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid along with resistance exercise in the older adult population, and that further studies should be published before any recommendations can be made to the public. As always, fitness professionals should use caution before recommending nutrition supplements to clients, and any client wanting to use any supplement should be advised to speak with a registered dietitian or a physician first.
Tarnopolsky, M. (2007) Creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid improve strength and body composition following resistance exercise in older adults. PLoS ONE. 2(10): 991.
Can Static Stretching Actually Improve Performance?
Static stretching has become quite controversial in performance training over the past decade. Research has reported that there are no apparent injury reduction benefits for pre-exercise stretching and some speculate that static stretching could actually increase injuries in sports that are explosive in nature because of decreased force potential in a muscle that's been stretched for as little as 15 seconds. Interestingly, a recent study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise now suggests that de-conditioned populations may experience performance gains with static stretching alone.
Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to stretching and control groups. The stretching group participated in lower-extremity static stretching 3 days per week for 40-minutes over 10 weeks. No other exercise activities were permitting during this period. Researchers assessed flexibility, explosive power via 20-meter sprint, standing long jump and vertical jump, strength via 1RM testing for knee flexion and extension, and strength endurance via total repetitions at 60% 1RM in knee flexion and extension.
Although flexibility did improve 18% over the course of the study, what surprised researchers was the significant increase in performance measures. Among tests of power, standing long jump, vertical jump, and 20-meter sprint participants all improved. Strength improved 15.3% for knee flexion and 32.4% for knee extension, whereas knee flexion endurance and knee extension endurance increased 30.4% and 28.5%, respectively. Controls showed no improvement in any of the variables assessed.
The results of this study indicate that static stretching might benefit individuals who are not capable of participating in a traditional exercise program. This may explain some of the perceived strength benefits attained when a deconditioned individual starts a yoga program. Athletes and other well-conditioned populations are not expected to see similar benefits.
Kokkonen, J. et al (2007) Chronic static stretching improves exercise performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 39(10): 1825-31.
Is Soy Protein As Effective as Whey Protein?
The combination of resistance exercise and adequate protein intake is essential for increasing lean body mass. Although optimal protein sources are derived from whole foods, supplemental protein is popular because it is convenient and effective in providing the essential amino acids necessary for building muscle. Supplemental proteins are typically divided into two categories: soy products and milk-based (whey and casein).
Soy foods contain phytoestrogens or isoflavones, which are found to both promote and inhibit estrogenic activity. This may deter individuals from using soy-based proteins because an increase in estrogen results in reduced testosterone production. Milk proteins contain a greater number of BCAA (branch-chain amino acids) when compared to soy. BCAA’s, including leucine, isoleucine and valine have been found to have important properties in muscle hypertrophy. Unfortunately, research directly comparing the two types of protein and their effects on hypertrophy is lacking... until now.
Researchers had twenty participants ingest 50g of either Soy concentrate, Soy isolate, Soy Isolate with Whey Blend, or a Whey Blend only while on a 12-week resistance training program. Twenty-five grams were taken with 10-12 oz of water within 1 hour of resistance training. An additional 25g was ingested later during the day. Pre- and post-measures of body composition, testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG in addition to total cholesterol, LDL, and glucose were evaluated.
Interestingly, all protein sources were equally effective at increasing lean body mass. The testosterone/estradiol ratio was increased in all groups while estradiol decreased. The greatest increase in testosterone/estradiol was found in the soy isolate + whey blend group, while estradiol was lowest in the whey blend group.
In actuality, most manufacturers use a combination of milk and soy-based proteins in their products. The researchers speculate that reductions in testosterone as a result of soy proteins may be dose dependent and that the smaller amounts in mixed protein powders is not sufficient to cause androgens to decline. There was no decline in testosterone in any of the groups in this study.
It's important to note that the sponsors of this study included The Solae Company, which is a major manufacturer of Soy-based products. The impact of their contribution to the published results cannot be ascertained.
Kalman, D. et al (2007) Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 4(1): 4
Low Bone Mass Common in Women Runners
Weight-bearing activities are known to promote increased bone mineral density (BMD), especially in women under 30. Therefore, it would be logical to conclude that the impact-nature of running would improve BMD. A recent study, however, found that intercollegiate female runners have the lowest bone mineral density (BMD) than athletes in other sports.
Researchers at Michigan State University collected data from 99 female NCAA division 1 athletes in 12 sports and compared BMD values controlling for body mass and menstrual dysfunction. Compared to all other sports, runners had lower total BMD and BMD at the pelvis and lumbar spine. Although not significantly different from runners, swimmers presented with lowest BMD in the legs.
If running is an intense weight-bearing activity that should increase BMD, what factors are voiding the projected gains? The researchers speculate that calorie intakes in female runners may be insufficient relative to the costs of higher volumes of training. They also cite the possibility of a high incidence of eating disorders and low calcium intake in long-distance runners.
The results of this study should encourage athletic trainers to be aware of the concerns for stress fractures and bone injuries in this population. Coaches and parents should address psycho-social factors that are contributing to undereating while emphasizing the need to prevent osteoporosis in youth.
Mudd, L.M., et al (2007) Bone Mineral Density in Collegiate Female Athletes: Comparisons among Sports. Journal of Athletic Training. 42(3):403-408
Dharma Quote of the Week
Just as your innermost wish is to be free from suffering and to abide in happiness, so too is it the aspiration of all other beings. But, they, like you, encounter sufferings and problems in their lives, and often their difficulties are much worse than your own. Examine your capacity to help them. At this time your ability to help them is quite limited, but if you reduce your own ignorance, anger, attachment, and other faults, and increase your good qualities such as generosity, patience, loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, you will be of greater benefit. If you become fully enlightened, you will be of the greatest possible benefit to all beings. Thus generate the altruistic intention to become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings most effectively.
~ From Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path by Thubten Chodron, foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama, published by Snow Lion Publications.
Dalai Lama Quote of the Week
We can see that there are many ways in which we actively contribute to our own experience of mental unrest and suffering. Although, in general, mental and emotional afflictions themselves can come naturally, often it is our own reinforcement of those negative emotions that makes them so much worse. For instance when we have anger or hatred towards a person, there is less likelihood of its developing to a very intense degree if we leave it unattended. However, if we think about the projected injustices done to us, the ways in which we have been unfairly treated, and we keep on thinking about them over and over, then that feeds the hatred. It makes the hatred very powerful and intense. Of course, the same can apply to when we have an attachment towards a particular person; we can feed that by thinking about how beautiful he or she is, and as we keep thinking about the projected qualities that we see in the person, the attachment becomes more and more intense. But this shows how through constant familiarity and thinking, we ourselves can make our emotions more intense and powerful.
We also often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, overreacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally. We tend to take small things too seriously and blow them up out of proportion, while at the same time we often remain indifferent to the really important things, those things which have profound effects on our lives and long-term consequences and implications.
So I think that to a large extent, whether you suffer depends on how you respond to a given situation.
~ From The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
For three decades Vice President Dick Cheney conducted a secretive, behind-closed-doors campaign to give the president virtually unlimited wartime power. Finally, in the aftermath of 9/11, the Justice Department and the White House made a number of controversial legal decisions. Orchestrated by Cheney and his lawyer David Addington, the department interpreted executive power in an expansive and extraordinary way, granting President George W. Bush the power to detain, interrogate, torture, wiretap and spy -- without congressional approval or judicial review.
This unique Korean film explores the relationship between an elderly Zen master, an orphaned boy, and a young monk named Ki Bong.
With little time left before his impending death, Master Hyegok teaches his two students all he knows about Zen Buddhism, which he has devoted his life to.
In order to learn, both Ki Bong and the orphan Hae Jin must face and overcome their feelings of guilt for past deeds. Ki Bong left behind his blind mother and family when he came to the monastery; Hae Jin accidentally caused the death of a bird.
After the old man's death, the monk and the orphan attempt to use their master's teachings to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Again and again, the film finds visual analogues for the oneness of the universe and the enlightenment to be found through the renunciation of earthly desires. In gazing into the physical world with a fixity, clarity and depth rarely found in the cinema, "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" goes about as far as a film can go in conjuring a meditative state.
True Freedom Is an Inward State of Being
Morality as taught by way of rules is extremely powerful and valuable in the development of practice. It must be remembered that it, like all the techniques in meditation, is merely a tool to enable one to eventually get to that place of unselfishness where morality and wisdom flow naturally. In the West, there's a myth that freedom means free expression--that to follow all desires wherever they take one is true freedom. In fact, as one serves the mind, one sees that following desires, attractions, repulsions is not at all freedom, but is a kind of bondage. A mind filled with desires and grasping inevitably entails great suffering. Freedom is not to be gained through the ability to perform certain external actions. True freedom is an inward state of being. Once it is attained, no situation in the world can bind one or limit one's freedom. It is in this context that we must understand moral precepts and moral rules.
~ Jack Kornfield, Living Dharma; from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
So what does it mean to be a progressive in 2007? What do we stand for? What do we believe in?
The extraordinary buzz surrounding Matt Bai’s new book, The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics, has brought these issues to the surface in a way that almost nothing else has in recent years. Yet, rather than help bring clarity to the debates within the movement, Bai only adds to the confusion.
By any measure, Bai, The New York Times Magazine’s leading political journalist, has written an entertaining narrative that combines serious analysis with an often rollicking mix of humor and political gossip. In doing so, he provides readers with a rare and fascinating inside view into some of the key players in the blogosphere, the leadership of the Democratic Party and the secretive world of the multimillionaires and billionaires who are bankrolling many of the left’s most important organizations.
The author tells us that over the past three years, he “set out across the country to find the places where this nascent [progressive] movement was coalescing and to trace its arc.” He then goes on to explain the significance of the book’s title: “The movement that dominates the next generation of American politics will be the one … that articulates some new and persuasive argument for how we meet the future.”
Bai’s quest to see if anyone or any organization has come up with “the argument” (or as he also characterizes it, “new ideas” and/or “one big idea”), seems to be based on a silver-bullet theory of social change. As such, many readers will find Bai’s near-obsessive search for “the argument” to be a one-dimensional way of analyzing what is a complex, multilayered process.
Entire Precinct Made Up Of Loose Cannons
LOS ANGELES—Thirty-four lone-wolf detectives and beat officers from Los Angeles' 77th Police Precinct received unpaid three-month suspensions Monday for unprofessional and insubordinate conduct that their chief said he's tolerated for the "last goddamn time."
Enlarge ImageDetective Roger "Apeshit" McAdams is one of the 34 loose cannons, screwballs, head cases, and real grade-A hard-asses recently suspended from active duty at Los Angeles' 77th Precinct.
The police officers have been subjected to scathing public criticism over the years for their tendency to play by their own rules, which include refusing to obtain warrants, beating up junkies to extract information, and hurling corrupt city officials through plate-glass windows on more than 60 occasions.
"I called those sons of bitches into my office one by one and made them hand over their badges and guns," Los Angeles Police Department chief William J. Bratton said. "I know deep down that McCluskey's a good man, but he needs to shape up or ship out. Same goes for Conroy, McAdams, Peterman, Black, Grimwald, Tobias, Keating, and McAllister."
"Also Cobb, Williams, Miller, Sanchez, Rutgers, Grodinger, Spencer, Smith, Anderson, Garcia, Walker, Thompson, Nelson, Collins, Ellroy, Morris, Coleman, Gibson, Payne, Matthews, Gonzalez, Jacobs, Hoffman, Walters, and Hopkins," Bratton added.
Although the precinct has boasted a 100 percent arrest rate since 1988, fewer than 2 percent of the indicted offenders have gone to trial, since the vast majority of drug dealers, child molesters, and serial killers investigated by the 77th Precinct have died or disappeared before their court dates. The 34 officers have caused an estimated $98 million in property damage over two decades, and the LAPD has reportedly received 1,239 citizen complaints about their conduct this summer alone. In addition, each of the suspended officers has suffered nonfatal bullet wounds to the left shoulder.
Despite their many infractions, precinct commander Thomas Henderson defended the officers as "the best damn men on the whole force."
Enlarge ImageDetective Sonny "Mad Dog" Grodinger
"I don't always necessarily agree with their cockeyed methods, but, I've got to admit, they get results," Henderson said. "And they save the department thousands in chair costs by sitting on the corners of their desks."
The suspensions leave the 77th Precinct virtually depleted of staff. The shortage is compounded by the recent tragic loss of the 34 suspended officers' partners, who were reportedly gunned down in warehouses across the city while doing something brave.
According to internal affairs investigator Lee Birk, the officers have not filed a single police report in 10 years, routinely shoot out the tires of double-parked cars, and have punched out 232 paid police informants who, they later explained, made them "want to puke."
"They destroyed every single squad car and helicopter in the department and ruined the annual policeman's ball more than once," Birk said. "If they didn't prevent the terrorists from blowing up City Hall, they would have all been out on their collective asses."
The officers' darkest moment reportedly came in November 1992, when they shot and killed three dozen children who darted out of a dark alley holding toy guns. Following the incident, Henderson traveled to the San Pedro, CA marina where all 34 officers docked their houseboats. He found them passed out with bottles of Wild Turkey in their left hands and .44-caliber Magnum handguns in their right.
"I dragged every one of those sorry bastards into the shower myself, brewed 28 gallons of coffee, and made them drink it. By the time I was done, it was 3 a.m. and I was completely exhausted, but I got them back on the right track," Henderson said.
City Council candidate Bernard Lawry angrily condemned the rogue officers during a speech at a fundraiser at the Getty Center Monday evening.
"These men are a scourge on our society, and there is no place for this kind of behavior," Lawry said.
Seconds later, the suspended detectives burst into the room, exposed Lawry as the ringleader of an underground child prostitution ring, and escorted him to an awaiting police van in 34 pairs of handcuffs.
For their role in apprehending Lawry, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa rewarded the officers with a mass promotion to police lieutenant. But in the ceremony at City Hall Tuesday, the officers all turned down their promotions by simultaneously throwing their lieutenant's bars to the ground.
"Get that damn thing out of my face," Detective Bruce Walker said as he and his 33 colleagues shoved TV news cameras out of their way. "I've got work to do."
In Tibet today there are over 7.5 million non-Tibetan settlers including Chinese and Hui Muslims while Tibetans inside Tibet comprise only six million. The increasing Chinese population transfer into Tibet has reduced the Tibetan people to a minority group in their own land. The marginalisation of the Tibetan people has resulted in exertion of Chinese control in all spheres of economic, social and political life.
Sacred Spaces is an abstract animated work of contemplative video art. Abstract forms evoke crystalline vaults, temple arches, radiant passages ranging into infinity - sacred forms that defy description. This heavenly journey through luminous spaces transports the viewer through ever-evolving forms of imagination. The movements in Sacred Spaces emulate the motion of consciousness itself, steadily arising as form upon form, in an endlesssly shifting pageant of radiant exposition. From the Luminous Dimensions DVD by Michael DuBois, For more, visit http://www.luminousdimensions.com
