How big are your lungs?

Hi, friends. I've had a longer than intended lag in posting, due in part to a nasty bout of cold/flu/bronchitis that has waxed and waned for several weeks now. If you're in a similar boat, remember to progress gradually to your pre-illness routine. Taking off a week or so from training once in awhile won't hurt you, but much more than that can erode your strength and endurance. Don't try to get it back all at once!

Now to the main topic. According to a study by Dr. Dean Ward, lung capacity is the single best predictor of longevity ("Biological Aging Measurement - Clinical Applications." Center for Bio-Gerontology, Los Angeles, 1988). By age 50, most people have lost 40% of their lung capacity. When lung volume decreases, oxygenation drops, the immune system weakens and the stage is set for disease. With increased lung volume, you're stronger and have greater physical endurance. Moreover, the mind is sharper and memory improves.

So how do you increase lung capacity? The most direct and powerful way is with short stints of anaerobic training. That means sprint intervals, rather than jogging or traditional "cardio." After a gradual warmup of five minutes or so, do some high-intensity, whole-body activity (e.g., sprints, squats, clean and press, burpees, kettlebell swings or snatches, etc.) for 30 seconds to two minutes at a time, followed by an equal measure of rest. Repeat such intervals for a total of ten to 20 minutes, two to four times per week.

The key is intensity, not duration. Jogging, walking and the like just won't get it done. Your lung capacity, like your muscle size, will increase only when you force it to do so.

Podcast on Functional Strength and Fitness

Here's a quick update. I recently recorded a podcast with my good friend, Martin Brossman, a Raleigh, NC-based business and life coach, about my philosophy regarding fitness training, nutrition and supplementation. Here's the link:

http://inquireonline.info/health/interview-with-mike-vaio-on-longevity-fitness-training

'Til next time,

Mike

Contact: 919.844.9347 mike_vaio @yahoo.com

Continual Improvement: You’re Either Improving or Regressing

Some trainees perform the same exercises with the same weights for the same numbers of sets and repetitions, day after day, week after week. After many months of this, they are no stronger and may even observe some deterioration in their strength or overall performance. It's no wonder. The human body is one of the most magnificently adaptive organisms on the planet. Virtually any workout you devise for yourself will provide some benefits. For awhile. After about four to six weeks, however, your body has completely adapted to that workout and has essentially learned to do it while expending the least possible energy. In order to get stronger and/or fitter, therefore, your regimen must change frequently. These don't necessarily have to be complete, top-to-bottom changes; however, some ongoing tweaks need to be present.

Since I'm a proponent of short-duration, high-intensity workout regimens (hence, "Bang for the Buck Fitness"), I don't advocate that workouts become progressively longer. Obviously, that strategy could only persist for so long, anyway. Besides, if you have achieved a certain level of fitness, further compression of the rest periods between exercises is no longer feasible. What to do?

What I teach my clients is this: always be working a progression. That is, during the four- to six-week period of time that I do a particular exercise regimen, something is always progressing incrementally. Each workout may entail using a little more weight than previously, or maybe a few more reps, or maybe an additional set, or maybe a shorter rest period, or perhaps some combination of these factors. Alternatively, I may elect to "keep my body guessing" by randomly choosing from several completely different workouts. It’s also wise to build in some periodization, or cycling of intensity. If, on Day 1, you go all out, then deliberately have a more moderate workout on Day 2. Or work progressively harder for a few weeks, and then have a planned moderate week.

Often, at the end of four to six weeks, I'll completely alter my choice of exercises, the sequence in which they're done, the amount of weight used, the number of repetitions or sets, or some combination of the above. And whatever new four- to six-week regimen I invent will include working a progression of some kind.

Remember, if your regimen has gotten stale and repetitive, you're probably not maintaining your level of fitness. You're probably regressing. Do you need help designing a program to achieve your goals? Need some help keeping it interesting, fun and geared toward continual improvement? Give me a call or send me an email, and I'll design a program for you. If you’re motivated and already familiar with the basic exercises, I can design a program for you and monitor your progress via regular email, even if you live far away.

Contact Mike Vaio at 919.844.9347 or at mike_vaio@yahoo.com

“How Your Low-Fat Diet May Be Killing You”

What follows is my own synopsis of a recent article by Al Sears, MD about the importance of essential fatty acids in the diet. This synopsis is done without his permission but with full attribution. I invite you to visit Dr. Sears’ website for more of his articles, for his free newsletter and to see some of his products: http://www.alsearsmd.com/. By the way, we have no business association. I don’t make anything from what you may buy from him. I think it’s only fair to cite him when I quote him.

Background

Essential fatty acids (EFA), as the name implies, are essential to life. EFAs include omega-3s and omega-6s. As is typical in nature, balance is essential. For eons, the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in the human diet was about 2:1. In the past couple of generations, as a result of the proliferation of grain-fed beef and fish, vegetable oils and processed foods, the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in the typical American diet has risen to 20:1. These days, our diets contain way too many omega-6s and way too few omega-3s. Moreover, since the body can’t make the essential omega-3s on its own, certain unhealthful conditions have skyrocketed: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, depression, macular degeneration, skin disorders, etc.

The health “gurus” of the 1970s and ‘80s mistook the culprit in rising rates of heart disease to be red meat, because they only considered grain-fed commercial cattle, which have an unnaturally high, 20:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids. But they couldn’t explain why people in native cultures, who ate meat from grass-fed animals, had virtually no heart disease. In other words, the culprit was not the fat in the meat; it was the environment in which the meat was raised. When the cattle ate grains (an unnatural activity that changed their physiology), they lost their omega-3s. By eating their meat, we took on the same problems.

With farm-raised fish, it’s the same story. Farm-raised salmon, like grain-fed beef, have high levels of arachidonic acid, an omega-6-family fat that is highly inflammatory. And inflammation is one of the leading causes of illness and chronic disease. Inflammation has been directly linked to the following maladies:

obesity
diabetes
heart attack
chronic fatigue syndrome
allergies
age-related frailty
arthritis
cancer
depression
kidney disease
macular degeneration
periodontal disease
skin disorders
asthma
Alzheimer’s disease
atherosclerosis
congestive heart failure
dementia
inflammatory bowel disease
lupus
osteoporosis
stroke

The Benefits of Omega-3s

Supplementation with omega-3s boosts:

1- Heart health: raises HDL (“good” cholesterol) and lowers triglycerides (blood fat).
2- Joint health: eases swollen, painful joints and increases mobility and strength.
3- Bone health: reduces bone loss and improves calcium absorption and bone density.
4- Mental health: relieves anxiety, improves mood and problems with hyperactivity and attention-deficit.

What You Need To Do

1- Reduce your consumption of omega-6s, by eliminating or restricting your use of processed foods, grain-fed beef, farm-raised fish and vegetable oils. Insist on wild-caught fish and grass-fed animals. Eat real, organic produce. Use ultra virgin olive oil, instead of vegetable oils.

2- Unless you’re eating wild-caught fish several times per week, supplement your diet with fish oil capsules, available at most health food stores. Get the ones that are kept cold and store them in your refrigerator. Choose a fish oil that’s made from wild-caught small fish, and take enough to get a total of 2000 mg per day of EPA and DHA. In other words, read the label!

For a consultation or to sign up for coaching, contact Mike Vaio at 919.844.9347 or at mike_vaio@yahoo.com

FAQ, Part 1 of ?

Hello again!

Thanks to all who checked out my blog and emailed me with questions and suggestions. As I stated, this is a work in progress, and I intend frequent updates. Here are some frequently asked questions and my answers. Feel free to email or telephone me if you want to know more.

How did you come to kettlebell training and your current dietary philosophy?

I’ve been a student of health, natural wellness and fitness for many years. Some time ago, I tried to be a bodybuilder, though I wasn’t very successful at it. Yes, I got a tad big and bulky, but I was carrying lots of body fat and I wasn’t nearly as strong as I might have looked. Eventually, I wised up and realized that the images being pushed in the magazines were for a genetically gifted minority and that, even so, they required the regular use of anabolic steroids. Not a very healthy or appealing scenario. And the “training secrets” that the bodybuilding magazines touted weren’t suited to the person of average genetic potential who was not on steroids. On further reflection, I decided that even the images in the natural bodybuilding magazines, though less freakish, required a preoccupation with one’s appearance that was off-putting to me. When I discovered the “functional strength” philosophy (i.e., an extra pound of muscle earns its keep only if it makes me push or pull harder, run faster, climb farther, etc., i.e., only if it can “carry its own weight,” so to speak), I instinctively knew it was the path I wanted. That marked my goodbye to the pursuit of “Hollywood muscle” (all show and no go) and my hello to training for strength over appearance. The irony is that now (at nearly 54 years of age) I look at least as good in my skivvies as I ever did as a bodybuilder! ;-)

In recent years, there’s been a terrific amount of research into functional strength training, anaerobic training and diet, and I’ve had occasion to question and re-think much of what I thought I knew. The US obesity epidemic (including the contributions of the misguided government food pyramid and the greed of the corporate food manufacturers) has been a driving force behind much of this research and discussion. Bottom line, much of what passes for food in this country is rubbish and much of the conventional wisdom about diet and exercise is just plain wrong. And there are corporate entities making billions on the current state of affairs, hoping all the while that the public never gets wise. Those inconvenient truths form the basis of the obesity epidemic in America. I actively resist the forces of disease and obesity and enjoy helping others stand in their power to do likewise.

What’s a typical training session with a client like?

All training and dietary advice is tailored to the client’s specific needs and goals. Typically, the client wants to lose weight (i.e., fat), tone up and build strength. Women typically fear getting “too big” and both genders complain of how little time they have. By combining strength and anaerobic training into a single (typically, kettlebell) session, the client can build strength and functional muscle, lose fat and make his/her heart stronger and healthier in the amount of time it might take just to commute to and from a conventional gym.

I usually weight the client and take a waist measurement at the beginning of training, and I require a food diary, at least for the first few weeks. We meet weekly (though for more experienced clients who know the basic kettlebell exercises, coaching can be done by phone or email) and review the client’s food diary and workout log. Then we work on form on some of the basic exercises or, for more advanced clients, experiment with progressions, variations and refinements of their current regimen. I aim for a few specific, high-leverage tweaks to their diet and a solid, diverse base of consistent training. We track progress in fat loss, strength and endurance, and keep adjusting the workout to prevent staleness or burnout.

Pavel who? And where can I learn more about both Pavel and Dr. Al Sears?

Pavel Tsatsouline is a Russian Master of Sports, former trainer of Soviet Special Forces and current trainer of the US Secret Service, among other elite clients. He’s the father of American kettlebell training and a driving force in the functional strength revival. His website is http://www.dragondoor.com/. Dr. Al Sears has written extensively on anaerobic/interval training and on diet and supplementation for maintenance of a healthy heart. His website is http://www.alsearsmd.com/.

What’s a “compound” exercise?

A compound exercise is one which requires movement of more than one joint at a time. Typically, these are basic exercises that can be worked hard and heavy and that don’t require special machines, benches, etc. Such exercises are essential for building real- world strength and athleticism. Examples of Bang for the Buck compound exercises are the squat, deadlift, military press, clean and press, snatch, pullup and lunge. By contrast, examples of (relatively worthless) single-joint exercises are bicep curls, pec deck, leg extensions, triceps kickbacks, etc.

What is anaerobic exercise and why is it so good?

Anaerobic means “without oxygen.” “Aerobic” means with oxygen. Aerobic exercise is done at a relatively easy pace, for prolonged periods of time. Jogging is a good example. Prolonged aerobic exercise cannibalizes lean muscle mass, decreases levels of both testosterone and growth hormone and releases free radicals into the bloodstream. None of these is conducive to strength or good health.

Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, is done at such intensity that it cannot be carried out for more than two minutes without stopping to catch one’s breath. Sprinting is a good example. Short (30-second to two-minute) intervals of relatively hard (i.e., anaerobic) work followed by similarly brief rest periods are the ideal. Such activity builds muscle, raises levels of growth hormone, doesn’t lower testosterone and doesn’t produce free radicals. Moreover, recent studies show that the best predictor of longevity is maintaining (or, better yet, expanding) lung capacity. How’s that done? With anaerobic exercise. (Prolonged aerobic exercise may actually erode lung capacity, just as it does lean muscle mass.) Finally, increasing one’s anaerobic fitness automatically increases one’s aerobic fitness; the reverse isn’t true. In other words, unless you’re specifically training for a marathon or triathlon, you have no need for aerobic exercise, if you’re getting short, hard bouts of anaerobic work.

Next time track and field is being televised, take a look at the marathoners and at the sprinters. The marathoners are the ultimate aerobic trainees. They look like emaciated death camp survivors. Sprinters are the ultimate anaerobic trainees. What do sprinters look like? Vibrant, muscular studs! Anaerobic training rules! Case closed.

What do you mean by “healthful fat?”

Essential fatty acids are healthful fats. Essentially, these are of two types: Omega 3 and Omega 6. In this country, few have an Omega 6 deficiency, but almost everyone has an Omega 3 deficiency. Examples of rich sources of Omega 3 are flaxseed oil, raw walnuts and fish oil, as well as fresh fish such as wild salmon and sardines. By contrast, examples of unhealthful fats are bacon, cheese, fast food burgers, pizza, etc.

Contact Mike Vaio for consultation or to sign up for coaching. Call 919.844.9347 or email
mike_vaio@yahoo.com.

Opening Post: An Overview of My Philosophy

I'm a devotee of Pavel's functional strength training and of the anaerobic training recommendations of Al Sears, MD for heart health and optimal conditioning. That said, here's a thumbnail sketch of my training and diet philosophy, with much more to come!


Strength Training:
· Use heavy iron, not rubber bands or other gizmos. Try kettlebells!
· Work standing on your own two feet, not lying on your back.
· Train your whole body as one unit. Forget about trying to “isolate” muscles.
· Focus on consistently increasing your functional real-world strength.
· Use compound exercises, i.e., those that engage multiple joints.
· Train heavy, 5 reps or less, and forget about “going to failure.”
· Use periodization, i.e., planned cycling of intensity and volume.


Conditioning: Focus on ANAEROBIC, not aerobic, training.
· Burns more fat, for a longer time after exercise.
· Builds muscle, instead of eroding it.
· Increases metabolism.
· Expands your lung capacity and prolongs life.
· Less time consuming and boring than reading on the treadmill.


Nutrition:
· If it comes in a can or a box, don’t eat it (with very few exceptions).
· Eat healthful fats (essential fatty acids) daily. Avoid unhealthful ones.
· Minimize sugars and starches.
· Minimize fast food and fried foods.
· Drink water, lots of it, and little else.
· Make at least 50% of your daily calories RAW organic fruits and vegetables.
· Eat grass-fed (not grain-fed) beef and wild (not farmed) fish.
· Supplements for heart health.


Support:
· Put into place structures that force you to succeed.
· Keep at it. If you stop, start up again.

Contact Mike Vaio for consultation or to sign up for training.
Tel: 919.844.9347
Email: mike_vaio @ yahoo.com

That's it for the overview. Stay tuned for updates on diet and exercise.