Q: I read your interview on the Testosterone site with great interest. In it, you said the more food you can train on the better. How long before I work out should I eat? Charles Poliquin says between one to one-and-a-half hours. Do you agree with this? Also, what percentage of daily calories are you talking about in this meal? I eat five or six meals a day with about 30% of daily calories coming in my post-workout shake (40 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbs per kilo of bodyweight).
A: One to one-and-a-half hours prior to training is a nice generalization. Exactly when you eat this pre-training meal will be influenced by a number of factors. Perhaps the two most critical ones are:
? what body part/exercise/intensity you are using
? how many calories you are attempting to consume during the day
The larger the muscle group, the more muscles recruited; and the more intense the workout, the further away the pre-training meal needs to be. For instance, if you’re training legs, you might want to have this last meal a full hour-and-a-half prior to the workout. The converse also applies. Try this?sip a carb drink or protein/carb drink during an upper body workout. See what it feels like to train on “food.” I find it an effective way to enhance the workout.
I don’t recommend this “meal” as one of your larger calorie intakes for the day?more like one of the smaller ones. It is really about finding the balance, but you will never know until you push the boundaries. One of the few who have reported on this concept is Thomas Fahey, who, in a 1990 edition of Powerlifting USA, wrote of an experiment in which he aimed to elevate insulin and blood sugar during weightlifting sessions. He gave the athlete in his study 100 ml of Metabolol 30 minutes before exercise, and 100 ml of this drink every subsequent 15 minutes during the workout. This athlete ended up consuming 2000 kcal and 150 grams of protein during the workout! It worked for him, but this kind of calorie excess might be too much for the average, Earth-bound trainee.
Q: I am a 25-year-old male who loves to sprint. My best time for the 100-meter dash is around 10.78 (accutrac). I weigh 152 pounds and stand 5’10” tall. I have recently started my track season and, much to my disappointment, didn’t put on the muscle mass I wanted to during my off season. Is it possible for me to still put on muscle mass and train for the 100-meter dash at the same time? I only run twice a week because I feel that any more would tax my recovery ability. As Charlie Francis used to say, “If you’re not going to improve, don’t show up!”
I can train any day of the week. How might I periodize my training, and what types of exercises should I emphasize in my routine to improve my sprinting performance?
A: I am going to be blunt as I believe this is a case of needing to be cruel to be kind. Many sprinters (and other athletes with fears about bodyweight) claim to be trying to add muscle mass but “just don’t seem to be able to do it.” The limit is not a physical one, but, in my experience, a psychological one. Until you believe it is okay, or better still, until you believe that your performance will be enhanced by a greater level of muscle mass, it probably will not happen. Sort this issue out in your head first!
Running twice a week may be okay, but you could also consider the model actually used by Francis (as I interpreted it from his writings) where they would run with intensity one day, and then do a lower intensity session the next day.
I have provided a generalized periodization model for you, showing the integration of speed and strength training. Note that it is a generalized model! With regard to specific exercise, if you want to follow the lead of Charlie Francis, he appeared to favor major muscle group exercises, e.g. squats, deadlifts, power cleans, bench presses, lat pulls, etc.
General Preparation Phase (2-3 Months)
Sunday: Rest
Monday AM: STR?LB
Monday PM: SPE?20 minute starts
Tuesday AM: STR?UB*
Tuesday PM: SPE?20 minute drill
Wednesday: Recovery method (stretch or message)
Thursday AM: STR?LB
Friday: STR?UB
Saturday: Recovery activity (swim, bike, or jog 20 minutes)
*STR?LB means strength-training for the lower body, while UB means, of course, the upper body, and SPE refers to speed training.
Specific Preparation Phase (2-3 Months)
Sunday: Rest
Monday AM: STR?LB
Monday PM: SPE?Starts and accel
Tuesday: Recovery method
Wednesday AM: STR?UB
Wednesday PM: SPE?Max velocity
Thursday: Recovery activity
Friday AM: STR?LB
Friday PM: SPE?Speed/endurance
Saturday: Recovery method
Competitive Phase (2-3 Months)
Sunday: Rest
Monday AM: SPE?Starts and accel
Tuesday AM: SPE?Technique/drill
Tuesday PM: STR?LB
Wednesday: Recovery method
Thursday AM: SPE?Max velocity and speed/endurance
Friday AM: SPE?Technique/drill
Friday PM: STR?UB
Saturday: Recovery method
Q: I just read with interest your Q and A on deadlifts. When I do straight-leg deadlifts, I don’t really feel it in my glutes?I mostly feel it in my hams and spinal erectors. Is it possible to describe how to target the glutes during this exercise, or does it just come with experience? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
A: I am not surprised that you don’t feel the glutes too much in stiff-legged deadlifts. If you do the rounded-back versions, your hammies and spinal erectors are the prime movers (i.e. do most of the work). If you use the flat-back method, the hammies increase their role. The joint angles in the SLDL really do not stretch and stress the glutes. You will get a bigger effect of stretch and stress in the glutes during the bent-knee conventional deadlift and the squat, provided that you target them during these lifts. Try the following tips:
1. In the squat, focus on sucking in the tummy during the lift, and as soon as you commence the up phase, focus on squeezing the glutes to initiate and dominate in the concentric phase. If your hips rise faster than your shoulders, you will decrease the role of the gluteals in the squat. It is imperative that this does not occur. The path of the trunk during the ascent in the squat should be a reverse image of the descent.
2. In the deadlift, all of the above apply during the lift?squeeze the glutes prior to takeoff, and use the glutes to initiate and dominate during the lift. Do not let the hips rise faster than the shoulders.
There are differences between the lifts, however:
1. The deadlift is a two-part lift – the start position to above the knees (no change in trunk angle) and above knees to standing (stand up, hips through). The squat, however, involves a gradual progression in trunk angle.
2. The lowering of the deadlift need not be an exact reverse image of the lift, whereas in the squat, the lift is a reverse image of the lowering phase.
3. The conventional deadlift focuses predominantly on the lift itself, whereas in the squat, equal attention needs to be given to both the lowering and the lift.
4. The deadlift starts each rep from a weight resting completely on the ground position, whereas the squat has tension continuously (provided you avoid excessive knee lockout).
Q: I have a question about sprinting frequency during the offseason for a running back in American football. I resistance train four times per week. The goal is to improve starting strength. Flexibility is a weak link. What have you found to be the best frequency for sprint training for sports like football?
A: If you are doing four strength sessions per week in the offseason, I would only do two speed sessions per week. When I say speed sessions, your average distance sprinted in training should initially be lower than the average distance sprinted in your position during the game. Only immediately prior to the season is there any need for the average distance sprinted in training to exceed the average distance you need in the game (note the word average). As far as the total speed training total goes (I learned this concept from a dominant sprint coach), anything over 500 meters (total for the session) is not a speed session?it is an endurance session. Spend 20 minutes minimum prior to every speed and strength training session working on flexibility. Then, add another one to two sessions of stretching per week that range from 40-60 minutes.
After two months of this, you will be a machine!
Q: After reading your previous column about calf training, I realized what my problem is: my volume isn’t near appropriate. Could you also comment on frequency of the calf workout for a non-competitive, recreational bodybuilder? You also mentioned forearms in that article. Could you give a forearm training program, too?
A: I use a higher volume in calf training to bash them. I would not recommend this method more than twice a week. However, I am not convinced that using only the gym to develop calves is the most effective approach. I love the benefits that result from biking (on the road or trails, not on a stationary bike) and skipping, etc. A great method would be to train calves in the gym on one day, while training them in an open environment (e.g. biking, skipping, or similar) the next day. Follow this up with a rest day, and then repeat the cycle. Follow the second cycle with two rest days.
Forearms respond in a similar way to the higher volume sets. Again, I wouldn’t recommend doing them more than twice a week. For most effective results, do them first in the workout. There are other non-gym activities that also contribute to great forearm development, but many are not so easily accessible, such as wrestling, judo, etc.
To help build the forearms, avoid using wrist straps on any exercise, including chins and deadlifts. In addition, try this simple but effective forearm program:
Forearm Extensions (Wrist Curls)
– One set of 10-20 reps at 313, no rest
Forearm Flexion (Reverse Wrist Curls)
– One set of 10-20 reps at 313, no rest
Forearm Internal and External Rotations with Offset Dumbbell*
– One set of 10-20 reps at 313, no rest
*Grab a dumbbell as if you were going to do traditional forearm curls, but use an offset grip instead. Rotate the dumbbell in a circular fashion.
Rest 30 seconds, then repeat the tri-set three to five times.
Q: I’m going to have my knee scoped. It makes a walnut-cracking sound with lots of pain. I’ve had a MRI done, but the results are not back yet. Could you give me a general program for post- and pre-operation rehab? I miss squatting and deadlifting very much.
A: Don’t rush back to squatting and deadlifting. They are what can be called bilateral movements. When you have a strength imbalance right to left, as you will do post-surgery, there is a tendency to “shift” the load to the strong side, thus increasing the imbalance. The insidious part is, for most observers, that this is not visually detectable until the imbalance has reached ridiculous proportions. Instead, plan to use unilateral movements (i.e. one limb at a time), applying my “Weak Side” rules:
– Do the weak or injured side first.
– Then maybe do the strong side.
– Do no more reps or load on the strong than the weak side could do.
– If the imbalance is greater than 10%, or thereabouts, consider doing a lower ratio of reps on the strong side to the weak side. If the weak side can only do ten reps, do only five reps on the strong side (or two sets on the weak side to one set on the strong side). This is a ratio of 2:1, weak side to strong side. If the imbalance is greater than 50%, consider doing no work on the strong side at all.
In addition to the above guidelines, do not do any exercise if it causes pain or discomfort to the joint (as opposed to the muscle). I don’t care what anyone says is a safe or dangerous movement (e.g. leg extensions are currently politically incorrect for knee trauma). If it doesn’t hurt, it is okay. If it does hurt, modify it. Your options in modifying exercises include:
– Reducing the load
– Reducing the range
– Slowing the speed of movement down
– Using both legs to lift, then lowering only with the injured side
– Finally, if all else fails, deleting the exercise and selecting an appropriate alternative.
Along the way, remember that if you aggravate the joint at the start of the workout, it will probably hurt for the remainder of the workout?no exercises will feel comfortable. If you aggravate the joint at any stage during or subsequent to the workout, you are simply setting back the healing process. If you aggravate the joint, the muscle function often becomes neurally inhibited. The muscles will not gain in strength or size, and the loading will be taken through the joint to a greater extent.
The key to rehab (especially for the knee) is to avoid any aggravation as a result of training. Always train below the level of joint pain. Failure to do this comes with a heavy penalty.
Got a question for Ian? Just click here to email it to him.
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First published – King, I., 1999, Question of Power Q & A, t-mag.com, No. 43, March 12 1999 (Q&A Column)