Don't Be An "A"Hole

Alternate Title:

Don't call yourself a strongman if you are NOT!!!

The inescapable theme pervading modern strength training is the idea of "work Your Weaknesses". Very good and practical advice for elite lifters and strength athletes, however for the less advanced it may, in fact, be problematic at best.

   ...…...How can addressing your weaknesses ever be a "bad" idea you ask.......

Let's say Strongman "A" is new to strongman and new to strength sports in general. "A" competes in a local event and does well in the NOVICE division. After reviewing his performance "A" identifies overhead pressing as his prevailing weakness.

   

        ………...Sounds Logical So Far You Say.................

"A' now prioritizes his training to bring up his OHP to the standards of his other events

(strengths), But remember "A" is a novice and his "good" events are likely abysmal by national standards! So now after a full training cycle "A" is (potentially) a rounded novice.............not MY idea of a well developed long term goal!

I submit that "A's" better course of action would be to implement a more basic and rounded training protocol with the goal of bringing up  his body weight and general strength to a more "nationally" competitive level. It is my experience as a coach that often just training to be STRONG for an extended period of time has the unexpected (too many) effect of "smoothing out" weaknesses!

So many times an "A" type lifter will come to me for coaching and say something like "I'm 100kg and my OHP (or whatever) isn't as good as the other 105kg guys" My response is always YOU NEED 5kg BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE A COMPARISON! 5kg is a WHOPPING pile of muscle, even in unrelated/ correlated muscle groups it will have a measurable impact on OHP performance! Trust me as a coach, no amount of shoulder specialization will pile on 5kg of raw muscle!!!!

My goal here is not to question the value of knowing and evaluation your weaknesses, but rather to question the standard (the prevailing standard that is) definition of weakness!

As a rough guide, I'd say if you do not have a minimum of a double bodyweight squat and deadlift and perhaps a bodyweight or better bench press you may not use the term "Strongman" to describe yourself no matter how many times you've competed!.

B.Chavez

Evil Genius Sports Performance, 2016©

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NOT BECAUSE IT'S BETTER!

In my mind powerlifting died two and a half decades ago . What today people think of as powerlifting is to me a frightening undead zombie that was once a wonderful and noble sport. The vast and varied causes of powerlifting's demise is a topic of much debate on the subject I Almost  never turn my thoughts too  for fear of crying!

The deadlift has been the one holdout that has (somewhat) survived the onslaught of equipment and rule changes to (mostly) resemble the original intent! Sadly now even that has begun to fail us, Instagram and YouTube are replete with “Record” deadlifts that CLEARLY would have been red lighted (and Laughed at) for scooping in the 1970’s &80’s. But sadly the lights turn white and the crowd goes wild…………………..and yet another piece of my soul dies a quiet death!


For this reason, I've come to cherish STRONGMAN STRENGTH RECORDS like the upcoming strongman log and deadlift championship.

Not Because It’s Better

But because the near total lack of rules IDIOT PROOFs it to a degree that even the social media generation can grasp. Fortunately, the concepts of “Locked Elbows” or “Standing Erect” are JUST within the acumen of this ilk. I truly wish I wasn't so damned negative but 35 years of witnessing the decline of strength sports have made me so!

For now STRONGMAN STRENGTH RECORDS are the only ones that hold any interest and dare I say any respect with me. I short, NOT BECAUSE IT'S BETTER, BUT BECAUSE IT'S HONEST (FOR NOW)!


B.Chavez is available for programming and nutritional consultations
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I'm here to tell you it's HARD

B.Chavez,

©2016 Evil Genius Sports Performance

………....to pull with a stiff bar............and it should be! Whimsical titles aside I really do believe in the premise of using the LEAST Advantageous lifting conditions for base (off Season) training.

The late great genius A.Jones of Nautilus Sports Medicine fame was quoted many times saying "never make an exercise easier, make it harder!". Safety is one thing, but if you are using a specific piece of lifting apparatus just to be able to say your training weight is 700lbs rather than 650lbs you could be (ARE) setting yourself up for heartache on event day. Especially if you're forced to do things the "HARD WAY".

We seem to have entered an era where weight on the bar is far more of a prize than progress at one chosen endeavor!

Growing muscle and developing strength beyond the physiological norm is about applying stresses not finding clever ways to avoid them! I'm not campaigning against the use of flexible deadlift bars................ I'm merely trying to point out that by avoiding and even criticizing stiff bar pulls I have seen of late on many different social media outlets you are most certainly putting your long-term progress at a distinct disadvantage.

I have even recently witnessed vids of famous puller (and his washing machine) doing 2-inch deficit deadlifts while using a bar with 3 inches of bend! Is behavior such as this good for pulling progress or just good for social media attention?

Individual criticism aside, my strong suggestion to you dear reader is to stop making TRAINING depressions based on load used and/or facebook likes and seek out HARDER MORE CHALLENGING modes of training! If you are truly strong come event day no apparatus or lifting condition will be a disadvantage!

B.Chavez is available for programming and nutritional consultations Email: EvilGSP@gmail.com

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A Few Of My Favorite Things!

This is the continuation of a  serial style segment titled "a few of my favorite things".

The intended purpose of for this series is to both allow me to do "mini product reviews" as well as bring you market awareness of some of the industries more niche products and items I like that I feel you should be aware of!

 B.Chavez

MET-Rx High Protein Pancake Mix
Product Description
Flavor: Original Buttermilk
These pancakes are light and fluffy, with only 2.5 grams of fat per serving.
Each serving also provides several key vitamins and minerals needed for muscle metabolism.

An EvilGSP breakfast 3-5 days/week!


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A review of Strongman Eddie

Strongman Eddie is not just a good movie, it may well be the best muscle - head film since Pumping Iron!

Being Full length, well produced, with well thought out storytelling makes the film solid in every way. Eddie Hall and the rest of the strongman universe makes this film engaging and fun.

Covering almost every aspect of the life from work to workouts, home life (and home trials) to the absurdity of international travel at 300+ lbs.

All told Eddie Strongman is a must own bit of muscle history.


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Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Explosive Ordnance Disposal

...................................or How To Blow-Up Your Deadlift

B.Chavez,
©2015 Evil Genius Sports Performance

High-frequency training has been popular on and off for the last 100 years.  For the most part, Olympic lifting has been the major standard bearer for frequent relatively low volume training protocols and for good reason.  Weightlifting (snatches and C&J) are very high skill endeavors lending themselves well to protocols that offer a high degree of neurological reinforcement (practice).

Strongman as an organized sport is perhaps less skill intensive than weightlifting but still high on the list compared to  static strength sports like powerlifting. Strongman may not be as skill specific as some sports, but it is FAR more skill-diverse than most.

With this diversity in mind, a high-frequency training scheme seems most agreeable to "covering all one's needs" in a single training split.

Enter EOD training

Training a complex full body motion like a deadlift or one of its many strongman analogs does require a high degree of management, but it's worth it to BLOW UP YOUR DEADLIFT.

The general outline for this protocol is obviously fairly simple to do some form of strongman relevant pulling every other day. The reality is more than a little bit more complex, determining which pulls to do in what volume is the real trick.

As with all training decisions past data is key to making informed choices. After reviewing your training records, I suggest you choose your 3 worst strongman pulling events and build your personal EOD protocol from there. Be sure to taper the training volume as the rotation progress as recovery isn't infinite.

An example might look SOMETHING like this

   * Monday powerlifting style pulls (5 sets of 5) and other strongman training

   * Tuesday non-pulling strongman training

   * Wednesday axle deadlift (3 sets of 5) and other strongman training

   * Thursday non-pulling strongman training

   * Friday car deadlift one set to failure and other strongman training

   * Saturday non-pulling event practice

   * Sunday REST

B.Chavez is available for programing and nutritional consultations Email: EvilGSP@gmail.com

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"Nutritional Diversity"

Another edition of the EvilGSP video Blog

Some thoughts on "Nutritional Diversity" and its benefits to your sports performance goals!

B."EvilGenius"Chavez

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General Adaptation Syndrome

Physiologists define stress as how the body reacts to a stressor, a stimulus that causes stress. Acute stressors affect an organism in the short term; chronic stressors over the longer term.

Alarm is the first stage, which is divided into two phases: the shock phase and the anti-shock phase.

·         Shock phase: During this phase, the body can endure the stressor effect. The organism's resistance to the stressor drops temporarily below the normal range and some level of shock may be experienced.

·         Anti-shock phase: When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body starts to respond and is in a state of alarm. During this stage, the locus coeruleus/sympathetic nervous system is activated and catecholamines such as adrenaline are being produced, hence the fight-or-flight response. The result is: increased muscular tonus, increased blood pressure due to peripheral vasoconstriction and tachycardia, and increased glucose in blood. There is also some activation of the HPA axis, producing glucocorticoids (cortisol, aka the S-hormone or stress-hormone).

Resistance is the second stage.

Increased secretion of glucocorticoids plays a major role, intensifying the systemic response—they have lypolytic, catabolic and anti-anabolic effects: increased glucose, fat and aminoacid/protein concentration in blood. Moreover, they cause lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia, neutrophilia and polycythemia. In high doses, cortisol begins to act as a mineralocorticoid (aldosterone) and brings the body to a state similar to hyperaldosteronism. If the stressor persists, it becomes necessary to attempt some means of coping with the stress. Although the body begins to try to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, the body cannot keep this up indefinitely, so its resources are gradually depleted.

Exhaustion or Recovery will define the third stage.

Recovery stage follows when the system's compensation mechanisms have successfully overcome the stressor effect (or have completely eliminated the factor which caused the stress). The high glucose, fat and aminoacid levels in blood prove useful for anabolic reactions, restoration of homeostasis and regeneration of cells.

·         Exhaustion is the alternative third stage in the GAS model. At this point, all of the body's resources are eventually depleted and the body is unable to maintain normal function. The initial autonomic nervous system symptoms may reappear (sweating, raised heart rate, etc.). If stage three is extended, long-term damage may result (prolonged vasoconstriction results in ischemia which in turn leads to cell necrosis), as the body's immune system becomes exhausted, and bodily functions become impaired, resulting in de-compensation.

Relevance to athletes:

The above thumb nail sketch of stress response is (or should be) the framework of all training protocol and workout design!

Read, ReRead and think………….

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com

George Frenn

One Of  the very best strength athletes no one has heard of!

B."EvilGenius"Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com 

Binding Proteins

SHBG

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein that binds at the plasma level (in the blood) to sex hormones, specifically testosterone and estradiol based hormones. Other steroid hormones such as progesterone, cortisol, and other corticosteroids are bound by transcortin (a plasma marker of overtraining).

Transport of Sex hormones

These sex hormones circulate in the bloodstream, bound mostly to SHBG and to some degree bound to serum albumin. Only a small fraction is unbound, or "free," and thus biologically active and able to enter a cell and activate its receptor. The SHBG inhibits the function of these hormones. The binding globulin then releases the hormonal compound at a controlled rate (the decay of the SHBG protein).Thus bioavailability of sex hormones is influenced by the level of SHBG.

Production

SHBG is produced by the liver cells and is released into the bloodstream. Other sites that produce SHBG are the brain, uterus, and placenta and vagina. In addition SHBG is produced by the testes; testes-produced SHBG is also called androgen-binding protein.

Regulation

SHBG levels appear to be controlled by a delicate balance of up and down regulating mechanisms. Its level is decreased by high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and possibly Growth Hormone. Also, high androgen levels decrease SHBG, while high estrogen and thyroxine levels

Plasma Levels

When determining levels of circulating estradiol or testosterone, either a total measurement could be done that includes the "free" and the bound fractions, or only the "free" hormone could be measured. A free androgen index expresses the ratio of testosterone to the sex hormone binding globulin and can be used to summarize the activity of free testosterone. Sex hormone binding globulin can be measured separate from the total fraction of testosterone, however the total testosterone is likely the most accurate measurement of plasma androgen levels.

ABP

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) is a glycoprotein (beta-globulin) produced by the Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis that binds specifically to testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 17-beta-estradiol.By binding to T and DHT these hormones are made less lipophilic and become concentrated within the luminal fluid of the seminiferous tubules. The higher levels of these hormones enable spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules and sperm maturation in the epididymis.ABP has the same amino acid sequence as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG); the difference is the site of production and the addition of different sugar moieties. ABP’s production is regulated under influence of FSH on Sertoli cell, enhanced by insulin, retinol, and testosterone.

Summery

Binding proteins are likely simultaneously the most important, misunderstood and ignored aspect of hormonal application/manipulation. Binding globulins like SHBG (and others) act as a buffer or time release mechanism to “prevent” a large (sudden) influx of hormone to its target tissue.

With a little thought and imagination a perspective “endocrinologist” can begin to see the pointlessness of many of the common practices in sports performance. Tapering, Front-Loading and many other misguided practices can be “explained away” once binding proteins are fully considered.

Maintaining elevated plasma Insulin levels (hard for the low carb contingent!) and minimizing catecholamine production (overtraining) are simple non-pharmacological means of maintaining a positive bound of unbound sex hormone ratio.

    

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez                                                                                                                                              EvilGenius Sports Performance
www.EvilGSP.com

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates (laden foods) on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates (laden foods) that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have by definition a high GI; carbohydrates (laden foods) that break down more slowly have by definition a low GI.

The concept was developed by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1980–1981 at the University of Toronto. The purpose of their research was to find out which foods were most suitable for subjects with Diabetes Miletus.

A lower glycemic index suggests slower rates of digestion and absorption of the foods' carbohydrates and may also indicate greater extraction of carbohydrate digestion. A lower glycemic response usually equates to a lower insulin demand but not always, and may improve long-term blood glucose control.

You can find additional info relating to the GI at http://www.glycemicindex.com The Official Website of the Glycemic Index and Database.

Glycemic Index Defined
The glycemic index of a food is defined as the area under the two hour blood glucose response curve (AUC) following the ingestion of a fixed portion of carbohydrate (usually 50 g). The AUC of the test food is divided by the AUC of the standard (glucose) and multiplied by 100. The average GI value is calculated from data collected in 10 human subjects. Both the standard and test food must contain an equal amount of available carbohydrate. The result gives a relative ranking for each tested food in comparison to 50g of pure glucose.

Glycemic Indexes Of Foods    

Classification	GI range	Examples
Low GI	55 or less	most fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, pasta, legumes/pulses, milk, yogurt, fructose
Medium GI	56–69	whole wheat products, basmati rice, sweet potato, table sugar
High GI	70 and above	corn flakes, puffed rice, baked potatoes, watermelon, croissants, white bread, white rice, glucose (100)

The glycemic effect of foods depends on a number of factors such as the type of starch (amylose vs. amylopectin), physical matrix of the food, fat and protein content of the food and organic acids or their salts content. Adding vinegar, for example, will lower the GI of a meal. The presence of fat or soluble dietary fiber can slow the gastric emptying rate, thus lowering the GI
The glycemic index can be applied only to only foods with reasonable carbohydrate content, as the test relies on subjects consuming enough of the test food to yield about 50 g of available carbohydrate. Many fruits and vegetables contain very little carbohydrate per serving, and the average person is not likely to eat 50 g of carbohydrate from these foods. Fruits and vegetables tend to have a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load.

Related Glycemic Indexes

Glycemic load
The glycemic load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrate baring food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size. Glycemic load or GL combines both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate into one ‘number’. It is one of the better best ways to predict blood glucose values of different types and amounts of food.

The formula is: GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate) divided by 100.The usefulness of glycemic load is based on the idea that a high glycemic index food consumed in small quantities would give the same plasma glucose effect as larger quantities of a low glycemic index food. By way of example white rice has a somewhat high GI, so eating 50g of white rice at one sitting would give a particular glucose curve in the blood, while 25g would give the same curve but half the height. Since the peak height is considered by many experts the most important parameter for diabetes control, multiplying the amount of carbohydrates in a food serving by the glycemic index gives an idea of how much effect an actual portion of food has on blood sugar level.

Many have questioned the value of using glycemic load as a basis for weight loss programs; however, glycemic load is generally a useful concept in dietary designs targeting health maintenance. Studies have shown that elevation in blood sugar and insulin levels may lead to increased diabetes risk. Studies concluded (repeatedly) that women whose diets had the highest glycemic index were 21 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women whose diets had the lowest glycemic index.

Insulin index
The Insulin Index is a measure used to quantify the typical insulin response to various foods. The index is similar to the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, but rather than relying on blood glucose levels, the Insulin Index is based upon blood insulin levels. This measure can be more useful than either the Glycemic Index or the Glycemic Load because certain foods (e.g., lean meats and proteins) cause an insulin response despite there being no carbohydrates present, and some foods cause a disproportionate insulin response relative to their carbohydrate load.

Holt et al. have noted that the glucose and insulin scores of most foods are highly correlated, but high-protein foods and bakery products that are rich in fat and refined carbohydrates "elicit insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses." They also conclude that insulin indices may be useful for dietary management and avoidance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

Explanation of Index
The insulin index shows how much insulin is present in a subject’s blood as a result of particular food consumption, the glucose index shows how much glucose is present in the blood as a result of a particular food, and the satiety index shows how much a particular food decreases one's propensity to eat more.

Glucose (glycemic) and insulin scores were determined by feeding 1000 kilojoules (239 kilocalories) of the food to the participants and recording the area under the glucose/insulin curve for 120 minutes then dividing by the area under the glucose/insulin curve for white bread. The result being that all scores are relative to white bread. The satiety score was determined by comparing how much food was eaten by participants at a buffet after being fed a fixed number of calories of a particular food while blindfolded (to ensure food appearance was not a factor), then dividing that number by the amount eaten by participants after eating white bread. White bread serves as the baseline of 100. In other words, foods scoring higher than 100 are more satisfying than white bread and those under 100 are less satisfying.

Limitations And Criticisms

• The glycemic index does not take into account other factors other than glycemic response, such as insulin response, which is measured by the insulin index and can be more appropriate in representing the effects from some food contents other than carbohydrates.
• The glycemic index is significantly altered by the type of food, its ripeness, processing, the length of storage, cooking methods, and its variety
• The glycemic response is different from one person to another and even in the same person from day to day, depending on blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, and other factors.
• The number of grams of carbohydrate impacts blood sugar levels more than the glycemic index.
• Lowering glycemic index leads to small (momentary) improvements in blood sugar levels, but consuming fewer total carbohydrates would benefit the blood glucose profile much more.
• Carbohydrate impacts glucose levels most profoundly, and two foods with the same carbohydrate content are generally comparable in their effects on blood sugar. A food with a low glycemic index may have high carbohydrate content or vice versa; this can be accounted for with the glycemic load.
• Most of the values on the glycemic index do not show the impact on glucose levels after two hours.
• The GI of foods is determined under experimental conditions after an overnight fast (with only 10 test subjects), and might not apply to foods consumed later during the day because glycemic response is strongly influenced by the composition of the previous meal.

Relevance And Application
The Glycemic Index holds extraordinary relevance to a diabetic subject (or anyone using exogenous insulin). The ability to comparatively rate the release rates of dietary glucose holds life saving value to the clinical diabetic.

For non diabetic and non insulin using subjects the value of such data is questionable at best. The Glycemic Index holds almost no valuable info for the non insulin using athlete. Food volume and meal frequency has a far greater “GI” slowing effect than the carbohydrate bearing matrix or starch chemistry.

As the above overview illustrates dietary carbohydrate quantity dictates the total daily plasma insulin volume. The simple conclusion is that over consumption of carbohydrates not the comparative GI of said carbohydrate is the larger problem.

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com