MUSCLE. Report. Volume 5 Issue 3. The latest Scientific Discoveries in the Fields of Resistance Exercise, Nutrition and Supplementation.

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1 MUSCLE Report Volume 5 Issue 3 The latest Scientific Discoveries in the Fields of Resistance Exercise, Nutrition and Supplementation.

2 More isn t always better The August 2014 issue of the Muscle Report discussed a study which found resting between bouts of high intensity exercise until you felt physically ready was not a good indicator of recovery. The study had cyclists perform sprints then rest for as long as they felt they needed before the next sprint. On a second occasion the same test was performed but each individuals rest period was reduced by 10%. The reduced rest had no effect on performance during subsequent sets. This demonstrated that the body can sufficiently recovery between bouts of high intensity exercise well before it actually feels recovered. A new study that is more applicable to weight training athletes supports this conclusion. 12 experienced resistance-trained males performed 6 sets of 6 repetition squats with 60% of their 1 repetition maximum. 3 sessions were performed using rest intervals of 1, 2 or 3 minutes between each set. Average muscle power output decreased 10.5% with 1 minute rest, 2.6% with 2 minutes rest and 4.3% with 3 minutes rest. Importantly, muscle activity and blood lactate were not influenced by the length of the rest period. This suggests performing complex multi-joint exercises with a moderate intensity does not require long periods of rest between sets for optimum performance. The results of this study indicate that around 2 minutes rest provides sufficient neuromuscular recovery to generate maximum muscle power output. When it comes to recovery between sets some athletes may adopt the mantra that more is better. The existing evidence shows this is not the case however. 2 minutes may not seem a sufficient time and you may not feel recovered after such a rest period but the evidence shows this may be all the rest your body requires for optimum performance. A caveat must be attached to this conclusion however. The results of this study were obtained when training with a moderate intensity and it would be a mistake to assume that it applies to all styles of training. If you were to train at a high intensity (>80% 1RM), train to momentary muscular failure, utilise forced repetitions or techniques such as supersets this may place a greater neuromuscular demand on the body which in turn may require a longer period of rest for optimum performance on subsequent sets. A 2 minute rest interval should therefore be considered a general guide and not a rule that can be universally applied to all training circumstances.

3 Don t believe everything you read If you were to do a Google search for conjugated linoleic acid you would find a huge amount of information praising its benefits. Cancer prevention, decreased cholesterol and heart disease, improved metabolic functioning, anti-inflammatory effects and enhanced immunity are some of the benefits attributed to CLA. Of particular interest to athletes are its claimed effects on body composition through decreased body fat and enhanced muscle growth. The internet has revolutionised the way access information. This has brought untold benefits to society but it is a double edged sword because the information we can obtain is not always accurate. This is especially true when commercial interests are at stake. Companies selling supplements such as CLA may support their claims with examples of research demonstrating the supplements effectiveness. This gives the impression that the supplement in question does indeed do what is claimed. The problem is that the research examples may be selectively chosen because they do show positive results from the supplement while research that fails to show any benefit may be ignored. This creates a bias that can be a very powerful marketing tool. To get a true picture on the effectiveness of a supplement you need to look at all the evidence. This is what researchers from the University of Calicut in India did when they put CLA under the microscope. After reviewing all the evidence they concluded that the data from human trials was less consistent and the magnitude of the effects less dramatic compared to the data obtained from animal trials. They also stated the majority of clinical trials failed to provide conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of CLA on human health. This suggests CLA may not be the miracle supplement is often made out to be. It is not all bad news though. The researchers do cite specific studies which found supplementing with CLA did result in greater reductions in body fat compared to a placebo when taken as part of an exercise program. This is contradicted by other research cited which found no ergogenic benefit under similar conditions. With regard to increasing muscle mass the research is equally contradictory. Some studies show positive benefits on strength and muscle mass when combined with a structured resistance exercise program while others demonstrated no benefit. The authors also state the mechanisms through which CLA works is still unknown. This review proves the benefits attributed to CLA supplementation are far from absolute. The research is contradictory and taken as a whole does not support many of the claimed benefits. The studies yielding positive findings are promising but questions such as dose, type of CLA supplement and conditions it is taken under still need to be answered. At best it can be concluded that under certain conditions CLA can have positive effects on body composition. The problem is that we still do not know what those conditions are.

4 Mussels for your muscles Everyone who has ever done some form of unaccustomed exercise knows the hell that is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The pain associated with this condition can be extreme and is accompanied by a reduced range of motion you can move your muscles through and a significant reduction in strength. Sometimes these effects can be so severe they keep you out of the gym. Even if you are able to drag yourself to a workout the discomfort and impaired muscle function will likely see you have a less than stellar workout. Previous editions of the Muscle Report have discussed research showing fish oil 1 and watermelon juice 2 can reduce the severity of DOMS when consumed regularly. A new study suggests an omega-3 fatty acid blend derived from New Zealand green lipped mussels may also be effective at ameliorating the severity of DOMS. Researchers had a group of volunteers run downhill to induce muscle damage. Half had taken the supplement for the preceding 26 days while the other half took a placebo. Muscle damage was assessed for 4 days postexercise. The volunteers also recorded their dietary intake during the study to eliminate that as a confounding variable that could have influenced the final result. Blood tests revealed markers of muscle damage were significantly lower in the supplement group compared to the placebo group. Ratings of DOMS severity were lower in the supplement group and this was accompanied by a lower reduction in strength and greater range of motion compared to the placebo. This suggests the omega-3 fatty acid blend used in this study can inhibit some of the negative effects associated with exercise-induced muscle damage. A limitation when applying these results to real-world conditions is that the supplement in question needs to be taken every day. If you had a particularly intense workout the day before and woke up with aching muscles then popping a few capsules of this supplement will do nothing for you. Another question that has to be asked is whether the reduced muscle damage would impair long-term muscle remodelling. There is some argument that muscle damage is a necessary pre-requisite for a hypertrophic response but there is also evidence suggesting it is not 3,4. Without long-term studies this question will remain unanswered. 1. Muscle Report 1(9). 2. Muscle Report 3(9). 3. Schoenfeld, BJ. Does Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage Play a Role in Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 26(5): Flann, KL, LaStayo, PC, McClain, DA, Hazel, M, Lindstedt, SL Muscle damage and muscle remodelling: no pain, no gain? The Journal of Experimental Biology. 214:

5 Soy protein: Just as good as whey...for a while at least Soy has a bad reputation. Its high phytoestrogen content ensures its status as a food that promotes fat deposition, causes gynecomastia, decreases testosterone and increases estrogen levels. So serious are these concerns that soy was the focus of a Muscle Building Science Special Report that looked at the evidence behind these claims. Contrary to what many believe the majority of the evidence did not show any significant effects from soy in the diet. Only a handful of studies have examined the effects of soy protein as part of a structured weight training program. Surprisingly a number of studies have found soy protein to be equally as effective as whey protein at supporting short-term gains in strength and hypertrophy as part of a resistance exercise program 1-3. This is contradicted however by other studies which have concluded milk proteins are superior to soy in supporting weight training adaptations 4. Can soy really be as effective as whey at promoting gains in strength and hypertrophy? The answer is in the short term possibly yes but in the longer term probably no. A new study has looked at the effects of soy protein supplementation on anabolic signalling following resistance exercise. It was found that soy stimulated a key protein in the anabolic pathway that leads to muscle protein synthesis just as effectively as whey protein. This effect only lasted for 2 hours with soy protein but 4 hours with whey protein. This difference in anabolic signalling could be attributed to the greater uptake of amino acids from milk proteins compared to soy protein 5. Despite the research showing equivalent short-term gains from soy and whey protein the present study suggests whey is likely to provide superior longer-term training adaptations. 1. Candow, DG, Burke, NC, Smith-Palmer, T, Burke, DG Effect of Whey and Soy Protein Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training in Young Adults. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 16: Kalman, D, Feldman, S, Martinez, M, Krieger, D, Tallon, M Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 4(1). 3. Hartman, JW, Tang, JE, Wilkinson, SB, Tarnoplosky, MA, Lawrence, RL, Fullerton, AV, Phillips, SM Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 86(2): Brown, EC, DiSilvestro, RA, Babaknia, A, Devor, ST Soy versus whey protein bars: Effects on exercise training impact on lean body mass and antioxidant status. Nutrition Journal. 3: Phillips, SM, Hartman, JW, Wilkinson, SB Dietary protein to support anabolism with resistance exercise in young men. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 24: 134S-139S.

6 More isn t always better References Martorelli, A, Bottaro, M, Vieira, A, Rocha-Júnior, V, Cadore, E, Prestes, J, Wagner, D, Martorelli, S. Neuromuscular and Blood Lactate Responses to Squat Power Training with Different Rest Intervals Between Sets. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine : Don t believe everything you read Benjamin, S, Prakasan, P, Sreedharan, S, Wright, AG, Spener, F. Pros and cons of CLA consumption: an insight from clinical evidences. Nutrition & Metabolism :4. Mussels for your muscles Mickleborough, TD, Sinex, JA, Platt, D, Chapman, RF, Hirt, M. The effects of PCSO-524, a patented marine oil lipid and omega-3 PUFA blend derived from the New Zealand green lipped mussel (Perna Canaliculus), on indirect markers of muscle damage and inflammation after muscle damaging exercise in untrained men: a randomized, placebo controlled trial. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism :10. Soy protein: Just as good as whey...for a while at least Mitchell, CJ, Della Gatta, PA, Petersen, AC, Cameron-Smith, D, Markworth, JF. Soy protein ingestion results in less prolonged p70s6 kinase phosphorylation compared to whey protein after resistance exercise in older men. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition : 6.