Diary "Mass Effect". Third week. Trainer recommendations

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In this part of the recommendations, my trainer Tatyana Prokofieva will talk about why we chose a training program designed for twice a day, as well as how to analyze your progress when you lose weight or gain weight.

Part 1. Analysis of body composition

This week I was on my guard - I was waiting for a letter from Sasha stating that "I'm tired, no strength, I don't want anything." Exactly the effect I was expecting. Sasha went to the clinic for a bioimpedance analysis of the body. This was necessary in order to be able to determine the starting point and track progress.

Many people still use weight as a measure of progress. I started to train, added a couple of kilos - "Krasava, you are growing." I think it's not worth telling why weight is not the best indicator of progress. It's just that the number on the scale doesn't tell you exactly what you put on - fat or muscle. Just like BMI and Lorenz's formula (this one that is "height-100"), it can send a short but heavy bodybuilder into the obese category.

When you look in the mirror for your progress, it's very easy to underestimate or overestimate your changes.

Men also have days when they got up on the wrong foot and an unshaven and fat man looks out of the mirror, and not that handsome guy who has already started to have abs cubes. The photo in this regard shows the progress very well. However, how can you see small changes in the photo? Is one kilogram of muscle always visible? Is one kilogram of fat always visible? Unfortunately no. Our body changes from day to day, but if these changes are not global, then sometimes it is difficult to notice them.

It's the same with centimeters. Here you measured the volume under the breast, and there plus three centimeters. And then you measured the biceps, and there the value did not change. I'm sure that deep down you will be upset, even if pumping up your arms was not your priority.

After all, body composition analysis is a much more accurate method. The resulting printout usually shows the percentage of body fat, the percentage of muscle, the amount of intracellular and intercellular fluid ("water").

You know how many people come to me for training just after the doctor hands them a printout, where it is written in black and white that they are obese. For some people whose fat is evenly distributed throughout the body, this may come as a surprise altogether. This is how you look at yourself in the mirror - it seems like nothing, the pants are tight, but they still fit, and then bam … it turns out, already obesity by medical standards.

And the high percentage of fat is not a joke. He has a lot of negative health consequences.

If you are 20-25, then I will not scare you with stories about the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. I'd rather be scared by a decrease in testosterone production, an increased conversion of it into estrogen (female sex hormone) and, as a result, a decrease in male strength in bed.

There are several methods for analyzing body composition. Let's skip the hydrostatic (underwater) weighing method. Firstly, equipment for such weighing can usually only be found in special laboratories or sports institutes. Secondly, the procedure itself is quite energy-intensive: you have to get into a cold pool of water and dive several times with your head. There are much more humane methods.

There is also an analogue of underwater weighing - Bod Pod (air cocoon). Pressure sensors register the volume of air displaced by the body, then these indicators are calculated using a special formula. Test with a fitted swimsuit and bathing cap as hair and clothing may cause inaccurate measurements. Finding this car is hard enough.

I'd rather talk about the three most popular and available methods: DEXA scan, bioimpedance body analysis, and calipometry.

DEXA scan

DEXA scan is an X-ray method for diagnosing osteoporosis. Actually, it is used to determine bone mineral density, but as a nice bonus, you also get a body analysis, where not only the total percentage of fat and muscle is indicated, but there is also an entertaining picture of how this fat and muscle is distributed and is there somewhere imbalance. You will be surprised, but many people have a fairly strong muscle imbalance, when, for example, one leg is much larger and stronger than the other.

Thus, DEXA is the only method that "calculates" bone and soft tissue separately, and therefore gives the most accurate results. Possible error is 2-3%. True, this method has two significant drawbacks: high cost (the cost is usually about 1,500-2,000 rubles) and the fact that such units can be found only in large medical centers.

Bioimpedance Body Analysis

Bioimpedance is the most popular body analysis method. The principle of operation is as follows: a very weak electric current is passed through the body. Muscles are 70% water, and fat contains almost no water and therefore inhibits the signal. Accordingly, the indicators of bio-resistance and the percentage of fat are interrelated values.

In almost any fitness club, you can see a scale with a fat analyzer. Moreover, now even at home many have such scales. There are many companies that make analyzers for home use. Alas, almost all of them are useless, because the error is very large. These devices are very sensitive to the body's water balance. If your body is slightly dehydrated, such as after drinking coffee, which is a diuretic, the test will add fat to you.

Professional fat analyzer scales are expensive (usually several thousand dollars). The accuracy of the results obtained here is much higher.

If you choose a place where to do such an analysis, then pay attention to how the device looks and what kind of results you get. It is best if the analysis shows not just bare numbers, but also the distribution of fat and muscle in the body.

Calipometry

Another method that I use quite often is calypometry. The method consists in measuring fat folds with a device similar to a vernier caliper.

They capture a fold on the body and measure it in millimeters. If the procedure is carried out by a professional with extensive experience, then the error will be small. However, this method has several drawbacks. Firstly, it is important that the specialist knows how to properly pinch the skin fold along with the fat, but not the muscle, and only in strictly defined places. Secondly, some people have very dense fat. So dense that it is impossible to make a tuft. Thirdly, this method does not allow you to find out the amount of visceral (internal fat), only subcutaneous.

If you live in a metropolis, then be aware that some clinics and sporting goods stores often conduct bioimpedance analysis for free. The site has addresses of health centers where anyone can get advice on health issues, as well as do a body analysis for free.

Output

1. Before starting training, do a body composition analysis: DEXA scan or bioimpedance (do calipometry only if you are sure of the specialist's qualifications) to know the starting point.
2. Repeat the analysis after 2-3 months to see progress and adjust training and nutrition according to the results.
3. Don't trust cheap fat analyzer scales.

Part 2. Construction of workouts

Last time I promised to start talking about building workouts. Since the topic is very broad, today I want to cover it in a thesis mode. First of all, you need to decide on the number of workouts, as well as their type (split or full body workouts).

There is so much information now that many practitioners “do not see the forest for the trees”. In other words, they pay too much attention to detail and not enough to basic principles. For example, when is the best time to do cardio? On an empty stomach or after a meal? It doesn't really matter unless you are a professional athlete or your fitness level is well above average. For the intermediate trainee, it is much more important to do cardio at all than to worry about timing.

People spend too long to find the perfect workout plan. Because of this, they either do not start training at all, or do it chaotically, or jump from program to program, which also neutralizes the training effect.

Secondly, there is no single super effective methodology. Many factors affect how the bodies of two different people will react to stress. You will have to check all the recommendations for yourself. As I already wrote, the trainer, when drawing up the program, tests the hypothesis that training X will give the result Z for a particular person Y.

Thirdly, the placebo effect has not yet been canceled. Many practitioners believe so much in the miraculous power of the technique or its creator that they get gorgeous results where theoretically they should not be. Usually it is these comrades who like to shout “And it worked for me” with foam at the mouth. That is, if you sincerely believe that you need to train in some special way, even if scientific research tells you otherwise, then good health.

So, the choice of the number of workouts per week will depend on your schedule.

It is the schedule that will be the decisive factor when choosing a program. If you have time to train twice a day, great. And if not? If you have a 12-hour day job, family and a bunch of other commitments?

It is convenient to follow the rule: if you only have three workouts per week, then it is better to work out the whole body in one workout to create sufficient stimulus for muscle growth.

If you have three to four workouts a week, then you have a choice. You can do a full body workout, or you can work out in a split mode. It will all depend on the type of training (intensity) and your ability to recover. If after training you still have a long soreness and recovery, both muscular and nervous, is slow, then it is better to train in a split system.

If you have five or more workouts, then there should be no questions - only split with rare exceptions (for example, the DUP program).

The next question is how many times a week to train each muscle group? You can find different options in different sources, but almost all fitness experts agree that training a muscle group once a week is either for “chemists” or for a rare genetic elite. Most often, the optimal training scheme for one muscle group is twice a week.

That is, it turns out that the following options will be the starting point:

• 2-3 times a week - full body workouts.
• 4 times a week - split up and down.
• More frequent muscle group training is more for genetically gifted individuals and bodybuilding professionals.

Thus, when training four times a week, you choose between a full body workout and split workouts to the top and bottom. Which is the best option? You have to check for yourself. If you still don't know your body well, then try one type of workout first, then another.

And for beginners, I advise you to start with a full-body workout. Over the past few years, I have not seen very dry people whose goal was only to gain muscle mass.

Usually everyone wants to gain mass and lose fat at the same time. So give your body enough stress with heavy multi-joint exercises, rather than half-hour biceps strokes.

Separate split workouts for each of the muscle groups (chest separately, back separately, arms separately) are not a good idea for beginners and for people who want to see results faster.

First, because of the large volume at low intensity. Usually, the point of training one muscle group is to do the maximum number of exercises, sets and reps, that is, to work the muscle from all angles. It turns out that the volume of training increases, and the intensity decreases. I really liked the statement by Lyle MacDonald, a very famous fitness trainer, at one of the seminars: “You don't need to do millions of sets to stimulate hypertrophy. If you can't finish off a muscle by doing 4-8 hard sets (per group), start training like a man and stop doing bullshit. This kind of workout from all angles is more suitable for those who are working on lagging muscle groups, rather than trying to gain mass in general.

Secondly, the load on the target muscles is very rare. The muscle needs to heal in 24 to 36 hours, so why take a break much longer? It turns out that muscles do not grow due to insufficient stimulation.

I am not saying that split training for all muscle groups is bad. As I wrote above, any workout is good. However, for beginners and intermediate practitioners, they tend to lose out on performance when compared to more frequent and intense workouts. However, again, a lot depends on the individual and his genetics. I'm sure they'll work great for someone.

An example of a full body workout and a top-bottom split is in the next issue.