The Official Blog of TCR Sport Lab

Burning Fat

2011-07-05T16:35:00.046-06:00

Burning Fat Scientific principles of promoting loss and maximizing your workouts

By Cory Fagan

To begin, there are two key methods to losing weight and fat.
1) Reduce the amount of food you eat and
2) exercise regularly.

Pretty simple, but even this does not work for a lot of people. If you are one of those people that are diet conscious and exercises regularly, but have become frustrated with a plateau in weight loss, you are not alone. What's the problem? Part of the answer lies within our genetics and how we time the food we eat in relation to exercise.

Genetics, well that's a tough one to change. Most of us do not have the metabolism of Olympians like Simon Whitfield or professional hockey players like Jarome Iginla. This means that we have to pay more attention to how much and when we eat compared to the professionals. This leaves the topic of the timing of food intake in relation to your exercise. This is a common question for many individuals who are trying to lose a few extra pounds. The underlying physiology principle is how to minimize the influx of insulin and carbohydrate usage when the goal is to oxidize (burn) your body fat.

Time Machine. Let's go back to the early 1900's and you live on farm. It's 6:00 am, you get up, get dressed and head out to feed the animals, get some eggs and maybe go to the garden. It's now 6:45 am, you are back inside and start to eat breakfast. Time shift again back to 2011, it's 6:00 am, you get up, get dressed, head downstairs and starting eating breakfast. At 6:45 am you are driving downtown and start typing on your computer.

Do you see the problem?
It's the movie star secret! We need to move prior to eating if you truly want to stay lean or lose those last 5 lbs of fat.

Where's the evidence?
The fantastic part of being in today's high tech world is that we have machines and years of research that can explain the above movie star secret. We can use metabolic carts to determine the effects on food on fat and carbohydrate burning. Our bodies are highly sensitive to the chemical composition in all types of food. If you eat a high glycemic based food prior to exercise, your body will burn sugar. If you eat an ultra low glycemic food prior to exercise, your body will more burn fat. Simple.

A Metabolic VO2 Test
Below is a sample case study of an active female, 43 years who did a metabolic VO2 test in the morning using two different fuel sources over two days A) Oatmeal and B) Water. The test consisted of walking at 3.0 mph and progressing up a 7.0 mph run. Note the change in fat burning between the oatmeal and water.

If you have less than 60 minutes to work out and you want to lose fat effectively, you need to minimize the amount of moderate to high glycemic index foods prior to exercise. Why? The human body is lazy. It likes the fast fuels like cereals, sweet fruit and breads prior to exercise. These foods make us feel energized and ready to go. However, this also becomes addictive and before you know it you will always need to have the "sugar push" prior to the morning run or workout. The question comes down to "do you want to burn fat" or do you want to be pumped up for that morning workout?

As much as the body loves the fast fuels, it is also highly adaptive meaning that the body will burn fat if we give it a chance. Much can be learned about the human body by disrupting our routines of eating or training and then watching the body readjust to a new state or equilibrium (Kabisch, 1992).
There are a few ways to do this depending on your commitment and desire to burn fat.
1) Just like the farmer, move first and then have your breakfast after
2) Eat prior to your workout, but the food must consist of low glycemic index.
3) Restrict your consumption of carbohydrates prior to aerobic exercise

What's the end result?
By not pre-loading sugar based foods prior to working out, you allow yourself to burn fat and potentially lose some weight. You do not necessarily have to add more hours of training or workout harder to get your desired result. Simply put, keep the workouts that you are doing and think about what you are eating.

Cory Fagan BPE, MSc Cory is an exercise physiologist and coach for TCR Sport Lab in Calgary. For further correspondence you can contact him at cory@tcrsportlab.com

References:
Kabisch, D. Medical management of elite athletes. In J. Karvonen & P.W.R. Lemon (Eds), Medicine in Sports Training and Coaching. Basel: Karger, 1992, pp. 1-21. Yeo, W.K., A.L. Carey, L. Burke, L.L. Spriet, and J.A. Hawley. Fat Adaptation in well trained athletes: effects on cell metabolism. Applied Physiology Nutrition Metabolism. 36: 12-22, 2011. The Glycemic Index. www.glycemicindex.com. Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney.

Bike Fit for Mountain Bikers

2011-03-23T17:17:00.004-06:00

by Cory Fagan, MSc

Cycling is one of the most repetitive activities humans engage in; on a 2-hour bike ride, for example, a person might perform 10,000 pedal strokes! More important than the highest-end carbon-fiber and ultra-light performance parts, a properly fitted bike can mean the difference between agonizing pain and the pure joy of experiencing the outdoors from the saddle!

Road cyclists and triathletes are the first to get bike fitted since they typically have longer contact periods with their bike compared to mountain bikers. It is not uncommon for a road cyclist to hold the same position for more than 60 minutes if they are comfortable. Mountain bikers sometimes delay the bike fit because they are constantly moving around due to the varied terrain. As a result, it is less common for mountain bikers to immediately experience saddle soreness, knee pain, neck or foot numbness compared to road riding. However, what about those long single-track climbs where you can be like a road cyclist and just pound the pedals? This is where the bike fit comes into play.

A properly fitted rider will generate more power, distribute workloads more evenly amongst the quadriceps, hip flexors and help minimize lactate accumulation. In addition, saddle soreness, hand numbness and knee pain can be addressed prior to avoiding inflammation in these areas which will keep you off the bike.

The other issue to address is safety. Do you feel unstable or frequently get ejected off the front end of the bike? A proper bike fit will address the proper seat height, bar width and saddle to bar drop which all affect handling. Just because your new bike is full suspension does not mean you are full proof and can tackle the steepest terrain.

The most scientific method of determining proper frame size and body position is using an independent biking fitting machine. Guru Bicycles has developed a Dynamic Fitting Unit (DFU) which is a real-time computerized Robotic Bike Fit System which allows the bike fitter to try numerous frame geometries while pedaling. The DFU also allows riders to experiment with different set-ups to see how it affects power production and a person’s left and right spin balance. This high tech machine is available at TCR Sport Lab in Calgary for all types of cyclists. So prior to launching those spring base miles, think about getting your road and mountain bike fitted to match your body.

The 'Hows' of Goal Setting

2010-12-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Mike Patton MKin

CSEP Certified Exercise Physiologist

You've seen plenty of 'Goal Setting' articles before, I'm sure. Everyone is quick to use the SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Framed) when describing how to do it properly, but very few people write about HOW to measure goals or what measurement tools are available. The first and most important tool is a training log. The second is a powermeter. I'll explain why.

A training log in its simplest form is a record of each individual training session. Much more sophisticated training logs exist, and can do wonderful things in terms of showing you patterns that develop in your training. They can quickly answer questions like "why did I perform the way I did in my last race?" and "what did I do last year that worked, and what didn't?" One tool we use at TCR Sport Lab is called TrainingPeaks. It is a web-based training log system that we use to deliver training programs to our athletes, but our athletes really benefit because they can see how they are progressing on a day-to-day and year-to-year basis. TrainingPeaks is also extremely powerful because it can integrate and compile enormous amounts of data from the variety of gadgets that people now use for training. Then, it can distill that data down to key variables that help athletes and coaches alike understand the training the athletes are doing. All this makes setting measurable goals that much easier, because you can look at your training log and SEE where you're at, every day.

I also mentioned that a powermeter is an important tool for setting measurable goals. Powermeters can exist in a variety of forms, but the key is that progress is immediately obvious when using one. Some people are lucky enough to afford a powermeter that they can install on their bicycle (e.g. Quarq or SRM), but most people can benefit from a powermeter by going to a physiology lab such as ours for periodic testing. Our lab has a Velotron cycling ergometer, which is essentially a very accurate powermeter. We use this powermeter most often with our Metabolic Cart for VO2max testing, which provides information about your VO2max (the gold-standard measure of fitness) as well as your individual training zones. This testing is important because it not only helps you see if your training has actually improved your fitness, but it can help refine your training so that you can be more time-effective in achieving your goals.

Hopefully now that you are aware of some tools you can use to help measure progress and success, you can be one step closer to effective goal setting. Good luck!

Your next big goal can be a great experience....if you are ready. For more information on training, testing and coaching, please visit: www.tcrsportlab.com

The Math of Weight Loss

2010-12-07T11:35:00.001-07:00

The Math of Weight loss and your Metabolism

By Cory Fagan, MSc

December is the month that many of us struggle to keep exercise consistent and the weight off. Christmas parties, the holidays and cold weather do not add up in our favor to battle the bulge! I do not expect people to start a marathon program or new workout in December, but what about January? How do you keep motivated in the New Year with your “new routine.” Do you workout like and crazy and see what happens? Many of us try this approach and then quit in frustration ending up back in the fridge! In my opinion, you need to see results in fitness and in the waistline soon. Results will come when exercise and nutrition are treated as equally important. People count their calories burned, track their heart rate and record their hours of training. However, what about food intake? This needs a closer look if you are truly interested in change. Below are some facts and tips that will keep you motivated and on track in the New Year.

What you need:

Resting Metabolic Rate. Get tested, you need this number.

This is the minimum amount of calories you need in a day to go to work, sit on the coach and just exist. Eating this much food keeps your body happy and prevents against the “protection of fat” or “fat storing” mode. You can try on-line calculation formulas or you can get accurate information by performed a fasting metabolic rate test at TCR.

Two Day Food log. How many calories do you eat?

I do not believe in tracking calories everyday as it can be time consuming and some people can get obsessed which drives up your cortisol levels preventing weight loss. However, you need to know how much you eat. It’s amazing how many people really do not know their caloric intake in a typical day, yet they want to lose a few pounds. Try the free website: www.fitday.com to track your calories. It has a simply drag and drop menu and thousands of food choices.

Exercise. Move your body regularly.

If your dog was over-weight, what would you do? Exercise the furry friend and control his food intake. Pretty simple, but humans make it complicated with excuses and too much access to food. Besides burning calories, one of the “cellular” changes that happen with movement is that our fat cells will release fat when we move consistently. No movement equals fat cells that get efficient at storing fat and we do not want this! At our TCR lab, we have seen hundreds of metabolic cases that show improvements in fat utilization by people who exercise regularly. As for the type of exercise, my first recommendation is just getting moving with consistency. You do not need to sign up for Ironman in order to lose weight!

The Math

Case Study One

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2500 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2500 kcals – RMR (1750) – Exercise (250)= 500 kcal surplus. There is about 500 kcals too much and hence no weight loss stimulus.

Case Study Two

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2000 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2000 kcals – RMR (1750 kcals ) – Exercise (250 kcals) = 0 or Break Even. This is what you want; a plan under control, realistic exercise and net score close to zero.

If you happen to exercise more, fantastic! You will have a deficit and really kick start weight loss. However, I have also seen this happen too much and become counter-productive. People will go out and exercise like crazy resulting in a deficit of 500-1500 calories at the end of the day. Guess what happens? We go out and reward ourselves with more food that night or the next day because we had a big workout. The person ends up with a surplus and maybe even weight gain. So keep it realistic and simple when you start out in the New Year.

Changes in Power for "Normal Folk"

2010-05-14T10:05:00.011-06:00

Hello to all the cyclists and triathletes out there!

Spring is finally here, for those that live in Calgary! This blog is going to discuss power improvements and training.

At TCR Sport Lab, we are constantly testing and training people with power. As you know, power is the new kid on the block with measurement devices becoming more affordable and popular. We have been tracking several athletes as case studies over the winter. All of the athletes want to improve with hopes of riding faster this race season.

Below is a case study of a mountain bike athlete who is training for his 7th TransRockies stage race this August. The athlete considers himself an "average age grouper" and recently had a new baby. His goals are to have his best TR ever and improve on his climbing ability.

We started his training program in January with some Critical Power (CP) testing. 4 short tests done over 2 days: 10km TT, 4km TT, 2km TT and 1 km on a stationary bicycle ergometer. Critical power is a term that refers to cyclists anaerobic cycling ability and lactate tolerance. Many people are familiar with Anaerobic or Lactate Threshold as training marker which is best tested in a lab with a lactate monitor or metabolic cart (VO2). Critical power is essentially a workload just above a person's lactate threshold and can be done without a lab. We chose this test because the athlete lived in Vancouver and did not have access to a lab for testing.

From January to May, the cyclist had a 5 Watt increase in his critical power from 279 watts to 284 watts. See the graph. As you can see, a cyclist with 279 watts of power is pretty good to start, but he was still able to top off his "cranking power" for those short hills.

Any type of improvement is always good. A couple of points that are interesting:

Most of the cyclist's improvements came on the short distances as this was our goal.

3 watts on 10km

12 watts on 4km

12 watts on 2km

10 watts on 1 km

To be honest, this is pretty good for a guy that has done TR for 6 years! It is not like we are working with a guy who was new to cycling.

What does this mean? Adding 5-10 watts of power to short hills would allow you to keep your heart rate about 5-10 beats lower and enable you stay out of the granny gear more often on those crazy TR climbs.

Professional riders would kill to add 10 watts to their performance on short TTs!

When you start working with power, 5-10 watts changes over 4 months is a pretty good improvement with experienced athletes. In addition, if you are a person with a new baby who has had some crazy episodes of the flu and sleep deprivation, 5 watts on your CP is great!

The next step in this cyclists training program is to develop the his ability to ride those long TR days by increasing his volume. He is on his way to a great TransRockies #7.

Powermeters

2010-01-25T09:56:00.004-07:00

"What is a power meter and how can it help me?"

This question is asked on a regular basis by people looking for anything that can help make their training more efficient. Anyone who has a speedometer on their bike can tell you that wind and hills make speed a useless measure of training intensity. Heart rate, on the other hand, is a great way to measure training intensity and has been extensively used since the first heart rate monitor came out in the 1980's. There is a mostly linear relationship between heart rate and exercise intensity, and we can show this nicely in the chart below. In other words, as your heart rate increases toward your maximum, so does exercise intensity. The same cannot be said of the relationship between intensity and speed, for example.

From a practical standpoint, heart rate is limited in its usefulness in some circumstances. For example, dehydration and overheating can increase your heart rate well beyond what it would normally be, making it difficult to know how hard to exercise. It is often very clear to the person exercising that they might have to ride more slowly for the same heart rate when it's hot outside (or inside), but does that mean you are still training at the right intensity? I don't think so.

Quick changes in intensity such as a surge up a hill or even interval training are not obvious when only looking at heart rate. In these situations, heart rate lags behind the effort. With the exception of laboratory testing and perhaps well-controlled indoor training sessions, effort is never constant, so using a tool that is 20 or 30 seconds behind what is actually happening can make interpreting training data difficult. This is especially the case when looking at your average heart rate for a workout, because the time spent 'catching up' to the intensity means that average heart rates are often lower than the target or the expected heart rate.

Another problem with using heart rate by itself to judge exercise intensity or training load is that exercise intensity can increase way above the level we would associate with maximum heart rate. Think about the 100m dash! That is obviously an all-out effort, and yet not one of those athletes will reach maximum heart rate, or if they do, they could run quite a bit slower, and still get to max heart rate. In other words, heart rate is great for showing how hard you're working on long, steady efforts where there aren't any major environmental factors or speed changes/hills, but wouldn't it be great if we had something that could tell overcome some of these challenges? Enter the power meter.

Cyclists and Triathletes enjoy unparalleled access to training information now that power meters have become more accessible. The most widely-used systems involve replacing a standard crank or rear hub with an instrumented unit. These systems convert measurements of torque, combined with how quickly the crank or wheel is rotating, to figure out power output. This torque comes from your legs, and is what we're all interested in. Power is intensity. Unlike heart rate, these power meters instantly know (and tell you!) when there is a surge and whether you're riding into the wind or up a hill, watts (the measurement unit for power) are still just as good a measure of intensity as they are at any other time. Watts are not affected by your environment, either, even if you are. The adage, "watts are watts are watts," is often cited at this point. No more will you give yourself a hard time if you don't hit an arbitrary average speed for a ride, you can get off the bike comfortable with the knowledge that your ride was exactly as hard as it was supposed to be, confident you are maximizing your training time.

A key point to make here is that having heart rate along with power is superior to either one in isolation. Although I have suggested that heart rate monitors are not as useful because they are affected by things like dehydration, they become extremely useful when combined with a power meter for the same reason! If your heart rate is inexplicably high relative to a power output you normally train at, it could be an early warning sign that you need more rest in your training plan. Looking at it another way, the easiest way to see that your training is working and you're getting fitter is to see consistently lower heart rates for a given power output. Also, there is some fantastic software than can help you look at your power data such as TrainingPeaks' WKO+ or Race Day Performance Predictor. This software helps tease out the relevant information from each training session so that you can get beyond just looking at average watts.

We at TCR currently offer the Quarq Cinqo (crank-based) as well as the CycleOps PowerTap (hub-based). The Quarq certainly has the edge in my book, because you can train AND race with power. Often with the PowerTap, you need to have one set of wheels with the power hub installed and another set for racing, for example. That's if you choose to put the power tap in your training wheels, but training occupies much more of your time than racing, so I would certainly recommend going this route if you like the PowerTap. From a cost standpoint, both the PowerTap and the Quarq have the other major player in power meters, the SRM. While none of the systems are cheap, you can get one of the two systems we offer for close to $1000 cheaper. We are also eagerly awaiting the release of MetriGear's Vector, a pedal-based power meter, for its ease of use, its cost, and the fact that it won't have to be exclusive to one wheel, bike, or even drive-train! With all the bike fitting we do here, the ability to separate out left and right leg power would be very useful for many people to improve their cycling efficiency as well.

The new wireless technology standard (ANT+, developed right outside Calgary, by the way) means there is a lot of interoperability between power meter manufacturers and makers of bike computers. In my opinion, the CycleOps Joule 2.0 is the best power bike computer available from a training standpoint, but Garmin (maker of the Edge 500 and Edge 705 computers) offers some excellent GPS functionality as well. If you already have a power meter, we are also excited to offer to help analyze the myriad of data that you have at your fingertips. Sometimes an experienced observer can pick out some relevant information you might have missed or can help you identify your individual strengths and weaknesses to help you get to the next level. Power meters really are the ultimate training tool. Other sports yearn to have such an in-depth understanding of the training they do. Power meters are coming down in price, and the new ANT+ wireless standard means easier installation and maintenance of the equipment. It's an exciting time to be involved with cycling, to say the least!