SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Superset or not? The research question here is a different one... I have to admit. I've recommended super setting during fat loss phases before, too. It simply appears too logical to assume that with the decreased rest times you'd burn more energy and - as you, as a SuppVersity  reader know - it's your energy deficit that determines your weight loss. Unfortunately, a recent study from Brazil has recently disillusioned me within less than one second - the title was enough: "Supersets do not change energy expenditure during strength training sessions in physically active individuals" (Brentano. 2016)... until I realized that it fooled me to believe that we were talking about a comparison of super setting to super setting... synergistic and non-synergistic that is. No matter how you train. You must  periodize appropriately to maximize your gains! 30% More on the Big Three: Squat, DL, BP! Block Periodization Done Right Linear vs. Undulating Periodiz...

HIIT has been touted to work its fat burning magic by increasing post-exercise oxygen consumption aka EPOC, a marker of the amount of fat you burn after your workouts. Eventually, however, only the total oxygen consumption and energy expenditure count and this is where the putative mechanism behind the fat loss effects of HIIT lacks scientific backup. Higher excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) after high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT / HIE) and sprint interval exercise (SIE) has long been touted to explain the greater fat loss scientists observed in several studies which compared the fat loss effects effects classic "cardio" aka steady-state exercise (SSE) to interval training (HIIT / HIE). To elucidate whether that's a reasonable and, more importantly, sufficient  (meaning: "Is the increased energy expenditure high enough to explain the fat loss, even if the steady state exercise consumes more energy and fat on total?") explanation for the p...

BodyPump is a fast paced workout with barbells. Light(er) weights, high reps, loud music and a drill instructor... if you know one, you'll know all of these group based "resistance training" workouts. Sunday and time for a brief review of the latest exercise-related publications. Today, I picked two studies that took a closer look at something I would never suggest you'd consider a primary measure of the quality of your training: The energy expenditure during and after your workouts. While exercise and the exercise-induced increase in energy-expenditure is an important pillar of diet  (+ exercise) induced weight loss. The dietary component is what makes you lose weight, while the exercise component is meant to (a) maximize the retention of lean muscle tissue and (b) improve your overall fitness and health. If you're just "working out to burn energy" you're destined to fail; not least because you will  never  be able to tell exactly how many kca...

Bring the heart rate up with exercises that involve the whole body and do workout short, intense and frequent to maximize the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, but  don't fall for the falls believe that this alone would be enough to get you shredded. It's pretty straight logical and with the publication of the accepted manuscript of a recent study from the Institute of Physical Education and Sports at the  Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion of the  University of Rio de Janeiro State it's scientifically proven, splitting your cardio training in two sessions kicks cardio's (=medium to high intensity steady state exercise's) ass, when it comes to maximizing the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). As Cunha et al. point out in the intoduction of their latest paper, "previous research investigating the effects of intermittent vs. continuous exercise upon EPOC superficially matched the exercise bouts for external work (same i...

If you work out to be able to allow yourself to eat, you know you have a serious problem. So, what was that about the bench pressing consuming as much energy as leg presses and the "exercise just makes you hungry myth" on the last installment of the Science Round-Up ? If that's what you have been asking yourself this morning, when you showered I am impressed - or should I be worried? If you have not done so already, this would be the right time to download + listen to the Science Round-Up - I promise there is much to learn and not all of it is going to be repeated here. Whatever... in the end it does not matter how urgent you were waiting to take a look at the data that supports my argument that (a) exercise does not just make you hungry, and that (b) the notion to work out primarily to burn energy is hilarious. Chest vs. legs what's energetically more costly? While I could imagine that the comparison would have yielded a different result if the 10 healt...

If you are sprinting because of the increase in EPOC, you are a fool. Those of you have been following the SuppVersity for quite some time, now, will be familiar with the term "EPOC", which refers to the amount of oxygen that is c onsumed in e xcess in the p ost-exercise - or, in order not to overcomplicate things, the e xcess p ost-exercise o xygen c onsumption, or, even simpler the amount of energy your burn after a workout because your mitochondria are "still on fire". Assuming that you have read those of the >1250 hitherto published SuppVersity Articles that were dealing with this issue you may remember that I have repeatedly pointed out that... ... the contribution of the actual energy consumption that is caused by the "EPOC effect" would be absolutely irrelevant, if the calories in vs. calories out equation was as simple as mainstream dietitians and lifestyle magazine authors still like to present it to their clients and readers. Now...