330ml/d Beer for 30 Days Will Sign. Improve Healthy Men's Glucose Management | 58% Lowered Insulin Resistance!

Beer by the numbers.

With me being a German citizen, you probably suspect bias when it comes to the health effects of beer... and you're right: I hate beer! I don't know why, but I don't like the taste of it and only drink it when it's necessary to socialize. Accordingly, you may believe me when I tell you that a recent study from the Federal Inst. of Education, Science and Technology of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ) found that drinking 330ml of alcoholic beer is not only not bad, but downright healthy.

From previous articles about beer, here at the SuppVersity, you will remember that non-alcoholic beer is an excellent sports drink (learn more in "The Ergogenic Effect of Nonalcoholic Beer Front- & Back Loading + 15 Beerish Health Facts Everyone Should Know" | read it).

Read about exercise- and nutrition-related studies in the SuppVersity Short News

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With the publication of Luciana C. Nogueira's latest study, it does now appear as if alcoholic beer had at least as many benefits as non-alcoholic beer, of which SuppVersity readers know that it has blood pressure lowering effect, a high magnesium content, contains glutathione precursors and active immunomodulatory peptides and proteins as well as the 35+ phenolic compounds (about 80–90% from malt and 10–20% from hops), etc. (learn more in the previously cited SuppVersity article).

Obviously, that's good news; after all, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. The fact that Nogueira's study showed significant positive health effects on fifteen healthy adult men (aged 20 to 57 y) in a 3x30 day study, is thus quasi-relevant for humanity ;-)

Figure 1: This is where getting healthy (by drinking beer) is the cheapest; source: statista.com.

In Treatment 1 (Baseline), the subjects, who were non-smokers, free of liver disease or any other disorder that could alter the metabolism of alcohol and had a habitual alcohol intake classified as low (0.1 to 9.9 g of ethanol per d) to moderate (10 to 30 g of ethanol per day), followed their usual diet without drinking any alcoholic beverage; in Treatment 2, subjects consumed 330 mL non-alcoholic beer (NAB); and in Treatment 3, the subjects drank 330 mL alcoholic beer (AB) per day.

Table 1: Characterization of beers—quality indicators (Nogueira 2017)

Please note: Not all beers are created equal! I cannot guarantee that your beer will have the same health benefits as the beer that was used in the study at hand. Since it was brewed in a commercial brewery and without any tricks (aside from milling the malt, which favors the action of enzymes on insoluble components), fermented for only 5 days and matured to achieve the best taste, I would yet suspect that the results apply to all Pilsen beers.

In contrast to what the wine industry has tried to make us believe for the larger part of both this and the previous century, beer turned out to have similar if nor more pronounced health benefits than wine (see Figure 2): It was found that the use of alcoholic beer (AB) for 30 d (16 g alcohol/d)

• reduced the blood insulin and fasting glucose, significantly, and
• significantly reduced insulin resistance. 

As the scientists rightly point out, their study is thus the first to demonstrate that "the daily intake of 330 mL AB could statistically change the lipid profile and insulin sensitivity of adult men" (Nogueira 2017) - now, the bad news is that the lipid profile worsened significantly.

Figure 1: Consuming 330ml of alcoholic beer for 30 days had impressive anti-diabetes effects (Nogueira 2017); insulin and fasting insulin resistance index on the primary, glucose on the secondary axis.

What is particularly surprising, though, is that the ill effect on the HDL/LDL ratio was much more pronounced during the 30 days in which the subjects consumed the non-alcoholic beer (16% lower HDL/LDL ratio; difference not statistically significant, though). That's in contrast to previous studies showing that moderate alcohol consumption in general, and beer, in particular, is associated with reductions in both, the triglyceride:HDL and the total cholesterol:HDL ratios in the long run (Huang 2017).

Improved glycemia ✓, but also HDL:LDL ratio ↘ 

Furthermore, consuming non-alcoholic beer elevated the subjects' triglycerides (66.4 vs. 80.6) to a similar extent as other sugary non-alcoholic beverages (89.5) and lacked the previously highlighted beneficial effects on blood glucose management that was also observed in epidemiological studies.

Figure 2: Type + amount of alcohol matter when it comes to the effect on one's type II diabetes mellitus risk (Kao 2001).

It does, therefore, appear logical to assume that it is the moderate alcohol consumption that's responsible for the improvements in glucose management and none of the various phenols which would/could be found in the non-alcoholic beer. To get to the bottom of the mechanism, though, we'd need molecular analyses complementary to the health parameters the scientists didn't run - that's a pity because other recent studies like Kim et al. (2009) seem to refute the idea that it's the alcohol that does the trick. In their study, the scientists from the Stanford University did not find sign. effects of moderate wine or vodka consumption - their study subjects were, however, insulin-resistant to begin with and the amount of alcohol that was administered was two times higher.

Figure 3: The latest meta-analysis of studies w/ a duration of at least 2 weeks seems to confirm that a moderate alcohol consumption improves glycemia, in this case, the long-term glucose gauge HbA1c in healthy individuals (Schrieks 2015).

Accordingly, I'd suggest we stick to the results of the latest meta-analysis by Schrieks et al. who came to the conclusion that "the current evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may decrease fasting insulin and HbA1c concentrations among nondiabetic subjects" (Schrieks 2015).

PWO alcohol is not for male athletes. But before you rejoice, ladies. The ill health effects of a given amount of alcohol are more severe for the fairer sex. The study did not use beer as a test beverage, though | more.

What's the verdict? In contrast to what many people certainly believe, beer, at least when it's consumed in moderation (16g/d alcohol) and for "only" 30 days has profound anti-diabetic/pro-glucose-management effects in healthy young and middle-aged men.

The effects are probably in one way or another related to its alcohol content because the study at hand found no such effect of non-alcoholic beer.

The worsening of the HDL/LDL ratio that was observed in both, the non-alcoholic and alcoholic beer treatments, is not necessarily a reason for concern - especially if you have never had problems w/ blood lipids | Comment!

References:

• Franco L, Sánchez C, Bravo R, Rodríguez AB, Barriga C, Romero E, Cubero J. The sedative effect of non-alcoholic beer in healthy female nurses. PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e37290. Epub 2012 Jul 18.
• Huang, Shue, et al. "Longitudinal study of alcohol consumption and HDL concentrations: a community-based study." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 105.4 (2017): 905-912.
• Kao, WH Linda, et al. "Alcohol consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: atherosclerosis risk in communities study." American Journal of Epidemiology 154.8 (2001): 748-757.
• Koletzko B, Lehner F. Beer and breastfeeding. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2000;478:23-8. Review.
• Nogueira, Luciana C., et al. "Moderate Alcoholic Beer Consumption: The Effects on the Lipid Profile and Insulin Sensitivity of Adult Men." Journal of Food Science (2017): ahead of print.
• Schrieks, Ilse C., et al. "The effect of alcohol consumption on insulin sensitivity and glycemic status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies." Diabetes Care 38.4 (2015): 723-732.

6x1 Min HIIT Before Lifting Shed Extra Fat, Don't Impair 'ur Gainz | Daily AM/PM Training = ZERO Gainz | Alcohol W/Out Acute Effect on Workout Recovery of Trained Women

While alcohol doesn't impair the regeneration and doing HIIT before weights leaves women's gains unchanged while potentially boosting their fat loss, training twice a day, every day appears to be a good idea only for those who are afraid that they could become "too muscular".

Not every study is worth being discussed at length in an article of its own. This is why I've come up with the "Short News" or "Research Updates" - articles like the one at hand in which I address 3-5 studies very briefly. Mostly to give you an idea of the results and make sure that you can say "Yo, I've read about that study, bro" at the gym, when someone tells you: "You know, man, there's that new study showing that alcohol does not exacerbate the inflammatory response to exercise, bro!"

Ok, that was a joke. I hope your real reason to read the following elaborations is to make sure that the way you train is in line with what works according to the latest research - doing HIIT before lifting to shed extra fat without impairing your gains, for example.

Read about exercise- and nutrition-related studies in the SuppVersity Short News

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• Women who HIIT it hard don't risk their weight training gains and may lose extra body fat -- While we do have corresponding evidence from studies in male subjects, it was, until now, not clear, whether doing HIIT and resistance training concurrently would have the same effects in premenopausal women like the sixteen 26–40 year-old ladies who were randomly assigned into two groups that performed either resistance (RT), alone, or concomitant (CT) training in a recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (Gentil 2017). Here's how the authors describe their experimental approach to the question:

  "Both groups performed the same RT program; however, CT performed additional high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a bicycle ergometer before RT. The study lasted 8 weeks and the participants were tested for ten repetition maximum (10RM) load in elbow flexion (barbell biceps curl) and knee extension exercises pre- and post-intervention. RT was performed with 10–12 repetitions to self-determined repetition maximum in the first four weeks and then progressed to 8–10. During CT, HIIT was performed before RT with six 1-min bouts at 7–8 of perceived subjective exertion (RPE) and then progressed to eight bouts at 9–10 RPE" (Gentil 2017).

  The researchers' analysis of the data revealed significant increases in upper and lower body strength for both the RT and CT groups.

  

  Figure 1: Rel. changes in markers of body fat (waist and sum of three skinfold measurements) on the left and individual strength gains of the knee extensors on the right (Gentil 2017).

  More specifically, the ladies' biceps barbell curl 10RM load increased from 12.9 ± 3.2 kg to 14 ± 1.5 kg in CT (p < 0.05) and from 13 ± 1.8 kg to 15.9 ± 2.5 kg in RT (p < 0.05), with no significant between-groups differences. Knee extension 10RM increase from 31.9 ± 11.6 kg to 37.5 ± 8.5 kg for CT (p < 0.05) and from 30.6 ± 8.6 kg to 41.2 ± 7.4 kg for RT (p < 0.05).
  
  Accordingly, the authors are right to conclude that - within the limits of their study - performing HIIT on a cycle ergometer before resistance training does not seem to impair muscle strength increases in the knee extensors or elbow flexors of pre-menopausal women. This information should be considered when prescribing exercise sessions, since both activities may be combined without negative effects in muscle strength.
• Two-a-days would probably completely impair your gains -- While it is only a rodent study, Junya Takegaki's recent paper (2017) clearly indicates that resting only 8h between workouts blunts the hypertrophy response to exercise.
  
  In the study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into three groups: resistance-trained with 18 bouts at an interval of 72h (72H), 24h (24H), and 8h (8H). The resistance exercise consisted of 50 repetitions of maximal isometric contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle. The right gastrocnemius muscle was used as trained muscle, and the left was used as internal control. The muscle contraction was induced by transcutaneous electrical stimulation under anesthesia. Muscle samples were collected 48h after the final exercise session and kept frozen until analysis.

Keep in mind that you can train successfully twice a day with ample rest btw. training days

Nine Short Workouts (AM+PM) p. Week Yield Extra Strength, Size and Performance Gains Compared to Volume Matched 3-Day Split, All Differences are Non-Significant, Though | If not Done Everyday AM+PM Works

Two-A-Day Training - That's Bogus, Right? No - Increased Fat Oxidation in Endurance, 2.4x Higher Max. Volume, 2.6x Higher Time to Exhaustion in Resistance Training Study | Two-a-Day & HIIT

• Said analysis showed that the rodents' gastrocnemius wet weight was increased in 72H and 24H, but not in 8H. Similarly, the mitochondrial content was increased in 72H and 24H, but not in 8H.
  
  Against that background, it is interesting to note that the same protein ubiquitination was observed in all groups, and the ubiquitination was increased with shortening of training interval. In other words: human studies will also have to measure real gains, not protein expressions to assess the effect of different training frequency.
• Postworkout alcohol consumption ain't a problem for women -- You will remember that, in men, alcohol can actually increase the testosterone response to exercise (I discussed that in a 2013 article). What it does in women was, until now, not clear. Accordingly, scientists from the University of North Texas and the Louisiana State University conducted a study to investigate the effect of acute alcohol consumption on muscular performance recovery, assessed by maximal torque production, and on inflammatory capacity, assessed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cytokine production, following muscle-damaging resistance exercise in women.

  "Thirteen recreationally resistance-trained women completed two identical exercise bouts (300 maximal single-leg eccentric leg extensions) followed by alcohol (1.09 g ethanol kg−1 fat-free body mass) or placebo ingestion. Blood was collected before (PRE), and 5 (5 h-POST), 24 (24 h-POST), and 48 (48 h-POST) hours after exercise and analyzed for LPS-stimulated cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 and IL-10). Maximal torque production (concentric, eccentric, isometric) was measured for each leg at PRE, 24 h-POST, and 48 h-POST" (Levitt 2017).

  The scientists found that exercise per se increased the LPS-stimulated production of TNF-α (%change from PRE: 5 h-POST 109%; 24 h-POST 49%; 48 h-POST 40%) and decreased LPS-stimulated production of IL-8 (5 h-POST −40%; 24 h-POST −50%; 48 h-POST: −43%) and IL-10 (5 h-POST: −37%; 24 h-POST −32%; 48 h-POST −31%). Consuming alcohol after exercise, however, did not affect this response.
  

  

  Figure 3: LPS-stimulated concentrations of IL-10 (a), IL-8 (b), TNF-α (c), and IL-6 (d) normalized to the pre-exercise (PRE) concentrations at 5 h after exercise (5 h-POST), 24 h after exercise (24 h-POST), and 48 h after exercise (48 h-POST). Asterisk time point means significantly (p < 0.05) different from PRE, dollar symbol time point mean significantly different from 5 h-POST, hash symbol time point mean significantly different from 24 h-POST. Mean ± SE (Levitt 2017).

  Regardless of drink condition, concentric, eccentric, and isometric torque produced by the exercised leg were lower at 24 h-POST (concentric 106 ± 6 Nm, eccentric 144 ± 9 Nm, isometric 128 ± 8 Nm; M ± SE) compared to PRE (concentric 127 ± 7 Nm, eccentric 175 ± 11 Nm, isometric 148 ± 8 Nm). Eccentric torque production was partially recovered and isometric torque production was fully recovered by 48 h-POST.
  
  Only a fool would assume that this implies that you can drink every day and still make the same gains and get the same health benefits from exercise as an alcohol-abstainer. What the study at hand does prove, however, is that the occasional cocktail ain't going to ruin what you've been working so hard for in the gym.

Review the January '17 Research Update | more

Bottom line: That's it for today, come back for another installment of the short news when there's more newsworthy resistance training or nutrition research that's interesting, yet not important enough to devote an independent SuppVersity article on its analysis | Comment!

Ah... and in case you haven't done that already, I highly suggest you subscribe to the news updates on facebook.com/SuppVersity and/or twitter.com/SuppVersity, respectively, to stay up-to-date.

Reference:

• Gentil, P., de Lira, C.A.B., Filho, S.G.C. et al. "High intensity interval training does not impair strength gains in response to resistance training in premenopausal women." Eur J Appl Physiol (2017) 117: 1257. doi:10.1007/s00421-017-3614-0
• Levitt, D.E., Luk, HY., Duplanty, A.A. et al. "Effect of alcohol after muscle-damaging resistance exercise on muscular performance recovery and inflammatory capacity in women." Eur J Appl Physiol (2017) 117: 1195. doi:10.1007/s00421-017-3606-0
• Takegaki, Junya, et al. "Resistance training with short interval does not induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats." The FASEB Journal 31.1 Supplement (2017): 1021-15.

Upper Body Workout Doesn't Impair 48h Leg-Day Recovery, Lactobacillus for Immunity & Alcohol Impairs Your Gains

PWO alcohol is not for male athletes. But before you rejoice, ladies. The ill health effects of a given amount of alcohol are more severe for the fairer sex.

It's Christmas! And you can almost smell the new year with its smell of alcohol approach... and that's bad news for your gains, as a recent study in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows. With a study on the possible interference of upper body training on your leg-day recovery (Abaïdia. 2017), and the purported benefits of lactic acid bacteria for athletes' immunity (Michalickova. 2017), Duplanty's study, which shows that alcohol will impair the adaptation to resistance training in previously resistance trained men, but not female trainees w/ RT experience (Duplanty. 2017), constitutes what's probably going to be the last SuppVersity Science Update for 2016.

Read about rather exercise-related studies at the SuppVersity

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• Doing an upper body workout after muscle damaging "leg day" won't impair your recovery, study shows (Abaïdia. 2017) -- The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an upper-limb strength training session the day after an exercise inducing muscle damage on recovery of performance.
  
  

  

  Figure 1: Creatine kinase (CK) and muscle force recovery ofter the 48h period w/ and w/out upper body exercise on the day after the leg workout (Abaïdia. 2017).

  In a randomized crossover design, subjects performed the day after the exercise, on 2 separate occasions (passive vs. active recovery conditions) a single-leg exercise (dominant in one condition and nondominant in the other condition) consisting of 5 sets of 15 eccentric contractions of the knee flexors. Active recovery consisted of performing an upper-body strength training session the day after the exercise. Creatine kinase, hamstring strength, and muscle soreness were assessed immediately and 20, 24, and 48 hours after exercise-induced muscle damage.
  
  The upper-body strength session, after muscle-damaging exercise accelerated the recovery of slow concentric force (effect size = 0.65; 90% confidence interval = −0.06 to 1.32), but did not affect the recovery kinetics for the other outcomes. The addition of an upper-body strength training session the day after muscle-damaging activity does not negatively affect the recovery kinetics.
  
  "Upper-body strength training may be programmed the day after a competition," the authors conclude and rightly so, after all their efforts to measure Creatine kinase, hamstring strength, and muscle soreness does indeed provide reliable information about the subjects' recovery.
• Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 as an immune booster for elite athletes (Michalickova. 2017) -- To test the influence of probiotic supplementation on humoral immune response, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Thirty athletes (24 males and 6 females, females: V_O2max 38.2 ± 4.9 ml·kg−1·min−1, age 23.2 ± 1.4 years; males: V_O2max 57.5 ± 9.2 ml·kg−1·min−1, age 24.0 ± 2.4 years, mean ± SD) were randomized either to the probiotic group (Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10, 2 × 1010 colony-forming units) or to the placebo group. Serum and saliva samples were collected at the baseline and after 14 weeks. Total and specific antibacterial antibody levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA classes were determined for different bacteria in the serum, and in saliva, total and specific antibacterial IgA levels were examined.
  
  

  

  Teddy bears are like vitamin C and zinc. They can help you when you are already sick, but what are supplements athletes and gymrats take in advance to survive the flu season without getting sick at all?

  The scientists' analyses showed: Total IgM was elevated in both probiotic (18%, 15–20%; mean, 90% confidence interval; p = 0.02) and placebo group (35%, 22–47%; p = 0.02), without observed differences in changes between the groups. No significant changes in IgM levels specific for tested bacteria were found. Total IgG level was constant in both groups. A significant (16%, −2.8 to 35%, p = 0.04) reduction of anti–Enterococcus faecalis IgG was noted in the placebo group, in comparison with the probiotic group.
  
  There was a substantial decrease in total IgA level in the placebo group, when measured either in serum (15%, 12–18%, p = 0.04) or in saliva (35%, −1.4 to 53%, p = 0.03).
  
  Significantly reduced levels of serum anti–lactic acid bacteria IgA antibodies in the placebo group compared with the probiotic group were detected for Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA68 (24%, 5.8–42%, p = 0.02) and for L. rhamnosus LB64 (15%, 2.7–27%, p = 0.02).
  
  Nice? Well, there's one word in the scientists' conlusion I want you to pay specific attention to the small word "could" in "Probiotic administration could have beneficial effects on systemic humoral and mucosal immune responses" (Michalickova. 2017).
• Alcohol post-workout = impaired gains, at least in men (Duplanty. 2017) -- If this is not surprising to you, you must be unaware of the mixed evidence from previous studies on the impact of alcohol on post-workout protein synthesis.
  
  

  

  Figure 2: Bar graphs represent the quantification of western blot images for proteins (phosphorylated proteins relative to total proteins and normalized to a-tubulin | Duplanty. 2017).

  The purpose of the latest study on this subject was to further elucidate the effects postexercise alcohol ingestion.
  
  In that, the study had many novel aspects including using a resistance exercise (RE) only exercise design and the inclusion of women. Ten resistance-trained males and 9 resistance-trained females completed 2 identical acute heavy RE trials (6 sets of Smith machine squats) followed by ingestion of either alcohol or placebo.
  
  All participants completed both conditions. Before exercise (PRE) and 3 (+3 hours) and 5 (+5 hours) hours postexercise, muscle tissue samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis by biopsies. Muscle samples were analyzed for phosphorylated mTOR, S6K1, and 4E-BP1.
  
  For men, there was a significant interaction effect for mTOR and S6K1 phosphorylation. At +3 hours, mTOR and S6K1 phosphorylation (unlike mTOR S6K1 is usually a reliable marker of protein synthesis) was higher for placebo than for alcohol.
  
  For women, there was a significant main effect for time. mTOR phosphorylation was higher at +3 hours than at PRE and at +5 hours.  There were no significant effects found for 4E-BP1 phosphorylation in men or women.

  "The major findings of this study was that although RE elicited similar mTORC1 signaling both in men and in women, alcohol ingestion seemed to only attenuate RE-induced phosphorylation of the mTORC1 signaling pathway in men" (Duplanty. 2017)

  Yes, guys, that's right: alcohol should not be ingested after RE as this ingestion could potentially hamper the desired muscular adaptations to RE by reducing anabolic signaling. The one thing that's still necessary, now, is a study investigating the dose-response effect and whether it takes vodka (40% vol/vol alcohol; Smirnoff Co., Norwalk, CT, USA) diluted in water at a concentration of 15% vol/vol absolute alcohol and thus a dose of 1.09 g of alcohol per kg of fat-free body mass to do the ergolytic trick.

Health food for sick people - Much better than cholesterol supplements ;-) -- Cholesterol Boosts Your Immune Defenses: Infections Can Lower Cholesterol, Extra-Chol. Will Help You Battle Them | Learn more

So, here's what you should remember: (1) You can do upper body workouts the day after hitting your legs without compromising your muscular recovery, but you must not forget that your central nervous system needs time to recover, too. Accordingly, the long-term performance effects of doing this regularly may differ significantly with the CNS beating taking it's toll after a certain number of back to back workouts. (2) Your immunity could benefit from lactobacillus supplements, but don't dare paying for these supps before you don't get at least enough cholesterol to fuel your immune function. (3) As a man, you want to pay particular attention not to go overboard on alcohol, as it appears to have sign. more pronounced effects on you compared to your significant other | Comment! 

References:

• Abaïdia, A-E, Delecroix, B, Leduc, C, Lamblin, J, McCall, A, Baquet, G, and Dupont, G. Effects of a strength training session after an exercise inducing muscle damage on recovery kinetics. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 115–125, 2017.
• Duplanty, AA, Budnar, RG, Luk, HY, Levitt, DE, Hill, DW, McFarlin, BK, Huggett, DB, and Vingren, JL. Effect of acute alcohol ingestion on resistance exercise–induced mTORC1 signaling in human muscle. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 54–61, 2017
• Michalickova, DM, Kostic-Vucicevic, MM, Vukasinovic-Vesic, MD, Stojmenovic, TB, Dikic, NV, Andjelkovic, MS, Djordjevic, BI, Tanaskovic, BP, and Minic, RD. Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 supplementation modulates mucosal and humoral immunity in elite athletes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 62–70, 2017.

Proteinlimit, Muscle Damage & T2DM, Calories, Everyday Biceps T., Hydration, Alcohol, Whey, Caffeine & Your Gainz

Science is a social endeavor. Those who fail to realize that will never reach their full intellectual capacity.

As I pointed out two days ago, there were still a lot of studies to discuss in the May 2016 supplement of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. So, I sat down and went through the rest of them always looking for papers like "Correlations Between Omega-6: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio and Physical and Cognitive Function in Older Adults", which happens to be the one most people asked for, even though it should be hardly surprising that the scientists' analysis of data from 28 older adults simply confirmed what you probably know, anyways:

"These preliminary data suggest that dietary omega 6:3 ratio is inversely associated with physical and cognitive function in older adults" (Gurevich. 2016).

Now, this does mean that "consuming a diet with a lower omega-6: omega-3 ratio may promote the maintenance of physical and cognitive function in aging" (ibid. | my emphasis), but this hypothesis is based on correlation and needs to be confirmed in longitudinal RCTs" (ibid.).

Read more short news at the SuppVersity to learn more about training & nutrition.

LLLT Can Almost Double Your Gains in 8 Weeks

LLLT Doubles Fat Loss, Improves Insulin Sens.

Weight Loss Supplements Exposed

Exercise Supplementation Quickie

Exercise Research Uptake Jan 12, 2015

Read the Latest Ex. Science Update

• No extra-protein necessary after starvation: Data from a recent study suggest that supplementing energy adequate high protein (~2.0 g·kg-1·d-1) diets with additional protein does not enhance LBM recovery from short-term starvation (Sepowitz. 2016).
  
  

  

  Protein Intake & Muscle Catabolism: Fasting Gnaws on Your Muscle Tissue and Abundance Causes Wastefulness - More will thus not help more. Even if more is extremely more, you won't gain more or lose less. You will waste more protein, though... | Learn more!

  Body composition (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the thigh were measured before (BASELINE) and after (POST) a 7-d, near complete starvation caused by Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape School (SERE) in 63 male U.S. Marines (mean ± SD, 25 ± 2 y, 84 ± 9 kg). POST SERE, volunteers were randomized to receive supplements high in carbohydrate (975 kcal, 224 g CHO, 3 g PRO; n=21), moderate in protein (910 kcal, 123 g CHO, 87 g PRO; n=24), or high in protein (1055 kcal, 106 g CHO, 139 g PRO; n=18) during a 27-d recovery period (REC).
  
  Supplements were consumed daily, in addition to their self-selected, ad libitum diet. Dietary intake was calculated using 24-hr recalls and body composition measurements were repeated at the end of REC.
  
  For all participants, total body mass (TBM) (7.2 ± 1.0%; 5.8 ± 1.0 kg; P < 0.05) and CSA (5.9 ± 2.2%; P < 0.05) was lower POST SERE compared to BASELINE. The decline in LBM (4.7 ± 2.5%; 3.1 ± 1.6 kg; P < 0.05) accounted for 53% of the TBM loss. During REC, no differences were observed in total energy intake when self-selected diets and supplement intake were combined (4498 ± 1191 kcal/d; P > 0.05); however, per study design, protein intake was significantly different between groups (high carbohydrate: 1.9 ± 0.6 g/kg/d; moderate protein: 3.1 ± 0.9 g/kg/d; high protein: 3.4 ± 0.9 g/kg/d; P < 0.01). At REC, and independent of group assignment, all participants regained TBM (8.0 ± 2.8%), LBM (5.7 ± 2.9%), and CSA (7.4 ± 3.2%) from POST SERE deficits, resulting in no differences between BASELINE and REC measures (P > 0.05).

• 

  Can Stevia Help You Ward Off Type II Diabetes? A Review | more

  New study study rejects the hypothesis that muscle-damaging exercise will decrease glucose tolerance in men: Participants (N=21) were challenged by 5 times of 100-meter downhill sprinting and 20 times of squats training at 30 pounds weight load for 3 days (Ho. 2016). This challenge produced a wide spectrum of increased levels of muscle creatine kinase (CK) in blood, 48 h after the last bout of training. Participants were then divided into two groups according the magnitude of CK increases (low CK: +48% ± 0.3; high CK: +137% ± 0.5, P< 0.05).
  
  Both groups show comparable decreases in blood glucose levels in OGTT, suggesting that muscle-damaging exercise does not appear to decrease but rather improve glycemic control in men.
• "Energy Not Protein Or Carbohydrate Intake Attenuates Whole-body Protein Loss During 4-d Arctic Military Training": The telling title tells it all (Margolis. 2016).
  
  

  

  HMB 'Likely' Protects 'Muscle Quality' & 'Possibly' to 'Likely' Cuts Inflammation During 23-Day Intense Military Training | read the full article in the SV archives.

  73 Norwegian Soldiers participating in a 4-d arctic military training program (AMT, 51 kM ski march) were randomized to one of three dietary groups; control (CON; n = 18, 3 combat rations per day), protein (PRO; n = 28, 3 rations plus 4, 20 g protein, 250 kcal protein-based snack bars per day), and carbohydrate (CHO; n = 27, 3 rations plus 4, 48 g carbohydrate, 250 kcal carbohydrate-based snack bars per day).
  
  Energy expenditure (D218O) and energy intake were measured daily. Nitrogen balance (NBAL) and whole-body protein turnover were determined at baseline (BL) and on day 3 of AMT using 24 h urine collections and [15N]-glycine.
  
  Protein and carbohydrate intake were highest (P < 0.05) for PRO (mean ± SE, 2.0 ± 0.1 g·kg-1·d-1) and CHO (5.8 ± 0.3 g·kg-1·d-1) but only CHO (3131 ± 122 kcal·d-1) statistically increased (P < 0.05) energy intake above CON (2506 ± 99kcal·d-1). Energy expenditure (6155 ± 60 kcal·d-1) and energy deficit (3313 ± 93 kcal·d-1) were similar across groups. Whole-body net protein balance (-0.24 ± 0.11 g·d-1) and NBAL (-77.1 ± 10.9 mg·kg-1·d-1) were negative at the conclusion of AMT in all groups. In a combined cohort, consuming more energy was associated with higher (P < 0.05) net protein balance (r = 0.57) and NBAL (r = 0.60), independent of macronutrient intake. Soldiers consuming the most energy (3754 ± 94 kcal·d-1) also consumed more (P < 0.05) protein (2.1 ± 0.1 g·kg-1·d-1) and carbohydrate (6.6 ± 0.3 g·kg-1·d-1) than those who consumed the least amount of energy (1783 ± 113 kcal·d-1, 1.2 ± 0.1 g protein·kg-1·d-1 and 3.3 ± 0.3 g carbohydrate·kg-1·d-1), and achieved net protein balance and NBAL during AMT.
• Concomittant training doesn't mess with satellite cells? Not really... While a recent study that combined HIIT session with resistance training (RE) shows that the extra-work does not interfere with the increase in satellite cell density when compared to RE only. However following the concurrent exercise, in this study, there are fewer active satellite cells. "This may attenuate the number of myogenic precursors cells, a key requirement for hypertrophy" (Pugh. 2016) - learn more in this SV article => "Growing Beyond Limits"
• Elliptical trainer overestimates energy expenditure: Bad news for CICO over-believers - If you eat "what you burn" (allegedly) you'll get fat (McLaughlin. 2016)
  
  

  

  Let's do the math. If you work out for 1h, your elliptical will tell you that you have burned 40kcal more than you actually did. That doesn't sound significant? Well, let's assume you train thrice a week and eat exactly according to your alleged energy requirements. In that case, you'll potentially gain ... ~600g of body fat ;-)

  Twenty subjects (10 male, 10 female; 34 ± 12 yr; 175.3 ± 10.7 cm; 77.1 ± 14.1 kg) consented to participate. Each completed three 15-min bouts of elliptical exercise on the same elliptical trainer, with at least 24 hr between exercise bouts. Pedal rates were held constant throughout each bout at 50, 60, or 70 RPM, and resistance was increased incrementally every 5 min from level 5 to 10 to 15. The different cadences were completed in a randomized order between participants. Expired gases were collected continuously throughout the 15 min. Heart rate, distance (mi), and EE from the elliptical readout were recorded every 1 min. RPE was collected twice per resistance level. A two-tailed paired samples t-test was used to compare elliptical EE to measured EE.
  
  A linear regression model was used to evaluate the ability of the elliptical EE to predict measured EE. Significance for all statistical measures was held at an alpha level of 0.05. The difference between EE estimates from the elliptical and measured VO2 was significant (p<0.0001), with the elliptical machine overestimating EE during a 15 minute session by an average of 10.21 kcals. Measured EE in kcals as derived from open circuit spirometry was significantly predicted by elliptical EE according to the equation: Measured EE = 0.95*(Elliptical EE) - 3.161.
• Stable (normal) weight = reduced breast cancer risk:  Weight gain and cycling are associated with increased risk of postmenopausal breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancer, study shows (Welti. 2016).
  
  Participants included 87,882 postmenopausal women (50-79 yrs) from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, categorized by self-reported weight change (weight stable, steady weight gain, lost weight, weight cycled) during adulthood (18-50 yrs). Adjudicated incident breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancer events were collected annually over 20 yrs. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
  

  

  Relative risk increase for breast, colorectal and endomitrial cancer in post-menopausal women (Welti. 2016)

  In this group of women, 31.5% were weight stable, 28.4% weight gainers, 2.9% weight losers, and 37.2 % weight cyclers. During a mean 12.8 years of follow-up, 8,801 (BC=6446, EC=884, CC=1471) incident cancer cases were identified among women who met study criteria. Compared to weight stability, women who identified as weight gainers were at increased risk of BC (HR: 1.19, CI: 1.12-1.26), CC (HR: 1.24, CI 1.08-1.41), and EC (HR: 1.37, CI 1.15-1.63). Weight cycling increased risk of BC (HR 1.08, CI 1.02-1.15) and EC (HR 1.42, CI 1.21-1.68), with a trend toward an increased risk of CC (HR 1.13, CI 1.00-1.28). Weight loss was not associated with cancer risk.
• Training your biceps everyday may not be as bad as you'd think: At least in a recent 21-day study, the daily workouts produced both, size and strength gains.
  
  Using a within subject design, five trained individuals were assigned both a control and experimental arm in a randomized fashion. The control arm performed a one repetition maximum (1RM) and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) every day for 21 straight days, while the experimental arm performed the same 1RM and MVC test in addition to three sets of elbow flexion exercises at 70% 1RM. Pre to post muscle thickness and strength differences within each condition and median differences between conditions were determined using non-parametric Wilcoxin tests. All significance was set at p≤ .05. Data are presented as median (25th, 75th percentile).
  

  

  Changes in mean muscle size of the biceps after 21 days of training (Dankel. 2016)

  1RM strength increased from Pre to Post in both the experimental [Pre: 25.2 (22.6, 33.1), Post: 27.7 (25.1, 34.9) kg] and control [Pre: 22.5 (21.8, 32.6), Post: 25.0 (23.7, 34.2) kg] (p=0.043) arm, with no difference between arms (p=0.345). Individual data plots indicated that muscle growth occurred in the experimental arm for all individuals, however no changes in muscle size were observed at any location in the control arm. Median muscle size differences within the experimental condition were as follows: 50% (Pre: 3.8, Post: 4.2 cm; p=0.066), 60% (Pre: 4.4, Post: 4.7 cm; p=0.034) and 70% (Pre: 4.9, Post: 5.0 cm; p=0.066). Median differences in muscle size between the experimental and control arms found significant differences at the 50% site (p=0.041) with a trend at the 60% (p=0.068) and 70% (p=0.059) sites.

• 

  Raw Milk + Honey Accelerates DOMS Recovery of Trained Athletes Compared to Chocolate Milk, But There's a Catch | read more in this SV Classic

  Milk may be a good fluid to hydrate - even in the office: A recent study comparing various beverages people usually consume at the office shows that the ingestion of milk led to a reduced urine output compared with the other drinks, most likely due to its electrolyte content and casein protein content (Galloway. 2016).
  
  The retention of fluid volume following milk ingestion may be important in situations where frequent work breaks need to be avoided," the authors conclude based on comparison that involved water, coffee, orange juice or semi-skimmed milk.
• Hypohydration has your brain shrivel away... temporarily: Scientists from the East Carolina University had nine physically active adults (four male, five female; 23.9 ± 9.3 y | Wittbrodt. 2016) complete three experimental sessions: control (no exercise/heat exposure; CON), HYPO induced by 2.5 h intermittent walking in 45°C, 15% RH, and euhydration (EUH), 2.5 h intermittent walking in the heat with water ingestion to match sweat loss. Brain morphology was assessed using T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images after a 1 h cool down.
  Body mass loss was -2.8 ± 0.6% during HYPO with no sex differences (-2.9 ± 0.3, -2.7 ± 0.9%). Men had greater intracranial, cortical white matter, and subcortical grey matter volume (thalamus, basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala) compared to women (p < 0.05) cortical grey or white matter volume; but, tended to decrease (p = 0.06) subcortical grey matter by -1.4% (ES: 0.76) and increase (p < 0.05) ventricular volume by 12.5% (ES: 1.6) and cerebrospinal fluid volume by 13.7% (ES: 1.7) compared to EUH. In contrast, EUH differed (p < 0.05) from CON with lower ventricular and cerebrospinal fluid volumes (-5.1%, ES: 0.72; -6.2%, ES: 1.13) but higher intracranial volume (1.4%; ES: 0.84) compared to CON. Intracranial volume was also lower (p < 0.05) by 1.1% (ES: 0.71) during HYPO vs. EUH.
  
  

  

  If you want to stay smart, you should join hands w/ water | more!

  "This study found hypohydration of ~3% body mass loss: 1) decreases intracranial volume and may reduce subcortical grey matter volume; 2) expands ventricle and cerebrospinal fluid volumes; and 3) induces similar changes in the brain structures of men and women. Moreover, after 1 h recovery from exertional heat stress with water replacement, brain structures differ from a control rest condition", the authors conclude.
• If you include EPOC, exercise may burn much more energy than you'd though:  The purpose of a recent study from the San Diego State University compared the measured versus predicted caloric cost of prolonged exercise using various work to rest cycles (Pautz. 2016).
  
  Ten subjects performed 2 hours of exercise on a treadmill using six different work to rest cycles. Subjects performed in a random order the following six isocaloric protocols:A: 3.0 mph,1.7% grade; 30 min rest, 30 min workB:3.5 mph, 3.8% grade; 20 min work, 40 min restC: 3.0 mph,1.7% grade; 30 min work, 30 min restD: 2.5 mph, 1% grade; 40 min work, 20 min restE: 2.0 mph, 1% grade; 50 min work, 10 min restF: 1.5 mph, 1.7% grade; 60 min work, 0 min restOxygen consumption was measured every minute using a metabolic cart.
  

  

  Comparison of measured vs. predicted energy expenditure durin 2h of work and rest (Pautz. 2016).

  The measured caloric cost for protocols A and F were not significantly different than predicted (p >.05). However, in protocols B, C, D, and E the measured caloric cost was significantly greater than predicted. Specifically, the measured caloric cost for the 2 hour exercise bouts were 7-15% higher than predicted from ACSM metabolic equations. When the total caloric cost for each two hour period was separated into working and resting components, the measured versus predicted working components were not significantly different. However, the measured resting components were significantly higher than the predicted values by 24-46% for protocols B, C, D, and E (p<.05).
  
  "The increased caloric cost during the resting component is believed to be due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. These results suggest that predictive formulas significantly underestimate the total caloric cost during work/rest exercise. Work/rest cycles utilized in an occupational setting may underestimate the total amount of work performed and result in chronic caloric deficits," Pautz et al. (2016) conclude.

• 

  Athletes and alcohol don't mix, right? If we go by the results of a recent rodent study, this long-standing recommendation appears to be unwarranted for athletes whose main concern are increases in muscle size. Eventually, the jury is however still out there... and chronic alcohol intake certainly ain't conducive for your strength & size gains | more

  Alcohol doesn't mess w/ post-workout mTOR expression: At least when the alcohol is ingested after the workout, it did not affect phosphorylation of the mTORC1 signaling pathway following RE in women (Aziz. 2016).
  
  A significant main effect (p<0.05) for time was found for mTOR phosphorylation; mTOR phosphorylation was higher at +3h (ALC: 0.102 ± 0.014 AU; PLA: 0.085 ± 0.009 AU) than at PRE (ALC: 0.111 ± 0.021 AU; PLA: 0.112 ± 0.010 AU) and at +5h (ALC: 0.097 ± 0.016; PLA: 0.088 ± 0.007 AU). A trend (p =0.052) for time was found for S6K1 phosphorylation suggesting greater phosphorylation at +3h compared to Pre and +5h. No significant differences between conditions or over time were found for 4E-BP1 phosphorylation.
• Whey way more insulinogenic in women: In a recent study 5 health young men and 5 likewise young women consumed 20g/200 mL whey peptide in water after a 12h fast (Kakigi. 2016). One hour after intake of whey peptide, muscle and blood samples were collected. Muscle samples were used to determine the phosphorylation status of mTOR (Ser2448) and S6K1 (Thr389) by using Western blot analysis. Blood insulin and essential amino acid concentration were measured at commercially available laboratories.
  
  Interestingly, the whey peptide intake significantly increased the concentration of serum insulin in women (p<0.05), whereas it did not change in men.

  

  That's news: First study to show that whey peptides spikes insulin in women, but not men (Kagigi. 2016).

  Plasma essential and branched-amino acids concentrations significantly increased after whey peptides intake in both men and women (p<0.05). At resting, there were no differences in the phosphorylation of mTOR and S6K1 between men and women. After intake of whey peptide, the phosphorylation of mTOR and S6K1 significantly increased in both muscles of men and women compared with those of resting levels (p<0.05), and the increase in S6K1 phosphorylation in women was significantly higher than that in men (p<0.05). The phosphorylation of S6K1 after whey peptide intake was significantly correlated with doses of whey peptide per body weight (g/kg) (r2=0.7128, p<0.05).
• Dehydration worsens your glucose response by 9%: In a randomized-crossover design, five healthy individuals (80 % male) aged 28 ± 4 y, were dehydrated in a sauna (55–85°C) for 45 minutes between 1700–1900 hours, before either remaining dehydrated (consuming maximum 200 mL) or rehydrating with 150 % of individual weight losses throughout the evening. Participants then arrived at the laboratory the next morning in a fasted state at 0800 hours and provided a urine sample to verify hydration status based on urine osmolality, before commencing an oral glucose tolerance test (75 g glucose solution in 89 mL water). Venous blood samples were drawn at baseline and every 15 minutes for 120 minutes. Trials were separated by seven days, with diet and physical activities replicated for 24 h prior to each. Data were analysed via visual checking of trends and calculating the incremental area under the curve (iAUC).
  

  

  Ok, the effect is not earth-shattering, but should be kept in mind when you monitor your glucose levels (Carrol. 2016).

  Body mass was reduced by 1.2 ± 0.8 kg. The following week, participants matched this weight loss or remained in the sauna for 45 minutes (whichever came first). Urine osmolality was significantly higher when dehydrated than rehydrated (1069 ± 67 and 606 ± 292 mOsm). The iAUC for blood glucose was higher in the dehydrated trial than the rehydrated trial (72.9 ± 45.5 vs. 66.6 ± 49.1 mmol*120min/L. This was reflective of a similar time-course of initial response but then an attenuated concentration in the hydrated trial from 45 minutes onwards. Blood lactate concentrations were also lower in the rehydrated group, although the differences in the time-course of the initial response were only apparent from 75 minutes.

• 

  Coffee beats caffeine in the gym | more

  Powerlifting - too little volume to benefit from caffeine? 7 mg/kg BW of CAF does not improve measures of force, power, or fatigue during single-set to failure resistance training exercises in habitual caffeine users, recent study in eighteen young, healthy college aged males shows (Sanders. 2016). These results indicate that CAF supplementation may be affected by training bout volume (sets x reps), due to the lack of improvement in F.I., i.e. local muscular endurance.
• If volume is the focus of training (i.e., hypertrophy phases), the rest-pause resistance training method should be utilized when bench pressing, study shows:  A recent study compared one repetition maximum (1RM), muscle activity (EMG), and volume differences between rest-pause or traditional resistance training (Korak. 2016). Trained males (N = 20) were randomly assigned to either a rest-pause or a traditional training group. Training sessions were completed twice a week for 4 weeks and consisted of four sets of bench press to volitional fatigue at 80% of pretest 1RM with 2-minutes rests between sets. Each participant completed a bench press 1RM before and after the training intervention. Total volume completed was recorded on each training day. Muscle activity of the pectoralis major was measured on the first and last training days. The RMS signals of the last repetition in the last set were normalized to the RMS peak values of the first repetition in the first set for each participant during the 1st and 8th training sessions.
  A 2-way repeated measures ANOVA indicated both groups significantly increased their 1RMs following the four week training protocol (p < .05). However, no significant differences were found in 1RM and muscle activity between the two groups (p > .05).
  

  

  The rest-pause technique allowed the subjects to lift sign. more weight (Korak. 2016).

  Lastly, an independent samples t-test indicated total volume lifted was significantly higher for the rest-pause group (M = 56,778lbs, SD = 23,522lbs, N = 10) in comparison to the traditional training group (M = 38,315lbs, SD = 7,870lbs, N = 10). T (18) = 2.354, p <.05.
  
  Reason enough for the scientists to conclude: "While strength and muscle activity changes did not differ between groups, the rest-pause group achieved greater increases in volume than the traditional group. If volume is the focus of training (i.e., hypertrophy phases), the rest-pause resistance training method should be utilized. Future studies should assess changes in muscle size between these bench press methods" (Korak. 2016).

• 

  Two Crazy, but Scientifically Proven Workouts for You to Try if You Want to Gain Muscle While Losing Fat or Cut Your Body Fat in Half to Finally Reach a Sub 10% Body Fat Level | more

  Study says risk of rhabdo is low for crossfitters: The overall risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) may be minimal, especially if a participant understands their body’s limitations in regard to the intensity of CrossFit®, the authors of a recent study conclude based on data from 101 CrossFit® participants and 56 ACSM guided participants (Bellovary. 2016).
  
  In those people, "[t]he top five perceived hardest workouts based on frequency were Fran (47), Murph (27), Fight Gone Bad (10), Helen (9) and Filthy 50 (9)" and only one subject of the 101 CrossFit® participants reported ER. Working out augments and prolongs protein synthesis in response to protein ingestion: Cleverly done study confirms what you probably already expected.
  
  Retrospective signalling analysis was carried out on muscle tissue from a previously published study. Twenty-three resistance trained males consumed a high protein breakfast before resting for 3 h. Following a bout of unilateral resistance exercise (8 × 10 leg press and leg extension exercises; 80% 1 RM) participants consumed a whey protein isolate drink (containing 10, 20 or 40 g protein). The activity of p70S6K1 was measured at 0 and 4 h in rested and exercised legs using a [γ-32P] ATP kinase assay. Statistical analysis of the fold change (0-4 h) in p70S6K1 activity between rested and exercised legs was conducted using a paired samples t-test (protein doses were pooled). Linear regression analysis was performed on the difference in fold change of p70S6K1 between rested and exercised (x-axis) against the previously published myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis data (y-axis). Effect sizes were calculated and reported as Cohen’s d with confidence intervals (CI).
  

  

  Fold-change in muscle protein synthesis in trained and untrained arm after the ingestion of 40g (Manaughton. 2016).

  The fold change in p70S6K1 activity in response to protein ingestion from 0-4 h was 62% higher (p=0.004; d=0.61; CI=0.14 to 1.08) in the exercised leg (1.8 ± 1.3 fold; mean ± SD) compared with the rested leg (1.1 ± 0.8 fold). Regression analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between the difference in p70S6K1 activity fold change between rested and exercised legs and previously published myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis data (p=0.031; r2=0.204; y=1.28+0.11*x).

• 

  HIIT vs. Steady-State for Fat Loss: Can EPOC Explain the Benefits of Intense Interval Training (HIIT, SIE, HIE)? | more.

  HIIT increases EPOC only briefly: High intensity aerobic intervals resulted in greater EPOC than moderate aerobic exercise of the same energy expenditure, but only for the first 10 minutes post exercise (Simmons. 2016). The data comes from nine subjects (5 male, 4 female; age 26 ± 2 yr; height 170 ± 3 cm; mass 68.5 ± 3.3 kg; VO2max 41.9 ± 2.1 mL.min-1.kg-1) who participated in moderate (MOD) and high intensity aerobic interval (HIAI) trials in a counterbalanced order separated by at least 48 hours. HIAI was 10x1-min intervals at 90% Pmax, w/ 1-min active rest (60% Pmax). MOD was 30 min at 50% Pmax.
• Traditional, Contrast, And Pre-exhaustive Training:  A recent study investigated the extent of recovery from the acute effect of three resistance-training modalities, Traditional Training (TT), Contrast Training (CT) and Pre-Exhaustive Training (PE), using three performance measures critical to power performance sports. Ten (7 male and 3 female) participants age 22.2 +/- 1.62 yrs, height 180.66 +/- 9.08 cm, weight 75.85 +/- 8.2 kg, percent body fat 16.5 +/- 7.22 % participated in the study. The average 1-RM squat was 105.23 +/- 37.76 kg. Training modalities were randomized prior to testing. One hour following training sessions, participants were tested on three performance measures in the following order: vertical jumping (VJ; height, cm), T-test for agility (T-test; time, sec), and repeated sprint (RS; time, sec).
  
  

  

  Supersetting is fun, time-efficient, exhausting and based on the reasonable assumption that you can benefit from training agonist + antagonist together, but does it build size & strength? more

  Time to complete training protocols was significantly different between all 3 protocols (P<0.001); importantly though, there was no difference in volume of total weight lifted during each protocol. Following the protocols, performance tests revealed significant differences between Control VJ performance (59.56 ± 11.71cm) and TT (56.52cm ± 11.90cm) (p≤ 0.05), CT (55.38cm ± 12.88cm) (p≤ 0.01), and PE (57.02cm ± 11.95cm) (p≤ 0.05), respectively. Our results also demonstrated significantly slower times to complete T-test following TT (11.49s ± 1.13s) and CT (11.41s ± 0.95s) protocols, compared to Control (11.27s ± 0.77s) (P0.05).
  
  "Significant differences in performance were found between the TT, CT, and PE treatments and Control protocols in maximal vertical jump height, agility capabilities, and repeated sprint ability. These data suggest that modifying exercise order beyond traditional resistance-training protocols might improve performance variables due to improved recovery and improved efficiency during subsequent same-day training," the authors conclude.
• Exercise order matters for fat burning: The order of exercise between aerobic and resistance exercises does not affect substrate oxidation during aerobic exercise, but aerobic exercise before resistance exercise enhanced fat oxidation during post-exercise period more so than when resistance exercise precedes aerobic exercise (Morishima. 2016).

That's it for this special: No, there's not going to be another compilation of study results in two days. I hope I have addressed anything that's potentially interesting and if I overlooked your favorite, you can still read them yourself and then post and complain on Facebook!

References:

• Aziz, et al. "Effect Of Acute Alcohol Ingestion On Resistance Exercise-Induced Muscle MTORC1 Signaling In Women." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 581. 
• Bellovari, et al. "The Perceived Demands of CrossFit®" Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 860.
• Carrol, et al. "The Effect of Hydration Status on Glycemic Control: A Pilot Study." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 745.
• Dankel, et al. "Muscle adaptation to 21 Straight Days of Elbow Flexor Exercise in Trained Individuals." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 452.
• Galloway, et al. "Hydration Potential of Commonly Consumed Drinks in an Office-Working Environment." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 567.
• Gurevich, et al. "Correlations Between Omega-6: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio and Physical and Cognitive Function in Older Adults." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 422.
• Ho, et al. "Improved Glucose Tolerance By An Acute Bout Of Muscle Damaging Exercise." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 899.
• Kakigi, et al. "Dose-Dependent Effects of Whey Peptide Intake on mTOR Signaling in Human Skeletal Muscle." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 584.
• Korak, et al. "Effects Of Rest-pause Vs Traditional Bench Press Training On Muscle Strength, Electromyography, And Lifting Volume." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 807.
• Macnaughton, et al. "Resistance Exercise Sustains p70S6K1 Activity in Response to Protein Ingestion at 4 hours." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 819.
• Margolis, et al. "Energy Not Protein Or Carbohydrate Intake Attenuates Whole-body Protein Loss During 4-d Arctic Military Training." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 444.
• Morishima, et al. "Impact Of Order Of Exercises On Substrate Oxidation In Healthy Men." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 1026.
• Pugh, et al. "Satellite Cell Reponse to Concurrent Resistance Exercise and High Intensity Interval Training in Overweight/Obese Individuals." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 453–454.
• Sanders, et al. "The Effect of Caffeine Supplementation on Power and Fatigue in Recreationally Trained College Aged Male." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 857.
• Sepowitz, et al. "Supplementing An Energy Adequate High Protein Diet With Additional Protein Is Not Necessary For Recovery Of Lean Body Mass After Short-term Starvation." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 443. 
• Simmons, et al. "EPOC Following High Intensity Aerobic Intervals and Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 863.
• Sokmen, et al. "The Effects Of Traditional, Contrast, And Pre-exhaustive Training Methods On Performance Variables." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 942.
• Welti, et al. "Weight Fluctuation And Cancer Risk In Post-Menopausal Women: The Women’s Health Initiative." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 514.
• Wittbroth, et al. "Impact Of Hypohydration And Exercise-heat Stress On Brain Structure In Men And Women." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 566–567.