SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

The squat was not part of the training regimen in the study at hand - that's bad because it would certainly have made the workout more intense and might thus have affected the results. If you don't remember what it was, I suggest you (re-)read the classic 'SuppVersity Athlete Triad'-Series ( read it )... and if you don't have the time to devour those classics, here's the gist: While it is often accompanied by eating disorders, the athlete triad can also arise in periods of either low energy availability or high training loads. Next to an ongoing decline of physical (and eventually also cognitive performance), the main features of the female athlete triad are amenorrhoea / oligomenorrhoea (no, or a disturbed menstrual cycle, respectively), and - in the long(er) run, i.e. after months and years - an often highly significant decrease in bone mineral density (osteoporosis and osteopenia). As et al. point out in their latest paper, the female athlete triad ...

DCL, i.e. using daily changing loads worked for both, men and women. The object of today's SuppVersity article comes almost from around the corner: a study conducted by Christoph Eifler, a scientist from the Department of Applied Training Science at the German University of Applied Sciences for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG) in Saarbrücken (Germany) that is supposed to provide "evidence based training recommendations to the 8.55 million recreational athletes [who] perform fitness-related resistance training in German [gyms]" (Eifler. 2016) - advice that's valid for US boys & girls, Frenchmen & -women and even the Brexiters, too ;-) As the relatively unspectacular abstract says, "[t]he purpose of this investigation was to analyze the short-term effects of different loading schemes in fitness-related resistance training and to identify the most effective loading method for advanced recreational athletes" (Eifler. 2016)... not exactly s...

No, the study did not use a simple rope or band to restrict blood flow. Instead an automated system was used that kept the pressure at stable 100mmHg. As a SuppVersity reader  you know that blood flow restricted training is - at best - as effective as regular resistance training and can thus only be recommended as an adjunct to your regular training (efficacy unproven) or replacement for injured athletes. With a recent thesis by Daniel Cortobius and Niklas Westblad from the Swedish School of Sports and Science , the former use gets scientific backup. The aim of the bachelor students' study was to investigate how a periodized combination of classic resistance and blood flow restricted resistance exercise ( BFRE ) compares to regular training when it comes to increase in quadriceps muscle growth and strength. You can learn more about BFR and Hypoxia Training at the SuppVersity BFR, Cortisol & GH Responses BFR - Where are we now? Hypoxia + HIIT = Win? BFR ...

Squat, bench press, deadlift - All major three benefit from the right order in your daily undulating periodization program (DUP) - This is how it works... As a SuppVersity  reader you are familiar with the term "undulating periodization". In contrast to regular periodization schemes, undulating schemes will have you train in different rep ranges on a weekly or - as in the latest study by Zourdos et al. (2016), even daily (as in every workout) basis. As Zourdos, et al. point out, the available research shows mixed results with the respect to the efficacy of regular linear vs. undulating periodization schemes. While some studies report no differences among training models (Baker. 1994; Buford. 2007; Kok. 2009), others suggest that the more frequent changes of the rep ranges in an undulating periodization scheme are more advantageous for strength development (Miranda. 2011; Monteiro. 2009; Peterson. 2008; Prestes. 2009; Rhea. 2002). The method used int he study is an al...

Looking for a new routine for your new-years gym resolution? This SuppVersity article offers suggestions that will pay off in form of strength gains.  For the rookie, everything works. If you have more than five years of series training experience under your belt, however, you will be progressing much slower - often frustratingly slow(er)... This is why the results of a a soon-to-be-published study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research  are particularly interesting. In contrast to your average resistance training study, the subjects of this study belonged to previously described group of experienced trainees. With a mean training experience of more than 5 years, the initially more than 300 volunteers were thus significantly more representative of the average SuppVersity  reader than the "recreationally trained" subject who goes for a jog once a month. The method used int he study is an alternative to classic periodization schemes. 30% More o...