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Click HERE Metabolic Activation Cardio (MAC)Avoiding Weigh in Bombs and Elevating Performance with Sound Nutrition
By: Scott H. Mendelson I have seen powerlifters get onto a scale and whine like Richard Simmons at the Weight Watchers annual meeting when they do not make weight! It is not a pretty sight, but a familiar one. Unlike Richard who only needs to worry about obese women eating him during a video taping, the powerlifter must prepare for a highly demanding competition. I hear the same complaints from powerlifters around contest time in regards to winning the battle with the scale long before they approach the platform. Super heavies have it made since they can roll in at any weight they like, but the rest must squeeze into a weight class and in many cases sacrifice performance because of the methods they "use to lose". Rapid losses in bodyweight as water, LBM or body fat will result in maximal strength decreases during the hours and days following because of the negative hormonal cascade created according to Dr. Eric Serrano MD. Dr. Serrano is a champion powerlifter who has extensively researched nutrition as it relates to the specific performance of powerlifters. Why put your heart and sole into preparation for a contest if you plan to hinder performance with last minute weigh in disasters. A Bodyweight Management Strategy that WORKS!We all invest tremendous efforts into training cycle preparations; why not plan a body weight strategy? I have devised a simple yet effective body weight management system that will not only avoid bombing out on meet day, but also elevate performance when it is time to get on the platform for those savored attempts. I am also betting that some of the readers will value the decreased body fat and joint pain that will result from this nutrition plan. Even powerlifters who are not image conscious should consider shedding some body fat so that more muscle mass can be packed on their frames without busting into a new weight class. Believe it or not, but low carb plans will often times result in significant long term muscle mass gains due to the high quality of calories that are ingested and rapid increase of anabolic hormones. Training Success, but Competition Failure Due to Weigh in DesperationAs a strength coach I communicate with many powerlifters and learn from their experiences as I offer my advice. I will paint a picture for you that I have seen a hundred times. Email is the method often times used to contact me and I received a disturbing story recently. A powerlifter spent sixteen weeks preparing for a meet, setting Personal Records in all of his lifts along the way during training. The trainee had made tremendous strides as a competitor and was ready to make waves in the Powerlifting world in an upcoming contest. Problems arose when he realized he was several pounds too heavy to qualify for his desired weight class. He desperately dehydrated his system with sauna sessions, long runs, starvation tactics and diuretic drugs. Weight was made, but performance suffered. The lifter felt weak even after attempting to replenish his system with fluids and food post weigh in. It was too late! On competition day he bombed out, missing conservative opening attempts that he had commonly breezed through during the most recent training phase. The competition was a complete failure and this young man sought answers after not being able to figure out why performance was so poor. Answers were quite simple; he put his body into a catabolic state from the excessive running, loss of body weight and lack of food, which released high levels of counterproductive catabolic hormones. A catabolic state takes days or even weeks to break and will zap strength more than any other force on this earth. Powerlifters ask their bodies to perform at the highest limits of performance; these demands are unrealistic if the lifter does not respect the nutritional needs of the body. The Solution: A Relatively low Carb Plan Specifically for PowerliftersWe will explore a low carbohydrate, high protein, moderate fat diet for use by strength athletes and not pre contest bodybuilders. Bodybuilding media tends to dominate on the topic of nutrition and too many athletes falsely assume that their nutritional needs are the same as the pretty boys. I do not advocate zero carb or ketogenic diets, which are appropriate for those who must maximize fat loss, but not for those facing strength challenges. You will be given options for strategic carbohydrate loadings to boost metabolism and performance; the key is timing! Explanations for why this plan will decrease body fat and naturally lower water weight are relatively simple and covered in many articles. However few people realize the benefits of the hormonal reactions created by this nutrition plan that in my experience increase performance and rates of recovery. The Positive Hormonal Response Created by Low Carb PlansResearch has proven that low carb plans will increase anabolic hormones such as testosterone, Growth Hormone and IGF-1. These are potent fat burning hormones that can create drastic reductions in body fat naturally while increasing strength and rates or recovery. Hormones are the building blocks for everything optimize them or miss out on the benefits. A Low Carb Plan will help you drop Weight Immediately with No WorkReducing the amount of carbohydrate consumed will result in lower levels of a stored energy source, which is commonly known as glycogen. Glycogen represents some actual body weight in itself, but water is stored with glycogen and is more significant in terms of the scale. Your body weight will decrease quickly if fewer carbs are consumed because you will burn existing energy storage and release water at the same time. It is common for large competitors to lose between ten and fifteen pounds by reducing carb intake Carbs are NOT the only Fuel Source! Man has Thrived WITHOUT CarbsAthletes have been misled to believe that carbs are the only source of energy. In actuality fat and protein are energy sources too. The body will use what you give it and produce energy; in this regard your body is capable of amazing things. Pre historic man spent a large part of every year without certain carb sources during harsh winters that did not allow for the growing of crops. Furthermore pizza, cookies, pop tarts and other refined carbs were not even through of at this point. Low and behold, man survived. Endurance athletes have a greater need for carbohydrate because of the specific activities that they perform. Distance runners for example keep going like the energizer bunny with no stopping for the body to regenerate itself. As a result carbs are more important for endurance athletes. Powerlifters on the other hand only need energy to perform short bouts of intense exercise. The energy systems responsible for supporting these short bouts do not rely solely on carbohydrate for fuel. Fats in fact can be a highly efficient energy source for strength athletes when the body is adapted to utilize them. Click HERE for Part 2: Strategies for Consuming CarbsPlease email Scott SCOTT with questions about the article
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