Show Notes

The food industry leverages diet fads to boost sales of ordinary products. This episode discusses how buzzwords and misconceptions are used to promote ordinary foods as extraordinary, and unhealthy “favorite” foods as healthy.

“Keto” is a physiologic state, and not a type of foodstuff.

• One of Scott’s clients sent him a photo of a bag of coffee branded as “keto”, which got him thinking.
• “Ketosis is a state of illness.”​ – Dr. Michael Greger. Carb-deprivation can lead to ketosis. Certain foods can contribute to ketosis, but there are no “ketogenic” foods.
  
  Example: coffee works at burning fat by burning fatty acids and allowing for greater exertion during physical activity due to its hormonal and adrenal effects. Coffee itself doesn’t induce ketosis.
• “Keto” is just Atkins rebranded.
• Using industry logic, products like eggs, cabbage and water could also be branded as “ketogenic”.

On to diet foods…

• Diet brands frequently promote ‘the foods you love to eat’, including cookies, cake, and pasta dishes.
• Scott cites Michael Pollan, who said that, when buying packaged foods, look for fewer than four ingredients with single syllables. Example: almonds, salt, etc.
• Fitness industry “Diet foods” have long lists of ingredients with chemical names, many of which are fillers, binders and types of sugar. It’s inconsistent for diet foods to include ingredients that make people fat to begin with.
• “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” –Michael Pollan
• Scott shares a YouTube video that argues plant-based diets promote health and that no-carb/low-carb diets harm people. The video points out promoters of no-carb/low-carb diets who are overweight:
  WHY LOW CARB DIETS ARE A SCAM (7:23 onwards)

Show Notes

A discussion about what really works to build a better physique, featuring a clinical study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2016: Morton et al. “Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men.”

This research’s results contradict popular fitness industry dogma that says, ‘train for strength and development will come.’

About the Study

• This research studied 49 healthy young men who had been doing resistance training (RT) for at least the past 2 years and at least 2 workouts per week, including at least one lower body workout.
• Studying trained persons is important, because untrained persons demonstrate short-term adoptive response.
• The group was divided into High Rep (HR) lower weight, and Low Rep (LR) higher weight sub-groups. The HR group did 3 sets of 20-25 reps per set of about 30 and 50% of 1 Rep Max (RM). The LR group did 3 sets of 8-12 at about 75-90%.
• Reps were performed to “volitional failure”, meaning until another rep can’t be performed without cheating or help.
• The increases in muscular strength were not significantly different between groups. The exception was bench press 1 RM, which increased more in the LR group.
• The study also measured changes in hormones. “Post-exercise levels of circulating hormones did not change as a result of the RT intervention and were unrelated to changes in muscle mass and strength.”
• This study (and a recent meta-analysis) do not support the assertion that greater weights are required for muscle growth, especially [when compared to] lighter, moderate weights are used to volitional failure.

Important Take-Aways from the Study

• Intensity is more important than load. This study controlled for how hard the study subjects were working out.
• Hormonal levels didn’t change, so there’s no evidence here about the importance of supplements or their timing.
• Training heavy has to do with how much load the muscle is under at the cellular level, not how much weight is on the “bar”. Intensity of effort is the goal, not amount of load.
• Hypertrophy and strength gains are not a function of the load lifted.
• Continually training heavy invites unnecessary joint strain. Training with moderate weights and higher reps decreases stress on joints, allowing for more training longevity (training into later years).
• The best bodybuilders are not the best powerlifters, and vice versa. You won’t see a lot of remarkable physiques at a natural powerlifting competition.
• First two principles of exercise physiology: 1) Overload; 2) SAID = Specific Adaptation to Applied Demands.
• This study, along with other previous studies, directly proves that hypertrophy and strength gains are not a function of the load lifted.
• Intensity of effort is what determines hypertrophy.
• Morton, et al, “Taken together with previous data (4, 28), the findings of the present study, along with a recent meta-analysis (35), do not support the assertion that higher-load RT is a prerequisite to maximize RT-induced muscle hypertrophy especially when lower-load exercises are performed to volitional failure.”

LINKS & RESOURCES

PubMed 2016 Study

Scott’s Suggested Books

How to Train for a Better Physique

The Abel Approach

The Hardgainer Solution

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Show Notes

Coach Scott Abel discusses the mindset foundations of long-term success, based on some of the principles found in his book, The Mindset of Achievement, which is available for free at:

scottabelfitness.com/achieve

What you must embrace:

• Three key ideas: keep high standards, be disciplined, and have high expectations.
• You can’t have the “wants” without the do’s! Or, put another way: “No perks without the works”.
• Pressure is perception, but it is also something you can and should invite. Pressure is a sign of growth and challenge.
• You can’t let other people dictate the direction of your process.
• High expectations come with baggage – if you expect a lot for yourself, then you must expect a lot from yourself.
  
• Structure and regimentation are grounding forces. These things are generally mandatory, not optional.
• You can abide in these principles without struggling “against” them. Life happens and you deal with it, and this brings peace of mind.
• Have a passion for yourself, not just this or that product.
• Being truly passionate means not relying on motivation.
• Remember that respect is earned… but yes, this also includes many aspects of self-respect.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Get Scott’s book (for free) The Mindset of Achievement

scottabelfitness.com/achieve

Visit Scott’s Book Catalogue

Follow Coach Scott Abel

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The Cycle Diet Program