Reader Question and Answer

By Bryan Haycock, Editor-in-Chief
Originally posted 05/31/02 in the Think Muscle Newsletter

Discuss this article in the HST Forum

Question: I have read between your reports on the stimulus for hypertrophy as it relates to rest periods as well as Superslow's Ken Hutching's and must say I am confused. At this time I am of phase 3 of the HST program (5 reps) and enjoying it, however if Ken has a point it would really suit my life style, so I was willing to try Superslow and see what comes of it.

You Bryan, give all the research sources so you must be on the right track and as a scientist I respect that, however I'd like to know what should I use, and here there should be a rule or an absolute, is it 36 - 48 hrs. or 7 days, as I was thinking I was going to use somewher in between by training twice a week and then seeing what I get out of it? However I prefer to have the best info and use it as I have found out that it works best to use what really has been proven.

Can you elaborate on this one Bryan?

Cheers,

-F

Answer: Super Slow training dictates that you take 10 seconds to lift the weight, and an additional 10 seconds to lower the weight. This puts a tremendous drain on the central nervous system as well as the neuromuscular junction. In other words, it might be more appropriately named "Fatigue-Specific Exercise". Because of the fatigue this type of exercise induces, he is correct in recommending that another Super Slow training session not take place again until the 4th day after the last workout. It takes at least that long to recoup your strength, so his recommendation is good. As you adapt to this type of contractions, you will inevitably get better and better at doing them. This is good! After all, why else do Super Slow exercise unless you want to get better at lifting weights super slow?

HST, unlike Super Slow, is only designed to induce muscle hypertrophy or growth. It is not intended to make your muscle more resistant to neuromuscular fatigue. So it is probably inappropriate to compare the two methods with the same measuring stick.

Back to your question, "recovery" can refer to several different things.

1) Structural Recovery - refers to the structural repair process of fixing physical microtrauma. The damaged cellular protein structures can take several days to be repaired and all evidence of damage removed. Even at the end of seven or so days after significant muscle damage from eccentric muscle actions, you may still see some small fibers still regenerating.

2) Metabolic recovery - This would relate to glycogen stores, ATP levels, etc. These absolutely require rest in order to return to baseline levels or higher. Glycogen replenishment is what the term "super-compensation" actually was intended to describe. Of course since then, it has been erroneously used to try to describe how muscle grows.

3) Neuromuscular Recovery - this can be "acute" recovery as in the necessary time to rest between sets. Or it can mean the days that it usually takes to regain baseline strength after fatiguing exercise. This is the type of recovery Super Slow pays special attention to.

Now the reason HST calls for more frequent training is because the acute anabolic effects of training, such as increased protein synthesis, the release of muscle-specific IGF-1 from muscle cells, and other factors involved in modulation of short term protein synthesis, only last for 36-48 hours. This does not mean that the structural repairs to the tissue have been completed. Nor does it mean that metabolic or even neuromuscular recovery is complete. It doesn't need to be.

Research has demonstrated that you can train a muscle before it is fully "recovered" and not inhibit its ability to continue to recover. See the references below (1-17). Experience tells us the same thing. So, HST uses this evidence and calls for repeated loading (training) every 48 hours or so to keep the anabolic activity of the muscle high, while trying to stay slightly ahead of the structural recovery curve by constantly increasing the load each workout. Staying ahead of the structural recovery curve is really key to elicit real growth in a person who has lifted for quite a while. Of course, injuries can develop over time if care isn't taken to take time to heal, and prepare the tendons for repeated heavy bouts of lifting (SD and 15s serve this purpose in HST).

I hope this gives you a little more insight into why HST is put together like it is.

Either method you chose to employ, keep us filled in on your progress!

References:

1: Nosaka K, Newton M. Repeated Eccentric Exercise Bouts Do Not Exacerbate Muscle Damage and Repair. J Strength Cond Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):117-122.

2: Nosaka K, Newton M. Concentric or eccentric training effect on eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Jan;34(1):63-9.

3: Proske U, Morgan DL. Muscle damage from eccentric exercise: mechanism, mechanical signs, adaptation and clinical applications. J Physiol. 2001 Dec 1;537(Pt 2):333-45.

4: Nosaka K, Newton M, Sacco P. Responses of human elbow flexor muscles to electrically stimulated forced lengthening exercise. Acta Physiol Scand. 2002 Feb;174(2):137-45.

5: Allen DG. Eccentric muscle damage: mechanisms of early reduction of force. Acta Physiol Scand. 2001 Mar;171(3):311-9.

6: Clarkson PM. Eccentric exercise and muscle damage. Int J Sports Med. 1997 Oct;18 Suppl 4:S314-7.

7: Paddon-Jones D, Abernethy PJ. Acute adaptation to low volume eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jul;33(7):1213-9.

8: Nosaka K, Sakamoto K, Newton M, Sacco P. How long does the protective effect on eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage last? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Sep;33(9):1490-5.

9: McHugh MP, Connolly DA, Eston RG, Gleim GW. Exercise-induced muscle damage and potential mechanisms for the repeated bout effect. Sports Med. 1999 Mar;27(3):157-70.

10: Nosaka K, Sakamoto K, Newton M, Sacco P. The repeated bout effect of reduced-load eccentric exercise on elbow flexor muscle damage. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2001 Jul;85(1-2):34-40.

11: Rennie MJ. How muscles know how to adapt. J Physiol. 2001 Aug 15;535(Pt 1):1.

12. Nosaka K, Sakamoto K. Effect of elbow joint angle on the magnitude of muscle damage to the elbow flexors. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jan;33(1):22-9.

13: Lieber RL, Friden J. Morphologic and mechanical basis of delayed-onset muscle soreness. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2002 Jan-Feb;10(1):67-73.

14: Nosaka K, Clarkson PM. Influence of previous concentric exercise on eccentric exercise-induced muscledamage. J Sports Sci. 1997 Oct;15(5):477-83.

15: Carson JA. The regulation of gene expression in hypertrophying skeletal muscle. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 1997;25:301-20.

16:. Lieber RL, Friden J. Mechanisms of muscle injury after eccentric contraction. J Sci Med Sport. 1999 Oct;2(3):253-65.

17: Nosaka K, Clarkson PM. Muscle damage following repeated bouts of high force eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995 Sep;27(9):1263-9.

Question: Hi, I'm sure you get this question a thousand times a day, but its time for summer and I'm desperate to get rid of the cottage cheese I seem to have developed on my legs. What kind of diet is most effective for losing cellulite [fat]?

Thanks,

D-

Answer: Hi D-, What people call "cellulite" is really just fat that is "diamond tucked" to your hips and thighs, so to speak. Although cellulite is just fat, it is a tiny bit more stubborn that fat on your waist.

The dimpled appearance of cellulite is caused by strands of connective tissue between your skin and the muscle beneath. As fat begins to accumulate under the skin, these strands will become stretched and cause dimples to appear on the skin, much like the diamond tucked upholstery on your couch or an antique chair, only not as attractive.

Any "diet" or eating plan that causes fewer calories to be eaten than are burned will shrink the fat under the skin, and reduce the appearance of those darned dimples.

For women, it is usually the fat on the hips and thighs that is last to budge. However, this fat is resistant to be broken down and shuttled out of the cells. This does not mean it won't burn off eventually, it only means you must stick to your particular program long enough for the "easy" fat stores to drop in order for the body to tap into the fat on hips and thighs as a backup! This will require patients and a long term plan. A plan that allows for periodic "breaks" in the number of calories.

The best way to diet long term, is to periodically increase calories, say every 6 weeks or so, for about a 2 week period. Be careful though. Most people take this opportunity to eat foods that are not on their diet. This is when the "break" turns into a binge. Instead, simply increase the portion size of each meal for 2 weeks. The extra calories will readjust the hormones in your body to allow fat to begin dropping again when the break is over.

One other note: Ephedrine and Caffeine are often used a fat loss aids. Keep in mind that these will work better for men than they do for most women. What seems to be the only equalizer is exercise. Exercise has an equally potent fat burning effect on women as it does on men. So when the weight loss stops, try increasing the exercise before you decrease the calories.