Are you overreaching or overtraining?

May 23, 2014

This is a great guest post by new Halevy Life Staff Coach Jake Roswell on an often misunderstood and avoided topic: overtraining.

Are you overreaching or overtraining?

Here we go again, everyone wants to get into shape for the summer and for some reason, the best way to do this in the minds of millions of Americans is to start competing in running events! According to Runners USA, the combined number of events for 5 and 10k races in 2012 totaled up to more than 18,000, with the number of participants exceeding 7 million. After a long, cold ass winter these 7 million strongly motivated runners will take to the roads, treadmills, and if they’re lucky enough, beaches to log the miles needed to “get in shape” for these races. Some will run competitively, some will try to beat their previous PR’s, and many will simply get involved as a means to have something to train for. I am a huge advocate of fining a reason to get in shape, become healthier and push the limits of what you think you can do (hell, I wanted to go through Navy Seal training at one point), but there does come a point when training can turn into “overtraining,” and the line between the 2 can be extremely variable based on the individual, and a tough one to spot. Overtraining is not something that should be taken lightly. It is a syndrome that has been known to cause a multitude of problems and even halt the careers of many professional athletes.

Overtraining is hard to identify, and in fact remains an indefinable syndrome in the realm of sports science to date. As with any athlete, the physiological factors of fatigue and poor performance are inevitable. The best way to crack the mystery of overtraining and identify when you might be teetering on the edge of increased performance/overtraining is to track performance.

I have been an athlete all my life, played soccer and competed in the 100m, 200m and 400m track in events in indoor and outdoor track in high school. I went on to play soccer in college, was a 4-year starter (and if you ask me I was also the best player on the field at all times), and have always trained hard for these sports. After 4 years of college my soccer career was over. No more summer soccer, no more 3 a days during preseason, and even more importantly, no more preparation going into preseason. What was there to look forward to? Naturally, as a competitor I needed to find a reason to continue to stay in shape, so I decided to start training for 5k and 10k races.

I started out running 25 miles a week in the beginning of the summer, my times were just as I had expected (6:15 min. mile). I would increase my overall mileage per week by 3-5 miles while maintaining or bettering my pace. As the weeks went on, I was competing at least every other weekend in a race and continuing to increase my mileage and splits until I was up to 60 miles/week at an average pace of 6 min./mile. Mornings became tough (it was hard to roll out of bed), I had little to no energy to perform simple tasks, and according to my girlfriend my mood was pretty crappy all the time (she is now an ex-girlfriend…).

As this became a recurring theme, my split times during track workouts continuously worsened. So, as much as it hurt me, I decided to rest. After a week of no running I decided to test myself. Still bad split times! It pains me to say this because I have never quit at anything before, but after the worsened times, bad mood and complete lack of energy I gave up altogether.

So why were my times decreasing? Why was my mood changing? Why did I have no energy? The answer is overtraining – a reduction in performance that takes place when the body is pushed beyond its ability to recover. Common symptoms related to this mystery tend to be fatigue and constant mood swings (makes sense now). The problem was I wasn’t letting myself sufficiently recover through proper nutrition, sleep, and programmed rest days. Yeah I had great workouts initially, but without adequate recovery, the performance improvements declined to the point where I was getting worse. This is to all the exercise enthusiasts out there who have ever seen a model or diagram where there is overreaching and overtraining.

Overreaching is the point in which enough stress is put on the body for adaptation to occur. In no way is this bad! It’s all about realizing where you are in your training and knowing when to back off. Poor Programming is a result of going beyond overreaching. Here are some more ways to avoid overtraining:

1) Individualize your programming: Not everyone is the same! Don’t expect to get a one-size-fits-all program from the top results of “running program” in Google. Everyone recovers differently. Self-monitoring how you are adapting to training (i.e. improved performance), muscle soreness, fatigue, and stress level must be taken into consideration.

2) Sleep: A lack of sleep during training can decrease performance from a physiological standpoint, and can also psychologically decrease performance due to the causation of a sense of confusion as well as mood swings. Physiologically, during sleep periods we secrete anabolic (muscle building) hormones and decrease catabolic (muscle wasting) hormones. When insufficient sleep is taking place we are not mobilizing the anabolic hormones enough for adequate recovery(Ripptoe, Practical Programming of Strength Training, 2009).

3) Diet: Proper nutrition during training plays an important role. What most athletes and novice lifters alike tend to overlook is ample caloric consumption during intense training periods. I’m not saying you should eat as much as humanly possible. Proper caloric intake means your calories in = your calories out, in order to maintain performance. Fueling your body is comparable to fueling your car. If you were to put 20 miles worth of gas in and try to go 50 miles, your car simply won’t do it. The human body is no different: if you only fuel up for a particular amount of energy expenditure, how can you expect to go beyond that point without sacrificing stored energy and ultimately breaking down other tissues (such as muscle) to reach your goal? One of the biggest mistakes made by people who begin a new exercise program is inadequate carbohydrate consumption (Mother, this one is for you). You need to get over that road-block ASAP. Carbohydrates are essential for muscle glycogen and provide the quickest source of energy production. If there is depletion in carbohydrate intake, the result is a decrease in performance and an increase in muscle deterioration.

All-in-all overtraining can more properly be titled “under recovering.” You can train as hard as you want if you make sure you are accounting for the 3 things listed. If you have any questions on overtraining hit me up on Twitter @JRoswell3, and enjoy the race season!

Is Foam Rolling Even Worth Doing?

April 30, 2014

Here’s a phenomenal guest post from Halevy Life Director of Programming and Education Nick Johnson, BSc. Exercise Science, SCCC:

Jeff Halevy TODAY Show Fitness Expert Ladies and Gentleman, here is the answer to the age-old question I know you have been waiting for. The question that causes you to lose sleep at night, the thing you’re thinking about when your husband/wife or significant other is telling you about their day, so without further ado, here it is: Should you foam roll? Yup, that’s what I figured, you’re probably screaming inside with excitement right now, I know, take a second to settle yourself and lets jump into the 3 biggest questions surrounding foam rolling.

1. What are the benefits?

2. Should you do it before or after a workout, and for how long?

3. What is the correct technique to use?

The topic of foam rolling; although a super simple concept, seems to be one of big discussion and varying opinions producing studies with contradicting results and further clouding the general population as to it’s efficacy. I want to tackle the topic of “foam rolling” as a whole, so bear with me through the boring, nerdy stuff. In order for you to get a good grasp on the reasoning behind the use of foam rollers, we need to get in to a little bit of anatomy and physiology first. So… here we go.

“Hey Nick, when I sit on a cylinder of foam what am I actually doing?” Great question! You are actually putting pressure on something called fascia. Fascia is a tough, connective tissue that can be found throughout the body, in a sort of 3-D web from head to toe. Fascia is literally everywhere, surrounding every bone, muscle, organ, blood vessel and nerve down to the cellular level. The general function of fascia is to provide stability, support and cushion, particularly through locomotion, or movement. The deep fascia, or (also known as “myofascia”) is the type we are concerned with. This is the fascia that surrounds individual muscle fibers and can in many instances divide groups of muscles into compartments. This is the one we want to get untangled by rolling on it.

The tightening of fascia is a protective mechanism the body uses in response to trauma. As fascia tightens, it loses its pliability, becomes restricted and causes a tension to the rest of the body. So what does all this mean?

First off, trauma doesn’t necessarily mean you were hit by a bus (despite how you feel after a leg workout), it simply means there was some sort of damage to the cells, and in the realm of strength training we like to use the term “micro trauma.” Micro trauma, simply stated, is small amounts of fibril damage, and is theorized to play a primary role in muscular development or growth. When micro trauma occurs the body responds in an over-compensatory manner, replacing/healing damaged tissue and adding more in an attempt to reduce the risk of repeating the same damage caused to the cell. In short, your body is adapting so it is capable of completing whatever task you are asking it to complete.

So as this fascia tightens in order to provide support and allow the body to heal, it consequently becomes less pliable, leaving the feeling of “tightness” or lack of flexibility. The collagen (fibers that give the fascia strength and structure) becomes dense and fibrous and the elastin (fibers allowing for elasticity and flexibility) loses its resiliency. These changes over time can create poor muscular biomechanics and might even alter the structural alignment, leading to decreased muscular strength, endurance and coordination. Ultimately, you are in pain and your movement capacity, or ability to function effectively is lost.

Enter foam rolling…

Foam Rolling is a form of myofascial (fascia surrounding muscle) release. Myofascial release facilitates a “stretch” into the restricted, or bunched up fascia. By applying and sustaining pressure on the restricted area, the tissue will actually undergo a histological length change (the fibers increase in length at a microscopic level). When held for 90 seconds or more, the tissue will actually become softer and more pliable. By restoring the fibers back to their original length the we can take pressure off of the other pain sensitive structures (blood vessels, nerves, etc.) we went over earlier and assist in the restoration of alignment and mobility to joints.

Let it all sink in…

Ok, we answered question 1, the boring one. Now to the application of foam rolling. You should definitely do it before you workout, if you have to choose one. If you have the time to get in a quick rolling session after, there can be additional benefits, but before is essential. Now comes the answer to the question addressing techniques. Don’t just roll back and forth over the tight or sensitive areas. Yes, studies have shown that simply rolling over and over will help, it will not yield the total benefits. Roll till you find a painful, sensitive and tight spot, and then sit there. RELAX AND BREATHE! If you tense up how do you expect your body to relax? The whole point of myofascial release is to relax, aiding to increase mobility and subsequently functionality. You should spend around 10-15 minutes before a workout rolling and if time permits 5-10 minutes after. If you can get a quick roll in after, you can use the method of back and forth, constant motion. This will provide the same benefits as static stretching after, and will help to counteract any edema (pooling of blood in tissues) you might get following a workout, as well as shuttle out byproducts of energy metabolism.

Here is a list of the 5 spots I make sure I hit before a workout.

Note: this might be different for you, but try and tell me if it makes a difference.

1. Lats: Regardless of how often I foam roll, my lats always seem to be tight and sensitive. Permitting them to release a little bit before a workout allows me to get better scapular retraction, particularly during deadlifts and bench pressing. Lay on your side with the bottom arm outstretched and the roller 6 inches under your armpit, slowly work it up into your armpit, once you get there let your top shoulder fall back a little and BREATHE!

2. Glutes: The glutes are actually done better using a lacrosse ball, or even a street hockey ball. Place the ball under your butt, lift that leg up and cross it over top of the opposite knee, roll around until you find a spot that makes you want to scream/cry/vomit and relax.

3. Calves: This one is of importance to me due to previous injuries, causing my right calf to become extremely tight when exercising, particularly during any lunge, squat or sprint activities. Most people do have the same issues with their calves, but nonetheless it is still a good spot to hit. Put your arms under your butt, calves on the roller and start at the Achilles and work up to the back of your knee. You can also do each leg individually if it makes things easier.

4. Quads: Get on your elbows as if you were about to perform the world’s best plank, place the roller at the top of your knees and work your way up to your hips. Rotating your hips side to side can also allow the roller to get a little deeper and hit areas that might be neglected if you only roll with them straight.

5. Adductors: This really helps to open up the hips and seems to be a very tight area on most individuals. Lay on your stomach, bend one leg to the side so your hip is at a 45 degree angle and your knee is at a 90 degree angle, and place the roller on the inside of your leg just above your knee. Once again, work your way up to the hip and repeat for the other leg.

If you have any further questions on how to use foam rolling to increase the effectiveness of your workouts, hit me up on twitter @HL_Nick. This is the one time when I will say “if it hurts it means it’s working.” Enjoy rolling!

Six Months To A Six Pack: Healthy At Home Tips

March 12, 2014

Jeff Halevy TODAY Show Fitness Expert As part of TODAY’s “6 Months to a 6-Pack” challenge, nutritionist Joy Bauer and fitness trainer Jeff Halevy join TODAY to test some participants’ food and fitness smarts.

Watch today’s 5th installment of the popular new series!

Building Pure Strength? A Review Of Wendler's 5/3/1

March 8, 2014

Here’s another great guest post from Halevy Life’s Director of Programming & Education Nick Johnson:

Does Wendler’s 5/3/1 Work?

I recently completed an 8-week training cycle using Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program (check it out here). Here is a quick review & my take-away.

Philosophy behind 5/3/1

1. 5/3/1 revolves around 4 basic multi-joint lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift, and standing overhead press). Makes sense to me, hits the 4 major movement patterns that are typically the fundamental movements in any strong man’s repertoire.

2. Don’t beat yourself up: start light and progress slowly. This principle is naturally the toughest one to follow for the average lifter/any guy. The goal is to always be pressing the envelope, stacking just a little bit more weight on the bar from the previous workout, but this doesn’t always work. We know what progressive overload is (gradual increase of stress placed on the body during training), but sometimes you need to take 1 step back to move 2 steps forward.

Before I get in to how the program worked for me let me briefly recap what my training was prior to starting this program. I was training 3-4 days/week, relatively high volume with the bench press and deadlift, relatively low volume with the squat and the only overhead pressing I was doing was during my clean and jerks. I had been on this regimen for close to 12 weeks, constantly increasing weight/volume (here’s that progressive overload thing again) to my bench and deadlift and slowly increasing with my squat. I had been going for 3 months with little to no de-loading periods and needed a program that would allow me ample recovery time (I started to plateau).

3 Reasons I love 5/3/1

1. It is a scientifically backed program. The general principles behind the 5/3/1 program should allow you to make slow, but continual progress. A very often-overlooked aspect of programming is rest. Yes, rest is just as important as work when you are looking to grow (strength or size). There is a built in de-loading week where you simply drop the volume and work the pattern, or as Andy Bolton would say “grease the groove.” You will not over-train, you will not burn out, but you will see progress.

2. You get to lift heavy stuff. This ties in with #1, because there is rest and you are only doing 3 sets of the primary or core lift, you are capable of moving heavy weight. This is an ego thing for most lifters, and most likely the reason Wendler stresses sticking to the weight scheme and rest protocols for the program.

3. It is SIMPLE!!! All the numbers are there for you, the calculations are easy, hell there is even an iPhone app to make the calculations even less painless. Plug your numbers in and go, it’s that simple. As you move from one 4 week training cycle to the next, simply add 5 lbs. to upper body exercises and 10 lbs. to lower body exercises for calculations. The assistance work is very simple as well, pick whatever you want to work the movement pattern of that day and go with it. Thinking is very minimal, which is great!

As far my numbers:

My deadlift increased by 40lbs. in total, from 420 to 460, a 9.5% increase.
My squat increased by 30lbs. in total, 350 to 380, 8.6% increase.
My overhead press increased by 15lbs. in total, from 205 to 220, a 7.4% increase.
My bench press did not increase but stayed at 335lbs.

Overall I would absolutely use this program if you are looking to switch your training protocol for a period of time but want to continue gaining strength. As for the lack of increase in my bench, my volume dropped significantly when starting the 5/3/1 program, which probably means I, like 90% of guys out there, was overtraining my bench in the first place.

If you want to use this program and have any questions about programming for the 5/3/1 hit me up on twitter at HL_Nick.

Correcting Corrective Exercises

February 21, 2014

Here’s another great guest post by Halevy Life’s Director of Programming & Education, Nick Johnson:

Most trainers and strength coaches I know have suddenly gone all-in with corrective exercises. They FMS, prescribe correctives based off of the results, and then continue to hammer away at the same correctives for months on end.

Corrective exercises and the strategy by which they should be used are not unlike the strategy employed when forced to use a Port-A-Potty at a construction site: get in, get it done, and get the hell out!

Corrective exercises are either designed to address particular asymmetries and/or faulty movement patterns, or are simply a regression of an exercise that can’t be performed with precision.

When you take a look at most of the corrective strategies, they are designed to be used a handful of times to address the immediate problems, and then you move on. Many trainers and coaches have a tendency to hang on to these strategies for far too long, severely limiting the progress that can be made beyond that of the initial improvements.

After the original corrective strategies, the best progression is to move on to performing actual exercises and performing them with proper form! In other words, correcting asymmetries and faulty movement patterns can be accomplished efficiently and safely by exercising correctly. Programming corrective strategies are similar to using training wheels on a bicycle; start with the wheels down, get used to the pattern and function of the bike, and eventually (usually relatively quickly) riding the bike gets too easy with the wheels down so what do you do? Raise the wheels just a bit, allowing you to ride the bike primarily using your own balance, but with the safety net of having those wheels there to catch you if you should lean too far to one side. The last step is removing the wheels and going for a bike ride, assistance free.

Corrective strategies for a deadlift provide a great example. If someone is incapable of performing the active straight leg raise to an acceptable range during the FMS, we clearly do not want to have them start deadlifting from the ground immediately. So lets break down the movement in to a simpler form and then work back up. One way to do that is to start on the floor, practicing hip hinging and leg lowering. Hip bridges, as simple as they are, can many times be the missing link between being able to deadlift and not. One of the biggest problems with the bend pattern is the inability of someone to consciously activate their glutes. By working on the hip hinge from the ground, we can strip the movement down and increase glute activation capabilities. After the hip bridge we can proceed to working the hip hinge pattern standing, with a dowel or extremely light barbell in the form of an RDL. From here we progress to an RDL from an elevated start point, work to the floor and finally can get into the correct deadlift position, with all the proper muscles needed being activated.

Once progress has been realized it is time to move on to resistance exercises executed with the proper form. Corrective exercises should be used as a supplement to the big, or core lifts in your program.

Start with correctives prescribed by performing the FMS or a similar movement screening system.

Once relatively efficient at performing these correctives, add another level of difficulty, with assistance provided if needed, or simply perform a regressed version of the problematic movement pattern.

Take the training wheels off – pick things up, put them down, pain-free and executed with precision.

If you want to know more on how to implement corrective strategies to your workout routine or have other strength and conditioning related questions, hit me up on twitter @HL_Nick.

It's time to throw out your training program.

February 14, 2014

Here’s a great guest post by Halevy Life Training Manager Lauren Murphy:

It’s time to throw out your training program.

This past week, as I diligently followed my 12-week program for the split jerk, I made the realization that sometimes you need to throw the program away and fly by the seat of your pants.

I am one of those people who works off a program that details the amount of sets, reps, and rest time for each week, leaving little for imagination. And ya know what? It works! It takes a full 12 weeks, but through the program I am able to up my strength and hit new goals. That being said, I have recently learned that sometimes it is best to lose the program and just wing it.

My 12-week program has been a gradual crescendo, starting multiple sets of 5 reps at around 60% of my max and ending with 2 quick sets of 2 reps at about 100% max ( in return making my new 1RM roughly 10% higher than when I started).

This week, as I finished my first of 5 sets of 5 reps at about 80% of my max , 99 lbs… I hit a wall. I was so bored!! And a colleague who was working out next to me could tell. “That weight is way too light and not nearly challenging enough, forget your sets of 5 and put some weight on there!” he said. It was time to switch things up, I threw some more weight on the bar and started working sets of 2 reps. I hit the first 2 reps at 111 lbs, too easy. The next set I went to 121 lbs and the bar still seemed to fly. Third set was 126 lbs, hit it twice and knew I could still bump up the weight. I finished my last set of 2 at 131 lbs. Wait, 131 lbs!!! That is more than my current predicted 1 rep max, 125lbs! Needless to say, I felt like a rock star.

Bang! (A Rock Star in Action)

Changing up your program has multiple benefits for both your performance and your mind. Not only did I get a bump in my ego after hitting a new PR on my split jerk, but mentally I felt brand new. The stress of having to do 5 sets of 5 reps had finally hit me. Breaking away from my program helped me to mentally refresh and gain new motivation for the split jerk. Studies have shown that training at heavy loads (70-120% of 1RM) for 1-6 reps is the most effective way of enhancing maximal strength as well as maintenance of maximal strength. However, research also shows that training to failure should only be performed for limited periods of time (1).

Integrating multiple maximal low rep sets as well submaximal mid rep range (3-6) sets into your work out has been proven to help improve both power and strength gains (1). Now, I am not saying I wont end up going back to my 5 sets of 5 reps next week, but I will definitely be taking a ‘vacation’ from my program every once in a while. And not just for split jerks but for squats, dead lifts, all my Olympic and maximal strength exercises. So, next time you are bored and tempted to deviate from your program, don’t worry about it! You can sweat about it later…

1. Tan, Benedict. “Manipulating Resistasnce Training Program Variables to Optimize Maximum Strength in Men.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 13.3 (1999): 289-304. Journals.lww.com. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Web.

Which is better for belly fat – planks or squats? (6 Months To A 6 Pack)

January 29, 2014

Jeff Halevy TODAY Show Fitness Expert Today marked the third installment of The TODAY Show’s “Six Months To A Six Pack,” with Jeff Halevy making his third appearance this month on the new TODAY series. Jeff joined TODAY’s resident nutritionist, Joy Bauer, with a fun quiz show segment that answered questions about the best ab exercises, the best way to shed belly fat, and ways to boost your metabolism.

Jeff Halevy on The TODAY Show: "Six Months To A Six Pack"

January 15, 2014

Jeff Halevy TODAY Show Fitness Expert Today marked the second installment of The TODAY Show’s “Six Months To A Six Pack,” with Jeff Halevy making his second appearance this month as a new Contributor to the show. Halevy once again joined TODAY’s resident nutritionist, Joy Bauer, as the duo weighed in with tips to help the “Six Months To A Six Pack” participants, as well as viewers at home, shed fat and get healthy.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jeff Halevy Joins TODAY Show

January 1, 2014

Jeff Halevy TODAY Show Fitness Expert Today was a big day on TODAY with Behavioral Health and Fitness Expert Jeff Halevy joining the award-winning morning show and making his debut as a Contributor. Halevy will appear on TODAY regularly over the next six months, alongside TODAY Show nutritionist Joy Bauer, as part of TODAY’s “Six Months to A Six-Pack.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Your Butt To The Maximus (Redux, Part 1)

November 27, 2013

Last week I posted a short blog entry that highlighted the two best exercises for your butt in an easy-to-understand infographic. Due to the overwhelming number of requests for a follow up piece…here ya go! [VIDEO]