• Lower-intensity of effort = the higher potential time of the activity
• Higher-intensity of effort = the lower potential time of the activity

• Greater time period of exercise = lower intensity of effort possible
• Lesser time period of exercise = higher intensity of effort possible

Thus, many exercise regimens exist containing various prescriptions based on the variables of intensity, duration, volume, and recovery. Think running, boot camps, circuit training, or exercise device (i.e. rower) efforts.

Studying Hydraulic Resistance

One type of device that can be used in training is a hydraulic resistance device (HRD). It involves only concentric motion – meaning, resistance pushing out, but no resistance on the return (eccentric) stroke. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research compared the energy used in single sessions that combined aerobic and resistance training using concentric motion similar to that of a HRD.

“If you train with high intensity on an HRD, you can burn more calories compared to conventional resistance.”

The subjects in the study were recreationally active males with an average age, height, and weight of 25, 181.6 cm/5′-11.5″, and 86.6 kg/190.5 lbs. The factors compared were caloric expenditure, energy substrate used (i.e., carbs, fat, or protein), heart rate (HR), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

The subjects performed 30 intervals using a :20 all-out effort followed by a :40 rest period, totaling 30 minutes of activity. Specifically each test was performed with these:

• Resistance training using 75% of a 1RM
• Endurance cycling at 70% maximum heart rate
• Endurance treadmill running at 70% maximum heart rate
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a HRD

The researchers hypothesized that caloric expenditure, heart rate, and RPE would increase when using the HRD when compared to conventional running, biking, and resistance training for a similar amount of time due to the increased intensity.

The Study Results

Calorie usage per minute:

• HRD – 12.62 ± 2.36
• Resistance training – 8.83 ± 1.55
• Treadmill – 9.48 ± 1.30
• Cycling – 9.23 ± 1.25

Average heart rate in beats per minute:

• HRD – 156 ± 9
• Resistance training – 138 ± 16
• Treadmill – 137 ± 5
• Cycling – 138 ± 6

Average RPE (6-20 on the Borg scale):

• Resistance training – 13 ± 2
• Treadmill – 10 ± 2
• Cycling – 11 ± 1

What We Can Learn From This Study

• If you train with high intensity on an HRD, you can burn more calories compared to conventional resistance, treadmill running, and cycling performed at similar times and intensities.
• Using HRDs can be beneficial for gaining the benefits of both resistance and cardiovascular training when your training time is limited.
• Resistance training could be used in place of traditional aerobic training for the purpose of maintaining body composition due to similar caloric expenditures.
• The concentric-only nature of HRDs may allow for faster recovery due to less muscle damage.

“We have learned that various outcomes are possible depending upon our effort expended over the time of our activity.”

For many athletes, in-season training becomes difficult due to practice and competition commitments. For others of us, we may simply have busy periods of our lives. Given that and these study results, training on an HRD may be more time efficient for addressing muscle mass maintenance and concomitant endurance training.

Check out these related articles:

• What Is the Best Way to Burn Calories in 30 Minutes?
• Why You Can’t Compare Resistance and Repetition Efforts
• Science Says – Sprints Burn 200 Calories for 2.5 Minutes of Work
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today 

References:

1. Paul H. Falcone, et al. “Caloric Expenditure of Aerobic, Resistance, or Combined High-Intensity Interval Training Using a Hydraulic Resistance System in Healthy Men ,” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, March 2015, 29: 3, pp 779–785.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Hydraulic Resistance Training for High Calorie Burning appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

RELATED: Is Low Calorie Dieting Dangerous?

The Research on Calories and Fat

But can anyone reading this article tell me where this research came from? I could not, so I took to PubMed. I searched for “3500 calories equals one pound of fat” and got a message telling me, “No items found.” I narrowed my search to “3500 calories and fat” and received six results, none of which were related to the research in determining this magic number.

So, why do we keep promoting unsuccessful weight loss ideals that are not even backed up by science? Most of us will use calorie counters found on the Internet to help us establish our daily caloric needs. The most popular equation is the Harris Benedict equation. This equation was established in 1918 after looking at extremely small control groups of 136 men, 103 women, and 94 newborn infants. This research is almost one hundred years old.

Really? Science hasn’t made any new discoveries since then to alter this equation and help us fight the obesity epidemic?

The Body Fat Set Point Theory

Fortunately, there is good research out there to help us. But for some unknown reason it’s not as well known as the whole 3,500-calories-equals-a-pound-of-fat thing. What we need to look to instead is the body fat set point theory. This theory explains that we have a group of hormones that regulates appetite and body fat storage. These hormones communicate with one another and need to be in balance in order for us to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

“All of these hormones must be doing their jobs and working in sync in order for us to achieve an optimal weight.”

The important hormones are leptin, insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, and adrenaline:

• Leptin was discovered in 1992 and has been found to control how much body fat we store, as well as when we are satiated.
• Insulin is our main fat storage hormone.
• Glucagon is the opposite of insulin. It stimulates the liver to release stored glycogen and works with adrenaline to free up our stored fats to use as energy.
• Ghrelin tells us when we are hungry.

All of these hormones must be doing their jobs and working in sync in order for us to achieve an optimal weight. Other important factors include other peptides and even certain brain regions.

Leptin, Ghrelin, and Insulin

Leptin may just be the ringleader of this circus, though. Leptin is primarily secreted by our fat cells, and when levels are high, then our hunger is decreased. Ghrelin was discovered almost a decade after leptin and it controls our short-term hunger response. Ghrelin is released from the stomach lining, and when levels are high, we increase our hunger response. Both of these hormones are found to be in dysregulation during obesity.

LEARN MORE: Leptin: The Secret Key to Getting Shredded

Insulin has been a big focus of obesity research for quite some time. It is one reason why some people swear low-carbohydrate diets are the way to go. Insulin has a direct effect on leptin. As insulin levels rise, so do leptin levels. In fact, leptin receptors have been found on the beta cells of the pancreas, where insulin is produced. The problem is we can develop resistance to these hormones and this can cause a number of issues for us. 

RELATED: 60 Minutes of Exercise Can Improve Insulin Resistance 25%

Developing Resistance to the Hunger Hormones

When we develop resistance to these hunger-controlling hormones, it is like our body is making a phone call, but we’re not picking up on the other end. As a result, our body needs to yell louder. It does this by releasing more and more of the hormones in question. 

Let’s look at this scenario in terms of letpin. If we develop leptin resistance, it means more fat being stored and more food being eaten. Due to the relationship with insulin, if we have leptin resistance, then we have insulin resistance, too.

So, we get ourselves into this mess and then decide we need to get our weight in check. We count out our calories and subtract 500 calories per day, just as we have been taught. But in response to this low-calorie eating our body causes our leptin levels to fall. This, again, will increase our eating and fat storage.

“Due to the relationship with insulin, if we have leptin resistance, then we have insulin resistance, too.”

On top of that, calorie counting does not take into effect how certain foods react with these hormones. We are told to approach everything in moderation, including our eating, but does this strategy work? Highly palatable foods have been shown to blunt both leptin and ghrelin. This is why it is easy to overeat foods such as ice cream and pizza. This can cause you to take in more calories than you even realize.

What We Can Do to Lose Weight

RELATED: 10 Things I Know About Protein That You Don’t

I recommend nine to twelve servings of fruits and vegetables per day. If you are attempting to lose weight, then limit your fruits to one to three servings per day. Vegetables are high in nutrients and low in calories. They are almost impossible to overeat. Just be careful how much added sugar, salt, and fat there is in your diet, as these increase the palatability of foods and can lead to overeating.

References:

1. Lindqvist, A, et.al., “Overeating of palatable food is associated with blunted leptin and ghrelin responses.” Regulatory Peptides 2005. Retrieved on October 23, 2014. 

2. Weigle, D., et.al., “A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations“. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005. Retrieved on October 23, 2014. 

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Don’t Count Calories to Lose Weight: The Body Fat Set Point Theory appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In a recent PLoS ONE study, researchers evaluated existing equations to determine the resting energy expenditure. They used these equations to create new and more accurate ones.

What the research says:

• Two new equations for measuring resting energy expenditure (REE) were proven 83% accurate for men and 72-76% accurate for women.
• An existing REE calculation called the Cunningham Formula was found even more accurate.

Muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat mass, so if you have an athletic build, the equations you find on the Internet might not accurately determine your energy expenditure. Athletes tend to have more muscle mass per pound of bodyweight, theoretically giving them a higher resting expenditure.

The researchers acknowledged that a further problem with some existing equations is that they rely on information not readily available to most trainees. Because of this, the research team came up with two equations.

• The first accounted for the lean mass of the athlete. If you know your fat free mass (FFM), you can use the following equation, which is simpler than the second equation used in the study. A pinch test or electronic body fat test should be able to give you your FFM.

REE(kcal/d) = 22.771 x FFM(kg) + 484.264

• The second test only accounted for the athlete’s weight and height. This would be a good one to use if the lean mass of the athlete wasn’t known:

REE(kcal/d) = 11.936 x weight(kg) + 587.728 x height(m) – 8.129 x age + 191.027 x sex (M=1,F=0) + 29.279

Study Design

Ninety men and women who exercised regularly had their resting energy expenditures measured using indirect calorimetry. That means the researchers measured levels of oxygen consumption and exhaled gasses to determine how much energy each of the participants used at rest.

The participants weren’t elite athletes, but they were all well-trained. They averaged about nine hours of training every week across five sessions every week. So they were fit recreational athletes, being good representatives of the average active person. They were young as well, averaging about 23 years old.

The researchers then used the various popular equations to determine resting energy expenditure. They compared the results of each equation to the actual energy expenditure as measured by their lab tests to see what was the most accurate. They also attempted to come up with better equations if there was a need.

Results

The athletes’ average daily expenditure, as measured in the lab, was 1,837 calories per day for the men and the women together. The two calculations developed by the research team had about 83% accuracy with men and 72–76% accuracy with women.

When compared to the two equations the researchers came up with, one existing equation called the Cunningham Formula resulted in even greater accuracy. You will need to know your FFM for this one, but it is the simplest equation of all:

REE(kcal/d) = 22 x FFM(kg) + 500

As an example, if my lean body mass is 176lb (my bodyweight minus my fat mass), I need to first convert that to kilograms, which ends up being 80kg. So, 22 x 80kg is 1,760, to which I add 500 for a total resting energy expenditure of 2,260.

With these equations, athletes and coaches will now be in a better position to find out how much they should be eating. Since the Cunningham Formula is the most accurate, use it to determine your resting expenditure and add in your exercise to figure out roughly how many calories you burn per day. If you don’t know your lean mass, use the first equation above.

References:

1. Twan ten Haaf, et. al., “Resting Energy Expenditure Prediction in Recreational Athletes of 18–35 Years: Confirmation of Cunningham Equation and an Improved Weight-Based Alternative,” PLOS ONE 2014, 9(10)

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Science Finds the Best Way to Calculate Resting Energy Expenditure appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In essence, if you take in fewer calories than you expend, you’ll lose weight. If done properly and while using resistance training, muscle tissue will remain, and it will be your stored body fat that exits the body and facilitates that desired defined appearance.

Many of you are seeking ways to lose fat. You also know the most solid approach to this is to create a calorie deficit so your body can better tap into adipose fat storage sites.

In essence, if you take in fewer calories than you expend, you’ll lose weight. If done properly and while using resistance training, muscle tissue will remain, and it will be your stored body fat that exits the body and facilitates that desired defined appearance.

Calories in versus calories out. It’s simple to understand, but often times difficult to do. Because it’s difficult, what is the sensible approach to take?

Calories In

90% of it comes down to discipline. Eschew those bad calories (processed food) and go with nature’s gifts: vegetables, fruits, grass-fed meats, beans, and plain H2O in relative proportions.

If it comes out of a box, is microwave-ready, or processed otherwise, it’s a red flag. It’s true that over-consuming any food can lead to a calorie surplus and result in fat weight gain, but going with a natural approach will make your efforts a bit easier.

Calories Out

Knowing that calorie intake is paramount in the fat loss goal, what type and amount of exercise can you add to the equation? Exercise helps, but it remains significant relative to fat loss. All things considered, the old adage is true. You cannot out-exercise a poor diet.

Running on a treadmill at a 10:00-per-mile pace for 45 minutes burns approximately 500 calories for a 140-pound person. If you then go home and eat two slices of a fourteen-inch, regular crust pepperoni pizza, you’ll consume 596 calories.

Train for 45 minutes and ruin that with ten minutes of pizza eating. Is it worth it?

How to Burn 500 Calories

Again, discipline is the key element. If you truly want it, you’ll do it. If you don’t, then pay the price. If you do want it, what follows are activity suggestions that burn approximately 500 calories based on your body weight.

You can implement them into your training or, at the least, make you aware of the impact of activities and their approximate calorie burn.

Incinerating 500 calories (based on various calculator averages):

Understand these are just estimates. Note that the more intense an activity, then the greater the calorie usage. Keep that in mind when selecting activities.

Go harder rather than longer. That stated, what is important to know is successful fat loss comes down to disciplined food intake combined with sensible exercise selection.

References:

1. SparkPeople. “Calories Burned Calculator.” Accessed November 18, 2013.

2. WebMD. “Fitness and Exercise Calorie Calculator.” Accessed November 18, 2013.

3. MyFitnessPal. “Calories Burned From Exercise.” Accessed November 18, 2013.

4. Fitness. “Calories Burned Calculator.” Accessed November 18, 2013.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 20 Ways to Burn 500 Calories appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

What if I told you that maybe, just maybe, you were suffering from portion distortion and that by addressing this issue you could start to reach your hard earned goals much faster and with much more gusto? I know what you’re thinking and, yes, it could definitely be that easy. But first, what on earth is portion distortion?

Have you ever felt that you’re doing everything correctly in and out of the gym, but no matter how hard you try you can’t shift that stubborn body fat? What if it was as simple as the amount of food on your plate?

What if I told you that maybe, just maybe, you were suffering from portion distortion and that by addressing this issue you could start to reach your hard earned goals much faster and with much more gusto? I know what you’re thinking and, yes, it could definitely be that easy. But first, what on earth is portion distortion?

What is Portion Distortion?

The free medical dictionary defines portion distortion as an upward shift in the size and calorie count of a serving of a particular food served to the general public, occurring especially in fast-food restaurants. In order to deal with portion distortion, we first need to understand what a portion is and what a serving is.

A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat for a meal or a snack. A serving is a measured or recommended amount of food or drink. Your daily-recommended quantity may be more than one serving of a particular food or drink.

The problem that arises for most people trying to lose weight is the portion we choose to serve ourselves or those served to us are generally not a standard serving. This allows for a greater caloric intake than what is needed. This can be seen when looking at the food labels of products.

You may buy a product and consume it in one setting, but on the label it will actually be indicated that the product contains two to three servings. This means you will have consumed double to triple what you needed. For example, a serving of cooked pasta is one half cup. But the portion you put on your plate may measure three cups. That equals six servings.

Reasons for Portion Distortion?

The reason for this portion distortion is that serving sizes have steadily increased in size over the last two decades to such a degree that massive meals are considered normal. You can see how sizes have changed in the chart below:

Source: NYC Health

The chart shows the amazing difference in the actual size increase of various foods over the last few decades. It’s no wonder some people think they are eating right but could be eating half their day’s caloric intake in one meal, which is quite disturbing not to mention waist increasing.

Obviously everyone knows eating a large bag of Doritos is a nutritional no-no, but the over consumption of “healthy foods” like grain seed breads, seasonal vegetables and fruit, nut butters, and top quality meat sources can also hinder your goals. We tend to give ourselves permission to binge on these healthy choices because they are “healthy.”

But fat loss is not as straightforward as a math equation because then it really would be as simple as consuming 500 calories fewer each day to lose a pound of fat each week. It’s never that simple when it comes to the human body, however, and everyone will have different caloric needs depending on their goals and exercise regimen.

In essence, if you consume more than you burn you will put on weight and if you burn more than you consume you can be effective at fat loss. That sounds simple, but moving forward from there requires you knowing how much you burn.

Managing Your Caloric Intake

In order to manage portion distortion you will need to know what your daily calorie needs are and then work out how many calories per meal you need to meet your goals. The Harris-Benedict formula is a great way to get an estimate of your maintenance level if all you know is your body weight.

For fat loss, create a 20-30% deficit below maintenance. For muscle gain create a 20-30% surplus above maintenance. Note: BMR = basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy you require for normal body functions at rest. This does not take into account any activity you may perform.

• Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)
• Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

Conversions:

• 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
• 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example:

1. You are a 30 year old female, 5’6″ tall (167.6 cm) and 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
2. Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 – 141 = 1339 calories/day

Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your maintenance level by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier:

• Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
• Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
• Moderately active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
• Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
• Extra active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, competition etc.)

Example:

1. Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
2. Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
3. Your activity factor is 1.55
4. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day

Once you know what your total calories for the day are you can be better prepared as you can then investigate what the size of each portion needs to be in order to meet your TDEE each and every day.

Tips to Avoid Portion Distortion

• Measure and weigh your food.
• Read food labels carefully.
• Leave food serving dishes in the kitchen. Use smaller plates, bowls, and glasses.
• Focus on the meal.
• Eat slowly.
• Listen to your body’s cues and only eat till satisfied not full.
• Eat regular meals and snacks – every 2-3 hours is great.
• Never eat out of the bag, box or carton.

Portion distortion is a growing threat to any person who trains and is serious about getting their results. Saying no to supersizing and “economy” packs is a great start to achieving your goals. Just remember the amount of food you eat is just as important as what you eat. So pack your fridge with lean meats and fresh produce and enjoy great tasting fresh meals, but be careful not to overindulge or you could soon be seeing an ever-expanding waistline.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Portion Distortion: Calculate How Much You Burn and Avoid Unwanted Calories appeared first on Breaking Muscle.