#003 - Product launch announcement! Be-Progressive, B-E Progressive (Overload), also bike betting in Japan & a weird lullaby
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Laying the Groundwork(outs)
Types of Progressive Overload
Bear with me here, we’re laying the foundations for some future topics and it’ll be worthwhile to have this groundwork covered when we talk about those more tangible strength training subjects. As discussed in our Substack #002, you need progressive overload to increase demand and progress in strength, hypertrophy, or muscular endurance. Let’s discuss some different types of progressive overload.
Weight:
The most obvious way to increase demand is by adding weight. It’s smart to do this in small increments - remember PROGRESSIVE overload - to let the body adapt gradually. I suggest adding 2 to 5 lbs every time you feel like you could use more of a challenge. A good rule of thumb is if you can comfortably complete 2 extra reps on the last set, then you should consider increasing the weight. Remember to do this while also maintaining good form and feeling the target muscles work. Sometimes adding too much weight shifts the work into non-target muscle groups and this isn’t ideal. A good example of this is with Bulgarian Split Squats (BSS). In my experience loading these up too heavy will shift the work from the quads to the glutes and I just end up with really sore glutes - not ideal if I’m trying to target the quads. It’s all a balancing act and making sure your form isn’t sacrificed is priority number one. Quality over quantity!!!
Reps:
Increasing reps is another way to increase demand and this is a great strategy if you aren’t able to make small changes to weight. For example, if you are doing BSS and only have a pair of 20 lbs dumbbells and a pair of 30 lbs dumbbells and the 20’s are too light for sets of 10 and the 30’s are too heavy for 10, then you can increase the reps using the 20’s until you can get 12 or 14 per set and then go to the 30’s and get 8 per set and start increasing reps from there. This is a great approach and as seen here increasing reps has a similar effect on hypertrophy to increasing weight.
I like to use a wave strategy with reps. This is where you increase reps week by week using the same weight throughout a cycle and then when you start a new cycle you drop the reps and increase the weight and then increase reps again week by week. Let’s take BSS as an example again: let’s say I can complete 10 reps with 30 lbs dumbbells at the beginning of a training cycle, then I’ll bump up the reps by 1 for each week of that four week cycle. Week 1 will be 3 sets of 10 reps, week 2 will be 3 sets of 11 reps, week 3 will be 3 sets of 12 reps, and week 4 will be 3 sets of 13 reps. Then for the next cycle I’ll bump the weight up to 35 lbs dumbbells and start back at 3 sets of 10 reps and go through that pattern again with the heavier weight. This again is a very incremental strategy and is great for people that don’t have a variety of weights at their disposal.
ROM:
Range of motion is another way to increase demand and doesn’t require extra weight or reps. Increasing the ROM used in an exercise will increase the tensile force on the working muscle fibers and this increase in tension makes the muscle fibers adapt and grow. Putting this into practice means going deeper in a squat, eg - elevating the front foot in a BSS, or going deeper in a push up, eg - elevating the hands on yoga blocks. These small changes can push the end ROM and really increase the intensity of an exercise, thus increasing muscle growth.
Rest Period:
Reducing rest periods between sets or circuits is another way to increase demand on the body and this is effective by increasing metabolic stress in the muscle cells. As mentioned in Substack #002, this is one of the mechanisms of hypertrophy. Pushing the cells in this way forces them to adapt metabolically and makes them grow. This is as simple as reducing rest times between rounds. It’s recommended to do this for circuit workouts or supersets - meaning you’re doing a combo of exercises that work different body parts. For example, you could superset BSS and push ups because they are working different muscle groups and that way each muscle group gets a rest while the other is being used, but the overall intensity of the workout is increased by reducing the resting time. Not only will you get more metabolic demand, but you’ll also get some cardiovascular work, too. It’s best not to use maximal weights here because mechanical tension is not the goal and also it’ll just be too hard to complete and probably too dangerous as well.
Tempo:
One last way to increase demand is by playing with the tempo of an exercise. You can slow down or add pauses to a movement and this increases mechanical tension. If you’re pausing for an extended period of time, i.e. - isometric holds, then you’re probably getting some metabolic stress, too. As shown here, it seems that the lack of oxygen in contracted muscles puts a particular demand on the cells and produces a hypertrophic effect. If we take our BSS as an example, we could do a 4 second lowering (eccentric) phase, followed by a normal up (concentric) phase. This slow lowering will increase mechanical tension on the muscle fibers. Or we could do a 30 second pause at the bottom, an isometric BSS, and this would increase metabolic stress also. Using this strategically means you’re using both those factors that increase hypertrophy.
Take Away:
There are many approaches to progressive overload and I think most people could benefit from a combination of them. It doesn’t always have to be about increasing weight and in fact in my own training I focus more on getting quality reps that work the target muscle group and pushing those muscles close to failure. Of course the weight matters to an extent and more weight means more mechanical tension, but adding more weight to the exercise is secondary to the quality of work. Given your situation and the amount of equipment at your disposal, you might try progressive overload strategies that don’t rely so much on adding weight, especially if you workout at home or travel regularly and don’t have the huge variety of equipment available like you would at a gym.
A Visual Supplement
too long; didn't read? - watch this video.
4-hour work week 15 hour workday!
Japanese Keirin
No doubt you’ve heard of horse racing and dog racing, popular as betting sports in many countries, but did you know in Japan you can bet on bicycle races? If you ever get the chance to see it, take it - even if, like me, you have no interest in gambling. The action is incredible and in the final sprint these riders are reaching speeds above 40 miles per hour. The riders basically train their entire young life in special schools to be able to race in these events and their dedication to it is very apparent. From the opening line up and ceremonial bows to the leave it all on the track way they push themselves - it’s beautiful. The bicycles they race are all steel frames and components - very retro chic, and the rainbow color uniforms and leather cycling shoes might have you thinking you traveled back in time. In fact, I’d guess not much has changed in the 70 something years that Keirin has been around.
When I lived in Tokyo I was able to experience the smoke drenched anticipation and the regret and disappointment that littered the ground in the form of betting tickets. Again, the action is incredible and when they really get flying in the final laps, quads pumping like pistons, pulled tight to the frame, the whir of spokes and pooled lactate - it’s something else. Sometimes, there’s a crash and when this happens the rider tightens up into a ball, still holding their bicycle, as they spin and skid on their side, sparks flying. LITERALLY, sparks flying as they pinball off other riders and embankments. Remember, these people have trained 15 hours a day since they were children to be here and they give it their everything and you get to stand a few feet away from it. It’s really impressive to see someone putting that much of their physical being into something in person. Don’t miss it. Afterwards, you can find yourself a nice cherry blossom tree to sit under and think about the last time you gave it your all.
On a side note, the bikes that they race are eventually retired and sold, so there’s a healthy secondary market where you can buy these fixed gear bike frames. I bought myself one and rode it around Tokyo for a few years before selling it and getting something with brakes.
Bad news everyone, SnackWell’s brand fat free treats have been retired. It’s a sad day for those folks that enjoyed a flavorless, overly sweet, unsatisfying mouthful of flour and sugar, held together by what exactly?? I don’t know, but if you were around in the 90’s you probably encountered these unfortunate little discs of disappointment. I know I got my hopes up on more than one occasion upon discovering them when opening the cupboard for a treat. We didn’t have many sweets in my house growing up, but on occasion my mom would buy these for herself and I would sneak in and grab a few when I could. I’d eat them begrudgingly, but would have much rather found some Chips Ahoy - which never once happened, by the way. What is it about fat that makes something taste so much better? It just gives it dimension and makes it more satisfying.
My professional advice to people is eat the real thing and just eat less of it if you’re worried about its caloric density. Feel satisfied with a food, really stop and enjoy it, and then move on. Fat free foods like SnackWell’s cookies just left you feeling empty and made you want more, i.e. - the SnackWell effect. “The SnackWell effect is a phenomenon whereby dieters will eat more low-calorie cookies, such as SnackWells, than they otherwise would for normal cookies. Also known as moral license, it is also described as a term for the way people go overboard once they are given a free pass or the tendency of people to over consume when eating more of a low-fat food due to the belief that it is not fattening.” (Wikipedia) Having a more holistic view of food is ideal. Whether it’s carbs or fat or salt or sugar, none of these things are bad in and of themselves, and in my opinion it is excessive consumption of one or all of them that can cause problems. Exercise moderation and you’re good. I know this may be hard to do at times and we all have our moments of weakness, but do it generally and enjoy the treats. (This is Natasha chiming in - Butter is my favorite food and cookies are not cookies without it. That’s all. )
RIP SnackWell’s.
A brief message from our sponsor : YOURS TRULY!
At long last, it’s almost here.
The Equipment Cube, the essential tool to turn any destination into your personal gym, is coming very soon!
It contains a curated collection of portable exercise equipment that we use ourselves. When we started to travel more often, the items we accumulated to workout wherever we went, turned into what you see today in our offerings. It fits into a typical carry-on suitcase and weighs in at 8lbs. We felt it was too good not to share. We hope you'll agree.
In addition to the equipment, we are offering full-length workouts (including the warm-up) for you to follow along with from wherever you are. Our first batch was filmed in Barcelona!
See it in action over on Instagram! We’ll be sharing free workouts there from time to time! Here’s Dustin in Lisbon!
You snooze, you lose 🔘“I Accept”?
Recently, the funniest, stupidest, best idea came across my desk (so to speak - I mostly work from atop a made bed) and I have GOT to share it with someone!
LEGAL LULLABIES - Lull yourself to sleep with the soothing white noise of your favorite tech giant’s terms of service. Normally, I’d tuck the link behind some text for you to click, but y’all - look at their domain name….
🔗 https://www.zzzuckerberg.com/
I cackled. Why does everything about big tech feel like a (dystopian) joke buildup? These are the punchlines I’m living for.
Amster-damnnnn
In today’s episode of real estate escapism… I’m actually quite annoyed that I am not buying these 2 connected canal homes in Amsterdam. They/It are/is perfect.
Acting brand new..
Something that I find exciting as someone new to world travel is the amount of super-niche museums that I can find myself visiting. I’ve not yet been to London, but when I do, I will gladly geek out at the Museum of Brands. They describe themselves as A nostalgic journey through 200 years of consumer culture. Consider my interest piqued!
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