August 2017 - Ironsnack Fitness

Does Conjugated Linoleic Acid work? Is CLA supplementation worth considering?

Posted August 30, 2017September 4, 2017 DylanPosted in Supplementation

Some studies have helped answer the question, does CLA work? Its effects have been measured by looking at either fat loss or weight loss. Fat loss is likely the most helpful measurement to answer does CLA work? Like many supplyements and drugs CLA has been studied in both rodents and humans. Rodent studies have shown that CLA consumption can cause apoptosis (cell death) in this case the death of fat cells within 5 days of its consumption. One study found that while body weight didn’t decrease in rodents the amount of fat did decrease. In 2007 a large meta analysis (a study of putting many studies together, 18 in this case to be exact) was conducted. This meta analysis looked specifically at the best studies available on the supplement. They only included human studies that were randomized, double-blinded, and placebo controlled. On top of using the truly gold standard (randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled) methods for research they also used validated tools for testing body composition. The average dose of CLA was 3.2g per day. Some studies have looked at higher doses but they did not find any greater effect. They found that on average those taking CLA lost 0.024kg (0.05lbs) more fat than those taking placebo per week. The supplement usually continued to help the most over 6 months and then had plateaued by two years. Although the math likely isn’t that simple given changing weight and metabolism this may account for around 6 lbs of fat loss over a 2 year period. Rather mild it may seem unless you think of what 6 lbs of fat actually looks at, check out the picture. The picture of the yellow substance (fat) shows 5 pounds of fat compared to 5 lbs of muscle. So you can see losing 5lbs of fat isn’t a trivial accomplishment. Of course CLA isn’t the end all be all of fat loss . Diet and exercise are the mainstay of fat reduction. I am reluctant to say this but the fat loss was observed even without diet and exercise particularly in those who were healthy but overweight. Overall, CLA may help you if you are looking to change your body composition by losing fat. It is important to note that many of the studies do not show weight loss from CLA but rather a change in the percentage of fat and muscle in the body so don’t expect to see changes on the scale. Below is a link to a CLA product from a company called BulkSupplements which has show time and time again by third party testers to be accurately labeled and pure.

Sources for does CLA work:

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Body Fat, and Apoptosis

Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans

Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans

Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Body Fat Mass in Overweight and Obese Humans

Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Body Fat in Healthy Exercising Humans

A great cause

Posted August 29, 2017September 4, 2017 DylanPosted in Uncategorized

Hey guys it’s Dylan. I don’t ask much from you guys besides checking out our free articles. However, if you are able and willing I ask that you consider donating to this cause. This guy I met down in Jamaica he is one of the most driven people I know. He has spirit, passion, and determination like no other. He just cleaned up the competition in Jamaica and now he is going for his physique pro card in Mexico. He is fund raising to help pay for the trip. I have linked his GoFundMe below. If you could spare a few bucks it could help him accomplish a very important goal in his life.

https://www.gofundme.com/central-american-championship

The myth of targeted fat loss. Can you really just lose belly fat?

Posted August 24, 2017February 8, 2018 JacobPosted in Exercise

So many people want to lose weight and the first thing they normally want to get rid of is their stomach fat. There’s nothing more motivating than picturing yourself with a rock hard six pack. The idea of targeting a specific area of the body for fat loss is also referred to as is localized fat reduction or spot reduction. These methods are simply ineffective and the practice of targeted fat loss does not work. There are several studies supporting this. One study tested targeted fat loss in 14 men and 10 women. The participants completed ab exercises 5 days per week. The exercises consisted of 7 different abdominal movements and each exercise was performed for 2 sets of 10 reps. After doing this for 6 weeks they found that it had no effect on spot reduction of fat on their core. A similar 27 day study also focused on abdominal exercises for belly fat reduction. The results were the same and showed that spot reduction of fat was not seen in the participants in the study. The research on this topic goes beyond exercises of just the abdominal muscles. Another study looked at 104 subjects who performed resistance training in their non-dominant. At the end of a 12 week period they found that targeted fat loss did not occur in the non-dominant arm. These are just a few of the studies which display how focusing on a single body part to lose fat is not the right way to go about it. Truth is you lose fat in a generalized way throughout your body. You may notice that you lose or gain fat in some places first when dieting or falling off your diet. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t train abs. There is no doubt that core strength is important within an overall fitness routine but sit ups will not help you lose stomach fat and get the six pack you want. The best way to chisel away fat is by sticking with a diet built for your personal goals and keeping up with a workout routine. If want to read an article on how to get started with weight loss check out our article on that topic.

Sources on targeted fat loss:

Effects of Sit up Exercise Training on Adipose Cell Size and Adiposity

Subcutaneous fat alterations resulting from an upper-body resistance training program.

The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat.

How many meals per day should you eat? Does it matter?

Posted August 14, 2017September 4, 2017 DylanPosted in Diet

So you want to diet? You have read all about what to eat, how much to eat, and how many meals a day you need to consume. The question is does the number of meals per day really matter?

I personally have heard it countless times, you have to eat 6-8 small meals per day to keep your metabolism boosted. Oddly enough you hear the same thing when you are researching how to gain weight. The latter may make a bit more sense just because it’s hard to fit all those calories in just a few meals.

Science can help us answer these questions by actually measuring the metabolism of people on various feeding schedules. Special tools such as room calorimeters can be used to do this. A room calorimeter is a sealed room a human can live inside. In this room everything and I mean everything is measured from a person, their urine, stool, and various gases. These measurements are subjected to formulas to determine an individual’s metabolic activity.

In these scientific settings feeding patterns from 2-7 meals per day have shown little difference in metabolic rate. One thing that I did find that was interesting is that some people who had lower meal frequency did have about a 10% higher PYY (peptide tyrosine tyrosine) level. PYY is signaling peptide in the gut that helps make you feel full. This is interesting especially with all the faddish craze behind intermittent fasting lately. I know intermittent fasters must get this question constantly. Don’t you feel hungry all the time? Maybe this is one way our body wards off hunger when were not eating frequently.

Our metabolism may not change but most scientific evidence shows that very low or high feeding schedules can decrease lean mass and lead to increased hunger. You won’t likely see much difference in your performance or function with a moderate number of meals (3 to 6 meals per day.) Just ensure that you get a moderate amount of protein with each meal, at least 20g.

What this evidence leaves us with is flexibility. We can intake food the way thats most convenient for our lifestyles. We can focus more on getting the right amount of calories and macronutrients rather than when we get them.

Sources for how many meals per day to eat:

Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation

Compared with nibbling, neither gorging nor a morning fast affect short-term energy balance in obese patients in a chamber calorimeter.

Influence of the feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.

The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women

Intermittent fasting does not affect whole-body glucose, lipid, or protein metabolism.

Protein feeding pattern does not affect protein retention in young women.

Protein pulse feeding improves protein retention in elderly women.

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: meal frequency

How lack of sleep can sabotage your fitness goals and your health.

Posted August 7, 2017September 4, 2017 JacobPosted in Health

A lot of the time I am dieting either to gain or lose weight. I am always focusing on two things following my diet strictly and pushing myself hard in the gym. While these are two of the most important things to me sometimes I fall victim to lack of sleep. Work, gym, meal prep, and daily activities tend to come first and unfortunately sleep becomes a lower priority.

Maybe in your mind the worst thing that comes from poor sleep or the lack of sleep is feeling terrible in the morning there is a lot more to it. Sleep has a large influence on what goes on inside your body. One study showed that subjects with two nights of a sleep restriction of 4 hours a night had a reduction in Leptin (18%) and an increase in ghrelin (28%). As we have discussed before Leptin is involved in appetite suppression and ghrelin increases your hunger. Because of these changes subjects had a 24% increase in hunger rating. It is easy to see how this could make dieting much harder. Another study of 11 men who got 4 hours of sleep for 6 nights found that those men had reduced glucose (sugar) tolerance of 40%. Their blood sugar would be higher after consuming sugar than those with normal sleep. This could mean a few things either the body had become less sensitive to insulin (a blood sugar lowering hormone) or the body was secreting less insulin. Insulin doesn’t just regulate blood sugar but also acts as a growth hormone making it very important for our health and metabolism. Lack of sleep also plays a role in the reduction of our normal growth hormone secretion. Nonexercise related release of growth hormone is secreted the most during overnight sleep so you can see why the lack of sleep becomes a problem. Growth hormone is a substance in our body that helps build muscle and break down fat amongst many other things. Lack of sleep has also shown to increase cortisol which can cause you to break down muscle and increase your appetite. While we have discussed some of the fitness related concerns with lack of sleep some of effects on your health are much more grim. In multiple studies lack of sleep has been linked to cardiovascular disease (heart attacks), stroke, and hypertension (high blood pressure.)

With all this in mind it’s best to aim for most adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep if you can. Some older adults (>65) may require a bit less while teens require closer to 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Sometimes missing sleep is unavoidable due to your schedule and work. If you want to reach your goals faster you should try and make sleep more of a priority if you don’t.

For those of you who have a hard time sleeping here are a few tips that will help you avoid a lack of sleep.

Don’t oversleep if you feel rested get out of bed.
Have a set time to go to bed and wake up.
Avoid forcing sleep
Get good exercise each day and if possible not within 4-5 hours of bedtime
Avoid caffeine after lunch
No alcohol near bedtime, it may help you fall asleep but the sleep will be lower quality and you may be prone to waking up in the middle of the night.
Avoid smoking, especially in the evening.
Don’t go to bed hungry
Adjust the bedroom environment, no TV, cooler temperatures, avoid lights (cell phones)
Try to deal with worries and concerns before laying down, make a list if you need to for problems to focus on the next day.