Weights and Stuff

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Accommodating Resistance

What is accommodating resistance?

Accommodating resistance is another way to add more variation to your training. This is done with the use of bands and/or chains attached to the bar, which changes the amount of resistance throughout the range of motion. Typically this method is used in extension-type movements, such as squatting, benching, and deadlifting. These are generally movements where you are strongest at the end ranges of motion, and where the accommodating resistance is also the strongest. When squatting, for example, band tension at the top may be 150 pounds added to the weight on the bar, and at the bottom position may be 25-50 pounds of additional resistance.

There are some differences between the bands and chains. Bands are made of elastic material, while chains are made of metal. This makes a difference in how the accommodating resistance affects the load on the bar as you move. Band resistance/tension increases exponentially as you stretch the band further (figure 1), while chain resistance increases in a linear fashion (figure 2). This difference may seem subtle when I say it, but while under the bar it can feel like night and day.

Figure 1: Banded resistance increasing in tension the further the band is stretched.

Figure 2: Chain resistance increases linearly as the chains are lifted off the ground.

Typically when training, I will go through a “band or chains” cycle. This involves gradually increasing or decreasing the amount of accommodating resistance from week to week (figure 3). If you are new to using accommodating resistance, I would recommend that you start off with very little added resistance and work your way up.

Figure 3: Sample accommodating resistance cycle. From week to week the chain resistance being used will decrease and the weight on the bar will increase.

An additional consideration to take into account when using accommodating resistance is your height and limb lengths. The taller you are, the more resistance you will get from the bands and chains at the top of the motion when you squat or deadlift, relative to someone who is shorter. If you have long arms, you will get more resistance at the top of the range of motion when benching, relative to someone who has T-Rex arms.

Let me know what you think about accommodating resistance and how you use it in your training programs in the comments bellow!

Ryan Goodell, CSCS

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Sunday, February 7, 2016

Short Term/”Lose Weight Fast” Diet and Why It Destroys Your Metabolism

Let me tell you a story. This is a story about Suzy. Suzy likes to partake in juice cleanses and diets that consist of consuming 500 calories a day. Every year Suzy goes on a diet because she’s gained back the weight she lost the previous year, and then some. She waits until she thinks she is getting “too fat” and needs to go on another diet. Every year she gains the weight back faster, and it becomes harder and harder to lose again. Over time her weight gradually trends upward, and she doesn’t understand why her diets either don’t work like they did before or fail completely (figure 1). Suzy doesn’t like to exercise frequently, and when she does, she only does cardio (because burning calories, right?). Her cardio exercises consist of 20-90 minutes on the elliptical, biking, and long distance runs. Suzy’s efforts become futile and, eventually, she can’t get the number on the scale to go down.

But why can’t Suzy lose the weight and what is going on?

Suzy, over the course of the years, has slowly destroyed her metabolism. Her body has made adaptations to her low calorie diet and her cardio queen workouts that have lowered her basal metabolic rate (BMR) to a point where they are ineffective. Her body has essentially gone into survival mode and lowered her metabolism to compensate for her low calorie diet. Part of this adaptation process involves the body decreasing its muscle mass to conserve energy.

As she’s done extreme diets over the years, has not trained with weights, and Suzy’s muscle mass has almost diminished to nothing and her fat mass has gone up. This has created a discrepancy in her body composition. Your muscle mass plays a large role in regulating your BMR because muscle has high metabolic activity, even when at rest. Over the years, Suzy’s muscle mass has gone down, along with her BMR, and she has dug herself a hole that becomes increasingly harder to get out off, hence her weight rising steadily.

There are many other negative outcomes of this trend, for example, insulin resistance, lower bone density, and a lack of essential nutrients that you need in your diet, just to name a few. What are the odds your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to function well, and at its full capacity, on such a low calorie diet?

How do you get out of this cycle?

Simply put, you need to have a well-rounded training regimen that includes both strength training and aerobic exercise (pick your favorites), in combination with a good diet. The strength training helps maintain or increase your muscle mass, therefore increasing your BMR. The aerobic portion keeps your cardiovascular system healthy, in addition to contributing to weight control. Finally, a good diet, consisting of whole foods, that helps you recover from training sessions and gives you the energy and nutrients that your body needs to be healthy. These three simple things go a long way. It doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be consistent and sustainable.

If planning and scheduling is a problem check out my article Making Time, Being Consistant, and Having a Plan.

I hope that this has been informative and has brought to light why short term diet solutions are not a good idea, and that you need to think longer term.