Muscle Ventures Podcasts

In this podcast (download iPod compatible, 38MB), Dave Liepman gives us an introduction to how he performs in strong man events. This podcast kicks off a short series on the mechanics of performing in strong man competitions. We'll see Dave perform the tire flip and a keg carry in later episodes.

Dave has been performing in strong man competitions since he was 20 and saw an advertisement for one at the gym where he was working out. He then had a layoff of 7 years and decided to compete again when he saw that they had a weight class that fit his size (200 lbs. and under). When I asked him what initially piqued his interest, he mentioned how, growing up on a farm, he had always wanted to perform feats of strength.

For me, the key takeaway from this conversation was the amount of strategizing that goes into the strong man competition. As Dave points out, it's not just brute force. That will only get you so far. To lift really heavy weights, you have to understand your body's leverage points and how to capitalize on them. To get a good sense of how he can best use these leverage points, Dave attempts to train with the competition implements themselves (kegs, tires, etc.)

Additional Links

• This wikipedia article gives a good account of the World's Strongest Man Competitions. Of note, Iceland is the country with the most winners, notable given its small population of under one-half million.

In this podcast (download ipod compatible, 47MB), Troy Garver and I discuss something he calls the third law of thermodynamics in dieting. It's actually a contradiction because while you may believe that cutting calories (energy intake) will lead to weight loss, it frequently just does not. That's because the body is itself a dynamic system that tries to conserve energy as you cut intake.

After I mention to him what I like about the atkins diet: hunger remains after control and after induction energy is manageable if not bountiful, Troy mentions that "satiety" is one of the key factors he looks for when helping people manage their diets. He basically looks to give people foods from the groups they like but cleaned up, meaning without processed foods, and of course, reduced in calories.

We're going to switch topics in future podcasts. We have a strong man who is going to provide a couple of exercise analyses and some upcoming interviews with Paul Wright about his gym expansion plans.

Additional Links

• This site provides an interesting perspective on calorie needs and how they change with age and activity.

In this podcast (download ipod compatible, 53MB), Troy Garver and I (Bud) discuss the role that protein plays in the diet. We start off by noting that Troy did make his goal of fitting in the XL size shirt for his wedding, now almost two weeks ago. We then come to the topic of diet.

Protein helps prevent muscle loss while dieting

I've been following a low carb diet. Working out on low carbs is hard because carbs are your primary fuel source. When your body is deprived of carbs, it first turns toward protein as a fuel source and then towards fat. Since muscles are composed of protein, the first phase of weight loss for most people actually consists of muscle loss. If you maintain a high protein intake, it can help spare your muscles at the outset because it is easier to just convert the protein vs. destroying muscle tissue to get it. Protein is also a less efficient source of fuel than carbs, so you wind up getting less bang per protein gram of fuel than you do per gram of carbs. Eventually, your body moves primarily toward fat burning.

Protein helps with post-workout recovery

Protein consumption also helps with recovery after weight training by providing the body with the building blocks for muscle regeneration. It can also help to consume carbs at this time because because the resulting insulin spike helps nutrients cross the cell wall into the muscle.

Additional Links

• Mauro di Pasquale suggests that upping your insulin levels post workout without carbs leads to higher fat burning. The way to do this is with proteins.