Training CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH By Steve Blechman and Thomas Fahey, Ed.D.
32 MD musculardevelopment.com July 2019
JASON BREEZECAFFEINE INCREASESHIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE CAPACITY
Caff eine increases endurance exercise performance and short-term maximal exercise capacity in activities lasting from one second
to seven minutes. During endurance exercise, caff eine spares glycogen (stored carbohydrate) and lowers the perception of eff ort, so the
exercise seems easier. During short-term intense exercise— such as training to failure in bodybuilding— caff eine makes the exercise seem
easier and enhances the action of the sympathetic nervous system (fi ght-or-fl ight system) to increase muscle force. British researchers
found that caff eine supplements (5 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight) increased maximum power output by 6 percent and reduced
the perception of eff ort in subjects exercising at maximum eff ort on a bicycle ergometer (calibrated stationary bike). We can infer from this
study that taking a caff eine supplement (400 milligrams for a 180-pound person) before a bodybuilding workout will increase the ability to
train intensely and will enhance muscle growth. (J Sports Sci 22: 637-643)
Fast Eccentric
Training Builds
Strength and
Size Best
Muscles contract concentrically
(produce force while shortening),
statically (produce force without
movement) or eccentrically (produce
force while lengthening). During a
concentric muscle contraction, faster
contractions produce less force. The
opposite occurs during eccentric
contraction— faster contractions
produce more force. Most bodybuilders
train concentrically and occasionally,
eccentrically, at slow speeds. Comparing
subjects on fast and slow concentric and
eccentric training programs, Canadian
researchers found that fast-speed
eccentric training produced the greatest
changes in muscle strength and size.
Tension generated in the muscle is
the most important factor triggering
hypertrophy (growth). High-speed
eccentric contractions generate the most
force of all the ty pes of contractions, so it
should not be surprising that it produced
the greatest gains. Researchers used a
Biodex, an expensive and sophisticated
laboratory instrument, to measure
eccentric training. An example of weight
room eccentrics is lowering weight
quickly but under control to the chest
during a bench press. They resemble
traditional negatives, only faster. (Eur J
Appl Physiol 89: 578-586)Hormone Changes During Bodybuilding
Hormones are powerful chemicals that regulate metabolism. During bodybuilding
workouts, hormones such as insulin and glucagon regulate fuel use and metabolic rate;
growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and testosterone control protein
synthesis and breakdown. An intense bodybuilding workout causes rapid changes in protein
metabolism aimed at repairing injuries, adapting to stress, gett ing rid of old tissue and
producing new muscle proteins to strengthen the fi bers. Muscle growth or atrophy depends
on which process is dominant: protein synthesis or breakdown. In beginning bodybuilders
it takes about six weeks to see measurable changes in muscle size from weight training
because muscle breakdown oft en exceeds protein synthesis. Hormones are major players in
determining whether muscles grow or stay the same during training. Finnish and American
researchers, led by Dr. Bill Kraemer, showed that testosterone, free testosterone, cortisol
and growth hormone increased following intense weight training. More experienced weight
trainers and those doing programs involving forced reps had the greatest responses. This
study showed that experienced bodybuilders who train at supramaximal levels get the
greatest hormone responses from training. (Can J Appl Physiol 29: 527-543)TRAINING
Suppresses
Myostatin Gene
Control systems in the body
almost always have checks and
balances. For example, insulin
helps store carbohydrates, while
glucagon moves carbs out of cells
and into the blood. Muscle cells
have checks and balances, too. A
muscle growth factor called IGF-1
stimulates muscle growth, while
myostatin prevents it. University
of Pitt sburgh scientists led by Dr.
Stephen Roth found that weight
training suppressed the activity
of the myostatin gene in 15 young
and older men and women. This
could allow muscles to grow at a
faster rate. However, the study
found no relationship between
suppression of myostatin and
gains in muscle size or strength.
The decrease in myostatin activity
was independent of age and
gender. Controlling the myostatin
gene is of obvious interest to
bodybuilders and power athletes.
(Exper Bio Med 228:706-709)