Ask the Exercise Scientist

[genetisch]

can all stationary cardio machines be trusted in how many calories your burning compared to how many the machine reads?

[MuscleScience]

can all stationary cardio machines be trusted in how many calories your burning compared to how many the machine reads?

They are fairly close, they are based off a bunch of work done years ago that looked at the average amount of calories burnt depending on what particular exercise someone is doing. If you enter your weight and age then they use a unit called a MET or metabolic equivalent. These are relative caloric calculations and are based on weight sex and age. One MET is defined as the amount of energy that and average adults expends while sitting still. Which is 1 calorie per 2.2 lbs of body weight per hour. Most exercise machines use a variation of this equation which is also used a lot in studies which is calories/minute/kg or 3.5ml of oxygen/kg/min, which is best known as resting VO2 measurements.

In conclusion they are good enough for almost all people. Hope i didnt confuse you...

Here is a link to a typical MET chart:
http://www.weightlosswand.com/workou...re-charts.html

[genetisch]

no so the machine is = to the amount your body burns sitting and the activity so if you burn 60/hr and walk a min burning 10 kcals it reads 20?

[genetisch]

if so thats fkn bull sht.

This article makes no sense. 20x lbs of body weight= baseline calories? that puts me at 3000 cal.
The harris benedict formula and added burning puts me at 2,100

[MuscleScience]

if so thats fkn bull sht.

This article makes no sense. 20x lbs of body weight= baseline calories? that puts me at 3000 cal.
The harris benedict formula and added burning puts me at 2,100

LOL, I was more referring to the charts it had as an example. I did a poor job of explaining the equation thats my fault. Basically it has an algorithm that is based off of actually testing of caloric expenditure done on people doing different exercises. The variable that they use is the equations that I mentioned to you. I am not sure what equation that article was referring to I was just wanting you to see what a MET chart looked like.

For the record i hate the harris benedict equations it can be off from individual to individual by as much as 20%. I like to use data obtained from indirect calorimetry as a bases of predicting BMR.

[Matt]

I forgot Musclescience, thanks for your reply the other day..

[MuscleScience]

I forgot Musclescience, thanks for your reply the other day..

No problem, Did that answer your question?

[Matt]

Yes it did sir, and the wed site is very good..

[10nispro]

Where did the concept of calling certain foods breakfast, lunch and dinner originate? I try to tell my family that your body doesn't know that is "breakfast food", it just wants the nutrition.

On a different subject, when I lay on my stomach and prop my upper body up on my elbows, my hearing ability decreases or muffles. I wanted to know, could this be nerve related and which nerves?

[DSM4Life]

If mad matt ate a lot of fat and later on that night we had fluid exchange how much fat would i absorb if any ?

[MuscleScience]

If mad matt ate a lot of fat and later on that night we had fluid exchange how much fat would i absorb if any ?

When you says exchanged what mode of exchange are you talking about?

[Matt]

If mad matt ate a lot of fat and later on that night we had fluid exchange how much fat would i absorb if any ?

Haha lol, your madder than me...

Btw what is the answer??

[DSM4Life]

When you says exchanged what mode of exchange are you talking about?

Well friday night is our "special night" so he gets to sneak in the backdoor. We can use that for this example.

[MuscleScience]

Where did the concept of calling certain foods breakfast, lunch and dinner originate? I try to tell my family that your body doesn't know that is "breakfast food", it just wants the nutrition.

I think that is a matter of culture on how it originated. The body knows what time of day it is and the body responds accordingly.

On a different subject, when I lay on my stomach and prop my upper body up on my elbows, my hearing ability decreases or muffles. I wanted to know, could this be nerve related and which nerves?

Are you holding your breath when you do this?

[DSM4Life]

Are you holding your breath when you do this?

sorry, thought that was directed at me

[MuscleScience]

Haha lol, your madder than me...

Btw what is the answer??

Well friday night is our "special night" so he gets to sneak in the backdoor. We can use that for this example.

There is generally no fat exchanged through that particular fluid. Plus at that point in the digestive tract, no fat would be absorbed anyway.

[DSM4Life]

There is generally no fat exchanged through that particular fluid. Plus at that point in the digestive tract, no fat would be absorbed anyway.

Yay , so MAD MATT you can eat all the ice cream sandwiches you want.

[Matt]

Yay , so MAD MATT you can eat all the ice cream sandwiches you want.

I only eat them cus you say my ass is to skinny

[DSM4Life]

I only eat them cus you say my ass is to skinny

I like my men with a little extra beef on their bones.

[honda450]

oh wow

[MuscleScience]

oh wow

Yes Yes, moving on now......LOL

[10nispro]

Are you holding your breath when you do this?

I don't think I am holding my breath. I would suspect, "no", since I may lay there for several minutes. I don't know if this of consiquence, but in 2001, I bulged a disk in the L5/S1 area. Had a steroid injected in the sacroiliac space, under fluoro, to help with swelling. Doc supposedly clipped something that caused me to have, spinal headaches. They did a blood patch 4 days later and that solved the headache problem, but that's when the muffling started. I was diagnosed with spondylolesthesis. Could that have something do with it? I do realize you are not a physician and don't hold you to any of your findings, but your knowledge is intriquing and I figured you like the challenges.

[gst528i]

why are my stupid bicep muscles twiching?????? don;t hurt or anything but it freaking annoying.

[MuscleScience]

I don't think I am holding my breath. I would suspect, "no", since I may lay there for several minutes. I don't know if this of consiquence, but in 2001, I bulged a disk in the L5/S1 area. Had a steroid injected in the sacroiliac space, under fluoro, to help with swelling. Doc supposedly clipped something that caused me to have, spinal headaches. They did a blood patch 4 days later and that solved the headache problem, but that's when the muffling started. I was diagnosed with spondylolesthesis. Could that have something do with it? I do realize you are not a physician and don't hold you to any of your findings, but your knowledge is intriquing and I figured you like the challenges.

I would suspect that it may have something to do with it. Do you know what level you had the Spondylolisthesis at especially if you have it in the cervical region?

Also have you talked to your Doctor about his problem yet?

[MuscleScience]

I believe your talking about fasciculation aka muscle twitching...



Are you drinking lots of bottled water?

Bottled water unless otherwise noted tends to not have as high a mineral content as tap water (This assumes you buy the good stuff that isnt just tap water that is bottled....). This does not help replace electrolytes that you may otherwise get by drinking a sports drink or even regular tap water. A lot of times in athletes, they will tend to have electrolyte imbalance from intense training and sweating. This is a common sign we look for during training and during competition with athletes.

The next thing to look at is what kind of stimulants your taking. Caffeine can cause muscles twitches. I get them a lot after drink redbulls....

Lastly fatigue can also cause muscle twitches.

I would look at your diet first and see if your getting adquate hydration post training.

There is also medical conditions that cause fasciculations, generally motor neuron diseases. I have also read in the literature that some anxiety medications can cause these as well. Though the medical side of these causes are not in my area of expertise.

This was a similar question asked earlier in the thread.

why are my stupid bicep muscles twiching?????? don;t hurt or anything but it freaking annoying.

So basically as it said above that muscle twitches can be caused by a number of things from fatigue to dehydration and so on. I would say like I recommended above to check your diet, supplements, training frequency and hydration levels to see if anything may be causing them.

Hope that helps.

[gst528i]

This was a similar question asked earlier in the thread.



So basically as it said above that muscle twitches can be caused by a number of things from fatigue to dehydration and so on. I would say like I recommended above to check your diet, supplements, training frequency and hydration levels to see if anything may be causing them.

Hope that helps.

Thank you .
I had been training for 2 months 6 days a week. Well last week i stopped completely to take a break as my forearm's felt extrmely sore and felt like theres some majot damage.
so i have been off for 4 days now. I think that might be it, and my water intake is not as much as training days obviously.

[MuscleScience]

Thank you .
I had been training for 2 months 6 days a week. Well last week i stopped completely to take a break as my forearm's felt extrmely sore and felt like theres some majot damage.
so i have been off for 4 days now. I think that might be it, and my water intake is not as much as training days obviously.

I would say that is your culprit between the frequency of training and possibly the lack of enough water on your days off.

[10nispro]

I would suspect that it may have something to do with it. Do you know what level you had the Spondylolisthesis at especially if you have it in the cervical region?

Also have you talked to your Doctor about his problem yet?

There is no diagnosis of Spond., in the cervical area, only in the lumbar area. It was a grade 3 at the time.

My GP doc didn't have a clue and didn't seem to care. I guess I could ask my Ortho when I go back for a follow up for my shoulder on March 2. What's your guess? Impingement on some sort?

[MuscleScience]

There is no diagnosis of Spond., in the cervical area, only in the lumbar area. It was a grade 3 at the time.

My GP doc didn't have a clue and didn't seem to care. I guess I could ask my Ortho when I go back for a follow up for my shoulder on March 2. What's your guess? Impingement on some sort?

Gosh I dont know at all. I was pretty sure if it was in the cervical region that was the cause but now I couldnt even guess. The only other thing I can think of is you said they snipped something that was causing you headaches. Maybe it was a complication from the surgery. Wish I could help you out more.

Have you seen a Chiropractor before. They deal more with this kind of stuff a lot. Doc Sust on here is one you may PM him or start a thread. I dont know how often he comes on here anymore he is pretty busy though.

[10nispro]

If I were to guess at the curvature of my c-spine, it's probably more than usual. Are there nerves running thru the cervical area that are attributed to hearing?

I will send Doc Sus a question.

[MuscleScience]

If I were to guess at the curvature of my c-spine, it's probably more than usual. Are there nerves running thru the cervical area that are attributed to hearing?

I will send Doc Sus a question.

There can be problems with the base of the skull (occiput) and the TMJ causing tinnitus of the ears. But I can not think of anything that would cause muffling of the ear other than a blockage of the eustachian tube due to infection or swelling. I am sure your MD would have ruled it out almost immediately or should have anyway.

One other question, do you feel anything different in your head other than the muffling of the ear when it happens or any other time. Also what medications are you on if any.

[10nispro]

There can be problems with the base of the skull (occiput) and the TMJ causing tinnitus of the ears. But I can not think of anything that would cause muffling of the ear other than a blockage of the eustachian tube due to infection or swelling. I am sure your MD would have ruled it out almost immediately or should have anyway.

One other question, do you feel anything different in your head other than the muffling of the ear when it happens or any other time. Also what medications are you on if any.

Not taking any medications at present time.

I was diagnosed with meniere's disease, but the only time I have vertigo problems, related to it, is when weird barometric pressures occur. I take no meds for it, and it passes fairly quickly. I didn't know if you were going in that direction, but figured all information would help.

The present problem effects both ears. It seems to happen when the cervical spine is extended backwards. It immediately subsides with realignment or just off my elbows.

[MuscleScience]

Not taking any medications at present time.

I was diagnosed with meniere's disease, but the only time I have vertigo problems, related to it, is when weird barometric pressures occur. I take no meds for it, and it passes fairly quickly. I didn't know if you were going in that direction, but figured all information would help.

The present problem effects both ears. It seems to happen when the cervical spine is extended backwards. It immediately subsides with realignment or just off my elbows.

Maybe occlusion of the vertebral artery when you extend your neck back, which causes turbid flow which you can then hear in your ears...lol

That is pretty much my last guess.

What a Minute, Meniere's disease can cause hearing problems too. Its basically a problem with overproduction of fluid in the inner ear. When you extend your neck you could be preforming a valsalva maneuver which cause increase in pressure in the cranial cavity, which may aggravate the condition.

[10nispro]

Maybe occlusion of the vertebral artery when you extend your neck back, which causes turbid flow which you can then hear in your ears...lol

That is pretty much my last guess.

What a Minute, Meniere's disease can cause hearing problems too. Its basically a problem with overproduction of fluid in the inner ear. When you extend your neck you could be preforming a valsalva maneuver which cause increase in pressure in the cranial cavity, which may aggravate the condition.

Turbid flow? I can keep up with most medical lingo, but you have me on this one.

It's a weird feeling. It's like someone just turns down the volume on something. I will do some research and see what I can some up with. Thanks for you expertise, knowledge and most of all, patience.

[MuscleScience]

Turbid flow? I can keep up with most medical lingo, but you have me on this one.

It's a weird feeling. It's like someone just turns down the volume on something. I will do some research and see what I can some up with. Thanks for you expertise, knowledge and most of all, patience.

LOL, sorry turbid flow is a term that explains how an occlude artery cause disruption of the normal linear flow of blood through the lumen (vessel hole) of that vessel. Basically its when a bulge in the lumen causes the blood to flow like turbid water, meaning erratic like water in a river flowing over rocks. When this blood blow is disrupted the red blood cells (RBC's) start bouncing off the vessels walls causing noise. This is why you can not normally hear the pulse through a stethoscope. When you take blood pressure readings you pump up the cuff until it completely occludes the artery. (squeezes it shut) When the pressure in the cuff is lowered at some point the arterial pressure in the vessel will overcome the pressure of the cuff. Then blood will start to squeeze through. This blood is turbid because it has a none regular path to travel through. The RBC's start to hit the vessel walls and this is the sound you hear through the stethoscope (thump thump thump) threw each beat of the heart.

[10nispro]

Thanks for the definition. I was a medic before heading into the career I have now. Just never heard that term before.

[peachfuzz]

can you please explain to me how exactly estrogen causes water retention? what recognizes its presence and in turn causes you to retain water?

[MuscleScience]

can you please explain to me how exactly estrogen causes water retention? what recognizes its presence and in turn causes you to retain water?

High estrogen can cause the body to retain water because of its effects on salt balance. Salt of course plays a big role in water excretion or reabsorption. In renal physiology as it pertains to the water, the saying water follows the salt basically describes how water is either lost as urine or remains in the body.

Estrogen in high levels is proposed to exert an effect on a hormone called arginine vasopressin. (AVP) This is the primary hormone involved in water reabsorption in the kidneys. This may explain some of the associate water retention involved. I believe there are other proposed mechanisms involved with this but the only one I have ever learned is basically this one.

This paper should help explain it more in-depth.
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/co...ull/274/1/R187

[10nispro]

If you have answered this in a previous section, please advise and I will read it.

What causes altitude sickness? And why is hydration more important in a higher atltitude versus lower?

[Matt]

Just been reading this Musclescience, just wanted to get your input

Isolating the upper, middle and lower pecs (chest)

The existence of the so-called "upper", "lower", "inner" and "outer" pectorals along with the assertion that it is possible to isolate one or more of these to the relative exclusion of the others in training, are among the most firmly entrenched myths in Strength Training and Bodybuilding circles. In fact none of these truly exist as either separate and distinct muscles or regions in a functional sense. Even though it could be argued that there appears to be a structural distinction between the upper and lower pectorals (and some anatomy texts do in fact support this distinction though not all do) because the pectoralis-major does originate from both the sternum and the proximal or sternal half of the clavicle along it’s anterior surface (it also has connections to the cartilages of all the true ribs with the frequent exception of the first and seventh, and to the Aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle), this is considered to be a common (though extensive) origin in terms of the mechanical function of the muscle. Thus the pectoralis-major is in fact for all practical purposes one continuous muscle with a common origin and insertion, and functions as a single force-producing unit. The terms upper, lower, inner and outer are imprecise and relevant only in order to make a vague subjective distinction between relative portions of the same muscle for descriptive purposes. They are vague and imprecise terms because there is no clearly delineated or universally defined border between them.

Further it is not physically possible either in theory or practice to contract one region of a single muscle to the exclusion of another region or regions (as a Biomechanics Professor of mine once demonstrated to a bunch of us smart-ass know-it-all’s taking his course, using EMG analysis). When a muscle contracts it does so in a linear fashion by simultaneously reducing the length of its constituent fibers and thus its overall length from origin to insertion. Even where a single muscle is separated into multiple functional units that are clearly defined such as the triceps (which are referred to as “heads” by Anatomists and Biomechanists), because they share a common point of insertion in order for one head to shorten all must shorten. This only makes sense if you think about it because otherwise there would be “slack” in one when the other shortened, which as we know does not occur. Note that there are some special cases where one head of a muscle must actually lengthen when the other shortens (e.g. the posterior head of the deltoid in relation to the anterior head during the positive stroke of fly’s), the point however is that even in these special cases there is no “slack” because there is in fact contractile activity (whether concentric or eccentric) throughout the muscle.

That is not to say however, that all fibers in different areas, or heads are necessarily shortened to the same degree during a particular movement. Depending on the shape of the muscle, the joint geometry involved, and the specific movement being performed, fibers in one area of a muscle or head may be required to shorten more or less than in others (or even to lengthen) in order to complete the required movement. For example during a decline fly though muscle fibers in all regions of the pectoralis-major must shorten as the upper arm is drawn towards the median plane of the body, because of the angle of the arm in relation to the trunk the fibers in what we commonly refer to as the lower pecs will have shortened by a greater percentage of their overall length than those in the upper region of the muscle by the completion of the movement. Conversely when performing an incline fly there is greater shortening in the fibers towards the upper portion of the muscle than in the lower.

Many proponents of the so-called “isolation” approach to training claim that this proportionally greater shortening of the fibers equates to greater tension in the “target” region than in others, and therefore stimulates greater adaptation; but this is completely at odds with the cross-bridge model of muscle contraction which clearly shows that as fiber length decreases tension also declines due to increasing overlap and interference in the area of the cross-bridges. Some also contend that the fibers called upon to shorten to a greater degree tend to fatigue faster than others and that therefore there is greater overall fiber recruitment in the region where this occurs, and thus a greater stimulus to growth; but there is no evidence to suggest that a fiber fatigues faster in one position than in another in relation to other fibers in the same muscle. In fact it has been shown that Time Under Tension (TUT) is the determining factor in fatigue and not fiber length. In fact fiber recruitment tends to increase in a very uniform fashion throughout an entire muscle as fatigue sets in.

The ability to “isolate” a head, or region of a muscle to the exclusion of others by performing a particular movement, or by limiting movement to a particular plane and thus develop it to a greater degree, is a myth created by people who wish to appear more knowledgeable than they are, and has been perpetuated by trade magazines and parroted throughout gyms everywhere. It is pure non-sense and completely ignores the applicable elements of physiology, anatomy, and physics in particular. Quite simply the science does not support it, and in most cases is completely at odds with the idea.
Regardless of the science however, many people will remain firmly convinced that muscle isolation is a reality because they can “feel” different movements more in one region of a muscle than in others. This I do not dispute, nor does science. There is in fact differentiated neural feedback from motor units depending on the relative length of the component fibers, and this feedback tends to be (or is interpreted by the brain as) more intense when the fibers in question are either shortened (contracted) or lengthened (stretched) in the extreme. However this has to do with proprioception (the ability to sense the orientation and relative position of your body in space by interpreting neural feedback related to muscle fiber length and joint position) and not tension, fatigue, or level of fiber recruitment. Unfortunately it has been seized upon and offered up as “evidence” by those looking to support their ideas by any means available.

Muscle shape is a function of genetics and degree of overall development. As you develop a muscle towards its potential, it does change in appearance (generally for the better) but always within the parameters defined by its inherent shape. A person who tends to have proportionately more mass towards the upper, lower, inner or outer region of his or her pectoralis-major will always have that tendency, though it may be more or less apparent at various stages in their development, and in most cases appears less pronounced as overall development proceeds. That is not to say that training a muscle group from multiple angles is totally without value. In fact we know that even subtly different movements can elicit varying levels of fiber recruitment within a muscle in an overall sense (i.e. in terms of the percentage of total available fibers) due to differences in joint mechanics, and neural activation patterns, as well as varying involvement of synergistic and antagonistic muscle groups involved. So by all means experiment with different angles in your training, but don’t expect to be able to correct so-called “unbalanced” muscles this way, or to target specific areas of a particular muscle. Work to develop each of your muscles as completely as possible and shape will take care of itself. If you want to worry about “shaping” you should pay more attention to the balance between different muscle groups and work to bring up any weak groups you may have in relation to the rest of your physique.


Author: His credentials and experience consists of being a Medical Specialist in the US Army, an instructor and personal trainer at Bally Fitness. He is also an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, and an ISSA certified Specialist in Performance Nutrition.

He was a bodybuilding competitor in the late 80's and has trained others for competitions as well, including his wife Gena who is a nationally qualified Figure competitor, and he competed again in April of 2004 at the NPC Northern Bodybuilding competition! His wide range of education includes having a Bachelor's degree from Colorado State University which included course work in Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Diet & Nutrition, Kinesiology and Drugs. The last 20 years of his life can be summarized as having a passion for bodybuilding & fitness and always furthering his mind through education.

If you read an anatomy chart and make assumptions, then one good assumption is that BICEPS have a "lower" portion.. You know, that cool lookin' 'bump' coming up from your forearm... LOL!


Quote:
The Top Ten Training Myths
Myth #10: Preacher curls work the lower biceps.

First of all, there's no such thing as a "lower" biceps. It’s impossible to contract the lower portion of your biceps without recruiting any other portions.

Still not convinced? Well, you might be thinking that whenever you complete a tough set of preacher curls, you get a pump in your biceps just above the bend in your elbow. After all, it’s your "lower" biceps which creates your biceps "peak," isn’t it?

Okay, here’s the deal. The prime movers in the preacher curl are your biceps brachii and the brachialis. The biceps brachii consists of a long and short head and it crosses over two joints (your shoulder and elbow). On the other hand, the brachialis only crosses over one joint (the elbow) and it lies underneath the biceps brachii. It originates on the middle of your humerus and inserts on the radius.

When performing a preacher curl, your upper arms are placed in front of your upper body (shoulder flexion). For a muscle to be fully activated, it must be stretched at both ends. Since the biceps brachii attaches to the shoulder, it can’t be fully activated because the angle of the preacher bench places the shoulders in flexion. This places a large portion of the load on the short head of the biceps brachii and the brachialis.

Remember that the brachialis lies underneath the biceps brachii and it originates lower on the upper arm. When the brachialis gets "pumped," it pushes the bottom of the biceps brachii forward, creating what appears to be a "lower biceps."



Author: Joe DeFranco


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