Robb Wolf has two very interesting posts: one from 24 October 2007 titled, Exercise: Ineffective for Weight Loss and one posting today titled, Exercise: Effective for Fat Gain. Briefly for weight loss (by which he really means body composition) address food quality, quantity, and timing of its consumption. No mystery here. Paleolithic diet + Zone (or modified Zone) proportions coupled with intermittent fasting may have a greater impact on body composition than exercise. Robb generally advises to shift a lot of one's daily carbohydrate intake to a post workout meal (but typically only after a grueling glycogen depleting workout). His diet recommendations go to regulating insulin levels. Nothing particularly new in this, but Robb does an excellent job of assembling all the pieces in a kind of synergistic optimization.
The newer of the two posts focuses on how over-training - too much volume and intensity - can elevate cortisol levels and aggravate insulin sensitivity, thereby wrecking havoc with the most careful diet regimen.
If you train long and hard and eat well and your body composition and performance don't reflect what you believe you can achieve try this (paraphrasing from Robb):
- Cut back on your volume of exercise;
- Move 1/2 your day's carbs to a post work out meal;
- Eat a little less protein and carbs, but compensate in total calories by upping your fat intake;
- Sleep more, 9+ hours per night or take naps. Practice good "sleep hygiene".
- Take buffered vitamin C before bed to moderate cortisol.
I'd add:
- Drink 1/2+ gallon(s) of water to maintain hydration and
- Take fish oil to fight inflammation.
Alpha^2
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