This is an effort in bullshit. Big unfamiliar words are used and an incomplete understanding is pushed forward. It predates my reading of badscience.net and my idea to market the high salt diet for rapid weight loss. It just sort of amuses me.
Metabolic realignment is the rather complicated name given to something which is quite simple.
A little background understanding is probably necessary but I will try to keep it brief.
The human body is one of the most complicated and intricate arrangement of organic matter on the planet. This complexity has been forged by millennia of adapting to the changes around us be it climate, food supply, disease and any other number of hazards that as a species we have bested. The few who survived each catastrophe have passed on the traits that helped them survive so that now were that same catastrophe to strike our population would have a much higher chance of survival. With each new setback came the tools to beat it and so we were made stronger.
One of these setbacks would have been food shortages. In the case of famine in a land it makes sense that those who would have been able to survive on less food for longer would have weathered this rough patch and then thrived in times of plenty. This was an issue of metabolism, something we as athletes are interested in increasing to speed recovery times, and calorie usage.
We have all at one stage or another been told that a weights workout will raise the metabolism for longer or increased muscle mass will increase our base metabolic rate. These things are broadly true but frequently exaggerated. A higher metabolic rate is attainable which is good news for anyone in sport or who just wants to look better and have a fuller diet.
However by the same token, as a result of our evolution our metabolic rate can drop. Our bodies entering a starvation mode where with less consumed calories cells with start consuming muscle protein and generally reducing the size and average calorie expenditure of the organism. Like a company who fires staff to protect the company as a whole, certain that in times of plenty it can rebuild.
This catabolism often starts to kick in sports ruled by weight categories; my experience is in the realm of sub wrestling and mma. I have seen fighters drop large amounts of weight through sensible and not so sensible means.
In theory the best way to drop weight is to eliminate starchy products from the diet while keeping wholesome fruit and veg in meals along with nutritious ph neutral proteins. This diet coupled with smaller portions served much more regularly (ever 1.5 to 2 hours) should make losing weight easier and avoid the onset of starvation mode. Shortly before the event more drastic measures may need to be taken, this is referred to as cutting weight, and may include water loss and fasting. These occasions should be minimized and for maximum performance should be used for only the barest weight loss.
If you have failed to lose and subsequently cut weight properly or even, if in these endeavours caused a starvation mode to kick in, then you may need to realign your metabolism before you return to training.
The first stage of this will be to raise the calorie consumption to previous levels; given the calorie lockdown your body is now in this may result in sudden weight gain. This will more than likely express itself as fat. It is not uncommon to see a fighter drop weight, and then return to his pre-competition weight only to have changed his make up to one of increased body fat. Often times this has minimal impact on strength and is predominantly an appearance thing, but were this cycle to be repeated then the athlete could find himself at the same weight but with far more fat and far less muscle and as a result – strength.
Stage two therefore is to hit the weights and hit them hard. Most athletes should be engaged in some resistance training, if for no other reason than to prevent injury and round out imbalances created by the sport they are engaged in. The need to regain the muscle lost in the weight loss process is obvious in relation to maintaining strength and to maintain the momentum of improved performance as a result of athletic training. This increase in size coupled with the comedown off starvation mode may bring with it fat gain but a more intelligent approach to weight loss this time round should reduce the need for metabolic realignment
No comments:
Post a Comment