Key Principles of Running

A couple months ago I gave a presentation on running titled In Defense of Running named after Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food. Pollan discusses how indigenous tribes thrive on vastly different diets, because there is one common theme: they eat real food. In comparison I discussed how there were many successful programs, but despite their differences there was also a common theme: there was a lot of running involved! I thought I’d share some of the ideas from that presentation.

There’s a lot that we can learn from studying the science of running, but it’s not necessary to have a strong science background in order to develop an effective program. We have more than one hundred years of trial-and-error evidence by thousands of coaches and millions of runners that’s easily available to anyone. From these individuals we find that although methods vary there are several common principles:

Consistency is the key: Long term success in running is not determined by some amazing workout or training week but through months and years of good and even average workouts. The best workout you can do takes too long to recover from and can lead to injury. These should be done sparingly.

Individualized training is great, but so is training in a group: If we take many runners preparing for the same event they will all have different backgrounds and different needs even if they run the same time for that event. Thus, these runners should have some individualization to their training. Having said that, group training has tremendous benefits psychologically which transfers into physical improvements. The goal then is to individualize training within the group.

All the elements of a program are important: It’s not all about the long run or interval workout or high mileage.

You need to run … a lot: Yearly increases in running duration and frequency are necessary for continued improvements for both middle and long distance events. Training at lower intensities allows one to recover more quickly from race specific intensities both during and after interval training sessions.

Paula Radcliffe won World Jr XC on only 25-30mi/week, but it took 120-160mi/week to become one of the best ever.

Research by Seiler and Tonnessen (2009) reveals that elite runners spend about 80% of their training at below 75% maximum heart rate. While this has worked very well for elites Esteve-Lanao wanted to know if it was applicable to recreational runners. He found that these runners tended to run too fast on their easy days and were therefore unable to achieve the necessary intensity on their hard days. When Esteve-Lanao (2007) made another group strictly adhere to running below 75% MHR on easy days they outperformed a group following a higher intensity protocol over 10km. While some elites “hammer” their easy runs they’re still running moderately high volumes and rarely exceeding their marathon race pace.

Easy runs at less than 75% maximum heart rate allow one to develop the cardiovascular system and aerobic energy pathway, but at an intensity low enough that it spares carbohydrate stores for race specific work. These runs also develop fat burning capability for events over 60min. The use of a designated long run is optional for events shorter than 60min.

Don’t forget interval training: While general conditioning improves the capacity of your engine interval training improves your engine’s power. This gives you a higher work rate.

For race pace training I use race pace +/- one event. Using the 10km as an example I use 5km to half marathon pace. For speed work I run up to two events faster i.e. up to 3km pace for the 10km.

There are many examples of runners that reached a world class level without interval training. These runners will often feel that they got slower from regular interval training. For example, Ron Clarke significantly lowered the 10 000 m world record just by running high volume and running hard on some of those runs. However, Clarke could never win major championships, because his engine wasn’t powerful enough to change pace quickly. He needed interval training, but he needed to use it sparingly to avoid breakdown.

Include some form of training to develop the stride: This type of work improves performance by increasing stride length, increasing stride rate (through decreased ground contact time), and lowering energy consumption at any particular pace (i.e. it improves running economy). The methods used vary dramatically from program to program but may include any or all of the following: form drills, plyometrics, weight training, hill running, and sprinting.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Pratt's Pro Fitness

History of Running Training

A month ago I found a 500 page PhD thesis paper Fast Science: A History of Training Theory and Methods for Elite Runners Through 1975 by Nicholas David Bourne. Bourne takes the reader all the way back to the beginning of the Olympics in Ancient Greece and describes how runners trained during this time all the way up to 1975. Bourne has an incredible background in this field making him the perfect choice for writing such a piece: he's very thorough. While he attributes some of Peter Snell's accomplishments to Herb Elliott, this is one of the best edited pieces I've ever read. I thought the first 200 pages were lacking in detail, but Bourne more than makes up for this in the second half. This was an excellent piece!

Fast Science: A History of Training Theory and Methods for Elite Runners Through 1975


Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt
Pratt's Pro Fitness

Good Calories, Bad Calories (Part 3)

This is the final segment I'm writing on Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. In Part 1 I discussed the role of refined carbohydrates with respect to heart disease. In Part 2 I discussed the role of refined carbohydrates with respect to increased body fat. This section will pertain to the limitations of the research Taubes used to write his book.

Mmmmmm, refined carbohydates!

All scientific studies are limited in some way. The gold standard in research is the randomized control trial where neither the researcher nor the test subject knows which treatment they’re being given (i.e. a double blind study). Nutritional studies can’t be double blind studies as the test subjects can see that their diet is changed enabling the chance of developing a placebo effect. Another problem is that lowering a specific calorie containing nutrient (e.g. carbohydrates) changes the caloric content of the diet. Were the results tied to lowering the calorie containing nutrient or rather to lowering total calories? As well, most of the research subjects were overweight and obese, which is more common among those with an endomorphic body type. Is the low carb diet as effective in ectomorphs and mesomorphs? Moreover, much of the research was conducted by clinicians working with obese patients rather than as randomized control trials. While the RCT is the pinnacle of scientific research the research necessary to back up some of the claims in Good Calories, Bad Calories would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and is not currently being investigated.

In addition to the nutritional limitations, Taubes didn’t touch on the research outside of nutrition. There have been many environment links to poor health and obesity. He also didn’t discuss the hypothesis that obesity may be caused by the imbalance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids that is present in the diets of many countries. Finally, he didn’t clarify if the high nutrient content of a mostly animal diet of the Inuit was solely from muscle meat or whether it was necessary to consume the other organs as well. 

In conclusion, the ideas presented by Gary Taubes in Good Calories, Bad Calories are compelling. While further research is necessary and some of the claims will either be refuted or modified I believe Taubes in on the right track. The consumption of a diet high in refined carbohydrates leads to many health related problems.

Note: For more information watch Sugar: The Bitter Truth by Robert Lustig. If your main interest is fat loss Taubes has also written a book called Why We Get Fat, which I hear is a shorter and easier read than Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Pratt's Pro Fitness

Good Calories, Bad Calories (Part 2)

In Part 1 I discussed how the overconsumption of refined carbohydrates may be a leading cause in heart disease rather than the consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat. In Part 2 I'll discuss how overconsumption of refined carbohydrates may be the leading cause of obesity and overweight. I must admit that I don't think I've done this section justice. If this information interests you then I recommend that you read Good Calories, Bad Calories or Taubes other book Why We Get Fat.

When Taubes makes his case for the high carbohydrate diet being the cause of obesity rather than the high fat diet he discusses a number of interesting case studies. The Sioux and Inuit for instance ate almost exclusively meat, which is high protein/high fat/low carb. Even though fruits and vegetables were basically non-existent in their diets these populations were very healthy. It was only with the introduction of the foods of European settlers that these tribes experienced diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

The typical treatment for obesity is calorie reduction and more exercise. However, most of the studies that drastically reduced calories by reducing fat intake led to ravenous hunger and lethargy. Not only were results abysmal but in one study the subjects became so hungry that when they were finally allowed to eat as desired they ate 8,000 calories a day. This led them to gain 5 percent more weight than when they had started the study and have 50 percent more body fat. Another study showed that an 18 month marathon training program led to an average loss of 5 pounds of body fat for men and no change for women.

Many of us are familiar with the phrase “a calorie is a calorie.” This means that whether you’re eating a calorie of protein, fat, or carbohydrate you’re getting the same amount of energy. Thus, in order to lose body fat it shouldn’t matter what you eat as long as calories are reduced. However, Taubes points out that different nutrients have vastly different effects on metabolism and hormone secretion. Insulin secretion for instance is dramatically increased by the consumption of refined carbohydrates. Insulin is the only hormone capable of shuttling fatty acids and glucose into fat cells where it stores them as fat.

The main argument against the research Taubes discusses is that it seems to defy the laws of physics; according to Jane Brody, “Eat more calories than your body uses and you will gain weight. Eat fewer calories and you will lose weight. The body … knows no other arithmetic.” In defense Taubes discusses an interesting hypothesis. Instead of overeating and lack of exercise being the cause of weight gain, what if we “eat more, move less, and have less energy to expend because we are metabolically or hormonally driven to get fat?” The body gets so good at fat storage that it creates an “internal starvation” for the other tissues causing you to consume more calories and be lethargic. Since insulin is “the primary regulator of fat storage” it would appear high levels of insulin due to overconsumption of refined carbohydrates is the problem.

In the end Taubes suggests a compromise with the saturated fat/cholesterol hypothesis into a diet that “might do us good and probably won’t do harm.” “The current conception of a healthy diet is one that minimizes salt content and maximizes fiber; has plenty of good fats (monounsaturated and omega-three polyunsaturated fats) and minimal bad fats (saturated and trans fats); has plenty of olive oil and fish, and little red meat, butter, lard, and dairy products. When meat is consumed, it’s lean … Dairy is low-fat or no-fat. The diet has plenty of nuts and legumes and good carbohydrates … (vegetables, fruits, and unrefined grains), but few bad carbohydrates ... (highly refined carbohydrates and sugars).” 

In Part 3 I'll discuss the limitations to the research.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt
Pratt's Pro Fitness

Good Calories, Bad Calories (Part 1)

Wow! It's been nearly four months since I've posted a blog. A lot has happened since then. I coached track again at West Ferris with Graham Hansel taking the bronze medal at OFSAA in the 2000m steeplechase. In May I moved Pratt's Pro Fitness out of my home and into Inside Out Chiropractic. The increase in size from 200 sq ft to 700 sq ft and connections with the chiropractors has allowed me to gain a lot of new clients. Most importantly, three weeks ago I married the lovely Courtenay Robidas. The wedding was perfect!

Good Calories, Bad Calories

A few months ago I finished reading Good Calorie, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. It had a lot of great information although some of the chapters were science-laden and made for slow reading. I really enjoyed Taubes’s thoroughness and his desire to challenge “the conventional wisdom on diet, weight control, and disease.” This post is particularly long, so I decided to break it into three parts: the effects of refined carbohydrates on heart disease; the effects of refined carbohydrates on obesity; and limitations to the research presented in this book.

The basis for the book is the chronic negative effects of the high carbohydrate diet – particularly a diet high in refined carbohydrates such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and refined flour. There is evidence that a diet high in refined carbohydrates may increase the risk of developing hypertension (i.e. high blood pressure), diabetes, various cancers, and dementia, as well as speed up the aging process. The majority of the book however was on the effect of diets high in refined carbohydrates on heart disease and obesity.

Effect on Heart Disease

It was once widely believed that the cause of heart disease was due to high cholesterol, and high cholesterol was caused by a high cholesterol/high saturated fat diet. While many still recommend a low cholesterol diet, evidence continues to show that a high cholesterol diet is not linked to high blood cholesterol. According to Taubes, “Dietary cholesterol … has an insignificant effect on blood cholesterol … Decreasing cholesterol consumption from four hundred milligrams a day … to the three hundred milligrams a day recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program would be expected to reduce cholesterol levels by … perhaps 1 percent.”

Ancel Keys – the main proponent for the cholesterol-heart disease link – suggested that it was the consumption of saturated fats that raised blood cholesterol, and this in turn led to heart disease. However, the Masai of Kenya had “blood cholesterol levels among the lowest ever measured” despite a diet of “three thousand calories a day of mostly saturated fat.” Also, the researcher Krauss was also able to show that high saturated fat consumption led to an increase in the size of LDL particles (i.e. the so-called bad cholesterol) rather than increasing the number of LDL particles: this seems to be a beneficial effect.

Interestingly, total cholesterol levels may have little to do with heart disease. According to the MRFIT data, “If we were to stick rigorously to a cholesterol-lowering diet for thirty years – say, from age forty to seventy, at which point high cholesterol is no longer associated with an increased risk of heart disease – we would reduce our risk of dying of a heart attack by 1 percent.”

Taubes goes on to say that the cause of heart disease could be high blood triglycerides. Pete Ahrens showed that a high carbohydrate diet caused high blood triglycerides in the 1950s. Thirty years earlier Joslin had shown the same effect in diabetics. According to research by Albrink, Man, and Meigs “only 5 percent of healthy young men had elevated triglycerides, compared with … 82 percent of coronary patients.” A diet high in refined carbohydrates stimulates a high production of insulin. Insulin in turn causes the liver to release triglycerides into the blood.

In part 2 I'll discuss the effects of refined carbohydrates on obesity and weight gain.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Pratt's Pro Fitness

The Importance of Developing Your Glutes (Part 2)

In Part 1 I discussed the importance of developing the gluteus maximus (GM). Now I'll show you how to develop this muscle. 

Training the Glutes

The gluteus maximus – when properly proportioned – is a large muscle and is built for generating a lot of force. On the other hand, the GM has the composition necessary for endurance as it’s also a postural muscle. Thus it can be maximally developed with both low repetitions/high weight and high repetitions/low weight.

Indirect Training: Sitting for long periods of time or playing most sports leaves the hip flexors tight, which decreases the function of the GM on both a mechanical and neurological level. Stretching tight hip flexors is an indirect method for restoring glute function.

Flexing your muscles: The glutes don’t enjoy being sat on for long periods of time. Sitting causes your glutes to become lengthened and weak over time. Simply flexing this muscle as hard as you can repeatedly throughout the day in many different positions will go a long way in restoring glute function. Try flexing your glutes while standing, seated, lying down, and with one foot on a step of varying heights. If you have trouble flexing your glutes in a certain position squeeze the muscle with your fingers for feedback.

Deadlift: Barbells are useful for muscle development as they have the greatest potential for loading. The downside is that some exercises such as the deadlift and squat should not be performed without proper instruction. This exercise should only be performed for low repetitions as technique slips with fatigue. Perform this exercise for sets of 1-5 repetitions. Higher repetition sets of 5-10 can be performed for the Romanian deadlift. This exercise should be performed at most twice a week due to the amount of fatigue generated.

Squat: The key to developing the glutes while squatting is to squat below parallel (i.e. the crease in the hips is lower than the knees). Perform this exercise for low repetitions for the front squat (4-6) and low to medium repetitions for the back squat (5-12). Only experience lifters should deviate outside of these ranges. While well-trained Olympic lifters perform this lift twice a day most people are best served performing it 1-3 times per week.

Lunge: The lunge can be performed with a barbell, but beginners are better off using dumbbells. Begin by mastering the split squat before progressing to harder variations. Perform lunge variations for 5-20 repetition sets. This exercise can be performed 1-3 times per week, but it’s fatiguing to perform on the same day as squatting.

Kettlebell Swing: The kettlebell swing done correctly (i.e. lots of bending at the hips and little knee bend) is a fantastic glute developer. This is another exercise that requires good instruction. Once learned this exercise can be done for high reps while maintaining good technique. Perform this exercise for 10-50 repetition sets. Perform this exercise at the end of a session 1-3 times a week, but ideally not on a day with a deadlift variation.

Glute Bridge: The glute bridge is simple to learn and doesn’t require a trainer unless you can’t feel your glutes working or your lower back feels stiff. It can be done with your bodyweight only, but can be progressed with a loaded barbell across your hips. Perform for 5-20 repetition sets. The bodyweight version of this exercise can be performed every day, but loading should only be done 1-3 days per week.

Clam Shells: The clam shell trains the hip external rotation function of the GM as well as the other gluteal muscles. The exercise doesn’t require constant coaching, but make sure that the movement is coming completely from the hip of the working side. This exercise can be performed every day for sets of 5-10 repetitions.

Quadruped Hip Extension: The quadruped hip extension doesn’t require constant coaching, but perform next to a mirror so that you’re getting pure hip extension rather than flexing and extending the low back. This exercise can be perform daily for sets of 5-10 repetitions.

Glute Program

Perform clam shells, glute bridge, and hip flexor stretching on a daily basis for 5-10 repetition per side for 1-3 sets. Prepare for each workout with a 10min warm-up of bodyweight exercises. Complete the listed number of repetitions for an exercise and then take 30-60sec before beginning the next exercise. Use the order A1, A2, A3 and then repeat this sequence twice more before moving on to group B. If an exercise causes pain stop immediately and visit a health care professional.

Day 1

A1: Deadlift x5

A2: Pushups x10

A3: Hip Flexor Stretch x8/side

B1: Split Squat x10/side

B2: Dumbbell Row x10/side

B3: Clam Shells x8/side

Day 2

A1: Back Squat 3x8

A2: (Band Assisted) Chin-Up or Lat Pulldown x8

A3: Hip Flexor Stretch x8/side

B1: Kettlebell Swing x20

B2: Dumbbell Overhead Press x10/side

B3: Clam Shells x8/side

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

The Importance of Developing Your Glutes (Part 1)

The gluteus maximus has been my favourite muscle for the past few years due to its functional role and its appearance. A great set of glutes reduces the risk of developing many injuries, improves sport performance, and looks awesome.

They look great AND hold your pants up!

Function

Most anatomy textbooks list the function of the gluteus maximus (GM) as an extensor, abductor, and external rotator of the hip. However, it does much more. According to glute expert Bret Contreras and physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann, the GM functions to posteriorly tilt the pelvis, control pronation at the foot, stabilize the sacroiliac (SI) joint, pull the femur into the hip socket, and stabilize the knee.

Injury Prevention

Low Back Pain

Muscles that work together to create the same motion are called synergists. When lifting something heavy the GM, hamstrings, and low back extensors work synergistically to extend the hips and low back. When the GM is weak the hamstrings and low back muscles can be strained or become overworked. Excessive tone can build in the low back which leads to extension based low back pain. Individuals with weak glutes and hypertonic low back muscles can often be identified by an anteriorly tilted pelvis and increased curvature of their lower back.

Hip Pain

The GM pulls the femur into the hip socket. When it’s weak the femur slides forward in the socket and can cause an impingement in the front of the hip. As well, some of the fibres of the GM originate from the sacrum and thus cross the sacroiliac (SI) joint. I have a client who has difficulty activating her glutes and this may be the reason her SI joint moved out of place during a set of Romanian deadlifts. It was an uncomfortable experience and she was limited in exercise selection for a few weeks.

Hamstring Strains

As I mentioned above the GM and hamstrings are synergists for hip extension. No matter how strong your hamstrings become they will fail if not assisted by strong glutes typically during sprinting. People with weak glutes often experience muscle cramping in their hamstrings as well or will complain of tight hamstrings even when they have fantastic flexibility.

Derek Redmond strains his hamstring during the 400m semi-finals at the 1992 Olympics.

Knee Pain

Some of the fibres of the GM insert into the iliotibial (IT) band. This strong piece of connective tissue runs from the top of the hip down and across the knee joint making the GM a stabilizer of the knee. The GM also helps to control pronation; overpronation is linked to knee pain.

Sports Performance

Strong glutes maximize your ability in the following sports demands:

Running (Hip Extension): 100m to the marathon and beyond, and most team sports such as soccer, basketball, and football.

Jumping (Hip Extension): High jump, long jump, basketball, and volleyball

Change of Direction (Hip Extension, Abduction, and External Rotation): Tennis, basketball, soccer, hockey, and football

Skating (Hip Extension, Abduction, and External Rotation): speed skating and hockey

Swimming (Hip Extension): Coming out of the blocks, the turn-around, and the kick in freestyle

Skiing: Nordic classical (hip extension) and skate skiing (hip extension, abduction, and external rotation and alpine skiing on the turns (hip extension, abduction, and external rotation)

Cycling (Hip Extension)

Lifting (Hip Extension): Snatch, clean and jerk, squat, and deadlift

Well developed glutes are important for injury prevention, sports performance, and looking great. Part 2 will discuss how the gluteus maximus can be trained.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt