Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha (10 page)

 

REJECT THIS THOUGHT:

You can't target specific areas of your muscles.

 

Judging the past by the standard of the present, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his crew were certified broscientists, in the sense that nothing they did was scientifically validated and they just used observation. You see this all the time; the big guy at the gym has some “proven” thoughts on what will work best for muscle growth. There isn't any science behind it, just years of experience, testing, and experimentation.

While this can be helpful, the best approach is one that combines real-life experience with science that can explain the results. And while bodybuilding pseudoscience has persevered for years, without science, it makes it harder to prove the cause of results. We finally have some answers to explain why some of the methods actually work.

In a somewhat ironic scenario, science is now telling us that the broscientists (bodybuilders) were right—more interestingly, that even when they were wrong, they weren't necessarily far off the mark.

Let's look at one of the hallmarks of traditional bodybuilding workouts: selective hypertrophy. As early as the 1950s, bodybuilders have been staunch in the notion that varying exercises and body positions on exercises can target distinct areas of individual muscles, preferentially recruiting specific fibers during the movements. For close to twenty years, though, you've been told not to do that. And the only reason was that there wasn't scientific research to back up the results.

One of the most difficult aspects of the fitness industry is that the experts are divided. One group focuses on what works, and the other on what can scientifically prove what's effective. Ideally, you are able to marry the two. But oftentimes that takes time. All scientific research needs to be funded. And earning that funding is a long, difficult process. Not to mention, a lot of the cool stuff that you would do in the gym would never get funded because most research companies just don't care about muscle building and fat loss the way the average guy does.

This led to a divide in that being pro-research meant accepting an anti-bodybuilding slant on fitness techniques. For example, because it hadn't been exhaustively concluded that incline pressing worked the clavicular head of your pecs, the very idea was considered foolish; study-dependent coaches maintained that muscle fibers run the entire length from origin to insertion and are activated by single nerves, and as a result they said it is not possible to preferentially recruit specific areas. Of course, that is possible, as every bodybuilder in history has known.

Now, research is clearly showing that some coaches and scientists owe those bodybuilders an apology. In a review paper written in 2000, Dr. Jose Antonio began to dispel the misconceptions and demonstrated clearly that you
could
target areas of specific muscles.

In the time since that paper was published, much more research has emerged to substantiate Antonio's position, and this is finally working its way into the public eye of the fitness industry, thanks in no small part to a group of fantastic coaches who are doing their best to get the information out there.

One such coach is Bret Contreras,
^*
who regularly contributes to the largest bodybuilding magazines in the world. In a recent presentation, Bret said:

 

It is now readily apparent in the literature that all muscle groups . . . contain functional subdivisions which are preferentially activated during different movements. . . . recent research has shown that altering body position such as foot placement . . . can target different areas of muscles. Bodybuilders were right all along; it just took research some time to catch up to their wisdom.

Contreras's assertion makes clear the fact that it's time to revisit a lot of what we consider myths and, with a critical but open mind, evaluate if we were not wrong in dismissing them for lack of evidence. After all, as much as we love science and research, we also love results. And you shouldn't question the validity of what works just because it hasn't been tested.

 

REJECT THIS THOUGHT:

You need to eat before you train.

 

One of the most common questions we hear is, what should I eat before I train? To that we have a somewhat roundabout answer.

The real question should be, do I need to eat before I train?

If you're like most people (and that includes us), eating before a workout is more of a burden than a convenience. Yes, we love food, but we also hate waiting two hours for our food to digest. And then when we train—especially with high-intensity or fat-loss protocols, we really hate feeling so sick to our stomach that we have to revisit our pre-workout meal.

So why do people stress about eating so much? In this case, we can blame the research. There's a whole bunch of science that shows eating before a workout creates an environment that helps you build muscle and burn fat.

And that's true. But what is considered “before a workout” is a much wider time range than you might think.

In the simplest sense, your digestive process is very complicated. When you eat, the food does not go directly to your muscles or your gut. It takes time—a lot of time, in fact. So if you eat many hours before you train, there's actually still plenty of fuel to help you train and for you to build muscle. And there are many factors that influence your rate of digestion, such as your activity level, age, stress, and even the size of your body.

Research published in the
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
looked at the rate of digestion of protein. The study revealed that the type of protein you eat digests at a rate of anywhere between 1 gram per hour and 10 grams per hour. (So you know, whey protein digests the fastest, whereas egg protein lasted the longest.)

Do the math, and if you have a meal consisting of 50 grams of protein, that meal could last in your system for anywhere between five and fifty hours. That's a big range, but it gives you an idea of how your pre-workout meal can happen many hours before you train.

Now, that's not to say that eating before you train is bad or won't help. It will. But the amount won't be so significant that you'll notice any changes in your body. Trust us—neither of us eats right before we train and it's clearly not hurting us. In fact, if you believe the research on fasting before training,
not eating
before a workout helps you recover faster from your workouts and makes your muscles more efficient. You see, when you eat before you train, you teach your body to require a certain amount of protein and carbohydrates to lift more weight or run harder. When you learn to train with less energy (by not eating as close to your workout), your body adapts and learns to train harder with less fuel. Your body will adapt and pull from other stores for energy (such as fat), and then utilize your carbohydrate and protein stores more efficiently. The result: more muscle and less fat. The dream scenario that you want and we've promised.

If you're still worried about not eating before training, understand this: when you fast before you train, your levels of hydration and sleep patterns play a significant role in your performance. In fact, poor sleep or not drinking enough can have a bigger negative impact on your ability to train hard than not having a protein shake before your workout.

If you want to eat, go for it. And if you're concerned about potentially losing a little bit of muscle, then follow our lead and take BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids, the building blocks of protein). They are not necessary, but they get the job done. And what's more, researchers from Syracuse University found that simply adding amino acids before you train boosts muscle gain and fat loss. The study looked at two common meals before your workout: one with carbs (think: a sports drink) and one that combined BCAAs and carbs. After the pre-workout meal, the subjects then hit the weight room with a focus on heavy resistance training. Think: max weights that scream testosterone.

After the training, several important factors were examined, including muscle gain, fat loss, and metabolism. While both groups saw benefits from what they ate before a workout, it was the BCAA group that saw a bigger improvement in every measure. But maybe most impressively, those who had BCAAs before training saw a greater increase in their metabolism up to forty-eight hours
after
they finished training. While research has known for a while that weight training improves metabolism after a good workout, the surprising benefit was that those who took BCAAs (like BCAA Matrix) pre-workout had an increased metabolism the following day—above and beyond the normal surge experienced from weight training.

 

WHAT SHOULD I EAT PRE-WORKOUT?

We understand that some of you will still want to eat before you train, and that's fine. Just keep in mind that if you eat something immediately before you train, it won't really help your workout. The food will still be in your stomach and not digested. That's not to say there's no benefit; psychologically you might just feel better, which is part of the equation. If you eat, aim for at least an hour before you exercise. Here are three go-to meals for those who want a little fuel before hitting the iron.

 

The Quick and Easy:
Greek yogurt and a handful of almonds

Simple Chef:
Three scrambled eggs, ½ cup oatmeal, and ½ cup berries

The Power Shake:
Frozen banana, chocolate protein powder, handful of almonds, 1 tablespoon cacao powder, 4 ice cubes; all blended

 

WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN BARS?

Do you like Snickers bars? Awesome. We do too. But Snickers bars are about as healthy as most protein bars. Don't be deceived by nutrition labels, which can hide a lot of dirty ingredients. The truth is, most protein bars are loaded with as much—if not more—sugar than your favorite candy bar. The only difference is that the health bars include more protein, which certainly is a good thing. But even then, the protein in the bars is oftentimes inflated. Ingredients like gelatin are included in the protein total. And while technically gelatin can count as protein, it's not the type of protein that builds muscle.

Solution: the Alpha Bar.

We teamed with YouBar, which creates custom-made, all-natural protein bars. The Alpha Bar is the type of protein bar you want: not too high in calories but still packed with all the good proteins, carbs, and fats for hormonal optimization. There are two variations: the Alpha Bar (for any situation) and the Alpha Workout (for after you train).

If you want something similar (and not made by us because you're afraid we might have dipped our fingers in the batter during the production process), we highly recommend Quest Bars. They are some of the highest-quality bars—without the added crap—that you'll find on the market. To find the Alpha Bar, visit www.engineering thealpha.com/alphabar.

 

 

REJECT THIS THOUGHT:

Crunches give you abs.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong with crunches. Let's just start with that. You can do crunches and they'll work your abs. Within the last five years, crunches—the perpetual king of abdominal exercises—have been criticized for everything from being a waste of time to causing back pain and even playing a role in the collapse of the economy. (Okay, so maybe the last one isn't true.)

In a world where the backup quarterback is always the most popular player on the team, planks stepped in as the savior for all your abs' needs. They promised no more back pain, 100 percent activation of your six-pack muscles, and anyone could do them. They were new, different, and difficult. Only one problem: crunches work your abs. It's a fucking fact. Research published in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
found that crunches create 64 percent activation of your rectus abdominis—the six-pack muscle. And when you add weight, that percentage increases.

Whether crunches target your abs is not the issue—it's whether they make your abs visible. You've probably heard that everyone has abs, but it's hard to believe when people will crunch and crunch and crunch and still don't have abs. But the problem isn't exercise selection. They could be planking all day, doing hanging leg raises, or med ball slamming their way to China and they wouldn't be able to tell a visual difference from one exercise to another. That's not to say that these exercises don't work your abs in different ways—they do. But seeing your six-pack does not depend on if you selected the “right” abs exercises.

Seeing your abs is a matter of lowering your body fat. Drop your body fat to around 10 percent and you'll see your abs. Lose even more fat and they'll really pop. You've probably heard that we all have a six-pack and that it's just covered by fat. That is true. Just as we all have biceps and pectorals. But you have to train those muscles, build and grow them, and strip away the fat to reveal your handiwork.

The Alpha program—which consists of four specific training phases—eliminates all the smoke and mirrors. Our workout isn't filled with exercises that you feel but can't see. We address the six-pack solution by combining exercises that are proven to burn fat. And this isn't just what you find in the lab. We're talking about the thousands of clients we've worked with. These are science-tested and real-life-approved strategies that offer results you can't deny. Whether it's metabolic complexes that leave you more exhausted than sprints, heavy strength work that you'll feel in your abs more than a thousand crunches, or innovative exercises you've probably never tried before (hello, hack squat), you'll be wondering why we've kept all of this a secret for so long. But we haven't. This is just the first time you've had the opportunity to work with us—and similarly, it'll be the first time you'll be able to say good-bye to your fat and hello to your abs.