THP Total Health Performance

Wednesday, 9 May 2018

Getting Results Through Nutrition and Training

May 9, 2018

Nathan Waters - Total Health Performance

It has been a while since I have posted about any body composition results. It isn't something we often focus on often with our posts, but it is a huge part of what we do. The body comp results are a by product of hard work and consistency with nutrition, as our main goal is to increase performance on the rugby league field and also on the mats for jiu-jitsu. Whether it is cutting weight or putting on muscle mass, we want our athletes to be lean whilst maintaining or increasing their lean mass. We don't do a "bulk" phase and then cut back. For example, Bruno and Igor may increase in body fat slightly after a big competition but it isn't by a huge amount. When Bruno is in peak condition for worlds he gets down to 7-8% body fat but when he is "off" or in maintenance mode between preparations, the worst he will get to is 11-12%. This allows the body and mind to recover, but it also sets him up for a great preparation the next time a big comp is coming up. He still eats clean during this time as well. There may be a slight increase in carbs and also a drop in training volume but it isn't like he just stops training and starts to eat fast food. Consistency is very important if you want to be the best at what you do.

The young rugby league players are doing really well. It is great to see them progressing so well and building such a healthy foundation at such a young age. Below are some results from this past month.

Mani (14 years old)

Body weight - 60kg was 58.5kg

Body fat - 10.9% was 12.5%

Lean mass - 53.5kg was 51.2kg

This is good going for 3 weeks worth of work especially since it isn't the beginning of Mani's training and nutrition. He has come down from 23.6% body fat and has increased his lean mass from 48.1kg.

Lochy (15 years old)

Body weight - 53kg was 51.5kg

Body fat - 12.5% was 12.6%

Lean mass - 46.4kg was 45kg

Again I am happy with this result as he has increased lean mass while maintaining his body fat level. It is quality muscle he is putting on. I am not in a rush to see the scale weight increase rapidly. He started at 48kg and is now at 53kg so I am happy with the progress.

The SJJA jiu-jitsu team that competed in Abu Dhabi had some crazy results as well. As mentioned above Bruno and Igor both got down under 10% as they always do during their preparation. We also had Lucas and Tom who we helped out with their preparation this year. They both done really well. I will share Lucas results.

Body weight - was 86kg finished at 82kg (1 week out from comp, we got this to 80kg before we cut further)

Body fat - 16.1% finished at 10.1% (1 week out but he would have got to around 9% before comp)

Lean mass - started at 72.2kg and got up to 73.7kg.

This was in about 2 months worth of work. With a longer prep we could have done even more. In saying that, he was in great shape so we didn't really have much more to do nutritionally, it would have been more time to work on the strength though.

Mike Johnstone has also been on board for the past month and has achieved some great results himself. We still have a lot of preparation time ahead of us so I am excited to see where he can get to. Not many people peak in their 50's but I think Mike will.

Body weight - 73.5kg now 74kg

Body fat - 23.4% now 18.4%

Lean mass - 56.3kg now 61.2kg

I share this to show that with hard work, dedication, and consistency you can get great results in a fairly short time period. The longer you stick at it the better your health, mental, and physical performance will be. I am happy for what everyone is achieving and glad I can go along for the ride with them.

If you are after similar results please feel free to contact us.

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Wednesday, 2 May 2018

Grip - The Limiting Factor

December 14, 2015

Nathan Waters

The biggest limiting factor for most people in the gym and on the playing field or competitive arena would have to be their grip strength. Many people are unable to grip heavy deadlifts, rows, and chins while training in the gym and for BJJ fighters, wrestlers, and rugby league players their grip often lets them down whilst trying to control an opponent.

You can have a big bench press and do impressive amounts of chin ups in the gym but if you can’t hold an opponent then you won’t be able to display your strength. The biggest reason why grip strength is weak in my opinion is because of the overuse of straps. Now I am all for using straps when you are trying to overload the posterior chain and the grip is not allowing you to use significant weight to overload the muscles but I see too many people use straps from the start of their work out. What I prefer is for them to work up to their heaviest sets without the straps so that they challenge their grip as much as possible and then use the straps when it finally becomes the limiting factor. Straps really should only be used when doing 3 or more reps.

The next question always is “what about using a mixed grip when I deadlift?” I don’t like using a mixed grip during training for two main reasons:

You can tear a bicep. Although it is rare it is a risk I don’t like to take with my athletes. It happens when there is a slight bend of the elbow during the lift.
It can cause a rotational asymmetry of the hips and upper back if overused

These are rare cases as mentioned above. If you are a powerlifter then incorporating the mixed grip into your final phases of preparation is probably warranted but as an athlete of another sport you are better off using straps or working on you grip in my opinion to limit the risk of injury.

Using thick bars is another good way to train the grip. Thick bar work has been shown to activate more motor units which will allow you to gain strength faster. It builds strength that carries over to your sport and real life activities, for example grabbing an opponent’s forearm in wrestling, and picking up awkward objects in daily life. Using thick bars saves training time by training your grip and forearms at the same time, you don’t have to perform separate sessions.

If direct grip and forearm training is needed then variety is the key. You are able to perform grip training daily if you rotate exercises. There are also different types of grip strength so it is important to train all the variations using different implements. One day you may train your crushing grip, the next day may be pinch grip, the next support grip, and so on. You can use reps or time under tension when performing grip work. Most of the time, I prefer to use time under tension holds when training the grip.

You can also use specific exercises for training the grip. An example of this would be performing GI Chin-Ups with a BJJ or Judo athlete. You hang the GI over the bar and perform your sets by gripping the GI. This has good carry over onto the mat where this is what they grab a lot of the time in takedowns etc.

Some grip exercises you can use in your training:

Pinch grip plate holds – you can hold the centre of the plate (circle part) or put two plates together so it is thick and squeeze them together for time. It is important to squeeze with the tips of fingers and thumb, don’t sit it right in your palm
Thick bar holds or hangs
Thick bar reverse curls
Farmer’s walks
Wrist curls – all forms
Towel, GI, or thick bar chin ups

This is list is by no means extensive but should give you some ideas.

The grip is very often neglected until it starts to limit gains in strength. Try not to let it become a limiting factor by training it regularly using different implements and types of grip strengthening exercises. Total body strength will increase as the grip gets stronger.

Here is an article by Charles Poliquin on training frequency for grip training:

http://www.strengthsensei.com/grip-training-frequency-updated/

And here is a sample workout:

http://www.mensfitness.com/training/workout-routines/ultimate-grip-strength-workout?page=2

Hope this helps.

Nathan Waters

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grip strength

Monday, 30 April 2018

Ginkgo biloba extract helps improve biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes

April 29, 2018

Nathan Waters - Total Health Performance

Thought I would share this article today from designs for health on the benefits of Ginkgo Biloba extract and the impact it has on reducing HBA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, and waist circumference.

"There are many different cofactors that can improve dysglycemia such as zinc, alpha lipoic acid, chromium, and vanadium. According to a study published earlier this month, researchers demonstrated that Ginkgo biloba extract can significantly reduce HA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, BMI, and waist circumference.This study included 60 patients ranging from 25 to 65 years of age with type 2 diabetes who had a glycemic status uncontrolled by metformin alone. These individuals were randomized to treatment of 120 mg/d of ginkgo extract or placebo for 90 days. Biomarkers were assessed at baseline and at 90 days, including HA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, waist circumference, and visceral adiposity index (VAI).As a result, the ginkgo extract significantly reduce HA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, and waist circumference. Treatment with ginkgo combined with metformin decreased BMI significantly after 90 days.

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