Every day in our jobs, personal trainers use knowledge from several different disciplines: strength training, aerobic exercise, nutrition, and anatomy. It is a time-consuming and daunting job to stay up-to-date in all of those fields, to read scientific studies in each discipline and to apply them in a practical way in our work with clients. Many trainers do not know where to find (or understand) scientific literature, which is the starting place for the investigation into evidence-based personal training education.

Research Updates for Personal Trainers has been designed to give personal trainers, and those in similar or related professions, a monthly instalment that reviews recently published scientific literature in strength and aerobic training, program design, nutrition and sports nutrition and anatomy. Where possible, I will aim to include a short interview with a leading scientific expert or a personal trainer and a book review.  

Each month, we will look at many of the current trends and theories popular in personal training, including optimal training methods and recommendations, the effectiveness of nutritional and training supplements, the varied ways to fat loss.

2012. My favourite year in a quadrennial cycle: the year of the Olympics. Very exciting. But now to other news: educational courses for personal trainers return for 2012.

It is a very, very rare occasion if I am seen without a cup of tea in my hand! Maybe it's the British start to my life - I was born in Oxford - but it is a bad day if I have not had 12 cups of tea. Lately, I've been drinking more Chai tea. 

Chai is a fantastic way to get several different spices into your diet in one go. So it's a double tick: healthy spices and healthy tea. This recipe can be severed with soy milk or regular milk. I try to do one cup of each. If you are a male and you think that soy was created by the devil to turn you into a female, you may wish to read some solid science on the subject, a good starting place is here: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/12/2289S.full.pdf+html 


If you would like to know more about spices and their health benefits, then the best book is Healing Spices by Professor BB Aggarwal and my favourite cookbooks are Great Vegetarian Dishes and Vegetarian World Food by Kurma dasa www.kurma.net

Anyway, here is my Chai recipe. Enjoy

2cm piece of fresh ginger
5cm cinnamon stick
4 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
3 whole cardamon pods
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon of good quality CTC assam or other indian tea.

Dry fry all the spices in a pan for a few moments to release their aroma. Then grind them in a mortar and pestle. Bring to the boil 4 cups of water. Add the tea, water and ground spices to the brewing vessel and steep for 5 minutes. Serve with milk or soy.

And now for the final fat loss program for the year. I hope you enjoyed the previous workouts and made some real progress towards your body composition goals.

This cycle uses two days in the weights room, two interval sessions and two continuous cardiovascular workouts. All sessions are important. Don’t be tempted to do more interval work, as it will do little more than increase the risk of getting sick. This is a hard cycle of training. So be sensible with your nutrition, sleep and the amount of Christmas functions you allow yourself to go to. Enjoy.

DAY ONE
Strength Session
A. Deadlifts from a podium with chains, 4 x 6, 8, 10, 12 (ascending straight sets), 30X0, rest 60 seconds
B. Bench press with chains, 4 x 6, 8, 10, 12 (ascending straight sets), 30X0, rest 60 seconds
C1. Hack squat, 4 x 8+10+12 (drop set), 20X0, rest 90 seconds
C2. Lying dumbbell press, 4 x 8+10+12 (drop set), 20X0, rest 90 seconds
D1. Heels elevated dumbbell squats, 3 x 25, 1010, rest 60 seconds
D2. Standing shoulder press, 3 x 25, 1010, rest 60 seconds

DAY TWO
Interval Session
10 minute walk warm up
5 x 50m accelerations up the hill the main session will be done on
2 x 1 min up the steepest, longest hill you can find, rest is the time it takes to walk back down
2 x 3 min up the steepest, longest hill you can find, rest is the time it takes to walk back down
1 x 5 min up the steepest, longest hill you can find, rest is the time it takes to walk back down
10 minute walk cool down

DAY THREE
Continuous Session
10 minute walk warm-up
60 minutes running at 145-155 beats per minute
10 minute walk cool-down

DAY FOUR
Strength Session
A. Back squats with chains, 4 x 6, 8, 10, 12 (ascending straight sets), 30X0, rest 60 seconds
B. Chin ups, 4 x max reps, 30X0, rest 60 seconds
C1. Lying leg curls, 4 x 6+8+10 (drop set), 30X0, rest 90 seconds
C2. Close grip seated rows, 4 x 8+10+12 (drop set), 20X0, rest 90 seconds
D1. Back extensions, 3 x 25, 1010, rest 60 seconds
D2. Lean away underhand grip pulldowns, 3 x 25, 1010, rest 60 seconds

DAY FIVE
Interval Session
10 minute walk warm up
5 x 50m accelerations
2 x 600m, 2 x 1000m, 2 x 1200m around an oval at best pace fitness allows with 2 minutes rest in between
10 minute walk cool down

DAY THREE
Continuous Session
60 minutes at 140-150 beats per minute on the bike
40 minutes at 145-155 beats per minute running
10 minute walk cool-down

The most comprehensive study ever done looking at the association between lifestyle and cancer has just been published in the British Journal of Cancer. For those in our industry who eat large amounts of meat, and who recommend that way of eating to their clients, might want to read Cancers attributable to dietary factors in the UK in 2010 II. Meat consumption found free here: http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v105/n2s/pdf/bjc2011478a.pdf

It was found that the consumption of red meat and processed meat was positively associated with the risk of both colon and rectal cancer, although the association with red meat appeared to be stronger for rectal cancer.

This should not be interpreted to mean that no meat should be consumed, but it should certainly caution us against eating large amounts of meat, or even eating meat every day. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends that consumption of all red meat not exceed 500g a week.

I have often heard in our industry that a vegetarian diet is great, as long as you add meat to it. The findings from this study suggest that a vegetarian diet is great without the addition of meat! I don't think that personal trainers should necessarily become vegetarian. However, the results of large studies like this one should certainly make us look for suitable non-meat and vegetarian sources of protein to compliment the diet and to have several meat-free days a week.

I have a pile of bumper plates on my gym floor that must go prior to Christmas. They are not IWF standard. One set of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 3 more sets of 10s. Save now and email tonyboutagy@gmail.com

Reading a recent tweet from Inigo Mujika about who he was having dinner with before the Eat To Win Conference in Paris this week got me thinking about who are the best people to read in sports nutrition.

Pubmed searches for the following sports scientists should be performed regularly to stay on top of the ever growing literature in sports nutrition. By the time books are published, the information is typically out dated by around a year. Which is fine for text books, coaching manuals etc but not good if you’re looking for the most up to date information in sports nutrition, hence reading the primary literature is the only way to be right on top of the latest information.

Here are the key players to search for and who are also speaking at the Eat To Win Conference http://static.ow.ly/docs/Nutrition%20conference%20INSEP_qwi.pdf:

Sports Nutrition: Louise Burke
Sports Science: John Hawley
Protein: Kevin Tipton
Carbohydrate: Asker Jeukendrup
Immune Function: David Nieman
Sports Supplements: Ronald Maughan
Team & Endurance Sports: Inigo Mujika

I hope you have enjoyed the hypertrophy workouts that have been posted this year. Here is the final instalment, which should take you to Christmas or even the new year. Its yet another way you can use the 6/12/25 idea. Enjoy.

DAY ONE
A1. Incline dumbbell press, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
A2. Incline barbell press, 4x6, 40X0, rest 90 seconds
B. Bench press, 4x12+12+12 (drop set), rest 120 seconds
C. Bench press, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds
D1. Chin ups, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
D2. Close grip lat pulldowns, 4x6, 40X0, rest 90 seconds
E. Seated row to waist with rope, 4x12+12+12 (drop set), rest 120 seconds
F. Seated row to waist with rope, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds

DAY TWO
A1. Front squat, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
A2. Back barbell lunge, 4x6, 20X0, rest 90 seconds
B. Leg press, 4x12+12+12 (drop set), rest 120 seconds
C. Leg press, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds
D1. Lying leg curls, feet inward, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
D2. Lying leg curl, feet neutral & plantar flexed, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
D3. Lying leg curls, feet out, 11/4 method, 4x6, 30X0, rest 120 seconds
E1. Romanian deadlift, 4x12, 30X0, rest 10 seconds
E2. Standing good morning, 4x12, 30X0, rest 90 seconds
F. Romanian deadlift, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds

DAY THREE 
A1. Seated dumbbell curl, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
A2. Standing barbell curls, 4x6, 40X0, rest 90 seconds
B. Incline hammer curls, 4x12+12+12 (drop set), rest 120 seconds
C. Incline hammer curls, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds
D1. Decline close-grip bench press, 4x6, 40X0, rest 10 seconds
D2. Decline barbell extensions, 4x6, 40X0, rest 90 seconds
E. Incline bench triceps pushdown, 4x12+12+12 (drop set), rest 120 seconds
F. Incline bench triceps pushdown, 1x25, 1010, rest 60 seconds

The acute program variables that are constantly changed over the long-term when writing strength/hypertrophy workouts to ensure progress and avoid stagnation are the exercise selection, exercise sequence, sets, reps, peed of movement, rest between sets and frequency of training days. Most of the variables are changed to some degree every new program. One variable, however, rarely changes; and that is exercise sequence. Both years of experience and scientific research have demonstrated that strength/hypertrophy workouts should typically begin with those movements which recruit the most muscle mass (ie. the largest muscle group(s), multi joint exercises) and progress to the smaller muscle, single-joint exercises.

This rule should be followed virtually all of the time. But occasionally, reverse sequenced programs for hypertrophy can be used for variety. Here is an example:

DAY ONE:
A. Forearm flexion with EZ bar, 3x12+12+12 (drop set), 1010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
B1. Incline dumbbell curl, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
B2. Close underhand grip pulldowns, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
C1. Prone dumbbell reverse fly, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds 
C2. Medium pronated grip seated row, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
D1. Decline low cable pullovers, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds 
D2. Semi-supinated grip pulldowns, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds

DAY TWO
A. Standing calf raise, 3x12+12+12 (drop set), 1010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
B1. Lying leg curls, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
B2. Romanian deadlifts, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
C1. Leg extensions, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
C2. Leg press, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
D1. Back extensions, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
D2. Bent knee deadlifts, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds

DAY THREE
A. Forearm extension with EZ bar, 3x12+12+12 (drop set), 1010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
B1. Decline dumbbell extensions, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds
B2. Decline close-grip bench press, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
C1. Seated lateral raise, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10 seconds 
C2. Seated dumbbell overhead press, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds
D1. Low cable incline bench flyes, 4x8, 3110 tempo, rest 10seconds
D2. Incline barbell press, 4x12, 3010 tempo, rest 90 seconds

What I like most about Dr Rosemary Stanton is that she writes sensible books on nutrition. In an age where people are more confused than ever about what to eat, where personal trainers primary education is internet sites, blogs and short courses run by educators who have no qualifications in nutrition, Dr Stanton is a breath of fresh air to the the pseudo-science, nonsense and ever restricting lists of 'what not to eat because it will kill you' approach to food that is so pervasive in our industry. She has a simple evidence-based, environmentally sustainable and health oriented approach to nutrition. 

More and more I see trainers recommending high red meat diets to clients; diets that are low carbohydrate, no soy, no gluten, no diary, no grain, no legume. These diets then go hand-in-hand with a bag of supplements that will apparently cure every health condition and solve every weight management problem. 

Where are these ideas coming from? Are trainers reading through piles of diverse peer reviewed papers to inform and update their information on what to recommend to clients? 

Dr Stanton's The Choice Guide to Food summarises an enormous amount of published research and represents the majority position held by real experts in nutrition and public health. This is a must read for personal trainers. The chapters on red meat, whole grains, legumes and diary gives the whole picture: positives and negatives and should clear up the confusion we trainers have about what to eat and recommend to clients.

Another reason why this book is required reading for Australian personal trainers is that the author is Australian. I can recall being embarrassed several times when I was corrected by experts when making statements about nutrition that I thought was true, only to find out that it was only true in America because Australian laws, regulations or farming practices were sometimes not the same as the US! The majority of my education in the past was from educators from the USA and I have learned over and over that does not necessarily translate to what goes on in Australia. Choose Australian Made applies not only to food but also to health experts too!