Author: Mike Furci (Page 2 of 4)

Did You Know… with Mike Furci

September 17, 2013 / Mike Furci

A column by Mike Furci that brings you research, trends and other info to help you with your fitness, health and nutritional needs.

…the United States is the only developed country in the world that still fluoridates its citizens’ drinking water?

10 facts you need to know about fluoride:

1. More people in the U.S. drink fluoridated water than the rest of the world combined.
2. Fluoridated countries do not have less tooth decay than non-fluoridated countries.
3. According to a 500-page scientific review, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and even your blood sugar levels.
4. Fluoride is naturally occurring in some areas, leading to high levels in certain water supplies “naturally.” Fluoridation advocates often use this to support its safety, however naturally occurring substances are not automatically safe (think of arsenic, for instance).
5. About 40 percent of American teens have dental fluorosis, a condition that refers to changes in the appearance of tooth enamel that are caused by long-term ingestion of fluoride during the time teeth are forming.
6. Infants who consume formula made with fluoridated tap water may consume up to 1,200 micrograms of fluoride, or about 100 times more than the recommended amounts.
7. The fluoride supplements sometimes prescribed to those who are not drinking fluoridated water have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of tooth decay.
8. Water fluoridation is a form of mass medication that denies you the right to informed consent.
Many European nations have rejected fluoride for the very reason that delivering medication via the water supply would be inappropriate.
9. It is now widely recognized that fluoride’s only justifiable benefit comes from topical contact with teeth, which even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged. Adding it to water and pills, which are swallowed, offers little, if any, benefit to your teeth.
10. Fluoride toxicity is exacerbated by conditions that occur much more frequently in low-income areas.
Mercola.com

…Fructose, not fat, has a linear relationship with the U.S. obesity epidemic.

The incidence of overweight and obese individuals, shown by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), has a striking relationship to fructose consumption in the United States. According to a USDA’s data below, total sugar and fructose consumption started to increase sharply in 1985, and reached a peak in 1999, which is congruent with the incidence of obesity. During 2000 through 2005, we see a slight drop in total sugar and fructose consumption, which is consistent with the leveling off of obesity rates during that same period. This drop in sugar ads up to 10 pounds of total sugar, with fructose contributing six of those pounds.

Fitness, Food & Drink, Lifestyle

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Exercises you haven’t done but probably should, Part Two

August 22, 2013 / Mike Furci

Ask anyone who’s been in the iron game that’s had any type of success and they’ll tell you, “stick to the basics and don’t try and reinvent the wheel.” I couldn’t agree more from a coach/competitor stand point. However, one needs to throw a wrench in their workouts in order to prevent or break through plateaus. Variation is a universal principle that, when applied correctly, can yield incredible results.

One of the most obvious and easiest ways to add variation is to incorporate different exercises into one’s program. Following the first installment in the series, here’s another list of recommended exercises that I’ve rarely seen used.

Band push-ups

Even though training with bands has been around for a while, and used successfully in conjunction with strength training and power lifting, most people who weight train have never been exposed to, let alone used, this outstanding tool.

The laws of physics dictate the specific characteristics of strength curves while performing exercises. The force of movement is more or less dependent on the joint angle during an exercise. For example, in the barbell squat, you may be able to quarter squat 500 pounds, but can only full squat, ass to the floor, 300 pounds. Another common example is the exercise I’m highlighting today: the band push-up. The force at the top of the movement is much greater than the force at the bottom.

In a nutshell, bands work by applying more resistance where you’re strong and less where you’re weak. Bands accommodate that natural strength curve; this type of training is referred to as accommodating resistance. Researchers addressed strength curves in training as early as 1900 by putting a cam on selectorized machines. The cam on these machines is what accommodates the ability to apply force according to the strength curve. Nautilus equipment is a prime example of this type of equipment.

Fitness

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The Romanian Deadlift

July 8, 2013 / Mike Furci

Some use the names Stiff legged deadlift (SLDL) and Romanian deadlift (RDL) interchangeably, which is a mistake, because the two exercises are very different. However, both exercises do target the same muscles, which are the glutes, hamstrings and lower back, commonly called the posterior chain.

One of the primary differences between the RDL and the SLDL is that the RDL works the spinal erectors statically, because there is no movement in the spine during the exercise. In contrast, the SLDL works the spinal erectors more dynamically because of the rounding and un-rounding (flexion and extension) of the low back. The result of this movement is a great deal of undue stress on the lower back.

I’m not a big fan of the SLDL outside of light warming up and stretching. The rounding or flexion of the back in this exercise as one lowers the weight causes a high degree of stress on the ligaments of the spine. Spinal flexion in and of itself, let alone under a load, can be very damaging to vertebral disks, increasing the risk of disk herniation. Performing the SLDL with any degree of load needed to stimulate a growth and strength adaption would be a huge error.

Before we go any further, it’s been said that the RDL gets its name from a Romanian Olympic lifter who supposedly was seen performing the exercise with over 600lbs prior to winning a medal and setting a world record. Since the lifter was Romanian, the movement was dubbed the Romanian deadlift. Whether this is true or not, I’m not sure. I only know for sure what I’ve read, and have been told this story several times, and RDL is how most in the know refer to this exercise.

Compared to teaching the squat, deadlift or Olympic lifts, the RDL is easy. One starts the exercise standing with straight arms holding dumbbells or a barbell. One can use an over-under grip or double overhand. If the load is too much for the grip, which can be the case especially with heavy dumbbells, lifting straps can be used.

Keeping your back in a neutral position, start to move your hips back and lower the weight. The knees are bent slightly. While lowering the weight, it’s imperative to keep the back in a neutral position. A good way to ensure this is to perform the movement with your head up. Never, I repeat never, look to the floor while performing the RDL. The spine will follow the head. If you look down, your back will round. If the movement is performed correctly, you should feel the tension on your hamstrings.

From athletes, to bodybuilders, to powerlifters, the RDL is a superior exercise that should be included in any training program. Moderate reps of 6 – 8 are generally the best for most lifters. Higher reps can be used, but be aware of back fatigue, which can result in a breakdown of form.

It’s worth stressing that even though RDLs are known for causing severe hamstring soreness, the lower back is heavily involved. I would caution anyone squatting or deadlifting prior to doing RDLs to watch your form. The lower back can tend to fatigue and increase the risk of injury when performing the RDL in this sequence.

Fitness, Lifestyle

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To use stable or unstable exercises, that’s the question

June 24, 2013 / Mike Furci

Unstable surface training (UST), also referred to as stability training (ST), has gained tremendous popularity in the last several years. Unfortunately, for the average person just trying to improve themselves physically, the popularity of stability training has exploded into the mainstream. Why do I think this explosion in popularity is unfortunate? Because, like any industry, the fitness industry is full of people trying to make a buck anyway they can.

The fitness industry preys upon people’s insecurities; the fitness industry is always looking for something new because of the ease at which they can hook consumers with an “easier”, “faster” way to look better. UST is not popular because it is more efficacious than traditional training, but because of a tremendous media campaign. They know there’s huge money in marketing a piece of equipment and/or workout program, especially when it’s backed by pseudo-scientific studies.

Some UST device advertiser’s claim their product is the key to achieving a strong, fit, balanced, functional body. They claim that no longer does one need to lift weights, push them self to get stronger, or even go to a gym. Just use an advertised device, like the Bosu ball, with a few dumbbells or just body weight, and viola! You will magically become fit. They are preying on people’s ignorance, and in many cases, inherent laziness.

Truth be told, UST has only proven its usefulness in the rehab setting and only with respect to ankle stability to any degree. There is no research to support the efficacy of UST in healthy people over traditional training. Several studies report that training on an unstable surface offers no increase in the electromyography (EMG) of the muscles involved in core training and no increase in athletic performance.

UST exercises have been shown to adversely affect movement velocity and range of motion when performing traditional ground based exercises like the squat. Hence the ability to exert force, power or move at high velocity is hampered during UST. This is simply because the loads needed to perform the exercises are too light to produce a significant adaptive response. These results are not conducive to building strength, muscle or explosiveness.

Fitness

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Product Review: Force Factor Pre-Workout

June 11, 2013 / Mike Furci

Nitric oxide (NO) supplements have been all the rage for several years now, and there seems to be a neverending amount of anecdotal data claiming their efficacy. However, because I have wasted so much money over the years trying different products with claims of building muscle, I am skeptical to say the least.

NO is a very powerful chemical that, among many functions, regulates blood flow. NO dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and allows blood to flow more freely. It’s the same substance that allows Viagra to do its work. It’s this increase in blood flow that has lead many in the supplement industry to infer a better delivery of nutrients to muscle cells, which they equate to more muscle. That is one hell of a stretch and just doesn’t hold water.

It may be surprising to many that the NO supplements of today are the same as the arginine products of the ’80s; they’re just marketing them differently. Unfortunately for NO proponents, the level of arginine in the blood has little to do with NO production, and therefore has nothing to do with increasing blood flow. If we could increase NO production through diet or supplements, because of the decrease in blood pressure that occurs with higher NO levels, we would have had reports of lower blood pressure and syncope. These types of reports have not occurred, nor have they been found in research.

For the last 20 years, I’ve made it my mission to find real evidence of what works and what doesn’t. NO products are no exception. I’ve searched and searched, but have not been able to find one study that shows supplementing with an oral form of L-arginine like alpha-ketoglutarate, alpha-ketoisocaproate or L-arginine monohydrate boosts (NO) levels which causes vasodilatation. The studies that do show an increased production of NO while supplementing with L-arginine administered the amino acid through the parenteral route or Intravenously (IV). Unfortunately for NO marketers, the amounts used through IV cannot be duplicated orally, because even a fraction of these levels causes extreme gastrointestinal distress.

Fitness, Stuff to Buy

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