VO2 Max: Falling Short of The Hype-rventilation

The VO2 max test is considered by many (myself excluded) to be the gold standard human performance test. It has been largely popularized by the Gatorade add campaign that ran in the early 2000’s featuring beautiful female athletes and well branded male athletes performing maximal treadmill tests. Additionally, during Lance Armstrong’s long reign over the peloton it was well documented that Lance had performed a VO2 max test with a score of 86 ml/kg/min. Naturally an extremely high VO2 max became directly associated with elite aerobic performance. This week I will be posting the 4 reasons the VO2 Max Test isn’t all its hyped up to be. Topics I will address include:

1.       It’s difficult to know if you are actually measuring a subjects maximal oxygen consumption

2.       The VO2 max test downplays the importance of bio-mechanical efficiency

3.       The VO2 max test downplays the importance of having a high lactate threshold

4.       The formulas used to determine caloric expenditure are poorly validated

Four Tips for Better Academic Research Presentations

          Have you ever wondered how professors and other researchers are so good at making convincing presentations out of relatively insignificant data? Last semester I was in charge of a research study that yielded seemingly insignificant results. With my tail between my legs I presented the results to the professor that I work under. In about twenty minutes he re-ran the SPSS statistical reports and had signed me up to present at the ACSM regional conference.  As it turns out I had been approaching the data from the wrong angle.  I am currently in my final semester of graduate school and am finally beginning to pick up on a few “tricks of the trade”. 

1.      Don’t Be Afraid to Turn a Large Study Into Several Smaller “Cohort Studies”

For example, one could set up a product validation study with 100 random participants. If the results are classified as insignificant you could break up the data into cohorts like: post menopausal women, college aged men, college aged obese females etc. You may find that there is a strong correlation in one of these groups.

2.       Save the Pies for Dessert

Another presentation technique I have learned is the art of using graphs. Great researchers ALWAYS use the proper graph. Just because Microsoft Excel allows you to turn one group of data into any type of graph doesn’t mean proper graph selection is unimportant. Steven Phew is considered by many to be the world’s leading expert on graph selection and he has written numerous publications on graph types and color scheme optimization. In his most famous publication, “Save the Pies for Dessert” Steven cautions readers to not use pie graphs. Additionally, he suggests that 3D bar graphs are confusing and misleading.

3.      Thoughtfully Scale your Graphs

First, you must carefully determine how you will label your axes to convey your point to the audience.  After you have labeled your axes you must determine which units you will use on each axis. Then you must decide how you will scale your axes. The following graphs illustrate the importance of proper scaling.

(Indicates Insignificant Difference)

(Indicates Significant Difference)

4.      No Significance can be Extremely Significant

The purpose of most intervention studies is to “prove” that a given stimuli either positively or negatively effects a person. Generally when data that has no statistical significant is frowned upon. Don’t down play the fact that you have just “proven” that a stimulus has no measurable effect on a person. These results are still valid and could be useful. Great presenters are able to turn nominally important data into home run presentations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

            Will Hawkins is the President of Will Hawkins Consulting LLC a company that provides cutting edge research collection and presentation packages for health and wellness companies of any size. Learn more about his company at www.willhawkinsconsulting.com or email him personally at will@willhawkinsconsulting.com.

The Cure to Cycling Induced Erectile Dysfunction

The Case for a Vibrating Saddle

            The Following is a research project I recently did on Cycling Induced Erectile Dysfunction. It not only describes the mechanism by which cycling induced erectile dysfunction occurs but it also explores a possible solution to the problem

            Cyclists perhaps more than other athletes have cause for concern with regards to lower extremity blood flow. Because cycling is a sport that depends largely on the aerobic energy system, must be readily available. Aerobic performance isn’t the only reason that cyclists require blood flow to the lower extremity. It is well documented that endurance cyclists often suffer from erectile dysfunction and decreased potency due to prolonged periods of decreased penile blood flow (Bressel, Reeve, Parker, & Cronin, 2007) (Spears et al., 2003). Additionally, there have been reports of severe, acute penile pain during endurance cycling events (Desai & Gingell, 1989). All of these ailments stem from hypoxia due to lack of blood flow in the lower extremity.

             Oxygen’s bioavailability is not only limited by the typical physiological limiting factors of  like the partial pressure of oxygen ( ) (Allen & Jones, 1984) and the affinity or strength of the bond between oxygen and hemoglobin (Anderson & Kippelen, 2005). There are cycling specific mechanical limiting factors involved as well. The most well studied of these mechanical factors is that cyclists are seated on a relatively small and firm saddle. The pressure from this saddle causes compression of the lower body’s blood supply (Bressel, et al., 2007) leading to loss of blood flow to the lower extremity (Mayrovitz, Delgado, & Smith, 1998). It appears that the dimensions as well as the rigidity of the saddle combined with saddle alignment on the seat post can minimize the negative effects of this compression, increasing blood flow to the lower body (Jeong, Park, Moon, & Ryu, 2002).

            One of the less studied mechanical factors contributing to change in localized blood flow is vibratory force. It has been documented that vibratory force has an effect on skeletal muscle blood flow (Kerschan-Schindl et al., 2001; Yamada et al., 2005) (Herrero et al., 2011). A team of researchers at the British Olympic Medical Institute published that they suggest two minutes of vibration platform warm up before every workout (Cardinale, Ferrari, & Quaresima, 2007). Not only is there an increase in blood flow to skeletal muscle but there is a corresponding increase in due to increased neuromuscular and metabolic activity (Rittweger et al., 2002) (Rittweger, Schiesel, & Felsenberg, 2001). Additional positive training responses that have been theorized with vibratory exercise include: soft tissue fiber realignment due to a mechanically induced massage, increases in maximal anaerobic power output and increase in maximal vertical leap. The latter two responses are believed to be caused by muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ deactivation causing a decrease in mechanoreceptor inhibition. This in effect maximizes the stretch shortening cycle (Fallon & Macefield, 2007; Issurin, 2005) (Giszter & Kargo, 2002).

            Vibration is however a double edged sword. The amount of vibration experienced, generally measured in Hz, determines the effect the vibration will have on blood flow. For example, compared to the non-vibration bouts, frequencies of 10-30 Hz increased mean blood cell velocity by approximately 33% (P<0.01) whereas 20-30 Hz increased peak blood cell velocity by approximately 27% (Lythgo, Eser, de Groot, & Galea, 2009) (Kerschan-Schindl, et al., 2001) Vibration doses smaller than 10 Hz have been shown to have very little effect and large doses of vibration have an inverse effect on blood flow. (Lythgo, et al., 2009).

            In the clinical setting, vibration is produced one of two ways. It is produced either  through contact with a hand-held vibrating bar or rail, (Issurin & Tenenbaum, 1999) or by having the subject sit or stand on a vibrating platform (Rittweger, Beller, & Felsenberg, 2000). Currently, there are two types of vibration platforms available on the market. A platform that moves or oscillates in a vertical direction (fixed frequency and amplitude), and a platform that rotates about a fixed horizontal axis (variable frequency and amplitude) (Lythgo, et al., 2009). When trying to mimic the vibratory force experienced by a cyclist, the force plate is more practical.

            In order for one to clinically test the effects of vibration on cyclist one would need to carefully mimic the types of vibration experienced by cyclists. One could mount a bicycle on a vibration platform and use a Doppler blood flow unit to measure blood flow with and without vibration. However, without the proper direction of oscillation, frequency and amplitude the results would mean nothing. Additionally, the amount of vibration experienced at the point of contact between the bicycle and the road will be significantly higher than what the rider is experiencing in the saddle. This indicates that the bicycle frame will have a huge effect on vibration absorption and transmission. As with any potential “first time” study it probably wouldn’t be perfect but it would get the ball rolling on a new idea to be researched. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

            Will Hawkins is the President of Will Hawkins Consulting LLC a company that provides cutting edge research collection and presentation packages for health and wellness companies of any size. Learn more about his company at www.willhawkinsconsulting.com or email him personally at will@willhawkinsconsulting.com.

Allen, C. J., & Jones, N. L. (1984). Rate of change of alveolar carbon dioxide and the control of ventilation during exercise. [; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]. J Physiol, 355, 1-9.

Anderson, S. D., & Kippelen, P. (2005). Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction: pathogenesis. [; Review]. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 5(2), 116-122.

Bressel, E., Reeve, T., Parker, D., & Cronin, J. (2007). Influence of bicycle seat pressure on compression of the perineum: A MRI analysis. [Article]. Journal of Biomechanics, 40(1), 198-202. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2005.11.017

Cardinale, M., Ferrari, M., & Quaresima, V. (2007). Gastrocnemius medialis and vastus lateralis oxygenation during whole-body vibration exercise. [Article]. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39(4), 694-700. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31803084d8

Desai, K. M., & Gingell, J. C. (1989). HAZARDS OF LONG-DISTANCE CYCLING. [Article]. British Medical Journal, 298(6680), 1072-1073.

Fallon, J. B., & Macefield, V. G. (2007). Vibration sensitivity of human muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs. [; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]. Muscle Nerve, 36(1), 21-29.

Giszter, S. F., & Kargo, W. J. (2002). Separation and estimation of muscle spindle and tension receptor populations by vibration of the biceps muscle in the frog. [; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.]. Arch Ital Biol, 140(4), 283-294.

Herrero, A. J., Martin, J., Martin, T., Garcia-Lopez, D., Garatachea, N., Jimenez, B., & Marin, P. J. (2011). Whole-body vibration alters blood flow velocity and neuromuscular activity in Friedreich's ataxia. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging, 31(2), 139-144.

Issurin, V. B. (2005). Vibrations and their applications in sport. A review. [; Review]. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 45(3), 324-336.

Issurin, V. B., & Tenenbaum, G. (1999). Acute and residual effects of vibratory stimulation on explosive strength in elite and amateur athletes. [Clinical Trial; ; Randomized Controlled Trial]. J Sports Sci, 17(3), 177-182.

Jeong, S. J., Park, K., Moon, J. D., & Ryu, S. B. (2002). Bicycle saddle shape affects penile blood flow. [Article]. International Journal of Impotence Research, 14(6), 513-517. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijir.3900929

Kerschan-Schindl, K., Grampp, S., Henk, C., Resch, H., Preisinger, E., Fialka-Moser, V., & Imhof, H. (2001). Whole-body vibration exercise leads to alterations in muscle blood volume. Clin Physiol, 21(3), 377-382.

Lythgo, N., Eser, P., de Groot, P., & Galea, M. (2009). Whole-body vibration dosage alters leg blood flow. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging, 29(1), 53-59.

Mayrovitz, H. N., Delgado, M., & Smith, J. (1998). Compression bandaging effects on lower extremity peripheral and sub-bandage skin blood perfusion. Ostomy Wound Manage, 44(3), 56-60, 62, 64 passim.

Rittweger, J., Beller, G., & Felsenberg, D. (2000). Acute physiological effects of exhaustive whole-body vibration exercise in man. Clin Physiol, 20(2), 134-142.

Rittweger, J., Ehrig, J., Just, K., Mutschelknauss, M., Kirsch, K. A., & Felsenberg, D. (2002). Oxygen uptake in whole-body vibration exercise: Influence of vibration frequency, amplitude, and external load. [Article]. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 23(6), 428-432.

Rittweger, J., Schiesel, H., & Felsenberg, D. (2001). Oxygen uptake during whole-body vibration exercise: comparison with squatting as a slow voluntary movement. [Article]. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 86(2), 169-173.

Spears, I. R., Cummins, N. K., Brenchley, Z., Donohue, C., Turnbull, C., Burton, S., & Mach, G. A. (2003). The effect of saddle design on stresses in the perineum during cycling. [Article]. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 35(9), 1620-1625. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000084559.35162.73

Yamada, E., Kusaka, T., Miyamoto, K., Tanaka, S., Morita, S., Tanaka, S., . . . Itoh, S. (2005). Vastus lateralis oxygenation and blood volume measured by near-infrared spectroscopy during whole body vibration. [Clinical Trial; ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging, 25(4), 203-208.

Bioenergetics Part 1: Creatine Phosphate

Bioenergetics is a field of biochemistry that explains how the body converts energy into a usable form to accomplish mechanical work. Notice I didn’t say that the body creates energy for mechanical work. According to the First Law of Thermodynamics, no energy is ever created or destroyed. All of the energy that we are able to convert to usable energy forms comes from the sun and enters our body through eating, drinking and breathing. The body has four primary ways of producing ATP (fuel for mechanical work), and over the next month or so I will be writing a post about each. First up is the ATP-Pc energy system.

So right off the bat we need to get some vocabulary straight. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is to the human body what gasoline is to the car. ATP interacts with myosin which attaches to the actin filament causing contraction. Once this contraction occurs the ATP becomes ADP, because it loses a phosphate in the contraction process. So this ADP can’t be used for contraction again until phosphorylation occurs (the addition of a phosphate). This is where the energy systems come into play.

The Creatine Phosphate energy system is an anaerobic energy system and is the first energy system used during maximal work. It is the fastest energy system because it requires only one chemical reaction to produce an ATP. A molecule of Phosphocreatine (Pc) meets up with a molecule of ADP and the enzyme Creatine Kinase causes the phosphate group bonded to creatine to join the ADP molecule. This makes ATP and leaves a creatine molecule.  Pretty simple, right? Your body can use the ATP-Pc energy system to produce roughly ten seconds of maximal work, and in about 2 minutes, it’s ready to yield another ten seconds of maximal work. Think of this energy system as a toilet. Once you pull the lever it takes about 10 seconds to flush all the water, and then it takes about two minutes for the tank to refill to allow for another flush. If you were to flush before the tank was entirely full, you would empty the tank, but it wouldn’t take 10 seconds to empty this time. The same is true for the phosphor creatine system. Fortunately, after the initial ten seconds of work, anaerobic glycolysis is ready to kick in and pick up the slack. We will talk about anaerobic glycolysis next time.

So now that the Creatine Phosphate energy system has been explained (hopefully), I would now like to talk about creatine supplementation. Anyone who has ever flipped through the pages of a Muscle and Fitness/Fiction magazine has heard boisterous claims of the unregulated supplement industry concerning creatine. For your pleasure/laughter (mostly the latter), I have compiled some of the more humorous product claims that I was able to come across on a recent trip to the GNC and have posted them at the bottom of this article. While there is a lot of ridiculous hype that comes with creatine supplementation, there is no denying that the stuff works. By boosting the amount of creatine stored in the body, the proverbial toilet tank begins to hold more water (produce more ATP) before it needs to be refilled. Wichita State University has been on the cutting edge in researching the effects of creatine supplementation in the elderly, and in a recent study they found that old people who were taking creatine and working out averaged 15% more strength gains than groups using the same workout protocol but not supplementing with creatine. This same study has been done on athletes and other people and has been substantiated over and over. 

So some of you might be thinking, “Why should I care about energy systems?” I reply with an equally thoughtful question (like Socrates). How do you feel about rigor mortis? Not only do your muscles need ATP to contract a muscle, but ATP is also needed to return the muscle to its resting length. This, coupled with the fact that at any given moment your body has only enough ATP to keep you alive for 2-3 seconds, should be enough to convince you that knowledge of energy systems is important. Thank you for your readership, and please comment if you have any questions, comments, concerns or rebukes.

“947% increase in lean mass” – Gaspari Nutrition, Super Pump 250

“234% increase in muscle performance” –Gaspari Nutrition, Super Pump 250

“26 times more lean muscle mass than those who use creatine monohydrate alone”- Cell Tech Hardcore

“148.65% increase in muscle DNA”- NO Shotgun

- Will Hawkins 

Rogers, Michael E., and Ruth M. Bohlken. "EFFECTS OF CREATINE, GINSENG, AND ASTRAGALUS SUPPLEMENTATION ON STRENGTH, BODY COMPOSITION, MOOD, AND BLOOD LIPIDS DURING STRENGTH-TRAINING IN OLDER ADULTS." Journal of Sports Science and Medacine 5.1 (2006): 60-69. Print.

Howley, Edward T., and Scott K. Powers. Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. 7 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Print.

Things a Wise Zebra Once Taught Me Part:1

It’s been a while since my last post, and for that I apologize, but I’ve been devoting most of my spare time these past weeks to reading rather than writing. I’ve been reading Robert M. Sapolsky’s “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers,” and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in biology and/or the human body. The aim of the book is to explain how, “prolonged stress causes, and or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions.” So you may be wondering, how does stress apply to human performance? My answer is, anything that causes your body to leave its homeostatic state is a stressor, and there for any type of athletic endeavor is a “stressor.”


With this post I am beginning a series of post’s entitled “Things a Wise Zebra Once Taught Me.” The series is an attempt to look deeply at the bodies physiological response to stress caused by physical exertion, and to better understand how this knowledge can help athletes to train smarter. I hope my summary of Sapolsky’s work is of help to you.

Any public school educated second grader has learned that as they begin to run, there heart beat begins to race. Any second grade PE teacher could tell you that the reason this occurs is to allow the heart to pump more blood, through the lungs, faster, so the blood can be delivered to the working musculature to keep up the good work. While this answer is enough to suffice the inquisitive mind of the average second grader, it doesn’t explain the physiological reaction that occurs, and how it is remarkably similar to what’s going on in the body of a zebra being chased by a hungry lion. While these two stressors are definitely different types of stressors, your body’s response is not.

When your body senses a stressor (physical or psychological) the message is immediately sent to your brain (hypothalamus to be exact). Once your brain understands what is going on it makes a quick call over to the pituitary gland which initiates the Sympathetic Nervous System which is responsible for getting the body ready for one of four functions: fight, flight, fright, or sex. First, the body increases the stimulation rate of the accelerator nerve, which is responsible for regulating heart rate. Next, the body triggers hormonal secretions to prepare the body for one of the four previously stated functions. Most of the hormones secreted are the same no matter which stress response function you chose, there are however minute differences depending on the function chosen. Epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, and later glucocorticoid’s are allways released into your blood stream to allow your body to kick into ready mode.

So this stuff is already pretty cool, but it gets better. Your body is actually capable of instantly prioritizing which functions are necessary and which ones can wait. Do you think the zebra is spending massive amounts of energy on digesting that yummy grass it just ate? Or taking brakes to stop, and hide behind a tree so it can use the restroom? No the zebra is sending as much nutrient rich blood as it can to the working musculature, and turning as many functions off as it can, digestion included. One can easily see how if this stress was to become prolonged how big of a toll it would take on the body. Fortunately for the zebra, it lacks the cognitive ability to realize that in reality there are probably always lions within a few miles. To the zebra, the lion is out of sight, out of mind. To the human it is easy to stay up at night wondering if that minor headache you’re having could be the beginning of an onset of chronic migraines, or maybe a brain tumor? Because of humans increased cognitive ability we are prone to initiating our sympathetic nervous system (stress response) and being unable to turn it off.

This last paragraph is something we will continue to explore in the upcoming posts. When your stressed your body does turn of functions, some of these are extremely important for healthy living (i.e. immune system). I hope this post has at least peaked your curiosity and will lead you to come back and learn a few more “Things A Wise Zebra Once Taught Me.”

- Will Hawkins

Sapolsky, Robert M.. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition. 3rd ed. New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2004. Print.

Wii-nie Roast

A few weeks agoe the American Council for Exercise (ACE) announced their findings for the “Top Fitness Trends for 2010.” While there findings were interesting and hysterical, they we’re not all that surprising.

Among the projected trends is the continued rise of Wii-nie's, that is, the people group that swears that the ridiculous gaming machine is the best thing to happen to the fitness industry since the birth of Chuck Norris. Additionally, 2010 might be the year for Richard Simmons get the spandex out of the moth balls and come out of retirement, because ACE says that people are going to be more involved in group training this year because many people can no longer afford personal training. ACE is again on the cutting edge (sarcasm) in “discovering” that American’s like to work out fast. Maybe this is so we can still have time to swing by burger king on our way to our 14 hour work day, consisting of just a little more physical activity than an turtle frozen to absolute zero (science joke anyone?)

While the previous paragraph was obviously a satire of the ACE findings, there were a few encouraging points taken from the mass survey. First, is the projected increase in “functional movement training.” Functional movement training at its core is training not just to make look like you’re athletic, but training to actually be athletic. This type of training targets specific movements rather than specific muscles, and generally rewards its followers with longevity and injury free living.

The second encouraging piece of information to come out of this article was the projection that the athletic performance industry as well as the personal training industry will continue to learn that degree’s and legitimate certifications are very important. As it is right now, most gyms would rather hire Steroids McGee than a strong, healthy guy with a Master’s in Exercise Physiology. This is outlandish and I hope that ACE is correct in there prediction.

Happy New Year
-Will Hawkins

Release, Press. "Time- and Cost-Conscious Workouts are Among the Most Popular Fitness Trends in 2010." Become an ACE-certified personal trainer and maintain your personal training certification with the American Council on Exercise. Also offering, Group Fitness Instructor, Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant and Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist fitness certifications. American Council for Exercise, 1 Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Dec. 2009. .

Basics of Skill Acquisition

Teaching an athlete to learn new movement patterns is a not a skill that is developed over night. Teaching athletes new tricks can be quite time consuming and frustrating, but the process can be expedited if coaches understand the processes of learning advanced movements. In this article I will attempt to explain and illustrate the four steps of learning, using a jump-shot as the desired movement skill.

Step 1: Unconscious Incompetence.
During this stage the athlete looks at the ball, tosses it around a little bit, but then sets it down because he is too embarrassed to attempt to shoot it. While the athlete may have casually watched a few basketball games, he never really noticed the mechanics employed by good shooters vs. that of bad shooter’s, and is definitely incapable of positioning his body in a way to correctly shoot the ball.

Step 2: Conscious Incompetence.
By the time the athlete has gotten to stage two of development the athlete is capable of identifying basketball players with good form, and can visualize himself shooting a sound jump shot, but lacks the kinetic awareness to actually shoot the ball himself. Coaches can help their players through this step by manually posturing the athlete’s body, allowing them to feel what it’s like to shoot a proper jump shot. This will go a long way in helping the athletes CNS to develop the proper neural pathways needed for skill acquisition.

Step 3. Conscious Competence.
 During this stage the athlete can shoot proper jump-shot’s as long as he is thinking deeply about the movement, and nothing else. He can shoot jump-shot’s as long as he’s spotting up, but is unable to shoot properly off the dribble. Advancement to the next step usually takes a while, but can be expedited by developing an oscillating program of jump-shot’s (skill work) and conditioning/already acquired skills-work. I would recommend never working on the acquisition of a skill for longer than 10 or 15 minutes before taking some type of break, whether active or passive.

Step 4. Unconscious Competence.

 At this point the athlete can shoot jump-shots with near perfect form, in a variety of different circumstances without even thinking about it. While step four is the last step, it isn’t the end. All athletes are capable of backsliding if regular skill development/maintenance drills are not employed. This is why NBA players still practice. Ok, well maybe Allen Iverson doesn’t practice. I stand corrected…

I hope this has been helpful. The most important thing is never give up on an athlete, and definitely never let you’re athlete know that you’ve given up on him. Also, during the kinetic linking stages of skill acquisition DO NOT be afraid to put your hands on your athlete. During the early stages of kinetic linking it is imperative that your athlete feels what a proper repetition feels like, even if you have to manipulate that body positioning for them.

-Merry Christmas, Will Hawkins

Seagrave, Loren. "Loren Seagrave – Neuro-Biomechanics of Maximum Velocity

SpeedEndurance.com." Speed endurance . com. Success in Track & Field and Life.. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. .