Reasons for Difficulty in Raising Heart Rate During Exercise

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In this Feb 8, 2012 free audio podcast: What Does It Feel Like When You're Overtrained?

Also: abnormally low heart rate during exercise, the benefits of holding a position (isometrics), transitioning to "barefoot" running, is calorie "banking" effective for bulking up, the best exercises for maintaining bone density, can you make up for lack of sleep with exercise, treating pre-event illness, exercise equipment for kids, how wheat effects your brain, and nutritional advice for cancer patients.

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News Flashes:

• I'm becoming more and more convinced that late night carbs aren't an issue IF you're controlling calories during the day.
• Good proof that you should get massages (or use a foam roller).
• Ride a bike hard for 45 minutes and you bump up your metabolic rate for 14 hours.
• If you're working out in fasted state, taking amino acids before can vastly improve results. (This is Ben's recommendation for Branched Chain Amino Acids: Recoverease and for Whole Amino Acids: MAP Master Amino Pattern)

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Listener Q&A:

Audio Question from Stewart: Wondering why he can't get his heart rate to go high and if that is a problem.

Audio Question from Pete: Wondering about dips and what the purpose of holding a position is.

Dan asks: You recently mentioned that you tried and enjoyed Vibram's KSO Trek. I have been a fan of the Fivefinger lineup for a few years now and have done two off-road Tri's in my Treksports, as well as a trail 1/2 marathon in my KSO Trek's. I was wondering where you would draw the line in regards to usage and distance. Would you not recommend VFF's (Vibram FiveFinger's) or other minimalistic "foot-gloves" full time? Do you think mixing up VFF's with your typical "sneaker" is a good idea for training? I have learned that form is very important, but anytime I put a normal sneaker on now I feel like I am running on marshmallows and I am setting myself up for injury.

~ Here are the KSO Trek's I'm using right now.

Brandon asks: What are your thoughts on calorie banking/cycling for a bulking regime? Is "banking" something to do in the future on rest days? What would happen if I took a few days (like 1 weekend) to "bank" calories without exercise? Will a metabolism slow down quickly enough to turn those calories into fat without the stimulation from weights/HIIT on a daily basis? (Meaning I should keep extra calories to exercise days). Would you recommend calorie cycling for bulking like you recommend for weight loss plateaus?

Kathy asks: I'm a 42-year old female, and I enjoy endurance training. I started cycling a few years ago, and then got into triathlons. I did a few Olympic length races, and even managed to win my age group! But I decided to skip triathlon training this year, as I'd like more time for other personal goals. I'm focusing on cycling, but I like running and swimming, and some variety in the routine is fun. If I'm going to eliminate one, which should it be? My main fitness goal is to improve my cycling: the faster I ride, the more fun I have! And I'll be training for a Gran Fondo in the summer. My secondary goal is to lose a few pounds. Not only will this help my watts/kg (right now at about 3.3), but, as I've gotten older, it's more of a struggle just to maintain the same weight and not creep up. I lift weights once a week religiously, due to previous knee and shoulder injuries, and sometimes mix in some plyometrics. Swimming is very relaxing, and I like balancing the cycling with the upper body workout, but, as an older female, is running more important? I'm not sure if lifting once a week is enough to maintain bone density.

Bret wrote: I was having a discussion with a group of my early morning (5am) workout buddies. If you have the choice, is it better to get a full night’s sleep or to get in the workout? Lack of sleep causes a myriad of issues, fatigue, cortisol release, etc… does a workout trump the negative effects of no sleep/lack of sleep?

~ In my response to Bret, I mention my previous podcast on polyphasic sleeping.

Josue wrote: I have been training for the last 17 weeks for a cycling event on January 27, I have put a lot of time, effort and money into it. I have been really sick for the last 2 days with sinus, flu, cough, and everything in between, the good thing is no diarrhea or vomiting. What recommendations can you give me and do you feel that everything is down the drain? By the way, is a 3 day event, 375 miles and is the first time I do something like this, I am by no means a professional!!! I'm a bit desperate and everyone has a different answer, I figure you would have the correct answer.

~ In my response to Josue, I mention Oil of Oregano  and Enerprime.

Robert asks: We have a daughter who was 2 months premature. During her hospital stay she got meningitis and was close to death. She is now 7 years old and may have a slight case of cerebral palsy, but has not been diagnosed by her doctor. We had noticed she was very stiff on her left side. Her doctor recommended a physical activity to help her development. She has been in gymnastics for about two years, and we see a very noticeable difference. Her routine is basically a lot of stretching, running, body weight exercises etc. How can we design a system or workout for children to do ourselves what the local gym does. Why should we pay someone when we can have her run, stretch, do pushups, sit ups, pull-ups etc., right here at home and include our other children and ourselves.

Eric asks: I really enjoyed your interview with Dr. Davis regarding the consumption of wheat. Prior to listening to the episode we eliminated wheat from my son's diet after dealing with some behavioural issues and have seen a definite improvement. The improvement was so great we have begun to eliminate it from the rest of our diets as well and the info presented by Dr. Davis further solidified that decision. I was wondering if after your interview if you have any intentions of reducing or eliminating wheat from your diet? If so, it would be interesting to see what improvements you notice as you are so in tune with your health.

Ferdinand asks: Just had a friend tell me that he was diagnosed with liposarcoma cancer. This particular cancer is quite rare and thus the best treatment from the medical point of view is really unknown. I pointed him to a few podcast episodes that cover cancer treatment via nutrition, but I wanted to see if you could run down a few specific things that you would tell someone if they asked you for advice on combating cancer through nutrition and exercise. ~ In my response to Ferdinand, I mention The Burzynski Movie.

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