October 24, 2019
In this special episode that is a two-part lecture, first by me and second by my guest Thomas DeLauer, you'll discover how to burn fat and build muscle with a minimum effective dose of training. You'll also learn what sarcopenia is, as well as tips for maintaining muscle mass and functional athleticism, even as you age.
Thomas is one of the leading experts in the world of chronic inflammation and the response of the human body to a low-carb diet. He is noted for his personal transformation from a 280-pound overweight corporate executive to, not only being on the cover of health and fitness magazines worldwide, but also pioneering some of the mainstream awareness of autoimmune diseases and inflammation in general!
Thomas has been highlighted in over 20 magazines showcasing his transformation and has been featured worldwide on the cover of Ironman Magazine, Muscle and Performance Magazine, Natural Muscle Magazine, ICON Magazine, Platform Magazine, and Ironman Japan. His background is in sports psychology, and it is this passion for psychology coupled with a career in healthcare as a physician recruiter and owner of an ancillary lab services company that sparked his love for nutritional science and what makes the body tick.
I first interviewed Thomas DeLauer in the episode The Ultimate Guide To Quelling Inflammation: Why Your Curcumin May Not Work, Surprising Effects Of Ginger Oil, Vegan Fish Oil Options & Much More!
I then interviewed him again in the episode Does Alcohol Really Make You Fat, Which Alcohol Is Healthiest, Hidden Ingredients In Alcohol & Much More: The Ultimate Alcohol Damage Mitigation Guide.
Thomas's third appearance was in the podcast episode Magnesium Supplementation: Everything You Need To Know About Dosing Magnesium, Timing Magnesium, Forms Of Magnesium & More!
During today's podcast, you'll discover:
-Sarcopenia: what it is and how to mitigate its effects as you age [6:00]
- Sarcopenia is when the muscles become smaller and weaker with age
- Research suggests this is due to the muscle's mitochondria becoming less dense, losing efficiency, etc.
- Strength training can reverse the mitochondrial decline by nearly 40 years
- Length of telomeres can reflect that of people 10 years their junior when engaging in strength training
- Strength training is more efficacious than chronic cardio or endurance training
- The stronger you are, the more length your telomeres can have
-Case studies on the effects of strength training on longevity [10:40]
- Study on seniors who engaged in strength training showing lower odds of dying
- Regular exercise reduces risk of early death, CV disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
- Strength training, racquet sports, swimming, cycling is the killer combo for longevity
- Charles Eugster on the diet: “Variety is key…”
- BGF podcast w/ Dr. Michael Smith
- Laird Hamilton
- Dr. Daniel Amen
- Book: Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Amen
- Dr. Mark Sisson does short fast workouts once per week (lift, move, sprint)
- Article on Don Wildman's “Circuit” workout
- Tim Ferriss' podcast w/ Art De Vany
- Olga Kotelko stayed recovered and supple in her old age
- Key points:
- Eat natural fats and real food
- Constantly learn new stuff
- Lift, move, sprint rather than chronic cardio
- Put epic things on your calendar occasionally
- Ensure your training is e-centric
- Stay supple
-Two strategies to maintain and even build muscle with age [20:50]
- Book: Body By Science by Doug Mcguff
- Electrical muscle stimulation on the legs
- Heat stress
“Nerdy Ways to Lose Fat and Stay Healthy” featuring Thomas DeLauer
-Keep blood sugar as stable as possible in the morning [29:50]
- Fasting, keep protein and carb consumption to a minimum
- Insulin response and taste affect when and how much you want to eat
- Subconscious desire to eat interrupts our thinking
- Ingest fats you know will work with your body well
- Drink MCT coffee with caution
-Foam rolling in the morning [33:05]
- Lymph does not have its own circulatory system (like the heart)
- Requires muscle contraction to have anything move
- Fascia is where lymph nodes sit; foam rolling boosts lymphatic drainage
- Keto Flu intensifies as you liberate more fats
- Pain receptors trigger BDNF
-Strategic use of a sauna [37:40]
- Heat shock proteins (stress proteins) play critical in folding and unfolding of proteins
- Protect the cell by stabilizing the unfolded proteins
- Stressing the body in a sauna for a short time makes other stresses throughout the day seem mild by comparison
-Measure HRV based on your workouts [41:10]
- HRV is a way to analyze the parasympathetic nervous branch of the nervous system
- Balance between knowing when you're sympathetic and parasympathetic
- Wear a Whoop or Oura Ring
- Difficult to differentiate physiological and mental stress
-Dry fasting [43:30]
- Forces the body to obtain water from its own cells
- Fat cells contain a lot of hydrogen
- Limited research on its efficacy
- It may shock the body out of its lethargy
-Training in a fasted state [46:10]
- Fat stores in white adipose tissue, then migrates into intramyocellular triglyceride fat
- You'll be more mentally acute
-Upper body High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) [48:40]
- Harder for the heart to push blood through the upper body than the lower
- More of a “perceived” workout
-Mess around with different forms of the ketogenic diet [50:10]
-And much more…
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– Study on seniors who strength train vs. those who do not
– Study on telomere lengths between twins
– Study on abnormally short telomeres in athletes with exercise-associated fatigue
– Study on seniors who engaged in strength training showing lower odds of dying
– Oxford Univ. study on the effects of playing racquet sports, swimming and cycling
– BGF podcast w/ Dr. Michael Smith
– Book: Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Amen
– Book: Body by Science by Doug McGuff
– Book: What Makes Olga Run? by Bruce Grierson
– Book: Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett
– NeuFit
Episode sponsors:
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Would the X3 Bar that you featured in an earlier show qualify as a product that accentuated the negative resistance? I seem to recall that discussion during the podcast.
I recently listened to a podcast and was wondering if you could refresh my memory on timing reps during strength training. I seem to remember during this podcast something like the lift hearing the lift or up movement should take one second with the return to position should take two seconds. I can’t find this in the transcripts so I can’t say exactly this was mentioned in this podcast or not. I’d like to explore this more so I’d appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
Also, I ordered some Chaga coffee today partially based on your mentioning it. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
Hi Ben,
Question for you about biohacking beauty. You’ve talked a lot about how to make your children more beautiful by feeding them lots of nutrient-dense foods like organs and seafood as they are developing. But is there any way you know of to improve beautiful features in adults? I’m talking at the bone/structural level, not just nice skin and hair. For example, I have a bit of a receding chin (I didn’t eat any organs as a kid)…is there any way to get a stronger jaw line, without plastic surgery or injecting fillers? Perhaps some device that vibrates at just the right frequency to grow bones? Or some fancy new peptide? Any advice on this would be great, thanks!
Thomas mentioned HRV would help him distinguish between mental (i.e. professional) stress and physical (training) stress. I experienced both sources of stress melting into one overwhelming burn-out, triggering Hashimoto’s, with very low or completely erratic HRV readings.
Even though I had been training as I used to for the last 20 years, with professional stress accumulating, at its peak my Achilles tendons got inflamed (and unfortunately they still are, as is my thyroid, even though after one year off business I managed to recover most of my mind – I am 62 ;-). I also heard college sports coaches saying their teams experience my more injuries during exam season, without any changes in training.
I am measuring my HRV now with Welltory (after having tried HRV4T and EliteHRV), but still have the impression that “stress” can both be either physical and/or mental. How can I make the difference in my HRV readings?
Thx a lot
Mat
P.S. any ideas for the Achilles except the eccentrics and shockwaves that I am already doing?
Hi Ben
I am wondering about the part regarding sauna use for heat shock proteins. Are you guys saying that the sauna is more beneficial
every other day for making the heat shock proteins and we should not try to sauna everyday. I am a bit confused on that part and
how often we should aim to sauna in a week. Also, is there a difference in say 50 minute sessions around 140 degrees vs. a 30 minute session at a higher temperature.
Thanks for any info!