A few years ago when I first heard Charles Poliquin mention Biosignature Modulation at a seminar I was completely blown away by the concept.  If you’re unfamiliar with the idea, Charles explained that he’d done caliper measurements on 12 skinfold sites with loads of athletes and discovered a relationship between certain hormones and the location of fat storage.

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Moreover, he suggested that these hormones could be affected by food, supplements, and training such that we could actually remove fat where we wanted to remove it.  Charles Poliquin had discovered the secret to spot reduction!!!

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I was so enamored with the idea that when Charles came to Toronto for a 3 day Biosignature seminar I was all over it.  My wife paid for my registration as a birtday gift (yep…she’s awesome like that) and I spent three days learning the protocol and brought it back to experiment with my clients.

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In the end, it worked.  My clients’ skinfolds went down, they lost fat, and looked better.  But since the program is pretty heavy on the supplements it could also get VERY costly.  What I eventually noticed was the clients I had that couldn’t or wouldn’t use the supplement protocols get exactly the same results.

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Over time I slowly found myself disenchanted with the system and I completely phased it out.  Below are my thoughts on the Biosignature Modulation system after having had a couple solid years to reflect on the protocol and its effectiveness.

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Note that these thoughts are not meant to attack or belittle coach Poliquin, but to express my opinion.  As Mike Boyle has said brilliantly, “there is a difference between disagree and dislike”.  Charles Poliquin was an early influence for me in this industry and has inspired me in many ways.

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My Restrospective thoughts on Biosignature Modulation

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As I see it, Biosignature Modulation relies on three central assumptions:

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1. Body fat storage is correlated with specific hormones

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While this may certainly be true (I can’t say one way or the other), a correlation does not equal causation.  In other words, just because the hormones and fat storage are related does not mean that hormones cause the fat to be deposited in certain areas.  There may be an association, but one may have nothing to do with the cause of the other.

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2 – Changing those hormones will cause changes in the location of fat storage

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Even if these hormones do cause fat storage in specific locations, evidence would have to support the notion that changing them would alter fat storage.  In the Biosigature system estrogen is reported to be the primary cause of excess fat store in the glutes and thighs.  If this were the case and it could be altered by changing the hormone then estrogen blocking drugs would decrease fat storage in this area.  I don’t believe that any research supports this claim.  As I’ve mentioned before, changing hormones doesn’t always result in the expected outcome.

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3 – Those changes can be brought about by manipulation of hormones with nutrition, supplementation, and training.

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This assumption is based on the fact that the two previous ones are true.  And while I can’t attest to the fact that there is no evidence for any of the strategies provided by coach Poliquin, one of the most popular seems to be the use of fish oils for accelerated fat loss in those with extra fat at the insulin sites (love handles being one of these sites).  I can say that without a doubt there is currently no scientific evidence to support this as explained by Alan Aragon HERE.

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And while you might argue that I haven’t really provided evidence that all of the protocols don’t work, I would suggest that the burden of proof when selling a product/service/system is not on the potential user, but on the person/company selling the system.  Their job it to convince me that the protocols stand up to rigorous testing and, in this case, I don’t believe they’ve met the requirement.

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But proponents say it works…

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With any popular system you will always get hard line proponents that are completely inflexible when it comes to questioning of their methods.  In terms of those using Biosignature Modulation, it can also contribute a rather sizable revenue stream to their business so letting it go can be economically challenging.  And, of course, there are those who are just afraid to question the protocol because it comes from Charles Poliquin.

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Personally, I’m not about to argue that those using Biosignature aren’t getting results.  What I would argue is that those results could probably be had with an appropriate diet and training strategy.  Moreover, when using Biosignature I never did see the specificity of fat loss that was suggested.  People lost fat, but it was pretty much what I would have expected with a good diet and training. 

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The one advantage of the protocol is that if people are spending a lot of money on supplements in addition to private training they might be more apt to stick to their plan.  As you’d expect, you will obviously see greater results with greater compliance which is a possible people report good results.

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In the end, if you’re considering taking a Biosignature course I’d suggest keeping your money in your pocket.  If you are considering using a Biosig protocol on yourself, I would highly recommend you skip it and stick to the time honored classics…nutrition, training, and consistency.

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There is no substitute for hard work.  There are no shortcuts.  If someone tells you differently they are selling something.

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Questions?  Comments?  Random Insults?  Leave ‘em below!

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For those who don’t know, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar during which practicing Muslims typically fast from dawn until sunset.  Absolutely no food or drink is consumed during this time.  This year I have a client who is observing Ramadan which means that he’ll be following this fast daily for an entire month.  And since Ramadan falls in the summer this year, the days without food and water can be longer than they would be in the shorter, darker winter months.

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I figured that since I’ve had to devise a plan to work with this client to improve his body composition during this time, I’d share the general layout with you so you can see what my thought process looks like in this instance.

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Note that most of my nutrition recommendations are rule based and I don’t typically ask clients to count calories or macronutrients very often unless it is warranted by the situation (i.e., getting extremely lean).  Since this client is a relative novice, adjustments are usually primarily based on portions and food selections to maximize fat loss and spare as much muscle as possible.  Generally speaking, it would be fair to say that I’m aiming for at 1 gram of protein per pound of target weight, but this is emphasized by food choices and portions instead of having him count grams.

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Wake 4:30 AM – Meal containing protein, starchy carbs, fruit and/or vegetable

Target = 60-65 grams of protein

Scrambled egg omlete with peppers, onions

Cottage Cheese with mixed berries

Two slices whole grain toast

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Training 6:30PM – Whole Body Workout

Day 1

Foam rolling, mobility work, activation/motor control exercises

A1: Horizontal Pull #1 (1 x 6-8 warm up, 3 x 10)

A2: Horizontal Push #1 (1 x 6-8 warm up, 3 x 10).

B1: Horizontal Pull #2 (3 x 10)

B2: Horizontal Push #2 (3 x 10)

C1: Lower Body Single Leg Quad Dominant (4 x 10)

C2: Anterior Core Progression - Plank Variation (4 x As long as possible to 1 min max).

Post workout stretching

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Day 2

Foam rolling, mobility work, activation/motor control exercises

A1: Vertical Pull #1 (1 x 6-8 warm up, 3 x 10)

A2: Vertical Push #1 (1 x 6-8 warm up, 3 x 10).

B1: Vertical Pull #2 (3 x 10)

B2: Vertical Push #2 (3 x 10)

C1: Lower Body Single Leg Hip Dominant (Single Leg) (4 x 10)

C2: Lateral/Rotational Core Progression - Side Plank or Pallof Press Variation (4 x As long as possible to 30 second max).

Post workout stretching

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Dinner 8:30 PM – Meal containing protein, starchy carbs, fruit and/or vegetable

Target = 60-65 grams of protein

Meat, rice, salad  (Actual foods subject to cultural habits.  Selections and portions are instructed.)

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Late Meal – Midnight – Protein shake & fruit/vegetable

Target = 60-65 grams of protein

Milk, protein powder, banana

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A few things worth noting….

There is no cardio/conditioning/energy systems work in these workouts because my client is not only fasting without food, but also without water during this time.  Ideally we would meet to train after his dinner, but neither of our schedules allow for this.  My primary goal with training is to spare lean mass during the fast.

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You’ll note that all leg training is unilateral as well.  This is in part because bilateral lifts were too taxing when we tried them early in the fast and also because he lacks the requisite mobility to adequately perform squatting or deadlift patterns.  Given that we’ve had a lot of time to work on hip mobility during the fast and practice the hip hinge I assume he’ll be able to kill these movements next month when the fast has ended.

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Nutritionally, I’m obviously aiming to keep protein intake to levels that will sustain lean mass and I’m not afraid to put in carbohydrates as they’ll obviously be used post-training.  On non-training days I do emphasize that he decrease, but not eliminate, the starchy carb portion at the dinner meal.

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All in all, I don’t think it is rocket science, but I figured I’d just throw it out there so you can check it out.

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What do you think?  Would you do it differently?  Leave a comment and let me know.

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Last week I had a guest blog posted on the blog of Bret Contreras talking about the growth hormone myth only to find out that my friend Anoop Balachandran had already review this HERE.  More to the point research hound Anthony Colpo takes us to school reviewing the phenomenon extensively in a two part article HERE and HERE.

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However, the point of this blog isn’t to rehash the same point over and over (although this might be of benefit if didn’t hit home the first time), but to let you know if an incredible article the I discovered on Anthony Colpo’s site that I think is a MUST READ for any fitness professional. 

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How to Become an Easily-Brainwashed Sucker in 5 Easy Steps summarizes several very important points I think that we all need to understand when learning and sharing information.  If you read nothing else today, make sure you check out Anthony’s great article HERE.

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Last week’s Friday blog was kinda fun and since I think Fridays are pretty awesome, I figured I’d post more awesome stuff.

1.  First off, if you happened across the Consumer Reports article a while back about the toxic ingredients found in many protein powders it may have left you a little spooked about using these in your daily routine.  Fortunately, my good friend Nick Tumminello recruited nutrition guru Alan Aragon to share his two cents on the issue.  Check out Alan’s guest blog on Nick’s site HERE.

2.  My friend Bret Contreras wrote an excellent blog post recently on load vector training.  Absolute MUST read.  Check it out HERE.

3.  Last week I posted a video of Emily Azevedo doing an incredible feat of strength, but this week I also wanted to add an incredible video of my friend and colleague Neghar Fonooni (who also happens to be the long term girlfriend of Joe Sansalone whose Prone Y videos I posted a few weeks back).  Consider this more inspiration for young women wanting to train.  Simply badass!

3.  And since we’re talking about badass stuff here, watch Damien Walters kill it in this video.   I know he’s got a more recent one, but I still love this one the best.

Have a great weekend!

DISCLAIMER

Someone once told me that if you win one thousand battles you still have a thousand enemies, whereas if you change one thousand minds you have a thousand allies.  A almost always try to write with this in mind.  But when it comes to children, nutrition, and obesity I get pretty fired up and I sometimes can’t control the things I say or write.  Today I do intend to present some factual information in an attempt to change some minds.  However, this is an area where I’m just itching to explode so consider yourself warned.

As I’ve mentioned before, I think that rather than being distinct entities, obesity and being absolutely shredded are simply different points on the same continuum.  Interestingly, it seems those who only have 5 pounds to lose face many of the same types of barriers as those with 100 pounds to lose (although heavier people tend to have more).  Moreover, my interest in childhood obesity is related to the fact that children generally grow into adults and carry with them the habits and behaviours they have learned in their formative years.

 
Given these beliefs, you can see why it might upset me (read: piss me right off) when parents don’t make the effort to give their children wholesome foods and limit their consumption of various packaged non-foods.  This post is for all of those who are parents, know parents, are thinking of one day that they might be parents, or have ever heard of parents .  Before I really get into it though, here are a few points I’d like to rehash from a previous post.

- The only group in North America in which obesity rates are still climbing is 6-9 year olds.

 - 90% of obese kids have a lipid abnormility (high cholesterol or triglycerides) and 50% have hyperinsulinemia.

- The best predictor for adult obesity is childhood obesity.

- 20% of obese children are likely to have a heart attack and 15% will have Diabetes by age 38.

Are you following me?  More children are becoming obese, many are having trouble with their lipids and produce too much insulin, they’ll probably carry this into adulthood, and are likely to have a heart attack and/or Diabetes by the time they’re 38.  That’s a pretty rude awakening.

So why aren’t people doing anything about this? 

Unfortunately, studies have now shown that many parents are unable to accurately determine when a child is obese.  In fact, in some studies as few as 18% of parents thought their children had weight problems when they were clinically obese.  (Without having seen any studies, I’d be willing to bet that many adults fail to identify themselves as obese either).  In any case, you might expect your physician to alert you to your child’s obesity problem, but further studies have demonstrated that physicians fail as often as parents to identify weight problems in children.  So not only are kids at risk, but parents and physicians (yes, the same parents and physicians who are charged with making important decisions for the welfare of these children) don’t even know it.

 
If you’re still following me you’ll understand why it made me completely enraged when I recently heard that a doctor told his patient to “not deprive her child of sugary snacks and junk food because that might prevent the child from gaining weight”.  What makes it even worse is that this woman is now using this recommendation to justify feeding her child candy, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs.

Guess what this is Doc?

While the above photo looks like yummy strawberry soft-serve ice cream, it is actually mechanically separated chicken.  After the primary cuts of meat are taken from the chicken the carcass is passed through a high pressure sieve to recover the lovely substance you see above.  This is what is often used to make chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and pressed into those little blocks behind the deli counter from which we slice off cold cuts for our kids.  Basically, your kids are eating lips and assholes.  Still think this is a good idea doc?

But don’t worry.  Kids won’t be eating this stuff if you buy them all beef hot dogs because the nervous system tissue of cattle was getting into the meat and the fear of mad cow disease has stopped companies from processing beef this way.  Beef dogs are probably really healthy now.  I’m sure chicken nervous systems are fine too.  Either one must be full of the nutrients children need for growth.

But they won’t eat anything else…

Then, of course, on the other end there are parents who say ”I have to feed my child this because my kid won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and Twinkies”.  Really?  Does your 3 year old do the shopping in your house?  And how exactly did he or she gain a taste for these “foods” if you weren’t bringing them into the house in the first place? 

I have an idea!  Instead of addressing your shortcomings as a parent and making the executive decision as a parent to provide different foods in an attempt to make your child healthy you could just let your toddler dictate their intake.  After all, it isn’t the job for the parent to provide guidance when a child when the child objects or creates a fuss.  I also think three year olds should be allowed to vote and preschoolers should be allowed to drive.  After all, they must have the intellectual capacity to make these types of decisions since they are obviously able to make good choices about something as important as their own health.

Oh, by the way, here is a picture of the 37 ingredients that go into making a Twinkie.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m being sarcastic and I’m flat out fed up with parents feeding their children shit because their kids “don’t like anything else”.  If you’re a parent you have been blessed with the gift of raising a child, but that comes with the responsibility of feeding your children the appropriate foods.

You might think I’m an extremist and that I’m probably going to deprive my child.  And if deprivation means that my daughter won’t taste McDonalds before 2 years of age (or hopefully ever) you’re absolutely right.  She’ll also be deprived of nutrient deficiencies, Diabetes, and packaged garbage disguised as food. 

Granted, she will have the occaisional treat like a home baked cookie or piece of candy every so often, but she won’t have a treat every day because a treat per day isn’t a treat, it’s a habit.  If you’re feeding your child junk food or sugar bars (otherwise called ”granola bars”) daily you’re neglecting your responsibility as a parent and you’re doing your child a disservice.

Please feel free to comment below.  If this rings true for you as well, please share this post.