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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The common assertion in strength training literature (I use that term loosely) is that compound movements must be done (and short rest intervals used) to maximize the growth hormone output associated with training to accentuate muscle hypertrophy.

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Today my good friend Bret Contreras posted a guest blog by a really brilliant guy (guess who) investigating this very notion.  You can check it out HERE.

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On a side note, ever since I sent Bret the initial article he keeps sending me emails saying something about how Jamie Eason affects his “Growth Hormone”.  Not really sure what he’s getting at, but I wish he’d keep it to himself. 

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A couple weeks back I read a really interesting post by my good friend Nick Tumminello about the function of the upper traps.  In it, he suggests that perhaps instead of elevating the shoulder, the upper traps may have a completely different function altogether.  I figured I’d post this just to share and see what you all think of this interesting possibility.

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Check it out here —> The Truth About The Trapezius Muscle

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I also just wanted to let everyone know that Nick has just released his newest 2 DVD set on joint friendly training.  Having read some of Nick’s joint friendly training stuff on TMuscle.com, I can say without a doubt that if you or a client is suffering with joint pain Nick’s ideas for joint friendly training will spare you further pain while allowing you to maintain an incredible training effect.  I’ll be reviewing it after my copy gets here in the mail, but it is available this week only at a reduced price.

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You can pick up your copy here  —>  Joint Friendly Strength Training

(Note: Not an affiliate link.  Just think this is going to be a good product)

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