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.

.

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!!!

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

My Restrospective thoughts on Biosignature Modulation

.

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

.

1. Body fat storage is correlated with specific hormones

.

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.

.

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

.

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.

.

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

.

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.

.

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.

.

But proponents say it works…

.

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.

. 

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. 

.

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.

.

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.

.

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

.

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

.

In my recent article Intervals Don’t Work I discussed the scientific evidence surrounding the use intervals for fat loss.  By why, if science says intervals aren’t that much better than endurance exercise, does everyone report such great success with intervals?

In my mind, there are a few possible reasons for this:

1.  Actually Doing Cardio

Before interval training became en vogue, many people weren’t doing much (if any) cardio.  Whether it was due to fear of cardio burning off hard earned muscle (which it doesn’t), boredom from endurance style cardio, or lack of the “cool factor” associated with intervals people just weren’t getting it done.  The additional calories from doing something instead of nothing could easily account for the “success” of intervals for those that were previously doing nothing for conditioning.

2.  Working Intensely

Many who were actually doing cardio before considered walking on a treadmill sufficient to burn calories.  Of course, exercising at this intensity is hardly different than sitting on the couch watching Gilligan’s Island reruns so it should come as no great surprise that doing high intensity interval work brings about greater results.  Had they done higher intensity steady state work the result would likely have been similar.

3.  Efficiency

Those that were doing cardio before and doing it with success (i.e., busting ass and burning kcals) realized that it takes time and hard work to lose extra fat via cardiovascular exercise.  Intervals (even if not technically better in terms of fat loss) were a welcome addition since they made achieving the same results possible with less of a time commitment.  So not better, but faster.

4.  Appetite Supression

While everyone knows that it is quite possible to burn off the same number of calories from endurance or interval training, intervals have the added bonus of appetite supression.  This could lead to less eating for those who are doing intervals and not consciously dieting.  It could also result in greater ease in sticking to a nutrition plan for those who need a more formal eating plan.  Personally, I lean slightly toward this as the most likely player for the relative success of intervals because the calorie deficit from any exercise is fairly dismal compared to the calorie deficit that can be achieved with food.

What do you think?

 .

I have to be honest and say that I was once swept up onto the interval training bandwagon.  But when it comes to fat loss, the research isn’t actually as strong in favor of intervals as you might think.  Check out my review on TMuscle HERE and let me know what you think.

Special thanks to Nate Green for editing my piece and making it look like I know how to write.

No thanks to the haters in the discussion after the article for the unsubstantiated personal attacks.  Damn interwebz.

.

When it comes to treating shoulder pain most people would agree that instead of treating the shoulder itself, you might first investigate thoracic mobility, scapular stability, lower trap and serratus anterior strength, and any other root cause that might be related.

On the other hand, when it comes to excess body fat, the same trainer or coach might tell people to follow a nutrition plan and exercise to lose weight.  In other words, they treat the symptom (excess body fat) with exercise and nutrition instead of addressing the possible barriers that were limiting people from doing these things in the first place.

To this end, I think it is absolutely critical that anyone  who is overweight or working with anyone with body fat to lose address the real reasons the person is overweight to begin with.  While a client may be able to stave their regular barriers for a short period of time (i.e., a 12 week commitment to a fad fat loss program), they will eventually have to face these issues or lose all the progress that has been made.  Despite the fact that you’ve given a person your very best cutting edge training, nutrition, and supplement program, they’re bound to fail if these issues remain. 

Moreover, (as an astute blog reader recently pointed out) people who have been particularly overweight since childhood will have more fat cells than the average person which might make it significantly harder for them to keep weight off so staying on target is absolutely key.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that I’m all about assessing people and knowing what these barriers are should be part of any fat loss client assessment.  Below is a great chart produced by Dr. Arya Sharma demonstrating how one might assess for potential barriers for long term success.  Of course, this isn’t nearly as sexy as saying “get ripped in 12 weeks” or “abs in hours”, but it is the reality and I’d be willing to bet that anyone reading this blog right now that doesn’t have the body they desire has yet to truly identify and troubleshoot each of their barriers.

Whether there is 100 pounds to be lost or 10, if you address the symptoms (like treating shoulder by taking Tylenol) you can eliminate them temporarily, but they will be back.

And by the way, never once have I come to the conclusion that a client is overweight because they haven’t purchased the latest supplement, exercise gadget, training program, or cleanse.  Just sayin’.

Please share your thoughts!

1.  I would be willing to bet that most people probably gain about 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s each year.  Moreoever, I would also be willing to guess that a vast majority fail to lose those pounds before the following Thanksgiving.  If those 5 pounds accounted for all of the additional fat gain for each person for a year they could easily accumulate 50 extra pounds in a matter of 10 years even if they prevented any further fat gain for the rest of the year.  Just something to ponder.

2.  I was recently being interviewed and one question that came up was what kinds of things I do with my clients so they don’t have to extensive amounts of mind numbing cardio.  Of course, I quoted the usual stuff.  Interval training, medicine ball circuits, outdoor sprints, and so on.

But there is one thing I’ve been doing so long that I completely forgot to mention it because it is just something that has become automatic.  When someone comes to me for fat loss I’ll often have them skip between sets for the entire workout to maximize energy expenditure. 

For total beginners I’ll just have them step up and down on an aerobic step instead.  For those who can skip like Buddy Lee on crack I’ll have them doing double unders until I can collect buckets of sweat.

Of course, you might argue that this isn’t the best way to build strength or gain muscle and I’d fully agree.  When you prioritize fat loss you need to maximize your output and that’s exactly what this does.  If you’re trying to lose fat and haven’t had a jump rope in your hands since childhood I’d highly suggest you pick one up.

Take it to the gym and see how many stares you can get.  But when your abs start to come in, don’t forget to send me a thank you note.