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Below is a quick summary of the podcast. If you want to embrace the chaos that is 'Chat Sh*t Get Fit' we'd highly recommend listening above!
Prime Hydration Drink
Prime Hydration Drink is a beverage developed by KSI and Logan Paul, two well-known YouTubers. There is no doubt that Prime hydration drink has taken the market by storm, selling out pretty much everywhere it is stocked and at an inflated price in some places where it is available.
The question is, is Prime hydration drink worth it? It is primarily because of KSI & Logan Paul that Prime hydration drink has become so popular, rather than because of its effectiveness or quality.
So what's In Prime Hydration Drink?
Prime hydration drinks are primarily made from filtered water, as one would expect from a hydration drink.
In addition, Prime Hydration Drink contains 10% coconut water, which is about 50 millilitres, which is not a lot. In our opinion, the addition of coconut water is a bit of a buzz word, since people now associate coconut water with energy.
Spoiler alert: the addition of coconut water is not particularly noteworthy. In many cases, the appeal to nature is that coconut water is magical and particularly at only 50ml, it is not.
The Prime hydration drink contains only 20-25 calories, as you would expect from such a beverage, and it also contains electrolytes, which are needed if you drink a large amount of water during the day.
It is pertinent to note, however, that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and sodium should alleviate the need for a specific electrolyte drink.
If you take part in sports that involve heavy sweating, Prime hydration drink and its electrolytes could be beneficial. However, Prime hydration drink is not marketed as a sports beverage.
Prime hydration drink also contains antioxidants which is essentially another buzzword used in the health drinks industry. The 'antioxidants' in Prime hydration drink are no more potent than those found in fruit or vegetables.
In addition, Prime hydration drink contains 250 mg of BCAA (branched-chain amino acids). I would like to emphasize that Prime hydration drink is NOT marketed as a sports drink and, even if it were, the amount of BCAA it contains would be of no benefit to the user.
To conclude, this is merely a 'fancy' hydration drink backed by its star owners, KSI and Logan Paul. Obviously, you are free to drink what you wish, but if you intend to drink Prime hydration drinks to benefit your health, we recommend looking elsewhere.
Additionally, if you are paying £20 for a bottle of Prime hydration drink, you should have your head examined immediately.
Does Fake Meat Work?
As the name implies, fake meat refers to 'meat substitutes' that are often made from plants rather than animals, and yes, it can be effective. There are a number of fake meats available today, such as sausages, meatballs, steaks, chicken, and even fish.
We are not huge fans of the term 'fake meat' since calling something fake automatically gives it a negative connotation. When I tell you to try this meat and then this 'fake meat', you would probably have already made up your mind, based on your own biases.
Typically, when people ask 'does it work', they are referring to its ability to enhance muscle growth and maintain performance.
In fact, Roberts et al have conducted a randomised crossover study on fake meat, [1] which examines the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance.
The study examined a whole food plant-based diet, which would consist of legumes, seeds, etc., avoiding fake meats.
Then they looked at plant-based diets with meat substitutes (fake meat), and then we have the omnivore diet, which is what most people follow, and includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish.
One of the major takeaways from the study was that the effect on performance and body composition was negligible. In essence, there was no real difference, which is quite significant.
It was suggested that the lack of real differences in performance was due to the adequate consumption of carbohydrates across all diets. Since most carbs are vegan anyway, such as pasta, rice, and potatoes, carbs are never really an issue.
The fact that they were getting adequate carbs still meant they were likely doing enough to sustain the activity they had been engaging in. In terms of diet satisfaction, the meat substitute performed worse than the meat.
The term satisfaction is often associated with taste, but this study took into account other factors, such as availability. Despite the rising popularity of veganism, it is still not mainstream, so you cannot just walk into your local convenience store and purchase fake meat.
As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to consistently source fake meat, and even when you do, it can sometimes prove to be more expensive than real meat.
There is also a connection between fake meat satisfaction and the term 'fake.' The term 'processed crap' is sometimes associated with fake meat, but what you may find interesting is that processing is actually an enhancement rather than a detriment. Protein digestibility is the primary reason for this.
Getting it from real meat or fake meat does not make a significant difference as long as you receive 1.6g per kg of bodyweight + per day.
Listen to the full podcast above to gain a deeper understanding of this topic. (Fake meat portion begins at 11:45) The bottom line is that you can absolutely support an active, healthy lifestyle by eating fake meat.
Maximising Strength At Home
We've got a brand new paper which explores maximizing strength at home or in a rehab situation. [2] This paper goes into the practical applications for specialist situations when maximising/maintaining strength..
Specifically they mentioned things like, military deployment, so if you are serving this could be particularly useful. They also mentioned maximizing strength while at home with limited kit etc or when recovering from an injury and you can't do much.
No Load Interventions
No-load interventions have the obvious advantage of not requiring equipment and not exposing the injured limb to undue mechanical forces.
In this paper, three examples of no-load interventions are discussed: motor imagery, contralateral limb training, and passive blood flow restriction (BFR).
Motor imagery: This might sound strange at first, but you are essentially imagining that you are doing the lift. In other words, you might imagine you are performing a deadlift without any equipment at all, even going through the motions.
Using motor imagery seems to have the potential of attenuating the loss of strength across the board. Therefore, clinicians might consider using motor imagery to preserve strength without exposing the injured limb to excessive mechanical stress.
Contralateral Limb Training: This method is more appropriate for situations in which there is an injured limb. In contralateral limb training, you train one side of the body, such as the left leg, while strengthening the opposite side.
It is essentially through the "cross-education" effect that unilateral training of an uninjured limb can preserve strength in an injured limb.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR): As the name implies, blood flow restriction involves restricting the supply of blood to enable 'gains'. The practical applications of BFR are not the most basic, so we suggest reading this review by Patterson et al., which provides practical recommendations and safety considerations for the use of BFR in various contexts. [3]
Low Load Interventions
Low load interventions are when we have limited equipment, so maybe a couple of dumbbells, resistance bands, bags filled with sand etc.
The purpose of low load interventions is therefore to maximize strength while at home or on a military deployment where kit is limited.
Individuals can partially compensate for the lack of adequate external load by exercising with maximal mental effort (i.e., low-load but high-effort exercise)
When performing a load intervention, you should perform any given activity at an appropriate intensity close to failure.
However, it is pertinent to note that lifting light loads with a high level of effort produces smaller strength gains than lifting heavier loads with a high level of effort, which is the traditional method of conducting strength training.
Additionally, low-load interventions are likely to be more effective at increasing or maintaining strength than no-load interventions.
The conclusion is that, while these methods are valuable alternatives in specialized situations, they do not provide optimum strength in general.
Traditional, multiple-set, heavy RE is well-established for improving strength because it requires maximal mental effort leading to forceful, concentric-eccentric muscle actions through a full range of motion, as well as induces muscular metabolic stress
Articles & Studies Mentioned
[1] SWAP-MEAT Athlete (study with appetizing plant-food, meat eating alternatives trial) – investigating the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance: a randomized crossover trial
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