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FitTips for One and All - Vol. V, No. 11

FitTips for One and All
Volume V, Number 11
2007

Presented by Fitness for One and All
Director: Gary F. Zeolla

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I would like to wish all readers of this newsletter a
Merry Christmas!

God-given Foods Eating Plan - The approach of this book is to study different foods and food groups, with a chapter devoted to each major classification of foods. First the Biblical evidence is considered, then the modern-day scientific research is reviewed. Foods are then classified as "God-given foods" and "non-God-given foods." The main point will be a healthy eating plan is composed of a variety of God-given foods and avoids non-God-given foods.

Milk Thistle (Silymarin) for Elevated Liver Enzymes

By Gary F. Zeolla

On most standard blood tests, you will see values listed for the two items mentioned in this quote: AST (or SGOT, Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase) and ALT (or SGPT, Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase). These are liver function tests (Abbreviations.com).

My SGOT values have always been normal. However, in recent years, I began having a problem with elevated SGPT levels. Below is the progression of my values on my blood tests. Unfortunately, most of the earlier tests did not have a SGPT value on them, but I did find one from way back in 1983 that did. Note that I always request copies of any lab work I have done, hence why I am able to make these comparisons.

It is somewhat difficult to compare these values as the reference range (normal values) for them changed from test to test. This may be because different labs use slightly different testing methods or newer research showed the values needed changing. But what is important is whether the results are within the reference range or not.

It can be seen that in the first two tests, my results were well within the reference range, but in the next test, it was elevated. sop my doctor re-did test a month alter. It was just within the normal range then, but then was elevated a few months later. In the next test over a year later, it was within but still close to the top end of the range, and the last one was near the low end of the range. So my SGPT levels went from being normal, to elevated, to normal again.

But what happened to cause my SGPT values to become elevated? That I really cannot answer. Something happened in-between the tests of '01 and '04 to cause the value to rise. My doctor's first recommendation was to not drink alcohol and to not use acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol®). The reason for both of these recommendations is that alcohol and drugs like acetaminophen can damage the liver.

However, I do not drink alcohol at all and I do not use drugs like acetaminophen, so neither of those suggestions applied to me. Otherwise, my doctor really did not have an answer or a suggestion as to what to do about the elevated levels.

When the first test came back with elevated levels in 2004, needless to say, I was concerned. But with the repeated test a month later being within the normal range, I wasn't too concerned. But then when it was elevated again with the next test, I did some research and found that the herb Milk Thistle has traditionally been used for liver problems.

So I began to take Jarrow Formulas Silymarin 80% Standardized Milk Thistle. Each capsule contains 150 mg of Milk Thistle seed extract. It comes in bottles of 200. I took 3-4 capsules per day. I took a couple of bottles worth. As can be seen, by my next blood test a year later, my SGPT value had fallen into the normal range. So it seemed like the Milk Thistle worked. But since the value was still near the top end of the range, I took the Milk Thistle again for a while, but again, stopped it. By my next blood test 18 months later, my values had fallen to near the bottom end of the normal range.

For both of these more recent blood tests, I had taken the Milk Thistle for a while after a previous test, but hadn't taken the Milk Thistle for several months before the next test, so it is hard to say if in fact the Milk Thistle was the reason for the values being normal.

This is especially difficult to determine since I don't know what caused the values to rise in the first place. Maybe I was inadvertently eating or taking something that caused the values to rise and then had stopped consuming whatever it was. But I cannot correlate the values with any particular food, supplement, or drug that I can think of.

It was also during the time period between the last two tests that I began following the eating plan outlined in my book God-given Food Eating Plan. So it is possible that eating plan had something to do with the dropped values as well.

But even with the uncertainties, I do know that if my liver enzymes begin to rise again, I will start the Jarrow Milk Thistle again. It might also be worthwhile to take the Milk Thirstily on a regular or at least semi-regular basis to protect the liver. I will also be sure to have my SGPT levels checked with any blood test I might have in the future.

So if the reader has elevated liver enzymes, all I can say is that Jarrow's Milk Thistle might be worth a try. Of course, you should check with your doctor first as Milk Thistle can affect the metabolism of some medications. It is also important to take note of any medications you are taking as various medications in addition to acetaminophen can affect the liver. Alcohol consumption also needs to be considered, as well as your diet in general.

I used Jarrow's Milk Thistle since I have had good success with other Jarrow supplements.

Weightlifting Exercises Videos

Starting in May of this year, I began posting videos on the Web site. These were all taken during my powerlifting workouts. They show the proper performance of a wide variety of weightlifting exercises. They also show some of my better gym lifts. Links to the videos are scattered throughout my various workout logs, but I thought it would be helpful to have all of the videos listed in one place, by category.  So Weightlifting Exercises Videos is a new section on the Web site. It lists all of the exercise videos available on the site. Below are two of the pages from this new section.

Squats Videos

Squats are the best exercise there is for lower body development and is one of the three powerlifts. But proper performance is critical.

These videos chronicle the problems I had with hitting legal depth and using proper form. But I finally got both right. Note that legal depth in powerlifting means, "The lifter must bend the knees and lower the body until the top of the thigh at the hip, NOT the hip joint, is lower than the top of the kneecap." (IPA Rulebook). This depth is seen in the later videos.

The shorthand is date (month/day/year), followed by weight/ reps, then supportive gear used in parentheses. Raw means without gear.

• First Video: Too High - 5/7/07, 315/4 (raw).
• Second Video: Too High - 5/7/07, 305/4 (raw). These were the first two videos I took. The quality is poor as I took them with a $15 WebCam. But the important point is, these videos showed I was squatting too high. I also could see I was leaning forward too much. This led to a long struggle with getting my squats down and my form correct. But these videos showed how important some type of feedback is. If you don't have a trusted workout partner to watch your form, take videos!
• Free Squats to Wood Box - 5/10/07. I switched to using my Kodak digital camera for taking videos, and the quality is much better. To be sure I was hitting true legal depth, I planned on squatting touch 'n go off of a wooden box. This video is free squats to the box to check depth. Here they looked good.
• To Wood Box - 5/16/07, 235/8 (raw). Strangely, when I tried started squatting to the wooden box in a workout, it looked like I built the box a little too high. I also didn't like how the box made me slow my descent so as not to hit the box too hard.
• Without Box -  5/25/07, 235/6 (raw). Since the box didn't work out, I tried squatting again without the box. I tried placing the bar a little higher on my back. But I still wasn't hitting depth on most reps and leaning too far forward
• Three Stances - 5/30/07, with only 145 as this was actually before my deadlift workout. I tried the box again, but I lowered it by 3/4" by taking the bottom board off. I also moved my hands in closer on the bar. This grip has my upper arms perpendicular to the ground. The closer grip forced me to hold the bar higher on my back. In fact, the bar just automatically fell into the "sweet spot" on my back that I problems finding in my previous workout. The closer grip and resultant higher bar placement forces me to keep my back more erect. I knew I was doing something "fundamentally" wrong, but I didn't think it would be something as simple as hand placement. I also tried three different feet placements, 16", 17" and 19" between my heels. The middle stance felt best.
• Form, Finally! -  5/30/07, 145/6 (still before the deadlift workout). With this set, I finally got my form down.
• Form much better - 6/4/07, 255/6 (raw). Form looking better, and hitting depth on most reps.
• Briefs and Wraps - 7/13/07 (Friday the Thirteenth). 315/5 (Titan briefs and 2.5 meter APT Black Mamba wraps). For this workout, I was experimenting with different briefs and wraps. With the gear, I was once again having problems hitting proper depth.
• Briefs and Wraps 2 - 7/13/07, 355/2 (Titan briefs and 2.5 meter APT Black Mamba wraps).
• New Canvas Suit - 7/23/07. I just got my Ginny Canvas suit. So after my squat assistance workout, I just had to try it on and for a light set with 235. I didn't even come close to getting down low enough. But that was good. I'd be using at least a hundred pounds more next week when I put in my first workout with the suit.
• First Canvas Suit Workout - 8/1/07, 365/2 (Titan single-ply briefs, Ginny canvas suit, 2.5 meter APT Black Mamba wraps, APT wrist bands). The first rep of this set I tried using a slightly closer stance, but that did not feel good, and I didn't quite break parallel. So I managed to move my feet out just a little bit on the next two reps, and that felt better and my depth was better as well.
• Raw Squat Video - 8/31/07, 255/6 (raw). Even with using gear at my upcoming contest, I still felt like I needed to do some lower end work. And the best way to do that is by doing the powerlifts raw. Depth looked fine.
• Final Workout Pre-contest - 9/10/07, 375/3 (full gear). This was my last workout before IPA PA States, September 22, 2007. With my new gear, I had problems hitting depth, but the last rep looked good.
• Final Set Pre-contest - 9/10/07, 415/1 (full gear). This was my last set before my contest. After all the problems I had, I felt like it all come together with this set. I squatted 415 rather easily. I changed the camera angle as I wanted to show off that I had four 45s on each side of on the bar.  At the contest, my attempts were 380, 400, 415. I came up with all three, but I got called for depth on the last attempt. Everyone at the contest said it actually looked good, but the judges thought otherwise. So I still had some work to do on depth.
• Squat with Foam Box - 10/29/07, 255/5 (raw). With missing my last attempt on depth at my contest, I decided to use a box to squat to. But I didn't like using the wood box. So I made a foam squat box to use instead. The box ensures proper depth but doesn't force a change in form like the wood box did. BTW, the song playing in the background is one of my all-time favorite songs, "King of Kings" by Barren Cross, a Christian metal group.
• Gear, Depth Problem - 11/11/07, 385/1 (full gear). This was the first time since the contest seven weeks before that I used gear on squats. Definitely, too long to go without using gear as I could really feel it! The weight felt like a ton on my back, and the gear just didn't feel right. But most of all, I had trouble hitting my foam box and thus proper depth. I came closest on this (my last) set.
• Gear, Good Depth - 12/2/07, 356/2. For this workout, I used my new Ginny briefs made with her new stretch denim material. (Ginny Canvas suit and briefs, 2.5 meter APT Black Mamba wraps, APT wrist bands). I still didn't quite hit my box. But the video looks like the depth's okay, especially the second rep. So I know if I hit the box, my depth is more than good enough. And I'd rather be too low than not low enough, so I will continue to work on trying to go just a little bit lower.

Bench Assistance Exercises Videos

These videos show the proper form and set-up for various bench press assistance exercises. The videos were taken during various workouts by this writer.

The shorthand is date (month/day/year), followed by weight/ reps.

• Reverse Band Benches - 5/18/07, 200/4. I took this video from a wide angle to show the set up for the bands. The light washed out some of the view, but it’s still not too bad of quality.
• Dumbbell Benches - 5/28/07, 60s/4. This video demonstrates my “alternating arms” method of doing DB benches. These are great for forcing a long pause with the resting arm at the chest. This video also shows the use of “Power Hooks.” These are great for getting DBs into position. They are available from APT inc.
• Clap Push-ups - 5/28/07, 8 reps. A great speed exercise for benches.
• Incline DB Benches - 6/1/07, 52s/4. I know it looks like I was arching for these, but I really wasn’t trying to do so. I had a wrap on my knee as it was bothering me at this time.
• Overhead Presses - 6/1/07, 95/4. Personally, I think overhead presses have some value of the powerlifter. They are definitely a great shoulder exercise.
• Incline Benches - 6/11/07, 145/4. This was when I first decided to compete again with gear. So I didn't think it was necessary to pause my bench assistance work. But later, I would change my mind in this regard.
• DB Overhead Presses - 6/11/07, 37s/4. In this video, you can really notice the problem with my right shoulder, that I messed up in a bicycle accident eight years ago. I was really struggling to lock out the weight.
• Chain Benches - 7/6/07, 110/2, with 90 pounds of chains. The last set was supposed to be a triple, but I missed the last rep. But I missed it at the same place I usually miss my shirted benches, so the chain weight is probably right.
• Chain Deload - 7/6/07. This video shows how chains "deload" if they are set-up properly.
• DB Declines - 7/6/07, 60s/6. A great exercise, if being almost upside down doesn't give you a headache!
• Speed Band Benches - 7/20/07, 55/6. Notice how I am pausing, then exploding off of my chest.
• Speed Band Benches - 8/10/07, 65/5.

See also Bench Press Assistance Exercises.

For videos of other exercises, see Weightlifting Exercises Videos.

All material in this newsletter is copyrighted © 2007 by Gary F. Zeolla or as indicated otherwise.

12/6/07