Andrew L. Stewart's journey is a testament to the power of consistent effort, informed training, and a willingness to adapt. His story, rooted in a local fitness challenge, evolved into a sustainable lifestyle change, highlighting the importance of understanding one's body and seeking expert guidance.
The Initial Spark: The Bodyworks 90-Day Challenge
Ninety days ago, Andrew entered the Bodyworks 90-day challenge in Lubbock, Texas, a competition focused on achieving the greatest physical transformation in a short period. While initially motivated by the contest, his deeper desire was to establish lasting, healthy habits.
Years of dedication to education, career, and family had gradually impacted his physical well-being. As a father of three boys, with his eldest surpassing his physical abilities, Andrew recognized the need for a change. Heeding the advice of physical therapist friends, he understood the importance of integrating both cardio and weight training for optimal results and injury prevention.
Discovering the Kettlebell: A Turning Point
A recommendation from a friend led Andrew to Jason Marshall, a StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, and the world of kettlebell training. Intrigued by the promise of Pavel Tsatsouline's "Simple & Sinister," he began his journey, initially focusing on mastering the fundamental movements.
Jason Marshall recalls Andrew's initial challenges: "Jason expected to spend whatever time it took to gain the necessary mobility and strength to just perform the warm-up detailed in Simple and Sinister, which happened to be a month prior to the start of his contest. His main concern was the lack of baseline strength and hip mobility to perform a goblet squat. He noticed right off that he used his back during the bridge and made a concerted effort by practicing hip hinges (up to 1,000 per week) in order to efficiently use his hips during the bridge. He practiced 'naked' swings and halos intermittently."
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Starting with the warm-ups and practicing two-hand swings and get-ups with a 16kg kettlebell, Andrew experienced significant progress in the first month, losing 35 lbs. However, this initial success led to a common pitfall: overtraining.
The Plateau and the Need for Adjustment
Driven by the assumption that "more is better," Andrew pushed himself too hard, neglecting the crucial aspect of recovery. This resulted in a plateau and burnout, highlighting the importance of heeding the warnings in "Simple & Sinister" about overexertion.
Recognizing his mistake, Andrew sought guidance from Jason Marshall, who emphasized the importance of a well-structured diet and recovery plan.
Jason Marshall: "The main emphasis was to make sure Jason's diet was really dialed-in. After receiving a detailed weekly food, sleep, and training journal, we were ready to discuss where to make changes. The addition of a cardio session coupled with Simple & Sinister came when it was apparent that he needed some added volume, but not a lot of stress in terms of heavy loads."
The revised approach incorporated a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and strategic adjustments to his training regimen. This included incorporating cardio and waving the training load with the work-to-rest ratios. Light Day-1:2, Medium Day-2:2, Heavy Day-2:1. The reciprocal training load was used for his swings and get-ups, a la Simple & Sinister. He finished each session with a light walk to cool down. All of this was done first thing in the morning immediately after waking up and consuming a scoop of protein powder and water. He took another easy walk each evening.
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Compliance, Consistency, and Remarkable Results
Humbling himself and trusting the expertise of his coach, Andrew embraced a more sustainable approach, focusing on small adjustments to weight and rest periods, ensuring he had energy left after each session. He prioritized proper nutrition, hydration, sleep, and rest days.
After ninety days, Andrew achieved the "Simple" goals and began practicing "Enter the Kettlebell," his strength having increased dramatically. This new strength translated into real-world benefits.
Beyond the Challenge: A New Lifestyle
Andrew's journey extended beyond the initial 90-day challenge. He continued to make progress, achieving new personal bests and experiencing unexpected "WTH moments."
Jason Marshall: "Since the completion of the contest and the final edit of this article, Jason has lost an additional fifteen or twenty pounds and added significant amounts of muscle mass. He has begun Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell and has graduated to a 28kg kettlebell for his presses. He has also achieved four consecutive pullups, a lifetime best."
Andrew's success story underscores the importance of a holistic approach to fitness, encompassing proper training, nutrition, and recovery. It also highlights the value of seeking expert guidance and embracing a long-term perspective.
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The Science of Muscle Growth and Adaptation
Andrew's transformation is a real-world example of the principles of muscle adaptation and hypertrophy. While his story focuses on the practical aspects of training, it's helpful to understand the underlying scientific processes.
Skeletal muscle is remarkably adaptable, responding to exercise training with changes in size, structure, and composition. This adaptation, often referred to as skeletal muscle hypertrophy, manifests as increases in muscle mass, thickness, area, and volume.
Understanding Muscle Structure and Composition
To understand how muscles adapt, it's essential to understand their structure. Whole skeletal muscle is sheathed with connective tissue and is ∼75% fluid by volume. It can be separated into intracellular (inside the muscle fiber membrane) and extracellular (outside the muscle fiber membrane) components. The extracellular component is primarily composed of connective tissue and vasculature. Muscle fibers consist primarily of myofibrils, mitochondria, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Traditionally, ∼60-70% of the human skeletal muscle mixed protein pool has been characterized as myofibrillar, ∼20-30% as sarcoplasmic, and ∼5-10% as mitochondrial. Myosin represents ∼50% of myofibrillar protein concentration and actin ∼20%.
The Process of Hypertrophy: More Than Just Size
Historically, muscle hypertrophy has been viewed as the result of accumulating contractile or structural proteins, increasing the number of sarcomeres in parallel within muscle fibers. This leads to an increase in fiber cross-sectional area (fCSA). However, research has revealed a more complex picture.
While increases in muscle size are often associated with myofibrillar protein alterations, studies have shown inconsistencies. The relationship between macroscopic (whole-muscle) changes and microscopic (cellular) changes isn't always straightforward.
Historical Perspectives on Muscle Hypertrophy
Early research on muscle hypertrophy, such as Morpurgo's 1897 study on dog sartorius muscle, suggested that work-induced hypertrophy involved an increase in fiber diameter due to increased sarcoplasmic volume (muscle intracellular fluid).
Later studies, like Helander's 1961 research on guinea pigs, reported greater increases in muscle weights and myofibrillar density following run training. Goldspink's 1964 study on mice biceps muscles found a strong correlation between myofibril number per fiber and muscle fiber size. These findings contributed to the prevailing view that increases in fCSA and myofibrillar protein accretion are proportional during resistance training.
However, research has also challenged this view. Penman's 1969 study on human skeletal muscle found that different forms of exercise training reduced the concentration of "myosin fibers." MacDougall et al.'s 1982 paper reported reductions in biceps brachii myofibrillar and mitochondrial volumes and an increase in sarcoplasmic volume in response to resistance training.
These findings suggest that muscle hypertrophy is not simply about adding more myofibrillar protein. It can also involve changes in sarcoplasmic volume and the concentration of different muscle components.
The Importance of Accurate Assessment
The diverse findings in muscle hypertrophy research highlight the importance of accurate and comprehensive assessment methods. Researchers use various techniques to assess muscle growth at different levels, including:
- Biochemical: Analyzing muscle protein composition and concentration.
- Ultramicroscopic: Examining muscle fiber ultrastructure using electron microscopy.
- Microscopic: Measuring muscle fiber size and counting myofibrils using light microscopy.
- Macroscopic: Measuring muscle size and volume using imaging techniques like MRI and CT scans.
- Whole-body: Assessing overall body composition using methods like DXA.
Each method provides a different perspective on muscle adaptation, and it's crucial to consider the strengths and limitations of each approach.