Marcus Filly is a former D1 athlete and a six-time top-ranked CrossFit games competitor. We explore ways to build muscle and increase your metabolic rate  as well as burn fat with exercise and movement. 

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Full Video: https://youtu.be/hgDi45CUxH8

**Mike's microphone audio was a little messed up, thankfully Marcus was crisp, sorry about that

Connect with Marcus: https://functional-bodybuilding.com

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro 
0:20 Why you NEED to focus on Muscle 
3:00 Who is Marcus Filly
08:42 CrossFit brought more people to the gym to lift weights and get fit.
09:30 CrossFit brought differing modalities together and it brought community. 
15:00 Excess training isn't necessary 
23:30 Marcus Filly and Functional Bodybuilding 
26:00 Necessity has caused the fitness industry to adapt and innovate during lockdown. 
31:50 Functional Bodybuilding is a mix of functional training and bodybuilding with an emphasis on looking good, moving well, health and longevity. 
35:40 Uncontrolled intensity just to get people to sweat causes injury. 
38:40 Most people are not prepared for true high intensity. They do not have the constitution, nutrition, sleep, or resilience to handle more stress. 
40:50 GREAT STUFF HERE Marcus’ initial audience was those who had burned out from intensity training. 
43:20 Marcus Filly’s program gives each global movement pattern two focused touches each week. 
46:57 Classic CrossFit workouts were named, repeatable, potent expression of fitness that paired functional movements. Doing the same workout the next week, shows you how much you have progressed. 
53:30 Muscle is Essential!  you want good energy balance, a lean physique and fitness, you need to move/be active every day in the hours that you are not training. 
56:55 10,000 steps per day is a great goal
01:00:30 Discipline is where you start. It requires discipline to get going, before you can have momentum in anything.

New research finds that age-related muscle loss and metabolic disease are linked via shared molecular pathways. We dive into the science and discuss ways to slow muscle loss and preserve metabolic health as you age. 

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RESOURCES: Link to research, images and video: https://bit.ly/3irEFhq

Episode Time Stamps: 

0:13 Epidemic of Metabolic Disease 
0:24 Pandemic of Insulin Resistance: major problems 
0:51 Carb cutting and fasting aren’t the only way
1:42 Muscle Health is essential 
2:23 Poor Metabolic Health worsens blood sugar issues 
3:00 Blood Sugar fluctuations are inevitable 
4:13 Muscle & Metabolic Health 
5:02 Muscle loss and diabetes
5:32 At-Home A1C test 
8:00 Muscle loss is a major problem 
9:00 Muscle loss in the legs, specifically is THE problem 
11:54 Walking after meals 
13:12 Weight training is key 
14:36 Training to prevent disease 
16:04 Exercise is the best way to lower blood sugar 
18:58 Muscle quality and cancer  

Creatine has many health and longevity benefits for women--beyond just increasing strength, which it’s been shown to do even in people over 65.

Let's take a deeper dive into this research about creatine for women. 

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Time Stamps: 

00:11 Creatine can specifically help females. Creatine kinase levels and creatine levels change throughout women’s menstrual cycle. Estrogen influences creatine levels and creatine kinase. Peri and post-menopausal women can benefit from creatine supplementation and more creatine in their food.

00:39 Creatine is involved in energy mobilization and metabolism in the brain. It affects glycine and GABA synthesis, and sleep.

00:55 Creatine influences athletic performance, muscular performance. As we age, we lose the ability to retain muscle mass.

01:25 Creatine is involved in helping babies develop in the placenta.

02:00 Creatine is found in chicken, pork, and beef.

02:11 Creatine helps with ATP synthesis and resynthesis in working muscles. It is not an anabolic agent.

02:28 Creatine is very safe for men and women. Early creatine supplements were paired with excessive amounts of sugar.

04:50 With ovulation, when estrogen is higher, there is an increase in creatine kinase and more focus on glucose oxidation.  During the menstrual cycle may be the optimal time to supplement with creatine.

05:47 With the reduction of estrogen from menopause, peri and post-menopausal women may benefit from creatine supplementation. There is reduced creatine kinase activity.

06:21 Women have more to benefit from creatine supplementation because body stores are low. Intramuscular creatine levels in women are only 10% compared to that of men.

06:55 Vegan or vegetarian females have the most to gain from creatine supplementation.

07:10 Creatine boosts athletic performance during intense exercise. It helps to re-phosphorylate utilized ATP. ATP becomes ADP when you move your muscles, adenosine triphosphate to adenosine diphosphate. Creatine attaches another phosphorous group to the ADP.

08:10 During pregnancy, post-partum, menstruation, during and post menopauses, creatine supplementation may be important. Sex hormones affect creatine kinase activities and the expression of key enzymes for the endogenous synthesis of creatine.

12:40 Vegan or vegetarian females may want to take about 5 grams of creatine.  You may do well with 1 or 2 grams of creatine if you have sufficient red meat and eggs in your diet.

14:08 Anaerobic work capacity, the ability to perform explosive short duration high intensity activities, after 5 days of creatine supplementation, increases as much as 22% anaerobic work capacity.

15:30 During pregnancy (shown in animal models), creatine supplementation enhances and augments neuronal cell uptake of creatine and supports mitochondrial integrity in offspring. This reduces brain injury.

16:00 During human pregnancy, creatine may provide a safe, low cost, nutritional strategy to reduce intra and post-partum complications associated with cellular energy depletion.

16:20 Brain cellular energy production shifts with changes in hormones of menopausal women. They may benefit from creatine supplementation.

17:00 Creatine is a possible countermeasure to menopausal decreases in muscle, bone, and strength, by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and serum markers of bone reabsorption. Loss of muscle mass with age is linked with insulin resistance and reduced insulin sensitivity.

19:00 Depression rates are 2 times higher among females compared to males. This depression has been directly linked to with hormonal milestones, like puberty and menopause.

19:44 Creatine is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters that influence how we feel. There is a positive relationship between cerebral spinal fluid levels of creatine and dopamine and serotonin metabolites.

21:00 There is a 31% greater incidence of depression in adults with low creatine intake. Mood and depression improves with increased creatine intake from diet and supplementation.

22:35 Brain metabolism to support stages of sleep and wavelengths associated with sleep can be improved with creatine.

22:46 Creatine supports greater neuronal ATP resynthesis, impacting memory, attention, and cognition. Brain concentrations vary with age, lifestyle choices and other factors.  Sleep deprivation can deplete neuronal creatine levels.

23:30 A loading phase of creatine may be helpful. In general, of benefit may be a loading phase of 10 to 20 grams for about 5 days with a maintenance phase of 2 to 5 grams per day. Mike supplements with creatine before and after exercise (sometimes during). It is not stimulatory.

Vitamin D sure gets a lot of airtime, but Vitamin A is equally as important to immune health and beyond. Here's some new details about this important fatty nutrient should know about.

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Time Stamps:

00:18 Vitamin is as much or more protective than vitamin D.

01:15 The 3 forms of vitamin A are retinol, retinoic acid and retinal. Retinoic acid is the most bioactive form. Cod liver, liver and carrots are rich in vitamin A.

02:22 Vitamin A helps to induce immune tolerance. Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a loss of tolerance. The immune system overreacts to tissues that it shouldn’t.

03:44 You may benefit from increasing intake of vitamin A if you have allergies, skin issues or systemic autoimmune disease. Chronic use of vitamin A, 5,000 to 10,000 IU, may be beneficial.

04:05 If you believe that you have contracted an illness or pathogen, you can do short term supraphysiologic levels of retinoic acid or retinol. For non-pregnant adults, this is between 100,000 and 200,000 IU for several days.

05:20 Retinoic acid increases activity of T regulatory cells.

05:57 T regulatory cells help to pull back unrestrained inflammation and aggression toward cell tissues. Overweight and obese people have lower amounts of T regulatory cells. Leptin, from fat tissue, suppresses functional activity of T regulatory cells.

06:33 If you have a metabolic disorder, like obesity or insulin resistance, you can manifest immunologic disease like allergies, cancer, and susceptibility to severe infection. You can exercise, do some fasting, eat real food and try vitamin D and vitamin A supplementation from diet or supplements.

08:20 Mucosal immunity is immunoglobulin antibodies from T cells in the mucus membranes of your nose, lungs, saliva, and GI tract. Vitamin A helps to prime these immune cells as part of the mucosal memory.  Your mucosa is part of your front-line defense, and they are highly influenced by vitamin A and vitamin D.

09:45 The retinoic acid receptor is very close to the vitamin D receptor, and they share signaling pathways.

 

 

Bill Harris, PhD has been studying lipids, heart disease biomarkers, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3 testing since 1980. He’s a wealth of knowledge in the area of how omega-3 fats impact behavior/aggression, cardiovascular disease, triglyceride metabolism and fat oxidation and more.*

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Link to Video and Notes: https://bit.ly/3CLKike

Time Stamps

01:20 Omega 3s tend to be disregarded by the medical community because they are in the nutritional world.

03:46 The omega 3 index is a risk marker which can be affected by supplementation.

06:09 Every cell in your body has omega 3 in its membranes. If omega 3s are chronically low, your body wears out faster.

06:50 Omega 3s change cell membrane flexibility and fluidity.

07:35 Omega 3s are anti-inflammatory. They can prevent platelets from getting sticky. They lower triglycerides. They lower blood pressure.

10:21 Omega 3 can lower cholesterol.

11:02 Omega 3 and omega 6 work the same on cholesterol.

11:21 When you take saturated fat out of the diet, cholesterol goes down.

11:45 Fish oil pills with no change in diet did not bring down cholesterol levels.

15:17 You need both EPA and DHA, according to Dr. Harris.

18:34 Omega 3s shut down genes that make triglycerides.

19:44 Omega 3s may cool the inflammatory response.

21:04 Omega 3s don’t help with weight loss.

22:20 A study showed that fish oil help preserve lean muscle mass in resistance training and aerobics.

25:37 Omega 3s have been shown to be an antioxidant. Eat fish the day you cook it.

29:04 Individuals who have a history of violent crimes have low levels of omega 3s. Also, prisoners who cause more trouble in the prison, have lower omega 3s.

30:37 People with low omega 3s are more susceptible to panic and anxiety.

32:57 Raising HDL levels does not decrease cardio vascular risk, and some studies show it may increase it.

35:46 The omega 3 index is the amount of EPA and DHA in a red blood cell membrane. The red blood cell is tested because the amount of EPA/DHA is a reflection of the other cells in the body, and it is easier to access.

36:46 The average American tests at 4 to 5% on omega 3s, but 8 to 12% index is the target for optimal cardiovascular health.

39:20 A US Physicians Health study showed that a high omega 3 index is associated with about a 90% lower risk of sudden cardiac death.

40:43 Omega 3s prolong gestation.

42:53 There is evidence that omega 3s help both males and females with invitro fertilization and implantation.

47:04 Retest in 4 to 6 months.

47:15 Bovine digestion destroys precursors to EPA and DHA. There is a misconception that grass-fed beef is rich in omega 3.

51:49 Palmitate levels may be an indicator of de novo lipogenesis. Higher palmitate levels are associated with increased risk for diabetes.

53:31 Higher levels of linoleic omega 6 in blood are protective against cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

57:38 Dr. Harris’ Desert Island Nutrient: Omega 3 is the most missing nutrient from the American diet.

01:00:54 Dr. Harris’ Elevator Pitch: Get the FDA to approve omega 3 testing and get US government recommendation in an official dietary guideline.

01:02:05 Plant-based/land-based omega 3 products require gene modification.

Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule in your body that helps create cellular energy in exercising muscles, among other benefits. We debunk the common myths and discuss the science you need to know about creatine! 

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Link to research, video and images: http://bit.ly/creatine-science

Time Stamps: 

00:30 Creatine helps to add phosphorous groups to ADP molecules to remake ATP. ATP is needed to move your muscles.

00:55 The food you eat is broken down into ATP.

01:00 People retained water back in the day when creatine was paired with dextrose (sugar).

03:16 Creatine is a metabolite comprised of 3 amino acids. Arginine, which helps to vasodilate and increase blood flow, glycine, and methionine.  Glycine is part of the glutathione tripeptide. Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid.

04:15 You have over 100 grams of creatine in your body. It is found primarily in your muscle tissue because they are energetically demanding.

05:30 Some cuts of beef contain 9.6 mg/gram of dry weight of creatine. Beef is rich in creatine, taurine and carnosine. It also has beta alanine.

06:05 Wheat, soy, potato, and corn contain zero creatine, taurine, beta alanine, and carnosine. If you eat red meat, you are probably getting plenty of creatine.

07:00 ATP is fundamental to cellular processes that underpin skeletal muscle contraction during exercise. Muscle stores little ATP. Metabolic pathways are activated to maintain ATP resynthesis.

07:45 Creatine functions mainly at the muscle level.

09:00 Creatine supplementation can be a multifactorial intervention across the lifespan in women with little to no side effects.  Creatine is not an androgen. It is involved in energy utilization and recycling.

09:35 Creatine supplementation combined with exercise provides musculoskeletal and performance benefits in older adults.

10:10 Creatine paired with electrolytes can improve power output and strength, because it works during the workout.

11:10 Anaerobic power and strength is improved with creatine paired with electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium). There was a 10 to 15% benefit in the intervention group in the WWU study.Improvement/progress is motivating.

15:25 As you age, you naturally lose strength and muscle. Supplemental creatine may help counteract some of the strength loss.

15:55 Electrolytes like, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, are transporters used to aid in the absorption and utilization of creatine.

17:40 Creatine uptake is directly impacted by presence of sodium, chloride, and calcium. Creatine uptake is reduced by up to 47%, when there is no calcium or magnesium in extracellular fluid. When concentrations of sodium and chloride are increased, uptake increases, even with no additional creation concentrations. Sodium and chloride are both needed for transport.

19:10 Electrolytes are often taken after a sauna session or before, during or after a workout. Sauna moves a lot of blood in and out of your core.

 

The Director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky made some egregious statements about how hope and "optimism" influenced health policy that impacted the lives and careers of tens of millions of Americans over the last two years.  Let's breakdown the key segments of this 60 minute interview.  

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Link to video: youtu.be/dMg1cqblrPM

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Time Stamps: 

Coming soon....

Investigators in Sweden used liver cells to see if mRNA from Pfizer's vaccine can be reverse-transcribed into DNA, as prior research shows the natural course of infection can cause DNA copies of SARS-CoV-2 sequences to be integrated into the genome of infected human cells.

Let's explore the details. 

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Time Stamps: 

1:00 Mike Intro 

7:15 Drs. Fauci and Rochelle Walensky of the CDC

8:00 Variants and vaccine escape 

20:00 Details of the new study  paper 

The carbohydrate quantity in your diet may influence your metabolic rate, a new study finds. 

Drs. Ben Bikman and David Ludwig and others recently discovered that high-carb diets slow the rate of fat tissue metabolism compared to low-carb diets. 

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Links to research, video and images: 

Time Stamps: https://bit.ly/3Kd6MwM

01:00 It can be easier to lose weight, manage blood sugar and keep triglycerides low, if carbohydrate intake is shifted to days when one is physically active. 
02:04 The mitochondria in your fat cells are part of the energy equation. 
03:11 Uncontrolled type 1 diabetics have a higher energy expenditure than expected for their lean body mass. The immune system is attacking the pancreas and your beta cells are releasing no insulin. 
04:28 Carbohydrates may cause fat tissue to become uncoupled. Composition of carbs in your diet influence the metabolic activity of the mitochondria within your fat tissue. 
04:50 Muscle tissue should be tightly coupled so it efficiently converts energy from food to ATP. 
05:08 Fat cells should be slightly uncoupled, so it wastes stored lipids. Brown fat cells do not burn fat for energy, it uses it to create heat. 
06:20 Consuming 60% of overall energy intake in the form of carbohydrates, causes more tightly coupled mitochondria in fat tissue. This is compared to consuming 20% of energy in the form of carbohydrates. A lower carb diet causes more uncoupling. 
07:47 Lower carb diets may cause you fat cells to be more metabolically active compared to higher carb diets. There was a statistically significant difference between 60% carb and 20% carb intake. 
09:40 If you are having a hard time losing fat, consider cycling your carbohydrates, or go on a 20% low carb diet. There may be an adjustment period for your workouts. There is benefit to intra-workout carb consumption.