by Jamie Hale
My first exposure to Alan Aragon’s work was in 2005 while reading one of his articles, Myths Under The Microscope- Part 1 http://alanaragon.com/myths-under-the-microscope-the-fat-burning-zone-fasted-cardio.html, on Lyle McDonald’s forum. After reading the article I visited Alan’s website and read a couple of more articles. Since that time Alan and I have worked on a number of projects together and speak on a regular basis. If I have a nutrition question or need an honest opinion on my writing I contact Alan.
O.K. it’s time to get on with the show. Beware! The following interview contains, crude and sometimes insane behavior. Enjoy the thought provoking wisdom provided by The Best Writer in Sports Nutrition.
Why should most people drink milk? Where did all of the bad for the health info come from?
The idea that most people "should" drink milk is presumptuous, but not without good reason. There are people who can't properly digest milk, or are allergic to it. But aside from those folks, milk is a great double-whammy of bone and muscle-building nutrition. The preponderance of well-designed randomized controlled trials indicates milk as a benefit to both bone and muscle mass. The PCRM (A politically motivated vegan activist group) would urge you to think differently. As for the staunch anti-milk crowd, they need to pull their bunched-up thong underwear out of their ass cracks. It's clouding their sense of reason. In the very first place, no one has ever condoned having a 100% milk diet. At most, people are going to be consuming about 10% of their total calories from milk. As far as I'm concerned, 10% of you dietary calories can be from whatever the hell you want, and it won't impact long-term health, body composition, or other. I recently interviewed a vegan for a job position as a favor to a friend. She hates the idea of drinking milk. I mean HATES it. This led me to ponder the following question: how far do vegans take their veganism? Do they swallow, or do they spit in the name of being vegan? That's real food for though right there. No offense to her, she's a bright and lovely young lady.
Is the Glycemic Index useful for weight loss? How about health?
The glycemic index (GI) is a joke. The only time anyone can take it into consideration is if you're a SEDENTARY DIABETIC CONSUMING A DIET WHOSE PREDIMINANT MACRONUTRIENT IS REFINED CARBOHYDRATE. Not a whole lot needs to be said beyond that. GI is a useless index for health-conscious active folks who don't eat large amounts of single types of foods in isolation. Worrying about GI is yet another way people feed their self-righteous, misguided, food neurosis. In the vast majority of trials lasting 6 months or longer, GI has no significant effect on bodyweight or body composition. And keep in mind, this is in the sedentary, deconditioned population. In the fit population, the impact of GI is even more miniscule.
Why are their so many quack jobs working in the fitness industry? Are there more BSers or Liars? A BSer being someone who perpetuates information but has no idea of its truth-value. They have never looked to see. A liar knows the truth (or at least thinks they do) but deliberately misrepresents. Who is worse the BSer or Liar?
Well, that's an interesting question. In my opinion, BSers & liars can both suck it. I figure they're good at that by now.
What was your favorite part of the recent JP Fitness Summit?
Well, for one, I thought it was cool when you put the group through a training routine that kicked their asses. That was fun to watch. People were dropping off like flies, and the die-hards hung in there, but even some of those folks tanked out & white-flagged. I loved how one of my brahs (Karla Fisher) reflexively got into attack mode during one of your demos. Those who didn't actually witness it will never really know the awesomeness of the moment, but it was nice to see you subdue her animal brutality  . Pretty cool to watch. I also liked seeing Lou Schuler get grilled for his foray with T-mag. I felt like he handled the grilling very well. Last but not least, I loved meeting the new people who attended the Summit.
What are your current research interests?
My current research interests are 3-fold:
1) Get a better grip on the fundamentals. This means getting into the finer mechanistic stuff. While everyone was getting drunk and laid in college, Lyle McDonald was at the library copying machines, grinding out study after study. I remember doing that as well, but perhaps not to the same degree. Getting laid was also important to me. But the bottom line is, the fundamentals of physiology are what tempers the practitioner's perception against any claim that might be outside the realm of plausibility. In other words, if you don't know the fundamentals, how are you gonna spot quacky shit?
2) I want to maintain a grasp of the big picture. It's very easy to get lost in the forest by focusing on individual trees. In the world of applied science, it helps to be able to grasp certain patterns that are common to successful dieters, successful gainers, and successful athletes across a range of pursuits. One of the things I've learned from Alwyn Cosgrove (who keeps telling me to stop posting on forums but I refuse to listen) is that it's important to find the commonalities behind successful coaches and practitioners. There's a body of differences, and there's a body of commonalities. Focus on the latter. Interestingly, most successful coaches have a larger body of commonality than disagreement.
3) I strive to keep in tandem with the pulse of the current research. Let's face it, there's not a whole lot of revolutionary information occurring at a fast pace. Put differently, "breakthroughs" in applied science happen about once every 1-2 decades. The art is in staying abreast of the subtle improvements and subtle steps that comprise the evolution of what we know to be effective.
Could you provide readers with a brief summary of what will be featured in the new edition of AARR?
Easy. Here are the sections:
Editor's Cut: Towards an evidence-based fitness industry.
Guest Dissection By Matt Perryman: Effect of local cold-pack application on systemic anabolic and inflammatory response to sprint-interval training: a prospective comparative trial.
Nutrition & Exercise: Single Versus Multiple Sets of Resistance Exercise: A Meta-Regression [plus author Q&A]
Supplementation: Hydrolyzed dietary casein as compared with the intact protein reduces postprandial peripheral, but not whole-body, uptake of nitrogen in humans.
Less Recent Gem: Consumption of the slow-digesting waxy maize starch leads to blunted plasma glucose and insulin response but does not influence energy expenditure or appetite in humans.
In the Lay Press: Physique transformation through hell & high water with Adam Bornstein.
Parting Wisdom: Goal Setting 101.
Here's a more thorough description of AARR, and there's also a sample issue linked on the page:
http://www.alanaragon.com/researchreview
Favorite Exercise?
Dude, you're asking me this at the wrong time. Sex with my wife. I guess that would entail a combination of rows & hip extension.
Favorite Food?
I love all foods. I'll eat anything that gets in my way. There's pretty much nothing I don't like except for a Japanese food called natto. It smells like cheesy-ass feet, and it's slimy & nasty. It pretty much confirms to me that the Japanese are some freaky bastards.
Do you have any up and coming projects you are working on?
Currently, I'm working with clients and my research review. That's pretty much my life. The clients keep me grounded in reality. The research review is my baby, and it keeps me humble - amazingly enough. People who subscribe to the AARR are literally the most intelligent and visionary people in the industry. This statement is not just to entice the reader to subscribe; it's simple fact... I'm also working on a book project with a few brotesque individuals who are the true dark horses of the industry. Don't have a whole lot more to divulge than that.
I have one final question when are we going to kick off the Aragon - Hale Seminar Tour?
Honestly, I would love the heck out of that. Ideally, we'd hit all of the major health club chains (Gold's, 24-hour, Spectrum, Bally's, etc, etc, etc, etc.). I'd also like to get in front of the various dietetic districts. I feel like there are plenty of groups that are too busy with their daily routine to take a look at the current body of evidence and stay abreast of it. People are stuck in the 70's & 80's as far as their nutrition and training knowledge goes. Does some of it work? Yes. A lot of it does. However, our understanding of how the body responds to training and nutrition has evolved considerably within the past 2-3 decades. What drives my passion to do what I do is an underlying dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. People (most industry "gurus") propagate bullshit. The masses eat it up. Then, people wonder why they keep spinning their wheels, getting nowhere fast. That pisses me off, and motivates me to change the way things are.
To learn more about Alan Aragon visit www.alanaragon.com
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