Body Composition Part II - Fish Oil

Firstly - I reread my blog from yesterday, and I absolutely abhor how incredibly me-oriented it is. Really.

Anywho. I will make up for it today. Less about me, more about the title of this post (and the last, which was a bit of a tease, I admit).

To begin, a few solid reads on body composition:

+ Joe Friel (of course): http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/06/weight-loss.html

+ Precision Nutrition on the importance of sleep to prevent muscle loss

Now let's talk about fish oil. I wrote of fish oil quite awhile ago, and have since made the supplement a daily habit before breakfast. I've been taking it regularly now for over 3 months or so, and I'm going to be honest with you. I actually do notice a difference in my body composition.

I'm not saying it's entirely related to the fish oil...but I haven't really changed much about my diet or training. I only recently started to strength train again (this is the end of my second week - so not nearly enough time to start seeing any visible results). The only major change was within the past month, when I moved into an apartment that forces me to walk up three flights of stairs every day. Other than that, business as usual. Here is the version I take:

As someone who lives with me everyday, I've noticed that when I gain weight, I usually do so in the thigh region. Unfortunate, but such is life. Since the end of road season I've put on somewhere between 3 and 5 lbs - and what I've noticed is that the added weight LOOKS different. Seriously. Not so much fat as...just plain mass. Muscle, perhaps?

An eye-opening study from Matt Fitzgerald's site:

Fish Oil Supplementation Improves Body Composition
You already know that fish oil supplementation enhances cellular health, heart health, and nervous system function. Now there's evidence that it may also improve body composition. Researchers from Gettysburg University separated 44 men and women into two groups, giving one group a daily fish oil supplement for six weeks and the other group a safflower oil supplement for the same period. After six weeks, members of the fish oil group exhibited an average lean body mass increase of 1.1 lbs. and an equal amount of body fat loss, whereas changes in the safflower oil group were much smaller. There was evidence that the positive changes in body composition seen in the fish oil group were related to a decrease in cortisol levels. The results of the study were published in the online Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

I did a bunch of research before I decided on a brand, and ultimately went with Nell Stephenson's recommendation. I like that it totally masks the fishy flavor (it actually tastes like lemon!). There is a wealth of information on the interwebs about fish oil, and I suggest you people get to reading:

+ Whole 9...and a calculator (I take 2 pills every morning before breakfast)

+ Mark Sisson..and here too

+ CrossFit

+ High Performance Nutrition

+ Precision Nutrition video

Lastly, in regards to my recovery issues, I reread this blog entry by Joe Friel. Noted.