I mezzi della Programmazione
(rappresentano gli strumenti operativi attraverso i quali arrivare all’obiettivo):

• Allenamento pesi
• Allenamento aerobico (se necessario)
• Programma di supplementazione “NATURALE”
• Dieta

I metodi dei mezzi della Programmazione
Attribuiscono i connotati strutturali ai mezzi determinandone quindi la specifica tipologia sulla base della specifica stimolazione ormono-metabolica che la stessa è in grado di indurre nell’organismo.
E’ quindi lo specifico pattern metabolico ormonale indotto dal metodo che determina l’efficacia del mezzo nel raggiungimento del preciso obiettivo.
Il metodo rappresenta dunque il carattere distintivo del mezzo.

I due esempi che seguono chiariscono il concetto di metodo del mezzo.
I due esempi mostrano come uno stesso mezzo, nel caso specifico il tapis roulant porta a risultati differenti a seconda dell’ intensità (metodo) col quale viene utilizzato

Example A:
Goal: VO2 max improvement
Means: Treadmill (means for aerobic training)
Method (running intensity): 85% VO2 max
Main energy fuel substrate used to sustain muscle metabolism: Muscle glycogen (carbohydrate store inside the muscle). (SEE GRAPH)
Result: Obtained result

Example B:
Goal: Fat loss (through the prevalent utilization of fatty acids as fuel for energy production during the physical activity)
Means: Treadmill (means for aerobic training)
Method (running intensity): 65% VO2 max
Main energy fuel substrate used to sustain muscle metabolism: Fatty acids (SEE GRAPH)
Result: Obtained result

The example above indicates two fundamental concepts:

The same means (treadmill) performed with different methods (intensity) determines different effects.

The same means won’t prove itself sufficient to reach the goal if the hormonal-metabolic stimulation induced by the method differs from that required for its accomplishment.

IMPORTANT :
For reasons of space and descriptive necessity – and to also not treat each topic in such detail that it goes beyond the main purpose of these writings since the information here only serves to exemplify, and not to completely satisfy, the complex biochemical and hormonal processes and pathways regulating the physiological events occurring during physical activity – the exercise duration hasn’t been mentioned among the factors affecting the kind of energy substrate used to sustain muscle metabolism during the physical activity.
The exercise duration is also a method of the means affecting the main metabolic energy substrate used during physical activity therefore determining the success or failure of the accomplishment of the goal of fat loss.

THE METHOD OF WEIGHT TRAINING
The method used is oriented to attribute the weight training metabolic presuppositions to exert a trophic-anabolic effect on muscle mass for the purpose to:

promote its increase (if this represents the main goal of the program)

or

preserve muscle mass while on a restrictive caloric intake program oriented toward fat loss.

Important:
The trophic-anabolic processes on muscle mass induced by weight training don’t result in growth if the diet approach is caloric restricted (hypocaloric).
Muscle mass sparing is the result of the equilibrium between the anabolic processes (responsible for muscle increase) and the catabolic processes (responsible for muscle decrease).
Thus the anabolic stimulation of muscle mass brought by the weight training counteracts the decrease the muscle mass undergoes. The muscle decrease is because of the breakdown processes of muscle tissue (catabolic processes) elicited by the caloric restrictive diet regimen. These two processes lead at the end, therefore, to the preservation of muscle mass tissue (as a matter of the equilibrium between anabolic and catabolic processes).
The sparing of muscle mass doesn’t only satisfy a pure aesthetic necessity but, more important, it’s a metabolic requirement fundamental to optimize the fat lossprocess and to allow the fat loss process itself to remain active for longer periods of time without facing a premature “metabolic lag”, which in turn would greatly put a halt to the lypolisis process (fat loss process).

The mitochondria are the cell’s organelles that function as the cell’s energy centers.
Inside the mitochondria the nutrients (amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids) are oxidized to extract energy to be supplied to the muscle in activity.
While glucose can be used to produce energy via a metabolic pathway different from the oxidative metabolism that occurs inside the mitochondria, fatty acids can only be used as fuel for energy when oxidized inside the mitochondria.
Mitochondria are found only within the muscle fibres, therefore a loss in muscle mass (occurring either because of an incorrect diet regimen that’s not favourable to spare muscle tissue, because of an incorrect training plan, or due to both of these being incorrect) leads to a dramatic reduction of the mitochondria as well.
Thus, aerobic activity, considered with the same given volume and intensity parameters, will result in greater fatty acid oxidation (fat loss) in those individuals that hold more muscle mass, and consequently more mitochondria, than those who have lower amounts of muscle mass.

THE METHOD OF THE AEROBIC TRAINING
The method used for the aerobic training allows a shifting of the training toward a lipolytic metabolism rather than a glycolitic one.
This means that the accuracy the aerobic training program is formulated with guarantees that the calories used to sustain the muscle metabolism during the physical activity come prevalently and selectively from the fats stored within the adipose tissue and to a lesser degree from the carbohydrates stored inside the muscle and liver under the form of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen respectively.
This is a fundamental detail since the fat loss process occurs only when the calories used for energy production come from fatty acids instead of carbohydrates (or even worse from muscle protein).

THE METHOD OF THE DIET
The method used to create the diet leads to body composition improvement through both the favourable hormonal-metabolic environment induced by the optimal nutrient ratios and its synergy with those induced by the weight and aerobic training.

THE METHOD OF THE “NATURAL” SUPPLEMENTATION
This consists of a “NATURAL” supplementation plan functional to be integrated with the diet and to sustain the trainings while acting synergistically with them in order to optimize the hormonal-metabolic context that is required to accomplish the goal for which the diet and training have been set.

This implies 3 presuppositions:

Fundamental: the choice of high quality supplements within a market that’s more oriented toward business purposes rather than the exclusive offer of quality products, that offers, among the countless supplements, products of low quality and others that are less effective than the biological potential claimed by the producers.

Functional: the choice of supplements that effectively result in the goal the supplement program is addressed to.

Intrinsic: refers to the directions for their scientifically correct use.

The directions for use of the supplements are represented by the method and timing of their administration which greatly vary accordingly to both the typology of the supplement and in reference to the precise biologic effect aimed with the use of the supplement itself.

Therefore their correct administration meant in these terms (method and timing) determines the effectiveness of the supplement.
My personal knowledge on “NATURAL” supplementation has been acquired through my own personal experience with their use combined with the studies conducted on the supplements themselves, which satisfies the 3 presuppositions (Fundamental, Functional, Intrinsic) allowing the supplement plan to be effective toward the goal to be accomplished.