Dynamic Dialogue with Danny Matranga - 285 - Q&A: Intra Workout Cannabis? Energy Drinks, German Volume Training + More!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome in everybody to another episode of the Dynamic Dialogue podcast. As always, I'm your host, Danny Matranga. And in this episode, we will be discussing a variety of fitness topics and questions that you have asked me over on my Instagram. We'll be discussing cannabis and whether it can be used pre or intra workout to increase performance, whether or not you need to take a break from certain supplements, energy drinks, as well as the concept of German volume training, what I think about high volume training, as well as a couple other questions. So I hope you guys sit back and enjoy the episode today and all the questions. This episode is brought to you in special part, thanks to our awesome partners over at Ice Barrel. If you're like me, you want to get the absolute most you can out of your fitness and out of what it is that you're doing in life. I like to make sure that I'm recovering well and prepped for hard workouts. I like to make sure that my cognition is sharp and I like to make

Starting point is 00:01:08 sure that I'm doing what I can to maintain my long-term health. And cold water immersion is a phenomenal tool I use and have used for a while to help me do this. Cold water immersion or taking ice baths is a great way to improve your recovery and performance. Just a few short sessions a week can really make a difference in how you recover. It can increase and improve your heart rate variability. It can enhance performance. It improves mood and brain function. It also provides an awesome boost of energy and focus because when you hop in an ice bath and you get this amazing vasoconstriction effect and your body starts releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine, it kind of lets you reenter the world awake, energized, excited, and enthused. And I would

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Starting point is 00:03:52 icebarrel.com slash Danny and check out using the promo code Danny to save 125 bucks. Thoughts on cannabis use during a workout. I'm afraid it will crush my face. So, uh, before we dive too deeply down the rabbit hole of cannabis use with regards to workout performance, be it pre-workout, post-workout, intra-workout, like the question here, just want to make it clear. These are not recommendations. I am not a physician. And if cannabis is not legal in your state, then you should not use it. But I have experienced utilizing cannabis pre, intra, and post-workout. And what I will tell you, despite being what I would describe as a cannabis advocate, I'm certainly not somebody who is anti-cannabis in the way that so many

Starting point is 00:04:47 people are, is finding a reliable strain that could energize you well enough that it would markedly enhance training, meaning you would need to find a type of cannabis that you could tolerate that would energize you. Now, different types of cannabis do different things. Some strains of the indica variety of cannabis are more likely to cause fatigue, are more likely to cause lethargy, induce relaxation. Things that we typically associate with cannabis consumption. And some strains of the sativa varietal of the plant can be energizing. They can make for increased creativity. They can enhance feelings of euphoria and well-being.

Starting point is 00:05:44 And if that's something that you think would enhance your workout, then more generally, you might look for a sativa varietal of the plant over say a indica varietal of the plant, which would in most cases be more likely to make you tired. Now I'll say this because I do think it's important. I train at home a number of days and maybe once or twice a month, depending on the kind of cannabis I have access to and my desire to use it, I will on occasion have some intra workout. I never have it pre-workout. I don't think it helps me perform at all when I have it pre-workout. Occasionally, I will have it intra workout if I'm going to go from my training session immediately into say something like

Starting point is 00:06:41 housework where I don't necessarily mind feeling the effects of the cannabis plant. As a coach, as a trainer, as somebody who's worked with a number of clients for many, many years, I can say, honestly, I do not think that this is for everybody. In fact, I think to the point Sean made, Hatcher Sean made in asking this question with regards to just, hey, is this going to crush my face? I think that for most people, intra-workout cannabis is going to either distract them from being able to train hard, or it is going to make them tired and lethargic if they choose the wrong strain. So despite seeing what I would describe as a use case for cannabis, a potential use case at least, I just have a very hard time

Starting point is 00:07:36 advocating for its use as a pre-training supplement. As an intra-training supplement, I feel the same way. Now, post-workout, it might be that cannabis helps you relax a little bit. It's very possible that it might actually enhance your ability to recover. It's an interesting plant. It does a lot of unique things. And for those people who have identified a strain that might enhance creativity, that might enhance feelings of wellbeing and euphoria and energy that very well could enhance your training quality. But having been around the plant and use the plant for a number of years, just going to a dispensary or talking to whoever it is that is providing you with your cannabis, relying on their interpretation of how this strain is going to make you feel is very hit and miss.

Starting point is 00:08:27 And I know that many people are like, I want indica because it'll put me to sleep. And I want sativa because it'll make me creative and euphoric. There are strains that are classifiable as indica or sativa that do not reliably elicit those, you know, prototypical feelings. There's sativas that will make you tired and there's indicas that will make you energized and euphoric. Now, a lot of this just has to come down to the difficulties with the genetic lineage from these plants determining what really is what, what's being marketed as what. And so it's for this reason that I really just wouldn't recommend this unless you are somebody whom perhaps there's a case where going to the gym creates such a substantial amount of anxiety that when you have cannabis and you get that reliable reduction in anxiety that many

Starting point is 00:09:24 people get with cannabis supplementation, it improves your ability to train. That is perhaps the only way I could see it being useful. And look, I get it. That probably isn't the answer that you're expecting from somebody who over the course of nearly 300 episodes has painted cannabis in a fairly positive light. I feel that I'm one of the few influencers in fitness who has been outspoken about the negative implications of alcohol on your health. And I will continue to do that because I think we are reaching a tipping point culturally here. And I'm not against the usage of cannabis, but smoking anything is going to be bad for your heart. And unless you have a really

Starting point is 00:10:05 reliable, consistent response to a specific type of cannabis, I think using it in your workout to enhance your training quality more often than not, this is going to result in you probably seeing a decrease in performance and output. Having used it intra workout, I can say there are some strains that make my ability to really interpret and feel fatigue almost disappear entirely. I've done sets where I've used cannabis and I've been able to do like 50, 60 rep sets because I'm not really super keyed into the sensation. And I know that sounds really weird, but I feel almost disassociated from the pain. I know, I know that like at face value, it's like, well, wouldn't that be good? And for some people it might, but I really believe the truth here is that the largest

Starting point is 00:11:00 majority of individuals, um, when it comes to utilizing cannabis prior to training are not going to respond particularly well, even if it helps you eke out a couple more sets, a couple more reps, you know, uh, train a little better, train a little harder. I don't think it's something that you should consider. Uh, most people are not going to benefit from it. All right. Interesting question here from mtrong647 asking, what are my favorite flavors of Legion's protein powder? So if many of you aren't already aware, Legion is a supplement sponsor of the show and they make what I believe to be the best sports supplements on the market. When you talk about profile of ingredients, flavors, taste, and purity slash reliability,

Starting point is 00:11:54 are you actually going to get what they say is in the product? And I think my favorite Legion product is the way plus. Now I know a lot of you don't do dairy or you don't do well with dairy. So I will say the plant protein powder that they make is also quite good. They do make it in less flavors. My favorite flavors of the plant are chocolate and vanilla, but my favorite flavors of the whey, which does come in more flavors overall, are cinnamon cereal, Dutch chocolate, cocoa cereal, and vanilla. And if you're somebody who's in the market for a high quality, tasty protein powder, I think Legion's Whey Plus is about as good as it gets. And I love the mixability. I love the macro profile. I love the fact that it's made from grass fed whey isolate.

Starting point is 00:12:46 I just know that I'm getting a high quality milk protein knowing where it's coming from. And I'm a big fan of dairy protein for muscle growth because it yields a lot of leucine, which is very, very important for triggering muscle protein synthesis. So great supplement for recovery. Those are my favorite flavors. Okay. Question from Flowers Mommy. And the question is, is it true that you're supposed to take a break from your supplements from time to time? So I think that the idea of cycling supplements, and I use the term cycling loosely here because I don't think it's particularly applicable, but the idea or the notion that one needs to kind of toggle between periods of taking supplements and not taking supplements

Starting point is 00:13:33 comes from steroid culture. When you take an anabolic steroid, an anabolic or androgenic steroid, it is very typical that a cycle is paired with a post cycle window, meaning you'll spend a certain amount of times on the drugs and a certain amount of time off the drugs. What a lot of competitors do is they use testosterone year round and they cycle stronger anabolic compounds that pair with testosterone. Things like Trenbolone or Anabar or Deka. These are names of steroids.

Starting point is 00:14:16 And so from that culture, we have seen the birth essentially of supplement cycling. Well, if I cycle my steroids, should I cycle my supplements as well? If you're a regular listener or somebody who gets value out of this podcast, somebody who's learning from me on your health and fitness journey, whether you're a trainer, a high level athlete, or you're just getting started, other people need this kind of advice. And the best way for you to help me grow the podcast is to take a little bit of time, literally one to two minutes max, to leave a rating and review on the app that you listen on Spotify. Both platforms allow you to leave a quick, easy review. And if you could leave me a five-star review plus a short one to two sentence blurb about what you like,

Starting point is 00:15:12 not only will it help more people reach the podcast, it will help me to continue to refine what it is I bring you each and every week. Thanks so much for doing this. It means the world to me. It helps me achieve my dream of helping more people live a healthier life. Enjoy the episode. I don't think that's the case for like 95% of supplements. I've seen people ask if they should cycle creatine. I don't know of any literature that shows a benefit to coming off and on creatine on the body's natural ability to produce its own creatine. That is the reason that many people recommend coming off of steroids or having a post-cycle opportunity. So you don't shut down permanently your body's ability to create these compounds.

Starting point is 00:15:58 Creatine being something we make, I can kind of understand that, but let's be honest. Okay. I can kind of understand that, but let's be honest. Okay. Creatine is not the same thing as exogenous testosterone. There are some supplements like ashwagandha, for example, that maybe just maybe cycling them makes sense because of the effect that they have. And I've actually seen some literature that I thought was kind of interesting as it pertains to the effect of ashwagandha when cycled versus not cycled. So that's an example of a supplement that might make sense to quote unquote cycle. But, and I'll say this again, but even that is not something that I would truly put a ton of stock into. I would rather you focus on eating the right foods more frequently and more often throughout

Starting point is 00:16:52 the day. I would rather you make sure that you're taking the supplements that you actually need that are going to help you. And I think that most of those are safe to be taken most days. help you, then I think that most of those are safe to be taken most days. Now, if, for example, you are taking supplements, and I typically would not recommend this, but I'll just say this because I know many of you are in this situation, that are purportedly helping you augment your hormones, I would definitely check with any of the online resources you trust, like maybe at beexamined.com, as well as your physician, about whether or not you should be using those kinds of supplements

Starting point is 00:17:34 in the long term. I know a lot of people take supplements that purport the ability to balance and have a positive modulatory effect on the hormone system. Myo-inositol is one that comes to mind. You know, those are pretty potent, pretty powerful. And I wouldn't make a, you know, long-term plan for the inclusion of things that modulate hormones, even though it would not be nearly to the degree or amplitude that you would get from a steroid without first talking to your doctor and making sure there is an exit ramp for something like that. But as far as vitamins go, creatine goes, protein powder goes, all of these things go. If you'd like to try taking a break and focusing on getting more of your nutrition from whole foods,

Starting point is 00:18:22 I think that's a potentially great option, but I do not think that you need to do it. Okay. This question comes from Eric Luna 10. And the question is, what are my thoughts on energy drinks? So we'll talk specifically about canned energy drinks here. So monsters, rock stars, 3Ds, there are a number of canned energy drinks on the market. Bang is a big one in the fitness industry. And so when we talk about energy drinks, we are talking about commercially sold products that you can buy at most gyms and most gas stations that contain a pretty substantial amount of caffeine. A lot of them purport to have additional cognitive enhancing products or ingredients like choline or branched-chain amino acids or creatine or things like taurine. But for the most part, I think the ability for those ingredients

Starting point is 00:19:21 to really hold up and remain bioavailable and really viable for absorption after sitting in a can of largely carbonated stuff, usually pixie dusted, meaning energy drink companies will identify ingredients that might sell product. For example, I'll use Bang as an example. They advertise that they have creatine in their energy drink. And I'm going to speculate here that it doesn't contain an effective or efficacious dose at five grams because that would be expensive, one. And two, it might get gritty or flaky inside the actual product. But if it contains enough creatine to simply say it's in there, you'll often find pixie-dusted ingredients on these products. Those are typically less dangerous than the high amounts

Starting point is 00:20:11 of caffeine that these products contain. If you're caffeine sensitive, these are not a great option. If you want a pre-workout and you are not super caffeine sensitive, you want something that's quick, easy, carbonated, tasty that you can get anywhere. An energy drink can act similarly to a coffee. I will say most of them will not have the antioxidant effect of coffee or tea. They are processed. They usually contain dyes. Many of them contain a substantial amount of calories. Now, there are a number of energy drinks that are sugar-free. And I know many of you are not huge fans of artificial sweeteners, but if you're going to get in the habit of drinking these, I would remind you that they are basically sodas with extra caffeine. better choice. I generally prefer powdered pre-workout as it tends to be cheaper on a price per servings basis as well as generally being what I would describe as a little bit more environmentally friendly. You have one package full of powder that you can mix in a

Starting point is 00:21:18 cup or a shaker versus every day adding another can or a bottle to the landfill. is every day adding another can or a bottle to the landfill. So from an environmentalist standpoint, not a huge fan of energy drinks. From a performance standpoint, I don't think they really contain a lot of performance enhancing ingredients, just caffeine and carbonation. So it could be good for you if that is what you are in the market for, but there's a very good chance that these you know, these are just going to contribute to an excessive intake of caffeine. And these are typically marketed towards younger adults, particularly younger adult men. So it's just something to be aware of. Caffeine is a pretty powerful drug. It's something that, you know, can really be

Starting point is 00:22:01 stimulating, can really be energizing and can really cause dependency. So if you're going to use a product that's high in caffeine and maybe you already have caffeine in the mix, not the first thing I would do. Okay, this question is from Jim Lonnie and the question is, what are your thoughts on German volume training? So GVT or German volume training is essentially performing 10 sets of 10 reps relatively close to failure with good form through a full range of motion on compound movement. So a German volume training leg day could be as simple as 10 sets of 10 squats or 10 sets of 10 deadlifts. And while I don't think that this is a super robust, well put together protocol for everybody, I do like the simplicity of selecting a high ROI movement that trains a number of muscles in one movement. And 10 sets of 10 reps at a challenging weight is going to be very stimulating. That's 100 reps, all legs. That could be one day's whole workout. For some people, the minimalist approach, fewer exercises, more sets, greater output,

Starting point is 00:23:24 greater focus on that single exercise, that's going to work really, really well for how your brain works. For other people, you're going to be like, this is super boring. This sucks. I'm not into this. Not about it. I find that three or four sets in, I'm tired and I'm ready to move on to something else. And it's for that reason that I'm not a huge fan of prescribing German volume training or German volume tactics, um, just because they kind of suck for most people's ability to maintain patience, to maintain focus. People have short attention spans and the same thing is very true in the gym. People will get bored after two sets or three sets. They'll want to move on to something

Starting point is 00:24:10 else. Now, what I love about German volume training is right around two, three, four sets. That's when you're starting to hit your stride. That's when you're starting to damage the tissue. That's when you're starting to accumulate enough volume to really make a difference, uh, into really drive results. And I love the simplicity of it. You do not need a ton of equipment to do a German volume training program. In fact, you can probably get it done with just a barbell. You do 10 sets of 10 barbell rows on a back day, 10 sets of 10 squats or deadlifts on a leg day, and 10 sets of 10 are overhead presses or bench presses on a push day. And while these are simple and you might want to add some, let's call it, maybe you want to add some accessory work. A lot

Starting point is 00:24:56 of people call it volume or just accessory work, other supplemental work. You'll definitely be able to be successful with that. Like It can be simple. Training is allowed to be simple. And I think German volume training is one of these simpler protocols. It's just a little more difficult than I think people give it a ton of credit for from a focus and attention standpoint. So before you just say, hey, I'm going to go buy a German volume training program, going to go buy a German volume training program. Ask yourself, knowing what you know, are you somebody for whom just doing one, maybe two, and a couple of accessory exercises and really doing like 10 sets, are you someone for whom that's going to be an enjoyable experience? Or are you someone for whom that's going to be a really boring experience? You probably know

Starting point is 00:25:45 enough about yourself to know that if you have limited equipment, it can be effective. If you don't, I think you're probably going to get a little bored with it. All right, folks, that does it for a very quick Q&A episode. Thank you so much for tuning in to the podcast. I love doing this. I love answering your questions. I want to help keep you on track with fitness and nutrition and really just cut out the garbage and the podcast. I love doing this. I love answering your questions. I want to help keep you on track with fitness and nutrition and really just cut out the garbage and the fluff. The best way for me to do that is with content like this. Of course, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, all the socials, but this is the best place to interact with me, to really learn from

Starting point is 00:26:21 me. And it's the current content modality, if you will, that I'm the most passionate about. And you can help me grow it by leaving a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts or Spotify. I'm going to do the best job I can of bringing consistent content that answers questions, provides value and insights into fitness so that you can really have control over your health and wellbeing. I want you to cut in line and be right where I'm at with this stuff. I don't want you to have to learn through all the face plants that I did. So thank you so much for tuning in. Please share this and I will catch you on the next one.

Dynamic Dialogue with Danny Matranga - 285 - Q&A: Intra Workout Cannabis? Energy Drinks, German Volume Training + More!

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