The BioSignature method goes beyond standard body fat testing and reveals your blueprint for faster fat loss. It is scientific spot reduction!

BioSignature is a system based on scientific evidence that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile.

This means that your body fat levels and corresponding imbalanced hormones can be effectively managed through a combination of diet, exercise, a targeted supplementation program, and lifestyle modifications. PPC trained BioSignature practitioners will develop that plan for you based on your unique biological signature. This means faster results and fewer supplements than is possible with the industry's typically more random and haphazard approach.

For example, the thickness of a person's umbilical skin fold (your gut) is a direct reflection of cortisol (the stress hormone) output. A relatively fat midesection indicates stress levels are high and/or the ability to handle stress is low. The good news is that 1) it's not your fault, and 2) it can be changed.

The result is improved performance in all areas of your life - physical, mental, and intellectual. By following your personal plan, you will emerge leaner, stronger, healthier, happier and more energetic.

Find out how to put in less effort and achieve greater results by booking an appointment to find out more about your BioSignature and discover the secrets that have previously only been available to top athletes. Isn't it time you heard the truth about how to avoid the needless years of disappointment and get rapid results now - even faster than those popular reality shows!

What your Fat deposits say about you – by Sydney Loney

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) first identified obesity as an epidemic of mass proportions in the 1990’s, scientists have done a great deal of research on the health risks associated with being overweight.  The United States Center for Disease Control estimates that 300,000 Americans die annually from obesity-related illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and some types of cancer.  And the weight of the world is growing globally – according to the WHO, waistlines have expanded well beyond industrialized countries, with 300 million adults suffering from obesity worldwide and more than 115 million of those from developing countries.  However, recent studies show that weight distributed more locally could have even greater health implications than general obesity alone.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota traced 30,000 women for 12 years and discovered that those who carried excess weight around their middles were more likely to die or develop heart disease than generally overweight women.  The study was reviewed in 2000 by Tufts University Nutrition Commentator, which noted that the findings supported existing views “that it is not just total fatness, but where the fat sits on the body that makes being overweight such a health hazard.”  In addition to raising health risks, localized fat deposits pose another problem for those trying to lose weight – they are typically difficult to target.  Fortunately, there is growing evidence to suggest that this may be about to change.  According to strength coach Charles Poliquin in Tempe, Arizona, a personalized combination of diet, supplements, and exercise is an effective way to reduce specific fat storage sites on the body.

Biosignature Modulation

            For more than a decade Poliquin has trained professional and Olympic athletes using Biosignature Modulation, a system he devised to improve the overall condition of the body while specifically targeting areas where people have a tendency to store fat.  Poliquin has a B.Sc. in Kinesiology and a M.Sc. in Exercise Physiology and has been researching site specific storage sine 1986, when he first came across an early study outlining the health risks for people who carried weight in the abdominal region.  “After I read that study, I started paying attention,” Poliquin says.  “Ever since then I’ve been accumulating date on [fat storage] and going through about eight hours of research a week.  When I come across something specific, I use it to improve the system.”  He describes the system as “an individualized exercise and dietary/supplement regimen based on the biosignature of a person to optimize their body composition and health according to their goals.”  Poliquin uses bloodwork, urine and saliva tests to determine an athlete’s biological blueprint in order to customize their program.

            Fitness competitor Chrissy May is one of the system’s success stories.  She ventured into Poliquin’s gym in January after hearing good things about the program from fellow competitor Sarah Orbanic.  Following her assessment, Poliquin told her to cut prolonged cardio out of her training because her body was no longer responding to it.  Instead, he focused her workouts around interval training and also gave her a series of supplements and topical creams to help target her trouble spots.  To help lean out her lower body, which was her main problem area, Poliquin told her to do six reps of 45 seconds of intense cycling on an exercise bike with three minutes rest in between as her interval training.  [Interval training – alternating periods of hard work with easy work – increases lean muscle tissue, boosts anaerobic or lactic acid thresholds, and burns more calories post-workout than standard aerobic exercise.]  May was skeptical at first.  She told Poliquin she didn’t believe in topical treatments and didn’t see how interval training could impact her body more than the spinning workouts she was doing.  “She looked at me as if to say ‘Hey, I can do those reps standing on my head,’ “ Poliquin recalls.  “But she couldn’t even make it through all six at first – it’s not as easy as it sounds.”  Despite her initial misgivings, May was happy with the results.  “I was completely blown away,” she says, “I’ve never seen my body change like that, especially as fast as it did.  And the best part is I also learned how to change my lifestyle so I can do it on my own.”

Site Specific Fat Storage

Where people store fat can be attributed to everything from genetics to hormonal imbalances.  In an article entitled “Obesity Begets Obesity” the U.S. Bariatric’s Director of Research, Cynthia Buffington, Ph.D., writes: “Various studies, including our own, have shown changes in the production [or clearance] of certain hormones in association with increasing body mass and regional fat distribution.  Such hormonal changes may promote further weight gain and influence where the fat is distributed on the body.”  Some of these hormonal imbalances include high levels of blood insulin, increased cortisol, low growth hormone levels and high testosterone for women or low testosterone for men.  In his Biosignature Modulation program, Poliquin explains what fat deposits reveal about a person’s overall health and prescribes treatment relative to the characteristics of each site.  He has identified 10 different fat storage sites on the body, which include the subscapular, or shoulder blade area, the triceps, the umbilical, or abdominal region, the front of the thighs, the gluteal fold and the mid-axillary and
supra-iliac areas, located on the sides of the waist.  In addition to exercise and diet, he recommends a variety of supplements to target each of the following obesity trouble spots.

Thigh Skinfolds

According to a clinical study conducted by researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine in 1995, thigh fat is harder for people to lose than abdominal fat, but there is some evidence to suggest it may be successfully targeted with topical treatments.  Poliquin prescribes a topical cream containing yohumbine, a substance extracted from the bark of yohimbe trees, which are small evergreens native to Africa.  Some studies found that yohimbine, applied topically, can block alpha-2 receptors to reduce fat accumulation.  “The cream is wonderful – it works really well,” Poliquin says.  “Put it this way, I sell one bottle to people the first time and then a case of 12 the next week.”  When she began training with Poliquin’s program, May had caliper measurements of 23.8mm for her quads and 33.2 for her hamstrings.  Less than a month later she measured 13.4 and 13.8 respectively.

Gluteal Fold

Because the butt region has the same fat receptors as the thighs, Poliquin treats the area the same way with interval training and yohimbine cream.  Other options for the lower body that he prescribes include indole-3-carbinol, a chemical found in vegetables of the broccoli family to help women detoxify estrogens, and glutamine to boost growth hormone naturally.

Umbilical
           
Stress has long been identified as one of the many culprits that cause obesity.  When people are stressed they secrete cortisol, which activates fat-storage enzymes in cells.  Researchers at Sahlgren’s Hospital in Sweden have discovered a direct link between cortisol levels and midsection obesity, while a study at Yale’s Department of Psychology in 2000 found that stress could even cause non-overweight women to gain excess abdominal fat.  One of the best ways to combat the problem is to reduce stress and other factors that increase cortisol, such as caffeine and sugar.  Studies at the University of Naples found that phosphatidylserine can dramatically decrease stress-related spikes in cortisol levels.  In addition to phosphatidylserine, Poliquin prescribes licorice root to help regulate cortisol production, as well as fish oil, which he says works for everything and happens to be the best central obesity fighter in his supplement arsenal.

Subscapular

In the early stages of his program, Poliquin used carbohydrate restriction as the primary means of targeting fat deposits around the shoulder blades. then he read about corosolic acid, an extract from the leaf of the Banaba plant which grows in India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines and is believed to stimulate glucose transport into cells to help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.  “I’ve not found any strong evidence in research for corosolic acid,” says Poliquin.  “But the evidence we’ve got is based on the bloodwork of our athletes.  At our center we see people drop their subscapular skinfold by 10mm within a month of using corosolic acid supplements.”

Triceps

“Lean triceps are a function of higher androgen levels in the bloodstream,” Poliquin says.  “Stress levels tend to lower androgen levels by ‘stealing’ pregnenolone to make cortisol instead of making the androgen DHEA.  Herbal preparations, called adaptogens, help the body handle stress better and thus reduce cortisol levels.”  In a report on nutritional stress management, Dr. Richard L. Shames from Florida Atlantic University writes that adaptogens provide the benefit of balancing and normalizing the physiology,” Shames says.  Stress relieving adaptogens include schisandra berries, rhodiola rosea, ginseng and licorice root.  “It’s not uncommon for an executive-type woman with a 15mm triceps reading to go down to a 10mm reading within three weeks of starting a stress reduction program that includes the use of adaptogens,” says Poliquin.

Mid-Axillary

“The mid-axillary skinfold reflects the health of the thyroid gland,” Poliquin says.  “Herbal extracts of guggul, bladder-wrack and coleus root have been shown to enhance the thyroid.”  Guggul is a gummy resin from small trees native to India and Pakistan, while Bladderwrack is an algae found on submerged rocks along the coasts of North America and Europe and is a natural source of iodine, which supports thyroid hormone synthesis.  It also contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and other minerals.  Some research has revealed that coleus root, a member of the mint family that grows wild on the mountain slopes of Nepal, India and Thailand, may help regulate thyroid activity and metabolize fats.

Supra-iliac

Poliquin attributes fat deposits in the supra-iliac region as a reflection of circulating insulin levels.  He recommends glycemic controlled meals and not skipping meals altogether as two of the best strategies for targeting this area of the waist.  He also advocates using fenugreek and flax seeds to modulate insulin.  Fenugreek seeds in particular are high in dietary fiber, which has been shown in clinical studies to help control blood sugar and insulin levels.

Fine Tuning

Poliquin’s Biosignature Modulation program is in a constant state of flux as new research increasingly validates and improves the methods he employs.  “The basic premise in science is that knowledge doubles every 18 months,” he says.  “If you don’t read a lot of research, you fall behind.”  Until three months ago, he recommended that his clients take ginseng after their meals to stabilize blood sugar, until he came across a recent study that found it’s more effective if taken 45 minutes before a meal.  “It’s a classic example of how the system is constantly updated,” Poliquin says.  “The amount of knowledge that’s out there just keeps on getting better and better.”