Summer Book: Carb-Backloading 1.0

Hello Readers!

Hopefully everyone was able to spend a lot of time outside enjoying their summer and perhaps do a little training and reading on the side! I mentioned a few books earlier in the summer that were really good and mentioned that I would be tackling Carb Backloading when I could. Well, I ended up reading it near the end of summer and have been testing it on myself since then. Here is what occured:

-I really enjoy it!
-My body has gotten leaner
-My strength has had a noticeable jump
-My recovery is better...not just me not getting sore, but I'm recovered for repeat performances now!
-And... I get to eat cool things.

Carb Backloading has been a great experience. It has allowed me to take a lot of the things that I have read on health, nutrition, and training and combine them into something that has altogether less restrictions than any one of them did by themselves. It's pretty cool. It has given me a reason to eat copious amounts of carbs again -something I had previously stopped doing because of other readings that I had done (I still ate them, just not as many)- as well as continue to not eat breakfast or eat before I train in the morning. Haha... In the book, Keifer discusses how eating breakfast can literally stop your body from burning fat as well as how eating before training isn't really the greatest idea; in fact, it is actually beneficial to train in a fasted state!

Now, I know that this is a short write up and says some things that go against basically everything we are taught about being healthy...give it a read still. It's short and informative; it you don't like it, you didn't waste much time reading it. Hopefully, however, it can change the way that you think about food and perhaps help you improve your performance in more than one way!

P.S. Keifer is writing a second book too. It is a more updated version of this book with more tips for athletes other than strength athletes as well as tips for women since men and women actually burn calories a bit differently (according to him and some other smart people).

Summer Update

So, it has been a while since my last post... I took some time away from social media and, obviously, blogging was included in that. I'm now back, however, and will be updating the blog more frequently again.

During these last few weeks that I was out I ended up finishing my 3-day a week training program that I mentioned earlier. It was a good thing for my body, but I am glad to be back and training more frequently as well. I'm not really sure what competition I am training for at the moment, but I have a few in mind; one would be strongman and the other two would be powerlifting meets. Any of them would be fun. 

As far as my training goes, I am back and getting after it on deadlift as well as the rest of my training. Another focus of mine during this training block will be to increase my squat in general, but mainly my back squat. I believe that it is a limiting factor on my deadlift and that if I can increase it, it will help a great deal on my deadlift. I know that some people don't believe that the two are very related (one being a 'push' and one being a 'pull') but I disagree with that. If you have a good squat, it will help a great deal with breaking the weight from the floor and if you have a great deadlift, it will help a lot in keeping you back -mainly low back- from being the limiting factor in your squat.

Another thing that I thought about training-wise while I was away from the blogosphere that I would like to pose as a question to the readers:

What are your thoughts on geared lifting?

I'm not talking about competitive geared lifting, but I am talking about using us as a nervous-system overload. I have been thinking about it a lot, and looked at some of the elite powelifters and they tend to be able to do a lot of weight without gear too... so my question, refined, is: do you think it is because of the nervous system overload or because they are just strong people? or both?

I will finish this scattered and brief post with another, much more general question: has anyone read the books that I posted about earlier this summer and if so, what are your thoughts? If you are only part of the way through, what are your thoughts so far?

Road to 800 Update

So, these last couple weeks have been pretty good... I've changed my lifting just a bit to help my body rest over the summer until I start training for strongman nationals, but I'm still working on getting strong -well, just recently again. Haha...

Last week, the first week that I really started deadlifting again I had a pretty good week... Started off by hitting 300kgs for 3 reps on a BBK deadlift. That's a rep PR for me, so I was pleased. Then, I hit 505lbs for 1-7, +13 reps on deadlift the next time that I lifted. I was pleased with that, but I know that I can get more than that and I will next time I try that, whenever that may be; I'd like to get 20 just because. The third day that week that I lifted, I did a pretty heavy medley and finished with six reps at 515lbs... It was fine.

This week I had another good week for deadlifts... I had a good day on deficit deadlifts paired with log stiff-leg deadlifts (shown here) going 1-4, +6 at 220kgs; it felt solid, but I should have went with 230kgs probably. The next day that I trained I did front banded deadlift and regular banded deadlifts... what a day. I was trying out the front banded deadlifts and found that they are GREAT!!! for anyone that is having trouble engaging their lats and keeping the bar close during the deadlift -or lift off of either Oly lift. (Note: is is a bit better with lighter weight only because when it gets heavier the weights hold the bands back less than you do). I moved on to banded deadlifts and hit a couple of PR's which was really cool. The first PR was set of 2 with a hook-grip at 515lbs + band tension. The second was with the hook-grip as well for a single at 535lbs + band tension; I did it with the hook grip first, just to do it, then used straps for the second rep because I had sets of two for the day. I finished the day by doing a max weight PR for two singles at 565lbs + band tension... (video) Dang was that hard! Haha... It was a ton of fun hitting PR's like that though. Then, on my strongman training day, I decided to do a deadlift medley that had a bit of everything in it and finished with a 645lb/293kg deadlift with a hook grip!!! I was pretty pumped up because that was the very last thing that I did that day and it had been a pretty taxing day.

So, everything has been going well and it has been nice to have a lot more rest than usual, but I am very excited to start training for deadlift again and compete in another powerlifting competition.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please leave the question on here or message me!

The 645lb deadlift at the end of medley and day

Great Summer-time Reading!

Hello all!

I am in school, so it is rare that I have much time to read for pleasure, although that is something I do. Lately I have had the leisure time to do so and I have been reading Michael Pollan's newest book, Cooked. It is a riveting book on the history of the different ways that we cook and the reasons, or possible reasons why. Pollan -for all of you who have never had the pleasure to read on of his books- is an incredible author. He has the ability to take the most mundane things in life and make them extraordinarily interesting; one of his books, A Place of My Own, is a book about him building a little work-shack on his property and the interesting things that he does and problems that he encounters while doing so. Who would have thought that, essentially, building a shed could be so interesting? The other books of his that I have read are equally as interesting. My goal for the summer is to finish the rest of them; he had written seven books, I have two and a quarter of them left to read... I can't wait. If reading about gardening and do-it-yourself architecture isn't your thing, I would still recommend taking a look at a few of his books: The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Cooked, and Food Rules. All of these books discuss food in different ways and allow you to look at it with a different lens; it is important to know the things that he is telling you about your food even if you choose not to listen to it -making an informed decision could help you somewhere down the road.

                                                             

Other books that you could read -if you just don't feel like reading strictly about food right now- are Lights Out and Starting Strength. The first book, Lights Out, is a great read on sleeping and the very important role that it plays in our lives. Yes, we all know that sleeping is really important, but do we know why? Do we know what the melatonin does for us? Do we know what we should and shouldn't be doing just before bed if we want to get the most out of our sleep? What about the things that we use to fall asleep -TV, music, ect? What about seasonal eating and how sleep affects our appetites? All of these things are covered in this book. I will admit that some parts were dry or seemed repetitive, but the overall information in the book was really interesting, helpful, and showed the importance of making sure you sleep enough. The second book, Starting Strength, is a great book for a beginning lifter (or for someone like me who had just never read it...should have though. Haha...). It had a lot of information in it that was great and very helpful. There are some things that I disagree with the author, Rippetoe, on, but in what book isn't there some things that you disagree with what is written? He does a great job of breaking down some really big, basic lifts -squat, deadlift, overhead press, and power clean- and discussing each of them, why they are great, and how to do them.

The last book that I am excited to read is Carb Backloading by Keifer; I am excited because I have seem read results from real people and kind of want to see what the hype is about and why. I can't say much about the book, obviously, because I haven't read it, but it should be fun to read.

                                                           

Anyways, those are some books that should keep you busy over the summer and help to increase your fitness, health, or random knowledge. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns...talk to me! Post on here or email me. I'd love to have or see some great discussions about fitness and health on here...that's is how, I believe, things can be truly learned.

-Chris


                                               

Oregon, Weightlifting, and the Training Leading Up to It

Hello everybody! I apologize for the hiatus... I'm back though! Anyways, not a lot has happened as far as the deadlift is concerned, so I haven't created a Road to 800 post for that reason. Instead, I was training for a weightlifting meet (Olympic lifting) for the last 3 weeks that was taking place back in Oregon. This isn't something I would normally do -especially for weightlifting- but I did this time because it was a pretty special weightlifting meet. This weightlifting meet was especially cool and special for me because of the fact that my little brother and my little sister would be competing in it and, as a graduation present, I would compete as well. It was great. The meet got even cooler when I found out that a few of my friends from Oregon State were competing in it as well; we ended up having 7 people competing, and it was a great group!

The day of the meet we showed up and weighed in. It seemed like there were a lot of people there, but we were also registering in the hall, so I figured that was contributing to the claustrophobic feeling I was getting. As it would turn out, this weightlifting meet was the biggest I have ever been too and as big as the biggest strongman competition that I had ever been too...there were 49 competitors! That is an unheard of amount of people, especially in Oregon (one of the promoters told me that at the first meet they put on this year out in Oregon, a mere 6 people showed up and competed...yes, 6 people). It was a well-ran show, however, and went very smoothly.

After the weigh-ins, the group of us found and claimed a platform for us to warm up on. The first person to compete was my little sister, who did great! She went out and power snatch 50kgs as well as power clean and jerked 65kgs; with more training and some technical work, I expect to see big numbers from her. I watched my friends Van, Amy, Mike, and Eric compete next along with my little brother. They all did awesome! It was Van's first time competing and he went 5 for 6 on the day which is very good. Amy did a great job as well, going head-to-head with a woman that is one of America's best lifters. Mike did an awesome job setting 2(?) PR's on the day in spite of being a lot of pain with his hip. Eric, though I didn't really know him before this day, apparently went to my high school and was a couple of years behind me -so that was a cool fact to find out, I guess. He did a really good job on the day, winning his weight class, and is a very strong kid. I was able to watch my brother next. I love watching him compete; he is an aggressive competitor. He hit 100kgs and 125kgs and went 4 for 6 on the day. I was awesome watching him clean and jerk 125kgs because he had missed it the rep before and had the mental capacity to come back from that and crush it on the next rep.

As far as my lifting is concerned, it went very well...and better than expected in the snatch. I was able to achieve a 5 for 6 day, which is better than I have ever achieved in competition previously, so that was cool. I  ended up snatching 130kgs and tying for first in that lift; although due to my lighter bodyweight, I won. I was surprised that I hit 130kgs on snatch because it didn't really feel as smooth in the warm ups as it had the first time I had hit it; but, I was able to go out there and get under it which was a lot of fun. In the clean and jerk, I was able to win the lift, but I barely missed a state record. The state record was 170kgs, which I was planning on having as my 3rd attempt, but the announcer let everyone know that 170kgs was the current state record, so hearing that I decided to try to beat it...so I had them up it to 172.5kgs. I clean it fairly easily, but I barely missed the jerk. I'll have it next year.

Looking forward, I plan to only lift 3x a week this summer and rest up before competing at nationals. I don't forsee any competitions due to the costs of them (I spent a lot on the competitions that I have done this year) and would like to come away from nationals with no lingering debt from the event. Once it is time to train for nationals though, it will bump back up to 5x a week. The lifting will still be hard this summer, just not as often. I'll update more on that and my thoughts on how it is working each week as well.

Here is a link to the video of my competition out in Oregon:

Eugene Classic Weightlifting Meet

Thanks for reading everybody!

The Road to 800

I've decided to not post the week number after the title given the fact that this series could take a long time to see happen. Haha...

Well, now that that's out of the way we can go over the last few weeks of deadlifting for me. Before that happens, I want any and all of the readers to know that this series -although to update you with how the deadlift is coming along- is also to inform you of my ways of improving my deadlift. I want this series to show the exercises that I am doing and how I am doing them so that you, the reader, can take some of the things that you like and use them within your own workouts (although I'm not doing anything too out of the ordinary and you are probably doing them). If you ever have any questions, comments, even concerns about the deadlifts, the variations, or the rep schemes that I am doing, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Anyways, now onto the deadlifts of the last few weeks. they have been an interesting two weeks because my training has been kind of messed up. I had two conferences to go to each weekend of these two weeks -one in Minnesota and then the next in Kansas. I was only able to train 4 times during the weekend in Minnesota, but was lucky enough that one of those times was at the University of Minnesota (which was great!) and last week I was only able to train 3 times. Although my training times were out of whack, I was able to hit some pretty good numbers.

Two weeks ago I went up to 320kgs for a 3x1 on 18" deadlift; this was down a little from my usual, but I was ok with it considering that the Friday before I did a deadlifting competition with a fellow Hydraulix athlete. He posted a challenge a while back that was 315lbs as many times as you can in three separate attempts and then they were all added up... I ended up with 151 reps. I was sore and fatigued for much longer than I expected I would be. Anyways, the next day I had a great lift and did 1-3, +5 at 220 on stiff-leg deadlift in the morning, then I did 290 by 1-3 on deadlift that afternoon. I was very pleased with that. I didn't deadlift again until that Friday when I was at Minnesota; I paired it with back squats and pin squats so I only did dynamic singles up until my last set at 250kgs for a pretty easy single.

The next week I got killed on the first half of my workout, bad enough that I ended up losing that battle; I had to stop my workout after deficit deadlifts where I only worked up to 240kgs for four singles. Terrible day. However, the next day I was able to hit a small PR on the axle deadlift and worked up to 375lbs double overhand; this is still not really where I want it, but it is taking a while for my grip to come along. Later that day I worked up and did 5x2 up to a new PR of 545lbs on banded deadlift ( the video is below); I don't know what the tension from doing the band like that is, but it is a new PR for me and that is how I always do it. The next day was just snatch-grip dynamic deadlift for 7x1 so nothing too exciting there.

That's all I have for now on my deadlifts! Thanks for reading and remember to let me know about any questions, comments, or concerns.

The Road to 800: Week 2

Time for an update! Last week was a great week for deadlift (you may read that a lot...).

On Monday I did BAK (bar above knee) deadlifts for 10x2 at 725lbs. It was a great workout for my upper back and great for just getting me under load.
Tuesday was a fun day -it is a deadlift day. They are good. Anyways, I started the day off with Axle deadlift paired with reverse lunges. I went 1-4 at 355lbs on the Axle and 5x2 up to 235lbs on the lunges. I then moved on to banded deadlift and went 1-4 again at 485lbs with a 1/4" quadrupled up (band goes over it twice so that four points are sitting on the bar).
My hamstrings were sore after that lift, so why not hit them hard on Wednesday too? I did 6x2 on dynamic deadlift at 200kgs paired with 1-4, +7 on a 10" log stiff-leg (SL) deadlift at 425lbs (shown below)...my hamstrings were very pleased with me the next day.
On Friday tires and sandbags and rocks and such were my deadlifting, so that was good...
Saturday the deadlifts I did were an XL frame deadlift at 565lbs for 1-6 and Atlas stones for 290lbsx5 and 330lbsx5 both to a 51" box.

All in all, it was a great week. The Road to 800 will be a long one.

Let's Talk about Crossfit... This should be good.

Let’s talk about crossfit. No, this will not be a crossfit bashing session; quite the contrary –I will actually be pro-crossfit in this discussion which could take some of the people that know me by surprise.

Crossfit has a lot of criticism coming its way from people. These people are usually fitness purists who have closed their mind to anything except what their particular ‘book-of-choice’ has to say. Be it Olympic lifting (Weightlifting to true purists), strongman, powerlifting, endurance running, triathlons, bodybuilding, or just the average Joe that likes to do bicep curls in the squat rack, they all have something to say about how bad or dumb crossfit is.

This has nothing to do with this post really... He just has an epic beard and happens to do Crossfit.

Well, too bad. I look at Crossfit as I do the paleo diet issue that Andy and I discussed the other day –who cares? Who cares that there is no programming and no goal? Who cares that they do things for minutes at a time without rest? Who cares that they put things in pairs, triplets, or large groups and say “go until time runs out or you finish”? I for one do not care. Crossfit has done something that the fitness world has had yet to do in the last… I don’t know how many years! (perhaps since being overweight became an actual epidemic?)… Crossfit has gotten millions of people to exercise hard again; it has gotten millions of people to push themselves further and harder than they ever would have; it has gotten millions of people to become inspired to go to the gym again; it has gotten millions of people to lose tens of thousands of pounds; and we are silly enough to complain about the details? What?! Look at the bigger picture here people! We are all, supposedly, fitness enthusiasts/strength coaches/personal trainers who want nothing more than to help people better themselves, lose weight, and workout for life in order to stay healthy, right? Well then why are we so quick to judge and complain when something has finally done that? Is it because we didn’t think of it? What is it? I really would like to know.

Five months of Crossfit... interesting.

What I do know is that Crossfit still has issues that it could work out. Teaching people to snatch from the ground on day one is a no-no, obviously, but having someone workout hard and do a met-con –as long as it is scaled to their needs– is not. Crossfit does need to have a progression of learning for the technical movements, I agree; however, they are also working on that. They are doing this by partnering with the Burgener family (who is very well-known in the American Olympic lifting community) and going around and teaching courses on Olympic lifting…the right way. They are also hiring other very good Olympic lifters to do the same in order to help the crossfit community prevent injuries that would otherwise be nearly inevitable.

Another thing that has happened since Crossfit blew up is that what used to be dying sports, as far as lifting goes, are now seeing gains in popularity again. A prime example of this is Olympic lifting. Before I go any further, I must say that I got this example from a movie I saw on youtube which I will link here so you can watch it as well (just beware –the guy in the video uses cuss words to describe and make points and he uses them a lot. If you are sensitive to racy language, I wouldn’t watch it). Now, Olympic lifting has been a dying sport for a while, but once Crossfit started getting big, Olympic lifting started to become ‘cooler’ too. The example from the video is that a few years ago you could walk up to a random person and ask them what a clean or a snatch was and they would give you a “Why is this random person asking me questions?” kind of look. Nowadays we could do that same thing and have a pretty good shot at them knowing what the heck we are asking them. That’s a big deal! The same things are happening in strongman and powerlifting –Crossfit made them bigger by involving various types of their sports and they are now reaping the benefits of that.

Casey Burgener clean and jerking 220kgs/484lbs...he might know a thing or two about Olympic Lifting.

                                        

My final thoughts on this are that you can love Crossfit or you can hate it, but you can’t escape it. It is on ESPN now and has a $250k prize involved as well as supplement sponsorships and other huge benefits –Crossfit is here to stay. If you are against it wholly and completely still, then I feel somewhat sorry for you. You are being so stubborn, prideful, and arrogant (or ignorant) that you are missing out on a potentially great opportunity to learn. I’m not saying that you have to go all-in and love it, that you have to use it, or that you have to watch it; I’m saying that if you are not at least open to learn from it, then you are not as great of a coach, teacher, or fitness enthusiasts as you think.

Now, before I sign off, I must give my asterisk-ed beliefs. I don’t believe that Crossfit is the best way to develop strength or the best way to train athletes; however, I do believe that it is one of the best ways to come along to train the general public. I think it's great that they have created a way for people who aren't involved with sports in some way, who don't want to be huge for lifting or incredibly thin for endurance events, a way to compete and something to work for and towards. They have made it available to all -that was the key. I’ve always been a guy that seems to go against what the general fitness trend is as far as training rules go, so why should I bash on Crossfit for doing the same? After all, what’s wrong with breaking the rules (a.k.a. pushing the limits) that have been put on you and/or the fitness world?

As always, these are just my thoughts. I would love to hear what anyone else has to say on the matter!

-Chris


Update: Here is an article that I was reading that details more what I was discussing with my askterisk-ed thought. Crossfit is not the best way to train athletes or to train for strength -but it is a great way to exercise. Rippetoe doesn't dive into that aspect really, he seems to be more on the hating-Crossfit side, but you can still appreciate what he writes.

The Road to 800

         “800 what?” you may ask. I am talking about deadlifting 800lbs. This is a short intro to my road to completing an 800lb deadlift. This could be a long series, however, because I only recently broke the 700lb barrier. I know this won’t happen fast, but it will keep me more involved with the readers of our blog.

         Within this series of posts I will be detailing my deadlift workouts as well as any assistance work I may or may not have done that day. To bring you up to date, I like to deadlift (I will be writing a short post on it very soon); I deadlift every day that I train in some way and I don’t count RDL’s as a deadlift –they are one of the best assistance exercises for a deadlift and for Olympic lifts, but they are still assistance work.

          As far as last week goes, it was my first week back and I was very pleased with the numbers that I hit. On Monday, I did deficit deadlift for 8x2 up to 240kgs. On Tuesday I did straight-leg deadlifts with an 8” log up to 200kgs for 1-5 in the morning and then regular deadlifts at 260kgs for 1-5, +9 (if you don't know what that rep scheme is, read my post about it). On Wednesday I did dynamic snatch grip deadlift for 6x2 at 140kgs. On Friday my deadlifts consisted of heavy sandbags, rocks, tractor tires, and frames –so there were no sets, reps, or PR’s for that.

Anyways, you are caught up now. I will update you again at the end of this week!

Strength Challenge Finale!

After four weeks, the strength challenge has been completed. It has been a fun ride.

I initially wanted to take on this challenge to show people how easy it is to make gains in the weight room. Being on a structured program, following a specific plan, and by doing it the right way, I added significant strength to my body.

Again, here were the guidelines of the experiment:
No longer than 30 minutes total.
Lifted twice a week
Complete4-5 sets of 8 on each lift. There was some variation.
I continued my triathlon training with no reduction in volume
No signifigant weight gain.

I did a pre-test of my ten rep maxes. The overall goal was to gain 10-15% on these tests.

I kept a log, which you should know by now if you've frequented the blog.

Here are the final results:
Deadlift 305......an addition of 40lbs
Squat 245......addition of 20lbs
Overhead press 135.....addition of 15lbs
Pullups 23    increase of 3

Looking at the results it's quite astonishing, keep in mind that this is a 10 rep max. meaning that my 40lb increase for deadlift for 10 reps means my total work increase was 400lbs. Not bad for 60 minutes of lifting a week.

Overall, deadlift was the only exercise in which I met my goal. I had substantial increases in the other lifts. My ambition was a bit too high I believe.

Towards the end of this experiment I began to feel a bit run-down. This could be to a slight increase in endurance training but I don't know how much longer I could have maintained this program. The gains slowed towards the end, the joints were a little sore, and I was starting to loose the energy I had.

Overall, I think I accomplished my goal. I proved just how easy it is to gain strength in the weight room. I always see people who are lifting for an hour 4 times a week with little to show for gains. Hopefully, this proves that this can be accomplished in a time efficient minimal effort.

I will now take a week off of resistance training and begin another cycle. Now that triathlon, running, and cycling season is come into full swing I'll be looking to maintain my muscle mass and strength as the main goal.

More to come so stay posted! As always, if you would like to get stronger send me a message and I can help!

Andrew.

Crossing the great divide.... When enough is enough

As Americans, we live ingrained with the notion that if some is good, more must be BETTER! This lifestyle of excess and bigger is better mentality has lead this nation into one perdiciment after another.

Once two patties on a burger lost it's novelty we upped it to three, with bacon, and extra cheese. The standard SUV wasn't big enough so we rolled out bohemouths with three rows of seating to transform soccer mom into a light duty transit operator. It not ok to own anything less than a dozen pairs of shoes (by count I have 14) and our closets are full of stuff we haven't worn in years.

So where am I going with this and how does it relate to fitness?

Although, much of what I alluded to was anti-health and fitness there is a sneaking movement within our culture passing along the same notion within fitness. Once everyone and their uncle did marathons they weren't good enough, we added 50mi races, 100k's and 100mi marches through death valley. Soon Iron man was for middle aged, middle class, and average individuals and the real hardcore people are doing double iron man's, ultimate endurance triathlons and the like. Even weightlifting, strength training, and conditioning has fallen victim. Why stick to only a few reps on Olympic lifts when you can put 5 min on the clock and see who can do the most before they collapse?

I wanted to write a piece about taking things too far. Although it may seem counter intuitive that a maven of health and fitness is cautioning you to take it easy there is a line to be drawn with the silliness. Let's discuss.

It is ok to run marathons, do an iron man triathlon, or participate in these lunatic events, just make it one of your "do this before I die" events and not a lifestyle. Just like with everything, there is a point where our body stops gaining and starts losing. If you are running 12 miles a day, lifting weights upwards of 2 hours, or trying to become the first person to swim from South Africa to Antarctica, I can assure you that your body will not be getting a positive adaptation in the long run.

The way our system works is that when we exercise we are turning on the stress response in our body. Hormones surge, cortisol, epinephrine, and the like. These hormones tell our body that we are under distress. To adapt to the challenges our body changes to suit towards the stresses placed upon it.  Seems simple right? Just like with anything we can put too much of a tax on this system. Our glands produce so much of these hormones we are living in a state of flight or flight. Eventually, we develop fatigue, our body doesn't react to the hormones and we are left in a rut of obscurity. Our metabolism slows, we don't see the fitness results, and we push harder thinking we are just in a plateau.

Another issue here is the effect on our heart, our muscles, and our joints. In this state. Our body is extremely catabolic in this state. In other words, our muscles are in a state of wasting, our heart becomes scarred and enlarged, and joints loose their lubrication and begin to wear.

Don't let this deter you from taking on fitness as a lifestyle, there is plenty of leeway in reaping the fantastic rewards of exercise. You can certainly maintain an active lifestyle work out 7 days a week and prosper. It's the type and duration to be weary of.  My general suggestion is to keep it varied, keep the duration between 30-90 min and listen to your body. If you are sore, fatigued, or have trouble sleeping, back off. Vary between endurance activities, sprint type intervals, and resistance training through a variety of disciplines. Keep it fun and engaging. Sprint sessions are short, endurance can be long just keep in mind that you do not need to always be pushing it to the max. A run at a comforting pace or a nice hike is just as good as lacing up the shoes and heading out on a death march sometimes.

Ok so I have laid out my opinion on the matter. What do you think? I am out of the realm of reality here? Am I just ashamed to admit I am not hardcore enough and am trying to justify my short comings with fake science? Let me know in the comments!

Run for your life, but not too fast, or not too far.
Andrew

Strength Update no. 7 Friday fit tip!

FRIDAY FIT TIP! 
How easy is it exactly to reap the health benefits of exercise?

 ****SPOILER ALERT****
Much easier than we all think!

New research published by the American Heart Association journal surprised me with statistics of how easy it is to achieve the health benefits of exercise.

They studied the differences between running and walking in relation to the health benefits. They had over 45,000 participants. 33,000 registered in the national runners registry and 15,000 from the national walkers registry. The ages were between 18 all the way up to 80.

In a brief summary here is what they found:


Running significantly reduced the risk for being diagnosed with hypertension by 4.2% while walking reduced the risk by 7.2%
Running reduced the chances of having high cholesterol by 4.3% and walking by 7%
Running lowered risk of diabetes by 12.1% while walking dropped the risk by 12.3%
Running reduced coronary heart disease risk by 4.5% compared to 9.3% for walking.

The results are startling, it appears that walking can give you the same amount if not more of the benefits of exercise. Now let's discuss the results.

Some limitations I see, first I can see adherence to lifelong walking being much higher than the runners. Maybe the runners run for 2 or 3 months then "get too busy," the classic excuse, and take a hiatus. Also, I can see someone being much more likely to walk for 30-60 min a day whereas a runner may be content to 20-30.

No matter which way you slice it. There is always benefit from some exercise. Although if you are wanting to loose weight, running will trump walking on an calorie expenditure scale, walking has it's place in our day to day lives. If you are new to exercise or want a simple easy to follow way to be healthier I think that walking is a good place to start.

As always if you would like some help  getting started on a walking program. Feel free to email me questions.



Strength Challenge UPDATE #7

Being on the last leg of my strength challenge, I am starting to feel the effects of fatigue. This could be because I increased my endurance volume, it could be that I keep increasing weights and I am getting closer to the plateau threshold. None-the-less with my test day just 5 days away, I started to taper a little volume off my lifting.

Here is my training week as a whole:
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Lift+ Spin  :30 short sprint intervals (35min)
Tuesday: 28 mile road ride. 1:18 total time
Wednesday: Swim 5x200 yrds Spin: power climb + tempo sets (35min)
Thursday: Run 20 min @ 10k pace +lift
Friday: Swim 2x500yrd at pace Spin tempo+speed work (30min)
Saturday: Ride mountain bike 1:00

Total time working out: 6:20 min (estimate) with warming up and rest time.

Here is the latest weights workout. I moved down to four lifts still at five sets of 8.

Deadlift: 275, 285, 290, 295, 275 Last set I wanted to hit 300 but I knew it wouldn't happen dropped down instead.
Smith Bench press: (slow reps) 5x8 @155 dropped to 135 last set
Smith Bent row: (slow reps) 5x8 @155 dropped to 135 last set
Dumbbell pullover: 4x8 @60,60, 65,65

workout duration: 26:00

Be fit, happy, and well.

Andrew

Strength Challenge Update no. 6

A quick update from the strength challenge:

I rand a duathlon with Jeff this weekend. Despite the cycling and running I am still feeling strong. New highs on squat prove that progress is still happening.

As time is running out on this challenge I am excited to see where I am at. I will have to admit that I am starting to feel the results slow. I am no longer blasting through the previous workouts numbers, I am making steady gains. This is probably due to the amount of endurance training I am still doing. Now that the spring season is in full swing. It is time to add a little more volume in.

Anyway, here are the latest results

Squat: 205x8, 215x8, 225x8, 235x6
Seated DB press: (45x8)x4
Pull-up (slow reps): 10x4
Bench Step Up: 45x6 each leg
TRX feet elevated push up and pike: 12,10,10,8

Strength Challenge Update 3/28. PLUS Friday Fit Tip

Time for another workout update for the strength challenge. With 5 workouts in the books I am still making good progress. It's amazing how little time I am spending and how I am able to continue my triathlon training full speed ahead with no noticeable effects from strength training.

I will have to admit, I have gained two pounds. I believe this is probably due to my appetite. There are days where it seems like I can eat eat and eat more without ever feeling full. I know I said I would keep weight constant. I apologize for my lack of discipline in the kitchen.

Just as an example here is what last week's training looked like for me

SAT: 12x150m sprint 250m jog
SUN:Lift
MON: Spin class 45:00
TUES: 2hr moderate hike
WED:Spin Class 45:00
THUR: Lifting and 10x100yrd swim :30 seconds recovery.
FRI: Easy spinning 45:00


Most meat-heads would tell you there is no way I could gain muscle mass or strength with so much cardio. I seem to be able to defy all odds. It's funny how what is "common knowledge" can be defied when all variables are considered. I know I could gain more and be stronger without, but that is not the purpose. My goals were to get 10-15% stronger.

Here are the stats from my workout:

Deadlift 5x8 @275, 285,285,285,295
Incline Smith press (slow reps) 5x8 @155,155,155,155,145
Cable Row: 5x8 @120
Hanging Leg lift: 5x10

Here is my Friday fit tip:

How did static stretching come to dominate almost every warm up and cool down protocol of fitness? If you take a closer look at research, static stretching does almost nothing for actually warming the core temp, reducing injury, or increasing performance.

If static stretching does one thing well, it's probably making you able to touch your toes. In articles I have read about the matter as long as we have an acceptable range of motion, static stretching does nothing for us athletically. It doesn't "stretch" the muscles. Just inhibits your stretch reflexes making it so they lengthen further.

I know that as many of you read this you are shaking your heads wondering how I can write such a thing when everyone else in the gym, or the run, or in yoga class is doing it. If this is the case how can so many people be wrong? Like with chronic cardio, we are conditioned, taught, and brought to believe that we are getting something more out of it.

So what is a better option? You want to loosen up your tight back, get mobile, and be able to tie your shoes without sitting down. My answer for you is to look into dynamic stretching and mobility drills. I do these with all my clients. The basic principal is that we are moving through the range of motion rather than just standing there.

This accomplishes two things. First we are getting a good warm up in, and second we are actively stretching, such as you would be doing in real life. Research has shown this to be much more effective. Drills like leg swings, hurdle duck unders and many more.

If you would like to learn a little more about how to stretch dynamically get in touch with us!

The Last 12 weeks... well, 18.5 to be exact.

First off, thanks for the mention, Andy. This last weekend was great. I was lucky enough to go to Park Forest, IL with my beautiful wife and compete in a powerlifting meet. It was the first time that I have done powerlifting since 2007. I ended up tying the personal records that I had set the week before on the squat and on the deadlift with a 250kg/550lb squat and a 320kg/705lb deadlift. I was very happy with both of those numbers and it was great that one of them ended up being a state and American record for the AAPF. In the bench I managed to get 140kg/309lbs up, but that was down twenty or more pounds from where I was planning to be; I don't know what happened earlier in the week, but I somehow managed to put a pretty bad strain on my pec minor while I was benching at about 60% for sets of two. The strain caused me to have to bench with a narrower grip which was interesting. It was a little disappointing, but I don't much care about bench, to be honest, so I was still happy to hit 140kg easy with a narrow grip.

I was happy with all of my numbers, but I had to adapt my training more than usual while I was nearing the end. This was because it had slipped my mind, kind of, that I had been training for 16.5 weeks leading up to to the point when I realized this and that I would be needing a pretty big taper if I wanted to compete safely. I was starting to feel pretty run down and my numbers were shaky in all aspects of my lifting, which, for anyone who knows me, is something that doesn't usually happen during a training cycle. Feeling tired is a normal thing, especially with my programming, but I usually recover within a day or less and feel ready to go again. I was staying sore for two, sometimes three or four days and always feeling sluggish so I knew something was up. I decided to start tapering volume and intensity about two weeks out instead of my normal one week taper; it ended up working out well and allowing me to maintain the peak that I hit the week earlier, so I was pleased with that.

The reason that I had been training for that many weeks in a row was actually two-part. The first was that I had just been training to train and to test a new program that I had put together which included set-matching, a post that I wrote about earlier this year. I ended up seeing a lot of progress after six and a half weeks, which was great, but when I found out about my powerlifting meet and a strongman competition, I decided to use to program to train for both... So I took three days off and started my training for the strongman competition. The first five weeks of my program were devoted to training for it and then the last six were for the powerlifting meet. I say devoted, but by that I mean they were just the focus. Since my strongman training portion uses powerlifting and weightlifting, I was technically training for both; then my last two days of the week were strongman practice. After the competition, I took one of my strongman practice days and made it a powerlifting meet practice day. So, like I said it ended up being a long training cycle with a competition at the end. Haha...

I will post the video of my strongman competition as well, I wrote a bit about it back in February. It was a great time and I was able to get second place. I was happy with the progress that I have made in becoming better at the events -especially in the stones, a previous major weakness of mine.

Anyways, the videos will be below and as Andy said, if you have nay questions be sure to let me know!

Well, I apologize, but I cannot upload videos longer than a minute it seems, so here are the links below. Feel free to watch them if you have about 5 minutes!

Powerlifting Meet                                                    Strongman Competition

Strength challenge update!

Alright folks, I've got some results from the latest workout performed on Sunday. Sorry for the late update! 

Before we get started I need to give credit where credit is due. Our very own Chris Roth had an outstanding meet in Chicago and broke a weight class record in dead lift at 320 kilos if I remember correctly. Big ups to Chris, it's a real testament to how hard he works but more importantly how knowledgeable and persistent he is with his training. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with him if you'd like to get your own superhuman strength!

As for my own training, it is coming along quite nicely here is what the numbers looked like:

Squat: 5x8 @215lbs     10lb increase from my last back squat workout.

Standing dumbbell press: 45lbs 5x8 using a slow rep protocol

Underhand chinup: 5x10 using slow reps

Single Leg Squat: Onto bench with 25lb dumbbell at shoulder 5x5 each leg

TRX push up: 5x25,20,20,20,18

My squats have been increasing quite nicely, overall a 10lb increase for 8 reps would be 80lbs a set, times 5 sets = 400lbs increased total weight lifted. I would consider that a good increase in work capacity.

The presses have gotten better too, last time I used 40's.

Workout time went well, it was a 27 min workout. 

That's all for this addition, stay tuned for more updates! 

Strength Challenge Update....Plus Friday fit tip

This is workout Number 4 of the strength challenge  I've reached the halfway point on this journey and have made some big gains. Take a look at the numbers

Deadlift: 5 sets of 8 275,285x3 275   INCREASED 10lbs 
DB One arm press: 5x8 65lbs
DB Pullover 5x10 65lbs
DB one arm row 5x8 65lbs
DB swing (same as kettlebell swing) 5x12 65lbs

Total workout time 26:44

As you can see I am increasing weights, actually decreasing my workout time a little, and I added 5 lifts after week one where I was doing 4. Efficiency, and strength not a bad combo. Needless to say, lifting only twice a week, as long as you are following the proper protocol, can be very effective.

And now, it's time for the Friday fit tip.....

The law of diminishing returns is a simple concept we often misinterpret, or completely ignore.

If some is good, more must be better right?

Not so, the law of diminishing returns states that we start to see less results with the more we work. Imagine running for 30 minutes, you will get a great deal of health benefits, add another 30 minutes and you would expect to see twice the benefit according to simple logic? Unfortunately  it's not so simple, you probably get 85% benefit at 30 minutes then the next 30 would yield the next 15%. This is a very simplified example, but we can apply it to all aspects of fitness.

I see this all the time in health and fitness and people don't quite understand the basic idea. They slave over the treadmill, they lift set after set, they don't see improvement, they get discouraged, they assume they aren't working hard enough and make the excuse that being fit takes too much time.

Part of my experiment here with strength is that it is simple to get fit, in a 30min gym session you can see great results. I am all about efficiency, if I can get 80-90% results in half the time you know I am going to choose the more efficient option. 10% at twice the cost doesn't appeal to me.

Seeing as time is the number one excuse why people don't work out, I believe people need to take this into consideration. Apply the law of diminishing returns, evaluate how much that extra 10-20% is at twice the cost of time. If it is important to you, then go ahead, but if you just want to be fit, I would err on the side of getting in, getting out, and not having the time excuse ever deter you.

What do you think? Could your gym routine be cut shorter and still yield the same results? Need some help finding out how much to do, practical ideas, or advice, email me and I will help you out!

Andrew

Super Workout - Interval Trail Sprints

Super Workout:  A workout that kicks your ass in all aspects of your health.  It's on par with super foods and Superman.

While I'm in the process of writing my second post on "Improvement," I'll share one of my favorite super workouts (yes, I just made that term up) - Interval Trail Sprints.

Go to a trail, not just any trail, a trail with elevation gain.  Sprint 100% intensity down the trail, preferably uphill.  The sprint should last 10 to 20 seconds.  If this is a trail with short ups and down sprint uphill until you reach the peak.  If this is a constant uphill slope (like climbing at mountain) sprint until 10-20 seconds have been reached.  Now it's your rest period.  Short up and down trail - rest by walking until the trail heads back up gradient.  I don't want any of this distance runner stuff where you are able to jog during your rest period.  If you can jog during your rest period that means you are not running at 100%.  For the constant uphill trail - Rest 2-4 minutes and completely stop during your rest.  If you try to walk you will only be walking uphill and actually wasting more energy instead of recovering.  I recommend walking in place.  In any circumstance rest 2-4 minutes.  Repeat the interval 8-12 times.  By the time you reach your fifth or sixth interval your sprint speed will start to slow down.  This doesn't mean you can jog your intervals.  You are still going all out, even if it is only 70% speed.  When you get below 70% sprint speed, your workout is over with 8 intervals being the minimum. 

Workout short version:
10-20 second 100% intensity uphill trail sprints
Rest 2-4 minutes
Repeat 8-12 times

For example, Mt. Tabor is a few blocks from my house.  I run jog to Mt Tabor for a warmup and depending on which trail I take, it will be 1-3 intervals until I make it to the top (a 400 foot elevation gain).  During these intervals, I walk in place for my rest period.  After I reach the top, the rest of my workout is me walking back down hill on a different trail and sprinting back to the top.  By the end of the workout, I have climbed (sprinted) up Mt Tabor 3-6 times.

So why is this a super workout?
      -  High intensity: burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time
      -  Muscle Building: every muscle in your body will build muscle.  Legs are obvious by sprinting up a hill, but your upper body will also build muscle by your arm movement.  In order to obtain 100% intensity, your arms need to be pumping with incredible force and your legs will follow.  All of your lateral muscles will be working to help keep balance on the uneven trail surface
      -  Cardio: 10-20 second intervals at 100% intensity + elevation gain.  Enough said
      -  Stress Reduction:  Both being immersed in nature and exercise has been shown to reduce stress.  Read my "Fresh Air" post.
      -  Overall body health:  I don't feel like listing out all of the MANY different health benefits of being immersed in nature and exercising so I just grouped it in this category.  Again read "Fresh Air."

That's my super workout for the day.  Leave a comment about what you think about interval trail sprints (ITS) or results from your ITS workout.  I also want to hear from you!!  Share some of your super workouts that I can try.

Strength Challenge Update 3! The paleo diet: so easy a caveman can do it!

Today was workout number 3 of 8 for my four week strength challenge. Overall, good workout. I did 5 lifts today for 5 sets. This extra work pushed me over my 30 minute time limit, overall it was 33 minutes. If you would like to call the experiment a failure now go ahead.

Exercises, Reps, Weights:
Front squat, 8, 155
Standing overhead press 8, 95x3 85x2
Supported split squat 8, 50,55,55,60,60
Pullup (slow reps) 10,10,9,8,7
Dips (slow reps) 10,10,8,8,6

There you have it. Making some good progress. We will see how I feel here in a few weeks!

Now I would like to add a bit of scrutiny towards a common health fad. From time to time, it is nice to put things into perspective with fitness and nutrition fads. Remember jazzercise? how about the atkins diet, juice cleanse anyone?

Today I am calling out the "paleo" diet. That's right, this is nothing more than another one of the trendy fitness fads encircling the web, gyms, and whatever you call those places that look like garages that people "cross fit" in.

First let me lay down the premise of this diet. Humans, once roamed the savanna long ago, we didn't have agriculture, we didn't have twinkies, we didn't have teeth for very long. This lifestyle is what us modern homo-sapiens evolved into. Therefore, we should eat only what we have evolved to eat. They say that the evolutionary process takes hundreds of thousands of years. That long ago, there were no fields of golden wheat, no sources of grain, fruits, or genetically bred vegetables year around. We ate whatever we could scavenge  This is what the paleo diet is based on, eating the same components which our distant ancestors evolved on.

This means no grain, no legumes, no sugar, no milk, no flour, nothing in a package. Vegetables  meat, some nuts and seeds, and a little fruit here and there.

Sounds like a killer diet right? People have raved about this diet and particularity those closely encircled in the cross fit cult.

Let me start off by saying that this diet is instantly effective over the standard american solely on the fact that you are bringing awareness to what you put into your mouth. Imagine how much kale you would have to eat to account for the calories in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you are giving up. Cutting sugar and refined carbs is always a good call that is not my argument here.

Another hole in the paleo doctrine is that they say before agriculture humans didn't eat grains. This is absolutely false. According to discovery magazine fossils of human teeth during the paleolithic period have been identified with residue of grains similar to barley and farrow  It may be the case that we hadn't yet learned to grow it ourselves but it is likely we learned to eat the grain when we found it.

The next issue I have with Paleo is looking at what set us apart from the rest our species. Soon after we learned to cultivate our own food, our evolution took a turn. Because we didn't have to digest all the meat and foliage, which takes a great deal of effort on our system, our brains were able to thrive. This is because less energy was being put into our digestive system to survive. Also, look at monkey's they all have big mandible jawbones and protruded eyebrows. This is because they need it to bite through hard foods. The big muscles attach to the protuberances on their head. Because humans learned how to cook and cultivate food we evolved jaws capable of communication, our brains also had more room to flourish.

Last, did it occur to anyone that our ancestors evolved to crave salt, sugar, and fat? The three biggest vices in anyone's diet? We were destined to fail. This is because we know that these foods have the most energy, which used to be priority number one on the savanna  Walking all day scavenging burns a lot of energy, and when you don't have an abundance of junk food it would be hard to keep up. The average lifespan of our neanderthal brethren was significantly less. Who is to say this diet will provide lifelong nourishment?

Now I hope I have sparked an insight. Always be weary of the next biggest thing. I ask you all to be keen to the pseudo science, think deeply, and form your own opinion rather than just listening to any schmuck behind a keyboard......wait a second

All in good health,
Andrew

Strength Challenge Update 3/14

I'll make this quick and post the statistics for my second workout:

Overall not a bad day,

5 sets of 8 reps on everything

Dead lift: 255 for 3 sets, 275 for two

Smith machine press: 155 

Hyper extensions: 35 plate

Reverse grip bent over row: 155

Total workout time 35.27 with 6 minute mobility warm up.

That workout took a little longer than I would have liked. I am trying to keep strength training to 30:00 twice a week. 

Check back in soon for more results!

Just as a teaser, all you cavemen out there, my next post won't make you very happy!

Be fit, do good

Andrew