Category Archives: Man Biceps
Sorry, but I’m not Paleo
I’m sort of sick of being called Paleo with a negative connotation attached. I’m sick of having my diet dismissed because of a term someone else attached to it.
So while I’ve discussed the great components of both the Primal and Paleo diet, but I’m really not either.
I mean let’s face it, no one really eats Paleolithic food so no one is really Paleo.
It is just a name. A way to describe a “philosophy.”
The name has either become a source of pride or something to mock. People either blindly follow the name or won’t give the diet a second look because of it.
BUT, even though I wouldn’t define myself as perfectly Paleo or Primal, I respect the message of both of the diets – EAT WHOLE NATURAL FOODS!
All diets THAT ARE ACTUALLY HEALTHY, no matter what you call them, should follow that basic rule – Eat whole, natural foods. Get plenty of healthy fats, proteins and vegetables and avoid process crap and gluten.
I personally believe that if you avoid gluten and vegetable oil, you will avoid the two leading causes of inflammation, which can cause serious health problems.
I also believe thought that it doesn’t mean you can just eat a ton of gluten-free products.
You also need to avoid as much processed food as possible because frankly, it is CRAP.
But whether or not corn or dairy or peanuts or beans are bad is all up to you. Certain diets say they are bad, but honestly, I think it comes down to how you feel when you eat them and the studies you choose to believe. Because, let’s face it, you can find studies to basically support anything.
At some point you have to make an educated decision about what studies to believe. And then you experiment to find what works for you.
I’ve found that corn tortillas are something I really enjoy. And they can be all natural with no crap. I find that they help me get the perfect amount of carbs to perform well and feel great.
The Primal diet doesn’t promote eating corn, but it works for me.
I also like to include full-fat cheeses and minimal cream in moderation. I don’t have a problem with dairy SO I EAT IT.
Of course, if you have a problem with dairy or follow strict Paleo, you probably won’t.
Then the amount of fat and types of fat you choose to consume are also up to you.
I’m not afraid of some saturated fat. NATURAL products contain it.
HOWEVER, I’m going to choose grass-fed or naturally raised animal products because they have a natural, appropriate ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s. Just because I’m not afraid of some saturated fat doesn’t mean I’m going to eat grain-fed, conventionally raised animals.
They do not contain the same healthy ratio of fats!
But again, it is up to you and HOW YOU FEEL! Maybe you are still a bit more fat-o-phobic even though you eat whole natural foods.
Anyway, stop worrying about the name of your diet.
Whatever you call it, if you eat whole natural foods, you are on the right track! Then it just comes down to exactly what foods you choose to include.
Also, this leads me to a quick fasting update….I used to do intermittent fasting almost every day. Now I’ve varied it up more and I’ve found I’ve gotten even better results. I train fasted still, but only in the mornings. At night, I generally train after eating a small meal.
I’ve found that I get the best results training in this way. I also find that I’m listening to my body more by not forcing myself to fast till a certain time every day.
Again though….it is up to you to find what works! You can find a bazillion suggestions, articles that tell you to never fast and articles that promote fasting for 24 hours at a time. But it comes down to what works for you – to self-experimentation (which I’ve written about so many times!).
Taking a risk
On Saturday, another trainer from Innovative Results and I went to Santa Ana to train some of the OC Roller Derby Girls.
It was a ton of fun aside from the whole getting really really lost on the way there thing.
But it gave me and the other trainer a bit of time to talk when I wasn’t freaking out about being lost.
He would love to make the Olympics in rugby. He is a great player….the problem is he would have to make huge life changes in order to get there.
The question is…should he make those changes. Should he make a huge change and dedicated tons of hours to a dream that he isn’t guaranteed will happen?
There really was no answer I could give him. All I could say was, “Do you really want it?”
He said yes.
So I said, “If you really want something, than isn’t it worth the risk?”
The best things in life don’t come easily unfortunately. Sometimes you have to take a risk.
I mean any time you want to make a big change, any time you want to reach a goal, you will have to take a risk.
We risk “failing.” We risk falling short of whatever it is we hoped to attain.
But is trying but not attaining really worse than not trying at all?
I don’t think so.
Other than maybe some embarrassment at our failure, at least we tried!
I personally would rather take the risk and fail than never try at all.
I would rather throw myself into something whole-heartedly than always look back and wonder “what if.”
But hey…I don’t see “falling short” as true failure – it is just a learning experience.
True failure, to me, is never trying at all…
What do you think?
IKEA
So over the last week, Ryan and I have made a few trips to IKEA to buy furniture since we sold everything when we moved from Boston.
I love Ikea….the only problem is you have to pick up all the furniture and put it together.
And the picking it up isn’t the problem!
Anyway, yesterday we made pretty much our final trip there to buy the last couple of large things. We walked around their “marketplace” or whatever they call it and went down the aisle to pick up the boxes that we needed.
I of course don’t ever wait for Ryan’s help. I just start lifting the massive awkward boxes onto our cart the best that I can. And if it looks like I won’t be able to get the box or am about to smash myself in the face/foot/you name a body part, Ryan will step in to help me. Otherwise, he just lets me do my thing.
But so yesterday we were getting the parts for a dresser. I had managed the first box, but the second was super heavy so Ryan came around to help me.
All the while this shorter couple is standing behind us waiting to grab their boxes for the dresser. I hurried to grab our boxes so we could move down the aisle to grab the next piece.
As we moved down, I watched the short couple move to grab the boxes…or should I say I watched the husband/boyfriend/male grab the long awkward boxes by himself.
And while that didn’t make me think at first because I would have gone right at it just like him, what got me was the fact that when he struggled so badly that I even wanted to go over and help him, all she did was stand there.
SHE JUST STOOD THERE!?!?!!?!?
He was struggling hard and kept dropping the box as he moved it two feet to the cart and she just stood there!
AH!
Maybe she just stood there because he would reject the help. Maybe she stood there because she didn’t feel like helping. Maybe she stood there because she wasn’t strong enough to help.
I don’t know why she just stood there. But I can’t get over the fact that she didn’t help.
Am I the only weirdo slightly perturbed by this? You can admit it if I am….
Anyway, I turned to Ryan and said, “Aren’t you glad I’m strong and help you move everything?”
He just smiled and said, “Yup” because he has heard this statement every time we move.
I think it is just that every time Ryan and I move, I realize just how glad I am that when I workout I lift heavy stuff!
P.S. This will lead into a post tomorrow, if I haven’t died of frustration before then from trying to put everything together, inspired by my boss at Innovative Results who has created an “awkward weights” workout progression which may be just what some of us need to help make us strong so we can move boxes, furniture or any awkward, heavy piece of whatever.
Workouts – What should we really be doing?
So last night when I was talking about workouts with a friend I realized how deeply it is ingrained in us that not only are certain exercises the key to weight loss success but so is a certain duration of activity.
She assumed I ran a lot and worked out for long periods of time because I’m “thin” and “in shape.”
Most women assume the same thing. They believe that running and long workouts are the key to weight loss success.
But they are wrong.
For one, I rarely ever run and when I do it usually is sprints or really light jogging if I’m going any distance over a mile.
And two, I don’t think any of my workouts have been anywhere near an hour for months now. Shoot, at least a few times a week my workouts aren’t even longer than 15 minutes!
Running and cardio in general is a key piece of the weight loss puzzle, but it isn’t the only piece. Strength training, and diet, are also very important.
If you don’t do strength training, you won’t add muscle.
Why do you want to add muscle when your goal is weight loss?
Because by adding muscle you burn more fat. When you have more muscle, you burn more calories allowing you to lose weight more easily and keep the weight off!
If you only do chronic cardio, when you take time off and eat normally, you will find the weight goes right back on. Also, you will find that your body will get used to the chronic cardio that you are doing and that you will constantly need to be upping the amount of time you spend running to get the same calorie burn!
BUT if you’ve added muscle, you will find that you won’t gain the weight back near as easily because you’ve raised your metabolic rate by adding muscle which needs more calories to be maintained!
Also, strength training will help prevent injuries that may develop from repetitive motions, such as running, that would hinder your progress or keep you from working out!
So while cardio is important, STRENGTH TRAINING, is actually more key to maintaining a healthy “in shape” weight!
Now to workout length….
Workout intensity is what really matters when you are trying to figure out how long your workout should be.
When I go for a hike or a walk, my workout will be longer. BUT if I workout super intensely, there is no need for my workout to pretty much ever go over 45 minutes.
So it isn’t that long workouts can’t be good, but if you are working out super intensely for an hour, you are probably going to either burn out or start feeling the effects of overtraining, which will actually hinder your progress toward your goal (be your goal weight loss or added strength or merely feeling fitter!).
So I guess to sum up what I’m saying is there is no one form of exercise or a certain length of time you have to spend working out to reach your fitness goals!
Variety is key!
(HMMMMM….Variety is key….That sounds familiar….I was going to link to another post here but there are too many preaching this on this site to pick just one! :-))
Patience = Consistency over time
I’m not a patient person.
Generally, I work hard and want results fast.
But unfortunately that isn’t how things work.
They say “patience is a virtue” and it really freaking is.
Unfortunately you don’t reach your fitness goals overnight. True lasting progress is consistency over time.
Consistency over time….patience…bleh…
BUT…you need to be patient!
If you create a program, progress yourself forward and give yourself proper recovery, you will reach your goals if you stay the course. This can mean weeks or months or even years.
The key to keeping yourself on course, to helping yourself be patient and consistent over time, is to set mini goals. Break your yearly goals down into monthly, weekly and even daily goals.
Achieving these mini goals will keep you dedicated each and every day. And shoot, a daily goal may just be to exercise for 10 minutes every day! They shouldn’t be anything crazy. They should be realistic and achievable.
You want goals that will motivate you to keep moving forward not goals that will make you feel like you’ll never achieve your goals.
Remember, BE PATIENT and consistent over time and you will achieve your goals!
P.S. The only good part about all of this is that one slip up also doesn’t mean you’ve destroyed all of your progress. What matters is consistency over time!
Spending time with family
In Boston, all too often Ryan and I would spend time together by watching TV or a movie. We would do active things together, but not near as frequently as we should have.
Since moving to Cali, we’ve spent so much more time together doing active things – even just activities such as walking around a farmers market together.
Ryan holding our purchases from the market.
There is something about being ACTIVE together that brings you even closer together. There is a bonding that goes on when you DO things together.
Yoga outside together…Ryan didn’t want to pose… haha
Like yesterday…We did a quick workout together then got some coffee and walked about 4 miles on the beach, watching the waves. We later put together some furniture. All active things. All times to bond.
There is just something about the bonding that happens during physical activity that is so different from the bonding that happens at any other time.
That is why I encourage all of my clients, friends and family to DO things together. Go paddleboarding. Go rock climbing. Go for a hike or jog or even do a workout together!
Team IR paddleboarding.
Yea there may be some competition when you do a workout with your spouse, friend or family member, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The fact that you are overcoming a challenge together will bring you closer. The fact that you are both talking and playing together while getting endorphins from the exercise will bring you closer.
Playing together will help you develop a stronger bond. A healthier relationship. And a healthier you.
So today…go play with your family and friends!
Go do headstands on a paddleboard even if you do flip over and fall in! (which by the way I did…numerous times…)
The Sled
If you’ve ever pushed or pulled a sled, you know it is perfectly wonderful torture.
Tonight Ryan came in to the gym for a workout and I started our workout out with a sled pull (pull the sled toward you by pulling a long rope in) and then pushing it back to the starting position. (This was made even more torturous by the fact that you then had to bear crawl backwards back to the beginning.)
BUT tonight I’m not going to discuss how torturous the bear crawl was. I’m going to discuss the torture and the benefit of pushing and pulling a sled.
If you want to develop strength and power in your legs, you should be doing sled pushes. If you want to strengthen your core and your upper body, you should be doing sled pushes. Sled pulls are great too for the upper body, core and even the legs.
The sled helps you develop POWER and STRENGTH. AND it also helps you develop great ACCELERATION and SPEED.
Corey, one of the owners and trainers at Innovative Results, posted this article about sled training to our Facebook group a few weeks back and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
It is a very functional tool that can work your entire body.
So why aren’t you doing workouts with the sled?!?!
Add this circuit into your next routine:
5 rounds with a challenging weight on the sled:
Sled pull toward you for 20 ft.
Sled pull
Push it back to the starting position (20ft)
Then bear crawl backwards to your starting position at the rope (20ft)
REPEAT!
One size doesn’t fit all
I was telling everyone at work about my “AH HA!” moment in the shower the other day.
I was thinking about our gym, Crossfit and personal training when I thought….
“Would you go to a doctor that prescribes the same thing to cure all of his patients? NO! So why would you go to a gym that does?!?”
I like Crossfit for a number of reasons, BUT some of the people doing it really shouldn’t be doing it.
Sorry but that is the cold hard truth.
Crossfit is one prescription for a whole bunch of problems and frankly that just doesn’t work.
I usually don’t say anything negative about Crossfit because I do like the movement and a lot of what it stands for.
But it shouldn’t ever have become mainstream.
I’m sorry. Lifting “heavy” is for everyone, but as I’ve said before “heavy” is so very relative.
While I love the variety of Crossfit, a lot of the people doing the workouts SHOULD NOT be doing the moves they are doing. Can they be learning snatches?
YES. But they should be learning proper form and progressing in a fashion that allows their bodies to adapt to the loads.
Unfortunately this doesn’t happen at many Crossfit gyms (which gives the ones that do do this a bad name).
Crossfit is also all about pushing the body past the point of failure.
Which I love.
But the average person doesn’t have the same understanding of their body that athletes and advanced/experienced lifters do.
I know when my form breaks down. I know how far I can push my body past that point of absolute fatigue without risking injury.
Many of the people doing the heavy Crossfit lifts don’t.
I mean, “Do you?” Can you tell when your form breaks down? Do you know which muscles are compensating and how much they can handle? Do you know that your body is prepared to handle the loads placed on it?
If you can’t answer yes to those questions, you shouldn’t be using a heavy weight till failure. You shouldn’t be doing many of the Crossfit workouts.
Sorry.
I guess what it comes down to for me is that Crossfit is a sport – A sport MEANT for elite athletes.
I know many of you will disagree with me, but before you start ranting and potentially leaving comments just take a second to think about what I’m saying.
One size doesn’t fit all.
Is Crossfit really getting you toward your goals?
Or is this another one of those things that people do because it is popular right now, but eventually get injured/tired/bored or don’t reach their goals so they give up?
Is Crossfit really the right program for you?
It may be super cool and “bad-ass” right now, but in the long run, is it the right prescription for YOU?
Has your diet evolved?
I think the sign of a good diet is whether or not it has evolved, even just a little bit, from when you started it.
It doesn’t have to be one or the other!
When you first start a diet, you should stick to the guidelines laid out as strictly as possible because that way you know if the principles work.
But most of the time the guidelines laid out by that other person, aren’t perfect for you. So either you end up giving up on the diet OR you start evolving the diet to better work for you.
I started out doing the Primal diet as Mark had it laid out. But slowly I made my own changes.
At first apples and almond butter were a staple snack to replace the apples and peanut butter I had been eating. Now….I can’t even remember the last time I ate them as a snack.
At first I also didn’t eat rice and potatoes. I ate nuts and fruit and vegetables as my only carbs. But then when I wanted to really cut body fat, I stopped eating as many nuts (actually I basically only eat macadamia nuts now) and started carb cycling with rice and potatoes.
Recently though, I haven’t eaten any potatoes. Instead I’ve had a very little bit of white rice and homemade corn tortillas. Although corn isn’t recommended in Primal, I’ve found that having tacos with corn tortillas as kept me from really cheating otherwise. And my energy levels have felt great, my workouts have been intense and my body composition has actually improved.
I also used to eat a lot more cheese when I first started Primal. Slowly cheese became more of a treat and less of a staple. I no longer need the cheese each day to keep me sane.
That is really what experimenting with your diet is all about – staying sane while being healthy.
You don’t want to deprive yourself of something you love to the extent that you complete give up on a healthy lifestyle. Remember the 80/20 rule – perfection is only required 80% of the time to reach your goals.
You need to find what works for you.
How many carbs do you need? Do you crave sweets or can you not live without your cheese?
All diets can and SHOULD be adjusted to fit YOUR needs.
How has your healthy diet evolved since you started it? What changes have you made to keep yourself dedicated to an overall healthy lifestyle? What do you allow in your 20%?
Man Bicep 