Friday, October 31, 2008
Sat. 11-1-08 BOOT CAMP:
Sat. 11-1-08 BOOT CAMP:
W.O.D.: Complete 5 Rounds
MB chest pass against wall 20
Overhead KB or Plate Carry 100 yrds.
Truck rope pull
Lateral Shuffle 100 yrds. (50 yrds right & 50 yrds. Left)
Coach Jeremy and grandson Caden
Another Crossfitter in the making!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fri. 10-31-08 W.O.D.:
Fri. 10-31-08 W.O.D.:
Team Tire Flips (5 flips each person, 200 flips total for class)
When finished move onto accessory exercises: (4 rounds--25 each)
Dips + Lateral Box hops + KB Shoulder Press + MB Overhead Slams
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wed. 10-29-08 W.O.D.:
WED. 10-29-08 W.O.D:
Warm-Up:
5 x 100 yrd. Runs(rest 30 sec. between rounds)
Partner band rows 5 x 60 sec. w/20 sec. rest between rounds)
W.O.D.: 30-20-10 reps of each
Wall Ball + 1-Farmer Carry Overhead Up Stairs KB + Pull-up or ring rows
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tues. 10-28-08 W.O.D:
Warm-Up: 3 Rounds 60 sec./Exercise
Band Rows + Band Chest Presses + B.W. Squat Jumps + Jump Rope
W.O.D.: 4 Rounds Best Time (Partners Training)
25 Push Ups + 25 KB DLHP (Men 60-70, Women 30-50)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Mon. 10-27-08 W.O.D.:
Warm-Up: 60 sec./exercise 2 Rounds
B.W. Squats + Jump Jacks + Mountain Climbers + Sit Ups + Push –Ups
W.O.D.: AMRAP in 30 min. (Team Work)
Two teams compete to get as many rounds as possible completed in 30 min. of:
12-Push Presses (Men 65-95, Women 35-55)
Row 200m. Sprint
Darian Barnett APA World Record Holder
Darian Barnett competed in his first APA sanctioned Powerlifting meet hosted by Tony Conyers at the Tony Conyers 2nd Annual Extravaganza 2008 Powerlifting Meet in Tampa Fl. 10-26-08.
Friday, October 24, 2008
NO BOOT CAMP this Saturday 10-25-08
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Fri. 10-24-08 W.O.D.:
Fri. 10-24-08 W.O.D.:
KB Clean N Jerk 20
Run 1 Lap Around Bldg.
Knees to Elbows 30
Run 2 Laps Around Bldg.
Mountain Climbers hands on MB Ball 40 each leg
Run 3 Laps Around Bld.
KB Clean N Jerk 20
Run 3 Laps Around Bldg.
Knees to Elbows 30
Run 2 Laps Around Bld.
Mountain Climbers hands on MB Ball 40 each leg
Run 1 Lap Around Bldg.
.JPG)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wed 10-22-08 W.O.D.:
Wed. 10-22-08 W.O.D.:
Warm Up: 1 lap around bldg. + 20 B.W. Squats + 30 MB Toe Taps each leg + Samson Stretch + Quad Stretch + Glute/Ham Stretch
W.O.D.: Complete 1 exercise before moving to the next
10, 8, 6, 2 x 5, 2 x 3, 2 x 2,
Squats
Deadlifts
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tues. 10-21-08 W.O.D.:
Tues. 10-21-08 W.O.D.:
Team Efficiency Row (10,000m with restrictions, see below)
The goal is to complete the row as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, if s/m count reaches 24 then you are penalized by adding
Each team member rows 200m. then switches with another team member. Then move onto core exercises.
Core exercises: (10 each)
KTE’s + Mountain Climbers + Crossed Leg Sit Ups + MB Trunk Rotations
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Mon. 10-20-08 W.O.D.:
Shoulder Stretches
MB Rotational
Squats 30 sec. then Squat jumps 30 sec.
Core Lift: Push Press 12, 8, 6, 3 x 4, 2 x 2
W.O.D.: (Complete 25 reps per side for best time)
KB Single Arm-Clean + Thruster + Overhead Squat (Men 40-70, Women 20-40)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sat. 10-18-08 W.O.D.:
Sat. 10-18-08 BOOT CAMP:
“FIGHT GONE BAD”
Men on one team, women on another team. One person per exercise station. Each person will have a spotter/counter. First group to perform exercises must complete 1 min./exercise then move to the next exercise. Once all 5 exercises are complete they will have a 1 min. rest period then perform all five exercises again in the same order for two more rounds. After three rounds have been completed the spotter/counter will switch places and follow the pattern for three rounds. Add up all reps/calories completed for the 3 rounds and this is the persons Total Score for “FIGHT GONE BAD”.
Row for calories
Wall Ball Shots (as many as possible)
SDLHP (as many as possible)
Tire Jumps (as many as possible)
Push Press (as many as possible)
Special Reminder: NO BOOT CAMP ON 10-25-2008
I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN FOR MY SONS POWERLIFTING COMPETITION. WISH US LUCK.
BOOT CAMP WILL RESUME ON SAT. NOV. 1ST, 2008
Kyle Maynard--NO EXCUSES!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Fri. 10-17-08 W.O.D.:
Fri. 10-17-08 W.O.D.:
Warm up: 2 Rounds 60 sec./exercise
Push Ups, Band Pulls, B.W. Squats, Lat. Lunge Stretches, Jumping Jack Squats
W.O.D.: Start with the Bench Press then move immediately to the Deadlift. Rest 1-2 min. then repeat next set of repetitions. Continue this pattern until you’ve reached your 1 rep max for each exercise.
Bench Press: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Deadlift: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Amanda Harris's 2006 Powerlifting Accomplishments:
And she's only 15 years old.
1. APF State Champion (best Lifter)
2. AAPF National Champion
3. APF Sr. National Champion (youngest winner ever of this meet)
4. WPC World Champion
5. WPC World Bench Press Champion (best lifter)
6. WPA World Bench Press Champion (best lifter)
7. AAU International Push-Pull Champion
8. AAU World Champion
9. USPF State Champion (best lifter)
10. IPA Teen World Champion (best lifter)
11. IPA Women's World Champion (best Lifter, youngest winner ever of this meet)
12 WABDL National Champion
13. APA National Champion
14 guest lifer of the 2006 Arnold Sports Festival the WPO!!
15. Possible WABDL World Champion on November 18th.
There were 10 other smaller meets not listed.
Amanda has already won 6 World Championships this year making her the first athlete in the sport of powerlifting male or female of any age to accomplish this feat. The WABDL Worlds will make number 7.
Although Amanda has accomplished more in one year than most powerlifting world champions have achieved in a lifetime she still has her entire career ahead of her.
In fact I could very well be talking to a future LEGEND and one of the most prestigious athlete and powerlifters that this world has ever seen! So without any further ado, I bring to you the Michael Jordan of powerlifting and perhaps the World's most famous model-athlete ever, AMANDA HARRIS.
1 Q;) Critical Bench: Amanda, welcome to Critical Bench! It's an honor to talk to you today. Amanda, were you always strong? At what point during your life did you first realize that you were super strong and what got you into powerlifting?
A ; I was not always Strong,but was always very active and competitive. I have an older bother, Beau, Who was a power-lifter. I used to watch Beau and our Dad lift weights in our garage gym. When they were competing I was at every meet and dreamed of being able to compete. I know if Beau could win meets so could I. My Dad and mom never spanked us but we did do push-ups or leg lifts as punishment. The punishment turned to competition. Beau and I would always try to out do each other. Now I realize how this contributed to building my strength. For my 8th birthday my wish was to get my own bar and to start lifting. My Dad gave me a Jr. bar, it weighed 15lbs. I don't ever think about myself being "super strong". I've always believed in myself. I guess I am stronger than most girls my age or boys because I have always exercised even when I was very young.
2 Q;) Critical Bench: (Attention parents and big brothers around the world reading this interview make your kids and younger siblings perform push ups while discipling them!) That's great advice! Anyways, Amanda how does it feel to not only be the strongest female in the world for your age but not have anyone on your tail? Some top athletes feel alone at the top! Do you feel lonely at the top? Do you feel amazed being at the top? What is it like being at the top?
A; When I go to a meet I enjoy meeting the other competitors. I'm not lonely because I have met many great people in this sport. I go to the meet to beat the records, I look at the #'s. A lot of the time I'm just looking to beat my records that I have set for myself. It is all very exciting. I don't just compete with my age group anymore I also compete with the open class women and usually win that too. I have even won two of the biggest women's shows this year with the APF Sr. Nationals and the IPA World Championships
3 Q;) Critical Bench: Amanda you are light years beyond the rest of the powerlifting competition for your age. Give us your squat routine, Bench press routine, and deadlift routine.
A; Well this year training for meets has been tough. I have competed 25 times this year so I have been using the meets as my training. Under normal conditions I use the CAT method of training using lighter weights in the beginning of a cycle like 50% of my I-RM for 6-9 sets w/ 3reps and at the end of my cycle I train up to 80- 90% of my l rep max for 6-9 sets of single reps. After each training session I do static holds of 100-125% of my I rep max. I train each lift the same way I squat on Monday bench of Tuesday and dead-lift every other Thursday. I also see a chiropractor twice a week too, this helps keep my back straight.
4 Q;) Critical Bench: Very useful information! I think we can benefit from your advice. Amanda, tell us about your experiences at the Arnold in Ohio? What was it like? What were the highlights for you?
A; The Arnold classic in Ohio was exciting. It was one of the biggest experiences of my life. When you are up there lifting on stage in front of over 5,000 people that are chanting your name you feel like a rock star. Some of the highlights were meeting lifters from all over the world and a lot of the older lifters I have respected and admired. The biggest highlight was meeting Mr. Jim Lorimer, who invited me and has already invited me back for next year and having my picture taken with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even now I get recognized from being at the Arnold.
5 Q;) Critical Bench: Oh I know it! You already are a household name to pro powerlifting champions, top notch fitness models and other women. You are 15 years young and you are loaded with fans! What's next for you? What are your future goals?
A; To continue with power-lifting. My biggest goal is to be as known in sports modeling as I am in power-lifting. I want to get the word out to inspire boys and girls my age that anything they put their mind at they can accomplish as I have in my power-lifting.
6 Q;) Critical Bench: What do you enjoy doing during your free time?
A; I enjoy hanging out with my friends either at the mall or the movies. I like having sleepovers and just being plain crazy with my girl friends. I love to dance too.
7 Q;) Critical Bench: Amanda, what is your advice for other females who might be interested in getting involved in fitness training and powerlifting?
A; My advice is to have good coach or at least someone knowledgeable in fitness, training you. Don't be scared to lift weights. Girls would be very pleased to see how they look and feel after weight training. It is a myth that lifting weights makes you big. It is important to have confidence and believe in yourself.
8 Q;) Critical Bench: Exactly. What would you like to tell your fans who love you so much?
A; I tell everyone that In life we are not born winners or losers. We are born choosers. I have chosen to be a winner. What will you choose? I would thank everyone for their support and faith in me.
9 Q;) Critical Bench: Good advice. However, people need to learn how to love powerlifting first. Tell me what exactly is it about powerlifting that you love so much?
A; I love power-lifting because of the way it has made me look and feel physically. Power-lifting has given me more confidence to excel in other things I want to do in life. I like that I still look feminine but strong. I am also very competitive and I love to win at everything I do. Power-lifting gives me satisfaction of knowing I am one of the best.
10 Q;) Critical Bench: Amanda you are the best and best wishes to you being the best as you continue your journey through powerlifting, modeling and life. In closing is there anyone who you would like to thank?
A; I thank my parents for being there and being supportive and especially my Dad for being my coach. Big thanks to John Inzer ( Inzer Advanced Designs) and Dr. Ed Group (Global Healing Center), my 2 biggest sponsors. I am grateful for all my friends and fans that always send their love. In closing I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this interview.
Critical Bench: It has been an honor stepping into the mind of one of the most athletic and impressive female athletes in the world. Amanda's interview can inspire us all to be as strong as we can be.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Zone Meal
(Cheese and Bresaola* Roulade with Pineapple and Raisins)
12 Block Meal
Ingredients:
5 ounces bresaola* or prosciutto
6 ounces feta cheese crumbled
½ cup non-fat cream cheese
3 cups Belgian endive
1 cup carrots
3 cups cubed pineapple (rinsed/drained)
4 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil
basil
lemon juice
juice of 1 lime
salt
Instructions:
Soften raisins in cold water. Rinse and drain pineapple cubes; add the softened raisins, lime juice and let sit. Mince basil leaves and add to the cream cheese, add salt to taste and mix well. Chop the endive and carrots into thin strips, add feta. Spread the cheese mixture on each slice of bresaola* or prosciutto and place the vegetable and feta in the center of the filling. Roll and place on a serving platter. Dress with the oil and a bit of lemon juice. Serve with the pineapple.
*a type of dry-cured marinated beef
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
NO MORE EXCUSES=RESULTS reprint
No Excuses = Results
By Jason Hanisak
For www.EliteFTS.com
I’m sick and tired of hearing, “I’m too old…I have bad genetics…I don’t have time…I looked good until I had kids.” You get the idea. I’ll explain why these excuses are not legit in my world, and I’ll tell you the ONLY way to get the results that you say you want.
First, let’s examine some of the popular excuses…
I’m too old
I’ve heard this excuse from so many 30-year-olds I could just choke someone. Unless you have a full head of gray hair, have trouble walking, get the senior citizen discount, or someone calls you grandpa, you are NOT old. It’s true that you may feel old, but there is a reason for that—you sit around and do nothing. Yes, this will make you feel old.
You watch television, eat, and complain about being old. Ever hear of George Foreman or Bernard Hopkins? They are two fighters who both won world titles in their forties (usually considered old for an athlete). They defied the odds. How? Dedication. They trained seven days per week when they were tired or felt weak. They trained no matter what they felt like. Bernard Hopkins is 43-years-old and looks like he is 25. And you know what? He says he feels like he is 25.
I’ve had clients in their twenties and thirties who say that there is no way they could train more than thirty minutes twice per week. Meanwhile, I have 50- and 60-year-olds who train 3–5 times per week at an hour per session. Guess what? The older clients are losing weight and getting stronger while the others are making minimal progress. Is this because the younger clients’ bodies can’t take that much exercise? No, they choose not to allow their body to get that exercise. Therefore, they feel old.
Age is NOT an excuse. It is just a number. I know many people over the age of 50 and even 60 who workout daily, run marathons, power lift, body build, and more. These people don’t look or feel their age because they choose for it to be that way.
I have bad genetics
I hate this one. No one is meant to be fat. Now, everyone does have a different body type, and shapes and sizes will differ. However, large amounts of fat are not meant to be on our bodies.
Now, I’m not knocking overweight people. I have many friends who are powerlifters and could probably lose a few pounds, but it doesn’t concern them. The difference is all of them acknowledge that they are overweight. However, they have different goals and are ok with how their bodies look. This is for the person who wants to exercise once or twice per week and complain that they are fat. Then they blame it on genetics. It never has anything to do with the lack of exercise, the ice cream and cookies they eat every night, or the fact that they went twenty years without exercise.
If your goal is weight loss, you should be exercising 5–6 times a week. You should be doing three days of weights and cardio and two or three days of just cardio. Does this sound like a lot? Well, make a decision. Do you want to lose the weight or not? If the answer is yes, then I just told you what to do. If that is too much for you, be happy being overweight and don’t blame your genetics.
I don’t have time
Ah, my all-time favorite. Just thinking about this one makes me want to lose my mind. Now, I do understand that people are busy in today’s world. Family, work...umm…well, for me it’s family, work, and lifting. They are my priorities.
I always get a response on this one. “Well, you get paid to work out so it’s easy for you, I hear. Would someone please tell me who writes these checks because I have not received mine yet?! Yes, it is true that I’m a personal trainer, and I have worked in the fitness industry for many years. However, people pay me to help them get in shape, not for me to lift weights. Training others is my job. On top of that, I have a wife and newborn baby, I coach college wrestling, and I compete in powerlifting. Guess what? I always have time. I’m not always able to get it in when I want to, but I always get it in.
Sometimes I have work or have to catch the bus to leave for an away tournament. So, I have a choice to make. Bag that day’s workout or get up at 5:00 am and do my squats. For me, there is no choice. I have to squat. It is a priority. That doesn’t mean that I’m not tired like everyone else. I hate getting up that early, but I do it anyway.
I was on a MySpace forum and a woman was complaining about how she wants to work out but works too much and doesn’t have time. How the hell do you have time to play on an internet forum, but you can’t find thirty minutes to go for a run? You have time. You just choose to use it another way.
I looked good until I had kids
Ok, first off, don’t blame your kids for your pathetic body. I understand that women gain weight during pregnancy, and their bodies go through changes. So I will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, if your kids are 10-years-old, it is not baby fat. If your baby weighed 8 lbs and you gained 80 lbs, guess what? You ate like shit.
I know that no one wants to hear this, but I’m speaking the truth, and I have a perfect example to back it up. My wife had a baby four months ago. She weighed 120 lbs before and was on strict bed rest for over thirteen weeks. (This was the perfect opportunity to gain weight.) When our son was born, she weighed 138 lbs, and four months later, she is back to 120 lbs. She exercised regularly before she got pregnant and ate well during her pregnancy. She did not eat ice cream and brownies but chicken breasts and fruits and vegetables. Now, what is the excuse?
Most of these points are directed at the average person, but I hear the same bullshit from athletes as well. You’re in college, you have class, you have work, and you have practice. I understand that you are busy, but if you want to excel and you want to get results and improve from one season to the next, you need to make the time. If you can’t find time to go for a run or hit the weight room for an hour, why even bother playing at all.
When I was in college, I spent 2–3 hours, six days a week in the gym. Four days a week I went for a midnight run. It didn’t matter if I was hung over, tired, wanted to go to a party, or had a girl waiting for me. The gym came first every time. If you truly want to accomplish the goals that you have set, you will find time one way or another.
I hope everyone realizes that this article was not intended to offend anyone but to call everyone out on their excuses. And if you are offended, maybe you need to look at why. Is it because I speak the truth? You are never too old to do anything, and if you are under senior citizen age, don’t even go there. You were not born fat so don’t let yourself get there. If you are already there, make a change. Exercise regularly and change the way you eat. If you can’t give up the chocolate cake every day, stop complaining and making excuses. Don’t blame your kids. Get off your lazy ass and do something about it. And if you think you don’t have time, realize that everyone else has the same responsibilities that you do. The difference is we make the time.
So, what is the answer to results? Very simply said—dedication. Make time to workout. Never miss a workout. If you have to miss it, double up the workout before. Stop making excuses. No one wants to hear it.
Live by the Hanisak Sports Performance motto—no excuses, train hard, or go home!
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.
Wed. 10-15-08 W.O.D.:
Wed. 10-15-08: W.O.D.:
1 lap around bldg.
Row 60 sec. (As many calories as possible)
20 Alt. Leg/Arm Pikes each side
30 Medball Seated Trunk Rotations
2 laps around bldg.
Row 90 sec. (As many calories as possible)
20 KB Windmills each side
30 Hyperextensions
3 laps around bldg.
Row 120 sec. (As many calories as possible)
20 Alt. Leg/Arm Pikes each side
30 Medball Seated Trunk Rotations
20 KB Windmills each side
30 Hyperextensions
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tues. 10-14-08 W.O.D.:
Tues. 10-14-08 W.O.D.:
Warm Up: 2 Rounds 60 sec./exercise
Push Ups, Band Rows, Jumping Jacks, B.W. Squats
W.O.D.:
10 Weighted Squats + 10 Weighted Lunges each leg
10 KB Push Presses + 10 KB Hang High Pulls
8 Weighted Squats + 8 Weighted Lunges each leg
8 KB Push Presses + 8 KB Hang High Pulls
6 Weighted Squats + 6 Weighted Lunges each leg
6 KB Push Presses + 6 KB Hang High Pulls
4 Weighted Squats + 4 Weighted Lunges each leg
4 KB Push Presses + 4 KB Hang High Pulls
2 Weighted Squats + 2 Weighted Lunges each leg
2 KB Push Presses + 2 KB Hang High Pulls
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Mon. 10-13-08 W.O.D.:
Mon. 10-13-08 W.O.D.:
Warm Up: 2 Rounds 60 sec./exercise
Pole Stretches, B.W. Squats, Jumping Jack Squats, Push Ups
20 Med Ball Slams
20 Wall Ball Shots
20 KTE’s
20 Sit Ups
100 yrd. Sprint
Amazing CrossFit Transformation
"Xtreme Fitness 4 Xtreme People"
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Cynergy CrossFit visits CrossFit Thoroughbreds
Cynergy with CrossFit Thoroughbreds Posted: 10 Oct 2008 06:02 PM CDT Cindy & Keith sent me this photo via phone of their WOD 10/10/08 in Ft. Myers, FL with CrossFit Thoroughbreds! |
Friday, October 10, 2008
Iron Kids
|
Sat. 10-11-08 BOOT CAMP
Sat. 10-11-08 BOOT CAMP:
Truck Rope Pull: 6 x 50’ then run 100 yrds. (get ready to repeat)
Tire Flips: 200lb. tire 6 x 10 flips
KB Single Arm Thrusters: 6 x 10 each arm
The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan32
Do the Math
In my recent Context of Calories post, I explained how the different macronutrients we eat at each meal (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) have different effects in the body. I suggested that, despite their raw calorie values, it’s far more important to get a lasting intuitive sense of how much of each macronutrient you need and when you need it (or not).
But how do you do that? How do you figure out the proper number of calories - and breakdown of fats, protein and carbs - to accomplish your fitness and health goals? To lose weight? Lose fat? Gain muscle? Maintain status quo? Run marathons?
In fact, most popular daily diets look at overall calories as the main factor in weight loss and weight gain. The age-old conservation of energy Conventional Wisdom says that “a calorie is a calorie.” From there most diet gurus generally prescribe some formulaic one-size-fits-all breakdown of fats, protein and carbs. A classically trained Registered Dietician will tell you that protein should be around 10-15% of calories, carbs should be 60% (and mostly from whole grains) and fat under 30%. This macronutrient breakdown stays the same regardless of how much weight you need to lose or what other goals you might have. Barry Sears has his 40/30/30 “Zone” diet. The USDA bases everything on a choice of between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day. But, as I said earlier, it’s not that simple. Calories do have context.
The human body uses these macronutrients for a variety of different functions, some of which are structural and some of which are simply to provide energy - immediately or well into the future. Moreover, with regards to energy conservation or expenditure, the body acts as both an efficient fuel storage depot (and as a toxic “waist” site) as well as a potent generator of energy, depending largely on the hormonal signals it gets. It will store glycogen and/or fat and it will build muscle - or it will just as easily tear them all down and use them for fuel - based on input from you: what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, what you’re doing before or after you eat - even what you’re thinking when you eat. Yet because your body always seeks to achieve homeostasis over time, the notion of you trying to zero in on a precise day-to-day or meal-to-meal eating plan is generally fruitless (yes, Charlotte, some fruit is allowed). The good news in all this is that falling off the wagon once or twice this week won’t have the immediate disastrous effect that you might imagine - as long as you can keep your average intake under control and understand how the various macronutrients function over time.
Which brings me to the crux of today’s discussion. Not only is it nearly impossible to accurately gauge your exact meal-to-meal calorie and macronutrient requirements, doing so will drive you crazy. In fact, to accurately figure your true structural and functional fuel needs (and hence to achieve your goals) it’s far more effective to look at a much larger span of time, like a few weeks, and aim for an “average” consumption. Then you can review that average daily intake over weeks or months and adjust accordingly. Below, I’ll give you a way to figure a “jumping off” point to start with, but remember, our genes are accustomed to the way our ancestors ate: intermittently, sporadically, sometimes in large quantities, and sometimes not at all for days. Their bodies figured out a way to maintain homeostasis and preserve lean tissue and good health through all this and so can we. Our genes want us to be lean and fit. It’s actually quite easy as long as we eat from the long list of Primal Blueprint healthy foods and try to avoid that other list of grain-laden, sugary, processed and otherwise unhealthy foods. Realistically, we also want to allow for the occasional party-splurge, a pre-planned (or accidental) intermittent fast, an over-the-top workout or even a week of laziness. Where most people get into trouble is in miscalculating their energy needs over extended periods of time - not day-to-day. They don’t see the average amount of carbs creeping upwards, or they figure they need x amount of calories, but don’t have a clue as to what kind of food those should be coming from.
I start with these four basic principles to guide my Primal Blueprint eating style:
1) 80% of your body composition will be determined by your diet. Yes, exercise is also important to health and to speed up fat-burning and muscle-building, but most of your results will come from how you eat. I’ll write more on this later, so just trust me on this one for now. Suffice to say, people who weigh a ton and exercise a ton, but eat a ton, still tend to weigh a ton. I think I’ll have that made into a t-shirt…
2) Lean Body Mass (LBM) is the key to life. I’ve said it many times on this site: lean mass (muscle and all the rest of you that is not fat) is directly correlated with longevity and excellent health. Rather than strive to “lose weight”, most people would be better off striving to lose only fat and to build or maintain muscle. Since other organs tend to function at a level that correlates to muscle mass, the more muscle you maintain throughout life, the more “organ reserve” you’ll have (i.e. the better the rest of you will work). Refer back to rule #1 and eat to build or maintain muscle.
3) Excess body fat is bad. Most human studies show that being significantly overweight increases your risk of nearly every disease (except osteoporosis - because ironically it responds to weight-bearing activities). Fat just doesn’t look that great either. See rule #1 and eat to keep body fat relatively low.
4) Excess insulin is bad. We’ve written about it here a lot. Chronic excess insulin may be even worse than excess sugar (and we know how bad that is). All animals produce insulin, but within any species, those that produce less insulin live longer than those who produce a lot. Eat to keep insulin low.
Here is how I use these principles to guide my individual macronutrient intake:
Protein
Protein takes priority. If there is ample glycogen (stored glucose) and the body is getting the rest of its energy efficiently from fats, protein will always go first towards repair or building cells or enzymes. In that context, it hardly seems fair to assign it a “burn rate” of 4 calories per gram. It’s like saying the 2×4 studs that support the walls of your house can burn nicely if you run out of firewood. They will, but I prefer to burn other fuel first. At a minimum you need .5 grams of protein per pound of lean mass/per day on average to maintain your “structure”. If you are moderately active you need .7 or .8, and if you are an active athlete you need as much as 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass. That’s at a minimum, but it’s on a daily average. So a 155 lb moderately active woman who has 25% body fat (and thus) has 116 lb of lean body mass needs 93 grams of protein on average per day (116 x .8). If she gets 60 or 80 some days and 110 on others, she’ll still be in a healthy average range. And even if she exceeds the 110, it’s no problem if she’s eating low carb because the excess protein will convert to glucose, which will reduce her effective carbohydrate needs (see below). At 4 calories per gram, that’s between 320 and 440 calories per day in protein. It’s not that much.
Carbs
If you’ve forgotten everything you ever learned in biology, just remember this and “own” it: Carbohydrate drives insulin drives fat (Cahill 1965, and Taubes 2007). The idea in the PB is to limit your carbs to only those you need to provide glucose for the brain and for some reasonable amount (certainly less than an hour) of occasional anaerobic exercise. And the truth is, you don’t even need glucose to fuel the brain. Ketones from a very-low carb diet work extremely efficiently at that task. Either way, ideally, we would like most of our daily energy to come from dietary or stored fats. Typically, (if you are at an ideal body composition now) I use a rule of thumb that 100-150 grams of carbohydrate per day is plenty to keep you out of ketosis (and ketosis is NOT a bad thing) but away from storing the excess as fat if you are the least bit active. Don’t forget that your body can make up to 200 grams of glycogen from fats and protein every day, too. On the other hand, if you are looking to lose body fat, keeping carbs to under 80 grams per day will help immensely in lowering insulin and taking fat out of storage. On the other other hand, if you are insistent on training hard for long periods of time, you would add more carbs (say, 100 per day extra for every extra hour you train hard). It becomes a matter of doing the math and experimenting with the results.
Ironically, it’s tough to exceed 100 grams of carbs even if you eat tons of colorful vegetables - as long as you eat like our ancestors and consume no grains, no sugars and few starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams, beets, legumes, etc). Even if you eat a ton of vegetables AND a fair amount of fruit, you’ll be hard pressed to exceed 150 grams of carbs on average per day. Our remote ancestors couldn’t average 150 grams of carbs a day if they tried, yet they had plenty of energy and maintained their lean mass. At 4 calories per gram that’s only between 400 and 600 calories per day. Add that in to the protein above and our sample girl is barely at 1,000 calories on the high end. So where does the rest of the fuel come from?
Fats
Learn to love them. They are the fuel of choice and should become the balance of your Primal Blueprint diet. Fats have little or no impact on insulin and, as a result, promote the burning of both dietary and stored (adipose) fat as fuel. Think about this: if protein and carbs stay fairly constant (and carbs stay under 150), you can use fat as the major energy variable in your diet. Feeling like you need more fuel (and you’ve already covered your bases with protein and carbs)? Reach for something with fat. Nuts, avocados, coconut, eggs, butter, olive oil, fish, chicken, lamb, beef, the list is a long one. 100 grams of fats per day would only add 900 calories to our girl’s daily average, putting her at between 1620 and 1940 calories a day. Even if she averages somewhere between 1400 and 2200 calories per day over a few weeks, as long as she pays attention to protein and carbs, her body composition will shift to lower body fat and more desirable lean mass. If she decides to do some walking, a few brief intense weight sessions and asprint day here and there, that process would accelerate greatly. If she gets to a point where she’s content with her body fat, she can even add in a little more fat to provide energy that she previously got from her stored fat.
The main thing I’ve figured out from eating this way for years is that I don’t need nearly as many calories to maintain health, mass, and body fat as I once thought I did - or as the Conventional Wisdom says I do. I eat 600-1000 calories per day less than when I ate a carbohydrate-based diet, yet I maintain slightly lower body fat and slightly higher muscle mass on even less training. Remember: 80% of body composition is determined by diet. The best part is that I don’t ever feel hungry because I base my eating on exactly what my 10,000-year-old genes want me to eat.
Further Reading:
Definitive Guides to: