Sunday, August 31, 2014

Grant's Training Sunday 8/31

Got some quick bodybuilding in today. Was fun.

Sunday 8/31
"Upper Body Hypertrophy"


Warm-up:
Push-ups, arm circles, press with bar, chin-ups, pull-ups, dips.

A1) Weighted Dips (40X0) @ +35 kg; 4-6 reps x 4 sets; 120s rest
A2) Weighted Pull-ups (40X0) @ +10 kg; 4-6 reps x 4 sets; 120s rest
Dips - 6, 6, 6, 6
Pull-ups - 6, 6, 5, 4

B) 50 HSPU + 50 Chin-ups for time: 12:50 
12 HSPU, 12 Chin-ups, 7 HSPU, 8 Chin-ups, 4 HSPU, 5 Chin-ups, 2 HSPU, 5 Chin-ups... on down with sets of 2 HSPU, 5 Chin-ups. Finished the chin-ups before HSPU obviously. Was at 30 and 50 by about 6 minutes in. 

C) 100 Close Grip Push-ups (feet elevated, fist on DBs) + 100 Hammer Curls for time: 4:00
30+30, 25+25, 20+20, 15+15, 10+10
Obviously not as strict as possible, but not total cheat reps. 

D) FLR (front leaning rest, or yoga plank) - 60 seconds

Work-out done - 45 minutes. Good pump. Carb backloading tonight, so I am consuming 150g carbs post workout in the form of berries, some home-made kefir, a bit of superfood granola and a sweet potato.



Saturday, August 30, 2014

Grant's Training Saturday 8/30

Afternoon training session today... First time hitting it real hard later in the day. Had to work so I just went for a walk in the morning and did a little bit of stretching, got off at 4 PM. Got in gym started warming up at 430 PM, workout lasted about 45 minutes total.

Saturday 8/30
"CP Battery"

AM Bodyweight - 177.0 lb

Warm-up:
50 push-ups
50 BW squats
30 KBS @ 62 lb
some thrusters and back squats with the bar
some clean pulls and hang cleans at 135# and 205#

A) Press to 1RM from bar in 5 minutes:
175# (fail)
165# (make)

B) EMOM for 16 minutes:
Even - Clean DL @ 365# x2 reps (head down, hips down, chest up)
Odd - CGBP @ 220# x2 reps (knees up, feet on bench, back flat)
8 sets of 2 reps on each

C) 30 Hang Squat Cleans @ 175# for time: 5:20 
every time bar hits ground, 3 pull-ups
Ended up with:
10 HC + 3 pull-ups (unbroken)
6 HC + 3 pull-ups (unbroken)
6 HC + 3 pull-ups (unbroken)
7 HC +3 pull-ups (had to regrip 5th and 6th rep, after 7th rep bar slipped to ground)
1 HC
TIME - shit. That was hard. Going to work up to 50 HC for time @ 185 lb eventually. 


Thursday, August 28, 2014

Grant's Training Thursday 8/28

Woke up this morning feeling great, had an excellent night's sleep last night as always, took my bike out for a 20 minute bike ride as the sun came up, came home had some coffee and started stretching out for my workout.

Thursday 8/28
"Aerobic Power"


3 rounds with 3 minutes rest between each round:
3 minute AMRAP:
1 Handstand Push-up (deficit)
3 Chest to Bar Pull-ups
5 Burpee Slam Balls @ 35 lb
100m jog @ 75%

Completed 2.5 circuits each 3 minute round, was unable to finish the 3rd jog each time.

rest 3 minutes....

3 rounds with 3 minutes rest between each round:
3 minute AMRAP:
1 Handstand Push-up (deficit)
3 Chest to Bar Pull-ups
5 DB Thrusters @ 40 lb
25 second uphill farmer's walk @ 15 incline, speed 3.0 on treadmill.... used uneven KBs and switched hands each time. 

Completed 2.5 circuits each 3 minute round, was unable to finish the 3rd farmer's walk each time. 

Workout complete in under 40 minutes. Rode bike to yoga afterwards, practiced an hour and a half of level 1-2 yoga, ready for the day. 

Nutrition #10 - Are you eating enough protein? Are you eating the right kind of protein?

So I've copied a message I received from a friend because I felt like there were some great nuggets in there that everyone can relate to. Hope this reaches more people than just one!

  • Anyways, I know you mentioned you were going to post more later about proteins and fats, but here is why I vote for proteins.
    After reading the carbs thing with my roommate, we got into a lengthy discussion on how were definitely not eating enough protein- at all. Within probably the last two months, I've given up meat probably 80%ish and she almost 100% (still eats fish but so rarely). My decision came from watching those horrible videos on fb about slaughterhouses. Additionally, when I go to see Nick in Indiana, all we eat are farm raised meats from his family's farms and I noticed how much better I feel when I eat that as opposed to store bought meat. I have to be super selective about the meat I buy here because I'll get a stomach ache otherwise. Obviously that's a sign of animals being mistreated and fed.
    To substitute for meat, I do as best as I can with quinoa and black beans, but it's definitely not enough. I'm always hungry for sweets specifically, and I typically hate sweets and love salts. I realized with your post I'm eating so much carbs and fat and that's obviously why I'm craving other (bad) things. I'm wanting to adapt meat back into my diet more frequently, because I truly do miss eating it often. The reason why my roommate and I even got to talking about it last night is because we both feel like we've gotten soft since cutting it out. We both work out frequently, keep our shit together diet wise Monday-Friday (even on the weekends not even veer too off course) and eat healthy things. But I feel like I'm starting to atrophy and turn to blubber, and it just occurred to me last night it's the lack of protein- correct?
    If one wanted to stay on a meat free diet but still get the proper amount of protein a day (what is it, like half to all your body weight in grams or something?) how would you even compensate and get all the protein without going into caloric overload? I know whey protein with a low caloric ratio to protein is a great choice, but you can only drink so many of those while still getting your other necessary nutrients and not eating 3k cals a day.
    ......
  • Today
  • Grant Ifflander
    Grant Ifflander
    First of all, I want to say I enjoyed reading your rambling message. It makes a lot of sense to me and it is interesting to see your curiosity unfolding. I will perhaps turn this into a blog post because it is great information to share. Also, thank you for encouraging me!
    Anyways - you are definitely on point with the crappier cuts of meat making you feel sick and weak. It is cool that you've noticed how the fresh meat from the farm makes you feel better. Nearly all of the conventionally raised meat we get at the regular market will be terrible quality, because of the way that meat is raised. You've seen the videos. Imagine cows that are cramped in horrible living conditions, fed GMO corn and soy and other crap... I've even read that they mix chicken poop in with their feed because it can increase bulk. Not sure how true that is but when you see the living conditions of these animals, it makes sense why we feel bad after eating them. They are literally fattened up purposefully to improve taste, but animals store toxins in their fat so we are eating fatty toxin laden crap... Omega-3 to omega-6 ratios are extremely unfavorable, meaning we get inflamed, beneficial fats like CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) appear in lower concentrations, and on and on...
    So without getting more in depth, I hope that helps explain why you've noticed you feel different between eating cuts of meat from a happy, healthy animal that is fed the right stuff and is raised correctly, vs conventionally raised meats.
    Moving on... you are likely spot on with cravings happening due to lack of protein in your diet. There are high amounts of vitamins and minerals that appear in high concentrations in good quality meat that won't appear anywhere else at those levels... this is why if you go Vegan for too long, you experience some serious negative side effects. They simply aren't receiving enough of the right micronutrients, and over time the body becomes malnourished. You are probably experiencing this on a very low level but still... the cravings are a sign you are missing something.
    Quinoa and black beans are not 'complete' protein sources - meaning they lack a full amino acid profile, and some of the EAAs (essential amino acids - your body cannot produce these) will appear only in animal protein sources (meat, dairy).
    It is okay to get by on a meat-free diet, although you will need to include tons of eggs to satisfy those requirements. Your 'getting soft' can definitely be attributed to lack of adequate, complete protein in your diet, as through training you are breaking your tissue down and unable to fully repair it, causing a cascade of biochemical responses which I don't fully understand but can contribute to low rate of muscle building and even fat gain.
    A good rule of thumb is half your bodyweight in grams of protein, although if you increase that you will likely see beneficial responses, ESPECIALLY if you are weightlifting, and ESPECIALLY if you are restricting calories. I recommend up to .8g protein per pound of LBM (lean body mass), or more if you can tolerate it and include it. This will help satiety, maintenance of muscle mass while losing fat, and also strength.
    You will find that as you increase protein, it will be easier to reduce calories from other sources that are adding up much more quickly (very easy to go over 1000 calories a day in just carbs, for example), as your hunger will decrease and your cravings will also decrease. While whey protein is definitely a great source, you should aim to consume whole foods when possible. Try to limit yourself to maybe one protein shake per day.
    To circle back on your point of being meat-free – this is a good subject to talk about, because there are two reasons why someone might consider avoiding meat. One – they don’t want to support the cruelty of animals that occurs from raising the animals for food, or Two – they just don’t like meat.
    To the first point…. I think if you find a good source of grass-fed beef, you can avoid this problem. These ranchers truly do care for their cattle, and want to raise happy animals. This is the way it should be. 100% grass-fed beef might mean that the cows are grazing on pastures their whole lives. Antibiotic and hormone free would probably mean the cows are raised in more natural conditions so that they get sick less often and grow at a natural rate. If this still is something you want to avoid, you can always eat wild caught fish or shellfish, which in my opinion are better sources of protein than beef. Specific omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA which are excellent for your brain are very high in wild sea-life.
    For point two…. If you don’t like meat, seek ways to consume other high quality sources of protein, such as eggs, maybe some raw full-fat dairy, or a good quality whey protein powder. Bottom-line is, protein is absolutely critical for body composition and overall health and well-being.
    So to finally answer your question as to how you will consume enough protein without going overboard on calories, I’ll outline a sample meal plan that would accomplish a general protein recommendation I’d make, and you can add/ change items to meals and switch things around as you see fit.
    Breakfast: 3 whole eggs – 21 grams of protein Lunch: Green smoothie with whey protein powder – 30 grams of protein Dinner: 8 oz meat such as organic, 100% grass-fed beef or wild caught fish such as sockeye salmon – 50 grams of protein.
    Right there you are over 100 grams of protein, and have achieved this in under 800 calories. You are also getting a TON of high quality fat and micronutrients to keep you fully satisfied from the eggs, green shake, and fresh fish/ beef. From here you can really customize as you see fit, but this is a pretty solid general guideline to follow.
    Anyways… My response turned into an expansion of your saga, but I truly hope it helps you on your health journey, and your roommate’s as well. Tell her to choose good cuts of fish and eat it more often! And if you guys are stuck in the city, try to find a good source of 100% grass-fed beef from either a local farmer’s market or Sprouts/ Wholefoods. See if you still notice the difference between that and regular supermarket beef. Good luck and feel free to reach out anytime! Thanks again for your encouragement 

Knowledge Links:

Journal of Nutrition & Metabolism - overview of protein intake:

Study on Critical Processes for muscle development with respect to dietary protein. Talks about need for complete protein sources to create MPS (muscle protein synthesis - new muscle):

Role of protein quality of MPS (muscle protein synthesis):


Study talks about comparison of milk vs. soy protein on lean body mass gains... milk wins, due to pattern of amino acid make up:


Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Grant's Training Wednesday 8/27

Good, powerful training day today.

Wednesday 8/27"Alactic Power"


Warm-up:
AM fasted bike ride, approx 4 miles
static stretching
800m jog
40 kg muscle snatches

A) 5 Rounds, 3 minutes rest between:
5 TnG Deadlifts @ 315#
40m Prowler Sprint @ 110#


B) 5 Rounds, 3 minutes rest between:
5 "TnG" Hang Power Snatch @ 125#, 135#, 140#, 145#, 150#
100m Sprint @ 95%

For whatever reason I am unable to attach the video above. You can click the link and watch the power snatches. 


Notes: Workout complete in 40 minutes, including warm-up. Total work completed this day was ~300 seconds, up from ~240 seconds from last week and the week prior. Power snatches have also gone up in weight. The 150x5 was strong and quick. Based on performance over the next couple days and workouts, will either ramp up one more week or back off next week and cut training intensity/ volume down to recover and reap the benefits of supercompensation. 

Post work-out nutrition - 2 raw eggs, kefir, whey protein

Bike ride to take a level 2 yoga class, practiced yoga for an hour and 25 minutes, ready for the day! 


Knowledge Expansion Links:

Energy Systems:

Alactic Training and more in depth explanation on energy systems:

Supercompensation, with reference to sports scientist legend Zatsiorsky:

A very basic graph on the concept of supercompensation:




Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Nutrition #9 - A green smoothie a day keeps the pizza away

One of the biggest things I've learned over the years is the concept of looking at nutrients vs. looking at calories when it comes to tracking intake. It is astounding the difference you feel when you consume something that is highly nutrient dense with the same amount of calories compared to something relatively nutrient devoid. A good example of this would be a hot dog vs. a piece of fresh wild caught salmon. Check below:




















On the left, you see nutrients per 100 grams of a hot dog, vs on the right is nutrients per 100 grams of sockeye salmon.For less than half as many calories, you beating out the hot dog is virtually every vitamin and mineral category, getting twice as much protein, less carbohydrates, and TEN TIMES as much anti-inflammatory, omega-3 fatty acid, while having only 10% of the inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid. Without getting too much into the benefits of omega-3s, just know that they play an important role in brain health and insulin sensitivity, meaning you are more likely to be smarter and leaner by consuming it. The important thing to consider is that you want to minimize omega-6 fatty acid consumption because this type of fatty acid contributes to inflammation in the body - making you bloated, weak, and sick. I will break this down in a further blog post.


Anyways - back to my point. The key to being highly energized, fit, lean, and happy is to consume foods that satisfy your body's internal biological needs. Vitamins and minerals play a critical role in all the body's functions - the millions of various processes that make us tick. It makes sense that when you consume a diet low in these essential vitamins and minerals and you are deficient in one or more of these micronutrients, you constantly have cravings. In my opinion, a 'craving' is a good sign your body is searching for something it is not getting in the current state. For example, when you crave chips you may simply be deficient in sodium. Or when you want chocolate, magnesium is low.

The trick is to fully satisfy your micronutrient requirements as much as you possible can early in the day, that way you can avoid reaching for the candy bar in the vending machine at work or fighting off the 2 o'clock craving for a soda. I do this by slamming down a massive green smoothie made in a high powered blender every single day, usually before 10 AM. Since I've started doing these I've seen great improvements, such as more constant energy through the day, better skin, healthier digestion, and an overall better mood. The biggest thing I've noticed from incorporating these green shakes is the cravings are virtually eliminated entirely, which coming from someone who LOVES ice cream, this is big.

My suggestion to you, is try out an early morning green smoothie every day for a week. The first couple days may be rough as you get used to it and you still might have cravings, but for a lot of people this period could mean they are starting to store more of these essential micronutrients in the places they were missing before. But stay committed to at least a week and see what kind of benefits you might reap.

Green Smoothie Ingredients:

- Large handful each of: baby kale, baby spinach, romaine lettuce
- Small handful of parsley
- 2 large celery stalks
- 1/2 a large cucumber
- a small hunk of ginger, golf-ball sized
- a smaller hunk of turmeric
- a wedge of fresh lemon
- 1 TBSP extra virgin unrefined coconut oil (these fats help absorb many of the fat soluble vitamins in the veggies, and also provide immediately and long lasting energy due to the MCT (medium chain triglyceride) content of the fat in coconut oil)
- tsp of ground cinnamon (adds good taste)
- several squirts of liquid stevia to sweeten, or a tsp of stevia powder
- 2-3 liters of water, high speed blender on high until foamy
- OPTIONAL: other green vegetables, such as bok choy, collard greens, green/ red/ dino kale, zucchini, etc. Be creative. Change it up every week with new additions, but keep the base ingredients relatively the same.

Notice I've not really included any fruit. I prefer not to consume any sugar, even natural sugars like that found in fruit, early in the day, as this can trigger cravings and hunger later on in the afternoon. It will also keep your insulin low by avoiding it, so you reap the benefits of additional fat burning. The point is to maximize nutrient absorption in the early part of the day and keep your full and energized through the day to be busy and focus on other things.

Anyways - this is my tip of the day to keep you lean, happy, and healthy. Hope you enjoyed reading and looking forward to hearing about your progress! Good luck on your journey to health.


Grant's Training Tuesday 8/26

Happy Tuesday. Glutes still totally fried from Saturday's 'WOD' with the 50 deadlifts. Have not felt such deep soreness like this in long time.... Hit yoga Saturday, Sunday and Monday, took off today so I could train heavy. Been riding the bike for 20 minutes a day and hitting random sprint sessions on that.

Tuesday 8/26
"Total Body Strength"

AM Bodyweight - 177.4 lb

Warm-up:
AM Bike ride
10 minutes of warm-up yoga
Some static stretching

A) Power Clean + Push Press: 
2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1
205# x 2+2
225# x 1+1
210# x 2+2
230# x 1+0 (missed the push press on this one)
215# x 1+1+1+1 (power clean, push press, power clean, push press)
240# x 1 (power clean only)
rest 3 minutes between sets then

B1) Front Squat (30X2):
3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
140 kg x3
150 kg x2
155 kg x1
145 kg x3
152 kg x2
160 kg x1 (strong front squat - ground this one out. 352 lb - double bodyweight)
rest 2 minutes, alternate with B2

B2) Weighted Pull-up (82X0):
1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
+55 lb x1
+65 lb x1
+70 lb x1
+55 lb x1
+55 lb x1
+55 lb x1
Super slow negatives - 8 count or more. From dead hang, scapula protracted fully and shoulders by ears. Initiate pull after 2 count hanging from bottom. 

Work-out done. Post workout nutrition - 2 raw eggs, 1 cup raw grass-fed kefir and a scoop of whey protein. Yum.


Monday, August 25, 2014

Nutrition #8 - Nutritient Biochemistry for Dummies - Carbohydrate Primer

This blog post will explore the basics of nutrient metabolism, and the different macronutrients and micronutrients necessary to sustain life.

First of all, see this chart?

Throw this out the window. 'Whole grains' are NOT as good for you as we've all been raised to believe, and I am hopefully going to help you understand why. The food pyramid was created by our glorious agriculture companies in order to create a massive market for these huge crops like corn, wheat, barley, rye, and other grains in America. 

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are the primary building blocks in food. The three primary macronutrients are carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Alcohol is also technically a macronutrient, but is much less common in our food sources, and is a fermentation of carbohydrate. Each macronutrient plays many different roles and provides a variety of functions in the body. They are required in varying quantities based on your activity levels, your lifestyle, whether you are male or female, how much and how well you slept, your circadian rhythm, your climate, your environment, your exposure to stress, your hormone levels.... Basically everything will influence how much or how little you will need in these three quantities in order to function optimally. I am not going to explain exactly how much for each little nuance as that will take days of tinkering, calculation, and bloodwork, but I can help you understand how to get on the right track.

What is a carbohydrate?

A carbohydrate is a chain of glucose molecules, which are simple sugars. Simple sugars (glucose) are the primarily source of fuel for every cell in the body. Glucose can be metabolized for energy by the cellular powerplant called the mitochondria. Now, glucose can be stored in the body for use at a later time as glycogen, which is the storage form of this molecule.
The natural cycle of the carbohydrate: carbohydrate is the long-chain storage form for glucose in plants such as legumes, tubers, and fruits, which is then broken down in the body into glucose, which is then either readily used as fuel or stored as glycogen in our muscle cells or liver.

Simple carbs vs. Complex carbs
Carbohydrates come in two types that we have all heard - 'simple carbs' or 'complex carbs'. Simple carbs refer to very short-chain glucose combinations, monosaccharides and disaccharides. A monosaccharide is just one sugar molecule while a disaccharide is a combination of a sugar and glucose. Other monosaccharides include fructose, which is the primary simple sugar in fruit, and galactose, which is found in dairy. A great example of a disaccharide would be sucrose, which is common table sugar - a glucose molecule and fructose molecule bound together. When simple carbs are consumed, because they are already broken down to their core components they are readily absored into the bloodstream, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar. A rapid spike in blood sugar will cause an insulin response, which we will talk about later. Basically, it is not good unless strategically used to refill muscle glycogen stores.

Complex carbs, on the other hand, are polysaccharides, meaning long-chain glucose molecules. Polysaccharides examples include cellulose and starch, which is what we hear about most often. These chains can be tens or even hundred of glucose molecules long, and our bodies have to break down this chain via hydrolysis - the cleavage of a chemical bond by adding water. (Have you ever gotten very thirsty after a huge carb binge? This might explain that. ) From there, we can metabolize the glucose molecules individually and send them off where they need to go. These complex carbs, due to their structure and the work required to absorb them, cause a much more gradual rise in blood sugar as our body slowly metabolizes the glucose from the chain. More gradual rise in blood sugar = less of an insulin response = less storage of fat. More on that to come.


The Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index score, or GI score, is a scale used to determine how much of an effect a particular food has on your blood sugar. On a scale of 0 to 100, it ranks foods on the increase in blood sugar for consuming 50 grams of carbohydrate from that food source versus 50 grams of pure glucose (which would cause the biggest increase).

See below chart:
Just a side-note, the GI impact of food will also be altered based on what else you ate with it, hydration, and other variables. The biggest thing that will reduce the immediate rise of blood sugar is fat consumption alongside the carbohydrates. Now, I am not recommending you go out and slather your pancakes with butter, this is just to explain why you see something like a snickers bar having a lower GI than a peach.

Which type of carbohydrates should I eat?

Carbohydrate consumption is something that varies by the individual. One of the biggest things I recommend is that we cut out all nutrient devoid carb sources of any kind. From there we want to focus on eating carbohydrates sourced primarily from plants - starchy vegetables and some fruits. These types of carbs will generally have lower GI impact, and are accompanied by fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. One thing we want to always look at when choosing food sources is the relative nutrient density of that particular food. This will keep you from feeling hungry, tired, low energy, or having cravings, among other things. Oftentimes we eat a meal then feel like something is "missing", or we feel unsatisfied by that meal. This could be a sign you are missing a particular vitamin, mineral, or other micronutrient and your body is telling you to keep eating until you fill that gap.

So choose carbohydrates that come from whole food sources, as unprocessed as possible. If you fully eliminate the carbs from processed sources, things like wheat and dairy, and you're consuming no-sugar added beverages or sweetened drinks (water, unsweetened tea, etc), it is likely you will have a much more reasonable carbohydrate intake without even tracking any your consumption.

The problem is most people have grown accustomed to having carbohydrates for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Wheat and/ or dairy products are the staple of every family's kitchen. Cereal or toast with breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, pasta with dinner, and crackers or chips for a snack. Right there we have succeeded in spiking our blood sugar and releasing insulin (remember - this is a fat storage hormone) multiple times through the day, and we are riding a roller coaster of ups and downs of energy from the peaks and troughs of the blood sugar levels through the day. At the same time, we are not really getting much relative nutrition in terms of micronutrients per calorie.Combine all this with the fact that gluten (the protein found) in wheat actually impacts the brain in the same way heroin does (here is one study that talks about this), we have uncontrollable cravings that lead to overeating, lack of satiation, binge eating and even negative hormonal effects, among other negative impacts.

Talk about a problem! These are are all standard issues with the modern American diet.... and will continue to be as long as agriculture companies continue to monopolize the food market and be responsible for creating things like the food pyramid. And here we are, led to believe our whole lives that "whole grains" are good for you and to consume 8+ servings a day. This is ridiculous. I'll do a post later on, about the detrimental effects from gluten, but for now the general consensus and recommendation is to stay away from it and replace these types of foods with actual food, not 'frankenfoods' or a GMO (genetically modified organism) crops such as wheat. Cereal grains (wheat, rye, barley, etc) tend to have high toxin load due to storage/ shipping after harvest. Reduce this by eating foods that you could theoretically remove from the ground and consume, and you will begin to feel much better. Who ever heard of bagels growing on trees?

When should I eat carbohydrates?

As I mentioned earlier, the problem we see very often is that people consume some form of carbohydrate with nearly every meal, causing insulin response and fat storage. By turning off this response through limiting carbohydrates to specific meals at specific times, and consuming the right kind of carbs, we spend more of our waking day in a state of lipolysis, or the break down of fat for energy. This is our natural state in the absence of circulating blood sugar - we need to get energy from somewhere! While we do release some from energy from our liver, based on the stored glycogen there, we are also breaking down adipose (fat) tissue in the absence of carbs.

Where I am going with this - be selective in your carb consumption. I recommend spending as much of the day in a low insulin state as possible. I also recommend exercising in this low insulin state to better break down and mobilize fat for energy. Studies have shown low insulin during workouts can actually improve MPS (muscle protein synthesis). Combine that with the increase in fat burning you get while resistance training or exercising in general, and you are on the road to getting lean.

So eat your carbs either after your workout when you are in an insulin sensitive state, or with your last meal of the day. I usually eat all my carbs with my last meal of the day, and it comes out to around 100 grams a day of total carbohydrate consumption. I stick with sweet potatoes usually but also consume carrots, beets, butternut squash, and berries regularly. All these foods are great carbohydrate choices, and when you eat them with the last meal of the day you will experience an improvement in your sleep quality. This is because these types of carbs will stimulate serotonin production in the gut, a hormone responsible for creating melatonin.

Last Words

There you have it - that is a breakdown of some basic carbohydrate biochemistry, and the basic mechanisms behind how they play a role in either fat storage or fat burning. Hopefully I helped someone understand a bit more on what they do. I will do additional blog posts on the biochemistry behind protein and fat in future episodes. For now, choose the right carbs to eat at the right times and watch your body fat regulate itself to more natural levels. It really is that simple. Good luck on your journey to health.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Grant's Training Saturday 8/23

Happy Saturday everyone. Hope we all had an excellent week. What have you done to improve yourself this week? What are you doing differently? What new habits have you formed? Have you developed any new relationships? Perhaps you've strengthened existing ones? Spend a moment to reflect.

On to training.... Saturday was another great training day. Practiced 1 hours and 25 minutes of power yoga this morning, got home and had 3 TBSP ground coffee home brewed in espresso machine and 5g Thorne FX BCAAs prior to training. I was WIRED! Caffeine is a great ergogenic aid to physical performance, many studies have shown the positive effects of caffeine consumption prior to exercise.

Saturday 8/22
"CP Battery"


Warm-up:
30 KBS @ 62 lb
30 RDL @ 95 lb
Some deadlifts at 70 kg, 110 kg....

15 minute clock to complete:
A) 50 reps DL @ 140 kg (308 lb) for time, no pausing on floor - 3 deficit HSPU penalty for setting bar down: 
completed in 8:40
15 reps, 10, 10, 8, 7
rest remainder of clock, move on to B

B) EMOM Pull-ups and Dips for 20 minutes:
Even minutes: 5 Pull-ups, bodyweight
Odd minutes: 5 Dips, weighted, +25 kg
rest 90 seconds then C

C) Isometric Holds:
15s chin over bar, 15s eccentric pull-up
30s sorenson hold
30s dip eccentric, 15s concentric
60s hollow body ab plank

Total Workout Time - 45 minutes

Very fun workout. 50 deadlifts, 15 deficit HSP, 50 pull-ups, 50 dips. Short rest times.


Friday, August 22, 2014

Grant's Workout Friday 8/22

Friday 8/22
"Alactic Power"

Warm-up:
1600m leisure jog
Various Snatch movements with bar
Power Snatches at 40 kg, 50 kg, 55 kg

8 rounds, 3 minutes rest between:
5 Hang Power Snatch @ 135#
drop and begin to immediately sprint
100m sprint @ ~90%
walk back to start

Time to complete: 35 minutes including warm-up

Short and sweet. Training that power output. Sprint still feels a bit off, although I am slowly getting the hang of it technique wise. Power snatches were strong. Level 1-2 Yoga afterwards to cool down.

Training # 9 - Beyond the Beginner Level

Okay, so you’ve been going to the gym for at least a couple months now, or have a more familiar knowledge and comfort with weight training. You’ve made great beginner gains, and can confidently perform all the major compound exercises with excellent form. You have some muscular imbalances and inflexibilities. You are acquiring better motor control under fatigue and have a respect for heavier weights. You want to take your training to the next level, but are unsure where to go from here. The steps below will be more or less applicable to anyone in any stage of their weightlifting career, so consider reading on.

Step One – assess your current state. Celebrate success with how far you’ve come, and identify where you want to go from here.
Step Two – Identify imbalances, muscular deficiencies, and weaknesses. These will help you shape your workout plan to address these and develop a much more well-rounded physique.
Step Three – Outline your new training goals, and get more specific about the strategy to get there.
Step Four – commit to results. You’ve identified where you want to go, you’ve identified the road blocks, and you’ve created a new plan of action. Now you must execute

These steps are pretty basic, but should be referred to often when you find yourself spinning your wheels, or think about changing your workout routine. The absolute most important variable here is consistency. Being consistent with your routine when you have a goal set is the key to success.

Moving forward with this, it may be time you start increasing the amount of training days or types of training sessions. You may want to experiment with four or five resistance training sessions per week, and/ or starting to incorporate a cardio regimen. Be aware of your recovery during this additional training phases. A lot of people tend to waste a lot of time in the gym doing useless exercises that contribute little to no real training effect. I am talking about doing 30 minutes of cable curls, dumbbell flies, and leg extensions. While these are not necessarily ‘bad’ exercises, the training impact is negligible. Follow the 80/20 rule whenever you are in the gym. 20% of your exercises will require 80% of your effort. This ties back to the compound movements that are the foundation of any successful training program. Each day go into the gym and bust your ass on one of these exercises, then supplement with additional movements.

That being said – continue structuring your training days around these exercises in this format, but you may begin to experiment with more advanced rep/ set ranges. Altering rest times and incorporating super sets/ drop sets/ and circuits. Keep in mind that you are not doing this willy nilly – you have a strategy in mind and are working towards a specific goal. You can no longer rely on basic linear progression to make progress, which means you cannot simply add weight each workout and get stronger. You will have to take advantage of principles such as training intensity, periodization and supercompensation. Training intensity will mean the ‘zone’ you are working out in based on your capable strength, or 1RM (1 repetition maximum). More on this later. For periodization and supercompensation, what this means is it will take you typically more than just one workout to make progress – you might have three or four of the same sessions before you can increase weight in an exercise. An easy way to accomplish this is structuring your workouts to increase the amount of weight, reps, or sets (not all of these variables, but select one or two) over a two or three week period, take an easy workout on the third or fourth week, and then try to set some sort of personal record on that next week back.

Drawing back on the concept of training intensity, most progress occurs in the 70-90% range for nearly all athletes in all levels of training. This has been true empirically since the beginning of sports science. Intensities right around 75% is a perfect training zone for the average individual, as for most people they will be able to lift 75% of their 1RM for 8-10 reps. They may increase weight into the 80% zone one week, then 85% the next week, while decreasing reps each set. This is the most basic three week progression – Week 1 @ 75%, Week 2 @ 80%, and Week 3 @ 85%. Week 4 will be your deload, usually around 60% or less, and Week 5 you might go for a new 1RM to see how much stronger you are, or you might go for some other rep range PR such as a 3RM, 5RM, 8RM, or even 20RM. Increasing 1RM is the easiest way to gage progress. They may also choose to simply stay at 75% and increase total volume, which is the total amount of reps they lift in a particular exercise or workout. This is an easy way to build capacity, which is also another gage of progress.

Hopefully I haven’t lost you.

In terms of how to apply all of these concepts, it is simple. Track all of your lifts for a given week. How much did you lift on each exercise? Did you maintain a constant tempo, or did form breakdown? At which point was this? Did you fail any reps? Where in the workout? Which exercises were hardest? When you go in the next workout the following week, look at what you did in the week or weeks prior. Aim for an additional set here, 5 or 10 more pounds there, maybe try a variation of an exercise. Add some sort of extra work in there. Don’t be afraid to start mixing up rep ranges either and attacking heavier weights. Do this in an ascending order, meaning you might do the heaviest and lowest rep work at the start of the workout, and slowly increase the amount of reps per set as the exercises change and the workout goes on. This will accomplish two things – allowing you to lift heavier weight, duh. And fatiguing different types of muscle fibers which allow for more hypertrophy (muscle growth) and fat loss. Do this for several weeks, building building building, then back off for a week. Come back fresh and destroy some weights!


You will essentially be able to follow a plan like this indefinitely, as you continue to track and measure progress, determining what works for you, and understanding the why and how. Keep your goals in mind, continue to assess yourself, and be consistent. Your plan is the bridge between your current state and what you hope to achieve. Discipline is the engine in the vehicle on that path, your willpower is the fuel in that vehicle and your nutrition determines the acceleration. Get all these components together and you have yourself a Ferrari. 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Grant's Workout Thursday 8/21

Today was my heaviest training day for the week in terms of intensity.

Thursday 8/21
"Total Body Strength"

Warm-up:
20 rep DB floor to overhead @ 40 lb
10 rep Front Squat @ 70 kg
Power Clean and Push Press starting at 50 kg, 70 kg, 80 kg for multiple sets

A) Power Clean + Push Press: 
3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1 reps
90 kg (1+3)
100 (1+2)
105 (1) - Power Clean only
92.5 (1+3)
102 (1+1)
105 (1) - Power Clean only
rest 3 minutes between sets

B1) Front Squat (20X1): 
5, 3, 1, 5, 3, 1 reps
120 kg x5
140      x3
150      x1
125      x5
145      x3
155      x1
rest 2 minutes, then B2

B2) Wtd. Pull-up (61X0):
2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 reps
+20 kg x2
+20     x2
+20     x2
+25     x1
+30     x1
+30     x1
rest 2 minutes, repeat B1

Notes:
Power Clean + Push Press felt a little off. Shoulders might be toasted from the inversions I've done in yoga recently and also from the pressing over the past couple days. Was weaker than I expected. Front Squats felt great - 155 was a very clean lift, although there was some forward tilt. Weighted Pull-ups were strong. 

Did level 1-2 yoga following this training session, and then consumed a green shake followed by 5 oz grass-fed beef liver along with about an ounce of bone barrow and some bone broth. Mmmmmm! Ready for the day.

Grant's Training Wednesday 8/20

So, today was a quick and easy upper body hypertrophy day. Since I focused primarily on arm and pulling strength Tuesday, and will be doing more strength work tomorrow along with some sprinting, I figured I could hit some bodybuilding today. This is a standard approach to training – cycling loads between heavy training and lighter rep work through the week. Typically I will program two very heavy days of training, and anywhere from two to four lighter sessions, ranging from aerobic work to bodybuilding/ recovery stuff. This keeps you fresh each week and allows for proper recovery. I also program like this on the macro level, increasing volume/ intensity for several weeks and backing off for one week. This is also very important to ensure long-term success and for super compensation to occur – variables that are critical for intermediate to advanced athletes.

Anyways, to the training today:

A1) Incline Bench (30X1): 
8-10 reps x 6 sets – rest 90 seconds
135 x10
140 x10
145 x10
150 x10
155 x10
155 x8

A2) Coan Row (20X1):
 8-10 reps x 6 sets – rest 90 seconds, repeat A1
60 kg x10
62.5   x10
65      x10
67.5  x10
70       x9
70       x8

B) 50 reps AFAP – Bodyweight Dips + Double Bent-Over DB row @ 40 lb – 
completed in 2:50
25 reps, 15 reps, 10 reps no rest between

Tempo very controlled and incline bench and rows. For Coan rows I stand on a 3” block and allow the weight to pull the lats down and scapula to protract fully at the bottom of the range of motion. Each rep held a 1 count pause at the top of the contraction. For the ‘B’ circuit, goal was just to build a pump. Total workout was complete in less than 40 minutes.

Post workout nutrition was delayed as I attended level 2 yoga from 9 to 1030 AM. Had a green shake after this, and 4 raw egg yolks + 4 TBSP raw cream for a large dose of fat to facilitate absorption of the nutrients in the green shake. Fat soluble nutrients are present in large quantities of green vegetables and fat will help absorb and make bioavailable these nutrients

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Nutrition #8 - Ten Day Health Detox - 21 steps to holistically restore mind, body, and spiritual health

How many times have you tried to 'diet' and failed after a week? How many times have you read about some new 'diet' method and thought it sounded real cool and tried it out, only to be disappointed after seeing very little of the promised results? How many times have you wished you just knew how to prepare and eat clean, healthy food that made you feel good and lose fat? Then when you go to educate yourself on it, there is simply so much information out there you have no idea where to start or what to do, so you go from eating standard American food to chicken and broccoli and hate it. These are all major roadblocks to us reclaiming our health.

Read on for motivation and inspiration to eat 'the right way', along with other lifestyle principles that all integrate to create the perfect you. Allow me to guide you to fully reclaim your health. I assure you that if you follow at least some of the tips that I outline in this post, you will rapidly take control of your life and see performance, health, and happiness skyrocket so quickly that you will have little choice but to continue to live such an optimal lifestyle. 

What is a 'Diet'?
The majority of the time, we hear the word 'diet' and we think restriction, calorie counting, measurements, and stress. 'Dieting' has literally become a fad as of recent years, and due to media and other societal pressures, we are being driven by fear to eat bland food and restrict ourselves. This should not be the case. 'Dieting' should be liberating. In fact, let's scrap the word 'diet' altogether - I strongly dislike using this term at all. Being on a 'diet' implies a temporary change to eating habits. This should never be the case. Eating healthy should be a lifestyle, and simply making the changes necessary to support a natural and healthy life will result in lifelong fat loss, health, energy, and optimal performance.

You're Closer to Health than You Think
Depending on your current state of what I refer to as 'modern human neglect', you are anywhere from several days to two weeks away from full reclamation of your health. 'Modern human neglect' = your body is experiencing standard wear and tear over years of partying, alcohol, possibly smoking, lack of exercise or incorrect exercise, poor nutrition and other less intelligent lifestyle decisions. I do not say this with insult. I say this with sincerity in a hope that it helps you self-reflect and be critical about your current state. Being aware of yourself and being able to accurately assess your health is so important to being able to take the right steps forward. And just because you got to the gym 6 days a week and tracking your food intake every day doesn't mean you are the image of health - in fact, you may be over-stressing yourself and damaging yourself further. Trust me, I am speaking from experience.

Give Yourself an Assessment 
That being said, take a look within and honestly assess your health. How do you feel when you wake up? Do you wake up tired still, as if you barely slept? Do you have trouble falling asleep, and staying asleep? Do you feel stressed through the day? Do your energy levels rise and fall through the day? Do you experience mood swings or random emotions with no explanation? Do you respond well to stress? Are you happy most of the time or only some of the time? Do you find yourself thinking negative thoughts? Is self-discipline something that wanes quickly through the day and you find yourself making poor nutrition choices by 3 PM after having such a great day so far? Do you rely on caffeine to stay productive? Are you spinning your wheels at the gym and wondering why fat loss has stalled? Do you find yourself making goals but remaining dead-in-the-water when it comes to progress towards those goals? The list goes on....

Answering yes to any of these issues could mean that there are gaps or holes in your current lifestyle preventing you from living an optimal life. I am sure if you could take a magic pill to be able to answer 'No!' to all of these questions, you probably would. Heck, I would too. But, that is not what life is about. Life is about being able to overcome these difficulties and challenges by creating such a life for ourselves that it is easily possible to conquer these external circumstances. And I am telling you right now, that you can create this life through a simple but systematic process.

Reclaiming your health requires these separate yet integrated principles which I will briefly talk about, then I will launch into a ten day plan to totally re-haul these items, and develop a simple plan to incorporate them into your life.

  1. Being - The first yet most important principle is defined simply as 'being'. Abiding by this concept means that you are present in the moment. You deal with things as they come. You do not dwell on the past and you create the future through your current state of mind. You listen to people as they speak. You enjoy the beauty of the world as it unfolds before you. You have deeply held inner beliefs and principles that allow you to respond to all situations as they arise in a positive and creative manner as opposed to a reactive manner. You are simply 'being'. Living like this will remove fear from your heart, eliminate stress, and literally change the physiology in your body. Science has proven that thoughts can literally change the DNA expression within our cells! Imagine that. Just be as you are.
  2. Exercise - The second principle in your journey to health, is the facet of exercise. Socrates said it best when he said "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable." Now I am not saying you need to go out and squat 1000 lbs or bench press 500, or run a 4 minute mile. While that would be totally cool and awesome, it is not necessary. All that is required is for you to move your body through the various ranges of motion nature has intended for us to move, and do so with balance. Go for a walk in the morning. Play with your kids. Run, jump, swim freely. Lift heavy weights if that is your gig. Play a recreational sport. Just do something. We evolved to be agile, fast, and strong so that we could capture prey. Don't forget that millions of years of evolution has fine tuned your body to be quick and powerful, not to sit behind a computer screen. 
  3. Nutrition - Another foundation concept. What you choose to put in your body is what you get out of it. Insert poor quality food, exude poor quality physical and mental characteristics. The nutrients, vitamins and minerals in food communicate with every cell in your entire body - they deliver messages encoded in the biochemical and physiological responses that occur during our daily processes. Millions of enzymatic activities are occurring every second in your body. Cells are dying, dividing, and recreating. Build yourself up with the best possible bricks to create a magnificent fortress, called the human body. Eat as mother nature intended and I promise you will be astounded as to what I feels like to be an optimal human being.
  4. Connection - The last principle on the list. Connection. Being able to feel connected to something. A part of something bigger than just yourself. People find this in community, clubs, charity, religion. work, relationships. Anything or anywhere that you can contribute so that you feed the social requirements our soul desires. Get out and get involved. Connect with people, places, or things. Find a meaningful message and believe in something. We all have a purpose. Surrender yourself to this purpose and be guided by it. This makes everything else come naturally. 
So now that you know the foundation and have a sense for what these ideas mean, begin thinking about how will abide by these principles in your own, individual and personal way. 

The last thing I will leave you with is what I call the "Ten Day Detox" - a holistic plan that integrates all the above principles into a daily plan of action that if you follow for just ten days, you will literally change your life. Once you know what it feels like to be truly alive, to master your emotions, to feel the iron discipline supported by faith, to have every cell in your body functioning at a higher level, and to rewire your body's mechanics to run optimally.... there is nothing that can prevent you from achieving whatever it is you hope to achieve. 

To reclaim your health, follow these daily principles:

  1. Go to bed at the same time every night, and get up at the same time every morning. If you are a night owl, try going to bed before midnight and inching back by 30 minutes earlier each night. Research has shown if you are not asleep between midnight and 3 AM, you have a severe reduction in certain recovery properties of sleep that only occur during those hours. 
  2. No TV before bed, no FaceBook or Instagram or e-mail checking when you wake up.
  3. Every morning, wake up and write 3 things you are thankful for and 3 things you are looking forward to today. When you go to bed, re-affirm 3 things you were thankful for (can be same or different), and 3 things you want to accomplish tomorrow.
  4. No eating within 2 hours of bed-time. 
  5. Eliminate all added sugar. Literally consume zero sugar during this time. It is only ten days.
  6. No caffeine after 2 PM. This disrupts sleep quality.
  7. No alcohol. Again, only ten days. You can do it. Your true life is calling, and it literally depends on this.
  8. Consume a mid-sized breakfast within 30 minutes of waking, after your journaling and teeth brushing, and have only protein and fat in this meal. 
  9. Limit carbohydrate consumption to after at least 5 PM, preferably with your last meal of the day. Consume anywhere from 50-100 grams of starch depending on your activity levels. These means 1 or 2 large sweet potatoes, or 1/3 to 2/3 cup of (dry) rice. 
  10. Consume zero gluten and limit grain consumption. This means no wheat products such as bread or pasta, and preferably zero corn or soy containing substances. In America, we rely on a super strain of genetically modified yeast to ferment extremely quickly and combine that with GMO wheat, we have a super resilient form of bread products that wreak havoc on our gut and contribute to a whole host of other problems, including things like depression and other hormonal impacts. 
  11. Eat wild caught fish, organic grass-fed beef/ lamb/ bison, or shellfish everyday. These meat products contain essential amino acids and vitamins/ minerals responsible for optimal brain health and body function. Consuming meats from high quality sources versus conventionally raised fish and beef means we are fully eliminating grain toxins, which are present in these conventionally raised animals, due to the fact that they are fed the corn, soy, and GMO wheat we are trying to avoid. Combine this with the fact that they are fattened up to improve taste, and animals store most of their toxins IN their fat cells, and we are basically consuming toxin-laden crap. Do yourself a favor and avoid this, and support the natural resources. 
  12. Consume large amount of plant based products. Aim for at least one pound of green vegetables per day, and more if you enjoy it. After just a couple days of this detox you will find that you have a palate for broccoli again. 
  13. Along with above - bust out the blender and use it to your advantage. Blend up large amounts of these vegetables with water and just chug it down. This is the easiest way to quickly detox, as plant matter will help bind to the toxins you will be excreting and eliminate them for your body. Walk through the organic produce aisle at your market and get between 4 and 6 varieties of green vegetables such as spinach, kale, chard, celery, cucumber, parsley, etc. and blend those with a wedge of lemon, some fresh ginger and turmeric (highly anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial), and several squirts of stevia to sweeten. This is an easy way to consume an extremely nutrient dense shake in a short amount of time. 
  14. Consume organic produce, and shoot for local when possible. Organic means they are pesticide free and this will limit amounts of additional toxins you will be consuming. Local will ensure better nutrient integrity - when produce is shipped from many miles away, it is picked early and damaged during packaging and shipping, reducing the total nutrient load. Also, local produce will ensure you have a deliver a regular circadian message to your body and keep it in tune with the seasons. This is not hippy bullshit - live on Earth evolved around a circadian clock, and all of your cells are still wired this way. It is important that we follow this natural rhythm of the Earth for optimal functioning.
  15. DRINK WATER !!! At least half of your bodyweight in ounces per day. Drink twice as much during this detox to help facilitate the elimination of waste and toxic build up in your body. Avoid tap water and go for RO (reverse osmosis) or filtered water, to reduce heavy metal consumption.
  16. Go for a twenty minute walk at least once a day and focus on your breathing. Turn off your phone during this time and just walk. Preferably early in the morning or late at night to unwind. Count your steps and breathe through your nose in a rhythmic pattern. Four breathes in for each right foot, three breathes out for each right foot. This is a very easy way to reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone),  stimulate the lymphatic system, get easy exercise in and meditate.
  17. Force yourself to smile upon rising every morning and tell yourself how excited you are to be alive and to be reclaiming your health. 
  18. Give love freely to other people - compliment a stranger at least once a day. A real, genuine compliment. 
  19. Smile to everyone. 
  20. If you are up for it, more rigorous exercise at least 3 times per week. This can be anything - aim to get the heart rate above 160 BPM. Intense hiking, short sprinting, bodyweight exercises, resistance training, sport. Incorporate these into your week.
  21. Most of all, respect yourself. Understand that this is a change in your lifestyle. Shift your internal responses from "I can't" to "I can". Avoid the negative thoughts that permeate your mind. Instead of turning down the donut at work and saying "I can't", you simply say "no thanks" because you respect yourself and strive to feel amazing. You know deep down inside that eating that donut will not make you feel any better, beyond the temporary satisfaction of consuming it. Invest in the most important and most valuable piece of real estate you will ever own - your body. Commit to this, and follow the steps outlined above.

As you can see, this is quite an extensive list, but I promise you that once you start changing your habits and empower yourself to take control of your life and health, your momentum will pick up and it will become natural. I set the mark at ten days because for some people, you will feel worse in the first couple days upon taking this challenge on, and even up to the one week mark. This is your body removing all the toxic waste that has built up over the years, literally. Both in your mind and your body. The cells are cleaning themselves out. For most people, by day ten you will begin to feel amazing. You will wonder how you ever thought the way you felt previously was "normal". I assure you, make it the ten day mark and listen to what your body is telling you during this time. Observe your thoughts. Watch as your life literally transforms. Always remember - you are in the driver's seat.  Take point #21 to heart. 

Good luck on your journey to optimal living. Thanks for reading and I wish you best. I believe in you, as much as I believe in myself. You contain the power to accomplish anything your heart truly desires. Allow your heart to desire unity with the body and a profound respect for it. Start living. 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Grant's Training Tuesday 8/19

So, my legs have been absolutely destroyed since the 50 front squats I did on Saturday. I planned on doing another strength session today and opted out of squatting and did pulls instead. I performed level 1-2 yoga on Sunday for recovery, a level 1 class Monday, and a yin/yang flow class today (Tuesday) and am feeling pretty good.

Tuesday 8/19/2014
"Functional Strength"


Morning Bodyweight - 179.0 lb - a little higher than normal due to all the ice cream I had Sunday.

Warm-up:
1 hour 15 minutes flow-style yoga

A) Snatch Deadlift from 3" deficit (41X0) 
[5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps, 5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps]
120 kg x5, 130 kg x4, 140 kg x3
120 kg x5, 130 kg x4, 140 kg x3
rest 3 minutes

B1) Chin-up (50X0)
[4-6 reps x 5 sets]
+10 kg x6, +10 kg x6, +10 kg x5,
+15 kg x4, +15 kg x4
rest 2 minutes, alternate to B2

B2) CGBP (41X0) (knees on bench)
[4-6 reps x 5 sets]
175 lb x6, 175 lb x6, 185 lb x6
195 lb x4, 195 lb x4
rest 2 minutes, alternate to B1

Workout - complete. Time <50 minutes

Notes: 

Love the snatch grip deadlift off deficit with slow eccentric - one of the most posterior chain dominant exercises you can perform. Correctly performed, this can pack slabs of muscle on your backside from your ankles to the base of your skull. Be sure to pull to the top of the hip, legs straight, back arched but glutes flexed tight so the rib cage doesn't spill open, shoulders pinched back and down, head neutral. From there, lower under control on a four count to just barely touching the floor and explosively contracting the hip complex and hamstrings to hinge up and pull the bar back to the waist. Ladies, this will develop some serious glutes and hamstrings. Very difficult if you do this the right way - fight as hard you can, the structural collapse of the back, especially when you reverse direction from the floor. Squeeze that arch in your back with your shoulder blades and keep the heart raised forward.
The close grip bench press (CGBP) and chin-up (palms face forward, supinated) combo is also an excellent strength builder for the arms. Two of my favorite exercises for this purpose. Supersetting them with a two minute rest between allows you stack a workout and increase training "density", while maximizing strength in each successive lift. Studies have shown alternating opposite contraction movements such as a press and a pull will increase strength. Next time you go to bench press, try warming up with some close-grip cable rows and really focus on the contracting in the mid back and lats. You will find your strength and power off the chest really improves.
Controlling the tempo is the best way to correctly apply stress to the muscle and ensure you are using full range of motion and contraction. On strength based exercises I always try to lift explosively (as denoted by the 'X' in the '40X0') but I will utilize anywhere from a 3 to 6 second eccentric, or lowering portion of the weight.

Post workout nutrition:


Green Smoothie with:
-2 Celery Stalks
-1/2 a cucumber
-large handful of baby kale/ spinach/ chard
-large handful of thai greens
-1/4 wedge of lemon
-1 oz of fresh tumeric root
-1 tsp of cinnamon and stevia
-water to blend

"Egg-nog":
-4 raw eggs
-1/4 cup of raw grass-fed cream
-cinnamon, nutmeg, and stevia


Monday, August 18, 2014

Monday Rambling - "Yoga"

"Awesome work everyone. Please enjoy the rest of your Sunday and take good care. Namaste."

"Namaste", choruses the class.

At the conclusion of our session, a blanket of pure peace and tranquility rests like a comforting quilt over the studio. Our instructor stood gracefully and skipped across the floor in joyous and energetic tempo unique only to himself. Sensing rather than seeing this genuine happiness forced me into a smile.

In the silence of the room, as the practitioners packed their belongings, we all shared a simple harmony with one other. It was if we all held the same secret. and not a single person would risk coming out to say it. Yet we all knew. No words needed to be exchanged; we were cautious not to disrupt the blanket of peace.

Again, I could not help but grin to myself. The pure euphoria I felt when finishing such a yoga practice was indescribable. The perfect stillness my mind had achieved, the sense of accomplishment I embodied, and the clear focus I had on the present moment. There was something so unique to this energy that explaining it to someone who has not felt it was impossible. I expect it is similar to people with near death experiences attempting to describe their journey into the light with an atheist.

Even so, I am going to try to attempt to illustrate what this feeling is like.

You feel a deep vibration through the entire body, as if your spirit is humming; your soul is internally harmonized with the external vibrations of the universe. You breathe deep through the nose and feel the cool, refreshing air recharge and refill every nook and cranny if your physical body. Your focus is so sharp that you can dial in on any one sensation and the rest of the world melts away as you concentrate on that singular entity. You find yourself smiling, a real, genuine smile. One that radiates positive energy.

A smile that begins deep, deep within - bubbling up from some far away spring, beyond our physical body. A spring of eternal and everlasting love and pure energy. Through your practice, you've tapped into that free flowing water and established a connection, a link to some otherworldly place. Even though this place is foreign to you, it's as if you've been there before. The path that connects you here has been well traveled, and although it is your first time traveling along it, you know each and every turn.

You feel a unity with all other beings in the universe, especially those who've shared the practice with you. You also have a profound love and respect for the instructors themselves, as they are the ones who've guided you along this journey. The teacher has showed you the entrance to the well traveled path, and through the freeing of your spirit, you allowed the tether to your physical being unravel long enough to reach the eternal spring.

With this unity comes an understanding. You begin to see the connection that we all share. You see past physical appearances and external factors that have driven our egos to act and behave a certain way. The yoga practice is an ego dissolving action. Fear is removed from our hearts easily and readily, as we surrender to the practice. Once fear is removed, the ego is tamed. And once the ego is no longer the dictator of our reactions to events, we become present within our true self. Being present within our true self allows us to feel and sense the connection between each individual, and with the deep, underlying fabric of the universe.

It is as if a dark shroud is removed from our mind's eye, and all of a sudden we can see clearly. The world is illuminated in utmost clarity. Our purpose is clear. Clarity such as this must be what resemble what is know as "enlightenment" in most religious texts.

Each yoga practice is a new lesson. Every time I roll up my mat, I've connected to some infinite source and acquired some new knowledge, an ancient wisdom. Words are spoken to me in an unknown and unheard language, yet the meaning is known to me, and the words are very clear. I say this in utmost sincerity. I believe that through regular yoga practice, by surrendering yourself on your yoga mat, answers come unbidden to you.

Worldly challenges become blessings, and opportunities for growth. Nothing is too difficult. You care much more deeply for yourself and by doing so, you genuinely care for others. By giving this unconditional love and respect, you attract love and respect from others. The things your ego and society tells you that you want and desire, melt away to make room for what your true self truly wants and truly desires.

If you are reading this then that means I've captured your attention through my ramblings. My only intention is to share the love and respect that I feel towards you. I do not wish to place expectations upon you, that you must practice yoga to feel the same way, or that you must practice yoga to come to these realizations. You may or may not practice yoga. You may or may not meditate. You may be as you are. Allow yourself to find peace in what it is that you do.

Allow yourself to remove your focus on what is negative in your life, as soon as this focus shifts, you will sense more freely the positive vibrations of the universe. Yoga is just one way that I've found has accelerated this ability. You may find it through prayer, through charity, through aid to others, through writing, through reading, through cooking, through cleaning.... you may find this peace through all of these things or none of these things. How you find this peace is up to you - all you must do, is surrender yourself to it. You must simply allow it.


Saturday, August 16, 2014

Grant's Training Saturday 8/16

Today was a very difficult day. Went hard in the gym, felt up for it. Had some Yerba Mate tea after a 1.5 hour power yoga session and trained with one of my best friends. Caffeine plus a great training environment and excellent morning = success.

Saturday 8/16
"CP Battery"  

This denotes the energy system focus for the day. I am primarily training the creatine phosphate pathway with this workout. See the following table:



DurationClassificationEnergy Supplied By
1 to 4 secondsAnaerobicATP (in muscles)
4 to 10 secondsAnaerobicATP + CP
10 to 45 secondsAnaerobicATP + CP + Muscle glycogen
45 to 120 secondsAnaerobic, LacticMuscle glycogen
120 to 240 secondsAerobic + AnaerobicMuscle glycogen + lactic acid
240 to 600 secondsAerobicMuscle glycogen + fatty acids
See below for the different types of energy we rely on for skeletal muscle movement:
  • ATP - Adenosine Triphosphate: a complex chemical compound formed with the energy released from food and stored in all cells, particularly muscles. Only from the energy released by the breakdown of this compound can the cells perform work. The breakdown of ATP produces energy and ADP.
  • CP - Creatine Phosphate: a chemical compound stored in muscle, which when broken down aids in the manufacture of ATP. The combination of ADP and CP produces ATP.
  • LA - Lactic acid: a fatiguing metabolite of the lactic acid system resulting from the incomplete breakdown of glucose. However Noakes in South Africa has discovered that although excessive lactate production is part of the extreme fatigue process, it is the protons produced at the same time that restricts further performance
  • O2 means aerobic running in which ATP is manufactured from food, mainly sugar and fat. This system produces ATP copiously and is the prime energy source during endurance activities
Source - http://www.brianmac.co.uk/energy.htm

Warm-up: 
-10 reps DB Muscle snatch, 10 reps alternating DB Shoulder Press, 10 reps double DB Shoulder Press @ 30 lb
-Power Clean and Push Press starting at 110 lb moving up in 20 lb increments until 195 lb
-Front Squat 155 lb for several sets of 5 reps

A) Power Clean + Push Press @ 205 lb: 
EMOM for 10 minutes, 1+2 reps 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5lp23eTw98
rest 3 minutes 

B1) Front Squat @ 110 lb (242 lb): 
50 reps for time, every break perform 5 pull-ups with 6 second eccentric - TIME = 13 minutes 
did 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 1 front squat - failed last set last rep!!! This was difficult. 
B2) Pull-ups @ Bodyweight (60X0): 
5 reps x 5 sets
The discipline needed to pull myself up and lower under control after a heavy higher rep front squat set... purely mental. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8M_drJ13mM

Total workout time - 40 minutes . Total workout intensity - 100%. Heart rate >180 BPM . 

Currently in recovery. Have a great day folks!