First, check out my awesome client Ed as he kills some heavy deadlifts:
Yeah, he's a beast.
Also, I'm 3,000 swings into my 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge, and it's going fairly well. Down about 1% bodyfat and about 4 pounds.
I've lost some noticeable fat, my abs are just a bit more visible, and my bike ride to work on Thursday (typically a miserable exercise in self-punishment) wasn't nearly as tiring as it usually is.
The diet, which again you can read about here, has been pretty easy to stick with so far. I'll be honest and say I haven't stuck to the plan 100%, but most of my meals are still the protein shake + fruit or vegetable + peanut butter, but I've added in a sensible meal for dinner and/or breakfast in place of the first or last protein shake. Calories are the same, and maybe it's because I've been super busy at work recently but I haven't been half as hungry as I thought I'd be. The added protein is also doing good things to keep some muscle on my frame, and....dare I say it...may have even added a bit.
The workouts, too, are getting easier. My hands are a bit torn up, but aside from a bit of hamstring soreness once or twice, I feel pretty good. My pace has increased considerably, and now even the sets of 50 are over before I know it, sometimes literally! I've lost count a few times during the higher reps, which brings me to the only negative aspect of this program I've encountered: the monotony. 10,000 of anything is going to get pretty boring, and I still have 7,000 to go.
7,000 to go.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Simple Fat Loss: a 4-Week Experiment
I like it when things are simple. Simple things make me happy, and I like to be happy.
So when I looked at my kettlebell swing form in the mirror after getting out of the shower (don't try to form too clear a picture in your head, and definitely don't ask why) and saw things jiggle that ought not to jiggle, I decided it was time to drop some body fat.
Not lose weight, mind you. You can chop off an arm and lose weight. I still want to be strong(ish) and I still want to look like I'm strong(ish), and that requires holding on to or even gaining muscle mass. That means staying far away from any starvation-based, macro-nutrient demonizing, Hollywood bimbo-endorsed "diet cleanse" that leaves you hungry and weak and requires you measure every seed in your tiny serving of watermelon so as not to go over your allotted food mass limit of the week.
For my fat-loss program to work, I need four things:
-Plenty of protein to maintain muscle mass
-A caloric deficit large enough to be effective but small enough to stay away from starvation mode
-Plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to keep me feeling good and healthy
-Some leeway to account for having a life outside of dieting.
This last one is what I thing breaks most people. In a bubble, I think most people have the willpower to see even a super-strict diet to its conclusion and see great results. But life...just, like, frickin' life man, it just gets in the way. Work gets overwhelming, your significant other wrecks your car, 30 Rock has its final season, and when your buddies invite you out to the bar Saturday night you just want to unwind and have like six plates of wings and a beer for each one and not have to explain why you're on a diet and only ordered water.
The other half of the equation is what happens in the gym. Nineteen protein shakes a day won't help you hold on to your precious muscle mass if you don't give said muscles a reason to exist. I firmly believe you should keep lifting heavy while dieting, and seek to at least maintain your strength levels while throwing in some conditioning work to burn more calories and increase your work capacity.
Here's the thing though: I hate training when I'm on a diet. My willpower is usually so sapped from denying myself food that I can't pony up the man juice to do that last set of heavy front squats. As a result, my workouts suffer and I don't do enough to elicit a training effect to hold onto what little mass I've worked so hard to get.
I need three things from a training program:
-Simplicity. I don't want to write an extravagant workout-to-end-all-workouts every time I lift, I just want to train and go home. Or more accurately, back to work, seeing as how I work in a gym.
-Rigidity. I need a plan on paper that I'm not allowed to deviate from, and that I must complete before I'm done.
-Intensity...sort of. I need weights that keep me strong without breaking me, and conditioning work that gasses me without obliterating me.
With that, and with not just a little inspiration from T-Nation, I've developed a four-week fat loss plan that is simple and has everything I require.
Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
Meal 2
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 3
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 4
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Meal 5
1.5 scoops of protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Total Calories: ~1800
Protein: ~ 180 grams
Calories required for defecit: 2200
See that last part? I have 400 calories not included in my meal plan. Those go wherever, however I want them. Two slices of pizza at night? Go for it. A couple of brownies my roommate cooked up? Sure! Even -gasp- a beer or two after work? CRAZY! IRRESPONSIBLE! ....and allowed.
I try to eat a lot of colors and add spices here and there to make things bearable, but that's the entirety of my meal plan.
And here are my starting photos:
I will try to update often, post about my progress and, above all, see this little experiment through to the end.
So when I looked at my kettlebell swing form in the mirror after getting out of the shower (don't try to form too clear a picture in your head, and definitely don't ask why) and saw things jiggle that ought not to jiggle, I decided it was time to drop some body fat.
Not lose weight, mind you. You can chop off an arm and lose weight. I still want to be strong(ish) and I still want to look like I'm strong(ish), and that requires holding on to or even gaining muscle mass. That means staying far away from any starvation-based, macro-nutrient demonizing, Hollywood bimbo-endorsed "diet cleanse" that leaves you hungry and weak and requires you measure every seed in your tiny serving of watermelon so as not to go over your allotted food mass limit of the week.
For my fat-loss program to work, I need four things:
-Plenty of protein to maintain muscle mass
-A caloric deficit large enough to be effective but small enough to stay away from starvation mode
-Plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to keep me feeling good and healthy
-Some leeway to account for having a life outside of dieting.
This last one is what I thing breaks most people. In a bubble, I think most people have the willpower to see even a super-strict diet to its conclusion and see great results. But life...just, like, frickin' life man, it just gets in the way. Work gets overwhelming, your significant other wrecks your car, 30 Rock has its final season, and when your buddies invite you out to the bar Saturday night you just want to unwind and have like six plates of wings and a beer for each one and not have to explain why you're on a diet and only ordered water.
The other half of the equation is what happens in the gym. Nineteen protein shakes a day won't help you hold on to your precious muscle mass if you don't give said muscles a reason to exist. I firmly believe you should keep lifting heavy while dieting, and seek to at least maintain your strength levels while throwing in some conditioning work to burn more calories and increase your work capacity.
Here's the thing though: I hate training when I'm on a diet. My willpower is usually so sapped from denying myself food that I can't pony up the man juice to do that last set of heavy front squats. As a result, my workouts suffer and I don't do enough to elicit a training effect to hold onto what little mass I've worked so hard to get.
I need three things from a training program:
-Simplicity. I don't want to write an extravagant workout-to-end-all-workouts every time I lift, I just want to train and go home. Or more accurately, back to work, seeing as how I work in a gym.
-Rigidity. I need a plan on paper that I'm not allowed to deviate from, and that I must complete before I'm done.
-Intensity...sort of. I need weights that keep me strong without breaking me, and conditioning work that gasses me without obliterating me.
With that, and with not just a little inspiration from T-Nation, I've developed a four-week fat loss plan that is simple and has everything I require.
Nutrition
My diet, every single day, is:Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
Meal 2
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 3
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 4
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Meal 5
1.5 scoops of protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Total Calories: ~1800
Protein: ~ 180 grams
Calories required for defecit: 2200
See that last part? I have 400 calories not included in my meal plan. Those go wherever, however I want them. Two slices of pizza at night? Go for it. A couple of brownies my roommate cooked up? Sure! Even -gasp- a beer or two after work? CRAZY! IRRESPONSIBLE! ....and allowed.
I try to eat a lot of colors and add spices here and there to make things bearable, but that's the entirety of my meal plan.
Training
Even simpler. The 10,000 Swing Kettlebell Workout, as prescribed by Dan John:
I chose this one for two reasons:
1. Dan John wrote it
2. See number 1
Okay, a little more reasoning:
I am a big fan of kettlebell swings for conditioning. They gas you pretty quickly, they're easy to learn, and they work my favorite muscle group, the glutes. The workout also intersperses heavy strength movements into the mix, which I really like.
It's also tough, but doable. My first workout left me sweating like I haven't in months, but I didn't have the burning in my throat and the dizzying fatigue I remember from my Crossfit days. And something about the workout just...I don't know, felt right.
Starting video and photos
Here's a video of my fourth round of the workout:
And here are my starting photos:
I will try to update often, post about my progress and, above all, see this little experiment through to the end.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Writing Your Success Story: Strength
We all have our reasons for going to the gym. Or at least we have reasons why we know we should go to the gym. You might even go through the process of writing down a specific, attainable goal that you consistently work towards.
But how do you know if you've made any headway?
If you're going to write your own personal success story, you need definitive proof for yourself and all those who care to know that you've moved away from where you were and closer to where you want to be. This next series of posts will be about what you should be measuring in the gym to keep track of your progress and how you can go about it.
But it's not enough to just show up at the gym and grunt, though grunting will account for most of your success.
Pick three big, multi-joint lifts, and try to improve your numbers in these lifts over the course of three months. Pick whatever three you want, but follow these guidlines:
-You should pick lifts that cover your entire body
-You should be comfortable with and have excellent form on these lifts
-You should pick a rep number to quantify your improvement. Said better, you should decide if you want to improve your 1 rep max, your 2 rep max, your 5 rep max, etc. I personally dislike 1RM's because they encourage bad form and are heavily influenced by outside factors; I like 3 reps, because ego is less of a factor and you'll get more training stimulus by keeping the reps slightly higher.
Here are some ideas for your big three exercises:
Back Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press
The classic powerlifting combo is popular for a reason. A bit low-back intensive, but with the added possibility of getting involved in a growing sport.
Bench Press, Chin Up, and Front Squat
This is a great combo for anyone whose back can't handle frequent back squats and deadlifts.
If physique is a secondary goal, you should aim to be really good at chin-ups. If you're getting better at chins, it's either because you're stronger or leaner or both. I have this theory that for as long as you can do 10 honest, all-the-way-down, all-the-way up chin ups, you'll never be out of shape. And if you can do 3 chin-ups with 100 lbs of external load, you get your beast card in the mail within 5 business days.
Hang Power Clean, Push Press, and Bulgarian Split Squat
Are you an athlete? Whether you're on your high school football team or just play pick-up basketball every Thursday, you need two things specifically in addition to your other gym goals: power and single-leg strength. I like the hang version better than the pull off the floor, simply because you don't get a whole lot of added power compared to the increased risk. The push press is a great way to get crazy upper-body and core strength without destroying your shoulders, and....no, really, the push gets the bar out of the "danger zone" as far as your shoulders are concerned, even when you use more weight. And the bulgarian split squat can be loaded up like few other single leg exercises.
But how do you know if you've made any headway?
If you're going to write your own personal success story, you need definitive proof for yourself and all those who care to know that you've moved away from where you were and closer to where you want to be. This next series of posts will be about what you should be measuring in the gym to keep track of your progress and how you can go about it.
 |
| Hint: your goal should look a lot like this. Including the beard. Yes, you too ladies. |
Goal: Get Stronger
It's a small wonder that even in 2013, where a strong back doesn't have nearly as many career advancement opportunities as a strong background in database management, strength is still a hugely valued attribute. What's even more surprising -and awesome, in my opinion- is that it's not just limited to rage-fueled jocks anymore; geeks, girls and geeky girls are finally inching their way into the iron game and finding their place under heavy weights.But it's not enough to just show up at the gym and grunt, though grunting will account for most of your success.
Attained by: getting stronger in three big lifts, over the course of three months.
Pick three big, multi-joint lifts, and try to improve your numbers in these lifts over the course of three months. Pick whatever three you want, but follow these guidlines:
-You should pick lifts that cover your entire body
-You should be comfortable with and have excellent form on these lifts
-You should pick a rep number to quantify your improvement. Said better, you should decide if you want to improve your 1 rep max, your 2 rep max, your 5 rep max, etc. I personally dislike 1RM's because they encourage bad form and are heavily influenced by outside factors; I like 3 reps, because ego is less of a factor and you'll get more training stimulus by keeping the reps slightly higher.
Here are some ideas for your big three exercises:
Back Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press
The classic powerlifting combo is popular for a reason. A bit low-back intensive, but with the added possibility of getting involved in a growing sport.
Bench Press, Chin Up, and Front Squat
This is a great combo for anyone whose back can't handle frequent back squats and deadlifts.
If physique is a secondary goal, you should aim to be really good at chin-ups. If you're getting better at chins, it's either because you're stronger or leaner or both. I have this theory that for as long as you can do 10 honest, all-the-way-down, all-the-way up chin ups, you'll never be out of shape. And if you can do 3 chin-ups with 100 lbs of external load, you get your beast card in the mail within 5 business days.
Hang Power Clean, Push Press, and Bulgarian Split Squat
Are you an athlete? Whether you're on your high school football team or just play pick-up basketball every Thursday, you need two things specifically in addition to your other gym goals: power and single-leg strength. I like the hang version better than the pull off the floor, simply because you don't get a whole lot of added power compared to the increased risk. The push press is a great way to get crazy upper-body and core strength without destroying your shoulders, and....no, really, the push gets the bar out of the "danger zone" as far as your shoulders are concerned, even when you use more weight. And the bulgarian split squat can be loaded up like few other single leg exercises.
Putting It Together
Strength is a goal that benefits with a lot of rest, so go with lifting 3-4 days a week. Here's how you would divvy it up, using the powerlifts as an example:
3 Day Split, 3 RM Goal
Day 1
A- Back Squat: work up to a heavy triple over the course of 3-5 sets
B1- Deadlift assistance exercise (Romanian Deadlift, pull from blocks, deficit, etc.): 3 sets of 6
B2- Upper body pull: 3 sets of 8
C - Abs, your choice
Day 2
A- Bench Press: work up to a heavy triple over the couse of 3-5 sets
B1- Squat assistance exercise (Front squat, squat w/chains, overhead squat): 3 sets of 6
B2- Glute work (hip thrust, glute bridge): 3 sets of 8
C- Abs, your choice
Day 3
A- Deadlift: work up to a heavy triple over the couse of 3-5 sets
B1- Bench assistance exercise (close grip bench, floor press, board press): 3 sets of 6
B2- Upper body pull: 3 sets of 8
C - Finisher: Max reps of Bench and Back Squat with 60% of your 3RM from this week
Stay on this program for 3 months and try to add 5 lbs to your 3 rep max every week. Provided you're doing everything mostly right outside of the gym -eating enough calories and protein, getting enough sleep, drinking water, getting sleep, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, sleeping for the love of God- you'll be well on your way to being a modern He-Man. Or She-Ra.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Another Plug for the Hip Thrust
Wordplay!
So while I was on blog hiatus for the past few months, a funny thing happened: I started my new job at Body Structure, and now have a full roster of clients ranging from kids to the elderly and from healthy and strong to injured and deconditioned. It's amazing how much experience you can gain from....doing stuff.
And from working with such a diverse clientele, I've learned these things about lower body training:
1. Squats are awesome, but not everybody can do them. Some people just don't have the knee integrity or the hip and ankle flexibility or even the right body structure (though that last group is few and far between) to squat correctly. Most people do, but even then it can take weeks and even months to master the form and start using heavy weight.
 |
| It's amazing how much we've forgotten since we got out of diapers. |
2. Deadlifts are awesome, but not everybody can do them. I truly believe that deadlifts, when done correctly and in moderation, are a great way to prevent back injuries, and can definitely be used as a lower back reconditiong program. But much to my dismay most of what physical therapists say is right in this regard: people with bad backs shouldn't deadlift.
 |
| Chest up...no, chest up, hips dow- you know what, you'll find out. |
It saddens me greatly, but I must concede this unfortunate fact. Form is also vital for this lift to be performed safely, and much like the squat many people lack the ankle and hip mobility to get into a good starting position. It's simple, but there is still a learning curve.
3. Hip thrusts are awesome, and everyone can do them. Seriously. The closest I've come to meeting someone who can't do a hip thrust (or at least a glute bridge) was a woman who had neck surgery and couldn't support her neck in a supine position, and even that was fixed with a simple pad.
Adding to that, there is almost no learning curve. Bar on hips, push hips up. Genius stuff.
 |
| It's almost like this motion is ingrained into our psyche. Weird. |
If you haven't given it a try, please consider this exercise. Your knees will thank you, your back will thank you, and everyone following you on the sidewalk will thank you. (Your butt will look good.)
If you need more instruction, I have no business giving it to you since the absolute greatest hip thrust instructional video ever has already been created by Mark Fisher and his crew:
And if you're serious about finally working those long-neglected glutes, you can join me in doing Bret Contreras' 30 Day Thrusting Challenge (boom, phrasing).
Here's a link: http://bretcontreras.com/the-30-days-of-thrusting-challenge/
I've already done the first day, 3 sets of 20 reps with 155 lbs. Holy glute pump, Batman!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
So Where Were We?
So it's been almost a month since you've heard anything from Skape Fitness.
Despite the impressive and much-appreciated support we received upon starting our little venture, I doubt anyone was lying awake at night wondering what happened to their favorite fitness folks. Still, it mattered to me, and I feel like I should elaborate.
The real world is a cold, uncaring beast, as many of my recently-graduated friends are about to find out. Two months is not a long time for a business to get on its feet, but it is a very long time for a broke individual to go without money. Simply speaking, the business wasn't making enough money for me to support myself, and I had to look elsewhere.
Never even got to put those business cards to use.
So I applied and got a job at Body Structure. They're a great local gym that focuses on long-term lifestyle changes and heavily endorse the mantra of "Exercise is Medicine", which I am very passionate about. It's a great fit for me, and I'm already doing pretty well there, but there was a condition of my employment.
They're launching their own online training service, www.mybodystructure.com, and they very reasonably didn't want a conflict of interest with my online project.
And so, with no small amount of grief, I had to close Skape Fitness Online Personal Training.
That doesn't mean that Skape Fitness with sink to the bottom of an ocean of unused ideas, like so many internet start-ups. It simply means that we must adapt to our situation, and become something else.
Something like a free fitness resource.
In the coming weeks, Darren and I will set to work on making skapefitness.com a free fitness blog and resource that will keep you informed and motivated, just like we set out to do in the first place. Except now it will be solely out of the goodness of our heart, which makes us pretty much like Ghandi-caliber heroes if I do say so myself.
And, yes, the tips of the day will resume.
We'd love to hear your input on what direction Skape should take going forward, and what you would expect out of a free online resource. Let us know in the comments!
Despite the impressive and much-appreciated support we received upon starting our little venture, I doubt anyone was lying awake at night wondering what happened to their favorite fitness folks. Still, it mattered to me, and I feel like I should elaborate.
The real world is a cold, uncaring beast, as many of my recently-graduated friends are about to find out. Two months is not a long time for a business to get on its feet, but it is a very long time for a broke individual to go without money. Simply speaking, the business wasn't making enough money for me to support myself, and I had to look elsewhere.
Never even got to put those business cards to use.
So I applied and got a job at Body Structure. They're a great local gym that focuses on long-term lifestyle changes and heavily endorse the mantra of "Exercise is Medicine", which I am very passionate about. It's a great fit for me, and I'm already doing pretty well there, but there was a condition of my employment.
They're launching their own online training service, www.mybodystructure.com, and they very reasonably didn't want a conflict of interest with my online project.
And so, with no small amount of grief, I had to close Skape Fitness Online Personal Training.
That doesn't mean that Skape Fitness with sink to the bottom of an ocean of unused ideas, like so many internet start-ups. It simply means that we must adapt to our situation, and become something else.
Something like a free fitness resource.
In the coming weeks, Darren and I will set to work on making skapefitness.com a free fitness blog and resource that will keep you informed and motivated, just like we set out to do in the first place. Except now it will be solely out of the goodness of our heart, which makes us pretty much like Ghandi-caliber heroes if I do say so myself.
And, yes, the tips of the day will resume.
We'd love to hear your input on what direction Skape should take going forward, and what you would expect out of a free online resource. Let us know in the comments!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Diary of a Fasting Man
So, summer is almost here, and I have a little more jiggle around my waistline than I'd like. However, I'm also training to enter an weightlifting competition. In my experience, I cannot get stronger, at least to any significant degree, while going on an effective diet to lose weight. A caloric deficit just seems to ruin my workouts.
My solution: intermittent fasting. It's a way of eating that has become really popular with fitness professionals recently. I didn't say "diet", because you're eating normal, healthy foods, but only eat them certain times and fast the rest.
Despite it being simple, I don't feel like explaining it because shut up. Here's an infographic that does a better job than I ever could.
To stick my toe in the water, I'm going the one-day approach: Don't eat for 24 hours. From 10 pm on Saturday, May 18, to 10 pm on Sunday, May 19, I can drink water and coffee and green tea to my heart's content, but no food. Indeed, nothing with any calories whatsoever.
This is the log of my experience.
Saturday, 10 pm- Okay, just finished up my last meal for 24 hours.
Liver and Onions.
2:12 pm - Okay, so the first hunger pangs are finally starting to hit. I'm used to eating right as I wake up, so four hours later... yeah, I can feel it. So far, it's manageable. I'll just drink some water and play Xbox to keep myself occupied.
3:51 pm - Starting to feel it now. That sort of weak feeling you get when you're really hungry. Coffee should help. Yeah. gonna drink some more coffee. That'll clear up the jitters. I'm I skinny yet?
Darren kind of looks like a turkey leg.
4:41 pm- coffee has not made me less jittery. Water now.
5:39 pm - Feeling great, actually. Hunger is gonOH GOD NOW THAT I'M WRITING ABOUT IT THE HUNGER IS BACK WHAT HAVE I DONE
So yeah, I don't know if its actually hunger, or appetite. I've found that I'm pretty much surrounded by food, all day, all the time. It makes me wonder how much I would crave food if it wasn't always immediately available.
Something to think about; brain food, if you wTHAT WAS STUPID I DID IT AGAIN
6:27 pm - This is where it starts getting tough. All I can think about is that I know in 3.5 hours I can eat again, and it's going to be a protein shake and a big pizza and breadsticks and a PB&J because shut up, I'll do what I want, no it's not negating any benefits I got from fasting, shut up. Oh my....pizza... it's going to be amazing.
6:50 pm - I'm going to watch how i met your mother and hope they don't talk about food they wouldnt do that would they why would they be mean like that
7:28 pm - Friends are over. They want to play Magic. They don't know my pain. They don't know what I'm going through. So I'm making a point to bring it up every 9 seconds. My pain will be their pain.
8:12 pm - That pizza is going to be amazing. I'm going to eat it so hard. I'm going to savor it and let it swim in my mouth and whisper sweet nothings to my taste buds before gracefully sliding to its rightful place in my gullet.
8:13 pm - Food is better than sex. I know that now. I know that because I've decided that I'm not actually all that hungry. But the thought of eating something delicious after not eating anything at all for .... 22 hours and 13 minutes is at the forefront of my mind and it isn't leaving.
8: 19 pm - Still there. Yup.
8: 27 pm - There's only an hour and a half left to go. I can't tell if that makes it easier or harder. But I'm going to make it , and I'm not even going to pretend it was all that hard. There are starving kids in the world who have been three days without food and they're thankful when they get a bowl of under cooked white rice for their one meal before the next three days without food.
On a side note, I don't know if I feel good about myself forcing a fast to look better when so many people do it because there is no food to eat.
8:59 pm - Game of Thrones time.
9: 10 pm - Also Game of Thrones time.
9:31 pm - Ordering that pizza online while still trying to watch Game of Thrones. OH HELL YEAH YOU TELL HIM TYRION.
10:00 pm -
10:20 pm - Ughl....stomach may have shrank a bit during the past 24 hours....normal pizza load not well received...no touch me now.....Am I pretty yet?
The Next Day:
So, it's done. And you know what? I'm going to do it again. I don't feel weak today, and I don't feel like I need to eat two days worth of food to make up for yesterday. FYI, I normally overeat pizza when it's available to me, so last night wasn't out of the ordinary....except for the fact I got full quicker than normal.
One of the primary benefits cited by intermittent fasting is appetite control, and I can definitely see it. One bowl of oatmeal this morning, and I feel like I could go hours without eating, which is normal for normal people, not normal for me.
The effects? I couldn't tell you. It's been one day. What I'm going for here is a hormonal change, which could take weeks to take effect, especially if I'm only doing one day a week. The most popular methods involve fasting 16 hours every day, eating good food (which apparently isn't pizza) during the 8 hour window. I might progress to that, because 8 hours sounds like a long time to eat. It means you skip breakfast, but that just means I'm eating eggs, turkey bacon, and wheat toast for lunch instead.
All in all, I can see how this works for people. Everything works. There are tons of success stories of people using intermittent fasting, and tons of success stories from almost every other diet ever written. The key is finding something you can do that won't kill you or compromise your health.
I'll try it again next Sunday, if that's any indication.
My solution: intermittent fasting. It's a way of eating that has become really popular with fitness professionals recently. I didn't say "diet", because you're eating normal, healthy foods, but only eat them certain times and fast the rest.
Despite it being simple, I don't feel like explaining it because shut up. Here's an infographic that does a better job than I ever could.
To stick my toe in the water, I'm going the one-day approach: Don't eat for 24 hours. From 10 pm on Saturday, May 18, to 10 pm on Sunday, May 19, I can drink water and coffee and green tea to my heart's content, but no food. Indeed, nothing with any calories whatsoever.
This is the log of my experience.
Saturday, 10 pm- Okay, just finished up my last meal for 24 hours.
Liver and Onions.
Liver is supposed to be like..the best food ever for you. It's also, however, a liver. I kind of tastes like squishy pennies, and the whole time I was eating it I couldn't not think about punching into a cow and ripping out its liver (one of its livers? I don't know cow anatomy) and throwing it in a skillet.
Anyway, fasting isn't looking as bad now.
Sunday, 11: 30 am- This is when I for real sat down to write this blog entry. I have a cup of coffee in hand, and so far no appetite to speak of. Googling "liver and onions" helped.
However, I've tried not eating a whole day before, back when I was a teenager. I vowed not to eat during the weekends so I could lose weight (because shut up, you weren't a rocket scientist either). I made it 6 hours.
Today, I'm going to remind myself of why I'm doing this by sitting without a shirt on and looking down at how my fat rolls bunch up and grabbing them while calling myself names before seriously considering whether or not I have medically significant body issues. Huh.
2:12 pm - Okay, so the first hunger pangs are finally starting to hit. I'm used to eating right as I wake up, so four hours later... yeah, I can feel it. So far, it's manageable. I'll just drink some water and play Xbox to keep myself occupied.
3:51 pm - Starting to feel it now. That sort of weak feeling you get when you're really hungry. Coffee should help. Yeah. gonna drink some more coffee. That'll clear up the jitters. I'm I skinny yet?
Darren kind of looks like a turkey leg.
4:41 pm- coffee has not made me less jittery. Water now.
5:39 pm - Feeling great, actually. Hunger is gonOH GOD NOW THAT I'M WRITING ABOUT IT THE HUNGER IS BACK WHAT HAVE I DONE
So yeah, I don't know if its actually hunger, or appetite. I've found that I'm pretty much surrounded by food, all day, all the time. It makes me wonder how much I would crave food if it wasn't always immediately available.
Something to think about; brain food, if you wTHAT WAS STUPID I DID IT AGAIN
6:27 pm - This is where it starts getting tough. All I can think about is that I know in 3.5 hours I can eat again, and it's going to be a protein shake and a big pizza and breadsticks and a PB&J because shut up, I'll do what I want, no it's not negating any benefits I got from fasting, shut up. Oh my....pizza... it's going to be amazing.
6:50 pm - I'm going to watch how i met your mother and hope they don't talk about food they wouldnt do that would they why would they be mean like that
7:28 pm - Friends are over. They want to play Magic. They don't know my pain. They don't know what I'm going through. So I'm making a point to bring it up every 9 seconds. My pain will be their pain.
8:12 pm - That pizza is going to be amazing. I'm going to eat it so hard. I'm going to savor it and let it swim in my mouth and whisper sweet nothings to my taste buds before gracefully sliding to its rightful place in my gullet.
8:13 pm - Food is better than sex. I know that now. I know that because I've decided that I'm not actually all that hungry. But the thought of eating something delicious after not eating anything at all for .... 22 hours and 13 minutes is at the forefront of my mind and it isn't leaving.
8: 19 pm - Still there. Yup.
8: 27 pm - There's only an hour and a half left to go. I can't tell if that makes it easier or harder. But I'm going to make it , and I'm not even going to pretend it was all that hard. There are starving kids in the world who have been three days without food and they're thankful when they get a bowl of under cooked white rice for their one meal before the next three days without food.
On a side note, I don't know if I feel good about myself forcing a fast to look better when so many people do it because there is no food to eat.
8:59 pm - Game of Thrones time.
9: 10 pm - Also Game of Thrones time.
9:31 pm - Ordering that pizza online while still trying to watch Game of Thrones. OH HELL YEAH YOU TELL HIM TYRION.
10:00 pm -
10:20 pm - Ughl....stomach may have shrank a bit during the past 24 hours....normal pizza load not well received...no touch me now.....Am I pretty yet?
The Next Day:
So, it's done. And you know what? I'm going to do it again. I don't feel weak today, and I don't feel like I need to eat two days worth of food to make up for yesterday. FYI, I normally overeat pizza when it's available to me, so last night wasn't out of the ordinary....except for the fact I got full quicker than normal.
One of the primary benefits cited by intermittent fasting is appetite control, and I can definitely see it. One bowl of oatmeal this morning, and I feel like I could go hours without eating, which is normal for normal people, not normal for me.
The effects? I couldn't tell you. It's been one day. What I'm going for here is a hormonal change, which could take weeks to take effect, especially if I'm only doing one day a week. The most popular methods involve fasting 16 hours every day, eating good food (which apparently isn't pizza) during the 8 hour window. I might progress to that, because 8 hours sounds like a long time to eat. It means you skip breakfast, but that just means I'm eating eggs, turkey bacon, and wheat toast for lunch instead.
All in all, I can see how this works for people. Everything works. There are tons of success stories of people using intermittent fasting, and tons of success stories from almost every other diet ever written. The key is finding something you can do that won't kill you or compromise your health.
I'll try it again next Sunday, if that's any indication.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Flexibility vs. Mobility
These are two fitness terms often used in conjunction with each other, so I'll try to clear up some confusion right off the bat: flexibility and mobility are two different things.
Flexibility refers to the range of motion you can stretch, passively or actively, a muscle before it snaps off the bone and hits you in the eye. More or less.
Mobility refers to the range of motion you can use a muscle effectively.
Here is side-by-side comparison of a female yogi demonstrating flexibility, and a ridiculously photogenic weightlifter demonstrating mobility:
Think of flexibility as a bucket, and mobility as the water you have available to fill that bucket.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I think flexibility and mobility work are both hella-boring. I'll also admit that I get jacked up something fierce when I stop stretching and mobilizing, so I understand that these are the raw broccoli to my weightlifting's tender juicy steak.
And while the two are not the same thing, they are both, unfortunately, important.
Increasing your flexibility changes the resting length of the muscle and makes them less resistant to being pulled to the end of its range of motion. This is usually touted as a great means of injury prevention. And it is....but not by itself. In fact, flexibility without mobility may increase the likelihood of injury by making it easier to get into positions in which you are not stable. 5 gallons of water in a 10 gallon bucket is just a lot of wasted bucket.
Increasing your mobility, on the other hand, makes you more capable of moving effectively through a large range of motion. Look again at the ridiculously photogenic weightlifting lady above: she's not only showing better flexibility throughout her shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles than most people, but she's supporting a heavy weight in a fairly stable manner at the "edges" of her range of motion. That is good mobility.
I know it sounds like I'm trumpeting mobility over flexibility... and I am. But mobility is certainly enhanced by flexibility, and the latter can aid in releasing chronically tight muscles that are the cause of a pantheon of non-weight training related injuries.
So when should you be working on these qualities?
Mobility work should be a staple in your warm up, and not just limited to what muscle groups you plan on working out that session. Hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder mobility work can and should be a daily occurrence. Don't know how? Why, here's a video, free of charge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L5KVw2Pwic
Flexibility work can be done literally anytime, ever. Before your workout, after your workout, or my recommendation, on a completely separate day from weight training as part of a recovery protocol. Taking a yoga class has become my favorite way to incorporate stretching into my fitness routine. The common myths about stretching before workouts decreasing strength, or stretching after workouts to take advantage of pliability, are largely untrue. But that's another article.
Hopefully you know just a little bit more about these terms than you did before.As always, if you have any questions about this article or any other, please leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook. And if you haven't liked our page at Skape Fitness yet, we're totally not friends anymore.
Go forth, mobilize, and lift heavy things.
Flexibility refers to the range of motion you can stretch, passively or actively, a muscle before it snaps off the bone and hits you in the eye. More or less.
Mobility refers to the range of motion you can use a muscle effectively.
Here is side-by-side comparison of a female yogi demonstrating flexibility, and a ridiculously photogenic weightlifter demonstrating mobility:
 |
| Side note: a google image search for "flexibility" is the closest thing to porn you will see with safesearch still on. |
Both of these girls have great hip, knee, and shoulder range of motion. The one on the right, however, is going to stand up with a big weight at the bottom of her position. She is demonstrating mobility. The girl on the left has "gotten into position" by pulling her hip past the point where it ceased being strong for the sake of a stretch. She exhibits great flexibility.
Think of flexibility as a bucket, and mobility as the water you have available to fill that bucket.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I think flexibility and mobility work are both hella-boring. I'll also admit that I get jacked up something fierce when I stop stretching and mobilizing, so I understand that these are the raw broccoli to my weightlifting's tender juicy steak.
And while the two are not the same thing, they are both, unfortunately, important.
Increasing your flexibility changes the resting length of the muscle and makes them less resistant to being pulled to the end of its range of motion. This is usually touted as a great means of injury prevention. And it is....but not by itself. In fact, flexibility without mobility may increase the likelihood of injury by making it easier to get into positions in which you are not stable. 5 gallons of water in a 10 gallon bucket is just a lot of wasted bucket.
Increasing your mobility, on the other hand, makes you more capable of moving effectively through a large range of motion. Look again at the ridiculously photogenic weightlifting lady above: she's not only showing better flexibility throughout her shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles than most people, but she's supporting a heavy weight in a fairly stable manner at the "edges" of her range of motion. That is good mobility.
I know it sounds like I'm trumpeting mobility over flexibility... and I am. But mobility is certainly enhanced by flexibility, and the latter can aid in releasing chronically tight muscles that are the cause of a pantheon of non-weight training related injuries.
So when should you be working on these qualities?
Mobility work should be a staple in your warm up, and not just limited to what muscle groups you plan on working out that session. Hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder mobility work can and should be a daily occurrence. Don't know how? Why, here's a video, free of charge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L5KVw2Pwic
Flexibility work can be done literally anytime, ever. Before your workout, after your workout, or my recommendation, on a completely separate day from weight training as part of a recovery protocol. Taking a yoga class has become my favorite way to incorporate stretching into my fitness routine. The common myths about stretching before workouts decreasing strength, or stretching after workouts to take advantage of pliability, are largely untrue. But that's another article.
Hopefully you know just a little bit more about these terms than you did before.As always, if you have any questions about this article or any other, please leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook. And if you haven't liked our page at Skape Fitness yet, we're totally not friends anymore.
Go forth, mobilize, and lift heavy things.
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