Paleo Summary

As much as I try to learn about Paleo and providing a nice summary I'll leave it to the pros for a succinct and thorough explanation of what to expect.

http://robbwolf.com/faq/

101611

Cindy

12

Chest to bar, hand release pushups, hungover.

Mac n' Cheese is NOT Paleo

Agent Orange

Deep orange yolks from pasture raised eggs are how they're supposed to look. Signifies high nutrient content (Vit A, E, K).

That's a lot of food, bro

Inspired by an exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston I got to thinking how it would look to see 1-days worth of food laid out in front of me. I'll try to recreate portions, post a picture and measure the macro-nutrient stats.

Here's a look at what other folks are eating:

http://www.whatieat.org/home/home.php

http://www.menzelphoto.com/galleries/ (click on FOOD)

Here's a pick from Peter Menzel Photography (a North Carolina family's week's worth of food...kinda sad.)

101311

6am

Bench 210
5-5-4

Deadlift 315
3-3

3 rounds
10 pullups
15 pushups

Xoom-Xoom

101111

6am

21-15-9

135# power clean
dips

HOARD!

Sorry I can't come to the phone right now but I'm out apple picking...

100911

Squat
235
5-5-6

Press
145
5-5-7

3 rounds
10 pullups
10 dips

100611

5 rounds

5 cleans
5 press (push)
5 front squat
5 rdl
5 bent over row

~20 min

093011

Sheraton gym

dumbbell 100lb dubmbell standing press x16

5 rounds
15 pullups
15 dips

092511

5 rounds

5 cleans
5 press (push)
5 front squat
5 rdl
5 bent over row

~20 min

Cornbread is NOT paleo

Starting your workout and STAYING on it

Squats are the best single workout. Just don't do them on a damn exercise ball like this bozo.


I feel like my longest material comes from answering short questions sent to me by email. Once the information starts flowing I can't get it to stop (I have the same problem with work and need to find a way to be more concise).

Either way, I want to share the latest email chain I shared with a co-worker that may be helpful to get started with a workout program, and more importantly, to STAY on a workout program. Here's the chain...

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EMAIL FROM BUDDY:

Yo dude,

Question – a buddy of mine who’s probably 30 pounds overweight (190, but no muscle) has asked I help him out at the gym. He wants to lose weight, and build muscle.
I don’t think I can just throw him into Wendler or 300, but figure I can certainly help get him on the right track to fitness. He really has no clue what to do when he goes to the gym.

What would you suggest? Starting out he plans on going to the gym with me about once a week. I was thinking the first session could be fitness assessment to see what I’m working with.
Pull ups, sit ups, pushups, squats (no weight), dips, and then a short run.

Thoughts on how to approach this?
I don’t want to kill him the first time, but a good body shock could help him realize how out of shape he is.


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MY RESPONSE:

Everyone wants it all…I want to get big and strong but I want to stay lean. Who can blame a fella’ when that’s what every ad in Muscle & Fitness touts.

Seriously, though I’m proud to hear that he’s had enough and looking to make a change. You just need to capitalize on that motivation and keep him coming back by showing he can make progress by following a very simple plan. It’s cheesy to say but it will take some time so stress patience with him. You want him to stay motivated so building some sort of progress report is critical.

Things to track will include weight, waist size, and strength numbers (squat, bench, pushups, pull-ups, etc.) Sometimes it’ll seem like he’s losing progress on one but gaining on another; people stop investing when they stop seeing gains. Eventually you can even add discretionary measurements like, do you have more energy at work, do you have stabilized moods throughout the day, did that skin rash go away.

I guess the real question would be what are his goals and why does he want to lose the weight and/or build muscle. Does he just want to look better to girls, does he want to feel better, is there something he’s been dying to try but can’t because he’s too big/weak? Does he just want to be BIG or does he want to be STRONG? That will then help decide what course of action to take and how to keep him motivated to stay on track (the latter being the most critical part of any decision to make a life change like this.)

So let’s look at a game plan:

1. Weight Loss

If weight loss is the main goal then the MOST important piece is diet. That is about 70% of the problem…maybe 80%. He needs to eat nourishing foods that balance hormones so the body learns to use fat as a fuel source and not as a permanent storage tool. That diet is the same Paleo deal I’ve introduced you to (you can refer him to my link or just have him google it.) With big weight loss numbers like that you’ll just need to make sure he cuts out as many of the carbs as possible. He doesn’t have to kill himself over it but just know the LESS carbs you eat, the more FAT you burn. Don’t be scared to EAT fat and CHOLESTOROL.

If he only does one thing with his diet it would be to cut out ALL grains (for the useless carb and gluten factor.)

If he had to do two things it would be to cut ALL grains and ALL sugar (including no-cal sugar).

If we added one more thing, it would be to sleep 8-9 hours a night. Lack of sleep stresses the body and stress causes weight gain. Plus, sleep normalizes hormonal balance and sets recovery for any of the working out and alone could cut 5lbs off of someone who is 30lbs overweight.

Eventually he can get all about paleo but if there were 3 things that will make the most impact it’s those listed above.


2. Strength/Muscle

Train how you want to be. If you want to be a skinny and emaciated marathoner, then train like a marathoner. If you want to look like a linebacker then train like a linebacker.

I totally agree with your plan to start with the assessment of what he can do and track his progress. From there you just want to understand how lean/built he wants to be and then use the exercises that will get him there and scale them appropriately to his ability and slowly build weight/time on those exercises.

My own personal assessment on training is to focus on the most impactful and efficient exercises, including… barbell training (squat, bench, deadlift, press, cleans) intertwined with bodyweight exercises (pull-ups, pushups, dips, back-extensions, situps/leg-lifts, sprints, air squats) and assistant weight exercises (kettlebells, medicine balls, sled push). If done correctly you can get the best of both worlds; muscle work and high heart rate training. The key is to give your body a hormonal stimulus that promotes HGH secretion. This is done by weight training. Cardio does NOT promote the right hormone balance.

I think maybe two days of the week of Wendler plus one day of sprints are all he needs. Obviously, you’d need to set the weights low enough but tell him to check his ego at the door because it’s not about strength now but building over time. For sprints, try to do anywhere from 6 to 8 sets of 200yd (outside, NOT on a treadmill; it’s not the same on a treadmill.)

With this workout plan there is one more thing that is probably the MOST important. WALK. It is this baseline of activity that is one of the most beneficial exercises and the absolute foundation to a healthy life and hormonal regulation. I don’t know how far it is from his home to the office but walk it. Or take an earlier subway stop and walk the rest of the way…either way, it’s the best thing you can do and living in the city (if that’s where he lives) I’m guessing he has the opportunity to do that often.

Lastly, don’t over-train. When people are getting on a new plan they want to go balls out and work out every day. Limit to 3 or 4 days max. As long as you’re walking you don’t need to do more than that.

So, this turned out longer than expected but I get all hyped up trying to help someone find the simplest plan to weight loss and strength gain and the above tactics are what I’ve found to be a blanket prescription. Obviously, this needs to be tweaked to accommodate his goals and his body but it’s a good start.

Tell me if I can help further.

Long day of conferences

Life in the big city

Catch that Bus!