fundamentals

Preventing Overtraining – Paleo Diet and Training Q and A…

April 27, 2011 by Adam 5 Comments

A BIG thanks to Sonya Conrad for this pic – Sporting a SINS shirt on Mt Kosciuszko, the highest point in Australia! Thanks Sonya!

This answer is in response to Jennifer’s question below:

“Hi Adam,

I have been hearing a lot lately about over training, even my own trainer has insinuated that I am no longer changing my body because I am not allowing it to recover. I go to the gym 6x a week for an hour. I do the classes as I find motivation with others. I also see my personal trainer twice a week for a half hour. In the past, I noticed my body was changing but now I feel like I have hit a wall. Yes, I have other things to consider such as diet. I don’t think I eat enough actually do a hectic night job (I’m 5’5 122lbs). I’m thinking of chaning my routine and starting crossfit but working out less.
Anyhow, my question is how do you find the right balance over working out and recovery?

Thank you,

Jennifer”

Thanks again for the question, Jennifer!

Here are the two blog posts of mine I mention in the video:

Overtraining and Adrenal Fatigue

CrossFit Workouts and Becoming More Efficient

ttys

Adam

IMPORTANT! Adam Farrah is not a doctor or medical professional. This information is based on my own opinion and is not meant to be medical advice or to treat, diagnose, cure or prescribe in any way.

You’re Only as Strong as Your Foundation…

April 23, 2011 by Adam 7 Comments

It’s funny how you can use a principle in other parts of your life and then COMPLETELY ignore it in an area where it can make a BIG difference. I guess that’s the folly of being human at times – a classic case of missing the forest for the trees. A lot of you know I’m a HUGE fan of Seth Godin. I think Seth is one of – if not THE – greatest mind of our time. Something he says over and over again is that you have to choose ONE THING that you’re going to be the best in the world at and then do that. As he puts it, you need to be a “meaningful specific” and not a “wandering generality.”

I’ve worked on making this blog a “meaningful specific.” I write on a small handful of topics and in a particular style. I’m working at being the best in the world at being ME and writing the particular type of stuff that I write. I’ve also given up or passed on a lot of other opportunities. I know I can’t do everything and I don’t even try anymore. I’ve passed on jobs and other opportunities because I don’t want to spread my energy too thin – and become a mediocre blogger while I’m being mediocre at all the other stuff I do. You have to choose your “one thing.”

The place I wasn’t applying this philosophy, as silly as it seems now, is in my training. I have a serious case of “Training ADD” and am into pretty much everything – weightlifting, running, kettlebells, martial arts, yoga… In fact, what initially attracted me to CrossFit back in 2008 was how interdisciplinary it was. Finally, I could train all the diverse stuff I wanted to and just call it “CrossFit.”

Then I Became a Wandering Generality…

What happened though, is I found it really hard to make progress. A large part of this, I suspect, was that I really didn’t have a solid idea of what “progress” was. Not too long ago I wrote about setting smaller goals and getting my days right. I guess that’s what got me thinking about needing a core, foundational training mode to build on. It was hard because I love EVERYTHING. Running and yoga are probably the only two physical things I do that I’m not terribly concerned about being world class at. Everything else I obsess about and want to make better. But, trying to be better at everything pretty much guarantees you’ll be good at nothing…

Westside Barbell and Louie Simmons…

Last summer I was lucky enough to meet Louie Simmons and some of the Westside guys at CrossFit Relentless in West Hartford, CT. My friend Merle McKenzie managed to get Louie out for a Power Lifting cert in CT. And that seminar ROCKED! I blogged about Louie Simmons and the Westside Barbell seminar here. I left that seminar totally inspired and totally psyched. In fact, it was at that seminar, on Sunday, that I made the firm decision to drop A LOT of things from my life and make some drastic changes so I could pursue my training and writing passions. I seriously considered asking Louie if I could go back to Ohio with them and train with them indefinitely. I think the only reason I didn’t is because I suspected he’d have said yes and I’d have been figuring out how to up and move to Ohio! I can hear it now: “Hi, mom, I’m in Ohio. Do you mind taking care of the dog, the snake and all the cats forever?”

The Westside system had a lot that I liked and Louie was awesome. At the time, though, it was ANOTHER collection of techniques and methods that I was adding to my already overflowing bunch of knowledge and information. So, I had some great advice from arguably THE BEST mind in powerlifting, but I wasn’t able to act on it because it was competing with 20 other methodologies and training modes. I WAS smart enough to buy both of Louie’s books at the seminar and have him autograph my copy of “The Westside Barbell Book of Methods.” This was fortuitous, because I had that book and my seminar notes to refer back to when I finally pulled my head out of my ass almost a year later…

And, The Wisdom Of Dan John…

I’ve also been reading Dan John’s excellent book “Never Let Go.” There’s so much GREAT stuff in that book. One little gem of advice from Dan was this:

“When things go wrong, simplify.”

Again, something I “know” but not something I was applying to training. I’m sure at one point I would have argued: “But, I’m training EVERYTHING. See, that’s simple…” Maybe my training wasn’t going “wrong,” but it really wasn’t going right either. After reading that section in Dan John’s book I started thinking: “What if I took ONE basic training mode and trained it for a few YEARS?” Yeah, YEARS. Scary thought, right? It sounds so… Permanent…

What do you have to NOT do so you can do something else?

Here again, the basic principle that I KNOW works is this:

You MUST decide what you want to be great at and then drop the things that will keep you from excelling at it. Yes, you can have other “peripheral” interests, but I believe you have to have FOCUS that guides you and allows you to evaluate the other modes you work with.

In my particular case, CrossFit, Kettlbells, yoga, Jiu Jitsu, etc. can add to my Powerlifting training – Louie and the Westside guys are BIG on GPP (General Physical Preparedness). But without a firm hierarchy of importance, it’s too easy to chase after the “ADD Goal Du Jour.”

Choose Your Foundation Wisely…

So, here’s why I chose Powerlifting and Westside specifically as my training. If you follow along with my reasoning, you just might be able to figure out a good foundational training mode for YOURSELF too. If you’ve been stuck spinning your wheels in your training for a while, this might really help you break out of the rut…

Here’s why I think Westside is a great method for me to base my training on:

I have HUGE respect for Louie and the achievements of the Westside guys
Westside is about barbells and heavy basic movements – Deadlift, Bench and Squat – and their conjugates (box squats, dumbell bench, etc.). I really enjoy these movements and my home gym is pretty much designed to train them…
There’s enough variation in Westside that my “Training ADD” can be accommodated and indulged WHILE firmly sticking to the program
Westside trains specific movements, in specific styles, on specific days. This bit of scheduling and accountability is actually working out VERY WELL for me so far
Westside uses fun toys! I’ve already got a drag sled that I love, I’m impatiently waiting for my weighted vest to get here and I’m getting some chains soon. I really like the toys…
Training heavy seems to suit me. Big weight is something that I’ve always enjoyed, suits my body well and – I think – is something I can continue to maintain and progress in as I get older
All my peripheral stuff will enhance the Westside training – kettlebells, yoga, CrossFit, running, etc…
This type of training will likely support the hormonal changes I want to make in my metabolism. Incidentally, when I talked to Robb Wolf last year in a phone consult, he recommended a drastic decrease in CrossFit-style Met Con training and an increase in heavy barbell work. He even mentioned Westside Methods specifically.

What about CrossFit?

With CrossFit, the goal is to increase fitness by becoming GOOD at just about everything. If you’re really good at everything they do in CrossFit, you’ll be GREAT at CrossFit. As Coach Glassman has said, CrossFitters specialize in NOT specializing. If this suits YOUR personality and YOUR goals that’s great! DO THAT! For me, I was going in too many different directions because I wanted to be GREAT at just about everything in CrossFit. That’s not the point of CrossFit though…

So, yeah, CrossFit ROCKS. For many, it might even be a good foundation for training. For me, specializing in not specializing wasn’t… well.. specialized enough…

BTW, there was a GREAT article by Tom Seryak in Crossfit Journal about incorporating Westside Methods into a CrossFit program not too long ago. I highly recommend reading it if that’s your goal.

Are you Horizontal or Vertical?

There’s a business concept that applies in a lot of other places. The concept is Horizontal vs. Vertical. I’m a Vertical person – I thrive when I specialize, focus and pursue the infinite little nuances in a body of knowledge or area of skill. This is a “depth of knowledge” thing. I’ve always been that way. My mind and personality thrive when they focus on just a few things…

Other people are Horizontal types. They like to know a little bit about a lot of things. These are the people who can go to a mountain once or twice a year in the winter, rent some skis, spend the weekend skiing and go home. And they consider the weekend a “success” because they got away, had some fun and spent some time outside being active. Next weekend these same people might do something different. This kind of stuff makes me NUTS personally – I want to be GREAT at something or there’s no point in doing it…

What’s your DIET foundation?

It’s the same thing with diet and nutrition. In my book “The Paleo Dieter’s Missing Link,” I worked hard to connect Paleo and it’s foundational principles to other diets and nutritional philosophies. Paleo is my nutritional foundation and I use principles and techniques from other disciplines to make Paleo work FOR ME and reach my specific goals.

So, there it is…

I forget where I first heard this, but it makes a lot of sense (I’m sure I’m paraphrasing): Find the people who are the best in the world at what you want to be the best at and do what they freakin’ tell you!

Sounds sensible to me. Why reinvent the wheel right? With all that said, I’m going to settle in for a LONG stretch of training with the Westside methods and organize my other training around it.

And, if YOU have Training ADD and aren’t getting the results you want, you might try deciding on a foundational training mode and philosophy and giving it a good, long and honest try.

ttys

Adam

SINS Challenge Update – Setting Smaller Goals…

April 12, 2011 by Adam 4 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about my body and health goals lately. I’ve also been reading Dan John’s excellent book, “Don’t Let Go.” I’m not sure how it all came together for me, but I started thinking about smaller goals. If you’ve read any kind of self-help/goal setting stuff – like the Anthony Robbins program “Time of Your Life” that I talk about in this post on creating a fitness vision – you’ve probably heard some talk about translating your big goals into smaller ones. I’ve heard that type of thing A LOT, but it never really clicked for me. Finally, it clicked…

Some of you know that I recently committed to doing yoga EVERY day. I talked about that in my blog post “If It’s Not Working, Try Something Different…” I’m doing pretty well with that protocol, although I might shift the yoga to post workout on my workout days. Anyway, I sat down last night (Sunday) and started thinking about my goals for the week. I guess that’s when I first had the thought that I needed to MAKE SURE that I did yoga every day. With that one thought, a lot became clear – because I was thinking about an individual goal at the day level. I now had ONE thing that I could check up on at any time and KNOW if I was doing what I should be doing to reach my ultimate goals. “Did I do yoga today or not?” That’s it. Small and simple goal. Simple yes or no answer. Pass or fail.

Thinking About Goals on a Daily Level…

Then I started thinking about my other goals in the same way – on a daily level. So, from the big, massive, global goals, I finally – FINALLY – got to the daily behaviors. Now it’s REALLY simple to get things done and focus on what I need to:

Did I eat completely Paleo today?
Did I eat enough?
Did I do yoga?
Did I do a workout or practice some skills that are on my list?

In a few weeks I’ll add: “Did I do Jiu Jitsu/MMA today?” (On Tuesdays and Saturdays.)

The Problem with BIG Goals…

Big goals are great for “setting the sail” and heading in the right direction. The problem with the big goals is that they can create a situation where you “live in the future” and don’t enjoy or fully engage in the present moment. The NOW. I talked about how this works in my post: “How Happy Are YOU?”

The big goals are great to get you motivated and get you focused on the future and where you want to go. But EVERYTHING happens in the present. This is where the disconnect was for me. I’m here now and my BIG goals are way “over there” in the future. There was no connection between the two. And I’ve been doing the major goal setting stuff for YEARS and not truly seeing this. I FINALLY saw it!

Here’s the Connection Between Today and the Future…

The connection between today and the future is this: Your days HAVE TO add up to the big goals you have for the future. You have to do NOW what will lead you to your future goals. And when you do those things, you have to love them and enjoy them and be thankful to be blessed enough that you can focus on “luxuries” like training, resting, eating or whatever.

You need to ask yourself – every day or even a few times a day: “What do I need to do NOW to have the things I want in the future?” And, to this I MUST add: “Am I enjoying the process of striving for my ultimate goals?”

If you can check in at the end of the day and say that you accomplished all (or most) of your small daily tasks, behaviors and goals, THEN you can be reasonably sure that you’re headed toward the big future goals. As Stuart McRobert has said over and over again: “Get the days and weeks right and the months and years will take care of themselves.”

That’s pretty much it. Simple and profound. I heard this stuff HUNDREDS of times from MANY different gurus, authors and speakers. But I never saw the connection. I now see the connection.

Set big goals. Do the little things everyday that will move you toward them. Enjoy doing these little things as you do them and live in these moments.

It couldn’t be any simpler…

Here’s a passage from Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” that sums it all up perfectly. In fact, this paragraph is highlighted and underlined and starred in my copy of the book. Apparently, it means something to me EVERY time I read it (I’m on time number 3 through “The Power of Now” at the moment…)

“If you set yourself a goal and work toward it, you are using clock time. You are aware of where you want to go, but you honor and give your fullest attention to the step you are taking at this moment. If you then become excessively focused on the goal, perhaps because you are seeking happiness, fulfillment, or a more complete sense of self in it, the Now is no longer honored.”

Set big goals, but enjoy the process, the small victories and the journey… Honor The Now…

ttys

Adam

How Happy are YOU?

April 12, 2011 by Adam 20 Comments

I’m writing this on the little porch of my family’s summer cottage in Old Saybrook, CT. The screen door is cracked open, the sun is shining in the windows, I have a fresh cup of locally roasted, fresh-ground, organic coffee next to me, there are cats sleeping and exploring around me and birds singing outside. Sure, there are things I need to do and I have plenty of “problems,” but THIS MOMENT is lacking nothing. This moment is perfect…

As always, I’m being deeply affected by Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now.” This is my third time through the book in a year and EVERY time I read it I have a major shift in my thinking and approach to life. It’s that transformational. I think one of the greatest lessons I learned – and continue to learn – from that book is about being happy NOW vs. living in the future. In fact, there are a few passages in that book that connected with me on such a deep level I dropped the entire life I was living a year ago and changed virtually EVERYTHING I was doing.

Now is ALL You Have…

It’s a bit crazy to think about, but NOW is all you have. You don’t really “have” the future because it’s not here yet – you can only imagine it NOW. And you don’t “have” the past because it’s gone. The past is just a memory – a memory you’re having NOW. Yeah, the future is something we all strive to make better – especially us goal-focused athletes and over-achievers.

But, living in a miserable hell NOW, so we can get to some imagined place where everything is “great” later, is pretty nuts.

Sure, there’s delayed gratification and working toward goals and hard work. I talked about these in my post “I’ll Never Be Good Enough…” I’m not talking about that. What I’m talking about is NOT being happy NOW and looking toward a future – that you imagine NOW – where you CAN be happy.

Yes, we want the future to be better, but we MUST be enjoying the present – The NOW – while we’re working toward the future we believe will be better. If we’re living in constant struggle and misery NOW – so we can be happy LATER – we’re likely deluding ourselves. In MY past, the idea that the next job, the next promotion, the next relationship, the next car or motorcycle or the next degree would FINALLY get me to a place where I felt complete and happy created a PERPETUAL state of working and struggling and striving NOW to have something I wanted LATER. I did almost none of the things I LOVED and VALUED NOW because I was working so hard to create a life where I’d be able to do them later.

It’s really crazy when you see it in words. I was working myself sick, miserable and exhausted day after day, month after month and year after year so I could get my life to a place where I could do what I wanted and loved. And, of course, that life I was working for never came. There was always another repair on the house, another life catastrophe, another degree I needed, another layoff in a job when I was expecting a promotion, another crazy high-drama girlfriend when I thought I had met “The One.” IT NEVER ENDED. IT NEVER FREAKIN’ ENDED…

It only ended when I ended it and left that life behind. And I did THAT by following my heart and doing what I loved and valued NOW. Not later. NOW.

Do What You Love and Be Happy NOW…

Here’s the thing: You only have so much time, so much energy and so much LIFE. Delayed gratification is good but you MUST be enjoying the process too. Here’s Eckhart Tolle’s take on this from “The Power of Now:”

“Are you always trying to get somewhere other than where you are? Is most of your doing just a means to an end? Is fulfillment always just around the corner or confined to short-lived pleasures such as sex, food, drink, drugs or thrills and excitement? Are you always focused on becoming, achieving and attaining, or alternatively chasing some new thrill or pleasure? Do you believe that if you aquire more things you will become more fulfilled, good enough, or psychologically complete? Are you waiting for a man or woman to give meaning to your life?”

See how crazy it is? You can’t live in the future! You can ONLY live NOW! If your whole life is striving for goals and perfection and achievement you lose the only thing you truly have – the present. The past and future don’t exist, you only have the present. You only have this moment. You only have NOW. Will it be great to nail a new PR in the deadlift? YES! Will it feel awesome when you finally get a new belt in the martial art you’re training in? YES! SO many things will feel wonderful to accomplish and SHOULD be accomplished if they mean something to you. But you MUST be enjoying the process and the journey!

It’s the difference between someone who feels if they look better and perform better they’ll be happy and fulfilled – and they HATE working out, eating right is a miserable struggle and they’d rather be out drinking and partying and eating pizza with their friends. Every minute of their life is a hell they endure so they can be happy in the future… Compare that to someone who wants to look and perform better and LOVES to work out. Someone who looks forward to going to train, seeing friends at the gym, the warm up, the workout, the post-workout meal, going to bed sore and exhausted. Yes, you need to have a destination in mind, but you also need to focus on – and LOVE – the journey.

And, if you HATE the journey, you need to either do serious work on your attitude or seriously change your daily journey. Maybe both…

When You’re Training, You Have No Problems…

Here’s an easy illustration for you. Think about the last really good workout you had. That workout where you felt great, were pushing for a new PR and KNEW you’d get it. The workout where you ran a little further, pushed yourself harder or moved more weight than ever before. Remember it? Now, did you have any problems during that workout? I mean – in THAT MOMENT – were you thinking about your life problems? Were you thinking about the errands you needed to do after the workout? Were you thinking about what you were going to eat when you were done training? Were you thinking about your bills? NO! You were 100% “In The Now!” THAT is what Tolle is talking about and THAT is what Enlightenment is. When you’re training your sense of time changes and your noisy “thinking mind” shuts off. You just do – completely present, in The Now and focused.

It’s THAT simple. Of course, Eckhart is talking about LIVING with that type of consciousness as opposed to only visiting it rarely. And THAT takes a lifetime of practice…

That’s it for now. (Get it, “now” ). If you want to learn more about applying this type of thinking to training and day to day goal setting, check out my post “SINS Challenge Update – Setting Smaller Goals…”

ttys

Adam

My OWN Body Transformation…

February 24, 2011 by Adam 43 Comments

It’s funny that we somehow miss the forest for the trees. It’s also funny how we’ve managed to split true HEALTH off from our pursuits be they CrossFit, Bodybuilding, Paleo dieting, Powerlifting or whatever. When I sat down to really nail down some goals for myself I kept coming back to performance numbers or appearance goals. Those are good, but I think they don’t necessarily correlate to good health in all cases. They can, but I don’t think it’s a given that they always will. The issue then becomes: How do you quantify “good health” and what the hell do you even call the pursuit of it?

Defining a New “Bodybuilding”

I picked up a copy of Ironman Magazine a while back. It’s bad but not as bad as some of the trainwrecks out there – it’s still bad beyond belief, though. But it was an Arnold edition, so I at least got to see pics of someone who always inspires me.

I was actually excited to see an article about fasting since I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a long time now. It was basically a negative article with health warnings and a “further studies are needed” attitude. God forbid someone went 30 minutes without drinking a whey protein and dextrose shake. Alas, Ironman…

Once Upon a Time, This Was a HEALTH Subculture…

I mention Randy Roach’s book Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors all the time. I even reviewed Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors here. When you look at bodybuilding or “Physical Culture” from the 30s, 40s and 50s, it’s not unlike a lot of what we’re doing today in the CrossFit, Paleo and Kettlebell communities. It was a low-tech, hard work oriented approach and the men (and women) training at the time were fantastically strong. Bodybuilding as we know it was barely coming into it’s own, and “weightlifting” was where it was at. Obviously, lifts like Squat, Clean and Jerk and Snatch were big. These guys were totally counter-culture with their raw milk and raw egg protein shakes and “obsessive” health practices like sleeping a lot, avoiding stress and training all the time. In THOSE days it was typical for these guys to seek out local farmers and have a standing order for gallons of raw milk and dozens of eggs every week. They were also well acquainted with their local butcher and guys like Armand Tanny made a regular practice of eating raw meat and raw liver.

Here’s John Grimek in 1936:

And here’s Joe Zimmerman – who trained with the ORIGINAL York Barbell guys back in the early days:

BIG thanks to Old Time Strongman for the pic!

And here’s York Barbell Club, Once Upon A Time

BIG thanks to Old Time Strongman for the pic!

And here’s Arnold’s inspiration, role model and mentor, Reg Park:

I’m not sure when the above pic of Reg was taken, but he’s likely drug free here. If he’s not, he was taking barely anything by today’s standards.

Here’s Armand Tanny around 1949-50

Thanks to the IronOnline Health and Fitness Database for this pic of Armand!

And, since this IS part of my blog for the SINS Challenge, here are a few of the women of Muscle Beach in Venice, CA:

Stepping Back to Move Forward

The point is, these were health nuts who happened to be seriously strong and well conditioned – not to mention into gymnastics. Sound like CrossFit at all? I’m taking my shit back to a MUCH simpler time diet, training and lifestyle-wise. Everyone thought I was crazy for dumping my big house with the bigger mortgage and moving to my family’s little beach cottage here to train and write and blog full-time. Yeah, stupid like a fox (It’s a Simpsons quote )

My Own “Golden Age of Bodybuilding”

I’ve had some really good training days. And I had them here in THIS house. My goal is to have them back and do them EVEN BETTER! This is me about 11 years ago:

Looking Toward the Future

As I write this I’m 38 years old. In fact, shit, I’m going to be 39 in July. That’s a dose of reality, huh? Robb Wolf coached me over the phone for a few months last year and he said something that stuck with me. I’ve been dealing with the typical fatigue, poor digestion and myriad other problems created by too much stress and general burnout. Robb – who’s about the same age – said: “This isn’t the stage we want to have set as we move into our 40′s.” That really nailed me. If your health isn’t great NOW what’s it going to be in a few years? The clock is ticking…

Here’s Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple at about 55 years old:

And here’s Jack Lalanne at 40:

Obviously, it’s completely possible to have great health and strength – not to mention look good with your shirt off – into your 40′s and 50′s. IF YOU GET OFF YOUR ASS!

So, this is me getting off my ass…

Here Are MY SINS Challenge Goals

My Paleo book is released the second Sunday in March of 2011
On or before May 1, 2011 I want to Back Squat 225lbs for 20 reps without racking the bar and Dip body weight PLUS 80lbs for 6 reps.
Before August 1, 2011 I want my Handstand Push Ups to be as second nature as regular push ups are now.
By June 1, 2011 I want to be sleeping soundly through the night and getting a consistent 9-11 hours of sleep EVERY night – Yeah, you read that right. To those who have given me shit about this in the past – and our messed up and deluded society in general – THIS IS HEALTHY people. Just because you and everyone else lives on caffeine and sleeps 4 hours a night doesn’t mean it’s even REMOTELY healthy. And, besides, I did the same thing for a LONG time and am living with the end result now. I’ll NEVER do it again. I actually ranted about this in my post “Fitness, Healthy, Money and LIES.”
Starting this spring and on into summer, fall and forever, my diet will be composed of the absolute maximum of local, organic, direct from the farm foods. By the end of the summer I’ll have reliable local sources for eggs, beef, pork, chickens, raw cow and goat milk, organic fruits and vegetables and maybe even some whole grain bread and cheese once in a while.
Before the end of March 2011 I’ll be consistently training 1-2 days a week at MidCoast CrossFit in Old Saybrook.
Training 1-2 times a week at a good local yoga studio.
Training 1-2 times a week in MMA and BJJ again with my friends at Modern Self-Defense Center.
Within the next year have an exceptional – and non-psychotic – woman in my life. Bonus points if she already CrossFits and eats Paleo
10lbs of fat lost
10lbs of muscle gained
Digestion is completely on track
Within the next year, Practical Paleolithic is THE BEST training, nutrition and motivation blog on the internet. That’s the best in the WORLD, folks…
Strong is the New Skinny on Facebook is THE BEST training and motivation page on Facebook. Oh, wait, it already IS

That about covers it! There’s probably more, but I’ll leave it there for now… It’s all there for EVERYONE to see and for me to read over and over…

ttys

Adam

Simple Yoga for Hips and Back…

February 13, 2011 by Adam 6 Comments

This is a simple and short yoga/stretching sequence I use to open my hips and keep my back lose. I’m FAR from an expert on this stuff, but I’ve learned a few things and I think our training community could do with more restorative stuff and information on how to do it.

I started doing yoga sometime around 2006. It was hugely apparent that I needed a way to nurture my body and coax it along in recovery as opposed to just taking a rest day, eating more and laying on the couch. That strategy worked in my 20′s but it was working less and less well in my 30′s. Beyond the physical aspect, I was becoming more and more aware that I needed to do something to rest my mind. Yoga excels at that and there is a huge body of evidence that shows can have fantastic effects on mental health in addition to its physical benefits.

I knew I was on the right track with the whole “nurturing the body” thing when I met Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn in 2008 for the IKFF Kettlebell Certification I did. Steve and Ken are incredible athletes – and Ken is an expert in joint mobility and Steve is a Qi Gong Master. That – not to mention the work I did with them that weekend – convinced me that there was more to training and athletics than just going harder and faster. That there needed to be as much effort put into restoring the body as there was to pushing it hard and demanding more and more from it. That’s Ken up above at the Cert I did. When was the last time you saw a guy that size in a full split?

Incidentally, most of my yoga practice is STILL based on the Yoga for Dummies DVD I got ages ago by Sara Ivanhoe. If you want an easy and effective yoga routine that doesn’t take a lot of time to learn or master – that’s the one! BTW, if you’re a guy and are a little hesitant about watching something as silly as a yoga DVD, let me tell you: Sara is a major babe and you’ll have no problem staying “interested” in what’s on the screen. She does a great job too…

Seriously, this is a good place to start if you want some more flexibilty and a quieter mind.

ttys

Adam

Is it time for an intervention?

February 8, 2011 by Adam 24 Comments

(Thanks to my good friend Chris Wright-Martell for the pic! Check out Modern Self-Defense Center for more…)

I’m not a big one for reality TV. In fact, I’m not really one to sit and watch TV at all. Last night I was sucked in to TWO shows on A&E – Intervention and Heavy. Definitely not my usual watching preference either. Speed TV or UFC on Spike are usually more my style. What hooked me in to both of these shows was how much of myself I could see in the people on the shows. No, I haven’t started smoking crack and I’m not eating myself to death but…

We ALL struggle with the same basic issues…

It’s weird how all this stuff works. Last night I could see the basic needs and behaviors that we ALL share as human beings. Is there really THAT much of a difference between the guy who weighs 460lbs and KNOWS he should eat better and take better care of himself – but experiences terrible pain and frustration when he makes the right eating choice or tries to alter his behavior – and the guy (ME) who knows where he wants his training and his writing and his life to be and just can’t seem to step it up to that next level?

I don’t think there’s a lot of difference.

Sure, I’m in a “better” place. You could argue that “struggling” for a 500lb deadlift or to eat perfectly clean or to take 30 seconds off of Fran is a luxury compared to needing to loose 100lbs so you don’t die, but I think the struggle and the thought process and the basic human tendency is the same. No matter the need or the goal, we’re still dealing with the very human tendency to do what’s going to move us AWAY from our goals in the pursuit of instant gratification.

I KNOW what I want. I’ve spent 1000s of hours working on my goals and building knowledge and training and making mistakes and writing out goals and an action plan. And I’ve made HUGE sacrifices and taken some major risks to set my life up so I can live how I want and how I truly believe I NEED to to be happy and successful and live my passion. But I’m just NOT delivering like I could be. And I’m taking a negative view of the not delivering too. I’m not taking it as “feedback” that I can use to change direction I’m just getting more pissed off at myself because I’m falling short on my goals. And my list of “shoulds” is getting longer and more frustrating…

And STRESS is the common denominator…

Something that kind of smacked me in the face last night was that EVERYONE on these shows was doing their destructive behavior of choice in response to STRESS. Pretty incredible. I’ve had a lot of stress lately and it was sobering (pun intended) to see that I was struggling with less-than-positive behavior in response to stress just like the men and women on these shows were. My life situation is different and my behaviors are much less destructive in nature and severity, but the process is exactly the same.

I think dealing with stress is a two-part process. Yes, you need to modify your stress-related behaviors but you also have to lower the stress in your life. I don’t accept that stress just “is” and we have to deal with it. I think we create a lot of it between our own behaviors and society’s ridiculous ideas and norms. But that’s another blog post…

Here’s where I’m screwing up:

I’m eating clean and Paleo for the most part but I could do MUCH better. I’m not eating enough. I’m not eating on enough of a schedule.
I’ve gotten really stressed and done some emotional eating – just like EVERY person on Heavy was doing.
I’ve had some really bad days and slumped on the couch with a few NorCal Margaritas a little to often. The guy “Benny” on intervention would RUN to alcohol the second he got into any kind of stress. Yeah, I’m NOWHERE NEAR that kind of behavior but I can see that the process is the same. Particularly because I’ve never been into drinking and have gone YEARS between drinks for most of my life. Now I have a big bottle of tequila in the house and a bunch of limes in the fridge? WTF?
Add to that the fact that I KNOW alcohol and emotional eating affects my training negatively.
I’m not drinking enough water.
I’m not doing yoga or joint mobility EVERY DAY like I want to and know I should – even though I ALWAYS feel better when I do and I DO have the time.
I’m not blogging and writing as much as I need to and want to.
I could be cooking more interesting and tasty Paleo food.
I’m not pushing through The Dip as well as I could be.
I’m not training at the level I want to be – and KNOW I can be.

Actually, there’s A LOT more I’m not particularly happy with right now. There are a lot of minor improvements I can make too…

Where can YOU start delivering on your promises to yourself?

It’s sounds silly, but I was REALLY inspired to make some changes last night. Not that I’m in danger of weighing 500lbs or sending my mom out to the package store for me at 10am on a Tuesday but I can see how this shit works and I don’t like it.

Wherever YOU are, whoever YOU are and whatever YOUR goals are, be honest with yourself and your efforts and behaviors. I was particularly inspired by Ashley on Heavy because she made SO MANY brave lifestyle changes. She lost just under 100lbs and was absolutely determined to do what it took to permanently change her lifestyle, stay away from alcohol and get the negative people out of here life – including her alcoholic father. You could see the determination and the work ethic she had and it was inspiring.

So, I looked at that and had to ask myself: If she can do what she’s doing do I REALLY have an excuse for not training at 100% EVERY workout or giving 100% effort on getting my food and water right for the day or getting my yoga and recovery work done? Is there really that much difference between someone who is seriously overweight and feels sad and left out because they can’t play with their kids like they want to or can’t walk or stand for very long and someone who wants to train and run and do Jiu Jitsu and muscle ups more and better than they do now – and feels frustrated when his friends post pics or talk about those things and are doing them better then he is? I don’t think there’s a lot of difference.

To paraphrase Coach Glassman, our needs – the human ones – vary in degree, not in kind…

I’m going to make some changes. I’m looking at where I can change and improve RIGHT NOW and where I’m not delivering the goods and can do better. Spring is about 6 short weeks away and I know where I want to be when the weather gets nice again and this little beach town fills up and gets fun.

What can YOU be doing better?

ttys

Adam

Creating a Fitness Vision and Training Goals for the New Year…

December 31, 2010 by Adam 17 Comments

This is an advanced goal setting technique that’s been hugely useful to me. It evolved from an Anthony Robbins program I worked through about three years ago – and that program was nothing short of life altering for me.

The basic process is to envision the life you WANT to live – as vividly and in as much detail and depth as possible – and record it in an MS Word file or other word processing document. Using an electronic doc lets you add in pictures, embed videos and links and edit and change to your heart’s content. My current “vision doc” is over 130 pages of text and pics and it’s something that I’ve evolved and edited and changed and read and reread.

“Written Goals” for the 21st Century

A lot of “self-help” types get into written goals. I think of this exercise as written goals on steroids! With an electronic format you can insert all kinds of stuff as you find it and CAPTURE it to inspire you later. Cool pic on a training blog? Copy and paste! Inspiring video? Put the link in your doc! Cool quote on Facebook? Copy and paste! You can get really detailed and crazy with this – and I suggest that you do! The more detail you put into your vision, the more time you spend creating it and the more emotion you give to it, the more fun you’ll have and the more strongly you’ll connect to your goals and dreams.

I’ve been working with mine and editing it for YEARS. Some days I’d spend a lot of time editing it – or just reading it – and other times I’ll go weeks or more without looking at it at all.

Make It Yours

In the end, it’s about what’s useful to YOU. I greatly revised and expanded on the original exercise that Tony Robbins did in “Time of Your Life” and I encourage you to adapt what I show you here to your own purposes. The most important thing is that you feel EXCITED and INSPIRED and JACKED UP to train and go out and MAKE YOUR GOALS HAPPEN when you work on this thing or read it. Put as much time and detail as you want and make it FUN and deeply INSPIRING to you!

It’s a really fun process and it’s pulled me through a lot of really though times – times when all I had the energy for was to imagine the life I would eventually have and the great health and training that was in my future. And that future IS coming to be! Think of this document as a target or a compass that keeps you on course and helps you adjust your course as you grow and evolve.

Here are the seven sections from Anthony Robbins’ original exercise and a short description of each…

Your Ultimate Vision

This is the really fun part. Find some quiet time and imagine what you would accomplish, what your life would be like and WHO YOU WOULD BE if there were NO LIMITS. Imagine it in as much detail as possible and don’t censor yourself at all. When I did this for the first time I actually saw who I TRULY wanted to be – and it WASN’T who I was at the time and it wasn’t even where I was heading. Imagining the life I wanted with no limitations completely changed the course of my life.

Take some time, put on some music and GET INSPIRED. Imagine your BEST SELF and your ULTIMATE LIFE if you could live any life you wanted!

Your Purpose for Achieving Your Vision

Now that you have your vision, you need a purpose to help drive you toward it. This is the WHY of your vision – WHY do you want to be that person? What will it GIVE YOU to have health and vitality and fitness and performance. The purpose part is important because it’s the energy and the drive and the emotion behind the vision you’re striving for!

Roles

This is one Tony Robbins gets kind of silly with and you don’t even really have to do it. The basic idea is to create “roles” or “identities” for yourself. Examples might be: “CrossFit Firebreather,” “Champion Ultra Marathoner,” “Master Martial Artist.” You can be as silly or as serious as you want on these, but the point is to come up with things that will motivate you and remind you of “who you are” when you’re going to work out or are doing the things that will get you to your ultimate vision.

Resources to Help you Achieve the Vision

This is one of my favorite parts of the exercise. When I actually started thinking about ALL the incredible resources I had available to me to make my vision a reality I was blown away! 100s of books, DVDs, a garage full of equipment, 7 different certifications, a TON of friends who CrossFit and even a few who own an affiliate, great teachers and friends in a bunch of different martial arts, all the great blogs out there and my Facebook friends. I could write for DAYS about all the resources I have. When you see it in that way, it’s pretty hard to think you couldn’t achieve your goals. I think you’ll find that you have A LOT more resources that you realize when you sit down and list them

Three to Thrive

This is another good one. What you want to do here is figure out the three MOST important things you need to do on a regular basis to achieve your goals. In other words, what are the THREE things that, if those were ALL you could do, would get you pretty close to your vision. For example, it might be “train at least four days a week,” “eat an all whole food Paleo diet” and “sleep well and keep stress low.” The point is, these are the three MOST IMPORTANT actions you’re going to take on a REGULAR BASIS to achieve the vision you’ve created.

A side note here is that, when I originally created my vision document, I increased this to five. So I had “Five to thrive.” Typical over-achieving from me… I cut it back to three to FORCE myself to focus on the MOST important activities as opposed to having five I was doing inconsistently. Three to thrive is a tool to help you focus on the MOST important aspects of your life. It’s NOT another list of stuff to do…

One Year Goals

This is the big one. Where do you want to be ONE YEAR from now? What are the big ones and some of the smaller ones? 300lb Bench Press? Sub-4 Minute Fran? 90% of your food Paleo and organic? Drop 4% bodyfat? Some of these will take the ENTIRE year and some will happen faster. We get more specific about this in the next section…

Quarterly Goals

Now that you know your One Year Goals, you can break those down into smaller quarterly goals. For example, if your Bench Press is 260 now, you know you need to add 40lbs to the lift over the course of the year. You’d probably want to do something like this: in the First Quarter – add 15lbs, in the Second and Third Quarters add 10lbs per quarter and then add 5lbs over the Forth Quarter to have a 300lb Bench Press in a year’s time. You get the picture.

It’s all about evolution and finding your way…

In the original Anthony Robbins program, the “vision” is about a paragraph and the “purpose” is about the same. I originally did it that way, but found I wanted to expand and add to it over time. The process is SO MUCH FUN when you get into it that it’s hard to leave it at just a little paragraph or two. When you start adding pics and videos and stuff, you’ll start to see how much “inspiration” you can pack into a Word document.

For me, the big payoff from having a written document like this is it serves as a REMINDER to me about where I’m going and who I’m becoming. Like I mentioned in the video, I’ve been through some VERY dark times in the past years and having this “ideal” vision to return to was a major factor in getting through. No matter how bad I felt or how discouraged I was, I could read my goals and my vision and be reminded of what the future could be with enough work and determination.

Like they say, you can’t hit a target that you can’t see!

So, open a fresh new document, think about where you want to be and WHO you want to be and get busy!

I wish you a happy, healthy and successful New Year!

ttys

Adam

CrossFit Goes Globo-Gym?

December 21, 2010 by Adam 28 Comments

We Used to be Counterculture…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a weird sense of foreboding since I heard about the CrossFit/Reebok partnership. I found this pic on crossfit.com and it didn’t make me feel any better. This pic SCREAMS globo-gym to me. Especially the “10 General Physical Skills” mural on the wall. YIKES!

Now, before everyone freaks out, let me say this: I LOVE CrossFit, the culture and what it has done for all of us. CrossFit changed my entire life. And Glassman is an absolute genius. I’ll never forget the night I read his “What is Fitness?” and was completely blown away by it and inspired. A few months later I was attending every CrossFit Cert I could find…

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the whole story, here’s the official announcement:

The Good…

The GOOD in the partnership is – for sure – the fact that the more effective CrossFit methodology and training techniques will make it out into the mainstream. This IS a good thing. In particular, the HUGE majority of people who want effective training and have been brainwashed by globo-gyms and fitness magazines into thinking machines and treadmills are the way to get “fit” will FINALLY have access to good information and effective training. Here, CrossFit making it to the masses is a GREAT thing.

And, as I said, Glassman is a training genius and he can do whatever the hell he wants with his baby as far as I’m concerned. He created it, we owe him a lot and he deserves to have “CrossFit” spread to the masses if that’s what he wants.

The Bad…

SciFit posted a really good article about the partnership (good AND bad) recently. It’s definitely a good read and probably has a more positive spin than anything. Here’s the thing: CossFit USED TO BE a subculture. I LOVED that I was part of this wacky, extreme training community that was seen as a little “nutty” from the outside. If CrossFit goes entirely mainstream – and I have NO DOUBT that it will if Reebok is involved – we will absolutely see it take on more of a “group exercise” tone. And, I shudder at the thought, we could even see “career” group instructors “picking up” a CrossFit cert to make themselves more marketable. You know, something to go right along with their Spinning and Zumba certs.

There’s no doubt in my mind that there is going to be a dilution of the core training principles if CrossFit goes “big.” One of the major benefits of CrossFit boxes was that they were virtually always owned by an experienced trainer who took the work very seriously and considered himself a producer of elite athletes. If CrossFit Reebok gyms start opening everywhere they’re going to need to be “staffed” and that is a scary, scary thing…

Everyone’s into CrossFit, no one does it anymore…

To me, the opportunity – and the question – is: “Where are the splinter movements?” Where are the smaller communities and blogs that are carrying on the quality and intensity that CrossFit had at the start of this whole thing? There have been a number of people who have split off from CrossFit – my friend Robb Wolf being one of them and OPT Fitzgerald being another. It will be interesting to see if a bunch of displaced talent comes together to carry on the REAL work of furthering the “sport of fitness” and moving training and nutrition science ever forward.

And, if there are ALREADY some “splinter groups” or schisms forming, BY ALL MEANS drop me a message and let me know!

To sum it all up, I’ll leave you with this:

What you’re looking at above is recognition that CrossFit is now officially an ANSI Accredited Certificate Program Issuer for their Level 1 Trainer Course. Essentially, we’re talking about Level 1 trainers now having a “map” that they need to follow, with rigid standards and black and white rules. As Seth Godin says in Linchpin:

“Our society is struggling because during times of change, the very last people you need on your team are well-paid bureaucrats, note takers, literalists, manual readers, TGIF Laborers, and fearful employees…. What we want, what we need, what we must have are indispensable human beings. We need original thinkers, provocateurs, and people who care…. Indispensable linchpins are not waiting for instructions, but instead, figuring out what to do next. If you have a job where someone tells you what to do next, you’ve just given up the chance to create value.”

When I found CrossFit back in 2007 with the help of my good friend Merle Mckenzie, there was no map. There wasn’t even a written test at the end of the Level 1 Cert I took. For a guy like me, that was GREAT – give me an awesome, intense weekend of training and theory and turn me loose to create MY OWN map and find my own way with a great set of principles.

Maps, standards and sets of instructions are confining and stifling to Linchpins but they’re exactly what you need if you’re planning to replace coaches who consider training others “doing art” with low paid employees who need a manual to tell them what to do next.

ttys

Adam

Kettlebell Long Cycle – Guest Post by Howie Brewer

October 2, 2010 by Adam 3 Comments

Kettlebell Long Cycle – The Ultimate in Strength Endurance

Written by Howie Brewer exclusively for Practical Paleolithic and all the friends of “Strong is the New Skinny!”

(Note: This article assumes that the reader has been properly trained in the kettlebell lifts. If not already, please be sure to learn these lifts from an experienced teacher.)

It is pretty well accepted that if one were stranded on a desert island with a single kettlebell and were magically constrained to be able to perform only one lift, that the one arm long cycle would be the lift of choice. Why? Because this one lift incorporates both a push and a pull movement, hitting all of the major muscle groups, while doing a pretty good job of shifting the cardio-respiratory system into overdrive.

I’m going to talk to you about the three variations of the one arm long cycle lift – long cycle press, long cycle push press and long cycle jerk –how to program them and how to synergistically intensify their effect.

Kettlebell Long Cycle?

For those of you who have never heard the term “long cycle”, it is just a fancy way of saying that before each rep – press, push press or jerk – that you will be cleaning the bell into its rack position first. Therefore one rep consists of both a clean and a press (or push press or jerk).

I’m calling the long cycle lifts the ultimate in strength endurance because this lift allows itself to be trained for long, extended sets without ever putting the kettlebell down. It’s not uncommon to hear of people performing a 20 minute long cycle set. The reason for this is because in this lift, one is able to rest in two places, in the rack and overhead. Having these places to rest, one can catch their breath and adjust their pace as necessary.

So how do we program this lift? If you are a beginner, start with a two minute set. Perform one minute with one hand, then switch and perform for a second minute on the other hand. In the beginning, don’t worry about your pace. Just concentrate on your technique. Make sure each rep is perfect. It should always be about quality, not quantity. (I’m assuming we are training for strength, health and fitness.)

As one begins to progress in the lift, start stretching out the length of the set, switching hands at points that make sense. For example, let’s say you’re now comfortable with a two minute set and you want to up it to three minutes. You have two choices, make your hand switch at the one minute mark, as before, and then when you hit the two minute mark, switch back for 30 seconds on your first hand, before switching back again for your final 30 seconds. Or if you are up to it, simply perform the first 90 seconds on your first hand and switch for 90 seconds on your other hand.

The point is, in order to build your strength endurance in this lift, continue to stretch out the length of your set, switching hands as often as you like, as long as you can balance the time on each hand equally and continue to perform for your desired duration.

OK, so how do you intensify this lift? I’m going to discuss three ways.

The first way is to increase the amount of time each hand performs the lift before switching to the other hand. If you have worked up to an eight minute set, switching hands every minute, you can now perform the lift switching hands every two minutes, and so on.

The second way is to vary your pace throughout your set. Here you can be creative. Start your first minute(s) on each hand at a moderate pace. Then increase the next minutes to a faster pace. Then modulate your pace up and down as you see fit. This is sort of like interval training within a single set. One example is to start slow and continue to increase your pace each time you change hands or complete a pair of minutes. Another example is to increase and decrease your pace like a pyramid throughout your set so that your fastest interval occurs half way through the set. No matter how you design the set, you can easily count your total reps by the end, which will give you a benchmark for future sessions.

Finally, let’s discuss how we can combine the three variations of this lift into one synergistically, evil set. As you are familiar, each lift from press, to push press, to jerk, uses less and less deltoid strength to get the kettlebell overhead, respectively, and uses more and more leg drive to lift the bell. We can use this to our advantage if it is our intent to decimate ourselves in our workout. (And this is also a favorite of mine.)

What we do is start the set off performing the long cycle press. Here we are using delts and triceps to press the bell out. These are relatively small muscles that will begin to burn relatively quickly when one is using a respectable weight. As the delts and tris begin to fatigue, without ending the set, we switch over to the long cycle push press. Doing this, we now allow our legs to start to contribute to the lift, taking the brunt of the movement off of the delts and tris. We continue with the push press until our delts are screaming for mercy. It is at this point that we ultimately switch over to the long cycle jerk. Here we are using almost all leg drive to get that bell overhead. The shoulders are now being used simply to stabilize the bell in the overhead position. (This isn’t to say it’ll be easy.) And we finish this grueling set as best as possible using the jerk to get the bell overhead. Cunningly evil, ain’t it?

So there you have some ideas on how to take the one arm long cycle lift and use it to become stronger, fiercer and unstoppable. Most important is that you know how to perform each of these lifts correctly before diving off of the deep end with your training. So please, be sure that you know what you are doing before increasing the intensity of your lifts. Understand and be competent with the basics before getting fancy. You’d be surprised how far along one can get with just the basics. Now let’s go and lift!

In the photos: Amy Moore. Amy currently holds Rank 2 in biathlon (jerk and snatch) with the World Kettlebell Club.

Howie Brewer
Kettlebells NY
Master Trainer, World Kettlebell Club
Sports Performance Coach, USA Weightlifting
www.kettlebellsny.com

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To sum it all up, I’ll leave you with this:

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Kettlebell Long Cycle?

OK, so how do you intensify this lift? I’m going to discuss three ways.

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