Clean eating?!?

For me nutrition has always been eat as much as possible and lift as heavy as possible.  Recently I decided that I would try to go completely grain less.  I've never been a big bread or pasta guy and I despise rice, well unless its around sushi, but my philosophy has been at the end of the day if I'm short on calories then a calorie is a calorie. This may mean grabbing 5 cheeseburgers or whatever I can get my hands on.  Now going grain less doesn't mean I went "Paleo".  I feel "Paleo" is a fad, which may have started out as great idea but has been bastardized.  I mean come on a quick google search yields paleo cupcakes, cookie dough... I bet there is even paleo socks for your paleo feet.

So what did I eat?  Basically I ate a high fat diet consisting of  meat (beef, venison, pork, chicken, fish) and green vegetables (cabbages, kale, zucchini, avocados....) and some starches (butternut squash, spaghetti squash...).  Timing wise I started basically everyday with a keto coffee (tablespoon butter + 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream or coconut oil and a little cinnamon).  I didn't intentionally intermittent fast but just ate when I was hungry or when my schedule allowed.  My goals were to get a minimum of 4,000 calories and to remain grain free.  I managed to keep my calories high by the addition of whole milk to my diet (almost 3/4 to 1 gallon a day).  I know some people scoff at this especially you "paleo" people, but answer me this back in the day wasn't everyone breast fed at one time?  It's my right as a mammal HAHA!!!

So after 4 easy weeks I decided to have a good cheat day.  It started with doughnuts, then on to pizza, and some Girl Scout cookies.  Everything tasted great but I felt like I was going to die.  WHY???  Did my body make some kind of magical switch in four weeks?  Did I just eat too much?  Who really knows since this isn't some scientific study and just observations (which I think since this is on the internet counts as sound scientific fact that all must obey) how can I really say.  What I did observe is that my recovery seemed quicker, but that could of been the extra calories.  My sleep was better even with two small children.  I was able to keep my weight up and did lose some body fat.  So take it for what it is.

What did disappoint me was the reaction my body had to the cheat day.  One of the perks of being in competitive lifting is the post weigh-in bloat.  I have had some really impressive bloat days gaining 23 lb in as short as 8 hours.  I did  this by hydration and eating a personal pizza almost every hour on the hour plus several other bloat-tastic foods (damn!!!).  I guess I'll have to adjust my bloat day to include other things.  Oh well I'd take the added benefits of what I observed over the past four weeks and try to make adjustments to my bloat day.  

My power clean is the same as my clean! Help!!!

I get the privilege to travel around and coach some very strong, energetic people in weightlifting. I teach a very basic style of hip extension applying physics you know the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter (the loaded bar) and energy (the lifter). Some coaches teach a "hip bang or bounce" but the differences are for another post. I teach a very straight pull which results in a straight bar path. What gets me is once the coaching session is underway i almost always hear "wow I need help my power clean is 225 but my squat clean is 230!" First off I shutter every time I hear the term squat clean and my weightlifting friends / snobs will agree.   THERE IS NO REASON TO SAY SQUAT CLEAN!  But the bigger question is why on earth would it be acceptable for your power clean to be more than your clean or even close?

There are three main culprits that cause this to be the norm in a lot of gyms and we will briefly look at each. First off many lifters especially newbies don't have the flexibility or mobility to do a full squat. Secondly in addition to not having the mobility many don't know how to squat.  A lifter with poor mobility will tend to squat by 1st pushing their butt back and try to get depth by leaning forward and rounding the lower back. With this lethal cocktail of poor mobility and poor technique it's no wonder why many can't squat under a weight with it in a front rack.

So what would be the third reason?  It's the pull stupid!  Many times when lifters pull a power clean their pull is a back lift instead of a hip dominant lift. Using the big electors to pull a weight generally forces the lifter back on the heels. Now everyone take a break, stand up, rock back on your heels and try to squat down.  What happens you stick your butt back!  Yes using the back to create momentum does just that but it puts the lifter so out of position that they can not squat under the bar. Over time the electors become very strong leaving the gluteus to slowly be under developed from the lack of proper squatting and activation. It's a vicious cycle that leads to power cleans being more than "squat"cleans.   

What should a lifter do?  Work on your mobility not just when you're at the gym but everyday and several times a day. Perfect your pull.  Learn how to use your hips they are or should be stronger than your back and way more explosive. Take the power clean out of your training. If you catch a clean high punish yourself with a good front squat if you catch a clean in good position then reward yourself with a good front squat. 

What I would do as a Strength Coach Building an anerobic demon

I get the opportunity to see a lot of horrible crap in a lot of gyms across my area.  You name it from jumping split squats for clients that can't do a jumping jack, to overhead squat long jumps, quarter squats with knees caved in, to "weight loss" clients first exercise being bicep curls, to large groups of people sacrificing healthy joint saving technique to get a better time or an RX weight.  There's so much more that's too numerous to mention and people blindly throw money away as a "professional" with an under armor shirt and cut arms looks on.  But what really gets me is the local high school, collegiate and travel team coaches that have young men and women do tremendously stupid exercises for reasons that they can't explain.  These people should know better.  I have seen football players, soccer players, basketball players, softball and baseball players running miles as warmups, as conditioning, and worse of all because of poor performance.

WHY???

If I were a strength coach for any of the above mentioned sports I would develop what I call an "Anerobic Demond".  Trust me I am not cool enough or have a good enough imagination to come up with such a cool name myself, I stole it and I don't from where.  All of the above mentioned sports require quick sudden bursts of not long drawn out runs.  For instance the average amount of action in a NFL game is only 10 minutes and you could imagine that number is even less in high school and collegiate games.  So again I ask why should athletes be running miles? Punishment for poor performance?  That makes sense let's beat up a poor performing athlete even more.  Is it because they need to be able to last an hour of play?  Still I call BS, since the average amount of live action is so small.  

What would I do?

I would train these athletes to be explosive and raise that threshold as the off season went on.  This would involve proper squatting variations (i.e, box squats, belt squats....).  I feel that many of today's up and coming athletes have been too specialized in their perspective sports working sport specific technique and dismissing lagging muscle groups.  I would work the posterior chain in every workout at various intensities.  One of the most common injuries in female athletics is a torn ACL and this is often attributed to being quadriceps dominant and having little to no hamstring strength.  I would work sprints at different distances nothing more that 30 yards really working on the ten to 15 yard sprint.  I would spend time working on the "first step" of the explosive run.  Total distances of the sprint work wouldn't be measured in miles.  Understanding that the CNS can only handle so much stimuli the amount of sprints would depend on the returns we are getting.  I would not teach the olympic lifts they are way to complicated to get the benefit from them and this is from a former competitor and current coach.  I would stress a good mobility warmup, work on mechanics then progress into explosive calethstinics.  It's a simple recipe that I could elaborate more on for weeks but this is a quick article.  I leave you with one question.  Why do we still have coaches running the crap out of our athletes?    

"SHOULD I CROSSFIT?"

I get asked all the time "What do you think of crossfit?" "Do you do Crossfit?" "Should I Crossfit?"

Here's the low down on what I think.  I am a fan of anything that gets people up and moving.  If programmed and coached properly with proper regressions and progressions I think crossfit can be a very productive regime.  I do believe that it needs to satisfy a few requirements before you "drink the kool-aide" so to speak.  I think you should look for a box that has an on-ramp program not just a few skill sessions so you kind of know what the prescribed exercise is.  Hey you're a newbie take the time to learn the movements you will last longer and have better gains.  Secondly, how long has the coaches been.... well coaching?  I know that all my crossfit friends will agree with my next statement.  Just because you have been doing crossfit for 6 months doesn't mean you should and open your own box!  Third requirement, how much time is spent working on mobility?  Since much of crossfit is gymnastic type movements and olympic weightlifting mobility is key.

I personally don't crossfit.  It doesn't match my goals, but like I said I don't think anything is wrong with it.  I do wish there was more emphasis on becoming better coaches.  Experience speaks volumes spend time under the bar and keep an open mind.  This isn't just a crossfit problem but a problem across the entire weightlifting community.  We have an epidemic of the blind leading the blind.

Finally I tell people that ask me if they should do crossfit a big fat NO.  Why? because I think they should train with me haha (I never want to give up clients).  If it matches you goals go for it.  Find a box that stresses a beginner "on ramp" program not just a class or two.  Find out how long and experienced the coaches are.  If you need help finding a box in Kentucky email me or comment below I know several boxes that I would recommend

Training Log

Well I finished last week out with a good training session.  Thursday's upper body session was brought to you by an extremely "motivating" (choose your own explitive) ex wife.  I ended up training in the LAB, which is the Underground Garage Gym and I must say probably the most bad ass garge gym around.  So the end of last week looked like this.

Thursday
Standing Overhead Press 5x3
Ring suspended push up 3x15
Pull downs 4x10-20
Super set of shrugs and Shoulder YTWI complex 3x20 and 3x8
Dumbbell row 1x20

Saturday
Recover and foam rolling

Sunday
Family Day.  I know some people that are "hardcore" say they train all the time no matter what.  Now I would say that I am very committed to my craft but when a little girl tells you,"No Daddy no!!!" you listen.  I did some more foam rolling.

Training Log Update

I haven't posted any training logs in a long time, partly because I was like does anyone really want to know how I train and because I've been lazy with posting.  Well any ways I've been tinkering with a new template.  I only deadlift for a four week period.  The first three weeks of deads are from a nasty deficit, I mean nasty, the bar is touching the top of my foot (3-4" I don't know). The other 6-8 weeks, depending on how I feel, my deadlift day is either a strongman day or an Olympic lifting day.  My strongman lifts are limited I do a log lift, a fat bar clean an jerk, ghetto stone load ( I take the end off a bar an load it w/ bumpers) a farmers walk and heavy rope row (I load up the prowler and tie a battle rope to the end and pull it to me).  My oly lifts are almost always from the hang, the reason being I don't want it to interfere with my deadlift and vice versa.  The deadlift and a clean or snatch pull are to totally different animals.  If you don't believe me come to my Oly Workshop in Lexington KY starting Nov 17 or hit me up in Louisville.  I will throw some lifts from the floor in but mainly just pulls.  Also still rehabbing a pec tear so snatches are limited in weight, I know being a wuss, but I have to think about being a 100% in August if I'm going to try to post a 2375 total at 242 (1050 squat, 650 bench, and 675 deadlift).

With staging my deadlift like this I have made some big gains in my pull.  I repped 605 raw for 5 which is a rep PR of 20 lbs. for me.  I haven't went for a max single yet but it's coming.  My squat programing just came off a wave of chain back squat where a single with 500# bar weight with about 200# of chains was easy.  Now I'm concentrating on my box squat since it sucks.  Plus I keep in my single leg movements since I swear that's what took me from a 860 squat to flirting with a 1000.  Upper body wise I'm still rehabbing the pec everything feels great but I'm just nervous I do not want a relapse.  So it has been floor pressing with and without chains fairly high volume some light dips if I'm feeling good and plenty of overhead pressing and tons of back work.
So here's what this week looks like:

Saturday:
Cleans from a high hang 315x4
Single leg cross body RDL's 4x8
Hanging leg raises 4x10

Monday: (usually Sunday)
Single Dumbbell overhead press 4x8
Pull ups wide 6x6
Dips bodyweight 4x12-15 (depending on shoulder/pec)
Hammer row 4x15-20
Band pull apart/ band resisted skull crushers 4x10

Tuesday:
Box squats 4x4 then 1x3 (working on technique my box squat sucks but my free squat rules)
SSB lunge 4x8
Log bar cleans 4x3
Ab cable rotation 4x15
GHR 4x15

I'll update the rest of the week later.  Stay strong.

Just a quick rant

I apologize in advance for anyone this may offend, but I feel that this is a topic that needs to be                discussed.  The views and opinions expressed are solely that of Underground Athletic Development HAHAHA!!!! A disclaimer.

Ok my rant for today was brought up by a good friend of mine.  He asked "why everyone is organic this, grass fed beef that, 40 minute warm ups and so on.  What happened to don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym?"  The only answer I could come up with everyone is an expert.  People do not want to do the basics and the basics being "don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym".  I feel when trying to improve your fitness far too many people lose the forest for the trees.  If you don't eat right there is no way that you can improve your fitness and or lifestyle.  I like to use the analogy of eating junk is like putting diesel fuel into your car that uses gasoline.  Yes the car will run but it will run like crap.  It will sputter and have no power much like yourself if you put crap in your body.  So first put down the "100 calorie snack packs" and supplements and grab some real food.  I'm not knocking organic food because recent tests have proven that there is no nutritional difference between organic vegetables and there non-organic counter parts, but they do provide 100% of your daily pretentiousness.  Ok I'm being a little cynical.  Sure organic foods are great but just because you eat some organic food doesn't give you the excuse to eat crap the rest of the time.  It's kind of like the fatty that drinks a diet coke and then shoves 3 cupcakes down her throat.

Now being consistent in the gym, is another story.  I do some work at a small commercial gym and I am required to do "Fitness Consults" (and yes the italics is supposed to be sarcastic).  However crappy these "Fitness Consults" are there is one question that always gets me.  "How many days a week are you planning on coming to the gym?".  90% of the time people respond, "5-6 days a week would like to go 7 but just don't think I can do that, you know trying to be realistic."  If you could go that many days in a row then more power to you but we all know that for a newbie that's not going to happen.  When I talk about being consistent in the gym I mean picking 2-3 days a week for  a beginner and sticking to those days no matter what.  If you go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but its Wednesday and you're "too tired and will go tomorrow" well I got news for you, you are going to be too tired "tomorrow" also, so just get your butt in the gym!  Find a warm up that addresses your specific needs.  DO NOT I repeat DO NOT come in touch your toes a few times and do some windmills with your arms and call that a warm up.  A warm up should be approximately 5-10 minutes of mobility work that is specific to your needs and the work out that you have planned.  With that being said, that does not mean that once you do your mobility warm up you jump straight into your working sets.

Ok, so let's run through this again.  Rule number one to success in improving your health /fitness.  Don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym.  Rule number two Don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym.  Awesome simply awesome.