Sun 6 Dec 2009
W.O.W. 12/06/09 -If I knew then…
Posted by Doug McGuff under Uncategorized
I got up at 5am this morning so I could work out at 6am before going in to work a day shift. It was COLD out this morning. Even with the heat on this morning, I could not get the temperature in UE above 57 degrees. Normally, we maintain a 61 degree temp. It may just be placebo effect, but 61 truly does seem optimal to me, as it was more of a struggle than usual to reach my workout benchmarks. Despite this it was a great workout.
Leg Press- up 2lbs, up a couple seconds
Pullover- stable weight, down 2 seconds- added a Rest-Pause rep in honor of John Tatore
Chest Press-stable weight, stable TUL- stuck for the 3rd time
Compound Row- up 2lbs, stable TUL
Overhead Press- up 2lbs, down 4 seconds TUL
No scientific studies this week…just a thought. I was out doing some hot laps on my BMX track this week and was feeling especially good. (For those that don’t know, I used to be a professional BMX racer and I have a practice track built on the lot next to my house). I started to think about how much more rewarding my professional career would have been back in the late 70’s and early 80’s if I had known then what I know now. At the time, I was doing the traditional M-W-F routines inspired by Nautilus philosophy and Mike Mentzer. I then raced on Saturday and Sunday. I remember frequently feeling tired and underpowered for how strong I thought I was. I think if I had worked out once a week on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings and raced on the weekends I would have risen to a much higher level in the sport. I also wish I had got onto the Paleo diet bandwagon much earlier. I can still remember vividly choking down Lean Cuisine dinners and being ravenous all the time in my attempts to maintain leanness. It hurts me to think of all the time I could have been much leaner and without hunger. If you are a follower of this blog and are a young person, consider yourself very lucky to be getting such a head start. As we go along in our discussions, keep asking what I am asking myself… “what else could I be blind to, ignoring or suppressing?”.
Post your WOW’s…and your thoughts.
12/3/09 15 days since previous WOW (longest recovery since finding BBS)
smith squat- 335/40 9 reps
smith press- 230/40 10 reps
incline dumbbell- 40×2/45 6 reps
hammer pullover- 228/53 10 reps
tricep pressdown- 90/41 11 reps
dumbbell heel raise- 45lb l=12 r=10
Was in a rush to meet up with Drew Baye for a run through the MedX lower back machine at his new facility so I skipped the usual ab machine. Don’t remember the specs I used on the machine, but I did “enjoy” it, and wouldn’t mind using it once a month or so for the hell of it.
Can’t say I saw any improvements this workout*, everything either moved up/down a tiny amount, or I used a different weight and the TUL/reps changed accordingly. On hindsight, despite such a large recovery period, I should not have worked out.
The days leading up to this WOW I did not get much sleep, and even the night before I did not get much sleep. Most muscles in my body were randomly sore in the days leading up to the WOW, including when I arrived at the gym and got out of my car. They literally felt like they do 24 hours after my workouts when my DOMS is greatest, however, this was only in short bursts. By the time I walked into the gym for example, I felt fine. No idea what’s up, or what could be causing this, besides perhaps my massive intake of coffee lately.
*The one exception may be the dumbbell curls. This was the one exercise I felt really ON, and was very strict about the ROM and rep speed- and I do not believe I have ever pulled off 6 reps with 45lb dumbbells in this position before.
I also felt distracted mentally during the workout, but not in the same way I did while being filmed- I was able to count my reps easily this time for example, and not before. Most of that day ended up being a mess anyway, and the following day. When it rains it pours eh?
Regarding your thoughts Doug, they echo my own, especially the young part. Not only am I fortunate* to have the internet and mass produced books at the tip of my fingers, but I was fortunate (thanks to a patient friend) enough to sift through hoards of non sense and find Body by Science (and MAE from him).
*This is probably an understatement. The internet in it’s current form is nothing short of jaw dropping when it comes to information. Although, it can certainly fill my head with a lot of crap too!
Come to think of it, considering how mentally and physically “off” I was that day, yet my “strength” remained pretty stable, I may have had some gains, but they were stifled by other factors (making my strength appear identical to the previous workout).
Speculation that I will have to test next friday =)
Dr.McGuff,
Funny, I did Rest-Pause on Pullover as well this weekend. Lats, Chest, and abs payed for it.
Al
My Workout(Big 3 + 2):
-Leg Press:Up 10#, down 10 seconds
-Chest Press: Same weight, up 3 seconds
-Seated Row: Same weight, up 9 seconds
-Ab Curl: Up 20# down 52 seconds. Initial adjustments over.
-Back Extension: Up 20# down 79 seconds. Still need to increase for next time.
My shoulder is still hurting some but is definitely getting better. Less discomfort each day. Going to lay off it for at least another couple of weeks then get back to overhead press gradually. Thanks for the previous advice given.
Wife’s Workout(Big 5):
-Chest Press: Same weight, down 3 seconds.
-Seated Row: Up 2.5#, down 17 seconds and back in target zone.
-Leg Press: Same weight, up 25 seconds. She killed this.
-Overhead Press: Same weight, up 14 seconds.
-Pull Down: Same weight, up 10 seconds.
She really pushed it this week and was feeling it a bit 24-48 hours after. Only disappointment was the chest press, but only a slight one. She seems to get stronger on each subsequent exercise, which is strange.
Regarding hindsight comment. I couldn’t agree more. I played rugby in college and would have benefitted in a huge way from added strength training. I was a speedy, wimpy back and didn’t do much, which was a mistake. I think I would have been faster and tougher with proper strength training the BBS way. I would also have been doing it when I was a late teenager and the hormone environment would have been great for it. I was an excellent golfer in high school as well and hit the ball a long way. Who knows how much farther I could have hit it with proper training.
This also extends for me into diet as well. I would likely have avoided needing braces for my teeth, eye correction surgery, numerous cavities, numerous colds and bladder cancer at 28 by eating a Paleo diet free of the modern garbage the usual american eats.
My kids are going to be so much better off by my current knowledge, fortefied by Doug and others. It is one of the big things to look forward to as my kids get older.
Great post as always,
jeff
W.O.W. 12/05/2009
Lower Back 3 reps / 2:48 TUL
Leg press stable weight; up 2 sec
Inclines stable wt; up 1 sec.
Lat pull stable wt; up 6 sec
Declines stable wt; up 6 sec
Rows stable wt; up 15 sec
A good workout. Had 2 weeks off and lost no strength as all TUL’s were up.
Good post, Doug. I also wish I were 35 years younger and had this information. When I think back on the insane workouts I used to do in the mid and latter 1970’s, it’s a wonder I have any functional ability at all in my shoulders. Even after embracing Mike Mentzer’s training advice in the early 1980’s, I still utilizied far too many advanced techniques such as rest/ pause and negative only and did them just about every workout. I now realize that type of “beyond failure” training only serves to retard progress as well as offsetting what you wrote about last week with regard to the immune system.
Ed H
I met Brian Cygan at the Athletic Business Conference in Orlando last week. He was taking Dr Wayne Westcott through a workout on the Exerbotics Strength Equipment. This equipment is light years ahead on anything on the market. It fits very well with the Body of Science information.
Also, Dr Michael McMillan was at the Exerbotics booth discussing the benefits of eccentric training only. He has been researching eccentric for the past 17 years.
I am curious to know if you had any opportunities to train on this new line equipment made in Tulsa? Any Thoughts?
Joe,
Brian is trying to arrange an opportunity for me to try out Exerbotics. Sounds like very cool equipment. When Brian gets his equipment installed, I will try to arrange my “make-up” trip to Chicago (for when I went to Fiji and cancelled on Brian).
Doug McGuff
As regards hindsight, I am embarrassed when I think of how many blind alleys I’ve been down in my pursuit of a strong muscular body. Some of those blind alleys I have visited more than once also!
It took me 10 years to realise that I couldn’t make muscular gains if I used more than 8 - 10 exercises and trained more frequently than once every 7 - 10 days.
I knew 25 years ago that Arthur Jones recommended a fast pace to the workout to develop what he called “metabolic condition”. Despite having this information, I didn’t put it to good use, but as I was badly overtraining in those days I’m sure that it would have made little additional impact.
This year however, I was fortunate enough to buy BBS and, through Doug’s recommendations on this blog I have been eating “paleo” for the past 8 months and minimising my rest periods between exercises to improve my metabolic condition. My workouts are never more than 4 exercises.
I can honestly say that I look better physically ( at age 49) than I have ever done and feel younger than I did 15 years ago. So yes, I wish that I had known all this in my youth, but hey! better late than never!
Finally, Doug, thank you very much for doing all that you do. This truly is the elixir of youth.
Best wishes to all.
Steve.
Dr. McGuff, can you recommend a good primer on the Paleo diet? Thanks.
Doug
How is the book selling now that we are almost 1 year into it? I’m hoping your Tony Robbins segment gets on TV and you sell many more books.
John
@Mike,
Loren Cordain’s book “The Paleo Diet” is a good source via Amazon or the bookstore. Internet sources I like are http://www.arthurdevany.com. http://www.freetheanimal.com, http://www.paleonu.com (see Dr. Harris’ “getting started”. Jeff Erno who visits this site also has a good paleo blog at http://www.ernoj.blogspot.com. I have produced a DVD explaining a simple approach to Paleo diets and the scientific rationale. I will offer it for sale on this site in the near future.
John,
The book is solid, but no plans for an early retirement from emergency medicine. I hope that the TV spot produces a surge in sales. The biggest success from BBS that John and I are most proud of, is it provides a well-referenced support of rational exercise that will hopefully create a cultural shift in how people think about exercise. Hearing the positive comments from the folks on this blog is the greatest reward of all of this. I am having the time of my life.
Doug McGuff
My post got deleted.
chin
neg.dip
December 8, 2009
1. Chest Press: 310 lbs / 1:40
2. Compound Row: 306 lbs / 1:23
3. Leg Press: 900 lbs / 1:31
4. Overhead Press: 250 lbs / 1:27
5. Torso Arm: 320 lbs / 1:27
6. Abdominal (NAUT): 110 lbs / 0:59
Duration: about 15 minutes
12-5-09 WOW
Barbell Squat - up 12 lbs
Nautilus Incline Press
NAutilus Pullover
Med X Avenger Overhead Press
I was feeling kind of beat up this work out because, well, I was beat up. We had some defensive tactics training on Tuesday that involved me fighting the entire academy class 3 at a time. They really put it on me, so I was very sore for my WOW this week. I still was able to up my weight on everything but did not get the rep count I wanted on the squats or the over head press.
6 months ago I would not have been able to participate in the training nor would I have been able to complete the workout. My conditioning is improving every week!
I was also at the Athletic Business Conference in Orlando last week. The Exerbotics machines were pretty incredible. Had I known they were going to be there, I would have brought my video camera and filmed a workout. Still, I was able to play around a bit on the Chest Press and it was very impressive. The ability to see your force output via the LCD screen is a game changer. The ability to graph and save date wirelessly was equally cool.
I didn’t get on the Leg Press or Pulldown/Overhead Press but would have liked to get a feel for their biomechanics.
Anyway, if you want to see some pictures click on my name. It will take you to my website and then click on the Facebook logo. I posted 4 photos with comments on my company Facebook page.
Doug:
Regarding your point about BMX racing. Luckily I was able to find infrequent HIT training before I stopped racing road bikes. Training once a week–I would usually do Tuesday–was such an advantage. Most cyclists only strength train during the off season and then lose strength throughout the season. I was able to actually increase my strength throughout the season — and go on to win the State Championship. Once a week sessions is a no-brainer for endurance type athletes, in my opinion.
Amy’s workout:
Nautilus incline press
-60 sec rest-
barbell benh press
deadlift
Nautilus overhead press
chin up
For my workout,I pulled out an old favorite from the early 1990s:
barbell overhead press
tricep pushdown
close grip bench press
leg press-right leg
weighted chin up
bodyweight chin up
leg press-left leg
I am one mass of 5′3″ soreness right now.It’s hard to face a day of work in a plate loaded gym when you’re this sore.
Hi Doug,
“In hindsight” I am also guilty! I think it was “more the times” the more is better” syndrome. Sad to say - in the sporting and fitness industry the “more is better” still prevails.
In 1973 Arthur Jones stated, “There are really only two important factors in exercise one is good, the other is bad. Intensity of effort is good - Amount of exercise is bad”. BBS, Drew Baye’s (and others)now provide the scientific evidence that backs up Arthur Jones’s comments.
It may be a slow process but “On with the cultural shift”.
A question about inroading. Is there an optimal range? Recommendations have always been to train with 80% of your 1 rep max. I experimented and determined my one rep max on the leg press, pull down, and chest press. The next session, I trained with 75% of the one rep max on each. My tuls’s were 2:20, 1:35, and 1:21 respectively, however in looking back over my records I’ve trained with heavier resistance (approximately 80% of 1rm) for just about the same tul. My thinking is that it is more beneficial to train with the heavier resistance, but is it? Should I reduce the reisistance (example 60% of 1rm), increase tul and subsequently create a deeper inroad? It seems that the metabolic effect (I’m breathing like a locomotive and the lactic acid build-up is uncomfortable. The lactic acid burn is not there, or I’m not aware of it when tuls are 60-70 seconds)of the longer tul is much greater, but that may not be true.
I haven’t the measurements of my work out this week on me but I have to say that for two weeks running I have increased my weights a bit on some machines as well as increased the reps on those machines I haven’t increased the weight, so TUL. It is quite amazing as for weeks I seemed to be at a standstill and now I have suddenly got stronger. I know it can’t carry on like this but I’m enjoying it.
Anne
Hugh,
Even at loads as low as 60% you can recruit maximally. The inroad is technically deeper, but not necessarily practically deeper. One week pick a particular movement and go to failure with the 80% load, rest one minute and see what your TUL is with a 40% load. Next week start with a 60% load, rest one minute and test your TUL at the 40% load. If you are like most, you will find that your 40% TUL is shorter after the heavier load. Apparently the more aggressive rate of recruitment and fatigue at the heavier weight produces a greater inroad even though you reach failure (technically speaking) at a 20% higher weight.
Having said this, remember there are multiple components to the stimulus. The lighter weight will sacrifice some load and rate of fatigue, but will have an enhanced metabolic effect. Nothing wrong with sliding up and down this continuum.
Anne,
The adaptive response can be delayed and intermittent. While you are on a “hot streak” don’t be afraid to take advantage of it…it may last longer than you think.
Doug McGuff
Dr.McGuff,
Do ever stray from Paleo eating? What I was wondering if say going out and having a SAD meal once per week negates the effects of the diet?
Al
Dr.McGuff,
Two other questions. I’ve been checking out Dr. Curt Harris’s blog. I love it. He seems to be much more of a fan of Saturated fats than Prof.Cordain. Where do you stand on this issue?
Finally,what is the biggest difference between a typical low carb diet ala; the Eades vs. Paleo like diets?
Al
Al
I’m sure all this will be in Doug’s video. If not we want to know these answers. They are important.
John
Doug,
Thanks for the input. I’m going to conduct the experiment as you suggest it and see what happens.
Here is part of an article about diet “free days” and why they should be avoided. I’ve got the whole thing but it is long. If it is requested I can post the entire article.
“In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain’s stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms.
The research is being published in an advance, online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of November 9, 2009.
“When many people diet, they try to avoid fattening foods that taste good, but ultimately end up going back to their regular eating habits,” said senior author Eric Zorrilla, Ph.D., an associate professor and member of the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research and Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Institute at Scripps Research. “We found that rats cycled in this way between palatable food and less tasty, but otherwise acceptable, food, begin to binge on the sweet food, stop eating their regular food, and show withdrawal-like behaviors often associated with drug addiction. As in addiction to drugs or ethanol, the brain’s stress system is involved in each of these changes.”
“Our research suggests that this eating pattern leads to a vicious circle,” explained Pietro Cottone, Ph.D., who is co-first author of the paper with Valentina Sabino, Ph.D.; both are former postdoctoral fellows at Scripps Research who are now assistant professors and co-directors of the Laboratory of Addictive Disorders at Boston University School of Medicine. “The more you cycle this way, the more likely it is you cycle again. Having a ‘free day’ in your diet schedule is a risky habit.”
@ Doug McGuff and Thomas from last post’s comments…. yes, those were Devany type rest pause, thanks for the compliment and the information….
This morning legs
Nautilus Leg press, trying to do a version 20 rep breathing squats… used 275 (was doing 350 for 5 reps) and did first 10 with 5 seconds between each rep, next 5 with 10 seconds between reps and final 5 with 15 seconds between reps… chose the weight too light as I was able to do 4 more continuous reps after and still hadn’t hit complete failure… I do the rest with legs just short of lockout… and then took 202.5 on trap bar deadlift and did 5 sets of 3 reps each with 15 seconds between each rep… that’s the whole workout… already starting to feel soreness… first leg workout in about 20 days….
WOW!
Nautilus leverage leg press
600 lbs , 25 reps normal speed
no rest
Nautilus 2nd generation pullover
190 lbs, 8 reps normal speed.
Cheat days are not for the weak and I don’t think they should be programmed into a diet for those starting out. I take one or two cheat days a year (like Thanksgiving), and I always feel pretty ill at the end. I never gain any weight as a result of these days, however. I am back on track the very next day. I do take some planned cheat meals hear and there (one or two a week-these are rarely pig out meals, just below my usual standard), which I always enjoy. But I enjoy my non-cheat foods too, so there really is no suffering. I think that is the key (one of them anyway)-you have to enjoy the foods you eat most of the time when your eating healthy. If you have a deep commitment and belief in good eating (whatever that is to you), it isn’t very hard to go back to it quickly after a cheat meal or even a cheat day.
It really isn’t hard to eat well most of the time. I think 90% compliance to an eating style will get you where you want to go. Maybe even 80%. 100% is unrealistic.
Al,
I do stray from Paleo (especially at the ER where stress-eating kicks in and there is junk food around). Over time the “cheat meals” become less frequent because you will feel generally horrible afterwards and (for me) the fat gain/bloat are disproportionate to the amount eaten and negate the pleaurable effects of the cheat.
I do not fear saturated fats, I incorporate coconut oil and pastured butter in my cooking. The healthy fats really help with satiety and are the backbone of hormone production.
Paleo is not necessarily “low carb” on an individual meal basis, but is over the long-term. In trying to mimick the paleo metabolic environment you may have meals that are largely carb (veggies/fruits) or meals that are entirely protein/fats (scrambled eggs and grass fed burger pattie), but in the big picture carbs will be lower than the SAD. Having a specific macronutrient mix on a meal-by-meal basis is anal-retentive and silly.
Like with HIT/BBS the “spirit of the law” will get you there better than “the letter of the law”. 80/20 will turn into 90/10. The perfect is the destroyer of the good.
Doug McGuff
Dr.McGuff,
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my question. I found it extremely helpful.
I love the potential of this dietary lifestyle and know that unfortunately I come upon times where I have to social and eat pizza or something like that.
I look forward to your DVD.
Thanks,
Al
Dr. McGuff,
If memory serves me correctly, testosterone and cortisol levels are the highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Furthermore, insulin and testosterone are the primary anabolic hormones the body uses for repair, as these two hormones are co-conspirators in the anabolic process. Also, carbohydrates block human growth hormone release, while heavy resistance release both human growth hormone and testosterone.
Questions:
Would a “supplemental glucose/protein drink” specifically in the morning allow one to make the best use of these high levels of endogenous testosterone?
Would it be best to work out fasted to increase endogenous anabolic hormones?
How would one judge if they were getting adequate sleep to induce the maximum surge of these hormone?
Could this be destructive behavior?
Marc
Marc,
Testosterone does tend to peak in the AM, hence the “EMHO” experience of most young males. Cortisol has a diurnal pattern with low points around 3pm and 3am, hence the siesta tradition in most European/Spanish cultures.
1. No, I don’t think so. This is probably an oversimplification of complex biofeedback loop. Trying to affect this process in this way is probably pushing with a rope IMO.
2. Working out fasted probably does enhance this hormonal effect. Unlike, #1 this probably has an evolutionary basis. It seems likely that hunting and heavy exertion occurred when we were driven to do so by hunger.
3. I would say adequate sleep can be judged by spontanous waking (as opposed to dragging oneself out of bed to the sound of a screeching alarm). For males EMHO is also a good indicator.
4. Any attempt to drive natural biological cycles by “command and control” measures can be counter-productive in the long run and thus “destructive”. Better to use an approximate “spirit of the law” than a forced “letter of the law” IMO.
Doug McGuff
nautilus compound leg press up 2.5 lbs
nautilus pullover up 1 lb /ss pulldown
Al, you wrote: “what is the biggest difference between a typical low carb diet ala; the Eades vs. Paleo like diets?”
Mike Eades’s diet is Paleo and low carb. He has three levels of his diet in his book ‘Power Protein Lifeplan’ and you’ll see that the ‘purist’ is pure Paleo.
I enjoy reading Kurt Harris’s Paleo blog too, but he’s not pure Paleo as he adds dairy to his diet but our hunter gatherer ancestors would definitely not have eaten cheese ! Kurt Harris enjoys saturated fat a lot as does Mike Eades. Dr Eades once wrote on his blog that he agrees to disagree with Loren Cordain on the saturated fat issue and that they’re good friends.
all the best,
Anne
Does this study add questions about the Paleo type diet-
Vascular effects of a low-carbohydrate high-protein diet
Shi Yin Fooa,b, Eric R. Hellerb, Joanna Wykrzykowskaa, Christopher J. Sullivana, Jennifer J. Manning-Tobinb, Kathryn J. Mooreb, Robert E. Gersztenb and Anthony Rosenzweiga,c,1
aCardiovascular Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CardioVascular Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215;
bMassachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114; and
cHarvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138
Communicated by Bruce M. Spiegelman, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, July 17, 2009 (received for review May 15, 2008)
Abstract
The cardiovascular complications of obesity have prompted interest in dietary interventions to reduce weight, including low-carbohydrate diets that are generally high in protein and fat. However, little is known about the long-term effects of these diets on vascular health. We examined the cardiovascular effects of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet (LCHP) in the ApoE−/− mouse model of atherosclerosis and in a model of ischemia-induced neovascularization. Mice on a LCHP were compared with mice maintained on either the standard chow diet (SC) or the Western diet (WD) which contains comparable fat and cholesterol to the LCHP. LCHP-fed mice developed more aortic atherosclerosis and had an impaired ability to generate new vessels in response to tissue ischemia. These changes were not explained by alterations in serum cholesterol, inflammatory mediators or infiltrates, or oxidative stress. The LCHP diet substantially reduced the number of bone marrow and peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), a marker of vascular regenerative capacity. EPCs from mice on a LCHP diet also manifest lower levels of activated (phosphorylated) Akt, a serine-threonine kinase important in EPC mobilization, proliferation, and survival. Taken together, these data demonstrate that in animal models LCHP diets have adverse vascular effects not reflected in serum markers and that nonlipid macronutrients can modulate vascular progenitor cells and pathophysiology.
@ overfiftylifter and Anne,
I have a keen interest in hearing people’s response to the study above, and to Anne, I’ve been wondering about doing some more research on paleo, and realize I still have my protein power book that I read years ago, so remember the purist version and revisit. I’m curious about various practitioner’s views on dairy…(including whey protein)….
On above study, I’d like to know to what extent the protein sources were balanced with omega fat ratios, as in grass fed beef vs. grain fed etc.
Protein Power LifePlan, outlines three different nutritional approaches for this WOE. Remember your approach is not carved in stone and that you may move from one approach to another.
The information below comes from Chapter 13, “LifePlan Nutrition”, pp 336 - 348.
The Hedonist
This is the least restrictive of the approaches. The basic rules are:
1. Always eat enough good-quality protein to meet your body’s needs. All protein sources are allowed.
2. Keep your total carbohydrate intake per meal within the limits of the phase you are in. No carbohydrate sources are forbidden as long as
they fall within your carbohydrate allotment.
3. Eat good quality fats. Acceptable fats are: cold-pressed oils, fresh flax seed oil, fresh marine oils, raw or roasted seeds or true nuts, peanuts and their butters, egg yolks and butter or ghee.
4. Drink plenty of water. Beverages not allowed include sweetened soft drinks and diet soft drinks containing aspartame.
5. Replace potassium and magnesium.
This approach is for people who want to improve their health and their waistlines without changing their diet more than necessary. It’s a good place for everybody to begin - allowing you to change your diet gradually, and still see great benefits. Even if you later choose to follow one of the more restrictive options, you can come back to the Hedonistic approach when the occasion demands - for a party or on holiday.
The Dilettante
This is the middle-of-the-road approach. The basic rules are the same as for the Hedonist with the following additional restrictions:
1. Use natural meat and poultry products, nothing grain-fed or treated with antibiotics or hormones. Choose wild game if you can.
2. Avoid processed meat products with MSG and nitrites.
3. Try to use eggs from cage-free naturally raised chickens.
4. Canned fish products should be canned in their own oils, olive oil or spring water. Avoid any canned in soy oil.
5. If you don’t eat fish, take either Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil or fresh flax seed oil. The flax seed oil should only be used if you are in reasonably good health.
6. Use organically grown fruits and vegetables. Fresh are preferred but organic canned or frozen (without sugar) are acceptable also. If you use conventionally grown fruits or vegetables, triple wash them and use one of the products available to strip them of the pesticides and surface chemicals.
7. Avoid wheat, corn, millet, and rye. Avoid their meals, flours, or any product made with them.
8. No crystalline fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup or and foods made with them.
9. When possible, use only organic dairy products.
Dilettantes aim to improve “leaky gut” problems by avoiding the most problematic grains: corn, wheat, millet, rye. They limit sucrose and added fructose, placing less of a strain on the immune system. They opt where possible for organic and naturally reared foods. This approach is recommended for anyone with a family history of autoimmune disorders: MS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disorders etc and possibly Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers. It’s also of benefit to those at risk from cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, sleep apnea and gout.
The Purist
The most restrictive approach. Here you will go beyond the Dilettante’s level and follow the additional restrictions:
1. Avoid all cereal grains and products.
2. Eat only organic, fresh produce.
3. Eat only natural meal, poultry, or game products.
4. Avoid all legumes.
5. Avoid all dairy products.
6. Avoid all processed foods.
7. Avoid all sugars but honey. Use only liminted amounts of the honey.
8. Eliminate all artificial sweeteners. The only exception is stevia.
9. Eliminate all sources of caffeine. Herbal teas and decaffeinated coffee allowed.
10. Eliminate all alcohol.
This approach is for those who want to be closest to their ancestral diet, those who suffer from serious complications of the modern metabolic disorders, those whose symptoms don’t resolve on the less restrictive approaches, those who want to improve their health as fast and as much as possible.
December 13, 2009
1. Overhead Press: 262 lbs / 1:45
2. Torso Arm: 326 lbs / 1:45
3. Abduction: 96 lbs / 1:33
4. Adduction: 180 lbs / 1:45
5. Rowing Torso: 150 lbs / 1:23
6. 10° Chest (NAUT): 170 lbs / 1:15
7. Lumbar Ext.: 222 lbs / 1:40
8. Biceps: 140 lbs / 1:00
Duration: about 20 minutes
While mice models don’t give evidence that a low carb diet is dangerous for humans long term, I still have reservations about making broad based health claims about the diet of people who didn’t leave written records, is extrapolated from modern day hunter-gatherers, and is based on survival exclusively and not longevity in a modern sense. I am not yet totally convinced that the benefit of a paleo diet goes beyond the benefit of eating less often and calorie restriction, which seems to be a large part of most paleo diet protocols out there. Having said that, the biochemical arguments for the paleo diet makes sense-and is mostly based in controlling insulin and the accumulation of excess body fat (who doesn’t want that?)
There seems to be some differences of opinion on what constitutes a healthy paleo diet. Dr. Kurt Harris, MD (thanks Dr. McGuff for recommending this site) tends toward the high protein, high fat and lower vegetable diet while Dr. Art Devany recommends moderate protein, moderate fat and high vegetable content. Dr. Harris also limits fruit content while Devany seems to eat quite a bit, relatively speaking. Both men agree that keeping insulin (basal and dietary carbohydrate induced) levels low is a key to longevity. There is a pretty big difference in their diet recommendations (and others, I’m sure) in my opinion. Who’s right? Are they both right? Does it depend on the individual and their circumstances?
I have a question. How do we determine the success of our chosen diet (paleo or otherwise)? Blood markers-lipids, insulin, glucose, inflammation? Body composition? Subjective feelings? Energy levels? Lack of disease? I would love to hear opinion on this.
On the paleo diet and studies I think allot of people are splitting hairs. The idea is not to eat the same foods our ancestors ate, but to create the same hormonal response as our ancestors did with foods we have available today. That means eliminating grains and high fructose foods. Eat when your truly hungry. That generally means 2-3 times a day. I don’t worry about grass fed beef or eliminating dairy. I consume steaks from our local grocery store and drink heavy pasturized cream. Remember no one gets out alive.
Hi Rick,
My immediate reaction to that study is that mice are not men. Early research on the affects of cholesterol on artherosclerotic plaque in rabbits was seriously flawed because rabbits don’t eat cholesterol and so their bodies can’t cope with it. I think mice eat a lot of grain in the wild, they don’t eat high protein diets so to test a high protein low carb diet on them just doesn’t give any valuable information about the effects of high protein, low carb in humans.
But the biggest test of this was done in humans over the eons. A high carb diet based on grains/bread came into existence a mere 10,000 years ago with the rise of agriculture, so if grains/high carbs were necessary for human health I think we would never have evolved in the first place !
My Paleo diet, based on Mike Eades purist diet, I’ve discovered consists of approximately 10% carbs, 20% protein and 70% fat. I try and get organically reared meat and wild fish firstly because they taste tons better than factory farmed animals and secondly I know they won’t be stuffed full of hormones and antibiotics. I don’t eat dairy, other than a bit of milk in tea, I don’t eat it because I find I am a bit intolerant of dairy. It’s the same with grains. That’s how I stumbled upon Paleo eating, I had given up grains and dairy and joked to my husband that I was eating food like a caveman and then I found that such a diet existed !
I test my blood glucose regularly as I am a type 2 diabetic, an untypical type 2 as I am thin, always have been, and am not insulin resistant. I might be a slow onset type 1 but it is very slow or my diet is stopping it happening. My latest HbA1c was only 5.3% which is in the non-diabetic range so I must be doing something right. I’ve been eating low carb Paleo for three and a half years now and I really enjoy it. It’s very delicious and satisfying. I don’t miss grains or dairy at all or high carb. My meals consist of meat or oily fish or eggs with green veggies stir fried in coconut oil or goosefat. Lots of nuts inbetween meals for snacks. After my workout I might have a smoothie made with raw eggs and berries.
all the best,
Anne
Greg-good point, although I still question whether a moderate amount of whole grain is really all that damaging for those who are not sensitive or otherwise ill or overfat (yes, the health benefits of grains are likely overstated). Much of the anti-nutrients in whole grains and legumes, like phytates, can be taken care of by soaking. The hardcore anti-grain sentiment sounds a lot like the old anti-fat sentiment in the 80’s and 90’s (my opinion). I’m convinced, however, that processed foods, including grains, are not good (high calorie, low nutrient density, poor insulin response). I don’t think grains in any form are a necessary part of the diet, however, and I like the paleo approach (I tend toward the Devany side).
Dr. McGuff
I tend to agree with all 4 of your answers.
As regards question # 1, IMO, a supplemental morning beverage to enhance hormonal uptake is similar logic to a post-workout supplemental beverage, ie. “pushing with a rope.” I do believe this bears more investigation, as most people do indeed consume carbohydrates and protein in the morning. I, however, tend to like living on the “hungry side.”
Thanks for you replies,
P.S. I would like to see an article written by you on fasting workouts!
@ Anne, thanks for reply, very informative, and to all, great discussion! Greg, point taken about splitting hairs, however, having heart disease, and being a little obsessive by nature, I’d like to err on the side of “purist” because my fear is that no matter what I do, I may not be able to reverse heart disease but hopefully slow its progress, so every little bit helps!
You can still be a purist without micromanaging training and diet. Don’t eat grains or any food stuffs that have allot of carbs. I eat meat, eggs, cheese, and heavy cream, sour cream, etc. Remember cheese, heavy cream and sour cream don’t have lactose in them or most of it is removed. Lactose is just sugar and since these foods are very high in fat have very little lactose in them. As Doug says the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law.
Remember none of us is Greg Maddux, John Elway, or Mr. Olympia, so if you miss a workout, or have a subpar workout or have an occassional slice of pizza its not going to have a major impact.
@overfiftylifter,
The study you cited is what is termed a “straw man study”. This is because the study used ApoE (-/-) rats. This was an experimental animal genetically engineered and specially bred to mimmick the cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease. ApoE is involved in the breakdown of lipoproteins in the liver. The (-/-) denotes a double deletion of the gene that codes for this protein, much in the same way a double deletion of the GDF-8 gene eliminates myostatin and results in double-muscled animals. This animal model probably would not even exist in nature as it would quickly become extinct. This is an approximate model of a rare disorder in humans called familial dyslipidemia.
It stands to reason that if you were an animal that lacked apoE and were unable to breakdown lipoproteins, that you would do poorly on a higher fat diet. Any ingested fats are attached to proteins during digestion and brought to the liver for metabolism. If you lack apoE they will not be appropriately metabolized and they will build up in your vessel walls (in this animal the aortic root and carotid arteries are particularly vulnerable). Make no mistake, this was an animal specifically created to confirm the cholesterol theory of coronary artery disease.
While the rare human version (familial dyslipedemia)does produce vascular disease, atherosclerotic deposits from hyperinsulinemia and chronic inflammation is much more the norm. If this study were repeated in genetically normal wild-type rats I promise you would have nowhere near this outcome.
As Paleo diets gain more of a foothold and threaten big agra, big pharma, and the grant whores who live off of them, more and more of these “straw man” studies will arise.
Unfortunately, those without a good scientific background (specifically the media) will use these straw man studies to cast doubt on the evolutionary approach to diet. Not to sound “conspiracy theorist” but I believe such researchers know exactly what they are doing.
Doug McGuff