You know, I love doing book reviews and I hardly ever do ?em. This is perfect seeing that my summer exploration into some of the popular bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast ideas regarding weight loss is coming to a close with a ceremonious ?Eat the Food. This is kind of like asking for a Woot Woot or an Amen. Here, I asketh upon the clergy, ?Can I get an EAT THE FOOD-ah?!
Actually, if we are going to go into full-blown cult status, we should call ourselves ?Fuddhists? and worship Fuddha. Pronounced ?Foodists? and ?Foodha? of course. Read the Fuddhist Bible HERE.
So anyway, yeah, if I can stop thinking about food for a minute – like this GRILLED CHEESE?maybe I could get going on this book review. Here goes.
The Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove is a book review that I issue to you ladies out there. A jam for the ladies and the superstars. My typical conversations about fitness can get a little Bro-ey, so hopefully this will even the score.
And when it comes to bro-ness, Cosgrove’s book is like the antithesis to all things male. Reading it felt like payback for all the times I made women in my life watch Predator, or Cabin Boy, or early-era Adam Sandler films ? something that my willingness to watch that dance movie with Julia Stiles, that lame pairs figure skating movie, multiple viewings of A Walk to Remember, and even an at-the-movie viewing of Crossroads evidently didn’t make up for.
Although it would be an easy target for ridicule ? I often found myself laughing while I was reading it due to her way over-the-top femaleness (B.I.T.C.H. ? Be Inspiring Totally Confident and HOT!), we’re going to break this beauty down purely on substance and substance alone ? because Cosgrove possesses some genius, and her message could very well be eclipsed by her She-Ra geekiness if it wasn’t for someone to translate what it is about her information that is a ?Breakthrough.
Cosgrove is the wife of Alwyn, and together they own a gym out in California where they ?build butts. Together, along with guys like Scott Abel, they are on the true cutting edge of exercise physiology. That cutting-edge understanding, although not elaborated upon much in the book itself, really comes through in the well-photographed and documented exercises as part of Cosgrove’s program.
Before we go any further, let me give you the basic premise of the book?
1) Cardio and aerobics and all that stuff stinks
2) If you want to look hotter, it requires having less body fat AND more muscle mass
3) The way to achieve that is to do a combination of metabolic exercise and strength training (which we’ll discuss), while eating a nutritious whole foods diet without obsessing over macronutrients, calories, etc.
Sounds reasonable. It is. In fact, although she didn’t quite go into such detail, you can basically categorize exercise into 2 categories?
1) Exercise that forces your body to do things more efficiently (burn less calories to do the same thing)
2) Exercise that forces your body to adapt by increasing its power capability, which, by definition, means becoming LESS efficient in a sense.
In other words, a performance athlete can generate huge amounts of power in a short period of time because their bodies are optimized for that type of activity. For endurance activity, muscle, particularly explosive fast twitch muscle is a huge burden ? it burns way too many calories and will make you really tired if you tried to run 10 miles on legs constructed of fast twitch muscle fibers. Likewise, marathon runners are typically super weak, and cannot generate power.
Both adaptations are smart and appropriate adaptations to various forms of exercise. In fact, the body’s ability to make such adaptations is something to be marveled at really. But in a conversation strictly about cosmetic exercise, there is absolutely no doubt that fast twitch muscle-building and power-generating exercise is what yields superior results. But I guess it all depends on who you wanna impress. Once again we return to discussing Weird Al, who likes small butts and he cannot lie vs. Sir-Mix-A-Lot, who likes ?em real thick and juicy.
But just to say ?go lift weights? is incomplete. Cosgrove is a master of exercise physiology, and her workouts are designed to achieve something far beyond traveling around each exercise machine and making a few check marks on your clipboard.
Her workouts are a fine blend of asymmetrical movements, balance movements that activate what is called ?proprioception? that Abel loves talking about, power moves that cause rapid muscle firing (like what you get from plyometrics), and some otherwise pretty badass stuff with an emphasis on overload (which is atypical for women-centered weightlifting which can be pretty light and fluffy). Overload means doing enough to force the muscle to adapt and increase its strength, size, and hardness. And it’s all done emphasizing full ranges of motion as well for full muscular development.
With Cosgrove, you’re not doing the typical bicep curls with 5 pounds dumbbells so fast and effortlessly that you are practically fanning yourself while you’re doing them. She’s more into classical strength training with heavier weights that you struggle to maybe, if you’re lucky, do 8 repetitions of. The result is that she and her clients are like superheroes, busting out chin-ups a half dozen at a time or more.
So you’re doing, not sissy stuff, but friggin? one legged dumbbell deadlifts, super deep squats, front squats, and all that. Hence her claim that all of her clients have excellent butts that you can bounce a quarter off of.
These 3 times per week workouts are later punctuated by at least one ?metabolic? workout per week. This is basically hardcore bodyweight exercises, plyometrics, rope-jumping, pushups, ab work, and all that blended into a high-intensity round patterned after high-intensity interval training (But I think Abel proves that this is unnecessary, and can very easily be worked into a strength training workout by doing the workout with very little rest in between sets. This is of course, the premise of his Metabolic Enhancement Training ? combining what Cosgrove has made separate).
Anyway, her infatuation with postworkout protein shakes aside, Cosgrove’s book is a good primer into a result-generating fitness routine that many women could adopt into their own workouts. The name of her gym, ?Results Fitness? is very appropriate. If I needed to pick up chicks I would definitely go there before going to a bar for that purpose, although protein-shake-swilling babes are not much sexier than the alcohol-swilling variety. Of course, 180 is not a fitness or exercise physiology palace by any means, but the book and the principles behind the exercises she highlights are worthy of mention ? or worthy of recognition I should say.
I’m actually hoping to build my butt a little. I pretty much turned mine into a deflated balloon with years of hiking ? an exercise done with very small ranges of motion that worked my quads and hamstrings like a champ, but left my ass hangin?.
Definitely gonna recommend this to a few friends! Sounds like a great readthrough-even for some guys!
quoting you , i loved the payback for bro-ness paragraph ! lol i so identify
i think i'll read it might help with 3/4 of people looking to me for help are ladies and they are afraid to get arms like me. hard to argue with such a good example as rachel.
You put "metabolic" in quotes. What does a regimen like hers do for recovering metabolisms like mine?
(mine being sluggish, over dieted, fat storing and snail like)
all praise due to food ! (takes religious-like bow) FOODAH!
As a self-proclaimed member in the world of women, I happen to think that Cabin Boy was hilariously awesome in its awkwardness! A must see. "Would you like to buy a monkey?"
I was in with the girl's group and had to hang from the bar. What's so bad about that?
Matt I would never make you watch girly flicks like "the notebook" just for the record.
as for the bro-ness, yeah, kinda goes with the territory I guess…
I did like Rachel's ideas but as you mentioned, she is obssessed with fake body builder 'food' aka shakes. And supplements..
So I will keep trying to find that damn six pack.. it's around here somewhere.
xo deb
Hey Matt! Because you mentioned Cosgrove a few months ago, I ordered this book and have been following her program (with some changes) for 5 weeks. It is GREAT. I had never strength-trained before, and I really do feel like it's transforming my body. Every day when I get up in the morning, I feel lean and strong instead of bloated. Now, I haven't weighed myself and suspect that if anything I'm heavier, because muscle is heavy and I'm not cutting back on the food (I wake up hungry these days, too — crazy.) But I feel VERY good and am already strutting around in new duds. I just feel better in clothes. Also, I have a warm glow and am pretty sure my temperature is up (though I don't measure it).
I'm not doing the shake thing and I haven't totally cut back on processed food yet: I still eat a little bread, little wine. Thinking I'll dig down harder and work on my diet in a later phase (Cosgrove's program has 4), but I have picky kids and a husband to cook for and it just seems too hard to make those changes right now. (We normally eat well, though.)
Anyway, THANK YOU for mentioning this book. I was always a jogger who could never change my body…
(Oh, and i hate the girly-girl stuff in this book — I tell myself Cosgrove's editor made her put it in to distinguish it from all the other workout books.)
The notebook was an awesome movie!!!!
troy
Half N. Never saw it, just came to mind as a romantical type movie. sorry for the dis :)
The Notebook rocks!! Shame on you Debbie, for not seeing it! ;-P
This is basically what I have told my clients too -Go heavy or go home! Unfortunately in my case, I get too muscular with that kind of training. Girls can do anything boys can do ( I know we can’t do the helicopter so don't even go there)!
Tempted to get me this book, even if it is just for ideas for training women. Always good to see things from the other side.
Rachel Cosgroves transformation is nothing short of amazing, love the side by side pics of her running the marathon or whatever looking all stodgy then the lean pics of her.
Shame about her post workout stuff, but I am sure she is pretty heavily influenced by the whole T-nation surge peri post workout BS….. Anyhow even if you are training real hard to best and easiest post workout drink is Organic Skimmed Milk, blended with a ripe banana and cinnamon, don't need any fancy powders!
Really been enjoying your recent blog posts Matt, and Chief put me down for a pre-order of your book too ;-)
Wow, Matt, this is pretty sexist. I would choose Happy Gilmore over The Notebook any day. Sheesh.
This book is definitely on my reading list (though I gotta admit the idea of sifting through all that "girlfriend" language is a turn-off). For the life of me I can't get women I know to pick up a weight instead of hopping on the treadmill. They seem to be of the mind that if they only have a couple hours a week to workout, they'd better be jogging, not lifting. I try to tell them it works the other way, but man the conventional idea of 60 minutes of cardio a day is really drilled into people's heads. I need to show them Cosgrove's pictures.
Go work on that butt, Matt. Especially if you're coming around here. Because we already have more than enough deflated balloon butts in Alabama. Trust me.
Wow, I have laughed many times at comments left on this blog, but never as hard as I just laughed.
Sheila-
You are right. Cosgrove really misses the helicopter when she says that girls can do anything guys can do. Shame on her. She needs to do more fact checking.
Goofy Mama-
My heart quivers at your comment. Perhaps one day we can meet and you can swim across the ocean with me standing on your back shouting, "faster goofy mama, faster!"
Deb-
I saw the Notebook twice at the theater. I cried even harder than I cried when I saw Toy Story 3. It was one of the best chick flicks ever. Up there with My Best Friends Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The beginning is a little rough, but then it actually gets decent.
Maggie O. –
Yeah, totally. Who cares about a little junk and some wine anyway. Cut it out if you want to be a fitness model maybe, but if you are feeling and looking better as each day passes doing what you're doing, who cares? Great feedback. I think a lot of women and men can make really solid physique gains with her basic template and approach to exercise. Plus, it's NOT boring, not that time consuming, etc. And you get to constantly focus on progressing, whereas most treadmillers never really see any improvement in their physical performance beyond the first few weeks of doing it.
Elizabeth-
That's perhaps the most important of Cosgrove's messages in the book. She says explicitly that with limited time and dedication, at least make sure to get those 2 weightlifting sessions in per week. The rest is more like a bonus.
Chris-
Her postworkout thing is not that big of a deal. The intention and mindset is right – eat fast absorbing protein and carbohydrate to immediately start feeding the muscle. But a "real food" mindset trumps a "feed the muscle" mindset any day, especially when top bodybuilders in Abel's camp don't believe in the existence of any magical postworkout refueling window.
Lisa-
In a nutshell, the "metabolic" element can basically be summarized as doing high-intensity exercise that produces "oxygen debt" or getting really winded. For someone like you with injuries and limitations that make doing a wide variety of physical exercises as a metabolic workout impractical, this could mean something as simple as riding a stationary bike for 1 minute at a very hard pace, followed by 1 minute of an easygoing pace, and so on for 20-30 minutes 3-5 times per week. With this, you are training your body for high performance work, not endurance. This is what forces an adaptive response in the body that increases fuel injection into muscle cells and away from fat cells, improving health and body composition. LIke this on a bike basically…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSljTB1wZM&feature=channel
Oh yeah, and for all you guys who are looking to take up Fuddhism as your new religion, I should let you know what one of the main spiritual practices of that religion are…
HEDitation
Even though my butt is already pretty awesome, I'll have to look into this. I feel a little depressed about it, though. I hate my gym. My insurance pretty much pays me to go there. Maybe I just need to invest in some heavy stuff for home. Or maybe I need to find a gym I don't hate. Novel idea, I know.
For great female-centric body building and weight lifting advice go to stumptuous.com. No flakey post-workout shake advice either.
@Jennythenipper:
Stumptuous. Changed. My. Life. I feel like I've lived two lives on this planet: Before Stumptuous and After Stumptuous. Once I learned I could lift heavy weights like the guys do, I never looked back…
Find a gym you don't hate, or learn to love it for all its awfulness. It's worth it!
Matt I suppport your decision to work on your butt as well. Cycling/hiking seem to build up the legs and waste the behind.
Sheila,
send me your best pee your name in snow pic :)
even in your "messed up" body state Im sure I would be a little better at fertilizing eggs than you :)
I would challenge any lesbian to a hump off!
and systematically steal any of their girlfriends provided she does not 1.) have a voice like barry white 2.) and hair like sinead o'conner …. (hmm one exception demi moore in GI jane was not a complete deal breaker for some reason.)
In the background " Ain't nothing like the real thing" by marvin gaye plays
Stumptuous is super cool. Unfortunately, she's reporting perimenopause at 37. That sucks.
Jenny-
The degenerating disc in my spine that I was diagnosed with at age 20 (chiropracter told me I had the back of a 50-year old, wow, thanks), doesn't help either. For some reason the glutes became totally dormant. Even now when I try to do lunges or stepups my glutes hardly fire at all. I have to really concentrate to get them to contract.
Chief-
Good luck in the hump off man! Is there any way I can bet on you?
Forget Demi. Natalie Portman's shaved head in V for Vendetta is where it's at.
Matt: I know a way to make your butt cheeks 'fire'. hee hee..
Chief, seriously, you making pornos or what? Bow chicka bow bow..:) Dirk Diggler
I agree that weights are the best thing I do, and yoga to counter act my increasingly tight heinie.
xo
lady Haga
Matt,
RE: Glute firing issue. If you can get a hold of some Funtional Movement Screen material – or find a trainer certified in such – I am confident that with some of the corrective exercises the issue could be improved. Gray Cook is a smart dude. An HKC or RKC certified person could probably help as well. I'd help – as I have both certs – but I'm a bit far a way and it requires somewhat of a hands on approach.
But as a quick tip, sitting – and therefore cycling to some degree- do indeed encourage the glutes to essentially 'turn off', which creates said 'firing' problem.
Holy f**k perimenopause at 37 drives daggers of fear through my heart. Terrifying. I'm turning 37 in a month and have been praying to the fertility gods morning, noon and night.
Good thing I'm eating a lot and not overexercising and have already healed my adrenals before my ovaries gave out… right?
Gazelle: I hear that upping your oily fish consumption makes good babies :)
fat is where it's at for baby making hormones.
@debbie:
Thanks! I am eating fish oil, coconut oil, raw butter and high fat dairy… all that good stuff. Fingers crossed.
I've spoken to Sally Fallon in person. She is as glow-y as in her head shots. I'm not gonna say anything about her weight. She looked fine and healthy to me.
Thanks Russ-
I do way too much sitting, which is a problem without much of a remedy for an internet freak/writer. But maybe someday I'll have the courage to get one of those standing desks.
I will look into all of those, as that would be a big help. Right now I think my best bet is using some tubing/bands and doing some leg swing type movements. That seems to activate the muscle more than squats, lunges, step ups, and all that other stuff.
Oh, man, if sitting is bad for the glutes then my butt is doomed. I'm glued to this computer way more than is healthy.
As far as I know Ms. Stupendous was into calorie counting to lose weight, so I imagine she still does it. That would be my theory as to why she is entering perimenopause so early. That being said, peri menopause can occur as early as 10 years before menopause.
Is this Cosgrove book also for weight loss?
Yes, the Cosgrove book is for weight loss, or more like – body recomposition.
She doesn't recommend counting calories except in week 13-16 while you're "peaking" and states that "you won't be able to keep in that kind of shape year round."
It's kind of a weird recommendation. There's no real point to it, but whatever.
The rest of the time she encourages whole foods eating with plenty of protein and carbohydrate typical of bodybuilder diets, with no calorie counting. Just eating clean.
The comments of this post rule!
V for Vendetta rules!
And HEDitation rules supreme!
I am also sitting way too much than ever could be good for me.
Speaking of sitting too much…
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/10/are_you_an_active_couch_potato.php#more
That was really interesting, Will. Definitely gave me some food for thought. It actually made me feel a bit better about my sitting because I actually do get up and move about frequently even when I'm working (working? I meant surfing) at the computer. But even so, I think a standing desk might be in order!
Matt, I think the source of the Cosgrove weirdness is her training of female figure competitors. If that ain't wierd body tricks I don't know what is.
Fire up your butt muscles by standing and doing calf raises, squats etc whilst on the computer getting schooled by The Stone. Or in Matt's case, getting drilled/attacked/poked fun at by your blog cult following.
I will wait while you try it.
:)
Krista's done everything right. It's possible that the perimenopause is unrelated to her bodybuilding lifestyle. Of course, that won't stop me from emailing to say that some women have had real benefits from RRARF including restoring regular periods. The milk diet gave me the symptoms of pregnancy. Perhaps it's the world's most homeopathic form of hormone replacement?
Three things about V for Vendetta that didn't suck:
1) NP's shaved head.
2) Anything with Stephen Fry in it cannot be all bad.
3) The movie NP is watching at one point is obscure 1934 Count of Monte Cristo starring Robert Donat.
That is all.
Matt, or whomever,
how do you keep your coconut oil from solidifying on cold nights. I live in Florida and it's already becoming a problem.
Meghan-
Try camping in Colorado in October with coconut oil. I pretty much lost a spoon that way. Could have held a "Spoon in the Coconut Oil" competition like the Sword in the Stone.
I've been a radical feminist since I was 12 years old so I'll refrain from further comments about the gender discussion here since I fear it wouldn't go too well. lol…. Feminism has become so much less important to me now that my health is this bad. All I care about nowadays is to get to feel better….
But I really liked what she was saying in the video about women being told that they can't do this and that, and that they should be careful not to get injured etc. while men are generally told to push it. I totally recognize that and I can only imagine it's imbedded itself into my ideas of what I can and can't do.
Physical exercise is all in the future for me though, not in my present. I mean, I would love a "fit and fabulous body", but right now I'm stuck trying to get my body to even bend it's fingers properly or digest foods decently well…..here's to hoping things will turn around for me one of these days….
Thanx HalfNavajo for the support and honesty. lol.
ok, so I'm extrememly poor right now, there is no gym in my town and the heaviest weight I own is a 15lb kettlebell and like I said, I'm poor so I can't buy any heavier weights right now… so how do I get a butt you can bounce a quarter off of?
I'd like to suggest Kin Shi-Hai Do to anyone who's interested:
http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/OBB/VE.html
The main site is "Zen in the Art of Self-Resistance." They have plenty of exercises there that I think are fantastic, but Kin Shi-Hai Do is my favorite because it's simply the practice of "lifting weights without lifting weights" — which means you can apply KSHD to any free-standing exercise.
Push-ups, pull-ups, the list goes on and on. Simply imagine that you're doing a push-up with a 50 ton weighted vest on, or pull-ups with a 50 ton weight tied around your legs — things like that.
If it were a more appropriate place to talk about it, I'd mention something about taking it easy and not popping a blood vessel or trying to go Super Saiyan 2. Though I think I've tried going Super Saiyan before and it worked for a little while…I could FEEL IT!!!!
Anyway, since people seem to be talking about butt exercises, I should say one thing: I've been doing one 'exercise' a lot, and I noticed lately that I actually have an ass. I feel really weird even talking about this, but I thought it was noticeable and someone might appreciate it so…
Third World Squat, Asian Squat, Deep Squat, Full ROM Squat, whatever you want to call it — it's the squat you do with your heels flat on the ground. EXCELLENT stretch for the hips and lower back as far as I've found, and *standing up from that position* hits your ass harder than that belt my dad used in the '60s.
I'm actually 21 so I wasn't alive in the '60s, but for poetic license I figured it'd be okay to vicariously live through my dad for a sentence.
For anyone who can't do it…maybe you physiologically can't because of your femur length/body composition/something like that, but…it did take me months to be able to do the full squat, and I'm still working on doing it comfortably. My knees still need to adjust to it and sometimes they hurt if I overdo it or don't pay attention to form.
But if you're really willing to practice it, it can take months and months and months to really adjust to the level of flexibility you need, but in my opinion it is SO worth it.
And then you can do what I call Full ROM KSHD squats. You go down into that position like you're going to pick something up, then tense — really tense — and lift the imaginary object from that squat position.
You'll have to squeeze your glutes REALLY hard, as they're the primary muscles involved with standing up from that position (as far as I can tell, anyway – lots of muscles involved!), and that's really a killer workout.
I really had to share that. So remember, Full Range of Motion Kin Shi-Hai Do squats, or "squat lifts." It's all just bodyweight. I think that's potentially a lot safer too, but I'm not an expert on this stuff.
Now I'm just going to pretend I never wrote "squeeze your glutes" and go back to entertaining myself by squatting like a monkey and clapping my hands.
It's actually a lot more fun than you might think it would be! Either that or I've spent too much time alone in the basement ;D
Matt D: you are on to something.. my instructor has us do very very low squats and lunges, touch the floor with your knees style, all the way down and hold it till you scream. jesus my ass is sore from that alone.
For a minute I had a flashback to the 60's when my dad hit us with belts, sticks, his hand etc. Thought you were a kindred spirit, but you are just poetic.
:)
@Matt D: When I was doing Bradley method childbirth classes, they recommended doing those squats every day–every time you have to get something from the ground or a low shelf, squat! I still do it as a stretching exercise sometimes. I never thought of doing it as a glute workout though.
For any of you having trouble visualizing this squat, check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWTmg4dHiKg
Wow Liz, that video is legendary.
Matt-
Your poetic license usage basically made you my new hero (sorry Deb).
HB-
You definitely don't need a gym or any weights. I mean, for serious growth you do, but you can still make progress without it. Scott Abel has tons of great bodyweight movements. A resistance band and a Swiss ball could be great as well as 2 simple pieces of cheap equipment you can add to your arsenal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l0ogs9x1zY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXfJujf0R7M
Seriously, Scott Abel's bodyweight movements kicked my butt. Kind of literally. It's amazing what can be accomplished without any weights at all, though they are convenient sometimes.
Liz! I did bradley method! we are both hippie chicks :)
Matt D: don't try to dethrone me. I will hunt you down.
HB: I will tell you that I found the bodyweight exercises that Cosgrove does to really kick ass.
and yes, I am squatting while typing?
et tu?
Lots of tough bodyweight exercises. Try some pistols (one legged squats). Or one legged deadlifts. If any bodyweight exercise is too easy, do one side at a time. One handed chins anyone?
for me eating HED + basic bodyweight gymnastic exercises = look like a gymnast. it is more upper body orientated but theres plenty of lower body stuff too
http://gymnasticbodies.com/
Hey guys !
Martin here ! I think convict conditioning is really great for bodyweight exercices !
I also think that guys should not do too much squatting because your ass can become massive lol. Mine was. I stopped and it got smaller but still bigger than average.
Also wanted to let you know that my personal best for chin-ups is 21 ;)
Martin.
Man, Deb, now you've blown my cover. I am, in fact, part hippie.
Now you all know.
DEB, no porn,
The guys have no skills all the girls have to fake it :) dirk diggler ?… you didn't know size doesn't matter it's all in the person. it takes practice and being in touch with your feminine side ……….ok, fine i can't bullshit you, size does matter! … high metabolism helps though… ;)
LISA E,
Im totally with you on the feminist thing, guys suck… if i could just figure out a way to make some type of germ warfare that would recognize my awesomeness and skip over me but get rid of…oh …mmm say around 3 billion pesky men … we would have a pretty happy planet. :)
seriously though, in our traditional government the clan mothers run things. Its better that way, less wars due to pissing contests. women are highly regarded in all settings as I put all women before my self and have protected many a stranger due to this cultural belief system. I lay the verbal smack down when I hear young bucks calling women the "B word" and set em straight as they are being influenced by pop culture and forgetting their ways.
I think if things are done properly feminism is not necessary.
send me an email I'd like to help out more with your gout.
I am doing Cosgrove's program without joining a gym (I'm cheap and live in the sticks). My husband had some weights I stole, and I bought a kettlebell and a swiss ball. I have to get creative sometimes: for an overhead bar I took a broomstick handle that had been previously been converted into a karate bo for my son and used that — when it seemed too light, I stuck some heavy boots on either end. :D
@maggieo: Cheap and living in the sticks? Hey, we must be kindred spirits! :)
We had a gym membership for a while, but with the closest gym being 40 minutes away it started to feel pretty ridiculous driving that far just to work out. I enjoy finding new ways to work out at home, plus I'd rather take a walk in the woods than log miles on a treadmill any day!
The Asian Squat video is awesome, Liz. I remember trying to squat in front of our front loading washer when I was pregnant. I fell over like a bug on my back and had considerable difficulty getting back up.
Is there some kind of fat threshold for the Asian squat? I can get down there, no problem, but keeping my balance is a bee-yatch.
Oh and thanks for the heads up, Elizabeth, on the IF (and general "dieting is disaster" reminder.) I kind of think after only a few days of MPSFing my body quickly went back to starvation mode (more hunger, sugar cravings.) So I'm back to RRARRF, eat the food, all that.
And I promise never to ask for shortcuts again. Whiny people like me begging Matt to make us skinny in the next two weeks must eventually undermine the commitment to eating the food. It would just have to.
And y'all make me laugh. Thanks.
Chief, I'd like the virus to pass by husband and son, too. They are good blokes. The boy is learning about the importance of hats and shoes as well as guns and cars, so there is hope for the next gen, afterall.
As for the Notebook, it is a fine example of it's genre: the melodramatic weeper or the Three-Hanky
Number (THN. This is an oft maligned but terribly important film genre. Without THNs women would probably burst into tears in their place of work because of paper clip mishaps on a weekly basis. To paraphrase Jane
Austen, I’m sorry to generalize about so many people at once, but most men have no need for THNs (they have porn and Quentin Tanrantio).
You're right about The Notebook, Jenny. And I can't deny needing a good cry now and then. I just feel it's so much more fulfilling when I find myself in tears over something that wasn't so blatantly trying to make me weep buckets. Drama? That's fine. Melodrama? I prefer something more subtle, if it's available (but I admit, that's hard to find–Sweet Land was pretty awesome).
Those squats aren't easy. Taking a wider stance seems to help. But I often prop my elbows against my knees to help balance me. And I'm still not immune to falling over like a bug! That's actually kind of fun, but probably not when you're pregnant…
Danyelle, if I can spare someone just one diet I feel like I can sleep soundly at night. ;)
GREAT review of this book- I'm actually going to buy it because of this review- so thanks.
And what an entertaining review too… looking forward to reading more of your posts… and seeing the results of that female body breakthrough in your butt. ;)
Chief why is a fine specimen of manhood like you not hitched? Just curious. Not that marriage is like the bees knees or anything. eh hem. cough.
In other breaking news, I just kicked my own ass in spin/weight/yoga and need a shower, a nap and some real manly food portions.
later gators
deb
Yeah, Chief, what gives?
"but I admit, that's hard to find–Sweet Land was pretty awesome)."
Sweet Land! I love that movie. It was filmed in Minnesota. I have been doing a Sweet Land thing with my wardrobe this fall: long skirts, funky hats, fitted jackets, nordic sweaters and clogs. It's such an obscure reference, I don't tell people. The other half of my wardrobe is inspired by an equally obscure movie, Colorado Territory.
I cry easily so I hardly need the likes of the Notebook. I cry at Doctor Who!
DEB,
nice guys finish last I guess lol …I was engaged, people did not want us together and decided to sabotage the relationship. I definitely have more offers than I can even deal with but the last 2 women have been more than a little on the evil side towards me :( so I'll be taking my time picking the next one lol.
I must be weird or something because I have no problem at all doing the Asian squat. In fact, have always just naturally squatted like that.
I'm not Asian either – I'm a kiwi from New Zealand. I do have a long back and short legs, so maybe that's the reason. My son can do it too but my daughter and husband think it's about as painful as sticking hot needles in their eyes.
Chief, ah, the old sabatoge trick. Sorry to hear that. I am sure the right gal will come along when you are both ready and willing. I am sure you are able :)
Jenny: I cry at everything too. I cried over Brokeback Mountain. And my friends and family laugh at me. It's a cruel world.
I Can't Quit you Matt Stone!
:P
I kind of have the opposite problem of the muscular Danish girl who posted here before. I need a workout or whatever to make my body more masculine. I put on fat and muscle on the ass easily, but not anywhere else. Also I have a narrow face, which suggests low testosterone as well, I believe. Is there a male body breakthrough?
I have no problem doing the Asian squat either Mishkam. And my ass was completely cannibalised by orthorexia and stationary cycling. My legs seem out of balance, quads do most of the work for everything… dunno what to do for the butt, running up stairs?
Jenny: Ha, you've seen it! No one knows about that movie. It was filmed so beautifully, and you know my great-grandparents came from Germany to Minnesota around that time so that made it an especial favorite of mine. And your wardrobe sounds awesome, by the way.
Hi Matt,
I noticed in some of the comments in previous posts that there are folks that struggle with acne. You even mentioned that your girlfriend also has had a bout of acne since her surgery.
My experience with acne/rosacea started after getting some dental work done as well. The dermatologist said that the acne/rosacea was triggered by stress because at the time I had an undiagnosed case of mild pneumonia and then had mercury exposure due too dental work. I also was low carbing for a couple years at that point and suffered from chronic insomnia and severe anxiety syndrome.
One year later, I no longer low carb and am doing HED/RRARF. Still have insomnia problems but the anxiety is better. Rather then being at a full blown out 10/10 all the time it is down to 6-7/10. I have done a mercury detox and no longer suffer from pneumonia but I still have lung issues and get bad infections that scare me a bit.
The guest post on the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System opened my eyes. I feel so frustrated with medical professionals not having a clue about how to heal a patients. Antibiotics, anti-depressants,steriods, sleeping pills are their only answers.
Anyways, gaining 35lbs and having a very inflamed face makes folks ask questions. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one that suffers from acne and weight gain.
I am just wondering if you could explore the Nervous System a bit further?
If you meet the Fuddha on the road, eat the Fuddha.
*meat
No kidding Deb, seriously you'd have to green-blooded vulcan with no human DNA not to cry at Brokeback Mountain. (Sorry, wearing my star Trek costume for halloween today has gone to my head). Ang Lee is the bomb. Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback are all more or less the same movie.
Liz: Sweet Land is going to gain a cult following, I hope. So your Grandparents were in Minnesota? That's neat. My German/Swedish ancestors all settled in Wisconsin. This is how I have amazing dough rolling arms. Not so great for fitting into cocktail dresses, though.
Now that the weather is turning cold, I'm really starting to appreciate my metabolism gains. It's nice to be outside and not have ice cold hands and feet. Sleeping with windows open when it's 29 degrees at night helps, too.
anyone having trouble with squats
tried something yesterday , doing them barefoot which always allowed me to lift heavier in the past also allows me to maintain balance further into the squat :)
Hi acne/rosacea anonymous, I have struggled with those issues for years. I was diagnosed with having drandruff on my face. I was years on prescription meds for it, but I have gotten rid of them by slowly weaning off of them and putting lots more saturated fat in my diet. This time of year the red flakiness comes back so I use coconut oil on it and that seems to help a lot. Many people here have had good luck with acne by not washing their faces and by moisturizing with coconut oil.
Deb,
I'm happy, my life rocks! high metabolism are in high demand :) ..her loss for not seeing the truth …
well on my way to a meeting, would much rather be having a FEMALE BODY BREAKTHROUGH my blankets right now though !
Anonymous acne,
Thanks for posting. It's interesting how so many have had major skin improvements while others have continued to suffer. Who knew that something so seemingly simple could be so complex?
As for girlfriend and acne, nothing brings out the acne like Reese's peanut butter cups, but banana smoothies compete pretty well also.
I'm staying in a hotel in Denver right now, and thinking that maybe instead of a female body breakthrough, I might be in need of a Brazilian Butt Lift! That infomercial is awesome.
Thanks Danyelle-
I'm going to try to stick to my guns, work on my buns, and eat what's fun. Although I may ask Berkhan for an interview soon, as he feels quite confident that there is a Rebound Disaster way to lose fat and a right way to do it. That's worth investigating.
Hans-
Ha, yeah, Cosgrove's book would be a male body breakthrough as well if it weren't for the focus on what women need to hear to actually build some muscle tone – strength training.
There is no doubt that raising metabolism can improve levels of growth hormone, testosterone, DHEA, and other key hormones in both a male and a female breakthrough. But strength training may play a very important role as well for those who can't seem to make much progress otherwise.
I notice in calorie guidelines women are told not to go below 1200 calories a day. Men are told not to go below 1500 calories a day.
Yes, men are often taller and height plays a factor in calorie needs, but it seems like women are just more likely to eat low calories on a diet. and that's more acceptable. Why are most anorexics female? I guess this is getting more into sexism than diet but I just wanted to bring that up.
I read about a female athlete who ate 2,000 cals a day and my mind was blown. Because I was eating a lot less than that as a male. I was still fat and she was way more fit than I could ever be.
Maybe women and men need to enjoy life, enjoy food like the rest of people do. Ditch the salads and fat free yogurt…unless you love eating that way.
Matt
What are you up to in Denver?
just curious
and nosey
;.>)
deb
Stancel,
muscle mass plays a big role in metabolic activity using more calories so that is the main difference in men and women using energy differently.
the athletic female probably 1.) was more active 2.) had alot more muscle.
if your body was running properly the 2000 calories you mentioned a day would most likely not be enough
Matt,
would the HIIT qualify as strength training for that purpose? I would like to lift some larger weights, but I have problems with my spine and joints that prohibit me from doing so.
Hans,
if you lower the weight but increase the time under load by reducing the speed of motion drastically muscular hypertrophy and hence strength gains WILL occur. concentrating on proper form will also reduce stress on joints.
Hey Matt, can you point me to your awesome sweet potato recipe that I've heard so much about?
Chief,
you mean doing the exercises very slowly? How about reps? Low / high? Does it matter?
Dangit Jenny, I am also being a Trekkie for Halloween. And yes, Sweet Land f-ing rocks. But that movie is inextricably tied to my ex, being filmed in Montevideo not far from her family's farm. We saw it in the early part of our relationship and it just added to the serendipity. Now many things are different. Go figure.
I guess I have a different opiniom from others but I don't find the woman in the post attractive-she just looks like a body-builder, masculine. I am pleased I have gained weight and have a curvier body now. I find it hard to believe its unhealthy for women to have fat on their bodies. I do try to limit exercise to stretching and walking because I don't want to be muscular. I like the body of the woman in my profile pic.
Hans, not Chief but the Super Slow guys recommend 10 reps, but former Mr. Olympia Larry Scott found that going very slowly for that many reps required way too light of a weight, so he recommends 3 reps. Larry Scott also experimented with times of 20seconds up and 20 seconds down, but found that was too long. He now recommends 7 up and 10 down. HTH.
"I guess I have a different opiniom from others but I don't find the woman in the post attractive-she just looks like a body-builder, masculine. I am pleased I have gained weight and have a curvier body now. I find it hard to believe its unhealthy for women to have fat on their bodies"
Sydney,
I don't disagree with your comment about women with some fat, (or men for that matter.)
Current social beliefs seem to favour the lean muscular/athletic physique. Not exclusively of course.
In eras past, a more Rubenesque or buxom figure was the coveted ideal.
Each to their own, but with increasing frequency many people including the medical community equate the super lean muscular look as 'health'. Naturally there are many folk who feel great in such condition.
Others dont.
Often for these, the desired-for look involves food deprivation, extreme dietary protocols, overtraining, and associated physiologically/neurologically stressful behaviours.
And many of these folk feel much worse than they did as 'less-healthy' versions.
The body has its own 'solutions' to stress over the longer term with all sorts of maladies, as it aims for stasis.
For what its worth, this site is refreshing in its direction regarding 'health', and many of the comments reflect hard learned lessons.
Real Will,
thanks, I will give it a shot after my exam. What is HTH?
Hans…sorry…it's short for "hope this helps"…so, I hope this helps! ;-)
Hans,
Real will has some great recommendations. some slow guys go as far as recommending like 30 up 30 down, not just ten.
I usually advise a 60-70 percent of maximum weight and whatever that comes out to in reps (usually between 4 and 7) with a 5 up and 7 down long count (very calmly, 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand which comes out to around 3.5 sec per count). Form being really important here failure being the stopping point.
it takes some experimenting to figure out what works best. keep one thing in mind that it is pretty intense and you might not want to do nearly as many exercises as typically done. ( 4-6 exercises is plenty)
I leave for a few days and come back to a thread there is all over the place. LOL!
CHIEF-
Hey, I did say that I could NOT do the helicopter!
-I do know how to fly it though.;-P
"Fertilizing eggs" Ha ha! Epic! Kan I use that in my next pick-up line?? Hey good-looking, do you want to fertilize my eggs…
It's funny with the whole size-doesn't-matter-thing.. Maybe it's just me but I have yet to meet a man with a big enough personality, to fill out his pants!
-And what is up with the whole lesbian fascination? You can't be on all teams you know.. ;-D
Sheila, if you only head some of the lines I have heard.
oddly, I have already heard something very similar :) choked on my water… girl pick up lines blow mens right out the water..
helicopter pilot huh so you know what to do in your cock-pit .well ..fly robin fly
Im not fascinated by them i just don't discriminate on fertilizable eggs based on sexual "preference"….
some people who have never tasted chocolate prefer vanilla but when they find a good ice cream shop they become chiefaholics :)
I'm only on one team …MINE! … lesbian or not they would be on MY team :)
This is quite a funny comments section, and I would like to add my opinion on exercise, and some of my observations.
First I think strength/weight training is definitely what all people should focus on, not the garbage 'im gonna run on the treadmill 2hrs a day'.
I find it very interesting superslow training has been mentioned. There is a very specific context for this type of training. To get the fullest out of this protocol you need the appropraite equipment which very few have (yes i understand you can move a barball slowly), but this type of training is not about moving the weight slowly it is about creating an inroad into the muscle.
For the people who have troubles with 'weight' because of injury and so forth you could try superslow but I would suggest something that I came upon in the last year, it is the Gym Movement Protocal. It is based around finding the movements that your body is responding to the best on any given day and setting personal records base on intensity, density, or volume. I think this program is effective because it keeps you within the weight parameters that your body can handle while allowing you to progress continuously. I can elaborate more but I will move on.
Now for the most random thought. I have been reading through past articles because I am relatively new to this blog and I have seen Aajonus mentioned before, I will tie this back into the weight training thing by saying I have come into contact with a natural bodybuilder who uses superslow training and follows Aajonus's diet…
… Well his training only takes 2 sessions a week at less than 1/2 hour, and he has built a champion physique, and as I have seen u mention Scott Abel before and in this comments section, I will say that Josh (natural bodybuilder) thinks that oxygen debt is the best indicator of exercise. Thought I would throw this out there for interest sake, just highlighting some connections.
Josh has also come to the belief that protein digestion is a huge limiting factor for the natural bodybuilder and he believes raw food greatly helps move past this barrier.
Thx to anyone who can get through this haha, just wanted to share some of my thoughts.
All the best, Dylan
CHIEF-
Yeah, I've heard from several guys that women can be pretty straight forward when it comes to picking up some new "ass" from the meat marked. I've never practiced it myself, that's not how I roll. Besides, chances are, I would run away giggling, immediately after throwing such a line, which would kinda make the whole point drop to the floor ;-D
Damn, I need to sharpen up my game! "cock-pit" -why didn't I think of that??! Damn you unfair world!
Hey, I love ice cream! No matter the color or taste! Ice cream rocks!
the hit n run technique you described is also quite popular to "get ass" when they don't have Rachel Coscrove to simply "build ass".
This is especially funny with foreign language and a girl tries to say something real fast and runs a way covering her mouth.
you love ice cream eh ? no matter what kind, sounds
Highly metabolic ! what would mommy think….
Sydney.
I was disagreeing with you up until I watched the chin up video. she has a slight manly V thing going on and some pretty beefy triceps. Although I commend her chin up ability I personally would find the unnamed girl in your default pic more sexy simply walking up to me saying … "hey… nice pony tail, I like your hair, wanna fertilize my egg sometime ? "
…note to self ….. I think I may have to add "Egg fertilizer" to my business card.
Sydney: I feel the same. I'm not a fan of the super lean look on either men or women. When did seeing one's abdominal muscles become something we all had to strive for? When did poking out veins become sexy? I just don't get it. I feel and look my best when I'm about 10 pounds over the minimum healthy weight for my height. Right now I'm thirty pounds over the maximum for my height, so I definitely think loosing some fat would be a good plan for health. It seems that weight lifting is the best strategy for loosing fat quickly. I know I've dropped an inch a week by lifting, cutting calories and doing interval training. However that was a great way to destroy my health. Most women can not build large amounts of muscle. My problem is that my muscles get bigger, I don't loose enough fat and I just feel larger in general, especially in my arms. It is believed that doing lots of stretching (i.e. yoga, callenetics) will make muscle long and not bulky.) I've been experimenting with that and I can see that it works on the lower body. Still having difficulty finding anything that works on my arms. I have to be super lean to loose that flab on my arms and lifting just makes them bigger. Uggh.
Anyway, I've ordered Cosgrove's book and hope it is helpful.
AaronF: sorry about your breakup. If you are single I know lots of single ladies in the MN for you!
jenny . what part of your arm gets bigger ?
tricep bicep ?
JENNYTHENIPPER-
You can't really build either long or bulky muscles. A muscle is a muscle and it responds to work load. It's down to genetics if you get that long and "lean" look, or if you get a more bulky and rounded look. How your muscle belly transform, is written in your genes.
Chief: Biceps. Tricep, may get bigger but it's hard to tel since that's where I accumulate fat. I have to be in the teens for body fat before I can get rid of it.
Sheila: I see what you're saying. Why can't the myths of spot reduction and "long muscles" be true!
Ha. Yeah I had a friend of mine ask about exercises for getting rid of tricep flubber. I was like, "you can't spot train." It's a systemic, metabolic kind of deal. In fact, trying to train tricep flab with tricep exercise is a great way to just make the tricep area thicker, still with no definition.
Hans-
Good advice from the boys for you. HIIT can achieve those desired metabolic effects, so it would be considered a substitute for Cosgrove's "metabolic" workouts or some of the metabolic elements of Abel's MET training. However, strength training is separate.
But they are right. You don't have to do a lot, it doesn't have to be that heavy, and the main thing for positive results is keeping the muscle under continous strain and achieving overload. A beginning bodybuilder often has trouble getting big-time results with small volume just doing single set workouts like you see in HIT…
http://www.trulyhuge.com/hit.html
The above link also ties in well with what Dylan was saying about his friend's champion physique on 2 30-minute workout sessions per week.
Stancel-
Here is some good calorie action for you from the good old days…
For starters, the Ancel Keys subjects were 5'10 and 150 pounds on average starting the experiment, and daily maintenance calorie levels was found to be right around 3,500 calories per day.
But much better than that was a quote I found in the Biology of Human Starvation about a study of Olympic athletes during the 1930's…
?Schenk claimed that daily intakes of 320 gm. of protein and 7300 cal, as observed among the Olympic athletes, are essential for hard manual work or strenuous exercise.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
jenny,
matt has it laid out right in his comment above,
there is no magic exercise.
Triceps are the biggest muscle in the arm so thats some food for thought in terms of how much they can bulk your arm up.
You can avoid anything that will stimulate tricep growth which will avoid the bulking up, even though some overall growth can be manifested from simply doing squats it will be greatly reduced if you don't stimulate your triceps in excess.
the real focus should be on total fat reduction to a healthy level, I have seen in both men and women that the flabbiness goes away when the starvation mechanism is not active. This does not require any 2 minute abs technique or some magic tea made from a flower batman had to carry up a mountain. when the body does not expect to balloon out it will shrink the skin :)
Sheila said:
"You can't really build either long or bulky muscles. A muscle is a muscle and it responds to work load. It's down to genetics if you get that long and "lean" look, or if you get a more bulky and rounded look. How your muscle belly transform, is written in your genes."
Don't break my heart! I'm sticking my head in the sand and pretending I can build long and lean muscles…
Jenny, I build muscle easily, too, and maintain it with little effort. This is a plus on some level, I imagine, but I know what you mean about building muscle without losing fat: it just equals more bulk!
Sheila, Elizabeth and jenny
it is possible to build a physique which is less bulky look regardless of genetic potential. No need for ostrich-like behavior.
many body builders "deflate" without constant training because alot of this bulk is water and glycogen stores.
furthermore many gymnast have extreme strength without all that much bulk.
thirdly, if the fat in between muscle fibers is reduced the bulk will be even lower still.
don't be afraid of weights it is pretty difficult to get bulky being a woman due to the hormonal aspect of weight training.
Chief: I'm definitely not afraid of weights! I love serious strength training and look forward to getting back in the saddle when I'm through RRARF-ing later this month. Do you have any particular suggestions for avoiding the bulk that some of us notice?
Matt,
I just noticed you sent a twitter message to rachel about this post in case she reads this here is my message in a bottle.
RACHEL COSGROVE : I WOULD LIKE TO ORDER A FEW OF THE BUTTS YOU BUILD . I would require the the female variety with the quarter bouncing ability size or color does not matter.
to be delivered to my bed upon completion. :)
ELIZABETH,
don't do what bulky meathead is doing at the gym.
:)
crossfit seems to produce these types of bodies though i don't know if its a good idea to hit extremes like that.
seriously though I have never seen anyone extremely bulky with body weight exercises alone. I would say work on isometric exercises. Static poses and working muscles you never knew you had ..like with yoga
the other thing to try is isolating muscles you don't mind increasing in size.. glutes anyone :)
this will cause an increase in metabolic mass which will help with composition WITHOUT making a cocktail dress look awkward.
If you already have a much junk in the trunk getting bigger in backside will make a cocktail dress look awkward (when the skirt is 1-3 inches shorter in the back.) However most men do not notice hemlines at that point, do they?
Just call me miss argumentative. But good point about doing body weight exercises and static poses.
I AM afraid of weights!I haven't touched them in over a year! I don't stick my head in the sand but I still have biceps the size of an ostrich's egg!
;-P
"I AM afraid of weights!I haven't touched them in over a year! I don't stick my head in the sand but I still have biceps the size of an ostrich's egg!
;-P"
Hey Sheila,
all shapes and sizes, bloody beautiful it is too.
Muscle shape may not change so much but perception can and does
:)
Aw.. J.R. Your always my man of rescue ;-)
Well said and very true!
Chief: can I get some of that Batman tea?
and on the butt tip, I have to tell you all that seeing J. Lo and the Kardashians, that shiznit is genetic fo sure. Even if they lose weight, that caboose will always be..impressive. And Quarter Worthy.
:)
deb
Pavel Tsatsouline sez to avoid bulking up while training…use a heavy weight for low volume…under 10 total reps (i.e. 2×5, 5×2, 3×3…). Maximize the entire body tension, and avoid the negative (the negative portion of the movement is important in hypertrophy…see Arthur Jones). Don't go slow on the negative. Use a minimum of exercises…for instance deadlifts and overhead presses will pretty much work the entire body with just 2 exercises. Controlled tension on the way up (not necessarily slow), damn near drop the weight on the way down. I've never tried it because I never wanted to avoid hypertrophy myself, LOL, but Pavel is one smart dude.
jenny ,
hemline ? is that near butt region … (mind drifting away thinking about butts) … what were we talking about again ….oh yea butts …no wait… hemlines yea … i think most men are focused on the junk and not the trunk :)
DEB,
I'll bring some tea to LA.
good point on genetics ,
RACHEL COSGROVE : I REQUIRE A FEW KARDASHIAN AND A J LO MODELS in the order … connected to beautiful women of course … thanks
VERITABLE WILL,
are you sure about the high weight low rep? maybe it is meant to be combined with the entire protocol without the negative stress.? because i have seen high weight low rep under normal conditions result in thickness.
what book does he mention this in? been a while since i read his stuff. he is definitely a smart dude and everything else besides that is spot on in my opinion.
back to yoga, no spin zone time for me.
got to get the blood sugar under control
Stone's orders.. or suggestion that is.
xo
deb
It is true gaduncaduncs are genetic. My mom is 66 and her butt is still pretty quarter worthy. Her workout regime is to dig in the garden (usually while smoking).
Matt, while looking for a RKC trainer in my area I found this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/fyfriday#p/a/u/1/sh_Y3HsOpWM
Minnesota Lady Powerlifters. Thought you might enjoy it.
Will, it make sense if the negative part of the lift is what is building bulk that you'd want to have the fewest of those possible. It's the exact opposite of the do a million reps with a tiny weight strategy that most women have been taught.
I got Cosgrove's book yesterday. I read the first three chapters. I'm not sure there's a lot in here that I didn't already know. I'm looking forward to reading the chapter on hormones, though. That should be interesting or at least amusing.
She describes herself at various body fat levels throughout her life. On one hand it was useful to see how body fat effects overall emotional/well-being. One really telling thing, though, is that she went from being super low BF (below 15%) as a fitness competitor to being super high (in the low 30s) very quickly. She really beats up on the high body fat stage, rather than just acknowledging it as a completely healthy and natural response to her low body fat insanity. I'm not saying she should have stayed that way or anything but it's clear she needed that period to heal after doing some extreme dieting. Then of course she follows this up with the usual hypocrisy about loving your body and ending negative thoughts about your looks.
The writing in this book is so shit, by the way. It makes me appreciate Matt all the more.
Good points Jennythenipper!
I wish this whole getting healthy thing was easier. I think I need to go on an "information" fast.. in other words, don't read anymore stupid articles that say low carb is godlike, exercise will make you look like a playboy model and that eating pretty much anything is a possible hazard.
Stop the carnival ride, I want to get off.
xo
deb
"I think I need to go on an "information" fast.."
DebbieDoesRaw,
Can I say, beautiful.
The birds keep chirping, the bees buzz, and so it goes.
The carnival continues, and one need do nothing about it.
I agree, grass fed momma!
I think that THINKING about blah food blah exercise good/bad blahblahblah makes me crazy and probably is unhealthier sometimes than if I did what my roommates do– just eat whatever the hell I feel like. Or don't eat when i'm not hungry. And sure as hell not worry about omega ratios, carb/fat grams, protein levels, reps v. sets, or the casein/wheat correlations w/ disease.
But then again, I've started this so I don't know if it's possible to get out.
I hear ya, Deb. I just want to find some kind of metabolic training program that will help develop a routine and it's just endless BS about nutrition and supplements. The low carb thing is the worst of it, but there is just so much nonsense out there that it blows me away. I found a trainer online today who had a cookie video. Dear Lord save me from actually eating these meals. He grilled chicken breast, made Uncle Bens "whole grain" par boiled boil in the bag rice and steamed broccoli. I love it. You won't eat white rice because that's not paleo enough but you eat Uncle Fricken Bens. Nice! Maybe I'm just nitpicking because I don't really want to exercise and I'm just looking for an excuse. But I think I would have a hard time not getting into fights about potatoes with these guys.
Sorry, I meant "cooking." The Uncle Bens dude would never eat a cookie.
I think I need to be talked down from the low-carb/primal ledge. Any takers?
Anonymous on the ledge: real primal people like the Kitavans live on potatoes. There are plenty of super-fit, ass-kicking starch eaters around here if you want any more proof that it's unnecessary. There are plenty of f-ed up former primal people here if you want proof that a lifestyle super low in carbs and high in stress (including overtraining) is a dead-end, even dangerous path.
JENNY LOL i was trying to figure out where the cookie came into play with the uncle bens guy
By the way, the Uncle Bens Guy was massive. I couldn't believe how tiny his portions were. Like My four and a half year old eats that much. And this guy is over six foot and built like a brick shitter. The mind boggles.
Anon,
for those that dont do well on paleo/low carb, often the ledge just crumbles away by itself.
Then, new horizons including starch and grain present themselves.
jenny …
protein shakes and most likely bulking phase ..uhhmmm….coughing voice (steroids)
i see lots of those guys at gyms all over eating tiny portions in their cutting phase .. foolish mortals
Jenny,
I've got Rachel's book on my Amazon queue but you're making it sound like it's not all that great. Some of the books on Matt's reading list do turn out to be disappointing, but I still want to check this one out anyway.
And instead of Uncle Fricken Bens how about some mashed potatoes made with PastureLand butter and Cedar Summit cream?
And yeah, I am from MN. If you know any nice ladies, I'd be happy to make their acquaintance.
Wow, thanks guys!
And also, is this turning into 180 degree dating?
:P
I love that guys Jenny, Uncle Flippin' Bens??
Didn't that go out with Rice A Roni, the San Fransisco treat.. toot toot.. (trolly noise)!
trying to RRARF kitavan style, makes the most sense and the least worrisome.
later peeps,
deb xoxo
ANON # 4083 we shall call you LEDGY :)
I am a hardcore ass kickin starch eater
I have also live "primal" as you possibly can in this day and age and still sought out root veggies and and wild rices in the wilderness.
anyone that is attempting to be the "tribe " of wolly mammoth hunters in the 10, 000 bc movie is a dumb ass. if those people had the choice to eat mashed potatoes they would have. just look at what inuits eat today. Back then or if you are imitating this lifestyle now, its a shitty existence either way especially considering its near impossible to live primal. most primal folks cheat all day long with uncle bens as jenny said or any number of far fetched fantasyland justifications.
paleo in my opinion is a marketing gimmick based on a long held understanding in body building circles that avoiding certain foods = fat loss.
I loves' me all kinds of starch, i used to be a fatass now fat bounces off of me and sticks to low-carbies.
and btw, if you guys figure out a way to make cookies from potatoes, let me know :)
Deb,
I once had a roommate make cookies from olive oil. I thought he was a dumbass. And that was before I knew butter is actually good for you.
You could try potato starch. I've tried making pancakes from various kinds of non-wheat starch. It's kind of hit or miss.
Jenny,
You need to share the link to the uncle bens guy.
Chief: Your rubber, the paleo geeks are glue…
AaronF: funny! I was thinking some sweet potatoes make work.. off to search for recipes!
xo deb
here's a somewhat decent one, you need to sub out the sugar and flour for perhaps healthier choices, but overall it seems ok.. just for an occasional snack, not a meal people!
http://www.grouprecipes.com/3970/molasses-sweet-potato-cookies.html
pancakes: these are delicious but i don't measure things so who knows the ratios… not too thin, not too thick
pumpkin or mashed sweet potatoes, an egg or two, a bit of coconut flour or buckwheat (GF) and some baking powder. I usually make one big one and top it with a bit of greek yogurt or berries. Or more pumpkin and some coconut butter. YUM!
ill have to attempt a meal deb
@Anonymous Pancakes,
That is one awesome sounding paleo pancake. Must. Try.
From Pavel's "Power to the People"…
"You have tried high reps. You went for the 'burn'. It did not work. Why do you
insist on doing the same thing and expect a different outcome?
The 'burn' you feel from high reps is from lactic acid buildup and does absolutely
nothing for toning up your muscles. Pick up a copy of The Guinness Book of
World Records and look up the picture of 'Captain America' who holds the world
record in the number of consecutive sit-ups?in the ballpark of 25,000! This dude
must have 'felt the burn' more than anyone else on this planet and he does not even
have a six-pack to show for it, even at his low level of body fat."
cont. "The reason you feel hard during and after the ?burn? is the same reason a corpse
is stiff. Your muscle fibers are like mouse traps’they go off by themselves, but
need energy to be reset to contract again. A dead body is out of ATP, the energy
compound that relaxes the muscles. A ‘stiff’s? muscles are permanently contracted.
A high rep workout exhausts ATP in your muscle and leads to a temporary hardness
very similar to the more permanent rigor mortis! The only way to make such
‘tone? last is by killing yourself.
Then what is ?real? muscle tone and how do you get it? Flex your biceps the way
kids do when they show off. Wow, the little ball is just rippling under the skin! If
you just could walk around flexed like this… you would also develop a taste for
canary yellow striped tights and tank tops three sizes too small for you and become
a bodybuilder!
If you do not feel like walking around all day feeling and looking constipated,
you could just train your nervous system to keep your muscles half flexed when
you are relaxed. After all, this is what muscle tone is?residual tension in a relaxed
muscle! The kind of tension that comes from neurological activity, and not energy
exhaustion."
cont…"Increased muscle tone is not a physical transformation of your muscle. It is the
result of the nervous system being more alert. It keeps the muscles partially contracted
all the time so you are more ready for wrestling bears, crushing rocks in a
labor camp in Siberia, and doing other useful things for the glory of the Party and
the People. When a Russian paratrooper is braced for a kick in the gut from his
drill sergeant, he has got the tone!
Strength = tension = tone. It is that simple. Provided you gain strength learning
to generate tension, rather than by building muscle, generally the stronger you are,
the harder you will be! Strength and tone training is the same thing."
cont…""Why am I having trouble getting 'the buns of steel'?" wonder millions of ladies.
Because the glutes have tremendous strength and leverage. When you see a powerlifter
squat or deadlift bar-bending weight, the glutes carry the brunt of that multihundred
pound load! When you do butt squeezes, 'fire hydrants', or similar silly
moves popular in 'muscle sculpting' classes, you do not even come close to tapping
the force/tension potential of your body's strongest muscles. You'd better get on a
first name basis with heavy deads if you are after a hard butt!
"Why can't I define my triceps to save my life?" wonder men and women alike.
An obscure study done in the early sixties discovered that although the triceps is a
'three-headed' muscle, its medial head performs the brunt of the work. The other
two heads, the long and the lateral, kick in only when the resistance is very high.
According to Dr. Thomas McLaughlin, a biomechanics researcher and a nationally
ranked powerlifter, even some powerlifters do not approach the weights needed to
recruit the two lazy triceps heads in their training! The most visible part of your
triceps is the lateral head on the outside of your arm. It is one of the 'bum' pair
and it will remain forever flat and saggy if you keep lifting Ken and Barbie weights!"
cont…"Train heavy, but keep the volume,
or the total number of reps per workout,
low. The idea is to minimize the amount of
‘torn down? muscle?and the reconstruction
that follows.
How low is ?low?? The exact number will
vary from victim to victim (a kind name for the
people I have strength trained), but generally if
you keep your reps to ten and under you are in
the clear. There are exceptions, of course.
Some alien life forms grow like weeds from one
heavy set of five reps. If you are one of them,
you probably ran away with the circus years
ago and will not be reading this book. For the
rest of you, Commies, two sets of five is what
Lenin ordered for wiry strength."
cont.."If you have been inactive in your former life, any activity, heavy lifting, or even
light typing, is likely to add a little muscle to your carcass initially. Do not think of
it as new muscle gain, but rather getting back the meat you were supposed to have
in the first place. Kind of like after being in a cast or bedridden for years. Most
likely your measurements will not increase, while your weight will go up a few
pounds. The packing density of your muscles' contractile proteins has increased,
the first thing to happen when 'real' muscle growth takes place. Be happy: a denser
muscle is a harder muscle.
Keep your sessions brief and heavy if skinny power is what you are after. My
friend Dr. Judd Biasiotto squatted an out-of-this-world 605 pounds at an efficient
132 pounds of bodyweight when he trained with a couple of heavy ‘triples?, as sets
of three reps are known in the iron world. Years later Judd became a highly
successful master bodybuilder when he upped his volume and started squatting
325×30. His thighs are huge compared to the ?pair of pliers in shorts? that set four
world records, yet he is training with half the weight he used to lift. So much for
the mainstream bulking up theories.
To get strong and hard without getting big train heavy but do not do many sets.
Thus spake Comrade Stalin."
I apologize for all the posts but I purchased most of Pavel's books and they are a gold mine of great info. One smart mofo. You can buy them on Amazon or direct from Dragon Door. He also has that smartass humor like Matt does…very entertaining reading.
Jenny, you are seeing the light, LOL…do I have an AMEN!
Real Will:
you just made me realize that all the painful millions of reps, nothing over 10 lb lifting/classes I have been doing are a super large waste of time. No wonder I was in better shape doing heavy bars with less reps and less cardio.
I will need a spotter to do the gigantic weights you speak of, any takers ;)?
xo deb
I wouldn't be a good spotter…I would be yelling like a drill sergeant with spit coming out…not pretty, LOL! :-P
I was asking for which book by name lol not excepts will lol
Amen, Brother Will!
I have to get some of Pavel's books. His prose style is up there with Matt Stone. I love Russians. I work with a bunch of them. They always have the most morbid, hilarious humor.
As a coincidence yesterday when I was trolling around for a trainer online, I found a woman who teaches kettlebells who is a power lifter who can squat double her body weight. She weighs under 130 pounds and she is not super huge. Her thighs look like she bikes to work. So yeah, just to underscore the big lifts do not necessarily underscore big muscles.
debbie, I'm sure you'll be surprised at the weight you can lift when you get past the intimidation factor. My first day ever in the squat cage was terrifying but also empowering. OK, I'm starting to sound like Rachel Cosgrove.
By request here's the link to Uncle Ben, as I'm now going to call him. To be fair to the guy, I was really psyched because he teaches metabolic training for free to any kid under 16 who is over or under weight. He takes inner city kids out with kegs from the local bottling plant and does relays. How cool is that? And he puts old school MC Hammer in his videos, so right away, I like that. But yeah, the diet thing just bugged me.
http://www.averagejoescrossfit.com/average-joes-crossfit/coachs-kitchen.html
Flourless pancakes? Umm buckwheat anyone? Makes great crepes. Even though it has "wheat" in the name, it's gluten free. I make buckwheat crepes every week as a treat for my family. Filled with cottage cheese and fruit, they taste delicious. I cheat and use a little wheat flour, to get the crepes to absorb the liquid better (gasp!) but you can omit this by making the batter the night before using.
I use 6 ounces of buckwheat
3 ounces of flour and a pinch of salt. I sift that mixture into 12 ounces of milk and then beat in three eggs, one at a time.
If you are allergic to gluten you need to be careful that your buckwheat is from a clean source, but most of the reputable sellers of gluten free stuff, like Bob's Mill are very sensitive to your sensitivities. That's how they make their living.
Hey Jenny, we just found out my son is allergic to gluten. He has basically had a stomach ache since around February, then knee pain, then dizziness. We made him gluten free and all of those are basically gone. His GI doc sez he doesn't have Celiac Disease, so I guess it's an allergy/sensitivity. He's also allergic to dairy so do you think those crepes would come out OK with straight buckwheat (no added flour) and rice milk? Thanks!
Chief…I like to go the extra mile. ;-)
(that was from Power to the People BTW)
Genuine will,
meant to say excerpts
yea i recognized it as i was reading . . his books are good reads, very original style.
it definitely cleared up what i was asking though ..as it's still a high weight in my opinion the 325 x 30 not exactly typical of high rep routines most are doing in the gym like DEB. sorry DEB 1lb dumbbells are paper weights.:)
makes a lot more sense now that it is in perspective.
thanks
Dr. Judd Biasiotto thing achievement is insane at 132 in body weight btw …sheez
JENNY-
You can also use psyllium seed shells instead of a little wheat flour. It makes everything stick nicely, plus it adds some fiber to the mix ;-)
Hi Will:
How old is your son? That sucks about the two allergies. For a while, it seemed that all holistic doctors did was recommend people don't eat gluten or dairy. I have heard of collick being caused by gluten allergy, where when a breast-feeding mom was eating wheat and then when she stopped the collick went away. I have no idea about rice milk for cooking. I've never used it. It should be ok. You may need to add an extra egg to make the batter elastic enough. The key to making great crepes is to get your pan thoroughly heated before you make the first one. If the batter slides around the pan instead of sticking the pan isn't hot enough. If the first crepe tears then the pan isn't hot enough or you need a bit more egg. Good luck.
I finished reading Cosgrove's book last night. In all, I think the second half was a lot more useful. The chapter on hormones was actually really good and explained a lot to me that I didn't know. One thing that smacked of total BS was the recommendation to not eat starch when you are retaining water, since starch absorbs more water. Yeah but doesn't starch digest really quickly? The nutrition chapter had some nonsense about tapering carbs, and eating a recovery shake (because your refueling window is so tiny apparently). I liked the training sections the best. I think that will be the most useful part.
Overall, I can see why Matt recommended the book.
Hey Jenny,
Actually he is allergic to a bunch of stuff…it was just those 2 were in the recipe, LOL! :-)
He just turned 7, so they don't think he is going to outgrow them.
I'll have to try the crepes…it will give him something different to eat. Most of the gluten-free stuff is nasty. We bought a gluten-free pancake mix and it was gross, then we bought one from Bob's Red Mill and it actually tastes like a muffin…pretty good actually. So going gluten-free and getting him stuff that is actually edible is a challenge…especially to my wallet.
JENNY-
Can you explain what new info you learned about hormones, in the book?
Sheila: She divides the month into four weeks. The first week, is PMS week, where you need to work out, just to do it, but you can hang back on intensity. Optimize your rest. She talks about not beating yourself up if you give in to cravings at this time. As your metabolism and over all health improve PMS symptoms should lessen and cravings will be easier to fight. Or not. Eating some chocolate for a day or two is not going to ruin your training if you don't let it turn into a self-sabotage spiral. This is your most estrogen dominant week. Breasts may be sore, etc so she changes the exercises to be more low impact. Give yourself permission to take it easy. Don't skip workouts because they may actually help you lessen the symptoms of PMS. She says to avoid starch, but yeah, I'm not doing that. Progesterone is also a factor in PMS. People who experience overly long PMS are out of balance. Hopefully, again getting in better shape will shorten PMS.
Week two is your period. Your body actually burns fat more efficiently in this period and you should definitely go to the gym. Just getting outside in the fresh air and moving can help lift the depressed, sluggish feeling that many of us get during our period. (I've always found this to be true. Going for a run was always hard to motivate but felt great afterward.)
Week three: Post period. Testosterone returns and work outs should really kick ass this week. Train hard to take advantage of the uptick in testosterone.
Week four: same deal only she adds volume in terms of weights and reps. Hormones for some may be shifting into PMS mode. Try to adjust if you feel you need to because fighting your body will just be counterproductive.
She also talks about how birth control pills will impede your performance by putting artificial progesterone into your body. She doesn't say don't take the pill or use it as an excuse not to train, just says that it's a factor. She also talks about the importance of regular periods and that she has a lot of clients who she trains who've lost their periods through over training or stress. Frankly I think ammenorea is more complicated than that, but she does acknowledge at least that it is a very dangerous thing and that you should be seeking a doctor's help rather than thinking "bonus!"
I want to say one more thing about Cosgrove's book. I think the thing I most appreciate about it is that it was written by a former runner. I really get what she says about wanting to go out and run because it's so easy. It's way more fun that the gym for me. But it is counter-productive to where I want to go. She holds running up as a goal for some later time when I'm more fit. This is what I knew deep down when I started training for a trail marathon. Which is why I embarked on a very committed fat loss program. The problem was, I was still trying to add cardio in on top of lifting weights and doing HIIT training. I wasn't eating enough calories or carbs and I was relying on supplements to provide more protein and the supplements were killing my health. It took about a month for me become really ill, the sickest I've been since my kid was born. I think I had the right idea. I just did it the wrong way. I think if I start lifting again and doing HIIT (not with running though since my body is probably still too adapted to running to get the benefits) while focusing on getting enough sleep and eating 180 style, I will probably kick ass. We'll see. Deep down I still want to run that trail marathon. But more than that I want to be fit and healthy and not undo the gains I've made since coming here.
JENNY-
Thank you for the info ;-)
I came here to flirt and damn, I got all hooked into Jenny's book review. Well, here is a glaring ommission.. she bases everything on your freakin' period??
Hi, post menopausal women or surgically menopausal women are what SOL?
LAME
fail for me..
Sheila you are cute too:)
deb the flirter
DEBBIE-
LOL, you did the same as me when you read the comments about looking in this blogpost for flirting.
-and thanks, I think your pretty cute too, but SHHYYYY don't let anybody know.. Need to be serious! Argggg.. I can't! Damnit! Ha ha!
It's just between us Sheila. Us joking, off topic, flirters who worship the god that is Matt Stone and the 180 degree bible.
:P
So it sounds like you set up a standing desk? So says your comment on my blog! Let’s see some pix! And more talkie talkie about how the glute activation is coming along!
Yeah. Bought it from Ikea. The 3 levels are adjustable. I want to get a monitor that I can plug my laptop into to capture the full effect. That way my head is not tilted downward. It will be a beautiful thing when complete and I hope to do a little video or pic of it. As for my glutes, I was told by more than one person in 2011 that I have a “black man’s ass.” Good enough for me.