I may be an anomaly, but I cannot practice good squat form with an unloaded bar. My center of gravity is too far forward and I end up squatting on my toes.

3/7/2014 12:59:58 PM

^ same here. I can air squat fine but not with an empty bar.

3/7/2014 1:21:44 PM

Quote :

"^^ Alright, I'll give that a try. Thanks for the advice. I checked out your website and it looks great. I hope the gym is going well and gaining popularity. I also appreciate all the information you have for women on there. I read most of the articles in the Member Zone section, although I'm not sure I was suppose to. Hopefully I can find a job in Raleigh soon and maybe sign up for some private sessions or something. Your team looks really legit. "

You're welcome!

Thanks for the comments. I opened up the members zone for all since it's adds value for everyone and demonstrates that we are legit.

We'd love to have you come train with us... We've got personal training (semi-private) options as low as $20/week.

3/7/2014 3:08:34 PM

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/04/285879644/eat-plants-and-prosper-for-longevity-go-easy-on-the-meat-study-says

Quote :

"Americans who ate a diet rich in animal protein during middle age were significantly more likely to die from cancer and other causes, compared with people who reported going easy on foods such as red meat and cheese, fresh research suggests."

http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131%2814%2900062-X

3/7/2014 4:00:28 PM

You leave cheese out of this, you son of a bitch.

3/7/2014 4:10:34 PM

^

Also, I'll throw some weights on the bar and just get Peter to make sure my technique is alright.

3/7/2014 4:24:21 PM

ironically, the person who funded that study owns a plant-based protein company.

also, the china study, etc, has already been debunked to hell.

3/7/2014 7:46:33 PM

That's not fair to say.

Quote :

"GHRKO (C57BL/6 background) mice were kindly provided by J.J. Kopchick (Ohio University). This work was funded by NIH/NIA grants (AG20642, AG025135, and AG034906) to V.D.L., NIH/NIA grants (P30AG017265 and T32AG0037) to E.M.C., and a USC Norris Cancer Center pilot grant to V.D.L. The funding sources had no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. V.D.L. has equity interest in L-Nutra, a company that develops medical food. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest."

We get some funding from our animal studies from Pfizer but that doesn't mean they dictate how we perform studies and interpret data.

3/7/2014 7:54:16 PM

you shouldn't have to tell college educated researchers not to bite the hand that feeds them.

3/7/2014 9:53:35 PM

Carnivore 4 life.

3/8/2014 7:08:11 AM

Something interesting from that paper...animal protein consumption along with a low carb diet increased mortality rate.

Wonder where the connection is...

3/8/2014 12:34:36 PM

that study is downright comical. High protein intake in their opinion is 20% of your calories coming from protein, and 10% protein is a moderate level. They also act like IGF-1 is the boogeyman that causes people to die.

I would like to see where their claims that a low carb diet increases mortality rate come from, when numerous studies have said the opposite. I have a sneaking suspicion that they're taking advantage of the fact that the majority of people who switch to low-carb diets have been overweight and borderline diabetic for years before switching to that diet. Years of being overweight takes its toll on the body. Studies that have been standardized for participant starting weight and medical history always come back with no increases in mortality rates, although the benefits of low-carb diets for weight loss their edge over other diets after 6 months.

3/8/2014 4:35:50 PM

^I LOL'd at their "high protein" too

Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.full.pdf

Quote :

"A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD."

[Edited on March 9, 2014 at 12:16 PM. Reason : MOAR MEAT]

3/9/2014 12:15:14 PM

Yeah it sounded like bullshit. Thought you guys would get a kick out of it.

3/9/2014 1:23:27 PM

The thing worth mentioning about that paper is that it came out of a high impact journal and so far that I know, is the only paper that paired epidemiological studies with cellular mechanisms. I haven't read the entire thing yet.


But here is decent analysis of the study, I only glanced at it, I'll look at it once I get a chance to read the actual paper.

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2014/03/case-killer-protein/

3/12/2014 12:59:42 AM

more and more evidence is coming out that saturated fat does not increase risk of cardiovascular diseases, but has any country actually changed it's official advice regarding this? the official advice in UK is still to lower saturated fat, and i afaik it is the same in the US. and nearly all people still think it is bad for us.

did Ancel Keys fuck it up so bad for the whole world and drive it so deeply into out collective consciousness that saturated fat is bad for us that it is nearly impossible to reverse that mantra at a public level?

3/16/2014 6:47:37 PM

The famous Ancel Keys 7 countries study originally started out as the 22 countries study. Then he cherry-picked the evidence that supported his hypothesis and threw out the rest.

Sadly the US has not changed the saturated fat recommendation.

But in the most recent batch of nutrition textbooks I received, there's significantly less information on saturated fat in general. It's like the authors are familiar with more recent research but don't want to go against the Dietary Guidelines for Americans so they just skip it. The new books also have a lot more information on trans fats.

3/18/2014 1:19:49 PM

Success update:

Finally Benched 300x1 for a new PR at 175lbs body weight.

Planning to end this week about 2lbs lighter.

Lifting heavy weights 4/week with an upper/lower split. Also doing 2-3 days of conditioning, either hard and short, or long and relaxing.

Combined with calorie/carb cycling, this should allow me to keep as much muscle as possible while getting down to around 8-9% bodyfat.

3/18/2014 9:19:11 PM

Tonight I accidentally hit myself in the face hardcore while demonstrating sandbag burpees.

3/18/2014 10:01:18 PM

^^ solid, nice work


My lat injury has successfully kept me out of the gym for a while now, that is one of the worst muscles to injure because you can hardly do anything lifting wise without bringing it into play. At least I am losing weight and not getting fat, really itching to get my strength back though.

3/18/2014 11:10:03 PM

Did 87 miles on a road bike with 6000 feet of climbing. Been upping mileage in the last couple of months in preparation for deathride in Tahoe. Climbing is hard at 205lb

3/19/2014 12:06:42 AM

^^Thanks! I should be on the way to 315 soon, now that I can base some accurate training percentages on 300. The bar moved pretty fast, so I am feeling confident.

Have you tried getting some manual therapy like massage or ART on your lat?

3/19/2014 10:42:21 AM

I haven't mainly because access to that sort of thing is limited for me right now. Been spendingn a stupid amount of money on a new house so I would have a hard time paying for a massage. I have been foam rolling and using a lacrosse ball on it though and it seems to help a lot.

3/19/2014 1:21:30 PM

I hit a 300 lb clean last night for a nice PR.

3/19/2014 3:25:34 PM

Nice! I've been slacking on my cleans. Need to get back on it. How much are you DLing?

3/19/2014 4:31:40 PM

My deadlift is just over 500.

3/19/2014 6:01:17 PM

Got a birthday coming up soon and I'm thinking about a fitbit.

Does anybody have any experience with one? Are they worth it? Are there any better products like it on the market currently?

3/19/2014 8:21:22 PM

I LOVE my Jawbone UP https://jawbone.com/up

Here's an article that compares UP and FitBit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelly-palmer/fitbit-vs-jawbone_b_4674901.html

Also, there was a recent voluntary recall of the FitBit Force due to skin irritation.

3/20/2014 11:00:44 AM

I've had almost every fitbit they've made except force.

I like it.

3/20/2014 11:55:02 AM

I use the Polar Loop. It's similar to a Jawbone or Fit bit but can be paired to a heart rate monitor during workouts. I like that feature cause it breaks down your workout and shows your heart rate throughout and how many calories that specific workout burned based on your heart rate.

3/21/2014 9:51:40 AM

whatever happened to face?

3/21/2014 11:27:21 AM

^ He's too busy drinking beer and fucking skinny bitches to bother with his thread.


I haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks. I don't really care because my clothes are getting looser and my muscles are getting bigger. Also, I had to move something because my classmate was too weak to do it herself.

3/21/2014 12:04:39 PM

Thanks everybody for the suggestions.

I do really like that UP Begonias as it looks pretty unintrusive. I guess I need to find somewhere to try each on and see which one feels more comfortable.

I'll definitely be checking out the Polar Loop too. I've currently got heart trouble so having the heart rate monitor could be an added bonus.

3/21/2014 2:51:36 PM

This is what the data from the Polar Loop looks like. Honestly the Jawbone has a cooler looking app, but this gives me all the info I need. The bottom two are the information you get when you pair with a sensor for your workout. Different colors on the clock mean different things (white is sleep and the darker it gets its mean activity with the dark blue/grey being the most active.)





[Edited on March 21, 2014 at 5:28 PM. Reason : additional info]

3/21/2014 5:26:36 PM

Haven't been working out much just haven't had a lot of motivation lately. Dropped down to 157 just drinking protein shakes, skipping workouts, sKipling sleep, skipping food, and partying all for a few weeks.

Think I'll start back this week.

3/21/2014 6:23:34 PM

RIP face

3/21/2014 6:26:56 PM

^^^i have a polar FT4. Too bad that's not compatible with the loop

3/22/2014 12:11:27 AM

Success update:

I Pulled 500lbs on the DL today. It came up pretty strong, but it was definitely maximal.

So far in 2014 I've hit 500 DL, 405 Squat, and 300 Bench. Currently at 172lbs bodyweight.

Now the next goal is to run a <6minute mile. Also going to do 2 obstacle 5ks; the Zombie Escape and Ninja Callenge. New running shoes are on their way!

Has anyone here ever run that fast? Or have any training tips?

3/22/2014 5:00:18 PM

RIP GF worked out for TJ warren

3/22/2014 7:19:21 PM

I blew a hole in the toe of my vibrams while running a 10k training run today. I guess it's time to look into investing in a new pair. These lasted me about 2 years.

I'm doing a half marathon next weekend in Emerald Isle. It's going to be nice to have the ability to do my distance races again. The past two years have trailed off due to flight school. I'm planning on doing another half with my little brother in May.

3/23/2014 10:12:34 PM

http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-clean-eating-made-me-fat-but-ice-cream-and-subway-got-me-lean/

3/24/2014 12:07:57 AM

Quote :

"Has anyone here ever run that fast? Or have any training tips?"

Sprints. They help a lot.

Also you need to throw in some longggg run sessions...you would think short and quick are best but a few long ones really help.

3/24/2014 1:20:23 AM

Quote :

"Sprints. They help a lot. Also you need to throw in some longggg run sessions...you would think short and quick are best but a few long ones really help."

Thanks for the insight!

I was planning on keeping my distance under usually 3 miles. Primarily focusing on quarter, half, and full mile thrown in occasionally to test. With a 2-3milers in there about once a week or 2.

3/24/2014 5:28:50 AM

Clocking under a 6 minute mile shouldn't be that difficult for someone in peak physical condition. I don't think it should require any special "running training" either. Just run a mile (or a little over) and keep trying to run it faster. Yeah...you should probably mix in a 2-miler and some 400 and 800M sprints in there as well...but I don't think you need to go overboard.

3/24/2014 6:35:42 AM

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since I had the baby. I ended up at a whopping 210 after it was all said and done. Lots of it was retained fluids. I am now down to 185. Trying to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 156. I can't start *really* exercising for another 3 weeks, but I wanted to get this all down in writing. Although I get very little feedback it helps me put it all in perspective to write it down. Looks like I need to be focusing on my love handles and thighs, and of course tightening the tummy back up. Here are my starting pictures from today.

3/24/2014 11:47:56 AM

210 to 185 is great so far! Will you be following any plan? Do you have any food restrictions?

3/24/2014 11:51:34 AM

No food restrictions yet. Except stuff that might slow milk production, but that is stuff like parsley and peppermint. I haven't figured out a plan yet. Breast feeding makes me constantly starving right now so I have to up my protein I think. I should be able to go back on my metformin at 6 weeks, but I won't know until then. I am already walking with the baby when it is nice out, and our stroller happens to be a jogging stroller (even though I only got it for ease of use), but I might start running. Not sure what to do about the destroyed abdominal muscles but there are lots of work outs on pinterest specifically for diastasis. I've got 3 weeks before I can really do anything so I am going to use this time to plan meals and make a bit of an exercise schedule. I am thinking of doing a 4 week meal plan so that each week of the month has a shopping list and recipes and each week I can just grab the list on Saturday and Sunday and do the shopping and be set. I start working in May, but that is a work at home nanny job. So I can just add a second baby in to my walk routine (baby wear one and push one in stroller) and then that baby leaves at 2 so I can do some harder stuff. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

3/24/2014 12:00:03 PM

Quote :

"Clocking under a 6 minute mile shouldn't be that difficult for someone in peak physical condition. I don't think it should require any special "running training" either. Just run a mile (or a little over) and keep trying to run it faster. Yeah...you should probably mix in a 2-miler and some 400 and 800M sprints in there as well...but I don't think you need to go overboard."

I agree. However, it's a juggling match. I am trying to maintain as much strength and muscle mass as possible. So I need to train smart.

So far so good. Just got my new running kicks in, so it's go time.

3/24/2014 9:45:11 PM

elise, you looking good yo. Congrats on getting baby weight off and having a baby!

3/24/2014 11:37:14 PM

So I've been on vacation for basically two weeks. Went to an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana for a wedding. Ate like shit and drank like a camel but actually came back lighter. Probably because even though I ate like shit I only ate once or twice a day. Being in the sun and all the drinking zapped my appetite. Regardless...starting back on my Insanity rotation today at 163 lbs. I should finish it up by beginning of June. Looking to loose about another 5% body fat and end up at around 155 lbs. I'd really like to have some visible abs. So...here are some current pics. Will take another round in about a month.

3/25/2014 8:09:48 AM