If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that I’m not a big fan of protracted stretching routines or extended warmups that end up taking longer than the workout itself. I like simplicity. I like cutting corners without sacrificing quality or results. I’m okay with warmups that fulfill their basic goal – getting the muscles warmed up and ready for movement – and with active stretches that move you through the full ranges of motion you’ll be traversing during the workout, but that’s about it. If there was strong evidence in favor of stretching as a protective measure, I would be all over it, because I hate down time. But the latest research indicates that stretching is harmless at best and a performance-detractor if done excessively. Furthermore, warmups, while effective in the right doses, can lead to fatigue and lower performance if overdone.
So what does the research say and what should […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

“Calorie restricted diets are pointless because they are hard to maintain and you just end up putting the fat back on once you stop the diet”
I have NEVER understood this argument against dieting.
To me, it’s just a back handed compliment:
“Sure, you’re losing tons of fat now and you look great, but as soon as you stop dieting and start eating like the rest of us again your just going to gain all that fat back! ”
Funny how you never hear anyone say:
“Really effective weight training programs are pointless because they are hard to maintain and you just end up losing all the muscle when you go back to being sedentary”
or
“Getting out of debt is pointless because it’s really, really hard, and once you go off your budget and start spending like crazy, you just end up in debt again!”
To me, this is just the arguments made by the defeated, the […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

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AFTERBURN EFFECT | Exercise, Workouts, & Training – Blog

There’s nothing like living Primal in summer. Certain aspects just come easier: the copious fresh produce, unlimited outdoor exercise, long daylight, ample sunshine. True, those of us in the warmer states have some year-long advantage here. Nonetheless, summer remains my favorite season – probably a result of my New England roots. The brevity of the season there inevitably inspires a true carpe diem attitude. Wherever you go, however, I think summer brings with it a sense of adventure and spontaneity. Even if our school years are (decades) long gone, we still embrace summer as a kind of “holiday” from the routine. For many of us, the season is a time to explore, travel, and live outside, relegating the house to role of mere storage unit. There are the elaborate vacations, the well-planned day trips, the sporting and social events. Today, however, I’m thinking along nostalgic lines, some old school pastimes […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Finally!!! After what seems like forever, there’s a place to watch the fights again! Since Hooters packed up their bags, no one has been showing the fights, forcing us to get it at home or to go without. No more! Applebees is now the place to go for fight night! 
This weeks fight is UFC 132, Faber vs. Cruz! Urijah faber is going to try to take the bantamweight title away from Dominick Cruz. Cruz has only lost one fight in his career, and who was it against? Urijah Faber! Faber has the experience, and it’s not like he hasn’t done it before, but Cruz is the first bantamweight champ in the UFC, so he has more than a little incentive to keep hanging on to it.
Plenty of Other Fights on the Card Too:

Silva vs Leben
Ortiz vs Bader
Condit vs Kim
Siver vs Wiman
Guillard vs Roller
Sotiropoulos vs Dos Anjos
Plus More!

This might be one […]

Original post by knuckleup

Compound Exercise Overload is a technique I recently heard about through Nick Nilsson’s newsletter. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks to me like it would work extremely well for gaining muscle quickly.

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Original post by admin

Today’s Dear Mark roundup is a trio of oil-related questions. Learn about my adventures with MCT oil and whether it fits into a good eating plan. Hear about camelina, the “better flax.” And finally, we’ll go over whether fancy, cold-pressed canola oil is worth including or whether it’s still just canola oil.
I’m thinking I’ll stick with this format for awhile. The response has been mostly positive, so why mess with what works? If ever a question arrives that merits a devoted full-length post, I’ll do that, but for now this seems like a hit.

What do you think of MCT oil?

Pam

MCTs, or medium chain triglycerides, are fatty acids that the body treats differently than longer chain fats. They are easily digested, head straight to the liver for oxidation or ketone generation without dealing with the lymphatic system, and can be utilized by cells for energy without the enzymatic processes needed […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Complete, throughout the course of an hour-long walk:
30 Pullups
50 Squats
40 Pushups
20 Handstand Pushups
Climb Something, Twice
5 Short (30-ish meter) Sprints
Find Something Heavy to Carry for Seven Minutes

How-to:
Warmup: 30 second Grok Squat, lateral, forward, and backward leg swings (10 each leg).
I wrote about the concept of a walking workout a couple years ago, but this time I’ve tried to structure it more concretely. You’re free to operate as you wish within the requirements, but you still gotta hit the numbers. I gave this one a shot earlier this week and had a lot of fun with it. Not overly tough, but I still feel I got a great workout.
There’s not much more to say. It’s all fairly self-explanatory, don’t you think?
“Climb Something” – Trees are ideal, but tall fences, walls, light posts, and anything that you can scale safely and effectively will work.
“Find Something Heavy” – Think rock, log, bag of groceries. […]

Original post by Mark Sisson