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Don’t Miss the Deadline! Today (3/8/19) is the last day to enter the success story giveaway! Three prizes in all for three randomly chosen (complete = write-up and photos) submissions: a $200 Primal Kitchen gift certificate for one person and a 5-book Primal library for two additional people. Everyone submitting (at any time) will receive a 20% off voucher for an order of their choosing on PrimalKitchen.com or PrimalBlueprint.com. Email me your story along with pictures. Please use the subject heading “My Primal Story.” Complete details here.

Research of the Week

Sperm bottlenecks select the strongest.

In the moment, work isn’t so bad.

Compared to controls, teams made up of CEOs are better at cooperating together in strategic games.

Injectable nanoparticles allow mice to see infra-red.

Neurons repair themselves during sleep.

I bet giant ground sloths were delicious.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 317: Jimmy and Christine Moore: Host Elle Russ chats with Jimmy and Christine Moore about their new book Real Food Keto.

Episode 318: Keto Q&A with Brad Kearns: Host Brad Kearns answers your keto questions.

Health Coach Radio Episode 2: Chris Kelly: Hosts Erin Power and Laura Rupsis chat with Chris Kelly, founder of Nourish Balance Thrive, which uses detailed lab testing to construct personalized action plans for clients.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Media, Schmedia

Bridge player busted for doping.

Interesting Blog Posts

How muscle memory actually works.

Scientists wonder why human breasts are so persistent.

Social Notes

A great opportunity to win some delicious treats.

Did some paddling.

Everything Else

After introducing low-carb to his type 2 diabetic patients in a rural West Virginia hospital and having great success, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella wrote clinical guidelines for other hospitals to follow. Huge news if this catches on.

Fairy tales are way older than you think.

What happened to the hat?

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Podcast I enjoyed: Tim Ferriss talks to Michael Pollan about psychedelics. “Don’t take anything your grandmother wouldn’t have encountered at Woodstock.”

I’d wear a coat made of this to keep warm: Cross-section of Emperor penguin.

Article I’m reading: Fiber and Colon Health on a Well-Formulated Ketogenic Diet

Interesting study: Men donate the most to panhandlers when in the company of a woman.

I didn’t think anyone else did this exercise but me: The Tinkerbell.

Question I’m Asking

How do you play?

Recipe Corner

• Keto cacao smoothie, with video.
• Paleo hoisin sauce from Nom Nom Paleo.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Mar 3 – Mar 9)

• Why the Type of Folate You Take Matters – What are you taking?
• 6 Older Studies That Got No Love But Should Have – Older studies aren’t worser studies.

Comment of the Week

“We’ve established that nitrates should come from plants, not chemical plants.”

– Even though I’m not completely sure I agree, that is a very good line, Angelica.

The post Weekly Link Love—Edition 19 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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You may be able to control and even prevent this debilitating disorder by going it on your own—that is, without pharmaceutical or surgical intervention. How? Good ol’ physical activity. Let’s explore the well-established link between osteoarthritis and exercise.

Is It OA? What You Need to Know about This Joint Disorder

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis and the most common joint disorder in the United States, affecting some 30.8 million American adults—that’s nearly one in every 10 of us. This number is only expected to increase as the population ages and more and more people live their lives overweight or obese. (1, 2, 3) If you’re carrying extra pounds, you put added stress on your joints, which increases your likelihood of developing the disease. Obesity may also lead to metabolic changes that bring about the disorder. In addition to age and weight, other risk factors for OA, some of which are modifiable and some not, include: (4, 5)

• Joint injury and repetitive use: Any joint damage, whether from serious injury or being overworked, increases risk; if you’re an athlete or work a physically demanding job, you may be more susceptible to OA.
• Gender: Women over the age of 45 are more likely to develop OA than their male peers.
• Genetics: If you have a family member with OA, you’re more likely to develop it as well.
• Race: Studies show that the risk of developing osteoarthritis by age 85 is higher in Caucasians than in African Americans (41 percent compared to 29 percent).
• Muscle weakness and low bone density: These factors are thought to contribute to the development and progression of OA.

If you’re concerned about developing osteoarthritis or you’re already experiencing joint pain, exercise may help. Check out this article to find out which workouts can help with OA. #healthylifestyle #wellness #chriskresser

Normally, cartilage cushions the ends of bones in your joints, allowing your joints to glide smoothly during motion. With OA, the cartilage breaks down and the smooth gliding surface becomes rough. As OA worsens over time, the underlying bone begins to change. Although these changes usually develop slowly, the cartilage can wear away completely, leaving bone to rub directly on bone. The results?

• Pain
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Cracking or grinding sounds when moving
• A loss of range of motion (flexibility) and function; OA is a leading cause of disability

The Connection between Osteoarthritis and Exercise: Managing Risk and Preventing Pain

Exercise, we now know, is a vital part of any OA prevention or treatment plan. In fact, exercise is typically recommended, even in conventional medical circles, as a first-line defense and management strategy before over-the-counter medicine or prescription drugs. Studies have shown comparable OA pain-relieving effects between physical activity and oral analgesics. (6, 7, 8)

Unfortunately, despite recommendations by physicians, clinicians, and health coaches to get moving, people with OA just aren’t exercising. It could be a holdover from previous generations, when doctors told their patients to rest and avoid movement that caused pain. Unfortunately, some elderly people with OA likely get worse as times goes by because they follow this outdated advice. Or perhaps some individuals are fearful that any discomfort means they’re causing joint damage. Whatever the reason, a national survey found that roughly 40 percent of those diagnosed with arthritis are inactive, meaning they don’t engage in any sustained periods of physical activity (10 minutes or longer) within an average week. (9, 10) I hope this article will help change that.

Exercise Keeps Your Joints Healthy and Pain Free

The adage “use it or lose it” applies here—regular moderate exercise keeps the body moving as it is designed to move, preventing joints from weakening and that all-important cartilage from breaking down. Animal studies even suggest that exercise can prevent further cartilage degradation in older or injured joints that have already suffered some loss. (11) Research in rats has also shown that exercise effectively relieves OA joint pain, including pain resistant to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. (12)

It Helps You Lose Weight

You already know that obesity is a significant risk factor for OA. One meta-analysis of 47 previously published studies found a threefold increased risk for knee OA in overweight or obese individuals. (13) But here’s the good news: It’s also one of the most modifiable risk factors when it comes both to the development of OA and its progression. It’s been suggested that at least half of all cases of symptomatic knee OA could be prevented if the obesity epidemic were better controlled. The Framingham Study found that women who lost 11 pounds or more over 10 years reduced their risk of knee OA by 54 percent. (14, 15)

As previously shared, excess weight puts added stress on joints, particularly weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees, increasing the odds that cartilage will break down, the joint will fail, and OA will develop. Losing those extra pounds relieves that pressure. But that isn’t the only reason obesity and OA go hand in hand. Overweight individuals typically have inadequate muscle mass to properly support their weight, which can advance the onset of OA. They may also be less active, which only leads to further weight gain and muscular deficits and a further risk for the disease. (16) Evidence also suggests that added stress on joints leads to the release of arthritis-promoting pro-inflammatory cytokines, while weight loss reduces cytokine levels. (17, 18) And it appears that obesity brings on metabolic abnormalities, including excessively high levels of insulin, that are associated with OA. Not surprisingly, exercise may prevent or mitigate these changes. (19, 20, 21)

It Gets You out of Your Chair and off the Couch

A sedentary lifestyle can also cause metabolic shifts that may lead to OA, alterations that can be prevented through physical activity. (22, 23) After all, sitting six hours or more a day is far outside of the evolutionary norm for humans. Beyond the connection to metabolism, prolonged sitting is generally associated with an increased risk for OA and increased risk for pain and other complications from the disease. This may be because sedentary behavior degrades muscle strength and posture, impacting joints, especially in the spine. Sedentary individuals who spend significant time on smartphones and tablets further increase their risk of OA in hand joints. What’s more, lack of activity decreases pain tolerance and stiffens joints (24, 25). Conversely, physical activity appears to lubricate joints and strengthen cartilage. (26, 27)

Exercise Strengthens Your Muscles and Builds Bone

In one study, women who developed knee OA had quadriceps muscles that were 18 percent weaker than those without OA; the weakness predated the onset of the disease and was likely a contributor to its development. Weak quadriceps muscles cause the knee to become less stable, of special concern for athletes and others at increased risk for OA from joint injury or overuse. (28, 29) Treadmill exercise, in particular, has been found to block bone loss, which might help stabilize joints. (30) Of course, strength training is also a very effective way to build muscle as well as bone.

The Best Proven Exercises for Osteoarthritis

Moderate activity three times or more per week has been shown to reduce the risk of arthritis-associated disability in study groups by an average of 47 percent. (31, 32, 33) That said, any activity is better than none, and every minute of movement is beneficial. Since joint injuries can cause or worsen OA, if you’re looking to prevent the condition or manage symptoms, choose moderate low-impact activities, such as:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Swimming

These guidelines line up with the recommendations set by my colleague Dan Pardi, which I support, to occasionally push yourself as our ancestors did with bouts of relatively intense activity. (34, 35) In addition to the aerobic exercises mentioned above, we also encourage low-impact muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights and yoga. Yoga also promotes flexibility to help maintain joint range of motion. Hatha yoga, or the practice of physical postures called asanas, has been found to provide marked improvements in pain and function in subjects with knee OA. (36)

Exercises that strengthen the quadriceps muscles in particular may be especially useful in the prevention and treatment of OA. As one study above highlighted, quadriceps have been shown to be weak in subjects who develop OA, suggesting it’s a risk factor. Research indicates that quadriceps-strengthening exercises can improve strength and function and reduce pain in those with knee OA. These include isometric exercises (in which a particular muscle is contracted without moving the affected joint) and isotonic resistance exercises (where both muscle and joint move, such as in weightlifting) when tolerated. (37, 38, 39)

Tai chi may also be beneficial: Its weight-bearing postures help improve strength while simultaneously promoting flexibility and balance. Studies show it may help relieve OA pain. (40, 41)

Can Exercise Actually Increase the Risk of OA?

However, as you now know, there is a wealth of research showing that exercise has profound benefits for joint health. I hope you’ll get moving to stave off OA or help manage its symptoms, as well as improve your overall well-being.

Bonus: Another Great Way to Protect Your Joints

In addition to exercise, incorporate gelatin into your diet for extra joint (and bone) protection. Research shows it may be effective in treating osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as it helps combat pain and inflammation and build stronger bones.

Do you plan on working more exercise into your daily life as a way to prevent OA? Or are you already experiencing symptoms of the condition? Leave a comment below and tell your story.

The post Here’s the Link between Osteoarthritis and Exercise appeared first on Chris Kresser.

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Do you consider yourself to be an adventurous eater, always ready to try new and interesting cuisine? Where do you draw the line as far as eating things that are out-of-the-box? While some people will try just about anything for a palate thrill, there are foods, many considered a delicacy, that demand a particular type […]

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Earthy and vibrant, this creamy soup gets its texture from pureéing the softened chestnuts and vegetables together. This technique results in a perfectly thick spoonable delight that’s teaming with a rounded assortment of nutrients perfect for athletes. In this roundup of nutrition, beets are a superstar for athletes. Compounds found in beets increase the body’s ability to use oxygen and increase the time it takes to feel exhausted. Consuming chestnuts increases energy levels as they provide carbohydrates for both short and long-term energy.

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I’m a believer in working hard AND playing hard. When we get stuck in patterns of overwork and overstress, we lose the important connection with our creative, intuitive, playful selves. Our work suffers and so does our happiness (which means everything else, like our relationships, will, too). Stuart Brown, one of the world’s leading experts on play, calls play a “profound biologic process.” What we all know (or used to know until modern living helped us forget) is that play is an essential component of our physical development and general well-being. From a personal standpoint, the older I get the more I recognize play as the linchpin for my own sense of vitality. As a result, I prioritize play—even above exercise. Fortunately, however, I’ve grown into a new relationship with fitness as a result of play. I gave up the slog of grueling training regimens decades ago now, but to this day I’m still living more deeply into a play-based fitness vision. Let me show you a bit of what that looks like for me….

You all have heard me talk about Ultimate—probably as long as Mark’s Daily Apple has been around. The fact is, it’s as thrilling for me today as it was twelve years ago. Nothing else quite combines the diversity of essential movement and the heart of play like Ultimate does. In a single hour, I’m getting regular sprinting, lateral movement, agility training, recovery phases, and mind-body coordination to skillfully throw, catch and move on the field. I love the intense challenge and fast pace of the game.

Ultimate plays very similarly to rugby or football. The field has two end zones, and a team scores by catching a pass in the defensive team’s end zone. The defending team performs a “pull” (think “kickoff” in football) to start the match (and after every subsequent point scored). The offense moves the disc by passing to teammates in any direction. Once a player catches the disc, he must come to a stop as quickly as possible. From this position, he can only move his non-pivot foot. A player has ten seconds to throw the disc after catching it.

The disc changes hands either by turnover or after a score. A turnover occurs when a pass is not completed, intercepted, dropped, blocked, held for longer than the allotted ten seconds, or thrown out of bounds. The defending team assumes control of the disc immediately following a turnover, from wherever the disc lands on the field. There is no stoppage of play (unless a foul, injury or bad weather occurs).

From a physical standpoint, you’re out there running, leaping, twisting, grabbing, throwing, and bumping into other players. You use practically every muscle in the body (if you’re not, you’re doing it wrong) and, rather than long protracted runs, you engage in short bursts of speed and activity punctuated by walking and brief jogging (almost like you’re on the hunt). Not only does it take keen, quick thinking, remarkable agility and throwing accuracy, and raw athleticism, but it also promotes good teamwork and sportsmanship. In fact, Ultimate has an official “Spirit of the Game” (SOTG), a sort of mission statement that stresses sportsmanship and honor. Highly competitive play is condoned, but not at the cost of general camaraderie. Everyone is out there to have a good time and get some great exercise.

Check it out.

Want more ideas for active play? Here you go.

• 15 Concrete Ways To Play
• Crawling, Balancing, Rolling: The Importance of Practicing Natural Movements
• 10 Ideas To Make Workouts More Fun
• The 10 Rules of Successful Exercise
• Workout Suggestion: Planned Spontaneity

And for more on the importance of play for a Primal Blueprint lifestyle, check out these resources.

• The Definitive Guide To Play
• The Lost Art of Play: Reclaiming a Primal Tradition
• The Importance of Play, Long Walks and Outdoor Workouts—Or Why the Optional Stuff Isn’t Actually Optional

Now you tell me: what’s your favorite way to play? How do you merge the Primal goals of mobility and fitness with everyday enjoyment? Thanks for stopping in today.

The post My Favorite Way To Play: Ultimate Frisbee Workout (with Video) appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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If you’re looking for strong and stable shoulders, dialed-in technique, laser focus, improved grip strength, and an incredible lesson in tension, the bottoms-up kettlebell position might just be your new favorite thing!

What Does Bottoms-Up Mean?

The bottoms-up position refers to a kettlebell held vertically by the handle with the bottom of the kettlebell facing up and the handle on the bottom — hence the name “bottoms-up.” It might elicit some funny looks from across the gym floor, but the bottoms-up position packs a serious punch.

What Exercises Can Be Performed Bottoms-Up?

The bottoms-up position lends itself well to pressing and carries, as well as any movement you would do with a kettlebell in the rack position (squats, lunges, etc.) or overhead (get ready for the most focused Turkish get-ups you’ve ever done!)

Even ballistic movements like cleans and snatches can be performed in a bottoms-up fashion.

6 Benefits of Bottoms-Up Training

Want more incentives to start working this way? Consider the following:

1. Cultivate Stability and Strength Through Instability

A bottoms-up kettlebell is inherently unstable, and therein lies the magic: to overcome the challenge, a greater number of motor units and muscle fibers are recruited.

You’ll feel the work in the muscles of your rotator cuff, lats, core, wrist and forearm during carries, presses, and more dynamic movements.

2. Sharpen Your Focus and Get Instant Feedback

One of the biggest reasons I love incorporating bottoms-up work in my sessions is the focus that a bottoms-up kettlebell requires. While you can get away with a less-than-great kettlebell press or Turkish get-up when you’re working in the rack position, the bottoms-up position is unforgiving. If you lose your focus and control, that bottoms-up kettlebell is likely to come crashing down.

There’s an additional benefit in the instant feedback received by the bell either staying vertical or flopping over: you’ll know it when you’ve nailed it!

The bottoms-up kettlebell provides clear, instant feedback on whether or not you’re executing the movement well.

3. Polish Your Positioning

If you’re struggling to dial in your technique for the kettlebell press, a bottoms-up version is a great place to spend some time greasing the groove. The bottoms-up press requires the bell to stay held vertically overhead, demanding a vertical forearm and a smooth path up, led by a strong and stable shoulder. Because of this, the bottoms-up kettlebell press is one of the easiest ways to learn and teach superb pressing mechanics.

While everyone’s body is different, those who struggle with traditional overhead pressing can often find a welcome variation in the bottoms-up kettlebell press. If your shoulders have been less than thrilled in previous attempts, flip over your bell and give the bottoms-up a try!

4. Get a Grip

The bottoms-up kettlebell position challenges the wrists in a different way than most other movements. In most movements that challenge our grip strength, the load is below our grip, as is the case with deadlifts, pull-ups, farmer’s carries, etc.

The bottoms-up position places the load above the grip, providing a novel challenge to the muscles of the wrist and forearm.

5. Perfect Tension and Core Connection

Learning to ramp up tension (or dial it down) and truly feel the integration of the core musculature with movements like squats, presses, and carries can be challenging for some. The challenge of the bottoms-up position teaches the necessity of “meeting the tension to the task” (a phrase coined by Antony Lo, PT).

Too little tension and the bell is tumbling. Too much and you’ll find it difficult to move (or will fatigue early). For the person looking to master that “Goldilocks” level of tension, bottoms-up kettlebell movements are an excellent tool.

Additionally, most bottoms-up movements are performed unilaterally, further requiring our deep stability system to do its job to keep us upright.

6. Make Use of Light Bells

Dust off those light bells you haven’t used in a while for a bottoms-up Turkish get-up, or overhead press! The degree of difficulty means that you won’t need much load to get a training stimulus.

If you’re somewhere with only light bells available, or you’re simply looking to get more use out of the bells you haven’t used in a while, bottoms-up kettlebell work is a great way to make the most of the range of kettlebells in your collection.

When Are You Ready for Bottoms-Up Work?

Want to get started on bottoms-up training, but not sure you’re up for the task? You might actually be more ready than you think!

Bottoms-up kettlebell training is a self-limiting activity, meaning it requires greater engagement, awareness, and connection. While bottoms-up work might look more advanced, I prefer using it early on in training to build greater awareness, teach the concept of tension, and solidify good habits.

As with anything else, we run into potential issues when we exceed our capacity. Starting to train bottoms-up positioning should be a gradual process aligned with your abilities.

Getting Into the Bottoms-Up Position

Those comfortable with cleans will likely find a clean to the bottoms-up position to be the most comfortable way to get into a bottoms-up position.

For this, you’ll start with the bell in front of you, with the handle turned 90 degrees (parallel to your feet, not perpendicular like a normal clean), hike the bell back, and then clean it so that it lands handle down, bell up.

If you aren’t comfortable cleaning yet, I would recommend curling the bell up to the bottoms-up position assisted by the free hand. Try to keep the bell balanced over your hand, forearm, and elbow, and keep your eyes on the bell at all times.

How to Get Started

Before moving to more advanced bottoms-up training, I invite everyone to feel solid in a bottoms-up hold with a light bell. You’ll want to clean or curl the kettlebell into the bottoms-up position and practice standing there with the bell held in its vertical position.

Consider this as you might a plank: start with 10 or so seconds and aim to work your way up to being able to breathe and balance the bell for 30–45 seconds each side before adding more complexity.

Once someone is proficient at isometrically controlling the bell in a standing position, I like to add the challenge of marching, walking, pressing, and squatting the bottoms-up bell (remember: any movement that is performed with a kettlebell in the rack or overhead position can be done bottoms-up!).

It can be tempting to jump straight to flashier movements with heavier bells, but remember that the benefits of bottoms-up movements are in the finer details; give yourself ample time to build the strength and skill and prioritize quality over quantity and load.

If you’re looking for a new challenge, you don’t necessarily need new equipment. Just flip that kettlebell bottoms-up!

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The post Why You Should Try Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Training appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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The relationship between stress and carbohydrates is confusing, with seemingly contradictory arguments bouncing around the online health sphere.

There are those who say high-carb diets cause stress, and that eating more fat and fewer carbs is the solution.

There are those who say high-fat diets increase stress and eating carbs ameliorates it.

Who’s right? They can’t both be right, can they?

Well…

You’d be surprised.

Let’s dig into four common carb questions and assertions.

“Stress Increases Carb Cravings.”

This is well-established. You have a terrible day at the office, your kids have appointments twenty miles apart within fifteen minutes of each other, the traffic is backed up to your driveway, you’re late for work, the dog needs a walk, you haven’t even thought about what to make for dinner, you slept four hours last night—it adds up. People deal with a lot. And in that moment, a carbohydrate-based snack really does seem to take the edge off.

Across millions of years of hominid evolution, the human stress response developed in the context of real-world, short-term, and infrequent but intense stressors: battles, hunts, freak injuries, dangerous animal encounters, interpersonal conflicts. These were situations that demanded heightened senses, available fuel, and a rapid heart rate to deliver everything to the tissues that needed to move and act. It makes perfect sense for your body to pump out adrenaline to increase fat burning and glucose in the blood—you need that fuel to deal with the situation. It also makes sense for your body to follow that up with a blast of cortisol, which makes you crave high-carb junk food to replace the fuel you utilized. The problem is that our modern stressors are too frequent, they aren’t physically demanding, we aren’t utilizing the fuel we mobilize, and we have no real need for the carb cravings that come after.

What happens when we eat too many carbs that we never actually needed?

We get fat. Cellular energy supply becomes overloaded, impairing our mitochondria’s ability to process energy efficiently. This degrades metabolic flexibility—the ability to switch between different fuel sources—preventing us from burning the fat on our bodies in between meals. We become reliant on those carbs, and when we don’t get them fast enough, our bodies perceive that as a major stressor.

So while giving in to carb cravings can reduce stress in the short-term, it sets us up for longer-term, more chronic stress.

“What About Gluconeogenesis? Isn’t That a Stress Response?”

It can be.

A primary goal of cortisol is to increase glucose availability. It does this through multiple avenues. One I just mentioned is to increase carb cravings. Another is to make you insulin resistant, thereby preventing insulin from sucking up blood glucose. Gluconeogenesis—the creation of glucose from amino acids and other substrates—is another.

If you’re a sugar-burner, stressful situations will increase carb cravings, induce gluconeogenesis, and may even make you insulin resistant. If you’re fat-adapted, the story shifts.

A fat-adapted person will have ketones and fatty acids available to provide energy in between meals. A fat-adapted person will have ketones and fatty acids available to provide energy in stressful situations. A fat-adapted person will be able to utilize those ketones and fatty acids during stressful situations—their mitochondria will literally be primed to utilize those fuels, not just glucose. A fat-adapted person is less likely to perceive carbohydrate shortages as stress shortages because they’ve got all this other fuel available to burn.

This adaptation doesn’t happen overnight. If your diet is low-carb or keto, but your body is still reliant on sugar, you will perceive reduced carb availability as a stressor. That’s one of the hallmarks of the keto flu, and it’s one reason why some people have extended keto flu—their bodies are still expecting and demanding glucose.

Some people never get over the carb cravings; they never fully adapt. This is the subset of the population that doesn’t function or perform well on a long-term ketogenic diet. The cause is unknown, at least for now (I suspect it has to do with recent ancestry and genetic proclivities), but what matters is that these people exist. For them, a long-term keto or very low carb diet approach will probably always be stressful. But even in these folks, spending some time in ketosis—through short term low-carb eating, intermittent fasting, or even extended low-level endurance activity that primarily burns fat—is a good idea that will reduce stress and improve overall resilience.

“But Carbs Make Exercise Less Stressful!”

Exercise is stressful to begin with. But then you adapt to the stress and overcome it—and end up stronger, fitter, and faster than before. Without the stress, working out doesn’t work. A legitimate method for increasing your work capacity is to train-low (carb), race-high (carb). Athletes have been doing this for decades—training in a low-carb state to get better at performing without ample muscle glycogen, then going into a race with full glycogen reserves and the ability to perform without glycogen. Exercising in that low-glycogen state is stressful, but that’s the whole point. It makes them better, stronger, faster, and it conserves glycogen for when they really need it.

If you consistently perform glucose-intensive high-intensity anaerobic activity for extended periods of time—CrossFit style WODs done 3-5 times per week, for example—you will run up a glucose debt and should replenish some of the carbohydrates you expend or risk cortisol spikes. Fat-adaptation can improve your tolerance of anaerobic activity in a low-glucose state, but there’s a breaking point, a physiological limit.

Eat the carbs you earn. This is a subtle point I don’t often see made. The reverse is widely understood—don’t eat the carbs you don’t earn—because millions of obese and overweight people do that every day. It’s a big reason why we’re so overweight. But if you fail to eat the carbs you earn through intense, protracted physical activity, you’re creating an undeniable glycogen deficiency that your body may perceive as a stressor. It may turn out that fully fat- and keto-adapted athletes can perform intense medium-to-long-term activities at high levels, and there’s some indication that this is the case, but for the time being it appears that eating the carbs you earn can stave off the stress.

“Low-Carb Diets Are Stressful For Women.”

There’s a glimmer of truth here. Allow me to explain.

Women are inherently more sensitive to caloric fluctuations than men…on average. The reason is sheer biology. Human evolution is concerned with fertility and reproduction. Can you produce, foster, and support viable offspring? Awesome. Natural selection deems you fit.

To fulfill their biological role, men have to produce sperm. They can do so almost indefinitely. They don’t run out; they just make more. If a batch is damaged due to poor lifestyle or dietary choices, there’s more on the way. After a man gets someone pregnant, his biological involvement with the growing baby is done. What or when he eats has no impact on the survival of the growing baby.

To fulfill theirs, women have a finite number of eggs, or “chances.” Once an egg is gone, there’s no replacing it.

And so the body seeks to inculcate the egg from environmental insults.

When you are preparing to get pregnant, your body needs extra nutrients to build up a reserve and “prime the pump.”

When you are pregnant, the growing baby needs a reliable and constant stream of nutrients for almost a year.

After you’ve given birth, the growing newborn needs breastmilk. To make that milk requires additional calories and extra doses of specific nutrients. Modern technology allows us to skip nursing and go straight to the bottle, but your body doesn’t “know” that.

It all points to women being more finely attuned to caloric deficits. For example, women’s levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, are quicker to rise after meals. Even if you’re never going to have kids, your body is still wired to protect against these caloric fluctuations.

Where do carbs come in?

One’s carbohydrate consumption is uniquely hewed to our sense of caloric sufficiency. If carbs are plentiful, your body perceives that as a signal of environmental plenty: the weather is good, the plants are producing, the trees are bearing fruit, the men are bringing back lots of honey. Life is good. It’s the perfect time to get pregnant. Above all other macronutrients, carbohydrate consumption increases the short-term expression of leptin, a satiety hormone that signals the presence of incoming calories, caloric sufficiency, and environmental plenty.

There’s also the issue of extreme satiety. Low-carb diets often become low-calorie diets without you even trying. That’s why they work so well for fat loss, by inadvertently reducing the amount of food you eat and increasing satiety. But for some women, especially those at or approaching their ideal weight, going too low in calories can increase stress.

Summing Up…

Are you unable to access your own body fat in between meals for energy? Then you’ll be a ball of stress unless you can get those Jolly Ranchers unwrapped quickly enough. It’ll be a constant battle. And yeah, if you keep pumping yourself full of carbs to keep your blood glucose topped off, you’ll keep stress at bay—but you’ll always be teetering on that precipice.

Are you exercising? Then you should strike a balance between gaining the adaptive benefits of training in a low-carbohydrate state and eating the carbs you earn.

Are you a woman? Then you’re probably more sensitive to diet-induced stress and may benefit from occasional carbohydrate refeeds. You should watch out for excessive satiety on ketogenic diets, which is great for fat loss but can lead to stress issues down the line if calories get too low.

The relationship between carbohydrates and stress isn’t exactly straightforward, but it is navigable. Hopefully after today you have a better idea of where you stand in the relationship.

What’s been your experience with stress and carbohydrates? Has your tolerance for stress gone up or down since going low-carb or keto? Thanks for stopping in today.

References:

Mcallister MJ, Webb HE, Tidwell DK, et al. Exogenous Carbohydrate Reduces Cortisol Response from Combined Mental and Physical Stress. Int J Sports Med. 2016;37(14):1159-1165.

Dirlewanger M, Di vetta V, Guenat E, et al. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding on energy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000;24(11):1413-8.

The post 4 Misunderstandings About Carbs and Stress appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

Pull-ups are my favorite exercise of all time.

They work all of the “pull” muscles in your body – your back, biceps, forearms.

They are indicative of your level of fitness – anybody that can do a pull-up is in pretty good shape.

And anybody that can do 10 or more is clearly in great shape.

Lastly, pull-ups make you feel like a badass after doing them.

However, pull-ups are also hard as hell, especially if you’re just getting started. Unlike other exercises that can be completed with just your body weight (like squats, lunges, and push ups), pull-ups and other exercises that strengthen your pull muscles require at least one piece of equipment or something to hang from!

On top of all of that, if you can’t do one yet, how the heck are you supposed to work on them to get better?

I’ve recently received thousands of emails from fellow rebels who are working towards their first pull-up but aren’t there quite yet.

Whether you’re 300 pounds overweight and can’t even look at a pull-up bar without freaking out, or you’re half an inch away from finally being able to do your first pull-up, this article is for you – sorry it took so long for me to write!

Pull-ups are quite the intimidating exercise, but like Optimus Prime has taught us, we can make small changes and improvements over time that will result in the ultimate goal:

One. Freaking. Pull-up. 

It will take a combination of two things to get your chin up over that bar:

• Decreasing body fat so you have less weight to pick up!
• Increasing strength to pick up your bodyweight and move above the bar!

I realize doing those two things is much easier said than done.

What most people don’t realize is that they spend too much time on the strength part, not realizing that decreasing their body weight is as important and impactful (if not more so!).

Which is why most people never get to do a pull-up!

After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in the effort for months (or years) and not seeing results and getting demoralized. And unfortunately, this is what I see from most people: Lots of well-intentioned but misguided effort in the gym and no changes.

You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did and want to skip this problem, and you just want to start getting results today.

In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

You can schedule a free call with our team to learn more about coaching by clicking on the image below of Christina! She’s one of our coaching clients who went from 0 pull-ups to now doing sets of 10!

But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get your first pull-up!

A few tips to get started

This should hopefully be obvious, but the more you weigh, the more you have to lift in order to complete a pull-up. If you’re truly serious about completing a pull-up, start by getting your diet under control. I’m a HUGE fan of the Paleo Diet, because I know it works. A few folks have already lost 10+ pounds in just over a week following the Paleo Diet in the Nerd Fitness Academy. As you start to weigh less, you’ll have less weight to pick up and move up over that bar! Got it? Good.

MAKE YOUR BACK EXERCISES A PRIORITY. A lot of people do every other exercise before doing any back-related exercises, if they do any at all.  After warming up properly, your first exercise should always be the stuff that you want to work on the most – in this case it’ll be your back.

The progression below is just a path that I’ve created, but does NOT need to be followed to a T. I give sample sets and reps and when to move up, but if you feel like you can progress sooner or want to try doing full pull-ups sooner than I recommend, that’s OKAY.  This is the slower progression method, where some people will want to do fewer reps and progress to the next levels sooner – that’s okay.

I recommend moving up to the next level when you can do 3 sets of 8 reps of a particular exercise. If you want the accelerated path, move on up as soon as you can do 3 sets of 5 reps.

Almost every exercise below has a video to show you how to do it. Click on the picture or the video below it.

Level 1: Bent Over Dumbbell Rows

Bent Over Dumbbell Row Video

We’re going to start with these, the most basic of back exercises, in case you’re starting from ABSOLUTELY square one. For these exercises, focus on lifting more and more as you get stronger.  Every OTHER day, pick up a dumbbell that you can lift for three sets of 8 repetitions with a 2-minute break between sets.  As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 reps, it’s time to move up to a heavier dumbbell.

• As soon as you can do dumbbell rows with at least a 25-pound (10kg) dumbbell or heavier, consider moving up to the next level.
• If you are a little bit bigger than the average bear, you might want to stick with this step until you lose a little bit more weight and get stronger – maybe go to 35 or 40-pound (18kg) dumbbells.

Level 2: Body Weight Rows

Body Weight Rows Video

Body weight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, just at a different angle.  You can also make adjustments. You know how I HATE HATE HATE exercise machines? Here, I wholeheartedly recommend the use of a smith machine…but ONLY for rows!  Because you can adjust the height of the bar, you can adjust how difficult the exercise is.  If you’re just getting started, put the bar very high, so you only have to lean back slightly.  If you’re stronger, you can start with a lower bar.

Here’s a whole post I did on body weight rows (also called inverted rows).

My advice:

• Clench your butt and keep your abs tight and body straight throughout the exercise.  Focus your mind on PULLING with your arms.
• Set the bar at a height where it’s challenging for you to complete 3 sets of 8 reps with two minutes of rest between sets.
• As soon as you can complete all 3 sets of 8 reps, lower the bar!
• If you need to make the exercise easier, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground.  You can drop your hips too to make things easier.

A sample routine that starts with your back exercises

• Monday – 3 sets of 8 reps of overhand bodyweight rows
• Wednesday – 3 sets of 8 reps of underhand bodyweight rows (hands reversed)
• Friday – 3 sets of 8 reps of overhand bodyweight rows
• (And then go underhand, overhand, underhand the following week)

As soon as you’re doing bodyweight rows where your body is at a 45-degree angle or lower, you can progress to level 3.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO A BAR FOR INVERTED ROWS: Try using your kitchen table, or move up to Level 3 and progress with caution there.

IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A GYM OR WANT TO JOIN A GYM, I know they can be intimidating! We have multiple chapters on how to find a gym and get started using the equipment, in our free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab our nerdy guide when you join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion with your email in the box below:

Level 3A: Assisted Pull-Ups

Assisted Pull-ups Video

Personally, I don’t like using the assisted pull-up machine in a gym as it doesn’t give you the full feeling of a pull-up, but it’s certainly better than nothing.

Instead, I recommend doing one of these alternatives:

• Assisted Pull-ups with chair – (either one foot or two depending on your needs) – your feet are ONLY there for support, use your upper body as much as possible.
• Assisted Pull-ups with exercise band – (you can get different types of exercise bands with different levels of strength).  Put your foot in the exercise band and pull yourself up.
• Assisted pull-ups with a partner – (have a friend hold your feet behind you and help you complete each rep).  Have your friend use the least amount of help possible to get you through your workouts.

My advice:

• Clench your butt and keep your abs tight throughout the exercise – try not to swing like crazy.
• Keep your shoulder blades pinched behind you throughout the movement and focus on PULLING the bar down with your arms.
• Use the least amount of assistance that you can handle – as soon as you can do multiple pull-ups with both feet on the chair, switch to just one foot.
• If you’re using an exercise band, try to get a few bands of varying tension so you can decrease the resistance as you get stronger.
• As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 with assistance, it’s time to move on up.

A sample level 3 routine:

• Monday – Assisted Pull-ups – 3 sets of 8 reps
• Wednesday – Body weight rows – 3 sets of 8 reps
• Friday – Assisted Chin Ups – 3 sets of 8 reps

Level 3B: Negative Pull-Ups

Now, let’s say you don’t have a rubber band, you don’t have somebody to hold your feet, and you don’t have a chair – you ONLY have a pull-up bar. That’s okay – you can do what we call negatives. When doing a negative, you jump above the bar and try to lower yourself slowly and in control until you’re at the bottom of the movement.  This can be very dangerous if you’re very overweight, which is why I’d recommend moving slowly through steps 1-3A first.

However, once you have a decent amount of back strength, doing negatives is a great way to build arm and back strength.

You can either jump above the pull-up bar, and then begin to lower yourself back down IN CONTROL, or you can hop up on a chair to get above the bar and then lower yourself back down. Again, the name of the game is “in control.”

You don’t need to lower yourself so slowly that one repetition destroys you…lower yourself in a controlled speed – Counting to three during the movement is a good tempo.

Here’s a sample workout using everything up to this point:

• Monday – Assisted Chin Ups – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
• Wednesday – Body Weight Rows – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
• Friday – Negative Pull-ups – 3 sets to failure – capped at 5 repetitions for each set.

For your negative pull-ups, do as many as you can (up to 5 reps) per set – jump and lower yourself in control, then jump right back up and lower yourself.  If you can do 5, wait 2 minutes and then start again.  If you can’t do 5, do as many as you can in control, wait 2 minutes and then start again.

Once you’re doing 3 sets of 5 repetitions on your negative pull-ups, along with your assisted chin-ups and body weight rows…you’re ready.

Level 4 – Chin Ups and Pull-Ups

Pull-up Video

My dear rebel, it’s time.

Depending on your weight, your level of fitness and strength, and how far along you are in these progressions, you might be able to start with more than one pull-up.

For MANY people, especially if you have spent time in the gym in the past working on your biceps (like most guys do), you might find it easier to start with chin ups (with your palms facing toward you) for your first exercise before trying pull-ups (with your palms facing away from you).

I’ve already covered how to do a pull-up/chin-up in another article, so I won’t get into it too much here…just focus on these things:

• Pull your shoulder blades back as you’re going through the movement, and focus on pulling the bar down.
• Again, keep your butt clenched and your abs tight throughout the movement.
• Get your chin above the bar, or it doesn’t count as a full rep.
• Do whatever you need to get through the full rep.
• If you can only do one rep, try to do at least 3 sets of one rep…after your three sets, add in some negatives to exhaust the muscle.

At this point, here’s a Level 4 routine set up for a week:

• Monday – Chin ups – 3 sets for maximums repetitions
• Wednesday – Inverted Rows – 3 sets for max repetitions
• Friday – Pull-ups – 3 sets for maximum repetitions

Level 5 – Next steps

Once you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups or chin-ups, you have a few options:

• Continue to get better at doing more reps – 3 sets of 12, 3 sets of 15, 3 sets of 20, etc.
• Start doing other types of pull-ups – like wide grip pull-ups (grab the bar WAY out with both hands), side to side pull-ups, uneven pull-ups, etc.
• Add weight and do weighted pull-ups or weighted chin-ups.

Personally, my favorite thing to do in a gym is weighted pull-ups; if you’re at this level and interested in doing so, here’s what you need to do:

• Get a weight belt. I bought this one  on Amazon and it’s worked out incredibly well for me.  I’ve tried doing the whole “put weights in a backpack” and it certainly works, but the angle of the weights hanging off your back is weird.  With a weight belt, the weight hangs down between your legs (not a euphemism) so it feels more natural.
• Add small amounts at a time. Most gyms will have 2.5 lb (roughly 1kg) weights; you might feel stupid putting on a big weight belt and only hanging a tiny weight off it, but you need to start somewhere.
• Consistently add more weight. I’ll warm up with two sets of 5 pull-ups with no extra weight, and then do 3 sets of 5 weighted pull-ups.  If I can complete all 3 sets of 5 reps (with my chin over the bar for every rep), I’ll make a note to add 2.5 or 5lbs (1 or 2kg) to my weight belt for the next time.

So, here’s an advanced sample routine for back exercises:

• Monday – Weighted Chin Ups – 3 sets of 5 reps
• Wednesday – Elevated Feet Body Weight Rows – 3 sets of max repetitions
• Friday – Wide Grip Pull-ups – 3 sets of maximum repetition
• (The following week, I’d alternate by doing the chin ups without weight, and then doing weighted pull-ups

Don’t Make These Pull-up Mistakes!

My work here is done – it’s now up to you to take care of business.

As you start to get stronger with your pull-ups, it’s important to check in and make sure you’re doing them correctly. 90% of people I see doing pull-ups in a gym are doing them incorrectly!

Here are the 5 big mistakes people make when doing a pull-up:

I want this for you so badly, because in my head there’s no greater exercise than a pull-up. It makes you feel like a badass, you get super strong, and it’s an amazing benchmark and milestone on the path to a leveled up life!

Just ask Christina, who can now do multiple sets of pull-ups – her story is incredible:

Or Bronwyn, who lost 50+ lbs and now does chin-ups with her daughter on her back!

I know you might be overwhelmed right now, and you might be worried you’re gonna spend months without getting results.

Although that happens for many, it’s because they don’t have the right plan (or nutrition) in place!

You can absolutely do this on your own and follow the program above, but if you’re looking for more specific guidance or you want to avoid the guesswork and be told exactly what to do on what days to get to a pull-up on schedule, check out our coaching program!

We’ve helped tons of men and women get their first pull-ups with our 1-on-1 Online coaching program, where our coaches build a program that incorporates pull-ups and fits your busy life!

You can schedule a free call with our team to see how coaching can help you succeed by clicking on the image below:

Anyways! In case you don’t need a long article, here’s a the short version:

How To Do A Pull-up (short version)

• Can’t complete a pull-up yet? Instead, begin with bent over rows or bodyweight rows, progressing until you can complete a pull-up.
• Start with your hands on a bar about shoulder width apart, using an overhand grip (palms facing away).
• Pull until the bar reaches chin level. Focus on pinching your shoulder blades down and back (towards each other), and keep your entire body tight. Lower yourself slowly.
• Feel like a superhero after doing each one.

No matter your starting point, whether you’re a guy or girl, you CAN do pull-ups. And you WILL do pull-ups. You don’t need to follow the progression above exactly – it’s merely one path that you can take in order to reach the promised land…where the pull-ups flow like wine and the women instinctively flock like the Salmon of Capistrano.

Follow the path that works for your schedule, your experience, and your level of comfort with this movement – there’s no shame in going slowly and progressing safely.  And if you’re gung ho about pull-ups, ready for negatives and trying to squirm for that first rep, feel free to go for it.  Just be safe.

When you DO finally do a pull-up, I want to be the first to know – email me at steve@nerdfitness.com and tell me about it!

For the Rebellion,

-Steve

PS: If you are interested in learning more about pull-ups, bodyweight workout routines, and getting started with strength training, I applaud you – this is the BEST decision you make in your life.

If you want more specific instruction, we walk you through each step of the process in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab it free when you sign up in the box below:

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

“Enlightenment, for a wave in the ocean, is the moment the wave realizes it is water.”



Thich Nhat Hanh



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Have you noticed the price of olive oil and avocados going up lately? What about dairy, are you paying more for your butter and cheese? It is likely that you are dishing out more of your hard earned money for these items because, after a very long time in the dark,  fat is now back […]