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

It’s been two months since Hafthor Björnsson defeated his rival Eddie Hall in the “Heaviest Boxing Match in History.” Both men have continued to stray along different paths in their respective retirements from strongman. Björnsson recently had some eye-opening news as he continues to figure out what he now wants to achieve athletically. 

On June 1, 2022, Björnsson shared an update about where his physique stands after his fight with Hall. The 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion says his body weight is now 146 kilograms (322 pounds). Since Björnsson weighed 152 kilograms (335 pounds) for his match with Hall, that means he lost 13 pounds in roughly eight weeks. For additional context, Björnsson weighed 205 kilograms (452 pounds) when he won his 2018 WSM title. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson)

[Related: Eddie Hall Honored Boxing Bet With Hafthor Björnsson And Got A Tattoo Of His Full Name]

The radical shift in Björnsson’s physique is apparently part of an ongoing athletic experiment after strongman. After a decade-plus of pushing himself to be one of the planet’s strongest people, it’s understandable the 33-year-old Björnsson wants to figure some things out before taking another step forward. 

“I’m human like everyone else, and I’m going through a period in my life where I’m not 100 percent focused or dedicated all the time,” Björnsson wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. “It’s weird because, for the last 10-plus years of my life, I’ve been super focused and driven because I’ve always had a goal to strive towards.”

What Björnsson describes might be relatable to a lot of strength sports athletes. It can take some time to adjust to a new life after being so dead-set on one singular goal for so long. In Björnsson’s case, he at least certainly understands that his current struggle is normal and human and won’t last forever. 

“Being in the unknown now has my motivation lacking a bit,” Björnsson writes. “If you are lacking motivation at this moment, know that it’s normal, and we all go through that.”

The Road Ahead

At the time of this writing, Björnsson maintains that he’s looking for another boxing fight. While still early, it seems boxing is the next professional athletic endeavor he wants to dive into fully. 

Some had surmised that Björnsson would take Hall up on a rematch offer on that front. However, in a YouTube response to Hall’s offer in early April 2022, Björnsson said he doesn’t think the timing lines up for an immediate rematch. 

Whoever Björnsson ultimately does line up for a fight, it should be another fascinating matchup of skill-sets for the former strongman great. 

About Björnsson

If his strongman career is any indication, Björnsson might be in a quality position to excel at whatever he puts his mind to.

In addition to his 2018 WSM title, Björnsson is a three-time winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic (2018-2020) and a five-time winner of Europe’s Strongest Man (2014-2015, 2017-2019). He’s also the current official deadlift World Record holder with a pull of 501 kilograms (1,105 pounds) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman Feats of Strength series. 

In essence, the strength sports world knows what Björnsson’s capable of with motivation. Be it in boxing or another avenue, it might not be long before we see Björnsson thriving as a professional competitor again. 

Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram

The post Strongman Legend Hafthor Björnsson Has Lost 13 Pounds Since Fight With Eddie Hall, Continues New Athletic Pursuits appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Hey folks, Board-Certified Health Coach Erin Power is here to answer your questions about comfort eating and eating when stressed. If you’re struggling with this, you’re not alone! We’re here with tips and support for cultivating a healthy relationship with food during stressful times. Have a question you’d like to ask our health coaches? Leave it below in the comments or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

Michele asked:
“I always end up comfort eating when worried or stressed, and I’m always worried or stressed! After a hard day, I overeat pizza or other food that makes me feel like crap and gain weight. Then I feel guilty, can’t sleep, and worry more! How do I stop doing this?”

The pull towards soothing ourselves with food during stressful times is real. So, unfortunately, are the consequences of eating food that makes us feel worse rather than better.

Chronic stress itself can contribute to cravings and unwanted weight gain because it deregulates and taxes the nervous and endocrine systems, including through overstimulation of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. To make matters worse, people who are chronically stressed are more likely to reach for foods high in sugar, carbs, and saturated fat.¹

To be clear, high-quality, whole-food-based saturated fat is not unhealthy! But combining it with sugar, a large carb load, and excess caloric intake overall can lead to unwanted weight gain, overburden the digestive system, and promote systemic inflammation.

What’s more, food that makes us “feel like crap” is generally not high quality or whole-food-based. It’s far more common for people struggling with comfort eating or emotional eating to reach for highly processed food or fast food full of unhealthy trans fats and highly refined, inflammatory seed oils.

And, as you noted, overeating and eating food that makes us feel physically and emotionally unwell absolutely causes additional stress and interferes with sound sleep. This exacerbates chronic stress, systemic inflammation, and unwanted weight gain. Ironically, it also makes us far more likely to engage in more emotional eating the next day—literally feeding an unhelpful cycle.

Asking for Help

First, take a deep breath and to know that you’re not alone. Increasing numbers of people are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental-emotional challenges. In an effort to cope, many turn to foods and emotional eating habits that make them feel worse.² People with a history of disordered eating are even more vulnerable to falling into this sort of pattern during periods of anxiety and uncertainty.³

I do want to mention here—for anyone reading—that when eating patterns start to feel out of control to the point of a potential eating disorder, you may want to meet with a licensed therapist or other mental health professional. Same goes for anyone suffering from clinical depression, anxiety, or other serious mental health concerns.

That said, as a Primal Health Coach, I work with many clients who struggle with emotional eating. As a coach, I can assure you that there is hope for stepping out of unhelpful cycles and changing your relationship with food.

By recognizing your pattern around eating and asking for help, you’ve already taken a huge, courageous first step. I’ll share a few others below!

Strategies and Tips for Emotional Eating

1. Reframe comfort eating.
One of the first things I suggest is reframing “comfort eating.” Rather than making it synonymous with “emotional eating,” or what some call “eating their feelings,” let’s put a new and improved definition in place.

What if comfort eating means eating food that makes you feel better after eating it? In other words, choosing foods and eating in a way that brings you true comfort!

Part of this is food choice. For that, I recommend stocking your home with healthy, Primal options. It just makes it easier when your environment is set up to help you. And, on the flip side, an easy way to avoid food that makes you feel bad is to not keep it around.

2. Pause and play the tape forward.
This is a great one to do in the moment—either before you’ve “gone too far” or when you catch yourself in the midst of it. This moves the emotional eating moment into the “present tense.” Many times we reflect back on our diet “indiscretions” afterward, awash in disappointment and guilt, which… isn’t often productive.

In these situations, picture yourself overdoing it—whatever that means for you—and notice what happens after. See yourself 10 minutes from now, later as you’re trying to fall asleep, and tomorrow morning. Really take in how your present actions will impact your future self. How do you feel physically, emotionally?

Now picture an alternate scenario—one in which you choose differently and perhaps set food aside for now. Where will that choice lead?

Practice making choices in the moment that you know your future self will feel better about.

3. Breathe and move!
Rather than telling yourself that you can’t have a thing, try saying: “Maybe later, after 10 deep breaths or a 10-minute walk.”

In themselves, walking and deep, slow breathing are excellent strategies for regulating the nervous system and reducing stress and anxiety. You’ll be distracting yourself with calming, grounding activities that connect you to how you feel in your body and mind. This is an excellent way to ride out urges and help cravings move along.

4. Write it out.
Numerous studies have shown the beneficial impact of journaling or “expressive writing” for alleviating physical and mental-emotional symptoms.⁴ Some people also find it helpful to keep a food log as form of personal accountability and adhering to eating goals.

This is more of a long-term strategy, since journaling is most effective when done consistently over a period of weeks or months. Don’t let that dissuade you! Set aside time each morning or evening (even 10 minutes) to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

You can write about how you want to feel and about eating specifically… or just see what wants to come out onto the page. The key thing is to (1) not censor or judge yourself, and (2) offer yourself an outlet to reflect on where you are and where you want to be.

The very act of writing things down can help you shift your relationship with eating over time.

5. Cultivate excitement.
Rather than focus solely on what you want to change or avoid, identify something you can look forward to and even get excited about!

This doesn’t have to be a big thing, and ideally it should be something you can turn to regularly—especially whenever you tend to engage in emotional eating. Perhaps there’s an activity or project you enjoy, a book you’d like to read, or a television show you like to watch. Choose something that you can look forward to AND that will make you feel a sense of comfort and relaxation—both in the moment and afterwards.

6. Get support.
While the above steps offer a solid starting point, I can’t emphasize enough the value of getting support and working with a mental health professional or coach one-on-one.

External accountability truly is a game changer, and we can help you navigate your specific circumstances and challenges. As part of this, we can provide “tough love” when needed but will also answer questions, offer individualized guidance, and above all empower you to take on the most supportive actions for your health and happiness goals. Working with a coach for even a month or two can help you recalibrate, reset, and put a framework for success in place. Visit myprimalcoach.com to learn more and get started.

Do you struggle with emotional eating? Have any tips to share? Drop them and other questions for me in the comments!

The post Ask a Health Coach: Emotional Eating and Food Guilt appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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

Jay Cutler retired from competitive bodybuilding in 2013, but he stays active. The four-time Mr. Olympia winner (2006-2007, 2009-2010) keeps after it in the gym. A recent day of back exercises exemplifies that continued dedication.

On May 29, 2022, Cutler worked out at the Fit Club, a gym in Las Vegas, intending to strengthen his back. He shared footage of this training session on his YouTube channel.

Even in retirement, it appears Cutler still has a lot to give to his supporters. That includes the greater bodybuilding community, which likely won’t ever say no to commentary from one of the sport’s greats. 

Another day in paradise. The weather is great, right? Training has been going A+.

Whenever Cutler can share some of the apparent secrets that helped make his career so successful, he doesn’t hesitate. 

Cutler’s ‘Day in Paradise’ Back Workout

Cutler lays out his back day with six separate exercises that can help round out his back muscles. 

Reverse-Grip RealLeader Machine 

Sets and Reps: 5 “feel” sets

Cutler starts the session with several reverse-grip sets on a RealLeader machine. He says that he wants to get a “feel” of the exercise to ease into his day. He also maintains that he used to do this specific movement with a barbell, but it ended up being too strenuous on his wrists. The machine, in essence, allows him to achieve the same goals while lessening any unnecessary pain. 

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12

Cutler next does a few working sets of Single-arm dumbbell rows in a slight but straightforward shift. He uses an 80-pound dumbbell for each arm with more focus on form rather than a concrete cap on repetitions. Cutler seems to allude that this exercise could be foundational in his training.

Lat Pulldown

Sets and Reps: 3 “feel” sets

It makes sense that Cutler leans on lat pulldowns as a segment of this routine. They’re a compound movement that can help athletes develop stronger backs by isolating their lat muscles. Cutler uses a neutral grip — where an athlete rotates their palms so that they’re facing — and again noted that he wanted a “feel” of the lift first. 

“I talked about these ‘feel’ sets. I only do these on the first exercise,” Cutler says. “For me, I just want to get a feel of the exercise. I call them ‘feel sets,’ but they’re kind of like so-so warmups. It’s hard to say you’re warmed up in [Las] Vegas.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mr Olympia Jay Cutler (@jaycutler)

[Related: Bodybuilder Chris Bumstead Shares His Arms Workout For Size]

T-Bar Row

Sets and Reps: 4 x 12

In a change of pace from his competitive career, Cutler says he only started regularly doing T-bar rows once he was in retirement. The exercise itself is a reliable way for athletes to train their back despite any lower back or hamstring soreness. The machine’s pad offers inherent stability in contrast to traditional bent-over rows. After finishing his fourth set, Cutler notes that he still makes it a point to deadlift fairly regularly. 

RealLeader Pullover Machine

Sets and Reps: 4 x 10-12

Cutler once again implements an alternative, using the RealLeader pullover machine instead of traditional dumbbell pullovers. Pullovers can be a quality way for athletes to work and isolate their chest and lat muscles. After powering through a few high-rep sets, Cutler says there are about 225 pounds on each side. 

Before moving on to his final back exercise, Cutler notes that he had planned to do seated cable rows, but they slipped his mind. 

Hyperextension

Sets and Reps: 3 sets

Cutler closes with some hyperextensions in the cap to his workout, which target the erector spinae (or the group of long muscles that run up the back). While starting from a flexed position, this movement has athletes engage their lower back muscles with an extension while keeping their head and neck static. 

Cutler does three sets of hyperextensions with a 25-pound plate in his hands. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mr Olympia Jay Cutler (@jaycutler)

[Related: Bodybuilder Breon Ansley Shares A Killer, High-Volume Legs Workout]

Cutler at a Glance

Thanks to his many career achievements, Cutler has undoubtedly earned his platform. 

From 2006 to 2010,  Cutler won four of five Mr. Olympia titles (2006-2007, 2009-2010). He was also a Mr. Olympia runner-up on six occasions (2001, 2003, 2004-2005, 2008, 2011), often finishing second to his then-rival and fellow bodybuilding legend, Ronnie Coleman. 

At 48-years-old, Cutler continues to be active in the strength sports sphere. In addition to an Instagram full of updates from his day-to-day life, he regularly shares different taxing workouts on his YouTube channel. That channel has 544,000 subscribers and counting. For this bodybuilding great, even away from the stage, it seems some of his greatest joys come from training. 

Featured image: JayCutlerTV on YouTube

The post 4-Time Mr. Olympia Winner Jay Cutler Shares ‘A Day in Paradise’ Back Routine appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

There are different degrees of hiking. There’s the kind of “hiking” you do through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Central Park in NYC, or Runyon Canyon in Hollywood. You’re outdoors and amidst the trees and foliage and physically active, but it’s not quite roughin’ in. You still have cell coverage and you can procure an iced coffee within twenty minutes if you have to. For those hikes, you don’t need first aid. You don’t need any special skills other than the ability to ambulate across the landscape.

But there’s real hiking. Hiking more than five miles. Multi-day hiking. Overnight hiking. Backpacking. Hiking in a place where the trail might not be so well-maintained, where you might run into an aggressive animal, where you have to keep your wits about you. For this type of hiking, which is what most people imagine when they think of “hiking,” it’s a good idea to come prepared with first aid: with physical medical supplies and skills and knowledge that will help you enjoy the great outdoors without staying helpless. Because the true allure of hiking is getting out into the wilderness where the niceties and comforts of the modern world no longer apply. We all want a bit of adventure, but we also want to make it back in one piece.

So let’s dig into hiking first aid. I won’t tell you to “bring water” or “snacks” because, well, you’re an intelligent adult who doesn’t need to be told the absolute basics.

Hiking First Aid

Tweezers

Tweezers are a godsend, but you need both needle tip and broad tip. Needle tip tweezers are excellent for removing ticks—just get as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out—while broad tips are good for removing splinters and thorns.

These fit the description.

Adhesive bandages of all sizes

Adhesive bandages (or bandaids) of varying sizes are essential for covering up cuts and wounds. Butterfly bandages are also nice for binding wounds that would otherwise need stitches.

Betadine

Betadine is an iodine-based antiseptic that cleans wounds and kills germs. A little bottle is great to have on hand so you can spray your cuts and wounds.

Antiseptic wipes

Clean wounds, sterilize skin and hands and tools. These are just handy to have around.

Medical scissors

In case you need to cut a bandage or some fabric/clothing, these are indispensable.

This is a good pair.

Surgical tape

You never know what you’ll need to tape to your skin.

This is a good one.

Gauze

Used to stop bleeding, protect wounds, improve healing, and all that good stuff that helps you overcome bad luck on the trail.

Multitool

Gives you just about everything you might need to handle the occurrences that you can’t quite anticipate.

Here’s one.

Good knife

A good sturdy knife is always a wise choice on the trail, even if you only use it to whittle a stick to pass the time. You’ll never regret having a knife. This one has a firestarter attached.

Voodoo floss bands

Voodoo floss bands can be used to compress injured limbs, like ankles, wrists, or knees. They provide stability and keep down swelling. Normally used in training, they can be quite handy on the trail as well.

Link to buy them.

Magnesium oil

In my experience, topical magnesium chloride oil is great for reducing joint pain and inhibiting inflammation. Very helpful in a pinch. Great for cramps.

Make your own by filling a spray bottle with magnesium chloride flakes and adding water, or buy it.

Electrolytes

Staying hydrated requires more than just water. You also need electrolytes, especially if you’re hiking. LMNT is a great powdered electrolyte supplement to keep on hand. Just add to water, shake, and drink to stay hydrated. Snake Juice is another option.

Mustard packets

Cramps are debilitating on hikes. They can even be deadly. One of the best cures for cramps is pickle juice, which works but not because of electrolyte repletion.¹ It actually has no real impact on hydration or electrolyte status, and drinking it resolves muscle cramps faster than the gut can absorb it. TRP ion channels in the oropharyngeal region (tongue/mouth/throat) react to something in the pickle juice—probably the vinegar—and short-circuit the excitation of the muscle, blocking the cramp immediately.

Other TRP ion channel activators are found in cayenne pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, and researchers have created a blend of extracts from all three plants that shows efficacy against muscle cramps.² It’s called Hot Shot.

Basic yellow mustard also works. To really kick it up a notch you can add cayenne pepper and ginger to the mustard. The combo of mustard and spicy/gingery can be an instant fix for muscle cramps.

Skills and Best Practices

Have a map.

Most places I find aren’t giving out paper maps anymore of the hiking area. If they’re not, you can buy maps of the area or take a picture of the map at the trailhead with your phone before starting so you always have something to refer to.

Take a compass (or have a compass on your phone) and know how to read a map.

A compass and a map go very well together. If you need it, this is a comprehensive explanation of how to use the two together to orient yourself.

Charge your phone.

Go into the hike with a fully-charged phone. Keep it charged by keeping the phone on airplane mode.

Walking downhill correctly.

Don’t walk downhill with your pelvis tucked and all the weight on the balls of your feet, knees and quads. Instead, keep the weight on your entire foot/heel. Break at the hips slightly to accept the bulk of the load on your glutes, hamstrings, and hips.

Walking uphill correctly.

Take shorter strides and, again, accept the load onto your glutes and hamstrings. The posterior chain is far stronger than the quads and lasts longer without cramping.

Most hikers don’t need to carry a big first aid kit with them all the time. Going for a few miles? You don’t need much of anything. Going for a few hours? Take some bandaids and betadine. Doing a half day hike? Throw in some tweezers and mustard packets. Going overnight? Add some more from the list. This isn’t a definitive list of things you must have on your person at all times once you leave city limits. It represents as complete a list as I could muster for serious hiking.

And remember: this is all “just in case” stuff. For most of your hikes, even the long, intense ones, you won’t dip into the kit at all. It’s just good to be prepared.

The post Hiking First Aid: What to Bring, Do, and Know to Stay Safe on the Trail appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.