Life adapts when necessitated by changing conditions that impact survival. These are evolutionary pressures, with nutrition being probably the strongest. Flora bend toward the sun and plunge rooty tendrils deep into soil in search of moisture and minerals, while mobile organisms walk, run, fly, crawl, scrounge, or swim for food. Herbivores prefer to go where the vegetation is the densest and most nutritious, while predators follow close behind. Life is in constant flux, then, with food availability as the invisible hand directing traffic.

Flux is great, exciting stuff, but it makes for difficult research into cause and effect. It heralds the introduction of myriad variables. So we often go to the lab for sterile, randomized controlled trials in an attempt to limit these variables and in a desire for scientific certainty. But real life is messy, complex and difficult to model. This is why isolated populations in actual, natural […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program

“Concurrent muscle gain and fat loss is the most difficult goal to achieve. That’s why people call it the “Holy Grail”; because it’s so elusive.”
– Tom Venuto
Who is this book for?
Anyone seeking the most coveted goal of them all: losing fat while gaining muscle. Body recomposition.

What will I learn from it?
You will learn the theory and physiology behind body recomposition strategies and how to apply them in practice. The WHY and the HOW is covered in great detail.

Strong points* Begins with an outstanding theoretical introduction to the topic.
* Tom’s writing is very clean and easy to follow along. He does not get terribly repetitive either, which is a plus (this is otherwise all too common among fitness authors in general).
* The claims and the discussion regarding realistic expectations in the book are not overblown and features some real world examples. Same goes for Tom’s […]

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Martin Berkhan)

As you may already be aware, I’m not a huge fan of long, protracted warmups or pre-workout stretching. Workouts should be effortless, enjoyable, almost fleeting interludes between the activities you really want to spend your time doing, and spending twenty minutes beforehand to “lube up your joints” and “grease the gears” doesn’t appeal to my sensibilities. Additionally, if I’m going to burn time doing traditional, static, gym-class stretches they’d better confer some real benefits. You know, things like reduced injury, reduced soreness, improved performance. Yet studies are either mixed, show no difference or point to the exact opposite.

Now if you’re lifting very heavy weights and subjecting your joints to high levels of force, a more thorough, diversified warmup may be in the cards, but it’s not necessary for most folks involved with Primal Blueprint Fitness. For us, a couple simple strategies are plenty to prepare the body for what lies […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Mark,

I’m a big guy (okay, obese, if I’m being honest) who’s getting smaller fast. I adopted the PB a couple weeks ago, and I’ve already dropped twenty pounds, going from 300 to 280. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m just confused. How does that work? You always hear that initial weight loss for the really overweight is fast, but why? Is it really just water weight? It seems metabolically impossible that I’ve actually burned that much body fat… I can’t help but feel a bit let down if all I’m doing is losing water. If there’s one thing I learned from your writings, it’s weight isn’t just weight (and calories aren’t just calories). So… what gives?
Thanks,
Todd

Thanks for the question, Todd.
It’s a common weight loss experience. You’re overweight. You decide to take control of your health and shed some body fat. You go Primal, drop a bunch of […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

The response to last week’s inaugural Workout of the Week (WOW) was fantastic. A big thanks to everyone that participated and commented. And a special thanks to Mark’s Daily Apple reader and PBFer Brett Yahnke for submitting the first ever WOW video. If you haven’t seen it yet take a look.
Last week we discussed throwing as an important human movement pattern. This week it’s part of the WOW. Give it a shot and report back with your times. Grok on!

8 cycles for time of:
50 Meter Sprint
25 Meter Grok Crawls
25 Meter Lunges
Weighted Squat Throw

Warmup: A static Grok squat and a few 50 meter runs at moderate effort.
How-to: After a light warmup, jog into a sprint and go all out for 50 meters. Slow down, stop, turn around and Grok Crawl halfway back to the starting line. Stand up and perform lunges for the final 25 meters. Grab a […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

I’ve seen lots of new bloggers reporting about their success with the Leangains approach to intermittent fasting, so I thought I’d add them here in case anyone wants to check them out.
Here’s just a handful I’ve discovered in the last two weeks.
Tucker Redux: 50+ and shredded with the help of Leangains. Direct link to before/after’s here.
The Paleo Powerlifter: Leangains before/after pictures and this post for strength results.
Diet Free Dieting: Ben & Jerry’s fueled fat loss with the power of Leangains
Firth Fitness: Scorching through stubborn body fat with the Leangains approach
Train Now, Live Later: The Leangains Experiment
This list is far from complete and I’ll keep adding blogs here continuously. If you want to join the list, e-mail me at martinberkhan at gmail dot com, or PM me on Facebook or Twitter. Send me the link to the post where you talk about your experiences.

//

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Martin Berkhan)

<p>The basis of Tabata Training is 4 minutes of intense interval training/circuit training. What you are doing is taking an exercise we'll use sprints as an example here.</p>
<p>Sprint as hard as you can for <strong>20 seconds</strong></p>
<p>Walk for <strong>10 seconds</strong></p>
<p>Repeat 7 more times for a total of <strong>8 sets</strong>.</p>
<p>So what you have is a total of <strong>4 minutes of workout time</strong>.</p>
<p>Tabata Training can be done with a number of different exercises the idea is to use an exercise that gets the whole body involved or at least the major muscle groups.Tabata Training can be done with Barbells, Dumbells, Kettlebells or just Bodyweight exercises. I'll give you some other exercises and routines to try in a minute but first let me give you some background and how Tabatas work.</p>
<p>Tabata Training was developed by Izumi Tabata (imagine that) at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. They did a study […]

Original post by WP-AutoBlog Import

Squid is so often banished into a bowl of heavy batter followed by a lengthy stay in the deep fryer that most people don’t realize how fresh and healthy this cephalopod can be. Rich in protein and nutrients with a mild flavor that isn’t at all fishy, squid should be enjoyed with as little cooking interference as possible. If you always pass it by at the fish counter (understandably; the appearance can be a little intimidating), we’re hoping this easy recipe for Salt and Pepper Squid will inspire you to finally cook some at home.
The texture of squid is a bit chewy, a trait exaggerated by overcooking, which is why a quick sauté is an ideal way to prepare it. In the recipe, submitted for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook Contest, Nicola Aylin makes this simple cooking method more interesting by sprinkling the squid with Sichuan peppercorns.

Sichuan peppercorns (also spelled […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

I want to talk to you about our long term goals…and I mean LONG term.
And really, something that I myself don’t fully comprehend:
If we are worried about overpopulation and sustainable living, then why is one of our goals in health fitness “To eat as much as I can and still lose weight?”
Isn’t that kind of greedy?
Eat 5,000 or 10,000  or even 20,000 calories a day and still look great….Sounds like a good plan
Until you stop and think – those 20,000 calories could have fed a family 4 for at least 3 days.
Shouldn’t our goal be “I want to eat as little as possible, enjoy the foods I eat and be in perfect health”?
If we can get by on 1,000 Calories a day and still be in optimal health…shouldn’t this be something to consider?
[I’m not saying 1,000 is a proven number, just something I picked for illustration]
If you stop to think […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

You love the runner’s high, chiseled physique, steady energy, knock-out sleep, and that alluring post-workout glow. And, sure, there’s always the extraordinary cardiovascular benefit, cancer deterrent, anti-inflammatory impact, and age reversal effect. If that isn’t enough congratulations for your fitness endeavors, here’s more. Physical activity helps fortify your brain as well as your muscles. Yes, exercise goes to your head in dramatically healthy ways – throughout the course of a lifetime. Let’s examine.
Changing the Brain
Exercise supports the brain in a number of ways. Most obviously, exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which provides more oxygen and energy but also reduces free radical damage and enhances memory. Researchers also know that exercise stimulates the creation of new neurons and the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a chemical that is instrumental in neuron preservation and formation. And then there’s the impact on gene expression (always a favorite of mine). Exercise […]

Original post by Mark Sisson