I found myself with a bit of spare time yesterday after work, so what better option than to saddle up the ol’ fixie and head for a spin? I stopped off by the library and returned The 10,000 Year Explosion (a good read, but not quite the ground-breaker I was expecting).
Quick interlude — it is not the Paleo premise (not mine anyway), that humans have ceased to evolve, or have not evolved over the last 10,000 years (since the onset of the agricultural revolution) — lactose tolerance, anyone? — but rather that we have not evolved sufficiently to handle the onslaught of post-agricultural revolution foodstuffs. Or that the process of excessive fat accumulation is evolution’s attempt at handling this onslaught. Nothing says that every evolutionary leap is necessarily a “positive” one — non-perfect fixes and dead-ends do crop-up. There is a continuing interplay, of course, between the evolutionary process and the continually changing environment.
Anyway, I dropped-off the 10k-Year Explosion and picked-up a copy of Lone Survivor. What a great read so far — content-wise — though I’d hoped for a more compelling writing style. That said, though, think that life is kicking you around a bit, or that your workouts are beastly? Heh. Give this book a read, and imagine being the lone survivor of a SEAL team decimated in Afghanistan.
I stopped-off by the field on the way home and, having my Vibrams on-hand (always the good Boy Scout), swapped footwear and ran 6 x 150 yard sprints. I followed that up with 50 continuous skip lunges before sliding back into my biking shoes and riding back home.
Dinner consisted of a small portion of flat iron steak and a tossed green salad with olive oil, and coconut vinegar (Tropical Tradition brand — great stuff!). And a beer or two 🙂 with the evening’s entertainment being the always engaging Andy Deas and Robb Wolf show — otherwise known as The Paleolithic Solution — of which, the latest episode (no. 22) just may be the finest to date. And no, really, not just because Andy Deas gives a shout-out to Theory to Practice 🙂 Seriously, though, these guys do a hell of a job breaking down and commenting on the nutritional aspects of the Paleo lifestyle. Now if they’d only get busy and shoot some Paleo rap vids for the Nerdcore for Life folks. If my man Funky49 can rep Fermilab, then I think Andy and Robb ought to step up to the plate for the “pseudo-science” of Paleo 🙂
After a quick turn-around, I was back at in the gym bright and early this morning, and armed with a simple agenda — an explosive pull of some sort, coupled with some elevated-feet ring flyes. Here’s how it ended-up:
ballistic push-ups: with 30lb vest x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
elevated feet ring flyes: bw x 10, 10, 30lb vest x 7, 7, 6
Russian lunge (ballistic, for max height): 30lb vest x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (each leg, alternating)
clean-grip low pull (bar above belly button): 135 x 7; 185 x 5; 225 x 3, 3, 3 (emphasis on execution speed)
5 total rounds, with the 1st round being a bridge from the warm-up. Very little rest between exercises. ballistic push-ups and lunges were performed as CNS “primers”. 40 total minutes, from the time I walked into the gym, ’til the time I hit the showers.
Post workout meal? Two soft-boiled, free-range eggs (hella-orange yokes!) and about two tablespoons raw butter; approximately 1 hour post-shower.
Oh and hey, looking for an absolutely knock-down-drag-out dissertation on human metabolism and energy production? Look now further than this 3-video series brought to you by the folks at CrossFit. Here’s an explanation of the series, straight from the CrossFit Journal site:
On March 12, 2010, Coach Greg Glassman and a small crew visited Dr. Scott Connelly in the Los Angeles offices of Progenex. The intent was to tap into Dr. Connelly’s vast knowledge of metabolism, particularly as it relates to long-term fitness and health.
The result was over 90 minutes of education about the relationships among glucose, insulin, ATP, protein, body weight and health. This is a dense, fast-moving presentation worthy of multiple viewings. Topics include:
* Why a calorie is not just a calorie.
* How insulin resistance was evolutionarily beneficial.
* How “dieting” can make you fatter.
* What happens when you hit the calcium wall.
Whoa…Fabulous stuff! Thanks CrossFit. And hey, what are you waiting for? Get your subscription to the CrossFit Journal. You’ll be so glad you did.
Theory to Practice 