Some of us have kids who seem to naturally flock to sports and physical activity. And while they might not resist every food temptation typical for their age group, they somehow pull together a pretty solid diet. Still others of us have children who aren’t necessarily the best eaters or exercisers but who seem (for now) more or less immune to the weight gain that might inspire better habits. Finally, some of us parent kids who truly struggle with weight. And even while poor food choices and low activity levels clearly contribute to most children’s problems, occasionally there are kids who, despite good habits, continue the battle into adulthood.

For our part, as parents, we see both sides. We worry for our kids’ health. We hope for their social acceptance even as we encourage them not to depend on it. We want them to take good care of their bodies, enjoy […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

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For decades, fitness experts around the world have been debating whether or not you should mix up your workouts. Those who are in favor of it claim that by mixing up your workouts, you’re challenging your muscles in new ways and forcing them to adapt and grow in response. Those against it say that the most important thing is consistency, and mixing up your routine ruins that consistency.

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Original post by rafael@thefitnessadviser.com (Rafi Bar-Lev)

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Back in the 70s, Colonel Steve Austin was the Six Million Dollar Man…a NASA astronaut nearly killed during a test flight.
But, luckily for him, NASA had the technology to rebuild him…better than he was before..better..stronger..faster

And luckily for all of us, we are pretty close to having the technology to help make us leaner..stronger..fitter…and healthier.
Thanks to researchers at St. Louis University, we may soon have access to smartphone applications that will help us transform our bodies from fat to fit.
And I am not talking about first generation apps that tell you the number of calories in a Big Mac or produce a generic computer generated workout.

CADA interface

I am talking about software that is being used currently on a group of elderly Chinese diabetic patients (not necessarily the most tech-savvy group on the planet).
This new technology uses interactive smartphone games and various logging features to help the elderly diabetics manage their health […]

Original post by healthhabits

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Steroids and Muscle Growth

I do not think that we will progress in our understanding of the science behind muscle growth until we begin to openly discuss the use of anabolic steroids.
As far I am concerned there is only 1 thing that has shown a clear, reproducible dose-response relationship with muscle size in humans (other than height).
It’s not protein or calories. It’s not even workout length, weight lifted or even Growth Hormone.
While all these things may (or may not) play a role, the only thing that has a clear dose response relationship is testosterone.
We know some athletes use it. We know some recreational lifters use it. We know some fitness models use it. We even know that some h0llywood celebrities use it. (I’m saying ’some’ to keep me out of trouble).
We also know that for various reasons a large percentage of these people lie about using it.
This skews all of our data.
Because people lie […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

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CrossTraining for Strength

Occasionally, I still design training programs for Strongman and Powerlifting competitors.
And the hardest thing about designing those programs is that these guys never, ever want to do anything except train for strength.
No rehab/prehab work, no HIIT, no flexibility/joint mobility work and certainly no cardio.
They are all too afraid that if they do any of that stuff, they will lose strength.
Arggghhhh!!!
No matter what I say, they don’t want to listen.
So, when I read the excerpt to this study, I actually laughed out loud….and then sent out a bunch of emails beginning with “I told you so”.
The Study
Researchers compared a traditional resistance training program designed to increase strength with a CrossTraining style of program that combined strength & endurance training.
The study lasted 16 weeks and was tested on 38 sedentary, apparently healthy males (25 yr +/- 8 mo).
Subjects were age matched and assigned to 1 of 3 groups.

A control group (Con)
A resistance […]

Original post by healthhabits

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Last week, MDA member Bobbylight posed a pretty poignant question in the forum: is the Primal Blueprint an ascetic lifestyle? As you’ll see from the actual post, he basically answered his own question (he agrees that the PB, by definition, is not asceticism, but his particular brand of the PB has gradually morphed into a kind of personal journey away from material pleasures; a “food as fuel” mode of asceticism), but the concept of asceticism gives me a jumping off point for a larger issue that needs addressing.

First, I’d like to review the differences between asceticism and eating in accordance with evolutionary biology. As it’s generally practiced across multiple disciplines and belief systems, asceticism refers to the complete and utter refutation of “worldly pleasures” to achieve spiritual and physical enrichment. Cleansing the mind along with the body. Regarding the pursuit of pleasure as somehow unnatural or impure, as if giving […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

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Fasting and Metabolism

Made a few short comments in response to a blog post I just saw on The Fitness Spotlight. The post is here and below are my responses to some of the claims made.

Just a few short comments on some claims here. Sorry if this has been covered somewhere among the comments, I haven’t read through them all.
“Liver glycogen levels are depleted within 8-10 hours. Muscle glycogen falls by 50% over 24-hours, even without exercise. “
False on both accounts. Liver glycogen is completely depleted in approx 28 hrs (Cahill et al). And the second statement is also incorrect. In humans, muscle glycogen is barely affected at all after 24 hrs, assuming no strenous activity.
“After depleting glycogen, amino acids are recycled to be broken down for glycogen through gluconeogenesis. “
This is an ongoing process, but liver glycogen does not need to be depleted in order for amino acids to contribute to the […]

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

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Today I would like to post an exclusive guest post by Anna Dornier from Path to Fat Loss. Anna was recently certified as a Russian Kettlebell Instructor by Pavel Tsatsouline himself. This is like the Navy Seals of personal training, in my opinion. Not easy at all! This certainly peaked my interest. Kettlebell workouts are tough, but getting certified at Pavel's school is a whole different deal. In this guest post, Anna is going to address whether a woman should train like a man. So many people have various opinions on this, that I predict some serious discussions in the comment section. Bring it on!

[I think most women want to be fit while still looking feminine. The argument is on what type of training to achieve that look.]
Should Women Do the Same Type of Workouts as Men?
-by Anna Dornier RKC; NASM, CPT
http://www.pathtofatloss.com
Let me start out by defining how men typically […]

Original post by admin

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You love being in shape, and you love looking good and feeling strong. The problem is that you hate hitting the gym. It’s not that you don’t enjoy fitness. You do. You just were never able to get into arbitrarily lifting heavy things and putting them back down, no matter how much you tried.
Thankfully, there’s more than one way to get strong and fit. Here are 5 activities that will help you get that rock hard body you’re after:
 

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Original post by rafael@thefitnessadviser.com (Rafi Bar-Lev)

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Dear Mark: Primal Trail Food

Just when you feel you’ve made the successful transition to Primal eating in everyday life, you stumble upon a scenario that sends you back to the drawing board. For some people, it’s the holidays. For others, it’s travel. For reader Brian, it’s regular camping trips into the real “primal environment”:
Dear Mark,
Each summer and throughout the year, I spend weeks at a time leading hiking, backpacking and camping trips in the backcountry. While this seems like it’s definitely a primal activity, traditional backpacking fare consists of oatmeal, tortillas, granola, peanut butter, pasta, rice, and beans. These foods are light, compact, durable, will fill you up, do not need to be refrigerated, and are easily packable. At the end of each week, though, I always feel worn out – depleted, almost – and I realize now that it is probably because of what I eat. Do you have any primal menu […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

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