Let’s talk research.
Now, I’m not going to review this latest trial showing ‘near equivalent’ anabolic signaling between a Low Weight high Volume Training protocol and a High Weight Low Volume protocol, because it has already been done all over the internet.
For a complete review check here –> http://evidencebasedfitness.blogspot.com/2010/08/if-youre-going-to-claim-to-improve.html
And to read the actual paper –> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2918506/?tool=pubmed
So the point isn’t a review as much as it is presenting an Alternative Conclusion.
If you look around on-line what you will find is mostly a collection of arguments against the study design, or the claims being made by the researchers, but what I would like to present is a little different…
Assumptions:
I’m going to assume that for the most part the results found were correct and the methods were acceptable.
I’m also going to assume that the typical “BroScience” is correct. You know…the notion that the 5-15 rep range will build more muscle mass than the 20-50 [...]

Original post by Brad Pilon

Max cycles in 20 minutes of:
1 Pullup/Chinup
2 Pushups
3 Full Squats

Warmup: A couple rotations of the Grok Squat and Grok Hang.
How-to: Execute 1 pullup. Drop down and perfom 2 pushups. Get up and do 3 full squats (bringing your hips to below your knees). That’s one cycle. Repeat, but this time do a chinup instead of a pullup.
Variations: If you can’t do a proper pullup/chinup, pushup or full squat subsitute movements from Levels 1-3 of Primal Blueprint Fitness Lift Heavy Things (chapter 3).
Hat Tip: This workout is a favorite of mine. It’s a minor variation on a workout that is part of the SimpleFit protocol.
Reminder: Workouts of the Week are an optional component of Primal Blueprint Fitness and should only be completed by those that have mastered Level 4 of each Lift Heavy Things Essential Movement. Also, it’s recommended that the WOWs replace one [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

<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

Two words in the seafood recipe submitted by Rachel Virden for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook Contest caught our eye immediately: Summer and Squash.
Yes, we loved the combination of shrimp and sausage (who wouldn’t?) and the intensely savory flavor that only comes from sautéing with bacon fat. We were amazed by the way a few simple ingredients baked up into such a rich and satisfying dish. But what made us really happy was discovering a new, inventive way cook up summer’s seemingly endless bounty of squash.

If you have a garden, you know that varieties of summer squash are famously prolific. This time of year, farmers’ markets are also overflowing with zucchini, crookneck and pattypan squash. Just when you think you’ve prepared summer squash in every possible way, a recipe like Shrimp, Sausage and Summer Squash Casserole comes along that transforms a simple crookneck into a rich, flavorful meal.
As you begin [...]

Original post by Worker Bee

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately on the health benefits of different styles of eating.
From allergenic foods to anti-inflammatory foods, I’ve gone through most of the major theories.
And you know what I’ve found?
In terms of risk of chronic disease, inflammation, oxidative stress, and quality of life nothing beats simply eating less.
In fact, most diet styles from Vegetarian to Paleo can be extremely healthy, especially when combined with eating less (or at least not overeating).
So this begs the question – What the hell are we doing with these confusing ‘food pyramids’?
I mean really – do they help or do they simply confuse?
In my mind their main benefit seems to be their ability to ignore the giant pink elephant that is calorie intake.
So, I’m going to throw my hat into the ring and present what I think would be a food pyramid that would actually create a massive benefit in [...]

Original post by Brad Pilon

We all live with distraction – kids running through the house, a co-worker’s constant pop-ins to chat (and avoid work), telemarketer calls during dinner. Some days it’s a wonder we get anything done. Digital distractions, however, are another animal entirely. Whether we’re updating a financial spreadsheet or working on a document, there’s the lure of the Internet, email, social networking sites. When we’re not on the computer, there are calls and texts from the cell phone, a mind-boggling array of apps on our smart phone, and the old standby – T.V. It’s a far cry from Grok’s day when there was nothing to watch but the stars and dim silhouette of a darkened landscape, nothing to hear except the wind in the grasses, the distant calls of animals and chatter of family.

Yes, the irony isn’t lost on me: in addition to this blog, I’m on Twitter and Facebook. Then there’s [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Do high reps build more muscle than low reps? This is the first hot topic up for discussion in this upcoming series of roundtables where I bring together the brightest minds in nutrition and weight training science.
Besides the original four horsemen, that is yours truly, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon and Borge Fagerli, I have invited James Krieger to the table.
Lyle and Alan hardly need any introduction but what about these other cats?
James Krieger has a very impressive set of credentials and his input today will be very valuable due to his experience as a published scientist. He’s done a great deal of research and published several peer-reviewed articles on weight training. Most known among these is his extensive research on single vs multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy.
Some of you might not be familiar with Borge but that’s just because me, Lyle and Alan prefers to keep him [...]

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

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