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

<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

When it comes to weight loss and muscle building advice, there is a group of people you absolutely must NOT trust.
This group could include your best friend, family members or even trusted on-line fitness personalities.
And while they mean well…their advice can lead you disastrously astray.
This group is known as “The Early Adopters”
Have you ever heard something along the lines of:
Hey Jim, how’s that new workout you are trying?
Oh man, it’s AMAZING, the fat is practically MELTING off of me

If you answered yes, then you have met an Early Adopter.
Early Adopters are people who advise on how ‘awesome’ something is, they are only doing so  because it’s something NEW.
You are getting great feedback on the sole basis that the topic is NEW and EXCITING.
[You are also typically getting feedback that is exaggerated or even impossible based on the time lines...especially when it comes to muscle building. [...]

Original post by Brad Pilon

Human evolution is usually described as a sequence of momentous changes or developments to our species. You’ve got the move from knuckle walking and tree dwelling to perpetual bipedalism that occurred a few million years back as perhaps the biggest step toward homo sapiens and away from the lower primates. There’s the big brain, too, as well as the tool making. Language acquisition, art, spirituality, and, yes, agriculture are other major milestones in our journey. These developments punctuated and defined our evolution, and they’ve come to define what it means to be human. What other animals walk upright all day long, manipulate and craft complex machinery, employ an over ten thousand-word verbal vocabulary, and shape the natural world around them?
Well, it’s probably time to augment our evolutionary CVs with yet another bullet point: the development of our unique shoulder joints.

As a recent NPR story highlighted, the human shoulder joint took [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson