This is the last in a series of posts (Pushups, Pullups/Chinups, Squats, Overhead Presses) covering proper technique for the 5 Essential Movements of Primal Blueprint Fitness. Check back tomorrow when I’ll be covering the first of many ancillary movement patterns that will be featured in Workouts of the Week (WOW).
I don’t like situps, crunches, or most of their derivatives, as “core workouts.” Yeah, doing a ton of crunches day in and day out will get you perpetually sore abdominals, but that’s an improper usage of our torso. The core does not exist to contract or bend over and over again; it’s there to resist force. We need strong cores in order to maintain a stable torso while putting in work, whether it’s lifting heavy things, carrying a heavy load, or transferring power from our hips while throwing a punch or a ball. Having that stable, strong core with the capacity [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Here’s a video of Andreaz, current nordic bodybuilding champ and client of mine, preparing for the national championsship in Athletic Fitness 2010. Andreaz does about half of his training fasted. Heavy compound movements predominantely, no pikachu-stuff. He’s about 6 weeks out here and strong as ever.

This is a new event for Andreaz and the demands are a bit different than bodybuilding. Performance is of a greater priority than perfecting the carb load and sodium/water manipulation in the final week. However, I’m confident that he will do very well.

And here’s a recent pic about 4 weeks out. As you can see his conditioning is on point.

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

Weight management is huge issue – even an obsession – in modern culture. Ironically, it’s a booming industry, yet one that has produced widespread dismal failure for decades – even with ever-greater attention, awareness, and education about healthy living and reducing disease risk. Since the inception of MDA, and particularly in recent months after the release of the Primal Blueprint, I’ve noticed just how important, complex, frustrating, and confusing the issue of weight loss is, even to devoted diet and fitness enthusiasts trying to do the right thing.
The Primal Leap is my aggressive response to making things right when it comes to weight loss. My team and I have prepared perhaps the most detailed and comprehensive 30-day course available anywhere, bringing an intense focus and detailed guidance to implementing the Primal Blueprint principles specifically for weight loss.
The Primal Leap kit is a comprehensive package of multimedia materials and Internet resources, [...]

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

I am pleased to announce the inaugural Workout of the Week (WOW). Before we get to the workout, first an explanation…
What is a WOW?
In short, WOWs will test your agility, balance, coordination, endurance, speed and strength. They’ll periodically incorporate Sprinting and Moving Slowly, but will usually emphasize Lifting Heavy Things. Expect to see variations of the 5 Essential Movements (e.g. lunges, dips, rows, kippings, burpees etc.), plyometrics, and HIIT (both time and task priority). WOWs will often ask you to use added weight. In most cases, the kind (sandbag, kettlebell, dumbbell, slosh tube, plate, etc.) and amount (5 lbs, 20 lbs, 50 lbs, etc.) will be up to you. Thus, I generally recommend that you master the 5 Essential Movements of PBF Lift Heavy Things before attempting WOWs, and then using WOWs in place of one or both of your regular PBF LHT days each week.

Anything goes for WOWs, including [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

A lot has been said about the metabolism boosting effects of exercise.
The general theory is that by exercising you increase your muscle mass and your metabolic rate to a point where you can actually lose weight without eating less.
Unfortunately this theory has been met by considerable roadblocks when put to the test of clinical research.
To begin with, every extra pound of muscle you build burns an extra 5-6 Calories per day.
So even adding an extra 10 pounds of muscle would only increase your Resting Metabolic Rate by about 60 Calories.
This fact alone seems to limit the ‘muscle boosting metabolism’ theory, as most of us aren’t going to add 40 pounds of muscle to our frames, and even if we did the extra ‘burn’ would account for roughly 250 Calories…less calories than in a Snickers Bar.
The theory that exercise can increase your [...]

Original post by Brad Pilon

A lot has been said about the metabolism boosting effects of exercise.
The general theory is that by exercising you increase your muscle mass and your metabolic rate to a point where you can actually lose weight without eating less.
Unfortunately this theory has been met by considerable roadblocks when put to the test of clinical research.
To begin with, every extra pound of muscle you build burns an extra 5-6 Calories per day.
So even adding an extra 10 pounds of muscle would only increase your Resting Metabolic Rate by about 60 Calories.
This fact alone seems to limit the ‘muscle boosting metabolism’ theory, as most of us aren’t going to add 40 pounds of muscle to our frames, and even if we did the extra ‘burn’ would account for roughly 250 Calories…less calories than in a Snickers Bar.
The theory that exercise can increase your metabolic rate throughout the day is also true…but is [...]

Original post by Brad Pilon

Some meals are just meant to be eaten underneath a bright blue sky with the hot summer sun shining down, and in our opinion, Shrimp “Grok-amole” is one of them. Cold, plump shrimp doused liberally in lime juice and tossed with juicy red tomatoes, crunchy orange pepper, spicy jalapeño and as many avocados as you can fit in the bowl is our idea of good summer eating. Shrimp “Grok-amole” salad is refreshing, nutritious and (this might be the best part) you don’t have to turn on an oven, stove or grill to make it. Just get out your knife and start chopping.

Thank Amanda Low for inventing Shrimp “Grok-amole” salad, which kicks off a new theme (seafood) for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook contest. Amanda lives on the Vancouver Island coast and enjoys an abundance of fresh seafood that she buys from fisherman at the town dock. In fact, Spot Prawns [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Interesting tidbit I learned today…more applicable to Canadians, but interesting nontheless.
Organic meats that we find in canada in the typical grocery chains can come from the US. These meats are subject to different rules that organic meats that come from Canada.
Specifically, they may be irradiated as they cross the border.
Just something to keep in mind next time you are shopping..
BP

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Original post by Brad Pilon

Stimulating the overhead press using just one’s bodyweight is the trickiest essential Primal movement yet. The standard bodyweight replacement for the standing overhead press is the handstand pushup. I’m a huge fan, but the reality is that it’s not a realistic prescription for most people right off the bat. Can you imagine Grandpa busting out a set of ten handstand pushups? Not very likely (yet). It’s a tough, tough movement (which is why it works so well and why it’s level 8 in the PBF progression), but luckily you can target the same muscles with a much more elementary movement: the shoulder press pushup.

It is simple fact that pressing heavy things overhead is a fundamental movement that builds strength and improves our ability to function in the real world. Variations of the shoulder press pushup gives everyone, of all strength and fitness levels, the ability to train that plane of [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson