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

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)

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

 
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)

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

Beginner and Advanced BJJ moves on video – only for KU readers!

Just a quick announcement this morning – Master Chris Stolzman just gave me word that he’ll be releasing an extensive series of exclusive brazilian jiu jitsu moves that he produced with his master, Cazeca.
The videos will be available FREE – at least initially.
To guarantee your access to the video, simply fill out the form to the right (the one that says “win a free weekpass”) and we’ll make sure you get all of the videos.
Stolzman’s videos may be also available for download in iPod format – so you can take it to the gym with you.
Really cool, huh?
Stay tuned for more updates – the 1st video will go up today.
See you soon!
(Dont miss this chance – sign up now)Similar Posts:

KnuckleUp Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program Is A Major Hit (BJJ Rocks)
The Ultimate MMA Strength And Conditioning Program Review
New Winter Schedule [...]

Original post by knuckleup

I just about got my butt kicked at the gym this weekend…by a 50-something, morbidly obese woman with a fetish for unproductive cardio workouts.
Here’s what happened.
After finishing my workout, I was chatting with some other gym members about the best ways to lose weight, get fit, etc.
During the conversation, I made the unfortunate decision to proclaim that losing weight is simple, but not easy.
Bad move on my part. Little did I know that our conversation was being overheard by the aforementioned 50-something morbidly obese cardio junkie.
And after hearing my comment, she decided to join the conversation. Unfortunately, she pretty much went nuclear.
I couldn’t make out much of what she was saying due to all of the screaming and profanity, but I think the gist of it was that:

I didn’t know what I was talking about
She had “fat” genetics and her obesity wasn’t her fault
I was prejudiced against overweight people
and then [...]

Original post by healthhabits

We all could use a laugh sometimes, so here 3 hilarious fitness videos for the weekend. And hey, if you don’t tell anyone that we slacked off from writing an article this weekend, we won’t either.

Lee Evans with Ato Boldon:

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

In a perfect world, we’d all sit down every morning to a leisurely, healthy breakfast. In the real world, however, we’ve all done our share of eating breakfast in our cars, on the bus or at our work desk. Sometimes, where you eat the breakfast you grabbed on your way out the door can’t be helped. What can be helped, however, is what you eat.
A grab-and-go breakfast is exactly what Amy Schoenherr had in mind when she submitted her recipe for Omelet Muffins to the Primal Cookbook Challenge. This easy and clever variation of a regular old omelet can be made in batches of a half-dozen or more and eaten throughout the week. Amy’s muffins, made almost entirely from eggs, are little powerhouses of protein, fat, nutrients and flavor. Mixing in a little water and mayonnaise keeps the eggs fluffy and moist while they bake. Other than that, what you [...]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Now I know it’s coming up to turkey season with Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner (where’d the year go?) but I get asked a lot of how to spice up boring old chicken.
Previously I made a pecan crusted turkey dish and had some great feedback from that so I decided to do something with it’s step-cousin, chicken. I know you can’t beat a perfectly roasted chicken but here’s a great alternative if you fancy some nuts ‘n’ spice (as the actress said to the bishop).
I love almonds and I snack on them quite a bit so I figured why not try them as a breading. I added some gluten-free breadcrumbs and toasted cumin seeds to the mixture and it turned out quite tasty.
I served the chicken with grilled veg which I tossed with fresh tomatoes then quickly sauteed with freshly chopped oregano, thyme and olive oil–the business!
Continue reading the [...]

Original post by thehealthyirishman