Grass Fed

I’ve mentioned grass fed and finished beef before but now I actually went ahead and bought 7.5 pounds from an online dealer called US Wellness Meats at http://grasslandbeef.com/

Got some Pemmican, got some roast, got some stew meat.  It came frozen on dry ice and most of it is still frozen.  I stewed the stew meat, it came out excellent, it was a lot more tender than any stew meat I’ve gotten from a grocery store.  I made jerky out of one of the roasts and did some thin slice in a pan.  Both came out pretty good.

Why grass fed?  Because grass it what cows are supposed to eat, not corn and soy.  Grass fed beef has a far better omega fats ratio and is devoid of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides.  It’s healthier for the cow, the farmer, and the eater.

I gladly pay, on average, $11 a pound for a higher quality food.

The new female bodybuilder.

Here’s an article from Dani Shugart over at T-Nation that women need to read.  In summation, lifting weights is good for you.

http://www.t-nation.com/training/redefining-the-female-bodybuilder

Old School Health

I’ve discovered The Art of Manliness finally and they have some cool stuff about training from yester-year and other neat styles from around the world.  This one posted earlier today is a quick daily regimen that can certainly be broken down into its parts: Old Time Strong Man morning regimen

What you should be eating.

 

Lean meat and vegetables.  Meat builds the muscle you use during training (you are lifting iron, right?).  And vegetables like to punch disease in the face.  Try to keep your carbohydrate intake around the time you train if you are physique conscious.  If you train for performance, size, or you just don’t care much about looks, eat carbs at will.  Cook with healthy fats like olive oil and coconut oil.

Simple rules and simple foods.

-Larry

Soreness

Being sore is part of the game.  You’ve used your muscles enough to the point where they have been broken down and need rebuilding.  There are different kinds of soreness you will experience and at times it may feel like your bones are sore.  Do squats, deadlifts, or a lot of posterior chain work and you will be walking funny for a few days while the hamstrings and adductors rebuild.  There’s that spot between the glutes and hamstrings that stings every time I move.  Or just standing up from a chair with that deep, concrete like soreness in my groin adductors.

Soreness is not an indicator of a job well done.  If you’re not sore, don’t fret, as long as you put in good effort.  It just means your body has adapted in a good way.  The goal is to keep improving at the same movements.  Do not chase soreness because if you crush yourself every workout trying to get sore, you’re just going to overtrain and hurt your joints, your metabolism, your hormones, your sleep pattern, and your immune system.

There are a few ways to limit soreness.  You can take cold showers (yeah right) or you can submerge yourself in a hot epsom salt bath (much preferred).  You can, and should, eat more protein.  The muscles have been broken and need to be rebuilt.  They are only built with protein.  You can get a massage or use a foam roller.  This helps flush out the bad blood with the broken material and usher in fresh new blood full of nutrients.  Do the same thing that made you sore in the first place.  Use no weight or light weight and do the movement seeking the burn.  This flushes out the old blood and delivers the fresh stuff.  And sleep.  The only time the body truly heals is when it is sleeping.  8+ hours every night.

 

Water!

Drink it!

Drink until your urine is the same color as the water you should be drinking.  There’s no reason not to here in a modern nation.  Don’t take it for granted because billions go without a fresh source of tap water daily.

Drinking enough water prevents things like kidney stones, bladder infections, muscle cramps, and headaches.  When we sweat, we not only cool the body but also remove toxins.  Saunas?  Oh yes please.

Watch the video below as the super cool Hank explains why we need to drink it:

Cells full of water and minerals activate muscles.  How can you expect to train hard if those watery cells have less water than they optimally need?

Drink.

Don’t like water?  Try mineral water.  Green Tea varieties or herbals.  Add some lemon or lime.  Avoid sugary stuff especially that corn syrup atrocity, it makes you fat, spikes your insulin, and can lead to insulin resistance, aka diabetes.

Gatorade?  Only if you are training very hard for extended periods or athletic events like a 5k obstacle course or a 90 minute face crushing boxing explosion.  On the other hand, there are even better options such as purpose built peri-workout supplement that sources it carbs from maltodextrin and contains protein.  For the budget conscious or occasional potent event, a Gatorade will suffice.

Drink more water because the Terminator said so.  Do you really want a Terminator after you?

-Larry

Why you should squat.

Because this:

Unless you’ve got a knee, hip, spine, or ankle injury there is no reason to not be capable of a full squat. It is an essential movement for many parts of the world and they don’t need hip or knee replacements. You did it as a baby, now either keep doing it, or work your way back into it.  

Here’s a link to an article by Bret Contreras, someone much more entrenched in the science than I ever will be: http://www.t-nation.com/training/increase-athleticism-in-6-minutes

How?

• If you cannot sit down into the deep squat start from chair height and work down. Squat down to the chair, slow and controlled.  No hands. 
• Squat down to a lower bench or box, slow and controlled. 
• The next best thing is to stack some plates in the gym or to brace yourself against a wall and continue to sit yourself lower and lower until you can get down unassisted and sit on your heels.

This isn’t just for athleticism or body composition, this is for you overall health and well being.  Keep those hips, knees, ankles, and lumbar flexible and lubricated daily.  Hang out there for as long as comfortable, do some reps if you can, feel the stretch, embrace the glory.

-Larry