Nutrition Austerity Part I: Introduction

Nutrition, for the most part, has come full circle. Despite nutrition almost ending up in the same place, researchers and practitioners now know more about food and its effects on the body. I have also come full circle. While in the past I tried to over-complicate the living hell out of nutrition, I now keep it simple. My austere mind cannot handle the complexity of macrobiotics, food combining, keeping track of ratios and percentages and whatnot all at once.

I was once a vegetarian. A vegan. A raw foodie. I fermented and made my own kefir, yogurt, and coconut kefir. I bought only raw milk, raw cream, and raw cottage cheese. I tried to live as healthy as possible in a world that shoves unhealthy down your throat. In the process, I lost how to truly live healthy: by just eating real food and not over-complicating crap. While a vegetarian, I spent more time figuring out how to appease my bored mind than actually eating. This is no fault of the eating plan itself, but it hinted to me that vegetarianism is not how I wish to live. Now, I abide by a few simple rules, rules that I have come to formulate over time as I grew and learned.

1. Eat real food

2. Eat for your activity levels

3. Time your food for activity levels

4. Support health through proper supplementation and extras

5. The eating plan should fit YOUR lifestyle and preference

6. An eating plan should be sustainable and realistic

Since I don't want this post to manifest itself as a monster, I will keep it short and expand on each topic in later posts. Let's cut to the meat of the topics, though.

I am going to preface this list with: give your new eating plan your best effort. Without that, you are bound to fall short of your goals, which will end up in frustration and eventually failure.

1. Eat real food means eating food that is normally found in its natural state, generally speaking. Things that fall into this category are eggs, beef, poultry, fish, frozen or fresh vegetables, frozen or fresh fruits, nuts, etc.

2. Eat for your activity levels means to eat for how active you are. This also means eating at a point that coincides with your goals. If you train a lot and want to gain size, eat more food. If you are a couch 'tater and want to lose weight, eat less food. If you are train a lot and want to lose weight, eat a lot of food sometimes and a little food sometimes.

In this heading, I will also discuss the gender difference. Wait, do I mean to tell you that women and men should eat differently? WHOA! Mind = blown. This specifically pertains to carbohydrates.

3. Time your food for activity levels mean strategically placing your meals around the most important time of the day: training (if you read this blog, I assume you lift). This means not shoving bagels into your gullet two hours before training.

4. Support health through proper supplementation and extras mean other little things that HELP you achieve total health and fitness. They are in no means substitutes for food or hard work. No magic pill exists to 'shed' unwanted body fat or build slabs of mass. Extras include raw apple cider vinegar and supplementation includes powdered magnesium.

5. The eating plan should fit your lifestyle and preference and not some other internet jock. It's alright to follow a nutrition plan of someone's else who has attained your goal, but there is no doubt that you will have to modify the eating plan to fit your lifestyle and preferences. Not everyone who decides to change their eating is a high-demand photographer nor do they own their own telecom business. You do not need to be a master chef in order to whip up something nutritious and delicious. Something as simple as an southwestern omelet or hard boiled eggs topped with a store-bought pepperonccini sauce makes a good meal.

6. Diets don't work. That is to say, they don't work for the reason most people think they believe it to. Many people believe that in order to see results, they should diet. Sure, you need to change your eating habits if you want to gain mass or lose it, but many people forget one thing: sustainability. Diets do not work for the long-term. For example, studies show that non-obese people who restrict calories even modestly experience a decline in basal metabolic rate (BMR), the amount of calories you burn at rest, over time. This spells out to less weight lost. In some studies, subjects restricted 25% of daily calories and their BMR dropped within 3-months. Not a long time, especially if you are one who used to or continues to diet. Do you want to be a one-hit wonder or stay on top?

Your eating plan, diet, or whatever should be realistic. Set out some realistic goals and put forth your best effort. Your goal should not be to gain 30 pounds of muscle in 2 months or to lose 100 pounds in 6 months. More realist goals would be to gain 5-10 pounds of muscle in 2 months or to lose 30 pounds in 6 months. Seem modest and conservative? That's because your body has defense mechanisms to prevent from changing states too quickly. The drop in BMR I mentioned above is one such mechanism.

Just don't eat too many salads. Source

Want to add to the discussion? Drop a line.

P3,
David

Exercise of the Week: Double Kettlebell Front Squat (DKFS)

From the time I began lifting weights in 2008, I have always tried to become better at whatever I was doing. In the beginning it was to get bigger. Once I realized that I had the genetics of a duck and could not get bigger without a ridiculous amount of effort, I modified my goals to become stronger about 3 years ago. Back then, I kept searching for the 'perfect' plan. Now, any one with a right mind for fitness will tell you that there is no such thing as a 'perfect' plan. Indeed, no such thing exists precisely because 9 times out of 10, the person who created the program is different from you. I say 9 because there is a person out there who can get great results using any given program rep for rep.

This duck probably has better athletic genetics than me. Source

So where am I going with this? Because while I have given up on searching for the perfect plan, I have not given up searching for the perfect exercise. Again, no such thing as a perfect exercise exists, but there are a few that are pretty damn close. Why the difference? Because a plan can have an infinite number of modifications depending on the executor while the exercise can only be performed through a small handful of ways: good, alright, or poor form. Being the free-weight enthusiast that I am, I tend to gravitate towards exercises that use barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, and bodyweight.

A friend and member from the gym where I work once said to me, "dude, all you do is squat. Even on bench day, you squat." My love for squats is borderline absurd and if I could do them and get a stronger bench press without actually bench pressing, I would do them all night long. Loving the squat and doing them consistently is what got me to a near triple bodyweight squat.

What is one exercise I keep in my arsenal to improve my squats? Enter the Double Kettlebell Front Squat (DKFS). Pavel Tsatsouline, one of the pioneers of kettlebell training in the United States, and Dan John, a legendary strength coach, call the DKFS one of the "best" squat exercises. DJ considers the DKFS a "sign from heaven that [a workout with the DKFS] was going to be a hard workout".

Why should you do the EOW?

Put simply, it is one of the most athletic movements you can possibly do. Athletic movements have this inherent quality to make you more athletic--mind-blowing, right? And since in some athletic sports, having strength and power are required to succeed, then athletic movements fit the bill to be an amazing exercise. Not only that, the DFKS can put some serious size on your upper-body. A squat for upper-body size? Try it and see how difficult it is to stabilize a pair of heavy bells. They force you to squeeze every muscle in your shoulders, arms, and middle back, creating a isometric force that is sure to put on some quality size and strength.

Here is me doing a pair of 28kg bells for 8 reps. 

And here is Ji Hee doing a pair of 20kg bells for 8 reps. 

(I will upload videos later. For some reason, YouTube is not allowing me to add videos to the blog)

The key to making the most of this exercise is to 'brace' your trunk, taking a semi-deep breath and tightening up the middle as if you're about to receive a gut check. Breathe out through 'pursed' lips (as if trying to blow into a whistle) as you come up or breathe in and out completely at the top of the movement. 

How should you include the EOW into your program?

If it's not already in your program, then you can include this through a couple of ways.

Full-body training: use it as the primary squat movement for any given day. 

Split-body training: use it as an assistance squat exercise on any lower day. 

What about reps and rest?

DKFS should not be 'grinders', meaning they should not take more than 2 seconds to complete a rep. They respond best to 5-10 reps, 8 probably being the magic spot for most people. Experiment to see how you like doing it. Strive for at least 25 total reps with this movement. 

Rest as long as needed to catch your wind, but no more than 2-minutes.

What is a good standard?

Males: Half of bodyweight total is a good standard. However, I feel that the gold standard should be your bodyweight from both bells. The biggest hurdle to achieving the gold standard is cleaning the bells up to the rack position.

Females: I would have to say that 40-50% of total bodyweight is a good standard and that 80% is the gold standard. 

Try out the EOW and comment back to see how you liked it. 

P3,

David 

The Three P's

What does 'fit strength' or 'aesthetic athletics' mean?

I compete in powerlifting. Not surprisingly, many common folks believe powerlifters are fat, slow, have terrible conditioning, but possess great strength. To a varying degree, this is true. What more, in the past, it was probably even more true. Granted, the greatest powerlifters of all time (Coan, Captain Kirk, Dan Austin, Kuc) had great conditioning. After all, powerlifting competitions can last anywhere from 6-12 hours depending on how many are competing. The problem with the sport was the leverages mattered. Meaning, if you were a lard with a big ass gut, your bench had a shorter range of motion than a leaner person. Some of these tub-o-fats were successful, but most weren't. But now, even lower caliber powerlifters are becoming better powerlifters because they are focusing on their conditioning more. Yet, you will still see behemoth powerlifters whose bellies are bigger than their bellow. 

Capt Kirk, before Photoshop was conceived. Courtesy of T-Nation

Louis Simmons, founder and owner of Westside Barbell and probably the greatest multi-ply powerlifting coach of all time, is a huge proponent of proper conditioning for his athletes. He believes that conditioning not only improves strength, but also improves recovery because it assists in working neglected muscle groups during powerlifting specific training. I agree. How can I not? This fellow has churned out more 1,000 pound squatters than any other person in history. 

Though I do not compete geared (single and multi-ply), conditioning strategies are one and the same with raw competitors. And to tell you the truth, I feel that everyone should work on their conditioning. If you have a protruding gut and have a hard time walking up a couple flight of stairs, my finger is pointed at you. If your goal is to be healthy and strong (which it should be), then you want to condition and strengthen at the same time. Certainly, this is relative. If you are an elite powerlifter, then you will need to focus on your actual sport more than conditioning. Likewise, if you are a novice lifter looking to just get into shape, you can get away with conditioning and strength training and see results. 

In future posts, I will also talk about how you can improve fat-loss results while also improving your conditioning. Don't expect miracles, though, and don't expect to become stronger with just conditioning compared to dedicated strength training.

My Three P's: Performance. Progressive. Preventative.

Asides from actual state of lifting, you should LOOK like you lift, or at the very least, exercise. All too many times, you have people brag about how they did this or that in the gym yet have nothing on their bodies to show for it. How does someone slave away at the cardio machines and not see any changes? Simple. Their bodies are used to it. Look to perform. 

Yet another caveat arises. How do you want to perform? But because my target audience of this blog are those who wish to get healthier, stronger, leaner, and more muscular, I will be talking about gaining muscle, losing fat, and being a general athletic bad ass.

Don't ask how old Mark is. He is older than you. Source

And this guy. Think he performs? Source.

Performance is the name of the game. In order to see results, you MUST perform well. In anything you want to see results in, you MUST perform well. Then, after performing well, you must perform even better than well. But what does performing well mean? Every person has a different definition for each term in fitness and sometimes it drives me nuts. Note, I don't get upset necessarily, just have an impulse to face palm. Performing well in my book means that you can run, lift, jump, and sprawl on demand and execute activities of daily living (ADL) with the least amount of hassle. In extreme words, you should be in shape enough to fight in a war tomorrow if you got drafted yesterday. Performing well also extends beyond physical capabilities. Are you MENTALLY prepared to perform? Can you handle daily tasks thrown at you that require the use of your brain? Are you challenging your mind with various tasks or are you living a mundane life? Can you shrug off a noisy and ignorant boss who uses people as tools and discards them when they are no longer useful?

Progressive is the second name of the game, because in order to perform well, you must progress from not performing well. But here's the thing, you can perform without progressing beyond a certain point which is a disincentive for betterment . Look at all the people in 30-person, 1-hour group exercise classes. They look and perform the same day-in and day-out. Some have nice bodies, most don't. Many of them can perform ADLs, so in this regard, they can perform. But put them into a situation where they have to call forth physical and mental fortitude. Many of them will crumble underneath the weight of the task. EVERY single HEALTHY person should be able to squat with an appreciable external weight (half of their bodyweight), do a single chin-up, jump up a 2-foot box, sprint, crawl, and do a few push-ups. These same people who are doing 1-hour of push-ups can't do a single GOOD push-up if their lives depended on it. These people need to get with the program and progress.

Most group exercise classes suck. Source

Preventative. "Let food by thy medicine and medicine by thy food", said the famous Hippocrates. Prevention is the third point on my P-triangle. To prevent is to prevent injuries, prevent disease, and prevent weakness from emerging. Of course, you can't prevent any of these with absolute certainty, but the key here is to reduce the risk. Lifting reduces the risk of injuries, diseases, and both physical and mental weakness. Eating well does the same. Not surprisingly, certain foods increase the risk of injury. I will delve into this more in the future, but some foods cause inflammation which then increase the risk of injury. 

Does having the ability to lift heavy things make you more confident? Does it improve your physical and mental conditioning? Do you see lifting a certain amount of weight a goal or would you rather be stuck lifting 2# pink dumbbells in a group exercise class?

Drop a line.

SBL,

David

In the Beginning...

Welcome to my blog, Fit Austerity. My name is David and this is my journal and communications device with my readers. Here is my disclaimer:

I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR. The purpose of this blog is to inform, not medically diagnose. Though there are suggestions on my blog about nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle interventions, they are by no means instructions to change your life. Before embarking on any of the suggestions, CONSULT YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN or another qualified healthcare professional. I will not be held responsibility for any changes you make to your diet and life.

Consider this an introduction post, a way to get to know me, which direction I am headed in, and in which direction I want you to head in given you follow this blog. I have a few good directions for this blog, all forward (but sometimes backwards in order to progress). First and foremost, this is a blog about life, fitness, and nutrition.

Who am I?

I am 27 years old, work as a personal trainer at a commercial gym and also do private training. I am a graduate of New York University with a Bachelors in Nutrition/Dietetics. Currently, I am studying to become a Registered Dietitian. Some call me 'ambitious' and a 'dreamer'. I admit I do tend to dream and my goals sound preposterous, especially to my wife, and many times I have to modify or eradicate them. Nonetheless, I hold fast to my passions: fitness and nutrition. I was born in Baltimore, MD and currently live in New York with my wife, Ji Hee, and two dogs.

Unlike most involved in athletic training, I have a terrible athletic background and my genetic predisposition for athletics is severely lacking. I played various sports--baseball, football, soccer, track, Ultimate Frisbee, flag-football, softball, volleyball, and table tennis--but was only successful in a couple of them, table tennis being one. From 7, I cultivated a cannon arm, decent hand-eye coordination, and quick feet. I got the arm from playing wall ball with friends, hand-eye coordination by playing backyard basketball with a bottomless milk crate, and quick feet by running from stray dogs. The arm allowed me to once-upon-a-time throw 90 MPH fastballs; the hand-eye coordination once allowed me to succeed in table tennis and grab 2nd place in a local tournament; and the legs allowed me to run an unofficially timed 10.7 100M sprint. People used to say, "you're naturally athletic". I disagree fully. If you were with me from when I lived in Baltimore, exercise was a natural part of my daily life and that consistency was what forced physical adaptation. Becoming athletic for most is about consistency, effort, and patience.

Now, I lift heavy things and put them down. I love lifting and compete in powerlifting. I have been doing it for five years, from the time I decided to become strong and fit deliberately. When I was in the military, I became a bit lazy, became skinny-fat. I went from 129 pounds to 170, but most of the weight went straight to the gut. I could no longer run as fast as I could, was no longer as agile as I once was, and because I didn't practice throwing, I lost the arm. No matters, throwing hard and fast with reckless abandon would have led me down a path to shoulder surgery. But not running fast was something I sorely missed. Hence, I started lifting. This is the short story, but as this blog blossoms, I will talk about how I used to train. My training now nowhere resembles what I used to do because it is smarter, more efficient, and delivers more results.

My training philosophy revolves around 'fit strength'. My clients and the people I work with exhibit not only strength, but also athleticism. What does athleticism mean? The ability to carry tasks of daily living with little effort, maintaining a high quality of life, and displaying acts of agility, mobility, and strength. Strength is an individual term that signifies the ability to lift heavy things, that in turn contributes to athleticism.

My actual training consists of athletic movements: squats,deadlifts, swings, presses, bodyweight movements like chin-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and jumps.

As a result of my training, I currently hold the New York state powerlifting record with the World National Powerlifting Federation (WNPF). At a bodyweight of 148 lbs, I have officially posted a 425 squat (belt and knee wraps), a 265 bench press, and a 465 conventional deadlift (belt).

THE TOPICS

Life. I am relatively young compared to people who talk about life. But having been in the active duty United States armed forces (Air Force) for six years, fresh out of high school, I feel that I have more perspective than some others my age. As such, I will speak about life whenever I feel the need arises.

Fitness. Since the 1970's, fitness has boomed and practically transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry. This is a double-edged sword: many people are trying to get healthier and fit but such as there is a jungle of exercises out there, so is misinformation. The goal of this blog in regards to fitness is simple, it is austere. It is to provide austerity and clarity in the face of a choking fog of fitness information. Every one has an opinion and many consider themselves 'experts'. I do not consider myself an 'expert', but I do consider myself knowledgeable in some areas of fitness. I will talk on these.

Nutrition. This is my bread and butter. I love everything related to food and nutrition. Unfortunately, nutrition once started out as a sincere desire to get people healthy but as since then spiraled into chaos and branched off into a multitude of directions, each with its faction of followers. Many of these factions are at war with each other, considering themselves superior to others. While some eating plans are better than others, I feel there is too much delineation within nutrition. The goal of this blog is to bring together the best aspects of nutrition, make it simple, and make it work for you. Many times, I will delve into research, but I also realize that research is far from perfect; it is a proxy starting point. Yet, research can apply practically. For example, research has shown repeatedly that you must eat less in order to lose weight. That is the most simplistic saying in all of nutrition. Yet, research is beginning to find that is only the beginning. You can eat like a rabbit for a while and lose weight, but what happens later? In short, it's just more than calories, it is the whole picture, a lifestyle of eating. My eating is unconventional. In other words, I do not follow the government guidelines, MyPlate.

I will go into further detail in future topics, but there is the gist of my eating plan:

- I do not advise eating 45-65% of your daily calories through carbohydrates unless your lifestyle and activity calls for it (endurance running)
- I do not advise keeping your protein intake low at 0.8g/kg/day unless you are suffering from severe kidney disease without dialysis
- I do not advise eating industrial cooking oils that are high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids (corn, canola, safflower, sunflower, peanut, cottonseed, etc)


That's enough information for the first post. I hope you stay with me for a while. Drop me a line.

SBL,
David