Parallel vs. Full Range of Motion

By: Greg Merritt & Jim Stoppani, Ph.D Flex

OPENING ARGUMENTS

Bodybuilders typically perform the squat with their thighs parallel to the floor in the bottom position. Olympic weightlifters, on the other hand, usually do what are known as full squats, where the thighs are well below parallel with the floor, or what some call “ass-to-floor” (deep) squats.

DEFENSE

Squatting to parallel is the safest and most effective way to squat. Some experts believe that going any deeper than parallel in the squat can lead to knee injuries. Plus, most guys lack the flexibility to squat any deeper, anyway.

PROSECUTION

Parallel squats are not full range-of-motion (ROM) squats. Full range of motion is only reached when a squat passes parallel level. To get the most out of a muscle in the areas of strength and hypertrophy, you should use full ROM movements at least some of the time.

EVIDENCE

Researchers from the University of Alberta, in Canada, calculated what is known as the “net joint movement” (NJM) of the ankles, knees, and hips during both squats to parallel (about 105 degrees of knee flexion) and full ROM squats (about 120 degrees of knee flexion). This technique is used in biomechanical studies to determine the minimum muscular torque required by the muscles that move that joint. In other words, the NJM of the knee joint determines the amount of force supplied by the quads. The more force, the more muscle activity and the stronger the muscle
can get; and the more muscle activity involved, the greater the potential for muscle growth. 
The results: The NJM of the knee joint was approximately 20% greater during full squats than during parallel squats.

Similar results regarding NJM of the knee joint during full squats versus parallel squats were also reported by Swedish researchers in a 1996 study.

And a study presented at the 2008 Congress of the European College of Sport Science reported that subjects performing full squats for 12 weeks had a significantly greater increase in thigh muscle growth compared to those doing shallow squats.

As far as safety of the knee joint goes, several long-term studies suggest that doing full squats does not have a negative effect on knee ligament stability or place the knee joint at risk of injury. Plus, ROM squats reduce stress on the spine.

VERDICT: FULL SQUATS


Based on these studies, it does make sense to try to increase your ROM in the bottom position of the squat for better strength and muscle growth.

SENTENCING

To start going deeper with your squats, begin your leg workouts with two to three sets of lightweight squats, trying to go as deep as possible. This will serve as both a warmup and a method for increasing your ROM in the squat. Follow this with your typical squat workout with heavy weights, not worrying about how far past parallel you go down. Over time, you’ll find that your heavy sets of squats are getting deeper and your leg strength and size are becoming greater.

Also, to help you get deeper in the squat, work on your flexibility in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Static stretching (hold-and-reach style) works well for this, but be sure to do this AFTER your workouts, as research shows that doing static stretching before workouts can limit muscle strength and power.

You can also work on increasing your
 ROM in the bottom of the squat by using
box squats that get progressively lower over time. If your gym doesn’t have a variety
of box sizes (most don’t), you can use an adjustable decline bench instead. Start with a flat bench, then progressively increase
the decline until you feel comfortable going deep in the squat with a loaded barbell
on your back. You can also do this with a decline bench that’s not adjustable simply by standing farther back for higher squats then progressively moving forward on the bench to go lower. You may also want to consider wearing shoes that have a raised heel, such as Olympic weightlifting shoes (or even
work boots). Or you can place a two-by-four or weight plates under your heels. This will reduce the forward bend of your shins and help you go deeper.

This article was found on: http://www.flexonline.com/training/on-trial-parallel-full-squats

There have been some recent changes to the schedules at both gyms! Here is the updated info…

Ai1

7:30 am class CANCELLED on Tuesday/Thursday
10:00 am class CANCELLED on Saturday (Including Intro Class)
10:00am YOGA to be added in…STAY TUNED!

Ai2

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 7:30 am OLY has been moved to Tuesday/Thursday
7:00 am ADDED on Saturday
10:00 am CANCELLED on Saturday (including Intro Class)
10:00 am YOGA to be added in…STAY TUNED

Thank you to all of our members for being so patient and flexible with all of our changes. We appreciate it more than you know! We couldn’t as for a better community of people! -Ai

From the depths of my heart, this young man who is continuing his journey with a much higher calling, will be missed like one of our own going off to college. Brandon leaves us with an emptiness that will last forever, but with a smile on our faces knowing we watched a boy become a man… Brandon, you are truly a thoughtful and sincere person who has impacted a community of folks that are proud to call you friend, coach and family. You make sure you come see us! -Mark W.

People of Ai,

I write this to you with many mixed feelings and emotions. Heartbroken because I will no longer be a tangible part of your community, but honored and content to know that I ever was. For the past two years, you guys have been the sole reason for my being able to wake up every morning and absolutely love going to work. For that, I thank you. It has truly been a wild ride with many ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences for the world. Going into this, I would’ve never expected to have met so many incredible individuals, and to have forged so many lasting friendships. With no anticipation of ever becoming a coach, my journey with CrossFit started out with humble beginnings to say the least.

The first time I had ever heard about CrossFit was on Christmas day of 2009. My mom and I were at our friend’s house to celebrate the holiday, as we do every year. After all, these particular friends are practically family to us. I was sitting down and talking with my friend Jordan Stanton, who was a part of that family, about his experiences as a Recon Marine. Knowing that it was my goal to eventually pursue what he had already accomplished, I was picking his brain for insight and advice on the matter. After talking for a while, we got on the topic of physical preparation. He told me that most of the guys he knew, including himself, were ditching all the traditional bodybuilder type workouts and getting into this thing called CrossFit. He then explained that this type of training more directly applied to the types of real world missions and operations they are sent on. After that conversation, I knew I needed to find a CrossFit gym and get involved. Thank you, Jordan.

The very first CrossFit gym I ever walked into was Ai. I remember walking in and thinking I was going to destroy whatever “beginner” workout they tried to put me through. I was quickly humbled when my first Crossfit coach, Ian, made me do something with deadlifts and burpees for time. I was smoked. Nonetheless, Ian let me start doing the regular classes after my second day of OnRamp (shit was much different back then). I remember I didn’t go prescribed on anything for at least six months. I felt like such a pansy. Regardless, I kept pushing my limits and continued to overcome obstacles I previously thought were impossible to conquer, and that made CrossFit extremely addicting for me. I loved being in the gym. I remember repeatedly trying to come three times in one day and being kicked out every time because “it wasn’t safe”. They were right, and I hated it. I guess sometimes coaches can be useful after all.

After postponing my dream of enlisting in the military, I needed a job in the mean time. I approached Mark and Jeff about the possibility of working for them. It seemed like an obvious choice for me; shit, I was there all the time anyway. They told me that there wasn’t really much I could do for them except clean the gym. Oddly enough, I was thrilled to be given that opportunity. For about 4 months, all I did was sanitize that damn place over and over again. It seemed like it never got fully clean. God bless whoever our cleaning crew is now, I feel your pain. Eventually I began to express interest in coaching. I was definitely blown off the first few times I brought it up. As time went on, however, Mark finally mentioned the idea of “shadowing” Amanda (our head coach at the time), which basically meant standing around for hours and watching her coach. He followed that idea up by saying that there were absolutely no guarantees, but that it could be an option if I was so inclined. I remember trying to get a hold of Mark and Jeff for a few weeks to see when I could start. I could tell I wasn’t being taken seriously at all. After multiple voicemails and text messages went unreturned, I decided that I was going to shadow Amanda whether they liked it or not. I remember sitting in that gym from 5:30am to 11:30am almost every day for months. Finally, Mark approached me during that time and told me that my initiative had been recognized and that if being a coach was really what I wanted, that they would send me to get my CrossFit level 1 certification. I was ecstatic to say the least. Thank you, Mark and Dane.

Coaching was very difficult for me at first. Having been the guy in high school who avoided class presentations like the plague, as you can imagine, speaking to a large group of people was definitely not my strong suit. Not only that, but being expected to take control of and give orders to a group of stubborn adults as a twenty year old kid was no easy task. As many would tell you, it took me a while to find my “big boy voice”. Needless to say, I undeniably faked it till I made it. I learned a ton from each and every coach that I ever coached with and worked alongside. If I have any coaching abilities at all, you guys are the reason for my success. Thank you.

The job wasn’t what I expected it to be at all. Coaching is just a different animal. One minute I had to be yelling at the top of my lungs to get people’s attention, while the next minute I was playing psychologist because someone was having an extremely rough day and subsequently had an emotional breakdown during their workout. One moment I was cheering someone on to get just one more rep in before their workout ended, while the next moment I needed to play doctor because someone ripped their hand open doing pull-ups or split their shin wide open doing box jumps. Whatever it is, blood, sweat, or tears, as a coach, you need to know how to clean it up. So many emotions get poured out on that floor on a daily basis, it’s incredible. Good days: yes. Bad days: absolutely. Nonetheless, I grew to love it because all of those days, both good and bad, were spent with people that I genuinely adore.

Without a doubt, the members are what kept me coming back for more. I have met and built relationships with amazing people from seemingly every walk of life. Firefighters, cops, doctors, nurses, musicians, teachers, prior military, current military, CEOs, pilots, DJs, lawyers, business owners, pharmacists, photographers, bar tenders, chiropractors, Olympians, soccer moms, vegans, meat-eaters, fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, daughters, and mothers to name a few. So much diversity, yet so much in common at the same time. You guys are this community. I will die content if I ever become half the men and women you guys are. Although you often came to be coached by me, more often than not, I was the one being coached. I have learned more from you guys than I could ever begin to describe in words. I am truly privileged to have ever known you and coached you. I truly hope to make you guys proud.

Even though I fell into a job I could’ve never dreamed of at Ai, my initial objective has stayed the same. It is time. I need to finally go out there and do what it is that I feel called to do. It pains me to say goodbye. I will miss each and every one of you tremendously. My only wish is that which everyone wishes for, more time. Thank you for taking me in and making me one of your own. I will not forget you guys and all that you have done for me. Please do not forget me. I’ll see you on the other side.

To all those who have already been downrange, you are my inspiration. To all those who are currently downrange, you are my steady resolve. And to all those who are going downrange in the future, you are my reason. Here’s to you, and those like you. Damn few.

“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” -Psalm 144:1

Your Coach, Teammate, and Friend,
Brandon Ferragut

Interesting….Thoughts? -Ai

Long Live Static Stretching

By: Ben Bruno on TNation.com

A recent trend among fitness professionals is to recommend moving away from static stretching, especially before a workout or athletic performance.

The reasons for abandoning stretching run the gamut from claims it decreases performance to allegations it’s largely ineffective since it doesn’t permanently increase muscle length.

And now there’s even the suggestion that static stretching may be dangerous and lead to injury.

I respectfully – but adamantly – disagree with the anti-static stretching crowd. And here’s why.

The Research

Interestingly, most anti-static stretching sentiments are grounded primarily in research.

I like that people are reading research and trying to think critically, but it can be imprudent to base an opinion off research alone. I’m a big believer in using an evidence-based approach to justify our opinions, but to me, research is only a small part of evidence-based approach – it’s also vitally important to take empirical data (i.e., your experiences and observations) into consideration as well.

Moreover, it’s easy to misinterpret research and draw misguided and misinformed conclusions from it. I worry this is what’s happening with the static stretching issue, so before I get into my own opinions based on my experiences as a coach and a lifter, let’s take a closer look at some of these “research-based” claims about stretching.

Criticism #1: Static Stretching Decreases Subsequent Performance

The argument here is that static stretching decreases your ability to produce force, which in turn decreases performance from a strength and power standpoint.

You can find numerous studies to support this conclusion too, especially if you only look at the study abstract or read the researchers’ conclusions.

If you delve deeper into the research design though, it paints a very different picture.

Usually these studies involve holding some form of lower body stretch for an extremely long duration (60+ seconds) and then going straight into a strength or power exercise like a vertical jump.

Not surprisingly, performance is diminished immediately after long duration stretching, and some then make the broad leap to generalize that static stretching thus decreases performance.

When you step back, though, and try to put that into the context of real life, it’s not a very useful research design because that’s not what happens in the gym, at least the way I do things and recommend things.

Most of the time in the real world, stretches are held for no longer than 10-30 seconds (I usually recommend 10-15 seconds) and are followed up by more extensive dynamic warm-up drills, warm-up sets, and setting up for the first exercise.

So in reality, at least 10-15 minutes (or even more for those going through more extensive warm-ups) has elapsed from the time you’re done stretching to the time you’re actually trying to produce any meaningful force.

Those are key differences that can’t be overlooked.

In fact, a study performed by Ogura et al looked at the impact of stretching duration on performance, as measured by MVC (maximum voluntary contraction).

Subjects stretched their hamstrings for either 30 or 60 seconds and then tested MVC while the control group didn’t stretch at all. Results showed that both stretching groups exhibited increased hamstring flexibility over the control group, but there was no substantial difference in flexibility between the group stretching for 30 seconds as compared to the group stretching for 60 seconds.

At the same time, MVC was diminished in the group stretching for 60 seconds as compared to the control group and the group stretching for 30 seconds, but there was no significant difference between the control group and the 30-second group.

In another study, Charilaos Tsolakis and Gregory Bogdanis looked at the effects of both short duration and long duration static stretching on performance in the countermovement jump.

The short duration group stretched the quads, hamstrings, and calves for 15 seconds each and then waited two minutes before testing hip range of motion and testing the countermovement jump. The long duration group did the same thing, only stretches were held for 45 seconds each.

Results showed that both stretching groups increased hip range of motion more than the control group that did not stretch prior, but there was no big difference between the short and long duration groups.

At the same time, the long duration group showed decreased performance on the countermovement jump test as compared to the control group and the short duration group, but the short duration group didn’t see noticeable drop off as compared to the control.

I don’t want to bore you with more research but the takeaway here is this: there’s a big difference between short duration stretching, the type you see in the gym with lifters, and long duration stretching, the type you’d be more likely to see in a yoga class.

Short duration static stretching is still effective for increasing short-term flexibility and joint range of motion without impeding performance, making it a great addition to the warm-up before lifting for stiffer individuals (i.e., most lifters).

Criticism # 2: Static Stretching Doesn’t Actually Increase Muscle Length

Another knock on static stretching is that the changes are transient and doesn’t increase muscle length.

This may very well be true – I wouldn’t have the first idea about how to see whether static stretching actually increases muscle length, so I’ll gladly defer to the research on this one.

I will say that it’s hard to measure long-term flexibility gains in a short-term research study because the key to long-term gains is consistently doing a lot of stretching over a substantial period of time, so I wouldn’t totally dismiss the possibility that stretching can increase long-term flexibility if done regularly and frequently.

But none of the above really matters in the discussion of whether we should static stretch pre-workout because that’s not the point of the stretching in this case. We aren’t looking to make long-term permanent changes to the muscle length before lifting – we’re simply trying to get the body ready for the demands of the lifting session.

Static stretching has clearly been shown to increase short-term flexibility and range of motion, which in turn helps us to get in the positions necessary to perform our strength training work safely and effectively.

For example, a lot of lifters with tight hips, shoulders, and pecs (especially those with more muscle mass) will struggle to squat with a full range of motion and hold the bar correctly before warming up, especially when sore from a prior lifting session.

This will lead them to either succumb to their lack of mobility and compensate by using a partial range of motion (usually the case) – which further contributes to their lack mobility – or they’ll try to go all the way down anyway and risk serious injury.

A brief bout of static stretching before the lifting session will often help immensely and will allow them to squat correctly. So while many argue that stretching impedes performance, it can actually help performance tremendously.

As a side note, I believe that full range of motion strength training is also the best way to increase mobility, better than any stretching or mobility drills.

Think about it, what do you think will promote hip mobility better, an unloaded sumo squat stretch or a perfectly executed 315-pound front squat? Or what do you think will lead to greater hamstring flexibility, trying to bend over and touch your toes or doing a 405-pound Romanian deadlift with perfect form?

I’ll take the strength exercise any day of the week.

Trouble is, that’s water under the bridge initially since most dudes won’t be able to do these exercises correctly without first doing some static stretching to allow them to get into the proper positions.

Thus, while stretching may not contribute to increased muscle length directly, it can help in a circuitous fashion by allowing you to strength train with good from.

So when we talk about stretching the muscles, maybe we aren’t using the right language? Maybe instead of literally stretching the muscles, we’re just returning them to normal resting length after getting short and stiff from prior lifting sessions?

And maybe instead of calling it stretching we could think of it as static flexibility and/or static mobility work?

That’s all semantics though. It’s clear that short duration static stretching can be beneficial for the aforementioned reasons.

Criticism #3: Static Stretching May Increase the Risk of Injury

To me, this criticism is a clear misinterpretation of the research, which is indeterminate at best. Studies seem to suggest that stretching won’t help against overuse injuries, but there is research suggesting it can help ward off muscle strains.

This research is largely based on athletes that run, jump, and cut as opposed to lifters, but I’d hypothesize that the results would be similar amongst lifters.

I wouldn’t expect static stretching to prevent overuse injuries, so to me that’s not an important finding, and certainly not something to harp on. That’s more a programming issue.

But I do think that stretching can definitely help ward off those annoying strains. How often have you heard of someone that’s chronically stiff tweaking something after skipping the warm-up? It’s happened to me more times than I’d like to admit, and I’m willing to wager most of you can relate.

For the entire article please go to: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/long_live_static_stretching

Busting Food Myths

By: Stephanie Smith on BodyBuilding.com

You can tell a lot about a person by what they say they’d do if they were given a time machine. Some of us would dial it in for the middle of the 1980s, so we could disabuse the masses of their misguided nutritional notions.

The whole-foods hippies of the 1970s were entering middle age. After a look in the mirror at a sagging this and a bulging that, they began believing every half-cooked book and commercial telling them the key to healthy living was filling their fridge with margarine, tofu, and low-fat … everything.

We may not be to the promised land of nutrition yet—far from it!—but at least researchers can now say conclusively what was wrong with some of the health rules that we formerly swore by. Bypass the non-fat trap and other food myths with these tips from registered dietitian Andy Bellatti.

Myth 1: Cutting Fat from a Meal Makes it Healthier

You pass on pizza, skip the sweets, and double up on salad. You pile your plate with cuts of lean chicken, tomatoes, peppers, and green, leafy vegetables.

Then you opt for a squeeze of lemon juice or top off an already healthy meal with a little balsamic. But you’ve unknowingly just backtracked. The problem: Your fat-free diet is costing you fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients.

According to a study in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, adding healthy fats like avocado, nuts, or even a tablespoon of full-fat dressing helps the body absorb vitamins A, D, E, K and other heart-healthy nutrients. They’re also crucial to feeling full and satisfied after eating. Good luck sticking to your diet without them!

Myth 2: All Low-Fat Foods are Healthy

We’re not talking vegetables and beans here. Low-fat processed foods are where things become problematic, because they’re often packed with sugar and refined carbohydrates, both of which are more intimately connected to the fat on your body than is the fat in, say, an artichoke. Really, it’s a shame they both get called the same name.

Rather than avoiding the F-word like the plague, a better choice is to pick the right fats and enjoy them without guilt, because when it comes to heart health, a little fat goes a long way. “Studies have consistently shown that monosaturated fats like almonds, peanuts, avocado, omega 3s—and even some saturated fats like those in coconuts and cocoa—are good for cardiovascular health,” says Bellatti. “For men interested in bodybuilding, a good intake also helps with testosterone production.”

Myth 3: Milk is the Key for Strong Bones

Milk is high in calcium, and calcium is key to bone health, so pouring a glass of 2 percent at breakfast sounds like the best way to do your bones a solid. But one component is missing: vitamin K, which plays a huge role in maintaining bone health and preventing bone loss. “Once we’re full-grown adults, we need to focus on minimizing loss,” says Bellatti. “Vitamin K is crucial for that.”

Do you know what else vitamin K is crucial for? Making sure that the calcium you take in gets where it needs to go—and nowhere else. One of the vitamin’s primary functions in your body is to help calcium bind to bone matter, so it can delay deterioration. It also inhibits that same calcium from building up in your arteries, where it can contribute to heart disease.

While it’s not abundant in milk—a cup of 2 percent milk has just 0.2 mg—vitamin K is abundant in dark, leafy greens. Kale contains a whopping 1,062.1 mg per cup. As an added bonus, most of these greens also contain calcium. Just make sure you eat the right ones.

“Some greens like spinach are high in oxalates, which prevent calcium absorption,” says Bellatti. “But there are also lots of dark greens like kale and bok choy that have low levels.” These dark leafy greens’ calcium-to-magnesium ratio makes for optimal absorption of both minerals.

Myth 4: Lower Sodium Intake is Key to Treating High Blood Pressure

It’s true that the normal American diet is high in sodium, but when it comes to lowering blood pressure, a diet of low-sodium canned soup isn’t enough to swing it back the other way. In fact, many processed low-salt foods sacrifice potassium, which is key to controlling blood pressure. A study last year in the Belgian journal Acta Cardiologica went a step further, stating that upping potassium levels could balance out the deleterious effects of a high-sodium diet.

You read right: The answer might be to eat more good stuff, not just to avoid bad stuff. The takeaway: Regulate your levels with more than that occasional banana. Swiss chard, lentils, sweet potatoes, and avocados all have higher potassium levels—961 mg, 731 mg, 754 mg, and 708 mg per cup, respectively—than banana’s 422 mg, and they all have plenty of other healthy nutrients to boot.

Myth 5: Staying Away from Salty Foods is the Key to Cutting Sodium Intake

Skipping the pretzels might trick your palette into thinking you’re lowering sodium levels, but taste isn’t everything.

A lot of food has processed sodium that simply helps to make it taste good, not just salty.

“One serving of salted peanuts has less than 10 percent of your daily sodium limit, but a lot of baked goods are high in sodium,” says Bellatti. “We just can’t taste the salt because it’s part of the cooking process.”

For example, one Dunkin Donuts corn muffin contains 770 mg of sodium, only slightly less than the 900 mg of sodium in a 10-piece McDonald’s chicken nuggets.

For the rest of the crazy and busted food myths, follow this link: http://anabolicminds.com/forum/content/busting-food-myths-2839/

This it too true and too funny not to share. Enjoy. Because we can all relate. -Ai

Food is the New Religion

By: William Faulk on TheWeek.com

Food is the new religion. I am hardly the first to make this observation, but I heartily endorse it: Secular sophisticates have jettisoned traditional beliefs about sin and sanctity, so they fulfill their instinctual need for purity and redemption through what they eat. I see the proof whenever I visit the local Whole Foods to hunt and gather weekend victuals. There, you cannot help but smirk at the organic, locavorish righteousness of it all – even as you succomb to the spell.

Look at the basketball-sized, organic cauliflower in the produce aisle-grown, the sign boasts, on a family farm just 90 miles away! In the meat counter, the grass – fed beef has a maximal animal welfare rating of 5, assuring us that the cow was so happy in life it met the butcher smiling. In the coffee aisle, aromatic rows of whole bean, Fair Trade Sumatras and Guatemalas – roasted locally, of course – promise morning enlightenment. In the vitamin aisle, you can armor yourself against worldly corruption with sacramental resveratol, acai berries and hemp seeds and probiotics with 40 billion beneficial bacteria per capsule. No wonder, then, that the affluent shoppers who push their heaping carts around the store – many in workout tights that display their buns of steel – have such confident, self-congratulatory air. Yes, they are paying double what groceries cost at Stop N’ Shop. But how much purer we all are, how oxidant-free! How much longer we’ll live than the wicked masses! We are the chosen. Give us this day our artisanal, gluten-free bread and our goji berry juice, and may our carbon footprint be small. Amen.

An interesting article on America’s fear of fat -Ai

Let Them Eat Fat

By: Ron Rosenbaum on WallStreetJournal.com

The hysterical crusade against fat has become a veritable witch hunt. With New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on supersize sodas (now temporarily thwarted) and the first lady’s campaign to push leaves and twigs (i.e., salad) on reluctant school children—all in the name of stamping out obesity—it is fat-shaming time in America. Yes, there are countertrends, like the pro-fat TV shows of Paula Deen and Guy Fieri. But in the culture at large, eating that kind of fat has become a class-based badge of shame: redneck food (which I say as someone who likes rednecks and redneck food). It isn’t food for someone who drives a Prius to Pilates class.

But there’s another world of fatty foods, a world beyond bacon and barbecue—not the froufrou fatty foods of foodies either, but basic, earthy, luxuriant fatty foods like roast goose, split-shank beef marrow and clotted cream. In the escalating culture war over fat, which has clothed itself in sanctity as an obesity-prevention crusade, most of these foods have somehow been left out. This makes it too easy to conflate eating fatty food with eating industrial, oil-fried junk food or even with being or becoming a fat person.

Preventing obesity is a laudable goal, but it has become the rationale for indiscriminate fat hunters. It can shade into a kind of bullying of the overweight, a badgering of anyone who likes butter or heavy cream. To the antifat crusaders, I say: Attack fatty junk food all you want. I’m with you. But you can deny me my roasted marrow bones when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.

I’m not suggesting that we embrace these life-changing food experiences just on grounds of pure pleasure (though there’s much to be said for pure pleasure). As it turns out, the science on the matter is changing as well. We are discovering that fatty delights can actually be good for you: They allow Spaniards, Italians and Greeks to live longer, and they make us satisfied with eating less. I’m speaking up not for obesity-generating fat, then, but for the kind of fatty food that leads to swooning sensual satiety.

Roast goose, for instance, is a supremely succulent, mind-alteringly flavorful fatty food. In most of America, roast goose would be viewed as the raven of cardiac mortality, hoarsely honking “never more.” And listening to the doctors on cable TV, you might think that it’s better to cook up a batch of meth than to cook with butter.

Eating fatty foods has become the culinary version of “Breaking Bad”: a dangerous walk on the wild side for the otherwise timid consumers of tasteless butter substitutes and Lean Cuisine. Soon the fear-of-food crowd will leave us with nothing but watery prison gruel (whole grain, of course) and the nine daily servings of kale, collards, spinach and other pesticide-laced and e-coli-menaced greens and fruits on the agribusiness-promoted “food pyramid.”

Still worse is the ninth circle of food hell to which the fat-phobic ninnies have consigned us: egg-white omelets. Is life worth prolonging for a few (alleged) extra months if said life has been spent enduring the repellent slabs of gluey, pasty albumen that so many self-congratulatory “health conscious” types consider to be a sign of their sanity? They want to purge themselves of dietary sin. I just want to purge.

Fear of fat has become a national sickness, an all-American eating disorder: Call it fatnorexia. Where is Uncle Toby from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” lamenting that, under the oncoming reign of Puritan strictures, “there shall be no cakes and ale”?

Something deeper than concern for nutrition and cholesterol is going on here. You don’t have to be a Freudian (I’m not) to see in the antifat crusade a cowering fear of sexuality. The evil of oral pleasure as Satan’s tool of seduction, dating back to Eve, is deeply embedded in American culture. Recall Cotton Mather’s denunciation of the hell-bound wickedness of the pleasures of the flesh and his call for self-mortification (anticipating today’s egg-white omelets).

We live in a culture where food has become a symbol of imminent mortality, where Zagat reviews of high-end steakhouses tediously joke about the need to have “your cardiologist approve in writing,” variations of which are repeated practically every time a piece of meat is mentioned anywhere (“a heart attack on a plate,” “adding insult to arteries” and other super-clever jests).

In fact, some new developments have undermined antifat absolutism. Consider the recent New England Journal of Medicine report on a study of the olive-oil-heavy “Mediterranean diet,” a study that included this fairly sensational revelation (as summarized by the Atlantic Online): “After five years of watching trends in heart disease and strokes among people at high risk, the researchers could not in good conscience continue to recommend a ‘low-fat diet’ to anyone.”

Hear that, you fat-shamers? You’re killing your credulous low-fat followers. Condemning high-risk people to a life that is not only dangerous but terminally boring—a terrifyingly tedious life of austere cuisine. Doctors had to intervene to save lives from your low-fat junk science!

Paradoxically, the most conclusive argument for eating sumptuously delicious fatty foods can be found in Michael Moss’s well-intentioned but scarifying new book, “Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us,” where he uses the telling phrase “sensory-specific satiety point.” As Mr. Moss defines it, this is “the tendency for big, distinct flavors to overwhelm the brain, which responds by depressing your desire to have more.”

Whoa! This is big. The author, however, misses the far-reaching implications. He focuses on bashing the use of the “sensory-specific satiety” concept by the evil processed-food industry, which goes to great lengths to get you to overeat fatty fried junk by purposely avoiding the “sensory-specific satiety” point that stops the craving.

In other words, sensory satiety is our friend. Voilà! The foods that best hit that sweet spot and “overwhelm the brain” with pleasure are high-quality fatty foods. They discourage us from overeating. A modest serving of short ribs or Peking duck will be both deeply pleasurable and self-limiting. As the brain swoons into insensate delight, you won’t have to gorge a still-craving cortex with mediocre sensations. “Sensory-specific satiety” makes a slam-dunk case (it’s science!) for eating reasonable servings of superbly satisfying fatty foods.

So, as part of my unceasing desire to serve humanity, I will offer you a few of my fattiest things—signature experiences of “sensory-specific satiety” that I’ve had with fat.

For me, the transformative Ur-experience of the beauty and power of fat was my late Aunt Hortense’s cheesecake. Don’t laugh. This was heavy duty. When I first had this as a child at a maternal family gathering, I felt transported into a realm of pleasure I had never imagined. It rearranged my brain circuits forever. She made it by supersaturating heavy, heavy cream, with heavy sour cream, creating a creamy near-thermonuclear critical mass of density and intensity.

Find the rest of the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578358681822758600.html?mod=mostpop

Jump In With Both Feet and Don’t Look Back!

Testimony of Chadwick Roland on RobbWolf.com

I guess the story starts in April of 1987, I was born a healthy giant baby. Somewhat average life ,average ability, lost my parents and brother to cancer at the age of 12-13. I kept through the awkward teen years terrified of girls, playing sports, and eating whatever I wanted and getting away with it. I vividly remember screaming from on high in my aunt and uncles kitchen in high school ”I’LL NEVER COUNT CALORIES OR READ INGREDIENT LISTS, LOOK AT ME! I EAT WHATEVER I WANT AND IM JACKED!” Needless to say that only lasted a short while longer.

19-20 rolled around, and I chalked up the added fat to me ”filling out”. It wasn’t anything super off putting so I didn’t think much of it, kept on with bench press curls and more bench. Only a few years more and I was buying pretty big jeans, and wearing a lot of hoodies to mask my stomach pudge. I was on the size chart at 6’2” 262lbs at my biggest, only real exercise was body building style lifts.

I tried a few things, a balanced food pyramid sorta gig (shoutout to Robb with the ”paleo lingo”) but nothing much happened, and I just floundered back to my Burger King, Wendy’s, donairs and poutine (for the paleoers south of the 49th, or on another continent; its fries, gravy, and cheese curds, and its erotically delicious). Being Canadian, however, saved my health. Playing in a ”beer league” adult hockey league I was tripped on a break away, and landed into the boards breaking my ankle. An overnight stay at the Hospital and 2 screws later I was rebuilt with a fully refurbished left ankle. However, the recovery had the perk of Papa John’s pizza and Wendy’s nightly while watching NBA Playoffs and the March Madness tournament since I was pretty immobile.

Three months of recovery left me without much muscle or a real goal in mind. I went back to the gym once I could walk, and went back with what I knew, body building workouts and basic cardio. One day on the eliptical machine I all of a sudden felt a lot of jiggling in my mid section. This being a brand new sensation to me, I had a big epiphany, looked at my cousin and proclaimed ”I’m done eating fast food.” He looked at me puzzled and responded ”till when?” That started my now 2 year journey on the search for health and food quality.

I started by doing what I’d been told since childhood was healthy, extra lean meats, healthy whole grains, low fat, fruits and veggies, so on and so fourth. This plan got me down from about 258lbs to 242lbs. Given the lack of Major Fast Foods and frozen dinners, I attribute the small bit of weight loss to that more than anything. Next up I was hearing about this book called ”the four hour body”. I followed the nutrition plan that Tim Ferris promotes and started seeing serious results. I got myself trimmed down to a nice 230lbs, and was feeling better than I had forever, and I could still enjoy doughnuts and pizza on my ”cheat day”.

However I’m truly not one to sit on my ass and just enjoy what’s given, I either want to make it better or make it my own, and I kept hearing about this fancy paleo diet. My curiosity lead me down a path of forums and podcasts, and with the change being that of simply dropping legumes and adding potatoes and fruit, I was quite happy to oblige and give it a try.

I made the change to a 90 percenter in July of 2012 (didn’t want to give up my doughnuts), however dropped my cheat day, and have been ”full paleo” since November of the same year.

I’m now a super lean 203Lbs (15lbs lighter than when having my cheat day with no other change), and feeling like paleo eating would save the world if it only listened.

We have a lot of young kids running around our gyms (which we love!), but that means we have a lot of parents that are probably really concerned about their kids safety given all the recent events. Parent, police officer and CrossFit Defense coach Rick Randolph explains how to prepare your children for a life-threatening situation. -Ai

Never Too Young to Survive

By: Rick Randolph on CrossFitJournal.com

I play fight with my kids a lot—slap boxing, wrestling them on the bed. The two oldest love it; the baby just paws at my face and giggles. They drop down into fighting stances—fists clenched, hands up—and sneer. My 7-year-old daughter likes to throw a jab-cross-hook combo and finish with a knee. She hit me with it the other day and said, “I’m gonna kick your ass! I mean, butt. Sorry, dad.”

But they also know we are playing and dad is not going all out. They know they can’t beat me in a “real fight.” The problem is they have no idea what a real fight is. They think real fights are the videos of dad in a cage with a referee and an opponent. They know they can’t beat me
there. In fact, my 10-year-old son thinks dad can beat up anyone in the world if I want. He thinks I’m invincible. It recently occurred to me that I spend all this time coaching other people’s kids on self-defense, and I wondered if I do enough training with my own. I hadn’t even talked to them about the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

How to “Win”

I asked my kids, “who would win a fight between a 200 lb. man and a 10 year-old girl?” They were sure the girl would lose. I asked why. They explained the man is too big and strong and he could hurt the girl if she fought him. I asked what a win would look like for the girl. They said she would have to beat up the man, maybe give him a bloody nose or a black eye. The problem, I explained to them, is how they envisioned the win. They thought a win looked like a referee holding both fighters’ hands, then raising the winner’s. They saw a win as holding the bad guy down until the police got there to take him to jail. That’s when I showed them a video of an attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl by a real bad guy. In the video, the bad guy approaches a group of children on the street from behind and grabs a girl. She flails, screams and kicks until the bad guy decides the kid isn’t worth the effort. He drops her and runs away. I asked my kids if that was a real fight. Both, wide-eyed, said it was. I asked who won. “The little girl,” they both said Hell, yeah. If that was the equivalent of a UFC fight, the referee was raising that little girl’s hand while doctors attended to an unconscious bad guy. She’d have her picture on a cereal box. Upset of the year. Huge win. But it happens. Every day The problem for my kids—and most people for that matter—is the way they see a win. A win, in a self-defense situation, is getting home safe. Bad guys don’t want a fight, I told them; they want a victim. You don’t have to “beat” a bad guy; you have to give him a fight. If you give them a fight, most bad guys will go find a victim. That’s how a 10-year-old gets her hand raised in victory. That’s how she “wins” against a grown man. I told them the secret about bad guys that my coach, Tony Blauer, taught me: bad guys don’t want to get hurt, don’t want to get caught and don’t want it to take too long. Make one of those three things happen and you can “win.”

“If It Was Fight or Die, I’d Fight Him”

And then came Sandy Hook.

I didn’t know what to tell my kids. That bad guy didn’t care about getting hurt or caught. I thought maybe it was better not to tell them. My boy is a bit of a worrier and an over-thinker. I have found, however, that his worry is often eliminated if he has a plan. So we made one. I started with statistics and said it would probably never happen to them. I told them we were just talking about it on the off chance it ever did. I told them there were three things they needed to do if a bad guy came to their school: First, I told them to run away. If they could do so safely, they should run as fast and as far as they could until they couldn’t hear any gunshots. I told them the rules no longer applied. If the principal normally said they weren’t allowed to climb a certain fence or go in a certain area or cross a street, now they were allowed to do so. I told them when it comes to self-defense in a worst-case scenario, do what you have to do. When teachers and administrators who are responsible for accurate headcounts are not around or incapacitated, I told my kids I wanted them out of there as fast as possible while still being safe. When teachers and administrators aren’t available to help, make your own best decisions, I told them.

I’m not sure who taught me this or where I got it from, but I tell my kids if something bad is happening and they can’t find their parents or someone they know, run to any mom for help. Moms have an amazing protective instinct, and I’m pretty sure if any kid ran to my wife and told her some creep was trying to get him, she’d do whatever she could to protect him. Moms are crazy that way—awesome crazy.

Find the rest of the article at: http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Safety_Randolph_FINAL2.pdf

Pretty sure most of you have seen this, but it’s just too good to not watch again. -Ai