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I have not really addressed what I am doing for my diet. I have been getting a good number of questions about this topic. Here's the deal- I'm not really into specific diets. I agree that there are certain diets that can work for some people. However, I always seem to find flaws with them. I'm not going to do the Zone or the Perfect Blocks diets because I refuse to weigh or measure out my foods prior to eating them. I'm also not going to do mathematical calculations to figure out whether I have enough protein/fat/carbs/etc. It's lunch, not algebra. I'm not all that impressed with the Paleo Diet. I tried it for a couple weeks a couple years ago. It made me very tired and I felt extremely weak while on it. I'm not going to try any of the crazy “just eat this one thing and you will be fine!” diets either. Honestly, I feel as though just eating CLEAN foods when I am hungry (which seems to be 5-6 times a day) works best for me. When I say clean I am referring to the following types of foods: vegetables, meats, fruit, etc. Things to avoid at all costs: anything with gluten in it (gluten is the enemy), sugar in all forms, junk food s of all types, etc. I do eat some certain foods for specific reasons, however. I eat almonds and almond butter (or natural peanut butter) for their beneficial fat content. I try to ingest a spoonful of natural peanut butter with breakfast, pre-workout, for example. I am also having to get it through my head that a protein shake can, and does, count as “eating”. I take one post workout, then another later in the day, after dinner. This, by itself, gives me a solid 100 grams of protein along with countless other beneficial vitamins. Very important. I have been eating a lot of chicken, tuna, deer steaks, bacon (yum), carrots, almonds, eggs, milk, etc. Basically, if you want an easy way to figure out if you are shopping, and thus, eating correctly, try this. The next time you go to the grocery try to keep your cart on the perimeter of the store. There are very few things up and down the aisles of the store that are good for you. Pretty much everything you are going to want to ingest is on the outside perimeter of the store. This proves to be fairly simple. If you stick to this practice you will probably be good to go!

On to how I'm feeling. I am extremely sore. My muscles are simply not used to this much stress yet. They will get used to it. The human body is a miraculous thing. It will respond to pretty much any type of stimulus and, after a while, will get used to it. This is seen at both ends of the spectrum. The ultra-marathoner's body gets used to running for hundred of miles at a time, and adapts to its situation. The drug addict's body becomes used to the poison being pumped into it, and eventually needs the chemical to operate normally. The good news is that after I get a good stretch when I get to the gym the soreness doesn't hinder my workout at all. It just goes away. The bad news is that when I sit down for more than a few minutes I start to lock up and get very tight. This will all pass. My mind, however, is functioning MUCH better than previously. I have always heard that gluten does all kinds of horrible things to the human body. The rationale is as follows:

Humans have been around for a long time. Depending on your view of evolution a very long time. We, as a species, have always eaten meats, vegetables, and fruits as these things are naturally occurring. Not very long ago (in an evolutionary sense) humans figured out how to farm and cultivate crops. We started producing grains as with crop cultivation came processes of refining these grains. Gluten entered our lives in a large way. The thought is that the human digestive system has not evolved to the point that it knows what to do with these products yet. Evolution takes a long time. Since we don't really know what to do with it it causes a lot of health problems. Do I believe this concept? I don't know. I'm not a scientist. I do know this: The New England Journal of Medicine, a very well respected medical research journal, has confirmed 55 “diseases” that are directly linked to eating gluten. These “diseases” include osteoporosis, IBS, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, various types of arthritis, lupus, MS, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, migraines, autism, etc. I could go on and on. Does this mean that eating bread is the cause of all these diseases? Of course not. However, doctors agree that the consumption of gluten is very bad for us. Nearly all stomach cancers are almost directly linked to gluten. It appears as though the continued consumption of gluten by the American public costs us hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars a year in health care costs. I have also heard of a concept called “gluten fog”. This is a term used in the fitness world to describe one's mindset while eating foods containing gluten. It is said that once you cease to eat gluten your mind functions much more efficiently and effectively, making you feel and behave more sharply. I always thought this was ridiculous. Let me tell you: It is TRUE. I just stopped eating gluten Tuesday and I already feel light years better. I can actually tell I was walking around in a constant fog. The feeling is unreal. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me. Gluten is the enemy.

I know what you are thinking...”I'm sick of hearing about diets.” On to the workouts!

BARBELL GYMNASTICS/CONDITIONING

*This should be performed as one continuous effort. MAKE SURE to read the notes below.

1) 4 sets of 2 touch & go Snatch (do one, guide bar back to floor, touch it, do the next), any style, @ 80% of your 1 Rep Max (1RM)- rest 40 secs
2) 50 Double-Unders- rest 20 secs
3) 1 Snatch @ 90% (1RM)- rest 20 seconds
4) 50 Double Unders- rest 20 seconds
5) 1 Snatch @ 95% (1RM)

Notes: 40 seconds rest should be taken after the final set of snatches @ 80% and before the first set of double-unders. It is not necessary to time the double-unders, but there should be no extra rest. 3 attempts may be taken at the 90 & 95% snatch singles, but all 3 attempts should be kept to under 60 seconds.

STRENGTH

1) 4 sets of 5 1&1/4 Front Squats (it is just what it sounds)- heaviest possible, rest 45 secs between
2) 4 sets of 3 Weighted Muscle-Ups- heaviest possible, rest 45 secs between
Notes: I can not do muscle-ups. I doubt any of you can either. If you can, then awesome! You are a pretty advanced athlete! I am a long way from doing even a single one. The good news is that you can scale this workout down to your skill level. The bad news is that my scale for each muscle up is 3 pull ups AND 3 dips. Weighted. Do it. Want to make yourself sick? Read the following: my wife does muscle-ups wearing a 25# weight vest for FUN!

CONDITIONING (PAIN THRESHOLD EXPANSION)

-5 rounds for TOTAL time of:

Run 200 meters

9 UNBROKEN Hang Squat Cleans @ 155#/105# (women)

6 Push Jerks @ 155#/105# (women)

*Rest 2 minutes between each round, then subtract the resting minutes from your total time so you are left with a working time. Post this time.

Notes: The hang squat cleans need to be UNBROKEN, meaning you should do all of them without dropping the bar. Adjust the weight accordingly so you can accomplish this. This load should be heavy, but still unbroken. If you do not feel sufficiently taxed after 5-6 of the reps, with the thought that you might not finish the set, then ADD weight. Don't cheat yourself!

LET US KNOW HOW YOU DO! GOOD LUCK!

*****MY RESULTS*****
- I pulled 110#, then 115#, then 125# on the snatch ladder. My current 1RM is 135#. The 125# felt fairly easy today, and I power snatched it. I feel like I could have set a new Personal Record (PR) if I had kept going up the ladder.

-The strength work nearly did me in. Those 1&1/4 front squats were awful. They took me to a very dark place in my mind lol. I left 125# on the bar for the whole front squat portion. Apparently I was supposed to add a little each time. I didn't know this. 125# was pretty rough, but I feel as though I could have gone up some. As an aside, my tiny little wife did this workout with me today. Her final set of front squats was at 175#...50# more than I did. That should prove to anyone that this stuff works, and works well!

-Gosh, the conditioning work was awful. I don't know what it was about that combination of exercises, but it flat wore me out. I did it at 125#. There was no way I was going to make it through at 155#. I made it through the first set unbroken. After that I had to break my hang squat cleans into sets of 5, then 4. I kept all my push jerks unbroken until the last set when I lost my grip on the bar. My final time on the conditioning portion was 18:02. This was, of course, with the 8 minutes of mandatory breaks removed. How did you do? Tomorrow's workout will be up...tomorrow.