Corbab

I really admire his intensity and focus while moving essentially as little as possible.

I've tried pretty much every diet there is in the past few years—low-carb, low-fat, high-protein, calorie restriction, low-sodium, beans only, whole grain everything. I was decently active and wanted to lose some fat that had been hanging around since forever. Not a single one of the plans worked. At my worst, I was eating half of my BMR, lost 30 pounds, had no energy whatsoever, lost progress in my workouts, and looked only marginally "skinnier." I laughed paleo off at first, not understanding the concept and thinking there was too much to give up. Finally, after an awful bout of obsessive measuring and calorie-counting, I jumped on the wagon. Now I'm faster and stronger than ever, have more energy, and am completely happy with the way I look. For me, it just. fucking. works. And it makes sense—give your body the basic ingredients it needs to function, in the most basic form possible, and don't fill yourself up with useless calories that don't do anything for you.

I think it's a great storybook. The accounts of various "superhuman" feats are quite interesting, but the book isn't especially useful as a practical training tool, IMO. It's a good primer if you're really interested in any of the people featured—he essentially retells others' successes with training methodology that they spent years developing. Still, reading the table of contents and googling the people will probably yield as good, if not better, results. All of his own "scientific" results are either n=1 (him) or poll results from his subscription members. I tried the slow-carb diet with limited success, but most of the other stuff wasn't really of interest to me. I wouldn't mind trying out the super low-rep mid-training lifting plan he covered, but as I said before, more info could be found elsewhere.

This is somewhat simplified, but it's 100% good information, and it's handy, especially as you're starting out. As long as you're not aiming to lose huge amounts of weight (or go into ketosis {an accelerated fat-burning state}), potatoes and fruits are totally on the menu. Do eat: Meats (all of them) Plants (all of them) Healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil) Nuts Fruit Don't eat: Grains (wheat, oatmeal) Refined sugars Artificial additives/preservatives (nitrites/nitrates, things you can't pronouce) There are some grey areas (dairy in particular) that some "paleo" eaters allow and some don't. I'd recommend going for 30 days on "strict" paleo—no cheats, following the chart—and then experiment adding some things back in. Mark's Daily Apple is one of my favorite paleo blogs. Mark's articles are informative and accessible, citing real studies and providing good information. Oh, and he's written about almost everything under the sun that you'd be wondering about when you start. Search it and it's there. PaleoHacks is a great site if you have any really specific questions. There are a lot of smart people on there (and a fair amount of paleo zealots), and it can be a great resource. Everyday Paleo has some great recipes—it's been a go-to for me lately.

If those are your only paleo transgressions so far, you're doing pretty damn good. I do dairy, so that's not a big problem for me, but raisins are 100% paleo (as long as they're not sweetened) and most people are fine with chocolate in small amounts.

If those are your only paleo transgressions so far, you're doing pretty damn good. I do dairy, so that's not a big problem for me, but raisins are 100% paleo (as long as they're not sweetened) and most people are fine with chocolate in small amounts.

Like CoreyD said, squats (especially bodyweight/kettlebell) probably won't hinder your running progress. Unless you do your 8k training directly before or after your squat sets, you shouldn't even notice it. As far as the overhead vs. KB squat, the overheads engage your core more, as you have to stabilize the weight further from your body, as opposed to directly at your point of balance. What you're doing is fine to start, but you should try to work in the OHS as soon as you feel comfortable.

I've had the opposite problem when consuming large amounts of fat (those bags of almonds are just so tempting), so I think adding in more may be helpful. Just for good digestive housekeeping, you should have some fermented foods occasionally (sauerkraut, kimchi, greek yogurt) to keep your gut bacteria healthy. I don't imagine that's contributing to your current problem, just something to keep in mind.

This is just a guess, but bad posture could be putting some strain/overextension on your back muscles. It's entirely possible to mess up your back doing crunches, and you definitely do put your back to use even on "ab" exercises, so the pain may just be your body saying that your back isn't as strong as the rest of your core. Try adding in some back-specific core exercises (reverse + side planks, bridges, superman) to even yourself out. If that doesn't help, it might be something worth getting checked out by the doc—there could be something minor going on that you don't notice until you really strain the area.

...when the highlight of your weekend is filling the fridge up with 20lb of meat.

I've had my weight go down by as much as 10lb if I've been sweating and working hard. There are so many variables—hydration, stomach contents, clothing, muscle gain—that it loses a great deal of significance as a health marker. Take some pictures and write down how you feel. In a couple of weeks, do it again. You'll see (and feel) progress in no time!

This looks pretty solid, but I'll echo Raincloak's question about the IF. Especially if paleo is new for you, give yourself a month or two to adjust and then reassess your position and your goals—you may find out that IF isn't even necessary for what you want. It's an effective tool for some, but far from a universal one. Also, what is the 20-25% of your diet made up of? It's easy to give in to more and more things under the justification of the 80/20 rule, so be aware of that. Picking a routine and sticking to it is one of the most important things in a sustainable healthy lifestyle. I know a lot of people who "go to the gym" and spend time wandering around testing out machines or doing some glam circuit (I used to be one of them). Knowing what you're going to be doing (and keeping track of it) mean you'll get a lot done in less time/hassle. As far as the weekends, I'd throw in some low-intensity activity (hiking, biking, kayaking) or something active you really enjoy. Even when you're seriously training, it's important to keep doing fun stuff or you'll bore yourself to death.

Pretty sick. Welcome to the realm of the barbell.

Yeah, I tried low-bar for one set and it wasn't pretty. Keeping the bar over your feet means you get into the hole in a completely different position than the high-bar squat. There's a good graphic I saw in another thread that explains it well, but heck if I remember where it is. I'm sure somebody has it...

Looks like a lot of presses and posterior chain work. Is there a particular reason you don't have any benches outside of assistance work?

Damn. Just damn. I was going to compare that to what I lifted this morning, but I'm too embarrassed...

Today I finally got back to my working weights across the board. I stopped lifting in the spring for crew season, so I lost some strength, but it's only taken me two weeks to get back into it. I switched to pure SS, and it's done wonders for my progress. Oh, and I finally put two big boy plates on the squat bar today. Movin' on up...

I'm not a Crossfitter, but the pullup/muscle up seems to be a hallmark (and just an all-around cool thing to have under your belt).

If anyone was wondering, yes I can. I can also do cleans and OHPs. **woo double post**

I'll add jump squats to the booty-shaping arsenal. My team did 200 every day after practice, and the stabilization required to keep your to keep your torso from going like Wacky Arm-Waving Inflatable Tube Man works surprisingly well.

I know there are gripes about the treadmill not activating your hamstrings, pulling your foot back rather than letting you lengthen your stride and go faster. Personally, I tire much more quickly on the treadmill, going at barely half my usual pace. I'm on the big side, so I hesitate to run like I usually do for fear of stepping off the front and becoming the subject of another hilarious youtube video. Also, a dynamic pace works much better for me, as I usually clock decent times despite my min/mi pace being a bit off.

I've found that most of the content on Gawker and it's sister sites is comprised of douches running their mouths about some thing or another they don't like. I like running outside, but I'm using the treadmill as stand-in cardio when I miss rowing for one reason or another. Running isn't my main gig, just a convenient add-in on occasion. My treadmill pace is almost twice as slow as my road pace, but I go for a lot longer and work up a sweat, which is all I'm really trying to do. I do my sprints on the erg, as I'm much more interested in those times than my running times. My current plan only has sprints once per week for now, mostly just to stay in the habit.

Your teeth and saliva are the first steps in a whole bevy of digestive processes that turn a cow into a calorie. Food goes down your throat much easier if you chew it (hopefully you've found that out on your own ), and enzymes in saliva begin breaking down whatever goes in your mouth. As far as I know, liquefying food has no benefits over regular chewing. You can blend a chocolate cake for as long as you want, but that doesn't mean it's going to be treated as anything other than flour, sugar, and eggs. There have been a couple of "Chew every bite X times" diets, but their purpose is mindful eating—getting you to slow down and listen to your body's signals about when you've had enough. Also, it makes food taste gross, which is a definite disincentive to enjoying a meal.

Is it safe/practical/wise to do power cleans with regular metal plates as opposed to coated bumper plates? I don't drop the weights, so I'm not going to shatter a plate or break the floor. The only "soft" plates my gym has are 10# that go on a 15# bar, and I'm getting tired of loading a foot of plates on each side as my numbers climb.

I think it's sort of a zombie type thing. It's there in the flesh, and it's moving, but it's not really thinking anything along the way.