Diet-The simple truth, Or How I See It

The word diet comes from the Greek, meaning "way of life" The Vegetarians are a good example.  The word vegetarian comes from the Latin to be lively and vigorous.Their early beginnings identified diet was only a part of living a healthy life.  Naturist place an importance on being relieved of the burden of clothes and enjoying outdoor sports and activities, very Paleo. So what am I saying.  Those who know me will know I am not a big fan of the diet, supplement or nutrition industry. It full of BS and self serving quacks.  This too applies to aspects of the fitness industry.

I recently bumped into a friend at work. He is a qualified PTI with a services back ground.  We got talking about our own training and diet and got to comparing notes.  He has recently come on board  the good ship Crossfit and has been looking at the zone diet and other low starchy carbohydrate options. He has recently been working with a colleague looking to get fitter and lose some weight.  They will not mind if I describe them both as old school.  So diet was not high on the list of things to change, at least not radically.  So maybe cut out some alcohol, snacks and puddings but increase the aerobic training particularly pounding the pavement.  Now most will see some results especially if you are new to exercise. The body has an amazing way of responding to such early stimulus.  However they both have an extensive background in being and staying fit.  So were a little surprised to find that they were not getting the results they wanted and expected.

A review led to some research and Crossfit and Zone/Paleo were discovered.  A short stint on a low starchy carbohydrate diet after a period of adjustment led to some very encouraging results.  Energy levels changed for the better and the excess weight soon shifted.  It was even discovered that the time in the gym could be reduced and the same results could still be enjoyed.

Their experiences have led me to review my diet. I believe I have hit a time in my life where I cannot rely on just good genetics to save me from my excesses.  And I do like my excesses!  Since summer 2011 I have noticed changes. Its no coincidence to say I have also changed jobs, moved in with my girlfriend and spend less time in the gym. But I have experienced phases like this before and not paid dearly for it, alas no longer.  Diet IS a massive part of my wellness now so it was with some relief when Andrew of Crossfit London UK organised the 40 day Zone/Paleo Lent Challenge.  This was my chance to hold hands with other passengers and soak up the shared experience and make changes.

I will being trying my utmost to be strict Paleo'.  Has it got a face? Zoneing is too much hassle in my eyes, I don't even own a cup!  I even considered doing one meal a day with snacks either side apparently this would have been normalish, but the odd day of no food was also normal!  So instead I am going to eat small and regular but ultimately clean.  Dairy, tea and Guinness will be missed but its only 40 days!  I will be posting regularly on Crossfit London UK and also by twitter @Spikeyfruit. My girlfriend is also joining in so I am excited about that. But we will declare the 25th February as an amnesty, its her birthday party.

By the end we hope to have a great opensource resource of recipes, answers, experiences and results, both good and bad.  Now I am off to gather some firewood. But first some pancakes.

          

Those Three Little Letters

I moved jobs about a year ago it was the same kind of work just the other side of London.  But it gave me an opportunity to meet lots of new people.  One of the first things I did was check out the gym facilities.  It had a CV room with C2 rowers that made me smile. The weights room was very typical, Smith machine, cable crossovers, a pull up bar bolted to the wall so not enough clearance for kipping and no bumper plates.  It did have a large matted dojo with hanging bags, so great for gymnastic stuff and some strike circuits. But I never let this get me down everything is adaptable and I was confident I could always fashion a WOD out of what was available. 

I was soon in the gym doing my Crossfit thing. Lets face it, it gets you noticed and if we are honest we kind of like that. We are different and revel in it.  But I never conduct myself with an air of superiority.  I love to talk about Crossfit but only if asked and I never preach.  But you must have noticed how gym monkeys can be a little anti.  Often making statements about things they have no knowledge of.  “Those pull ups are cheating” How often do you hear that?  Or sometimes the reverse, they will make a statement in support of something but will not be able to explain why it gets their support. 

I saw a colleague stood in front of the mirror performing a forearm exercise.  Arms locked out in front at shoulder height with a plate dangling from a string attached to a thick piece of dowel.  He slowly rotated the dowel to wind up the plate.  He was pulling faces and gritting his teeth. He was working hard at the exercise.  I wanted to know why he positioned his arms where he did was it different, harder or easier with the elbows bent and fixed at the sides or above or behind the head?  He said he did not know and that he just did what he was instructed.  But it was the tone that amazed me.  He was dismissive, perhaps he was busy, but I think he felt he was being criticised but I was not, definitely not.  I was intrigued by the mechanics. 

I have often given a little advice, mainly on safety, or on where I think they could benefit, I am a qualified PT after all.  It is my job.  However, having asked and attempted to understand I soon realised I was getting no where.  Later I did a little research, good old Google, I came up with lots of alternatives but generally pointed towards performing the exercise just like I had witnessed.  But why!?  Any way I emailed off a few links to my friend and titled them food for thought. A mutual friend then reported back to me that the forearm exerciser had been criticising Crossfit.  In the spirit of a good wind up I emailed a response to his criticism.  It was like throwing a grenade.  I did actually try to address his issue but also with a sense of humour.  The response was a rant. 

The argument centred on Crossfit does not make you big, not bigger, but big.  Well, yes and no, I think is the right answer?  I have seen some real big blokes in a Crossfit gym and I have seen some already big blokes get bigger.  We are amazingly visual creatures. Massive amounts of our responses are affected by visual stimulus, colours, shapes, sizes and body language. Did you know that 55% of communication is body language?  How does this affect us?  Well if we only ever measure our improvements with our eyes then surely we are on the road to disappointment.  We can measure our health with lowered blood pressure, heart rates, improved energy levels, endurance, strength, power, flexibility…Wait a minute that sounds familiar!  But does the typical narcissistic trainer give any of these more than a casual thought? 

Pick up any fitness industry magazine off the shelf and bam you will be hit with one visual statement after another.  A bombardment of perceived perfect bodies, huge muscled men and slim toned women.  On the whole does this help to inspire, encourage, motivate or does it ultimately have a negative impact?  Do people see achieving anything less than front cover man/woman as failure?  Will this ultimately deflate and deter you, having led you down a path of wasted time, effort and money?  Where is the balance?  You will find some if you really go looking for it. Success stories are sprinkled in some magazines but on the whole it is a constant flow of subliminal brain washing, money spinning, product endorsing, fantastical dirge. 

Crossfit does a lot of things right. But this whole examination got me thinking about how people are constantly measuring Crossfit success by whether the WOD was “Rx’d or not.  This cannot be good for everyone.  I am constantly being asked what is the required weight?  Well the first requirement is to be able to perform the movement with excellent form. How many times have we seen people perform ugly reps just because they want to write “Rx’d”?  I think this can be a big problem; it too can lead to wasted time and effort and of course injury.  This then reflects badly on us. Crossfit is scaleable but some how this gets forgotten. I believe “Rx’d” is our version of the front cover man/woman.  A suggestion of what is expected and what is perfection, the ONLY standard.  We have to be aware of this, because it is NOT the only standard and it is not perfection.  It is a goal for some but not for all. 

So what is the lesson?  Well size is not everything (heard that before) well not for everyone any way.  Standards of movement should be broadly applicable and standards of weight should be more specifically applicable.       

What Is The Truth

Well I seem to find less and less time to update this blog but at least I am not filling it with trivia, I hope.  I have been away from Crossfit London for about four weeks and took a break from training the body and focussed on training the mind.  In my breaks from studying I relaxed by reading a book called Bad Science written by Ben Goldacre.  If you only read one book this year read this one.  It was originally published back in 2005 but has been updated and re published.  Ben is a qualified medical doctor who writes for the Guardian among other things. he has a fantastic scientific rational mind that can be described as a Mr Spock with a sense of humour.

The book takes a look at consumerism, journalism, quackism and other isms.  It closely examines how we are regularly deceived by the world of nutrition (ism) and the close links between the daily press industry and the self promoting world of magic pills, supplements, powders, power drinks etc.

It educates you on the facts of the health and beauty industry how real independent research should be conducted and how the stats from these can be manipulated. Read it!

It got me thinking about how this applies to me and my position in the fitness industry and Crossfit.  We all know people who buy vitamins, protein powders, creatine supplements, energy drinks, anti-oxidants (these actually increase your chances of dying!) shit, I have to admit to doing nearly all the above. I now use  FHW. I can now say with some considerable confidence you have been wasting your money.

All these products are promoted with a "research shows" banner of some description. This research will be funded by the industry and promoted within industry related press and when you read it in the daily press as a news feature it will have been published on the back of the idea that the press business model must publish stories targeted at their advertisers target consumers. The story will have ticked boxes such as "magic pill" and "miracle effect" What chance do we have?

Well, believe nothing.  Ask questions, lots of questions.  Come to understand what real research is. Cold, dispassionate and totally focussed on the truth.  Whether it supports a hypothesis or not. Oh and totally open for peer review. Visit the Cochrane website, simply fascinating. Crossfit people talk a lot about diets, this is a massive industry, Zoneing, Paleo fish oil supplements etc. I guarantee that all the literature you read about this will be tainted by the selfish need to self promote.

I will even go on to question what real research has been done regarding our training methods.  Do we produce the fittest people in the world?  I have seen quite a few experts who were Crossfit HQ flavour of the month disappear off the scene. I have seen evidence of this because they question certain methods.  I have no doubt that Crossfit can produce massive amounts of anecdotal evidence about the positives, but real research?  We as humans are the worst at self criticism we always overstate opinions of ourselves, find casual relationships between things that do not exist and spot patterns when there are none.

Now I am not lnocking Crossfit I love it, I have experienced the benefits of following this regime but there is some serious bullshit out there and we can be guilty of this.  The lesson today is be mindful of this, doubt everything and looked to be proved right or wrong.
  

What Is Crossfit?

Yes what IS Crossfit?  This question gets asked many times.  You see it asked at the seminars and there is a whole lecture devoted to this. I have a little speech I give to beginners carefully honed over hundreds of presentations.  It was asked again recently on a the One World site.  It got me thinking again that there was something missing in the explanation.  Well today I had a moment of clarity.

I have been involved with Crossfit since about 2007.  In that time I have participated in many WODS and coached a good number too.  I understand the science. Task specific or time specific, across broad modal domains, functional movements, constantly varied.  These are all phrases you will hear when people talk about "what is Crossfit?"

But it is so much more than just science.  A friend of mine regards it as a cult, a bit extreme, but sometimes I can see where he is coming from. All those pictures of people doing handstands and over head squats, taken around the world, are no different from planking and owling!

A client came to the Saturday class to say goodbye today. She flies home on Monday to Oz.  April has been travelling and has spent some significant time over here in the UK.  April was a Saturday regular always there with a smile and a funny story about her students and talking about her adventures with couch surfing. And has great taste in cute hats too.  I was amazed that April brought me a present a home baked apple pie. I was amazed for two reasons, one she went to the trouble to bake this for me and two, she knew it was my absolute favourite desert.

I was even more surprised when it all got a bit emotional I am a big softy really.  Later thinking about this I realised that Crossfit is a place where friends meet with a common interest.  Years ago I used to be an officer safety instructor for the police. I used to talk about how are colleagues are more than just co workers. We know each others first names spend time with them outside of work socialising, playing sport, or more.  They become our friends and this I would use to emphasise how important our colleagues are to us.  This is surely the same about Crossfit clients.  How many staff in the globo gym world can say the same about their clients?

April, thank you for this. Todays lesson learnt is that the opportunities Crossfit and Crossfit London UK have provided me to broaden my horizons in all aspects of life are priceless and the friends I have made are invaluable.      

 

Burpee Burnout - Coping With Failure

Friday the 22nd April 2011 will be a memorable day for me. It was the start of my realisation that I may not finish this burpee challenge.  The third time of this challenge had proved even more challenging than the previous two.  Time constraints and a little inconsistent training had helped contribute to the feeling of struggling.  I had experienced RSI type injuries in the past. In particular right wrist pain and left shoulder pain. Both throw backs to an old motorbike injury when I high sided my bike.  I always remember the next morning in the GP's surgery being told off by the doctor for not going straight to A&E "This will come back to haunt you in your old age" Boy was she right.  The shoulder pain this time around has been at times excruciating even affecting normal daily life.  The chromium clavicular is now seriously inflamed.

But none of this was going to stop me until the morning of the 22nd. A bank holiday Easter weekend away planned for Kippford in Scotland.  I awoke feeling excited and mistook the strange feeling in my stomach as butterflies, alas no.  I was struck down with a stomach bug with severity I had never experienced before.  Within in hour I returned to my bed with cramps, shivers and sweats.  I bravely pushed out 40 burpees with the hope I would improve later. But instead I endured 36 hours of fighting to stay hydrated, sleepless nights and secondary back pain. I guess caused by the peculiar contortions inflicted upon me.

We still made it to Scotland and I made the best of it with some beautiful sunshine.  But when I started to contemplate the numbers required to catch up along with the shoulder injury I decided enough was enough.  My girlfriend is still going and with rest and recovery I hope to join her on day 100 while in Gothenburg.

So how do I feel about this?  Well mixed really, both disappointed and a little relieved. I had it in the back of my mind that I was doing some permanent damage to my shoulder but blunt stubbornness kept me going. Not very intelligent I know.  But its taken me nearly a week to get over the stomach complaint and the reality is a conspiracy of misfortune has overcome me.  If you are still in the challenge, fantastic effort and good luck. The last ten days are very very tough.  But worth it.   

A Place Of Work Not Pleasure

A few weeks back I was chatting to Andrew Stemler, or rather listening attentively as you do, when he summed up Crossfit as just being plain horrible.  I am always loving the way he can describe things so concisely.  I was discussing this further later in the week and I was trying to understand why you could not just use this to describe why Crossfit is so effective.  Yeah it its a strength and conditioning program, yeah it improves work capacity, yeah it's functional movements, constantly varied etc...Or it's just plain horrible really.  Can you imagine if we actually did this?  How many would just go pale and walk away. But a few would smile, nod and say "Goooood" 


 It comes back to something I used to say a lot when people asked what my "secret" to getting and staying fit is.  I always replied "I use FHW" Some peoples faces would light up. They were thinking a short cut, some magic supplement taken like a milk shake or pills in the morning.  "FHW?" "Fucking Hard Work" I would reply.  Again some would look disappointed others would see the truth there and then.  Crossfit is loaded with FHW.  Great big dollops of it.  But FHW is rewarding. It builds strong versatile athletes with mental fortitude. Mental fortitude should be number eleven on the Crossfit list of competencies. 


 I started to look around at other Crossfit sites and compare these to some high street gyms, often referred to as globogyms.  Our sites had pictures of people doing dead lifts, ring work, hand stands and over head squats. The others had lounges, cafes, small leisure pools and machines lots of machines.  One machine described as a Treadclimber the banner stated Looks like your running days are over then…  How sad.  A machine that means you never have to run.  This must be a terrible symptom of the customers laziness and the service providers cynical desire to pander to it. 


 At Crossfit London UK we have no problem in intervening and pointing out you are not pushing yourself hard enough knowing that being cruel is actually being kind.  At the risk of doing a John Lennon, Crossfit is like an old testament God. Both terrifying and benevolent.  So I have learnt that a Crossfit Box is a place of work not pleasure, well not until the end of class anyway.     

deadlift hip hop