Essential Nutrition

The Definition of "healthy" foods

2013-05-31T02:19:00.001-07:00

"Man is a coctivore", as evidenced by Udo Pollmer to me.

Which basically means that we eat cooked food.
In his video where he mentions the term coctivore he uses a chart that compares the gastro-intestinal tract of different hominidae.
One of the comparisons which were the most striking to me was the colon.
Homo s. had the shortest colon of all hominidae in his chart.
Now the colon has two main functions: storage and the further absorption of water and electrolytes.
But its digestive abilities which it is able to do with certain bacteria is limited to cellulose(insoluble fibre) and not fully absorbed sugars(e.g. lactose).
The bacteria turns these nutrients into short-chained fatty acids and gases(Methan,H2,CO2) and guess what they cause flatulence.

But why are fruits and vegetables considered healthy?

Due to the fact that most of these aforementioned foods have a high essential nutrient content compared to their caloric content.
In layman's terms this means that you can eat a lot of veggies and fruits and not get fat or as fat as you would with other food groups.
Which of course so called "health"/women's/men's/etc. magazines pick up and tell you to eat veggies and fruits for dem dere health benefits without giving one ounce of a shit about your energy intake.
The outcome usually is that you're bloated and fat because you solely added insoluble fibres to your diet and micro-nutrients that you probably were already sufficient in before. Unless you ate very one sided but who wants to do that. Even every day cake can taste like bread.

Convenience foods

These are foods that you usually store in your frozen food storage compartment.
Convenience foods have been processed with chemicals or chemicals were simply added to make them perishable for a longer amount of time while still retaining taste.
These chemicals can be harmful or not. Dose makes the toxicity.
Sadly you as the customer have to make the informed decision about which foods you buy.
So look up those chemicals before you buy that sweet convenience cake.

You could also make it yourself with dem dere organic products but that would be crazy.

Contaminants

Contaminants can be chemicals(e.g. pesticides,biocides) or micro organisms. They are usually used to make foods longer perishable. But they can also be harmful to your body.
If you don't give a shit about organic foods that's fine but for the sake of your own health please consider these three points about pesticides.

Persistency, which means that the higher in the food chain you go the higher their concentration because they can't be metabolized only stored
Lipophilia, they are stored in your fat tissue and when you burn that fat are released into your bloodstream, endlessly circulating
Active organ storage, your organs can mistake these chemicals for essential chemicals that you actually need to function properly but the harmful chemicals can be"stronger"(PTE!) hence replace the essential chemicals, this can lead to organ failure in high doses

Most pathogenic micro organisms can be avoided through proper hygiene and common sense that you hopefully acquired in grade school or from your parents as well as other persons of knowledge.

Your take-away

Learn how to cook.
Eat tasty foods that are nutritious.
Fatty foods, offal(organ/variety meats), veggies and fruits should be bought from certified organic brands.
If you feel that you are too fat simply eat less.

The Pull-up [Chin-up]

2013-05-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

The most essential exercise to spinal health.

The Set-up:

You can do this exercise using a cable machine or with your own bodyweight on a pull-up bar.

Grab the handle or bar.

Hand placement does not matter. Use a placement you are most comfortable with.

Get in position which either means pulling yourself in the seat or hanging from the bar.

When in position reach maximum eccentric contraction.

Align your upper body or basically your spine in a slight curve.

Your spine should form a perfect curve which is dictated by your own anatomy.[even your head and neck]

Breathe in and hold your breath.

Create maximum tension.

The Pull-up:

Your elbows should initiate the pull.

[Surely your arms could do too but then you are probably better off doing curls which I am certain you wanted to do in the first place]

The handle or bar should touch the sternuum or a place on your frontal upper body where you like to pull to.

Hold shortly at the isometric position.

Breathe out and reset in a controlled manner back to the starting position.

Breathe in and hold your breath.

Create maximum tension.

And repeat as many times as possible without breaking form or break it.

I don't give a shit.

The Squat

2013-05-17T02:03:00.002-07:00

When you squat the only thing you do is squat.

The Setup:

Your foot position on the squat depends on your personal preferences although I do not think that pointing your feet inwards is a good idea.
Start with your feet pointed forward and parallel and squat down without a weight.
Move your toes slightly outwards repeat and adjust where you feel until you reached your most comfortable foot position.
Your feet should be rooted in the floor during the squat.
The cue "Push your knees out" in my opinion is not good due to the fact that if you exaggerate on pushing your knees out you will lose stability just as well when your knees cave inwards.
Therefore I think it is best to have your knees be in line with your feet and not have any unnecessary movement during the squat.
But the squat is an exercise where knee flexion/extension occurs but not more and not less.
A common mistake people make when they squat is that the flexion of the hips occurs through the lowering of the upper body instead of "dropping" their hips and glutes into the bottom position aka the "hole".
Mark Rippetoe tells male youngsters,"I want you to drop your dick in between your legs."
So basically you drop your pelvis in the hole which means flexion of the knees, flexion of the hips, eccentric contraction ofthe glutes and an isometric contraction of the quads[these are the prime movers, IMO].
Your upper body is tight all the time especially your back which of course is balanced by your abdominal wall which is tight as well.
The position of the barbell on your back is dependant on you and where you feel the most comfortable but I would not put it directly on my neck or wrap a towel around it for that matter.
Towels are only useful for watery hypoosmotic secretions of your skin.
Hand placement depends on your flexibility[mostly shoulder] but the closer you grip the more pressure is being put on the elbow but it helped me create more tension in the upper back.
So once again grip where you want and are painfree.
A close grip also forced over-extension on my wirsts which I balanced with wrist wraps but it only happens with heavy weights.
Head position should be looking straight forward or slightly upwards. Looking down can cause rounding and therefore loss of tension in the upper back and is basically asking for injury on heavy weights.

The Squat:

Grip the barbell tight.
Get under the barbell and place it on your back.
Get your whole body tight and unrack the barbell.
Walk back so that you have free space to squat.
Adjust foot position if neccessary.
Get a deep breath of air and hold it.
Whole body tension.
Squat down in a controlled manner.
When you reach the hole [do not round your lower back! keep it tight] squat up.
Squat up with maximum force but be in control of your movement.
Do not explode up since you want to squat and not jump.
Do not fully extend your knees.
Repeat as many times as possible.
[A good indicator of form is upper body tension.]

The Bench Press

2013-05-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

When you bench press the only thing you do is bench press.

The Setup:

Unlike what some people may believe the bench press is an exercise that demands your whole body.
When you lie down on the bench make sure the barbell is set at a safe height for you to unrack.
This prevents your possible loss of tension as you unrack the weight and therefore serious injury.
The bench press is the one of the most dangerous exercises you can do in the gym because without a spotter you could literally choke to death.
Nonetheless it's awesome and increases your virility by about 72.8%.

The first thing you do is to slightly hold on to the barbell as you lie down on the bench.
Now you root your feet into the floor somewhere parallel to the bench.
It does not matter whether your feet are closer to the middle of the bench or near the end of it.
Use whatever position you feel the most comfortable. In my opinion it's usually dependant on hip and thigh flexibility so work on that if you are not satisfied with the position of your feet.
I do not think it matters if your feet are planted squarely on the floor or only your toes.
What truly matters for me is the tension I create through the floor flowing into my feet traveling from my calves into my hamstrings and glutes that are in concentric contraction which is balanced by the eccentric and probably slight isometric contraction of quads and hips.
Now that the lower body is immovable on to the upper body.

Your glutes are glued to the bench. Hold on to the barbell. Lift off your upper body. Arch your lower back. Pull your shoulder blades together to create maximum tension in the upper back.
Dig your upper back into the bench. The only thing flapping around now are your arms.
The top of my head usually ends at the front of the bench.
Choose a grip you feel comfortable.
When I normally bench press my pointer wraps around the smooth ring of the barbell that means a wide grip. On the close grip bench press I position the wrinkle of my thumb directly at the conjunction of the smooth and the rough area on the barbell.
Use the grip you feel the most comfortable with and want to do.

Fill your lungs with air. Hold it. Unrack the barbell. Rest it above your body so that it can travel in a straight line down and up again.

The Bench Press:

Before you lower the barbell make sure you pull your elbows as close to your body as possible. This further helps create tension in your upper body to prevent shoulder injury among other things.
With the air in your lungs create total body tension.
Lower the barbell in a controlled manner.
The barbell touches the chest. If you slightly bounce or hold it shortly does not matter that much. Just make sure you are in control. If you are preparing for a powerlifting/bench press meet and the rules require you to stop at the bottom you should really practice that since it takes momentum out of the movement.[Calf raises...]
Press up and in the top position get a new breath of air and repeat as many times as possible with perfect form.

Use a spotter because there is the probability of death.

The Deadlift

2013-05-14T03:56:00.001-07:00

"There is no reason to be alive if you can't do Deadlift"-Jón Páll Sigmarsson

JPS-Deadlift

When you deadlift the only thing you do is deadlift.

The Setup:

The usual starting position of the barbell for the Deadlift is at a height that is determined by the diameter of a 20kg(45lbs) plate.
Which means that you need to slap on some 45's to achieve the required height for the barbell for a powerlifting competition style deadlift.
If this total weight of 135lbs(60kg) is too much for you handle for at least 3 reps I suggest using other exercises that strengthen your hamstrings, glutes and back.

Do not look into a mirror when you stand in front of the barbell.
Your stance should be around shoulder-width but it depends how much space your relaxed belly takes up between your legs. Your belly should not be locked into position by your legs.
Your feet should root into the floor/ground.
They either point forward or slightly outward at the toes
Your midfoot should form a straight line with the barbell.

Put your arms straight in front of you and grab the barbell.
You can use a pronated, supinated, hook or mixed grip or straps. Use whatever suits you best but I recommend to not rely on straps since with them you will not be able to develop your grip.
If your hands are sweaty use chalk. If your gym does not allow chalk find another gym.

To find your best body to barbell alignment I suggest that you drop you hips and glutes as low as possible while holding on to the barbell.
Now you move your hips and glutes higher and higher until you find a point that usually is around half or quarter squat depth.
Your hamstrings and glutes are now in an eccentric position where you have the most tension on them to "prime" them for the subsequent lift.
Your legs are now in a locked position and your belly should have adequate space.

Your upper body should be straight(slightly flex your spinal erectors[lower back])
Your can eyes can form a 90° angle with your upper body or you can look upward.
You will probably look upward on instinct with your heaviest weights.
Take a deep breath and hold it.
Squeeze everything tight.

The Lift:

Pull until you stand straight up.
Hold the barbell for a short period of time in the isometric position.
Lower the barbell controlled but not slowly since it can cause a lot of stress to your nervous system.
If the barbell travels below my knees I let it safely "drop" on the floor.
You also have the option to follow the barbell all the way to its starting postion while still holding tight but this would McDonald's deep-fry your Central Nervous System.
Tasty, tasty McDonald's. Whatever floats your boat.

Your next rep only takes place when the barbell comes to a dead stop and the only measurable force resting on it is gravity.
Repeat as many times as possible with perfect form but anything over 5 reps will take a long ass time and is boring as well.
If your last rep involves a bit of grinding then that's fine as long as you do not deep-fry, sugar-coat with cherry on top your CNS.

Oh and please remember one thing: SPEED
KK knows about speed

The OHP [Overhead Press]

2013-05-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

When you do the OHP the only thing you do is OHP.

The Setup:

Set the barbell at about shoulder level.
Grab the bar around shoulder width. You should use whatever width feels the most comfortable for you.
If you grab narrower more emphasis will be put on your triceps.
You can put your thumb under or over the bar. Use whatever suits you best.
Grip tight.
Get your arms under the bar and unrack the barbell.
Depending on your flexibility the bar will either rest on your shoulders or not. Do not worry about it.
Walk slightly back so you have free space to press.
Your feet should be parallel or slightly point outward at around shoulder width(again whatever suits you best).
I do not recommend a staggered stance since the lats(back) cannot stabilize as well in this stance.
Take a deep breath.
Squeeze everything tight while looking forward or slightly upward.

The Press:

Press in a line that is as straight as possible.
Hold shortly in the isometric position.
Lower the bar controlled but not slow to its starting position.
Repeat as many times as possible until form is compromised.
If form is compromised on the last rep but you are able to complete the rep then the rep is good but not perfect. It still counts.
Please remember one thing when you press: SPEED

Setting up a diet that is right for you Part 2: Training/Adaptation/Skill Mastery[Yang]

2013-05-10T02:45:00.000-07:00

I think you should at least pursue one hobby/profession that you want to do and where you try to continually get better. Mistakes are irrelevant they only help you get even better than you were before.
This hobby or profession I talk about can be either physical or mental but please remember it has to be something you want to do and not something you think you want to do.

The most important part about this pursuit is that you have to want to reach 100% perfection in this skill/hobby/profession and not say/think you are going to stop when you reach a certain milestone or goal.
You should celebrate short-term goals and milestones you set for yourself but still keep in mind the whole puzzle.
Now the only thing you have to realize is that it will take time and that the virtue of patience will get you there.
Patience comes from confidence.
Confidence comes from will.

Setting up a diet that is right for you Part 1: Nutrition[Yin]

2013-05-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

Definiton of essential[2b]: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essential

The most important thing about your Nutrition is to make sure it covers all the essential nutrients in adequate amounts for your body to function optimally based on your needs and activities.
The 2nd most important thing is that it tastes good for you so that you do not force yourself to eat it.
There is no "Superfood" per se only foods of different "nutrient composition".
E.g. Cake is not evil. It simply contains a lot of calories compared to essential macro-& micronutrients.
Therefore it gets labeled as "bad" and fattening. The only thing that is fattening for a healthy individual is an overconsumption of calories(energy).
When most people read/hear about the word "Diet" they think about some radical fat-loss program or a very restrictive nutrition followed only for relatively short period of time.
Diet indirectly originated from the greek word "diaita" which means "manner of living" way of life if you will, lifestyle to make it short.

What are the essential nutrients?

Well of course Protein and then some more Protein and even more Protein. Jokes aside.

Protein is one of the essential nutrients (essential amino acids)
Then you have fats of different kinds(n-3 and n-6)
Vitamins(water-& fat-soluble)
Minerals

On Fats: The 2 essential fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid(ALA,omega-3) and
linoleic acid(LA,omega-6). Since the body has a hard time converting ALA to EPA and DHA you could eat fish or consume fish oil capsules. I would only use fish oil capsules that have a trustworthy seal of approval on them. I recommend Ascenta NutraSea.

So what are non-essential nutrients?

Carbohydrates ("energy")
Alcohol (contrary to popular belief)

On Carbohydrates: Sugars(usually C-6 molecules), Starch(many C-6 molecules holding hands), Dietary fiber(many sugar molecules holding hands). Of course it's more complicated than that but I think this should suffice for now.

On Alcohol: Gets you drunk. The body cannot convert alcohol to stored energy. Excess calories it can.

My recommendations:

Protein 1.8g/kg I would not exceed that value( even use it during a calorie deficit)
Fats(n-3[EPA&DHA] no adverse effect were shown with 3g/d, if you plan on taking EPA/DHA lifelong I think 1g/d would suffice; n-6[LA] should equate to about 5times of n-3 because that's how the body stores it)
Vitamins & Minerals should easily be obtained in adequate amounts in a balanced diet (Do not go overboard on fat-soluble Vitamins and Minerals that have low excretion rates!)
Energy ~1.5g/kg Carbs(for sedentary individuals, more for active folk[mentally and physically])
Secondary Energy: Fat/Carbs or even Alcohol depending on your preferences

But how do I account for 4. and 5.?

Continue your usual eating pattern and do not change activity level. COUNT CALORIES!
Look at the scale over the course of 4 weeks. Measure deviations weekly at the end and at the beginning of your observation. Keep in mind that daily fluctuations can be attributed to water-loss/gain and
GI(Stomach)-filling.

3 Outcomes:

You gained weight at the end of the month= Caloric Surplus
You maintained weight at the end of the month= Isocaloric State
You lost weight at the end of the month= Caloric Deficit

If you had a Deficit or Surplus and want to be in an Isocaloric state: increase or reduce Calories by 300 and observe for another 3 weeks. Adjust further after 3 weeks if needed

I hope this post was understandable and not too complicated.

Disclaimer: I do not care about studies. Take my word for it or go somewhere else.

Pretty please

For those of you who are interested in my thoughts:

Feel free to request articles on weight-training and nutrition

P.S.: Part 2 coming up shortly