This text provides a brilliant tour of the anatomical body in a practitioner-safe, user friendly format, rich with illustrations and guides. Ellen’s core mission for her writing is to educate yoga students and teachers in the topics of anatomy, physiology, therapeutics, and to improve health and wellness for everyone.

Ellen is an accomplished author of two books with Dr. Loren Fishman including Yoga for Arthritis, 2008, and Yoga for Osteoporosis, 2010, both published by WW Norton. She also has published articles in Yoga Journal, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation.

In this most recent book, Ellen provides a clear, comprehensive, go-to text for anyone interested in how the body moves and works with a useful overview of human anatomy. This highly recommended resource is essential for yoga beginners, teacher trainees, and seasoned yoga teachers alike.

What We Like About This Book

The eight chapters included in this book each have multiple, expertly drawn illustrations of muscle, bone, tendons, joints, and more. Each chapter includes a complete exploration of definitions and discussions pertaining to body structures in anatomical language and user friendly, everyday language for all levels of readers.

Included in each chapter is a “Try This Section” where the author encourages the reader to see their anatomy in motion as they perform a yoga posture or movement in real life. The chapters are broken into natural segments by each major body part including: Anatomy Basics, The Spine, The Ribs, Abdominals & Breathing, The Pelvis & Hips, The Knees, The Ankles & Feet, The Shoulders & Neck, and The Elbows, Wrists, and Hands.

Overall we found this book to be an especially useful text for yoga teacher trainees and students. The chapters also end with a list of study questions to accompany each topic discussed. The book encourages a critical thinking approach to learning about, understanding, and mastering one’s body structures. The book is skillfully crafted so that it could transition into a required reading text for fitness professionals and yoga instructor trainee programs.

We Recommend This Book

This book presents anatomical information in user friendly format with chapters segmented by each major body part. Expertly drawn illustrations, yoga posture references, movement exercises, and tips make this book a highly recommended resource for a safe yoga practice. The book demonstrates a skillful, high level approach to teaching the complexities of anatomy for fitness enthusiasts and yogis of all levels. This is a highly recommended addition to any fitness and yoga library.

Bring mindfulness to your life:

Do It and Believe in It

The post Anatomy and Yoga: The Recommended Reference appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One thing that has not changed over the years is the dearth of information for the mature strength trainer. Nowadays, just as it was way back when, most information is geared to the young athlete. But with the greater interest in lifelong physical activity, writers are missing out on an opportunity to cater to the group that has been lifting for so many decades that it has become a part of their DNA. These athletes still need advice on how to adjust their training routines to accommodate the merciless Father Time.

One man has taken time between sets to produce a tome for those of us iron-heads who are now getting a bit long in the tooth. This great service has been provided by Brooks D. Kubik in Gray Hair and Black Iron – Secrets of Successful Strength Training for Older Lifters.

A 4.5 Star Thumbs Up

Unlike most other “how to” books the author does not go through the familiar introductory material for anyone taking up the sport. There is nothing on the technique of the Olympic lifts or the type of equipment you will need. Best of all, there is no dogma as to what the best exercise is or the best way to train. It is assumed that after long experience you’ve already figured this out. The entire book only concerns itself with how the older lifter can best navigate the weight world, a world that may be getting a little more difficult for him or her as the decades pass. That alone is refreshing.

Another theme that got an immediate white light from me is that when Kubik talks about strength training, he means strength training. His references are to weightlifting, powerlifting, and barbell training and not bodybuilding, except perhaps as remedial exercises. He also discusses the best exercises for older lifters, the exercises that older lifters should avoid, and the role of auxiliary exercises, joint health, cardio, and core training.

Training doesn’t have to end as you age. [Photo courtesy of CrossFit Empirical]

He talks a lot about rest and recuperation because this is imperative for the older lifter. The workouts that used to require two days to recover from now may require three days. The reader is encouraged to accept this fact of aging and not worry if they can’t put in as much work as they used to. I have felt guilty for not doing three pressing days in a week, something I was still able to do until relatively recently. But after reading this book I have cut pressing back to two days and have seen no negative effects on my performance. What was an easy week in my youth is now full-tilt boogie in my late 60s. And now I can live with that.

He discusses the need for decreased sets, reps, number of exercises, and other modifications with an interesting observation. We all remember in our youth that some people were easy gainers and others were hard gainers. Hard gainers were often the most enthusiastic about getting stronger, but most of us with any degree of success in the sport would have probably been classified as relatively easy gainers. I use the past tense here because Kubik proposes that all mature lifters, i.e., those over 40, have to think of themselves as hard gainers regardless of what they were in their youth. Acknowledging this may be difficult for veterans to accept as true. The days of setting personal records in the main lifts are long gone and are replaced with days where we are merely trying to maintain current strength levels. This can be depressing, but Kubik discusses it in such a way that helps us accept that we’re only human after all.

Old Age Is Not an Excuse

In order for this to be a real book review it is incumbent to comment on its shortcomings. There are not too many of such in this book, but one recommendation is that there should be more segmentation in his target audience. The book is written for the older athletes and there is not any distinction once someone crosses into their fifth decade. The same is the advice to those at 40 is also meant to apply to those over 70. I would have liked to see Kubik talk more about how training differs in the 70s from the 60s the 60s from the 50s and the 50s from the 40s.

As a barbell lifer, I got much out of this book and find myself rereading it often. Other older lifters will surely feel the same way. Even the younger lifters might enjoy the book, especially if it gives them an idea of how to avoid troubles in the decades to come. With our aging population and the consequent interest in over-40 competition, the nature of this book has long been overdue. I look forward to seeing more, from Kubik or others.

Now grandpa, get out of that recliner and get back to the gym.

Training into your golden years:

It’s Not the Years, It’s the Miles: Training After 50

The post Advice for Lifelong Training: “Gray Hair and Black Iron” appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Carl Paoli, known for his many videos on GymnasticsWOD recently released a new book, Free+Style, and accompanying seminar. I was fortunate to both read the book and attend his seminar.

Background

Carl presents an interesting story about his progression to writing this book and his current thinking. He spent many years as an aspiring Olympic gymnast who was told there was one and only one way to perform movements. During this time, he would repeatedly perform a technique until he reached perfection before moving on to the next technique. This rigidity did not sit well with him, but it wasn’t until he was teaching adults gymnastics that he developed his own philosophy.

“Using his new approach, we can freestyle our way to improving our movements. Our body will fill in the blanks of where we are weakest.”

One day a woman he was training came in with athletic tape all over her body. The tape was to protect her injuries that she had sustained from his training methods. This image of a woman in her mid-forties covered with tape made him reevaluate the rigid style of training he had learned as a gymnast and was passing on.

The Birth of Freestyle

Carl began working with Kelly Starrett at San Francisco CrossFit and he started thinking more about movement patterns. He felt gymnastics could be better learned by first improving movement patterns that weren’t functioning well. Carl also heard a neuroscientist say that we learn to read, so that we can read to learn. This struck him, as he’d had the same experience with movement. We learn to move, so we can move to learn.

Thus, Carl came up with the concept of freestyle. Using his new approach, we can freestyle our way to improving our movements. Our body will fill in the blanks of where we are weakest. If we keep challenging the body in different ways (progressions), eventually we will get the movement. Here is Carl’s definition of freestyle:

The natural adaption that our bodies use to select the optimal solution within set standards is Freestyle.

I have heard Carl talk on different podcasts (e.g., Scott Iardella’s and Barbell Shrugged) and he seems like a unifier of different camps of thought on movement. To those who criticize his methods, he believes there is more than one way to learn something. His way is not the only way and neither is any other.

“Movement has many basic skills that are fundamental to higher level techniques. If we don’t train all realms of movement, then we are stuck in a single realm.”

He sees all movements on a continuum. Thus, a push up offers a great deal of information on how a person will do a handstand and eventually a muscle up. Movement has many basic skills that are fundamental to higher level techniques. If we don’t train all realms of movement, then we are stuck in a single realm.

Carl likened the process to using a Smith machine for squats. Using this machine can build strength in only that machine, but eventually we have to move to back squats, front squats, lunges, and pistols to fully develop all movement patterns.

Do We Have to Do CrossFit Style?

I must admit I went to the seminar hoping to do some cool gymnastics tricks. This year, I have been focusing on more bodyweight movements and I was hoping to have new challenges (e.g., planche push ups, strict muscle ups from front levers). I was a bit disappointed to see that the movements we worked toward were mostly CrossFit-related movements, such as kipping headstand push ups and kipping muscle ups.

“If a band shows up to a concert and there is no auto-tune and the electric guitars don’t work, then the musicians need to be able to go acoustic. We need to have the same flexibility with our movements.”

Then I figured out why I was disappointed – I am terrible at kipping anything. I do strict handstand push ups, pull ups, and muscle ups. I do this because I am terrible at kipping. I rationalize that kipping is stupid and dangerous. But at the seminar, it dawned on me that I need to do these kipping movements to make my other movements better. Doing a kipping handstand push up is related to the skill of being able to flip on my feet from a handstand (maybe a goal a few years from now).

So, to freestyle, as Carl teaches, is to be able to take all movement patterns into different settings. If a band shows up to a concert and there is no auto-tune and the electric guitars don’t work, then the musicians need to be able to go acoustic. We need to have the same flexibility with our movements.

Carl Paoli teaches the Freestyle Connection movement seminar at CrossFit East Decatur.

Summary

Freestyle is an interesting approach to movement. The basic principle makes sense. We need good movement patterns in order to do gymnastics and Olympic lifting. As Dan John would put it, we need a good base of Quadrant I, II, and III before working on our specific Quadrant IV skills. Likewise, it is best for children to participate in a great many sports to build all movement patterns before specializing.

“The basic principle makes sense. We need good movement patterns in order to do gymnastics and Olympic lifting.”

I have no doubt that the system works for Carl. In the seminar, he challenged people’s movement patterns and they acquired new skills. The question is can others learn this approach by reading the book or attending the seminar? Can coaches see the global patterns he mentions in the book?

It might take a few iterations of his system to make it better. I think he can apply his concept of freestyling to his own coaching, and over time he will perfect his methods. Either way, the book and the seminar offer some great progressions that will help many athletes get better at moving properly.

“Free+Style” is available for $29.96 at Amazon.com.

For information about upcoming seminars, visit GymnasticsWOD.com.

Related Articles:

• A System for Maximizing the Movement Potential of Each Person
• Reset Your Mobility With These 3 Essential Movement Patterns
• Mobility Work: You’re Doing It Wrong (And Too Long)
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

Photo courtesy of CrossFit East Decatur.

The post Freedom Through Movement: Carl Paoli On Sport and Life appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I have several books and DVDs that are written by or feature the Kavadlo brothers, Danny and Al. You may be more familiar with Al, but if you’ve seen Al’s work, you know Danny, too. The brothers are calisthenics masters who promote a healthy, natural lifestyle that includes a lot of exercise.

Al has noted in some of his material that he’s never had the same set of abs as Danny. I’m guessing that’s what prompted Danny to write the recently released book Diamond Cut Abs.

“Whenever I need motivation to exercise, even if I’m not working on abs, this book does the trick.”

Most of us have some kind of fascination with abs. Much like grip strength, abs seem to be a deeply entrenched cultural aspect of what it means to look strong and healthy. Danny Kavadlo has a lean six-pack complete with veins, which he built through hard work. He shares how he achieved it in his new book.

What You’ll Learn

The book begins discussing Danny’s own life-long obsession with nice abs. You get to read fun stories about Danny’s youth and learn about how he learned from the mistakes he made.

One of the best parts of the book is the nutrition section. If you want nice abs, you have to pay more attention to what you eat than how you train. Abs are made in the kitchen, as they say. The nutrition section includes sensible advice on eating and a sample three-day food log.

RELATED: Training the Core: 4 Exercises That Take It to the Next Level

Danny’s nutrition advice is right up my alley. It’s basic, no-nonsense, health-centric advice that many people need to hear. Danny doesn’t shy away from discussing fats or meat, and his motto is to eat healthy, natural foods in moderation.

There is also a chapter on fasting, which I am a fan of. Danny covers his concept of cleanses first, and how to ease you into the process. He describes a few different types of cleanses he likes and even provides juicing recipes. He then discusses a true fast, where nothing is consumed except water. This is something I think every athlete should try, and Danny does a great job explaining why. 

“If you want nice abs, you have to pay more attention to what you eat than how you train. Abs are made in the kitchen, as they say. The nutrition section includes sensible advice on eating and a sample three-day food log.”

After nutrition, Danny covers training. First come the basics of how to develop a strong core, then he discusses exercise. If you’re familiar with Danny’s work, the exercise section won’t contain much new material, but if not, it’s helpful.

Finally, Danny covers lifestyle choices and how they affect the abs. Most notably, he discusses alcohol and the types he believes are healthier and more conducive to a strong midsection.

READ: Alcohol Impairs Hypertrophy and Messes With Your Hormones

Like all books the Kavadlo brothers have written, Diamond Cut Abs is a light-hearted read that is true to its mission. Danny’s method of describing personal experiences while offering advice is inspiring, as are the many photos of Danny training. Whenever I need motivation to exercise, even if I’m not working on abs, this book does the trick.

I’m an athlete first and foremost, and I’m not interested in looking like a bodybuilder, but looking like a healthy athlete sure doesn’t hurt. You know when you read this book that Danny achieved his natural-looking physique through hard work and clean eating, and that’s it.

Downsides

There aren’t many downsides to the book, but the cost is one of them. I have found the Dragon Door publications to be more reasonably priced of late, but this book isn’t as long as you’d like, considering its cover price. Much of the workout advice can be found in other books by the Kavadlo brothers, so it might be hard to justify the cost if you have their other books. The book is also available as an eBook, which is a less expensive option.

RELATED: The 4 Essential Daily Supplements You Need

The only other issue is Danny’s aversion to supplements. He points out that whole foods are better than supplements, which is certainly accurate, but there are a few tried-and-true supplements I think are worth taking. Danny has a moderate stance on many other issues, which makes his instruction generally great, but he outright rejects supplements.

My Recommendation

In general, I’m a fan of anything the Kavadlos put out, and this book is no exception. It’s the first solo project of Danny’s I’ve read, and I like his style. It’s a little more mellow than the other projects they work on, but still includes all the fun and spirit of these calisthenics masters.

If you love calisthenics and are looking for basic, solid advice for natural athletes, Diamond Cut Abs is a great book for you.

“Diamond Cut Abs” is available for $39.95 at DragonDoor.com.

The post “Diamond Cut Abs” (Book Review) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Fat Loss Happens on Monday is a brand-new book by Josh Hillis and Dan John. You have probably heard of Dan John before, but Josh may be a new name. Many have come to associate him with long-term fat loss and sensible planning. In other words, think of Josh Hillis as the fat-loss version of Dan John’s sensible, simple training plans.

That is exactly what sets this book apart from most diet books: it’s sensible. It’s far too sensible to be on the Internet. Somehow, and particularly when it comes to diet, we’ve made things far too complicated.

“Starting the week with the most important job ensures it’s easier to follow the fat-loss system all the way through the week.”

Why Monday?

The name of the book comes from prioritizing food so the most important actions for fat loss happen first in the week. You might think the book must contain a kick-ass HIIT style workout on every Monday, but the truth is the most important thing you can do for fat loss is buy the right food and prepare it for later in the week. Starting the week with the most important job ensures it’s easier to follow the fat-loss system all the way through the week.

About the Book

The basic premise of the book is that longevity is the ultimate goal and the only way to make an eating plan sustainable long term is for it to be non-restrictive. That’s not to say it advises eating your weight in pizza each week, but unlike most diet plans, it doesn’t seek to eliminate. Elimination diets are often bound to fail for the simple reason people have only a certain amount of will power to exert over a given time frame. Once it used up, they will return to the forbidden fruit (or chocolate, or dairy, or whatever it was that originally eliminated).

“What I like most about Josh’s approach is that it’s not judgmental or the typical “quit everything you’ve ever done cold-turkey right now” type diet plan.”

The early stages of the book go back and forth between Josh and Dan. Dan uses his unique story-telling style to get the point across. The great part about stories is we remember them. And when it comes to fat loss and the training that goes with it, there are so many conflicting ideas. A story that makes everything seem so simple can be a fantastic aid.

RELATED: 3 Training Lessons Learned While Chatting With Dan John

What I like most about Josh’s approach is that it’s not judgemental or the typical “quit everything you’ve ever done cold-turkey right now” type diet plan. Just like we use constant progress in the gym, Josh uses this approach for diet and fat loss.

Habit Formation Tips

Josh outlines eleven habits that range from planning, shopping, and cooking, to eating slowly and being attentive to the quality of your food. Josh doesn’t try to get you to go from eating poorly to eating like a fitness model overnight. Instead, he looks for small progress each week.

“Many people spend their whole lives having a poor relationship with food and ultimately with themselves…Josh takes that away from people by letting them in on a pro tip – you’re going to slip up.”

For example, if you ate seven meals outside of your plan (and not “bad” meals, as he makes sure not to assign morality to food), the goal for this week is to eat six. If you skipped breakfast every day, the goal this week is to focus on one day and make sure to eat breakfast on that day. Next week, you’d aim to eat well on the first two days of the week. With these small steps, you eat the elephant one bite at a time. Before you know it, you’re eating clean and looking good.

RELATED: The 3 Pillars of Fat Loss

For people who are dieting, the idea that food is neither good nor bad is quite powerful. Many people spend their whole lives having a poor relationship with food, and ultimately with themselves because of it. Josh takes that problem away by letting his readers in on a pro tip – you’re going to slip up. Everyone does at some point. The people who are successful in their fat loss journey are those who slip up a bit less each time until they become their goal.

The Workouts

The workouts are comprehensive and well explained. If you’re an experienced strength trainer you may not find anything new here, but this book is about weight loss, not cutting-edge training plans. The workout section of the book is substantial, with clear pictures and plenty of instruction, but the meat of the book is in the first half, where the background and rationale for the diet process are explained. Don’t take that to mean the workouts aren’t good, though. Any time you see a twenty-minute EDT (escalating training density) scheduled in a workout, you know it’s going to be tough.

“Each exercise comes with a neat set of progressions that are well thought out and easy to implement. The steps between stages are easy to adapt to.”

The workouts follow three basic formats and run in cycles. The three format categories are metabolic, endurance, and strength. There are three cycles of metabolic, endurance, and strength workouts, then a stronger cycle for each format, and finally volume phases thrown in. That’s a solid six months of training.

RELATED: Switch Off Your TV: The Truth on Fat Loss

Each exercise comes with a set of progressions that are well thought out and easy to implement. The steps between stages are easy to adapt to. For instance, the pull up progressions range from three-second hangs to full pull ups, with nine steps in between and pictures for people who don’t know what each one is.

My Recommendation

If you’re looking for a Christmas present for a fitness buff or looking for fat loss yourself, buy this for Christmas. I wouldn’t bother with the eBook, though. The hard copy is so nice, and having a paper version makes it easier to flip back and forth.

If you were wondering if you’d like this book or not I’d ask you one question – did you like Dan John’s book Intervention? If you did, buy Fat Loss Happens on Monday, because this is the diet version of that book. The strategies are simple to implement and will actually deliver real-world success.

“Fat Loss Happens on Monday” is available for $24.95 at Amazon.com.

All Breaking Muscle reviews express the opinions of the writer and are not paid for by the vendor. Though we do receive free products to test, we do not receive money for these reviews.

The post “Fat Loss Happens on Monday” (Book Review) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Many athletes and coaches who buy training books are looking for more than a listing of moves and a program. And with motivational books becoming ever more popular, it seems people hunger for some deeper truths to their training.

Recently I read (and re-read) The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning, by Zach Even-Esh. This book tells the inspiring story of Zach’s growth and education as an athlete and a coach. It also covers the workouts he loves.

About the Author

I’ve known Zach for a while now. He approached me to help write a training book for MMA years ago, and before that I came to know him through our mutual online presence. One thing that has always stood out to me about Zach is that he always asks questions. Despite a long history of training, competing, and coaching, Zach still humbly approaches his training. In other words, he’s a lifelong student. It’s a rare quality to have, and it makes for the best coaches.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ZACH: Journey to the Underground

A large part of the book is about Zach and his experiences. He went through a long and hard-fought journey to be the coach and author he is today. Some of his stories will undoubtedly remind you of yourself when you were younger, and the rest will inspire you to fight through the hardships that plague every athlete and coach.

“Taking time off allowed Zach to find methods outside of the weight room that made him the coach he is today, like ropes, rocks, tires, kettlebells, sandbags, and everything in between.”

Zach discusses how a torn knee ligament changed his perspective on training. Taking time off allowed him to find methods outside of the weight room, like ropes, rocks, tires, kettlebells, sandbags, and everything in between. This time of transformation is what gave Zach his present perspective. It also gives the reader a clue as to why they should use these alternatives.

Practical Methods

Zach then transitions into the practical side of athletics. Zach discusses the different types of trainees he encounters, touches on how to train and eat year-round, and proceeds into case studies of how these methods have shaped the athletes who worked with him.

Zach spends the final half of the book detailing training methods. As the name of the book implies, the exercises are brought to you in an encyclopedic fashion. This means the latter half of the book is divided up into many training modes. Each section has a list of exercises that fall under their respective method of training. He covers the following methods:

• Bodyweight Training
• Sandbag Training
• Stone Training
• Training Outdoors
• Tire Training
• Keg Training
• Free Weight Training
• Sled Training

At the end of most of these sections, Zach combines the exercises he has described into sample workouts. The information in each section is comprehensive, and the exercise descriptions alone take up nearly 200 pages of the book.

Downsides

The only potential downside of the book is the lack of a complete program. As mentioned, Zach describes exercises and provides workouts for each of the above sections, and also discusses higher-level coaching concepts to help someone put together a program, but no over-arching program is provided. I believe this is because Zach prefers workouts to be varied and based on what the athlete is motivated to do. I am inclined to agree with that notion, but some athletes might be looking for more structure.

“Zach has produced a book that is truly encyclopedic and will provide both coaches and athletes of all levels with motivational material, exercise ideas, workouts and more for years to come.”

My Conclusion

Zach has produced an encyclopedic book that will provide coaches and athletes of all levels with motivational material, exercise ideas, workouts, and more for years to come. And as always, Dragon Door’s production value is high. The pages look nice and are well-edited, and the book is durable.

Anyone looking for a comprehensive book that provides a great deal of the education from a coach who has done it all should look no further than the The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning.

“The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning” is available for $39.95 in hardcopy or $19.95 as an eBook at Dragon Door.

The post “The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning” (Book Review) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I’ve been reading Juli Bauer’s blog PaleOMG for a couple years and absolutely love her sarcasm and humor. I’ve tried lots of her recipes and have loved most of them. She’s a young CrossFitter who doesn’t take herself, or remaining strictly paleo, too seriously.

George Bryant is the author of the blog Civilized Caveman. He is a former Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine) who overcame disordered eating and an exercise obsession by learning to cook healthy meals and adopting a paleo lifestyle. Juli and George brought their talnts together in their newest book, The Paleo Kitchen.

About the Book

I had ordered Juli’s first cookbook, OMG That’s Paleo? when it first came out and honestly, I was pretty disappointed. Not in the recipes, but in the quality of the book (thin paper) and the crummy photos (although after attempting to take food photos for this article, I now realize how difficult it is to capture the deliciousness).

That was not the case for The Paleo Kitchen. This is a high-quality book that feels good in your hands, and a gorgeous photo accompanies every recipe.

“Most of the recipes are simple enough for a newbie to follow while the combinations of different flavors will provide enough intrigue for the more experienced cook.”

The book also includes an introduction to the authors and an explanation about the paleo lifestyle. They make recommendations for their top kitchen tools, give tricks for eating out while staying true to paleo, and provide shopping and cooking tips. These tips are good for folks new to paleo and also new to cooking. The Paleo Kitchen is also easy to navigate with a table of contents, an index, and a recipe picture index.

RELATED: The Paleo Mystique: Deciphering “Paleo” Eating

Recipes

The recipes are divided into the following categories:

• Breakfast
• Starters & Snacks
• Soups & Hearty Salads
• Pork Dishes
• Beef Dishes
• Chicken Dishes
• Fish & Seafood Dishes
• Sides
• Refreshing Smoothies & Warming Drinks
• Desserts
• Condiments, Nut Butters, & Nut Milks

Recipes I tried included:

• Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
• Easy Guacamole
• Four Layer Beef & Bacon Casserole
• Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
• Bacon Pecan Cabbage
• Honey Lime Roasted Carrots
• Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
• Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Individual Apple Crisps
• Tangy BBQ Sauce

Four Layer Beef & Bacon Casserole with cauliflower top layer

This cookbook has enough diversity that there should be something for everyone. Plus, with some remakes on some traditional favorites, these recipes can help those new to paleo with a soft transition. Just because you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorites.

For example, I love having brinner (breakfast for dinner) occasionally and missed blueberry pancakes. The ones from The Paleo Kitchen are delicious! I did double the recipe and I think this might have thrown off the consistency. The batter was way too thick so I had to add quite a bit more liquid to make them pourable. With that minor change, these pancakes were perfection.

“This is a high-quality book that feels good in your hands, and a gorgeous photo accompanies every recipe.”

For the most part I liked the mains and side dishes more than the desserts. Perhaps this is because I am not a strict follower of paleo and when I do indulge it is usually for some of my mom’s home-baked goodness, but a couple of the desserts I tried just didn’t taste like the real thing. You know what I mean, they tasted too healthy or the texture wasn’t quite right.

RELATED: Paleo Sweets: They Might Be “Healthy” But They Still Might Be a Bad Idea

My Recommendation

Overall, I think this cookbook is good for cooks who are new to the paleo lifestyle or for someone who has been cooking paleo for a while and just wants to try some new flavor combinations. Plus, most of the ingredients are things that are fairly standard in a paleo pantry. The most specialized equipment is an ice cream maker. Most of the recipes are simple enough for a newbie to follow while the combinations of different flavors will provide enough intrigue for the more experienced cook.

“The Paleo Kitchen” is available for $23.37 at Amazon.com.

Bacon Pecan Cabbage Recipe

Would you like to try something from The Paleo Kitchen before investing? Try this Bacon Pecan Cabbage recipe. It’s one of my favorites. It is simple, but absolutely delicious. You can also find some of the cookbook’s recipes on Juli and George’s blogs.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
• ½ small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of coarse sea salt
• ½ cup (60 grams) pecans

Method:

1. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until slightly crispy, then remove and set aside. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
2. Return the pan with the bacon fat to medium heat and add the minced garlic and thinly sliced cabbage. Sprinkle with the pepper and salt, stir and cook until softened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Be sure to stir it every few minutes so it cooks evenly.
3. When the cabbage is nearly done, toast the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until they are slightly browned and aromatic.
4. Once the cabbage is done, add the pecans and cooked bacon to the pan with the cabbage and mix well before serving.

The post “The Paleo Kitchen” (Book Review) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Sitting affects human health on a global scale. Many people don’t realize it, but sitting for long periods has a direct effect on several major components of health. The new book Get Up! explains this unseen epidemic and provides some solutions.

About the Book

The book is written by James Levine, the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Obesity Solutions Initiative. He is very invested in technology, believing that while technology has often been responsible for our sitting habits, it can also be a part of the solution.

“I have personally started using some of these techniques, as I have recently been told by a physical therapist exactly what the book tells me: sitting all day is killing my posture and will result in pain if it gets any worse.”

In the book and at the Get Up! website is a chair test. It’s a quick, ten-question test that evaluates how much of your life revolves around chairs, and is thus a pretty good indicator of how much time you spend sitting. Personally, I work in a chair, both at home and in the office, so I scored the “chair imprisoned” level of being a “chair-addict.” That’s the second worst score.

READ: Sitting at Your Desk Is Eating Your Muscles

Book Structure

The book opens describing where human beings came from and how we evolved to be upright, as well as some history on the author. It then transitions into food, and how the food we consume fuels activities we don’t do if we are sitting all day. The book also explains how our brains can become sluggish with physical inactivity as well. We simply aren’t wired to sit for long periods of time.

The next few chapters are centered around the various ways in which our lives revolve around sitting and the effect this has on your body, your mind, and your energy. Levine also goes evaluates how we end up sitting all day, detailing how we go from sitting in the office, to sitting in the car, to sitting in front of the television, to relaxing from a hard day of sitting.

Finally come the solutions. Technological solutions for the future, practical office solutions, and other strategies are plentiful in this section. The final few chapters of the book are centered around the Get Up! program that Dr. Levine delivers to corporations and schools. Telling people how harmful sitting can be is all well and good, but actually becoming free of sitting habits is another issue altogether. These final chapters provide tangible solutions to use in the areas of your life where you are most commonly confined to a chair.

GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT: Desk Workouts, Cycle 1

My Experience

I have personally started using some of these techniques, as I have recently been told by a physical therapist exactly what the book tells me: sitting all day is killing my posture and will result in pain if it gets any worse. My hips have become very tight, and a major part of the solution is increasing my awareness of my sitting habits.

“The book also explains how our brains can become sluggish with physical inactivity as well. We simply aren’t wired to sit for long periods of time.”

Each chapter ends with a quiz, questionnaire, or puzzle to keep you engaged and your mind working. The book supports a holistic view on health, and how each aspect of your health, be it mental or physical, can be impacted negatively by sitting too much.

RELATED: How You’re Sabotaging Your Posture and Your Time in the Gym

Downside

My only issue with the book is that it’s sometimes a little hokey or silly. The upside is that the book’s light-hearted approach makes for unencumbered reading that flows quickly. However, because the book is full of anecdotes and levity, sometimes it takes a while to get to the point. Bear in mind that I prefer fairly dry reading, so this style of writing may be perfectly suited to some people’s tastes.

I think sitting too much is a problem that is often ignored. In my own experience as a coach and working with numerous athletes, therapists, and doctors, I find sitting is one of the most insidious and common problems with humans. It’s time to take a stand (pun intended). Check out this book and find out what to do to get on your feet.

Get Up! is available for $11.89 at Amazon.com.

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How to Love a Grappler is a 22-page eBook written by Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, Valerie Worthington. It is both an introduction to BJJ for practitioners and a guide for the family and partners of people who train BJJ.

About the Author

Valerie has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Dartmouth College and a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University. She has been training Brazilian jiu jitsu since 1998, and I’m sure that she’s seen it all in those sixteen years. Who better to explain this intricate, addictive martial art and its lifestyle to our loved ones?

RELATED: A New Normal: The Quirks of an Athletic Lifestyle

Who This Book Is For

If you’re in a relationship with someone who has begun training Brazilian jiu jitsu and has become serious about it, you will have noticed that the time and attention previously allocated to you, and maybe your family, have been diverted. If you don’t understand the benefits of jiu jitsu and how they extend to your loved one’s family and friends, that can cause friction.

“Even if you aren’t in a relationship, the lessons Valerie has provided can help you to better love yourself and navigate the BJJ world.”

Valerie provides insight as to how BJJ can be good for all involved:

The pursuit of a passion like BJJ can inspire practitioners to expect more of themselves. And if you believe as many practitioners do that BJJ is reflective of life, perhaps you can see how the requirements of BJJ could also inspire self-improvement in general – and how that might benefit you, as someone in your grappler’s inner circle.”

“How to Love a Grappler” author, Valerie Worthington

BJJ Changes You

I have been training BJJ for over six years, and I have been in a relationship with someone who trains BJJ, so I was very interested in reading How to Love a Grappler. I’m no relationship expert, but one thing I’m pretty sure of is that the majority of problems in committed relationships stem from two issues: fear and misunderstanding.

We may fear that our partner will get hurt in training or we may fear that our partner loves BJJ more than he or she loves us. After all, they’re always training! And what’s up with this new bromance he’s developed with Steve?

Worthington describes the changes caused by BJJ well:

The important takeaway here is that the people in BJJ compose a growing and tightly-knit subculture, and this is bound to have reverberations in your life, in some way. Many of these reverberations are potentially positive, but they do constitute a change in the status quo, which may feel threatening or challenging to navigate, particularly since the changes can accumulate over time.

Valerie strives to set the reader’s mind at ease, explaining how BJJ has improved her life so much that she chose dedicate herself to it full-time. She also tells us how her family came to terms with her training and the changes it caused in her life.

Gender and Training

Valerie also addresses the topic of training with people of the opposite sex. She explains:

[T]here can be confusion about how men and women can train together effectively and in a way that is mutually respectful – and also respectful of the relationships individuals have outside of grappling. This is particularly important given how jiu-jitsu looks to the untrained eye. It looks inappropriate, particularly if a man and a woman who are spoken for by other people are doing it together.

I am one of the few women at my club, Titans Fitness Academy. We train with many men who have wives and girlfriends. To date, none of those men have ever behaved inappropriately towards me or flirted with me. In fact, I have gained an appreciation for the male gender due to those who speak frequently and highly of their partners in the mostly male environment. Valerie tackles this topic in depth.

RELATED: Great Expectations: The Truth About Gender Stereotypes in Grappling

Not Just for Romantic Partners

I am glad a well-educated, respected, and accomplished woman like Valerie has chosen to write this book. I feel her perspective will be especially well-received and taken into consideration by people who love grapplers, especially women.

But Valerie doesn’t just target romantic partners – she strives to educate the families of grapplers as well. How do their parents or children feel? What annoys or inspires them? Video clips are also included to share the perspectives of Valerie’s family and the children of Groundswell Grappling Concept’s Lola Newsome.

“The important takeaway here is that the people in BJJ compose a growing and tightly-knit subculture, and this is bound to have reverberations in your life, in some way.”

In addition to educating the reader about jiu jitsu, Valerie explains how he or she “can help provide the foundation and stability we need to live a balanced life.” How the person can talk some sense into an overenthusiastic hobbiest or soothe the worn-out professional athlete. (I think there should have been a section about the special laundering requirements of BJJ gear, but I think Valerie was looking at the bigger picture.)

Acknowledging the grappler’s responsibility to love and support his or her partner as well, Valerie adds, “Of course we understand that any relationship is a two-way street. Perhaps our next article will be titled, How to Be a Grappler Who Loves Someone Who Loves a Grappler.”

If I ever find myself in a relationship with someone who doesn’t train, I will definitely be interested in hearing what she has to say. I think my first step would be to stop talking about jiu jitsu as much. And maybe buy some normal clothes. The kind that real adults wear.

Formatting

The formatting of the book is aesthetically pleasing and the content is organized into seven different sections. I would have like to see a table of contents with hyperlinks to the related sections. I think if someone was offering this book to a loved one who wasn’t especially receptive, it would be a great way to locate and share small portions of information.

RELATED: Love on the Mat: The Story of Lisa, Greg, and BJJ

Language

Valerie’s language is accessible to anyone. I did have to look up the definition for bailiwick (a person’s area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work) and proprioception (the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself). Her explanations were simple and the content was perfect for someone new to BJJ. If I didn’t train, I might have taken it up after reading this book.

RELATED: Is Jiu Jitsu for You? You Decide

How to Love a Grappler is free, but we all know time is money. I consider reading this book time well spent, and I always look forward to reading Valerie’s writing. If you’re a grappler, do yourself a favor and share this book with your loved ones. Even if you aren’t in a relationship, the lessons Valerie has provided can help you to better love yourself and navigate the BJJ world. It may improve your life just as much as training!

“How to Love a Grappler” is available for free at ArtechokeMedia.com.

The post “How to Love a Grappler” (Book Review) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As a runner and a researcher, I’m always on the lookout for science-based training manuals for running. There are a lot of running books out there, but the good ones are few and far between. The perfect blend of technical, accurate, comprehensive, and easy-to-read had eluded me until I read Build Your Running Body.

A Stand-Out Training Manual

As Dr. Armando Siqueiros, coach of the Cal Poly Distance Club, wrote in the forward, his first thought when receiving this book was, “Oh no, not another training manual.” Like Siqueiros, I’ve come across plenty of manuals that bored me to tears. But also like Siqueiros, I soon realized Build Your Running Body was something special.

“From priming your energy systems, to finding the ideal weight to run at and how to get there, you’ll find a host of topics here. The authors truly left no stone unturned.”

Part of the reason for that is the team of authors who wrote Build Your Running Body. You’ve probably heard of Pete Magill before, but if not, he is a writer and elite runner. Thomas Schwartz is a physiologist and running coach. The third writer, Melissa Breyer is a writer and a columnist for a Discovery Channel website, but her focus is on nutrition. This group of writers brought their blend of experience and knowledge together to create this book.

What You’ll Find in This Book

Build Your Running Body opens with a section for people who are new to running. If you’re an experienced runner, though, don’t be scared off, because the book has a lot to offer for people of every experience level. After the intro, the book goes into several sections on preparing for racing, and covers topics like gaining strength, building resistance to injury, preparing yourself psychologically, and developing your energy systems.

This is followed by another section that details how to build a program from the ground up. You’ll find information on creating your schedule and learn how to recover from your workouts.

“This book isn’t only among the best of its kind, it’s also reasonably priced. It’s the first book I’ve reviewed in a while for which I’d pay more than what they charge.”

After learning how, where, and when to run and prepare for running, you’ll learn how to eat to run. From priming your energy systems, to finding the ideal weight to run at and how to get there, you’ll find a host of topics here. The authors truly left no stone unturned.

Because of both the quantity and quality of information found in this book, I expected it to be a pricey one. That does seem to be the unfortunate trend with fitness books these days. But this book isn’t only among the best of its kind, it’s also reasonably priced. It’s the first book I’ve reviewed in a while for which I’d pay more than the list price.

Downside

The only possible downside I can say about the book is that true beginners may get a bit overwhelmed. Magill and the other writers do their absolute best to resolve this issue, with sections and portions of sections dedicated to helping beginners learn about running.

READ: 5 Running Tips for the Non-Runner (From a Non-Runner)

It’s not that this book isn’t for beginners – it definitely is – but it’s also for advanced runners, and the abundance of information might be too much for some readers. That said, the only “problem” of this book is a good problem to have. Having too much information is better than not having enough.

My Conclusion

Although elite athletes and coaches may get more out of textbooks on endurance training, this is probably the best all-around guide I’ve seen for all skill levels. Build Your Running Body provides beginners with many years’ worth of solid information to continue their advancement in running for a long time to come.

“Build Your Running Body” is available for $13.88 at Amazon.com.

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Having known Kenneth Jay for a few years, I know he doesn’t hold back out of fear of rocking the boat. He’s even willing to go back and rethink his own approach to things.

Why Cardio?

No one seems to have a set definition of what cardio training should look like or what the benefits are. As I said in my article, Circuit Training Doesn’t Get You Fitter, fitness has to be defined by whatever task you are aiming to improve. If you want to call something “cardio,” then what you’re talking about is training to improve or increase your cardiovascular system. In other words, you’re looking to improve VO2 max.

Reading this book was the first time I’ve ever seen someone take the time to dig into what is needed to stimulate those kinds of changes. Sure, there are many bro-science-training plans that claim to increase your conditioning, and they may, but none of the ones I’ve seen have tackled what is required to make changes to the cardiovascular system.

Strength Training for Fitness

Jay wastes no time in killing some sacred cows in his book. Like many people, for years I thought anything that got my heart rate up could be thought of as good for my cardiovascular system. Early in the book, Jay explores cardiac training’s effects and discusses the differences between what happens when you lift heavy weights and what happens when you run. Did you know your heart undergoes different reactions during concentric and eccentric contractions, just like your other muscles? And did you know the changes that come from lifting heavy weights aren’t good for your heart in the long term?

For me, this was a light bulb moment that also went a long way in explaining why some of my own clients seem to be virtual non-responders to cardio training. Strength training thickens the heart, making it less pliable. Like other muscle, some degree of stretchiness is actually a good thing, as it means that when you start to work harder your heart can accommodate more blood. In chronic strength trainers, the heart is stiff with thicker walls, limiting blood supply. This takes time and patience to overcome, and is a reason why so many gym-goers struggle with cardio.

The Heart Rate Debate

Following on from this topic, Jay looks at how much oxygen is used during various activities. I always thought if my heart pumped a certain number of times it meant I was working equally hard, regardless of the activity. But that’s not so, particularly when it comes to weight training.

During weight training, regardless of the lifts used, you simply can’t engage your muscles quickly enough to cause the action that takes place during traditional cyclic forms of cardio. When muscles are engaged for long periods they actually cut off blood flow, which lowers the amount of oxygen able to pass through them and decreases the intensity of work you’re doing when compared to your VO2 max. In other words, just having a high heart rate is not indicative of getting a cardio workout.

As Jay states in his book, “Having a high heart rate doesn’t mean you’re doing cardio. If that was the case I could scare you into better shape.”

Research-Based Information

One of the things I’ve always liked about Jay is that he bases his ideas on research. His first book, Viking Warrior Conditioning, was the basis for his Masters thesis, and he has continued on that research-based path in The Cardio Code.

Before reading this book, make sure you’ve got your science hat on. Jay goes through many research papers and discusses the important points of each. Then he uses all that knowledge to form sensible training plans at the end of the book. The research covers all kinds of topics, from skipping rope, to boxing, to running, to circuit-style weight training. You won’t find the poorly conducted, cherry-picked research you often see from fitness authors.

Training Plans

The training plans included in the book are brief in explanation, but sufficient. While I think a few of them would be near-death experiences, particularly for a good runner, the basic and intermediate plans are well thought out. That’s not to say the sessions wouldn’t work – they would. Not only that, but if you read the book you’ll also understand how and why they work and be able to come up with your own training plans.

The Bottom Line: Use the Right Tool

The conclusion of the book is simple – if you want to get fit (increase your VO2 max), you need cyclic, low-load activities like running and riding. At no point does Jay tell people not to lift weights, which I know many people will mistakenly think. What he says is that research clearly shows if you want to increase your VO2 max, circuit-style training isn’t the best method for anyone other than absolute beginners.

I love that Jay says pretty much what I’ve been saying for years – use the right tool for the job. If you want strength, then lift weights. If you want work capacity – that combination of strength plus muscular endurance – then circuit training is a great idea. But if you want to increase VO2 max, you had better think of doing some traditional cardio training.

Overall this is a great book, and I loved it. I tried to come up with some things about it that I didn’t like, and I simply can’t. If this book were on every trainer’s bookshelf, it would help stop the confusion over how to help people get fitter, and we could all do our jobs better.

“The Cardio Code” eBook is available for $24.99 at CardioCode.dk.

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Danielle Walker is the author of one of my all-time favorite paleo cookbooks, Against All Grain. It remains one of the best general-purpose cookbooks when it comes to paleo, and it’s filled with delightful flavors and recipes.

So imagine how excited I was when I heard Danielle was coming out with a sequel. A cookbook sequel! Last time I got so excited over a cookbook sequel it was the second Paleo Comfort Foods book from the Mayfields and, trust me, if you haven’t checked that one out, that’s a sequel worth paying for as well.

Oh, there, I’ve let out my thoughts on this book already. In a nutshell: it’s totally worth buying.

Danielle Walker’s Unique Perspective

Danielle, unlike some of the other popular paleo cookbook writers hitting the scene, is self-trained. Self-trained out of necessity, that is. Danielle was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when she was 22 and was facing a life sentence of hospital visits and medications.

Instead of accepting this fate, she turned to food. She felt the food she was consuming must be involved in her health, for better or worse. She began with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and evolved to eating paleo over time.

Because of all this, you’ll see in this book that not only are the recipes grain-free and gluten-free, but she also indicates which contain eggs, tree nuts, and nightshades, as well as those that are approved for those on the SCD. In this regard, her book is sensitive to those with various food allergies and issues, and not just those choosing to go paleo.

The objective of Meals Made Simple is clear from the title. Danielle was inspired by a brief stay with a family suffering from severe autoimmune disease. She saw how eating paleo helped them, but also how they struggled with the preparation and planning of meals. So not only are the recipes clear-cut in this book, but Danielle also includes eight weeks worth of meal plans and shopping lists to make the whole process easier.

Inside the Book

When I review a cookbook, I usually share a list of the chapters so people can see what topics and types of recipes are covered. This book has such a wide-range of information it covers that a list just wouldn’t be practical to do here. I will say that pretty much any question you could ask – from how to stock your kitchen, to how to equip your kitchen, to how to shop for food – is all answered at some point in the book and most likely accompanied by a cool chart or graph, as well.

And my not listing out the recipe chapters has nothing to do with the quality of the food. The recipes are great. If you peruse Amazon, you may see people complaining they are simple. Which is funny, you know, ‘cause that’s the title – Meals Made Simple. So it seems an odd thing to complain about, and to me, is actually the strength of the book. The food is easy to make, includes a variety of flavors from all over the world, and tastes great.

Recipes I tried included:

• Garlic-Herb Chicken Thighs
• Ginger Chicken and Broccoli
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Curry
• Beef Stroganoff
• Chipotle Barbacoa
• Slow Cooker Braised Pork Shoulder
• Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Cumin-Garlic Summer Squash
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Meal Plans, Shopping Lists, and Indexes

For those intimidated by going paleo, the meal plans in this book are a great place to start. I love the fact that they are created with photos of the meals, so you can see how appetizing eating these recipes will be. The plans are also organized in terms of using up everything on the associated shopping list and ordering the meals in terms of what will perish first.

In the back of the book are tear-out pages of the shopping lists, so you can take them with you to the store. I would recommend you photocopy them first and use the photocopies. I know what my shopping list looks like by the end of an outing and if you want to revisit these meals plans, you’ll want to use these lists more than once.

Additional Great Things

• Visual guide to which recipes are egg-free, nut-free, nightshade-free, or SCD
• Visual guide to which recipes are thirty-minute, one-pot, or slow cooker recipes
• Photo index of recipes
• Tear-out food guides for beginner paleo grocery shoppers

My Recommendation

In the end, I would still recommend Danielle’s first book over this one to someone looking for his or her first paleo cookbook. And if you’re a foodie looking for niche recipes, this cookbook won’t be for you either. But if you’re someone who wants to make a difference in your nutrition and just wants a whole plan handed to you that you could follow, then this book would be a wise option for you indeed.

And, really, a cook of any level of ability couldn’t go wrong with this new book in any way. Danielle clearly has a talent for creating fabulous recipes, and in this second book she showcases her ability to create those flavors in simple and efficient ways. Even those of us who are experienced cooks or complete foodies still enjoy nights where it doesn’t take so long to cook. For me, in my continually growing library of paleo cookbooks, this one is going on the eye-level shelf for frequent reference.

“Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple” is available for $20.97 at Amazon.com.

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