Tuesday, March 27, 2007


Well, I know it has been a lil' while since I have last updated this Blog. I do have several entries that I will be posting soon, though I have been a little too busy with a couple of other projects I have been working on to invest any quality time here with the Blog. And, just as with my programming for my clients, whether it be a philosophical entry or an entry about my clients, I can't do a half-assed job, so I forgo doing an entry until I can invest the time necessary to yield something of quality.

Well, the purpose of this entry is to let yawl know that as of April 1'st I am officially "calling myself out". "??", You say? Meaning, for a 12 week stretch starting April 1'st I am going to be VERY strict as to my food intake, workouts and logging it all, as well as outputs and results. I have always eaten pretty much in the Zone and for the most part thrown out dairy a while back and often will Intermittent Fast, but over the last week or so I have already started the process of "tightening up" a bit and it is already showing.

Specifically, what I will be doing as far as diet/nutrition will be following Zone macronutrient ratios using Paleo-Diet food sources within an Intermittent-Fasting time structure. I will be starting at 40/30/30, exactly, (weighing and measuring everything with a digital scale) then will up the fat to 2x, then 3x, then 4x, then 5x fat. I will also be using specifically the "Best Zone Foods" as per Dr Sears's book as to my sources of Proteins, Carbs and Fats. That means, for example, instead of using a little mayo as a fat source when making my "tuna-&-hard-boiled-egg" mix, I will strictly be using the "best" fat sources only, such as Macadamia Nuts, as opposed to things like mayo, albeit in the Zone. I will be eliminating dairy 100% (I now currently will have a little half/half in my coffee during my "feeding" period or a very small amount of milk once a month or so). I may still opt for using a super high quality whey protein-powder in my Zone shake as my Zone shakes are so damned good that I would be horribly bummed to eliminate it altogether, even though whey protein is technically derived from a dairy base.--I have yet to decide on that one. I will also be eliminating grains altogether. Thus, my only carbohydrate intake will come from vegetables, fruits and berries, and if I use Cashews within my Zone shakes for my fat source, then the extra carbs that are within them as well. Cashews are a little higher in carbs compared to that of almonds and a lot higher in carbs than macadamia nuts. Also, ...cashews exhibit a higher "inflammatory" profile than do either almonds or macadamia nuts. That is to say, they can have an inflammatory effect upon the body, and I do not mean simply in people who are allergic.--Not desirable for an athlete. ...But cashews are certainly so damned tasty! I will also be only choosing the best protein sources during this time. I am still working out the details, but I will be limiting myself to 1 dinner out within any given 10-day period (for dates with girls and such) where I will likely reward myself with a large Prime Rib after a long fast. I will also be following a very strict, though strategically zigzagged Intermittent Fasting of 8-9 times within a 10 days period. I will be generally doing a 20 hour fast, followed by a 4 hour feeding period. Once every ten days or so I will throw in an extended fast of 24 or more hours where "the hunt yielded no kill" and the "foraging no fruit". Once every ten days or so I will also throw in a "plentifull-kill" day where the "hunt-&-gather" yielded an abundance of food and I will consume as much as I want or as my body will allow. My times of the fast/feed will generally be fast from 4pm - till - 12:00 noon, and feed from 12:00 noon till 4pm. I will zigzag that time format and time frame a bit though so as to provide a truer to Paleo randomization for the body to deal with. The zigzagging strategy as well as the plentiful-kill days coupled with the scarce-hunt days are true to a Paleo structure. I will be logging everything during this time as well, albeit possibly an arduous task. I am committed to doing this as I have been thinking about it and planning it for well over a month.

...Why am I doing this? ...In part, it simply be a personal endeavor I wish to undertake. Also, I wish to prove a point to all, and to my clients, and especially to my serious competitive/professional athletes, as to what can be done and accomplished with the strictest adherence to a combination of following the macronutrient ratios delineated within the Zone protocol, followed through foods that are true to the Paleo Diet nutritional protocol, and delivered through a timing structure that fully incorporates the Intermittent Fasting protocol.--These three elements combined offer the absolute best that performance nutrition has to offer. This dietary/nutritional strategy coupled with some simple supplementation (fish-oil, ALA, etc.) while following a carefully regimented training protocol based heavily on CrossFit, though with an added emphasis on Olympic WeightLifting (and support movements such as heavy back-squats), Gymnastics, Track-&-Field, and some sport-specific training (for myself kickboxing and jiu-jitsu, for my client Dwight Lowery, football related NFL Combine drills, extra sprints, etc.), will yield absolutely impressive results!--Period! ...I will prove this with this endeavor.

See--Now I don't have a choice about it anymore. "Gulp!" I've "put it out there" to everyone so now I have to follow through with it. Thus, ...week-9/day-5, into it when I am perhaps wavering and debating on just saying "fuck it!--I'm gonna have WTF I want & I'm gonna break the fast today too", ...this Blog entry will cause for pause, recollection and refocus upon the task at hand. :) Determination and discipline. Lead by example, etc., etc. Again, ...largely to prove a point, not simply to anyone/everyone who may be interested, but especially to my serious professional and soon-to-be professional athlete clients, regarding how profound the results obtained by a strict adherence to the absolute best that performance nutrition has to offer can be, especially when following a truly efficacious training protocol. Recall Coach Greg Glassman's "Fitness Pyramid" that Mark Twight ripped off and not simply plagiarized, but flat-out stole; the "base" of the pyramid, hence the "foundation" of the fitness-pyramid or fitness-hierarchy is nutrition as it lays the molecular foundation for everything else we are trying to achieve. Combining and following carefully these three nutritional protocols will greatly maximize the results obtained through the CrossFit methodology.

...But, alas, let me digress. :)

Before concluding this entry, let me just say that even though Sunday is my longest day with clients and all, it is by far one of my favorites. At the end of the day I am just so fucking stoked to be doing what I do and working with amazing athletes and individuals and I finish the day just happy to be alive and truly grateful for having the opportunity to train the individuals that I do and be a part of their lives, each and every one of them. ...I can't really explain it any better than that at the moment, but that's the feeling I walk away with at the end of the day. ...My service and commitment to my clients is one element that really fuels my existence and through that service and commitment, and the relationships I forge with them, well, ...those things combined is what really brings life through my veins. While I am extremely committed to not simply providing the best service possible, but to truly improving all aspects of their lives and well-being, I am both grateful and thankful to be able to do it.

Well, ...that's all for now, folks! I'll update more later, including some educational entries as I had mentioned previously, regarding differing aspects of fitness and nutrition. :)

5 comments:

Tsypkin said...

Jason,

What benefits are gained by using the Intermittent Fasting protocol, and timing your eating in a paleo style, with "no kill" and "plentiful kill" days, etc?

Thanks,
Jacob.

CrossFit OG said...

tsypkin,

I would highly recommend you order The Performance Menu Issue #6 and Issue #16. Both articles, written by Nutritional Biochemist Robb Wolf, are very informative and straight forward, and each issue is only 5 bucks. They even give you your first issue free.--Any issue you choose.
http://www.performancemenu.com/

Furthermore, I would read the articles regarding the subject written by Dr Art Devaney on his personal web site:

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2006/12/intermittent_fa_2.html

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/08/intermittent_ea.html

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/05/intermittent_fa.html

Basically, some of the benefits observed from following the IF protocol are significantly reduced circulating blood glucose levels, greatly improved insulin sensitivity, improved neuroendocrine response to stimulus & several improved hormonal axis, increasing one's life expectancy while maintaining lean body mass (as opposed to the CRAN method that increases longevity but at the cost of stripping away both fat and lean muscle), an affinity for building lean muscle mass while flensing body fat, a sharper "focus", improved immune system function, improved strength, less need for caffeine, ...just to name a few. Many of the studies done in the past regarding the IF protocol were done utilizing a shitty high-carb/low-fat diet, yet the IF still yielded significant results. When combined with a much more efficacious nutritional protocol such as that of the Zone, or better yet, the Zone done using Paleo-Diet food selections, the results are even better.

Again, I highly recommend you read the Performance Menu articles.

Hope that helps,

Jason

CrossFit OG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CrossFit OG said...

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2006/12/
intermittent_fa_2.html

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/08/
intermittent_ea.html

http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/05/
intermittent_fa.html

Well, for whatever reason the link is too long so it gets cut off. I put a space between where the line breaks so as to include the whole link. If you past it into your browser you'll need to use a "delete" or "backspace" to ommit the space between the break. ...If that makes any sense.

Jason

Tsypkin said...

Jason,

Thanks for the info man. Interesting stuff. I'm really looking forward to training with you over the summer.

Take it easy.
-Jacob