the performance menu issue 3

7/30/2019 The Performance Menu Issue 3

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PUBLISHER

CrossFit NorCal

COVER

Michael Rutherford

BACKISSUESBackissues are available atwww.crossfitnorcal.com

THE PERFORMANCE MENU

is published monthly anddistributed exclusively to sub-scribers by CrossFit NorCal.Yearly subscriptions can bepurchased for $25.00. Visitwww.crossfitnorcal.com formore information.

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All content copyright CrossFit NorCaland its respective authors. Unauthor-ized reproduction or distribution isstrictly prohibited by law.

FEATURES

3 The Metabolic DietA look at Dr. Mauro Di Pasquales Hormonal

Optimization via Phase shift diet

6 Theories & Theoretical ConstructsExploring the experimental integration ofCrossFit

11 When Loose is a ComplimentFlexibility, stretching, and why you need tofinally pay attention

REGULARS

22 Recipes for Health & PerformanceNew ways to feed yourself for optimum health
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ISSUE 3 APRIL 2005 3

THE METABOLIC DIET

A look at Dr. Mauro Di Pasquales Hor-

monal Optimization via Phase shift diet

by Robb Wolf

Last month we took a very detailed look atthe Zone, starting with a caloric restricted40-30-30 plan that lies at the heart of BarrySearss nutritional masterpiece. We then ex-plored a progression of increased fat intakethat culminated in a ramped up 60% fatAthletes Zone. The Zone offers a prescrip-tion of unparalleled precision. One knowsexactly how much to eat and when to eat it.So, what more can we ask for? For some theZone is far too structured, making long-termadherence all but impossible. Exact weigh-ing and measuring of all meals can be a bitof a chore, and even once one has masteredthe eyeball method and can set up a 4 blockmeal while blindfolded and wearing ovenmitts, it is still a laborious process for many.Is there an alternative that works well and isperhaps a bit easier to implement? There are

actually a number of options, and we willlook at all of them eventually, but one of thebest respected and most popular is the Met-abolic Diet by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale.

Dr. Di Pasquale has quite an impressivebackground that includes participation incollegiate gymnastics and wrestling, mul-tiple world championships in power liftingand a thriving practice as a physician. In theearly 1990s he released a book that created

quite a controversy in the athletic world, theAnabolic Diet. The AD is a cyclic low carbdiet, or as Dr. Di Pasquale prefers to call it,phase shift diet. Many athletes and body

builders have credited this diet as being keyin improving their athleticism. Penn StateUniversity Track and Field is one of thenotables who credit the AD as part of theirsuccess. In 2000 Dr. Di Pasquale releasedan updated phase shift program called the

Metabolic Diet. The MD is actually toneddown a bit with regard to chasing elite ath-leticism, and is geared more towards generalhealth and fat loss. It is a wealth of informa-tion and contains all the pertinent materialfound in the AD. Lets take a look at the Met-abolic Diet. Perhaps it will be the perfect fitfor you; it certainly offers principles thatimprove any nutritional approach.

The main premise of the MD is hormonalcontrol, or perhaps more accurately stated,hormonal optimization. This theme should

be familiar to those following the Zone.However, the MD approaches this task froma different perspective. I do not want to giveaway the end of the story here, but as youshall see, the MD in the end is very similarto the Athletes Zone. The MD achieves hor-monal optimization by limiting the amountof carbohydrates in most meals while em-phasizing adequate protein for growth andmaintenance and elevating dietary fat to the

status of THE preferred fuel source.

One can approach the MD one of two ways.The first is a very low carb diet for 1-2 weeks.During this time daily total active carb in-take is kept to less than 30g/day. Ideally 5-6small meals comprised of protein, fat andlow carb vegetable sources are consumed.During this period one will reverse insulinresistance while simultaneously up-regulat-ing enzyme pathways for lipid utilization

as a fuel source. There can be quite a lot ofwater weight loss at this time dependingupon ones situation. The lower insulin lev-els ameliorate the action of aldosterone, andwe see electrolyte and fluid balance returnto a non-pathological level. Bloat and high

blood pressure should disappear. This canbe quite a rough transition for the seriouslycarb addicted and it is not uncommon to suf-fer headaches and begin making deals with


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Ultimate Beings for a piece of chocolate orthat arch nemesis of breakfast, TOAST.

Here is the popular part of the MD: the week-end carb load. At this point one shifts to afairly low protein and fat level while goingwild with regards to carb intake. It is recom-mended that one stick with predominantly

low glycemic index carbs, but for many thiscan turn into a Krispy Kreme binge that istough to come back from. This is one of themain problems with the MD. Because it istrying to make no food off-limits, either byamount or type, one runs the risk of over-consumption of low quality carbs. The ideais that separating carb intake from fat intakewill avoid most of the problems of hyper-insulinism. This may be true to a point,

but refined carbs are a problem in that they

markedly spike insulin levels, a key aspectof their inherent addictiveness. If one canavoid this pitfall by sticking to low glycemicindex/glycemic load foods, this problem canlargely be avoided. This carb load can lastas little as a few hours or all weekend long.It depends on when one starts feeling a bitoff from excessive carbs, at which point it is

back to the low carb plan. It is clear that em-phasizing low GL foods will result in bet-ter glycogen replenishment with less likeli-

hood of fat storage.

Although Dr. Di Pasquale strongly recom-mends jumping in on this very low carb As-sessment Period, there is another way.

The moderate carb approach ranges from60-100g/day of active carb intake (activecarbs are all the non-fiber carbs), even morefor some situations. Most of the other rulesapply5-6 small meals containing protein

and fatbut now one can add a few piecesof fruit per day and a lot of vegetables. Thisplan is virtually indistinguishable fromthe Athletes Zone and for the experiencedZoner, this can be an easy transition withno weighing and measuring. All the rules ofthe weekend carb load apply. This is a muchmore reasonable plan for most people, andif overall caloric content is kept within rea-

son, it can be very effective for fat loss.Now for implementation! How does one ac-tually start the MD? What are some ways tomodify the MD for our own personal use?What about Paleo?

Starting the MD will feel a bit like jumpingoff a cliff for those accustomed to the Zone.

We are not given exact amounts of protein,carbohydrate and fat for every meal for therest of our lives. We are given some generalguidelines: 5-6 meals/day, 20-50g of proteinand 10-50g of fat at every meal, while keep-ing carbs within the parameters of either thestrict or moderate plan. For some this willnot be as precise as they need to fully com-mit to a plan of eating. But for people likeme this flexibility and lack of strict rules isjust the ticket. I have had very good success

leaning out on lower carb plans, particular-ly when I keep my post workout nutrition toprotein and fat. I have had some challengedetermining a daily carb intake level thatallows for intense training while not goingoverboard. The trouble-shooting guide isquite helpful in this regard.

Followers of the Zone who develop a thor-ough understanding of the MD can com-pliment their efforts by allowing for some

flexibility in eating. If one is faced with alack of carbs, protein, or fat, there are someguidelines to help minimize the damage, orperhaps fine-tune the program to an evenhigher level. One of my main issues withthe Zone is that it is static. Intermittencyand randomness are key to effective fitnessregimes and we should work to emulate thisintermittency in our eating as well. My owneating has settled out near the moderatecarb MD, which is a little less than my Zone

recommendations but with an alteration incarb intake every few days, I end up match-ing my Zone recommendations almost ex-actly. This was not planned, but it is inter-esting that things play out in this way.

Paleo eating on the MD is simple, and KeithThomas has an excellent breakdown of sev-eral weeks of cyclic low carb, paleo eating
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available here. It is important to rememberthat a Paleolithic perspective provides cluesfirstly on what to eat and secondly how muchto eat. There is no one Paleo diet. Seasonal-ity and locality would have altered macro-nutrient ratios for us in the past, but nowwith a little information we can constructeffective nutritional approaches to optimize

health, performance and longevity.

The Metabolic Diet is just one of several vi-able nutritional approaches geared towardsenhancing athletic performance. It is similar

to the Zone in many regards, not the least ofwhich is a sound scientific basis and manyexamples of successful clinical implemen-tation. It offers hormonal control, includingimproved insulin status, while supplyingsufficient vital nutrients for growth and re-pair. The MD as described above is also quiteflexible and may be easier to implement for

those who like to draw outside the lines. Wehighly recommend Dr. Di Pasquales excel-lent books and informative website: www.metabolicdiet.com. Check them out and letus know what you think.
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THEORIES & THEORETICAL CONSTRUCTS

by Michael Rutherford, Josh Everett, andRobb Wolf

Theories and theoretical constructs, wewould assert, have value only to the extentthat they are descriptive of reality and ourpast experiences and if they provide the van-tage point from which further investigationmay be made. In essence theories shoulddescribe where we have been and direct uswhere to go next. In the What is Fitnessissue of the CrossFit Journal we are offered a

Theoretical Heirarcy of Development:

A theoretical hierarchy exists for the development ofan athlete. It starts with nutrition and moves to met-abolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, andfinally sport. This hierarchy largely reflects founda-

tional dependence, skill, and to some degree, timeordering of development. The logical flow is from mo-lecular foundations, cardiovascular sufficiency, bodycontrol, external object control, and ultimately mas-tery and application. This model has greatest utility

in analyzing athletes shortcomings or difficulties.

Countless elite athletes have been creat-ed and indeed, our species found its waythrough history without overt knowledge of

this theoretical template, yet it does in factmodel our collective experience. With theknowledge that gymnastics (body control)and weightlifting/throwing (external objectcontrol) are natural progressions towardsthe end of Sport, a potential question iswhat if gymnastics, and or weightlifting isyour sport? We have seen this question an-swered in the likes of Josh Everett and ToddHockenburry, who have brought phenom-enal strength bases to their CrossFit experi-ences and have excelled in truly staggeringways.

Although metabolic conditioning may befoundational to gymnastics and weightlift-ing according to the above template, it isthe ability to generate significant power thatultimately drives higher and higher levelsof metabolic conditioning. Indeed it is ourstrongest athletes who frequently sufferPukies wrath the most. It appears a relative-ly high level of strength with a lack of meta-

bolic conditioning, particularly in mixedmodal activities, may even elicit a visit fromUncle Rhabdo. It is perhaps unfair but wefind it a simple process to take a strengthathlete, virtually devoid of metabolic con-ditioning, and turn them into a monster. Wehave found greater challenge turning our en-durance athletes into explosive dynamos.

This month two phenomenal coaches andathletes, Michael Rutherford and Josh Ever-

ett, share with us some approaches for chas-ing greater strength and power within thecontext of a Crossfit oriented strength andconditioning program. This is NOT intendedto be an exhaustive review but rather somestarting points for fine tuning our own expe-rience. In Coach Rutherfords piece we seea marriage between CF and its cousin, theconjugate method. Usually cousins shouldnot marry cousins, I dont think this one
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will end up on Jerry Springer however! UCRiverside Strength and Conditioning Coach,

Josh Everett shares with us programs devel-oped for time crunched collegiate athletes.

M.E. BLACK BOX

By Michael Rutherford, a.k.a. RUTMAN

After practicing and coaching the CrossFitmethodology for over two years I am in-creasingly convinced the most successfulathletes are those who come to the dancewith the greatest strength and power. Ath-letes with the best strength base perform the

best in this new sport called CrossFit.

Greg Amundson and Josh Everett are twoperfect examples of successful, and verypowerful, CrossFit athletes. Both Greg and

Josh can turn Fran in sub 2:40 range. Greghas also been reported to 1RM a front squat/push press (a.k.a. a THRUSTER) with over275lbs at a bodyweight of around 200lbs. Ipersonally witnessed Josh clean & jerk 155kgwhile weighing in the 84kg range.

My own BLACK BOX project started lastsummer when I began thinking of how a tem-plate like this might go together. The finalthoughts evolved during the fall when I wasretained by one of the citys best high school

basketball coaches. With this approach thebasketball players strength improvementscontinued throughout the season.

With this in mind I would like to present apermutation of the CrossFit theory. Consider

this Maximum Effort CrossFit or ME Cross-Fit if you will. Stay with me here while wesort through this a bit.

Here are some of the components of my MECrossFit program.

MAXIMUM EFFORT (ME): A cornerstone tothe Westside Barbell training program is the

Maximum Effort Day. During these sessionsthe athlete works with a load near his/hermaximum (90% +) for that day. Repetitionsrange from 1-5. In this program we will beusing near maximal loads for all the weight-lifting movements.

There are two rep ranges. The first week

on a rotation, the repetitions are 5-5-5-3-3-3. Joe Kenn1 refers to these as introductoryreps. The second time through on a move-ment, the repetitions are 3-3-3-1-1-1. My in-tuition indicates that experienced athletescould stay with 3-3-3-1-1-1, or you couldperform 8 x 2 or 10 x 1. The Prilepin chartmay be handy in a case like this. Anythingover 90%, 4-10 sets 1-2 reps with an opti-mal number of 7 sets.

MOVEMENT ROTATION: CrossFit athleteswill recognize the following functionalmovements.

TOTAL BODY (T): Include Olympic Cleanvariations, Olympic Snatch variations, PushPresses or Jerks.

LOWER BODY (L): I like squats. I like arotation of weighted back squats and frontsquats.

UPPER BODY (U): I will select standingpress and weighted pull-ups for my up-per body movements. You could also lookat bench press and/or incline press. I findthese least productive but I know they arepopular and necessary in certain circles.

Again, for this discussion our movementpool includes.

TOTAL: Power Clean from the Deck (PC)and Hang Cleans (HC)

LOWER: Back Squats (BS) and Front Squats(FS)

UPPER BODY: Standing Press (SP) andWeighted Pull-ups (WP) [Editors Note:Weighted dips and muscle ups seem fair
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game as well.]What we will do with the movements is ro-tate them on ME days. On the first ME daywe will perform a total body movement (T):power cleans from the Deck (PC); on thesecond ME day a lower body movement (L):

back squats (BS); and finally, on the third MEDay an upper body movement (U): standing

press (SP).

CROSSFIT WORKOUTS

These should be familiar to everyone. Oneneeds look no further than www.crossfit.com and the workout of the day. Wheneverpossible place emphasis on monostructur-al metabolic effortse.g. running, cycling,swimmingon the day following a ME

workout. You could also precede ME dayswith more gymnastics movements. In anycase, the varied if not randomized approachwith CrossFit will address any weakness-es in your athletic profile and provide theGPP (General Physical Preparedness) yourequire to elevate your maximum strengthand power.

REST

Rest is of critical importance. I cannot im-prove the 3 on 1 off micro-cycling design. Ithink it provides excellent balance betweenvolume, intensity and rest. Now that wehave the parts, here is how it goes together.

DAY 1 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 2 - ME (Total Body-PC) (introduc-

tory reps) 5-5-5-3-3-3DAY 3 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 4 - REST

DAY 5 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 6 - ME (Lower Body-BS) (introduc-

tory reps) 5-5-5-3-3-3DAY 7 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 8 - RESTDAY 9 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 10 - ME (Upper Body-SP) (introduc-

tory reps) 5-5-5-3-3-3DAY 11 - CrossFit workout (XF)

DAY 12 - RESTDAY 13 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 14 - ME (Total Body-PC) 3-3-3-1-1-1DAY 15 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 16 - RESTDAY 17 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 18 - ME (Lower Body-BS) (introduc-

tory reps) 3-3-3-1-1-1

DAY 19 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 20 - RESTDAY 21 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 22 - ME (Upper Body SP) (introduc-

tory reps) 3-3-3-1-1-1DAY 23 - CrossFit workout (XF)DAY 24 - REST

We have now rotated through the introduc-tory reps and the foundation ME reps once.Now we rotate to the secondary foundation

movement. In this case it would be hangcleans, front squats and weighted pull-ups.

The athletes I have plugged into this tem-plate are continuing to improve, althoughthey have only invested six months thusfar.

If you select to dive into this please feelfree to share your experiences. My e-mail [email protected]

Notes

1 The Coachs Strength Training Playbook by JoeKenn. A must own for any coach or athlete.

Collegiate Programs

by Josh Everett

From late November to early January in theoff-season, we have an eight-hour weeklytraining limit by NCAA rule. Two of thesehours can be spent working with the ath-letes sport coaches on skill practice. Dur-ing winter quarter with our fall sport teamswe went two days traditional lifting, oneday of CrossFit, and two days of traditional
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running/track workouts, each session last-ing an hour. So that makes for five hours oftraining with me, leaving two hours withtheir sport coaches and an extra hour for thesport coaches to do additional conditioning,film study, or team time with the sports psy-chiatrist.

During spring quarter our fall teams havea 4-6 week spring season. Im currentlyexperimenting with workouts during thistime period. With volleyball, we are doing2-3 days a week of scaled down versionsof CrossFits storms (e.g. Helen, Fran, An-gie etc); with womens soccer, we are doingour traditional in-season routine; and withmens soccer, we are doing two days of tra-ditional in-season training and one day ofCrossFit.

After their spring seasons, we will spend therest of the quarter going two days of tradi-tional lifting with womens volleyball, andtwo days of CrossFit and one day traditionalwith the soccer teams, the reason being thegreater need for cardiovascular fitness ofsoccer as compared to volleyball, and thefact that volleyball at this point will be com-ing off of six weeks of just the storms. Thissummer Im giving all three teams the same

workout plan. Id rather them go three dayson and one off, but I feel five on and two offwill be easier for them to comply with.

I set the pattern for workouts as follows:

Day 1: rounds for time (how many roundscan you do in 20minutes)

Day 2: how fast can you complete thefollowing...(Fran, Helen, Gracetype workouts)

Day 3: Focus day (squat 10x1, 10x40yddash, etc)

My goals here are to have the athletes bethe fittest they have ever been in their livesheading into season. I believe that CrossFit,while specializing in not specializing, is infact the best program I have found to pre-pare athletes to specialize.

Continuing with my goals for them, I wantedto be sure to include the things that I havefound that best develop & prepare athletes.I made sure to include these in the focusdays so they received the proper attentionand intensity. These things are the powerclean, back squat, hill or bleacher sprints,sprinting full speed with full recovery, and

agility work.

Lastly I have been learning much recentlyfrom our superb track coach, Irv Ray, andhis system of being sure to hit each energysystem each week. And while I havent per-fected it yet, Ive tried to get a good balanceof workouts that had an emphasis on pureanaerobic system, MVO2, lactate threshold,and endurance/aerobic. The one thing cur-rently missing from this program is recov-

ery workouts. I may modify the workoutsto include these types of workouts, but to

be honest, during the summer when its notmandatory, Im sure most athletes will bemissing enough workouts to adequately re-cover. The ones who are diligent are usuallysmart enough and know their bodies wellenough to adjust.

The rationale behind the post season soc-cer program is that I want to use the time

right after the soccer teams season (thebeginning of the off-season) to lay a goodsound foundation of GPP. I find CrossFitto be perfect for this. At the same time, Iwanted to prepare them for January, Febru-ary and March when we do the majority ofour heavy strength work. I wanted to get agradual buildup in intensity on our two biglifts, the power clean and the back squat. Ofcourse Id like to go more than two days perweek, but during their season they only lift

two days a week. This reestablished trainingtime fits with their class schedules, and to

be honest, with just me, one part-time assis-tant coach, and 300+ athletes, there is onlyso much time in the week to train everyone.Also, Im not too concerned, because after along season where so much is demanded ofthe student athlete, the two day requirementis a good mental & physical break for them.


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Not to mention it gives them more free timeto finish the quarter strong academically.Plus the athletes with champions attitudesand work ethic are going to continue to trainon their own anyway. I love giving themthis opportunity to take ownership of theirtraining. Unfortunately not enough of themwill do this on their own; therefore the rest

of the year there must have more mandatorytraining in order for the team to do well.

View Josh Everetts Training Programs:

Soccer

Volleyball

Track & Field
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WHEN LOOSE IS A COMPLIMENT

FLEXIBILITY, STRETCHING, & WHY YOUNEED TO FINALLY PAY ATTENTIONby Greg Everett

Flexibility is an athletic trait often admiredwhen demonstrated but rarely discussedotherwise. It also seems to be at the center ofmany arguments, often involving the wordYoga and quickly eliciting facial contortion.Although things seem to be changing lately,historically the topic of stretching has beenlimited in popular fitness literature to brief

mentions rarely progressing beyond theJust do it sentiment.

Despite the complexity of the invisible phys-iology involved, in practical terms, theresnothing ultimately magical or esoteric aboutflexibility: its simply the product of regularmuscle stretching. If you continually pull atthe waistband of your underwear, itll be-come increasingly loose until it falls aroundyour ankles (at which time adequate ham-

string and glute flexibility will allow you toreach down and pull it back up). The sameidea applies to your muscles.

WHY FLEXIBILITY IS IMPORTANT

First, lets establish what exactly flexibilityis: the degree to which your body is ableto reach its full potential range of motionaround a particular joint. So why is this im-

portant? Because most of us actually use ourbodies in ways that demand motion of somenature, the extent of that motion invariablyincreasing as we become more athletic. Forexample, golf requires minimal flexibility,while Olympic weightlifting and gymnas-tics both require a great deal. (This is not tosay, of course, that golfers wouldnt benefitfrom increased flexibility).

Simply put, flexibility improves perfor-mance by allowing the proper execution ofmovements demanded by our various ath-letic endeavors. Additionally, in asking our

bodies to perform at high intensity, often attheir biomechanical limits, the potential forinjury is genuine. By increasing the flexibil-ity of our muscles, we can reduce the strainto tendons and ligaments, avoiding damagethat can lead to joint instability and furtherinjury.

HOW STRETCHING WORKS

To accurately understand how stretchingworks, we need to first understand in atleast basic terms muscle composition andthe process of muscular contraction.

The largest components of muscles are fas-cicles, which are visible as muscular stria-tions in very lean athletes. Fascicles are

groups of fasciculi, which are groups of in-dividual muscle fibers (muscle cells). Fibersare comprised of hundreds of thousandsmyofibrils, the unit of the muscle that actu-ally contracts.

Myofibrils are each comprised of approxi-mately 10,000 sarcomeres end-to-end, eachof which is a unit composed of myofilamentsalong with proteins that act as positionalstabilizers and the regulators of filamental

interaction.

At the center of each sarcomere are thickfilaments, comprised primarily of actin, andthin filaments, comprised of myosin, par-allel and overlapping from each end. Thesliding of the myofilaments along each oth-er causes the sarcomeres to either shortenor lengthen according to the chemical pro-cesss dictation.


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To conveniently avoid discussing the afore-mentioned chemistry and distill the physi-ological process to its essence, muscularcontraction begins with the enervation bythe nervous system of some number of mo-tor units (groups of muscle fibers controlled

by a single motor neuron). This stimulationinitiates a chemical change within the mus-

cle cells, causing the involved sarcomeresto shorten as described above.

A sarcomere either contracts completelyor not at all; partial contraction is not pos-sible. The total force generated by a muscu-lar contraction, then, is based on the totalnumber of motor units recruited by the ner-vous system for the movement in question.A contraction typically begins with the re-cruitment of the smallest and slowest con-

tracting motor units and progresses to thelarger and faster ones, allowing smooth,controlled movement.

A peak contraction involves the recruit-ment of the greatest number of motor unitspossible. Generally, intense contractionsinvolve whats called asynchronous motorunit summation: this process is a rotatingactivation of motor units to provide quicklyexhausting units a chance to recover before

reactivation. This is what allows the sus-tainability of intense contractions, althoughthe intensity of any sustained contractionobviously cannot be maximal.

In short, the most important idea to retainhere is that a muscular contraction involvesonly some sarcomeres; some are fully short-ened while others remain at their normallength. Incidentally, neurological strengthgains come from teaching the body to short-

en a larger percentage of sarcomeres in thecontracting muscle.

Similarly, increased flexibility is the productof training a larger percentage of muscle fi-

bers to accept increased length. Just as thereis no partial contraction of a sarcomere,there is no partial extension of one: the to-tal distance a muscle can stretch is based on

how many sarcomeres are extended.

There are actually two kinds of muscle fi-bers: extrafusal fibers, which are the onesdescribed above, and intrafusal fibers, com-monly known as muscle spindles. Intrafusalfibers are proprioceptors: units that detectchanges in body position and pressure. The

muscle spindles sense both the extent andrate of change in muscle fiber length. Twoother muscular proprioceptors are the golgitendon organ and pacinian corpuscle, bothlocated in tendons.

To protect the body from potential injurydue to unsafe stretching of muscles, musclespindles initiate whats called the myotat-ic reflex, the contraction of the stretchingmuscle. The power of the contraction cor-

responds with the extent and rate of thestretch that instigates it: the faster and moreextensive the stretch, the more powerful theresulting contraction (this is the response atplay in plyometric training).

When the force of myotatic muscular con-traction exceeds established limits, the gol-gi tendon organs initiate the inverse myo-tatic reflex, also called autogenic inhibition,which overwhelms any myotatic signals and

causes the contraction to cease in an effortto prevent injury to muscles, tendons andligaments.

Essentially, stretching is helping propriocep-tors become accustomed to positions beyondtheir present thresholds, therefore allowinga joint a greater range of motion before theinitiation of the myotatic reflex. Addition-ally, holding a stretched position over timewill allow autogenic inhibition to occur,

which will then allow a greater stretch oncemuscular contraction has ceased. Stretch-ing, simply put, is teaching our muscles to

be comfortable at a greater length.

TYPES OF FLEXIBILITY

There are two fundamental types of flexibil-


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ity: static and dynamic. As the terms sug-gest, the former is flexibility in a motionlessstate, whereas the latter is flexibility involv-ing motion. Genuine flexibility involves

both types, and therefore requires a varietyof stretching techniques to achieve.

Following are distilled descriptions of

those techniques. Committing these thingsto memory isnt requisite to flexibility, buthaving at least a basic understanding ofwhy youre doing what youre doing willhelp you continue to develop your flexibil-ity program over time to appropriately suityour personal requirements and goals.

TYPES OF STRETCHING

Ballistic Stretching

Ballistic stretching is what you probably seewhen you watch your old Jazzercise videos:abrupt, jerky, bouncing movements that usemomentum to forcefully push limbs to posi-tions far past their present limits of range.This type of stretching is generally ill-ad-vised due to its potential to cause injury andits relatively minimal returns. Chances arethat youll simply tear muscle tissue, setting

your flexibility back even further.

Many athletic movements, of course, inher-ently and unavoidably involve some degreeof ballistic stretching. Caution should be ex-ercised in these cases: Ensure your musclesare adequately warmmuscles are mostflexible at around 1-2 degrees Celsius above

baseline body temperatureand stretchthoroughly prior to any potential ballisticactivity.

Dynamic Stretching

Like ballistic stretching, dynamic stretchinguses motion to move a limb beyond its lim-its. The critical distinction between the two,however, is the manner in which power isemployed and increased range is achieved.

Dynamic stretching uses more controlled,deliberate motion of limbs to move themthrough a gradually increasing range ofmotion. This means doing several progres-sively more extensive repetitions of a move-ment until the range has eventually peaked.Its vital to note here the element of controlinvolved in dynamic stretching: while a

substantial extension of the present rangeof motion can be achieved, its only reachedthrough gradually increasing power. Eachrepetition is just powerful enough to ade-quately progress the limb to the next stage.

Again, to clearly distinguish between ballis-tic and dynamic stretching, with dynamicthere should be a considerable difference inrange between the first and last repetitionsexecuted, whereas with ballistic, that final

extended range is being attempted immedi-ately and with every repetition.

One youve reached maximum range, typi-cally at around 8-12 repetitions, stop themovement. Muscles will fatigue with thedemands of dynamic stretching, and as theyfatigue, their flexibility will progressivelydecrease. As described earlier, essentiallywhat stretching does is train your body toremember an extended range as being nor-

mal: repetitions following the peak of flexi-bility will be progressively shorter in range,while at the same time requiring more effortto execute. Your body will remember bestwhat you do most or with the most effort:effectively youll overwrite the memories ofthat earlier maximal range with the shorterone.

Static Stretching

Undoubtedly the most common form ofstretching, static stretching involves hold-ing yourself still in a stretched position fora period of time. The (modified) hurdlersstretch is an example of a typical staticstretch (assuming the subject refrains from

bouncing while in it). Static stretching canbe achieved using your own strength to holdyourself in position, or employing a partner


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or any other heavy and/or immobile objectwilling to cooperate.

Static stretching can be considered both atype of stretching and a category of stretch-ing inclusive of active, passive, and isomet-ric stretching, descriptions of which follow.

Active Stretching

Active (AKA static-active) stretching in-volves slow, deliberate motion to reach amuscles limit of range and a static hold atthat limit, using nothing more the contrac-tion of muscles to stretch their antagonists.For example, contracting your hip flexorsand quadriceps (agonists) to raise one legin front of yourself stretches the hamstringsand glutes (antagonists). The contraction of

a muscle, through a mechanism known asReciprocal Inhibition, causes its antagonistto simultaneously relax; in this case, thecontractions of the hip flexors and quadscause the glutes and hamstrings to relax, al-lowing a greater range of motion.

Active stretching is difficult to executefor reasons of balance and agonist musclestrength, but regular active stretching willconveniently enough help improve both of

these things along with your flexibility.

Passive Stretching

Passive stretching (AKA static-passive) andstatic stretching are often considered oneand the same and the terms therefore usedinterchangeably, but technically, passivestretching is a distinct type of stretching ap-propriately filed in the static category. Thedistinction between the two is minor and

probably ultimately without significant ef-fect on any of our lives, but we might as wellmake it while were here: The term staticstretching appropriately labels any stretchabsent of motion, regardless of how that mo-tionless stretch is held; passive stretching,however, technically involves no effort onthe part of the stretcher (e.g. being held in astretch by someone or something other than

your own strength).

Isometric Stretching

Isometric stretching, like passive, can alsobe filed under the category of static stretch-ing because of its lack of motion. Isometricstretching simply adds the contraction of

the muscle being stretched without allow-ing the body to move with the contraction(for example, holding a hurdlers stretchwhile contracting the hamstrings and glutesas if you were attempting to flex your kneeand extend your hip). This contraction ef-fectively involves more muscle fibers in thestretch, which is why isometric stretching isconsidered to be one of the fastest routes toincreased flexibility.

PNF Stretching

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facili-tation) stretching is possibly the manner ofstretching that will increase your flexibilitythe quickest. In basic terms, PNF stretchinguses your bodys natural mechanical vulner-abilities to increase the extent to which itwill allow a muscle to stretch without acti-vating a safety response that would impedethe stretch. PNF Stretches involve a series

of actions for each stretch. Following aretwo typical PNF stretch techniques.

Contract-Relax: The contract-relax in-volves entering a static stretch, thenisometrically contracting the stretchedmuscle for 7-15 seconds, relaxing for 2-3seconds, then repeating the initial staticstretch for 10-15 seconds.

Contract-Relax-Antagonist-Contract:

My favorite (only partially because ofthe acronym it creates), the CRAC is per-formed by isometrically contracting theagonist muscle in the stretch for 7-15seconds, then contracting the antagonistimmediately for 7-15 seconds (e.g., in ahurdlers stretch, contracting the ham-strings and glutes, then the quads andhip flexors).


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There are some more obscure PNF tech-niques involving dynamic and even ballisticcomponents, but because of their potentialfor injury if performed improperly, weregoing to skip those. If youre interested, finda coach who can guide you through themand closely supervise your technique.

With any PNF stretches, muscles should beallowed about 20 seconds of rest before be-ing stretched again. Some sources recom-mend repeating a PNF stretch 3-5 times,while others argue that repetitions beyondone dont significantly improve results. Ifyoure short on time, perform one rep ofeach PNF stretch. Otherwise, Id recom-mend experimenting yourself with multiplerepetitions: logic seems to dictate that morestretching will produce more flexibility.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Now that you have an understanding of thebasic physiology behind muscular contrac-tion and extension, as well as a new collec-tion of impressive terms like proprioceptiveneuromuscular facilitation, how do you ap-ply this newfound genius and actually in-crease your flexibility?

When to Stretch

There are two key times when stretching ismost beneficial: during the warm-up andcool-down phases of a workout or other ath-letic activity. Keep in mind, stretching inand of itself is not a warm-up; stretching ismerely a component of a warm-up. As theterm suggests, the purpose of a warm-up isto actually raise your body temperature ap-

proximately 1 2 degrees Celsius. At thistemperature, your muscles are at their high-est potential for flexibility, and your bloodcirculation and various other processes likesynovial fluid secretion in your joints areoptimal. Once adequately warmed-up, youcan progress from static to dynamic stretch-ing in order to prepare your body for exer-tion. Your cool-down stretching should be

similar to that in the warm-up, but reversedin order: dynamic stretching first and staticsecond, both following some kind of cool-down activity. Warm-up stretching should

be comparatively gentler to your cool-downstretching; the cool-down process is your

best opportunity to perform your most in-tense stretching.

Id additionally encourage stretching atleast once a day regardless of the presenceor absence of athletic activity. Ive found iteasiest to stretch every night an hour or two

before sleeping. It seems thats most consis-tent part of my day, and therefore is very ac-commodating of routine. Stretching in themorning as well is a good idea, but morningstretching should be much gentler; dont ex-pect to be as flexible in the morning as you

are at your peak hours of the afternoon.How Long to Stretch

The duration that stretches should be heldis a definite point contention among vari-ous sources. Recommendations for staticstretching range from 15 to 60 seconds. 30seconds generally seems to be a reasonableduration, but Id recommend experimentingyourself with shorter and longer durations.

For PNF stretches, the contraction phasesshould be maintained for 7-15 seconds eachwith 20 seconds of rest between stretchesof the same muscles. Experiment with setsof anywhere from 1-5 repetitions. Dynamicstretches should be limited to 8-12 repeti-tions.

What to Stretch

Following are demonstrations and descrip-

tions of several stretches you can employ inthe regular stretching routine Im confidentyoull establish immediately upon yourcompletion of this article. While this list isnot exhaustivethere are a seemingly end-less number of stretches, each of which hasa multitude of variationsit will provideyou with more than enough to create a com-prehensive flexibility program.


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OVERHEAD SQUAT

Yes, its a stretch too. One that most of us need a lot of work on. The capability of achieving thisposition is a tremendous foundation on which to build your olympic and power lifts as well asnearly every other athletic movement.

Hold a piece of PVC or dowel or similar lightweight implement with a snatch grip: your handsshould be positioned at a width that places the bar 8-12 inches over your head with your elbows

locked and your shoulders and traps engaged. Your feet should be in the snatch landing position.With your hands overhead as described, slowly sink into a squat, pushing your hips back andmaintaining a straight back.

Coach Mike Burgeneruses a close-grip variation of the Overhead Squat as a guage of flexibility:Move your hands and feet progressively closer together before sinking into the squat while re-maining as upright as possible [pictured below on the right].

BACK BEND

Lie on your back and position your hands outside your shoulders with your feet flat on the floor.Press up as you arch your back. Progress as you become more flexible into a higher arch withgreater arm extension.
http://www.mikesgym.com/http://www.mikesgym.com/


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LUNGE

This is the position youll find yourself inwhen doing split jerks. Shift the emphasisof the stretch by straightening or bendingthe back leg.

STRAIGHT LEG HAMSTRING STRETCH

This is commonly mis-performed stretch.Keep your legs and back straight; a roundedback shifts the stretch from the hamstringsto your lower back.

HIP STRETCH

Place one bent leg beneath yourself and shift your weight forward and down to press your kneetoward your chest. A more advanced variation keeps the bottom leg at a 90 degree angle.

BUTTERFLY

This is another stretch commonly but mistakenly performed with a rounded back. Keep your backtight and straight and attempt to roll your pelvis forward.


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QUADRICEP STRETCH

Kneel with the tops of your feet flat onthe ground and slowly lower yourselfbackward until your upper back is restingon the floor. If youre unable to achievethis position, try keeping one leg straightout in front of you. If that proves too dif-

ficult, lie on your side with your bottomleg straight, and bend the top leg, grab-bing your shin to pull your foot towardthe back of the bent leg.

SIDE SPLITS

Again, its important in this stretch tomaintain a straight back. Place yourhands behind you if you need supportand push your pelvis forward, simultane-ously rocking it down.

FRONT SPLITS

Your front leg should be straight with yourtoes pointed, your back leg face down.

Your pelvis should be aligned straightwith your legs.


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SHOULDER DISLOCATES

Hold a piece of PVC or similar implement in front of yourself with your palms facing backward.Maintaining straight arms, carefully raise the PVC in an arc over your head and to your back. Thecloser together your hands are, the more difficult the stretch.

REVERSE SHOULDER DISLOCATES

In preparation for the same arc described above, hold the PVC behind yourself with your palmsfacing forward, and bring the PVC overhead to the front of your hips.

BEHIND THE BACK THINGS

Ultimately your goal is to be able to grab your own hand behind your back as pictured below onthe right. Until you reach that point, a length of PVC or something similar can be used.


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FOREARM / WRIST STRETCHES

There are many variations of these; simply make sure youre stretching in all directions.

CHEST / SHOULDER STRETCH

Lying flat with one arm to your side and flex90 degrees, rotate your hips toward thearm, effectively pulling it backward.

EXTERNAL ROTATOR STRETCH

Place the back of one hand behind your hipand with the other, hold your elbow or upperarm and pull it forward.

BICEP / ANTERIOR DELT STRETCH

Grab something level behind yourself (Par-allel bars, mantle, etc.) and sink down whilekeeping your torso upright.

FRONT END ALIGNMENT

Grab something level in front of yourselfand lever your straight arms up and awayfrom your chest.


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CONCLUSION

Flexibility is something that requires workand maintenance, just like everything elserelated to physical conditioning. That meanssomehow incorporating a regular stretchingroutine into your training. You simply can-not expect any kind of substantial results byhaphazardly throwing in a few randomlychosen stretches when you happen to thinkof it. Develop regularity, and not only willstretching quickly become second nature,

but youll achieve impressive flexibility in

a relatively short period of time.

If youve reached this point, youve official-ly invalidated any excuse to not stretch. Nomore What about Yoga? No more I dontknow how to stretch. If you value athleticability, you cannot avoid valuing flexibility:its a necessary component of athleticism,not an additional pursuit.

So do it.

ACTIVE STRETCHES

For each of the stretches pictured below, raise your leg slowly using muscle contraction only:remember, active-static, not ballistic or dynamic. Once at the peak, hold the position using onlymuscular contraction.


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RECIPES FOR PERFORMANCE

Bring on The Duck!

Cooking Slow with El Pato

The slow cooker or crock-pot is anabsolute essential for those with

busy schedules. To walk throughthe front door at the end of the dayand be enveloped by a fragrant hotmeal is a reality that is amazinglysimple to create. One can also optto start the slow cooker before bedand awake to a full days meals;

your choice.

While most anything can be throwninto a slow cooker, we have one fa-vorite ingredient that is sure to make the meala winner: El Pato.

El Pato is a spicy Mexican tomato sauce. Thereare two varieties: Mexican hot style, and jala-peno. The Mexican hot style comes in a yel-

low can and is our personal favorite. One onlyneeds some protein of choice, a can opener,

and a can of El Pato to prepare averitable feast.

Its easy:

Add meat to the slow cooker, thenadd some El Pato. Set the slowcooker either on low (will take aminimum of 4 hours and a maxi-mum of 7-8) or high (approx 2-3 hours) and then go about your

business. Your tasty meal will becooking along while you performfeats of multi-tasking greatness.

El Pato Scramble

Guess what? El Pato is great with eggs! Sim-ply mix half a can of El Pato with your favoritescramble recipe. Youll love it.

On the Sweeter Side

Sweet Potato Pudding

Time: Baking - 35 minutes; 10 minutes - mi-crowave

Ingredients:

. 1 medium sweet potato. cup coconut milk

. Cardamom to taste (approx 1/8 tsp.)

Bake a medium sized sweet potato until a forkis easily inserted (approximately 30 minutes.)You can also microwave it for approximately5 minutes if you are pinched for time. Peel theskin. Shake can of coconut milk to thoroughlymix contents. In mixing bowl combine sweet

potato and cup coconut milk. Blend witha hand mixer until creamy. Add cardamomto taste. This recipe can be served warm orchilled.

Zone blocks: cup coconut milk contains16 blocks fat. 100g of sweet potato = 2 blocks

carb. Weigh sweet potato to determine totalcarb blocks. Recipe as prepared above yieldsapproximately 2 cups pudding. Measure totalpudding volume and divide by carb and fat

blocks to determine a serving appropriate foryour block needs.

Note: 1 Tbs of coconut milk = 2 blocks fat.This conversion may be of assistance for thosewishing to more precisely tailor fat blocks.


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Chicken Apple Hash

Have you ever noticed how certain foods gotogether? Beer and pizza, peanut butter andchocolate? Sorry, we are not recommendingchocolate or pizza at the present moment,

but we do have a good paleo friendly combo:chicken and apples. Perhaps not the Abbot

and Costello of the food world, but chickenand apples do make quite a flavor combi-nation. We also have a few favorite spicesthat bring out the natural flavor of both fruitand fowl. For this months feature breakfastwe would like to share a chicken apple hashwith a few seasoning twists.

Time: 15min

Ingredients:

.Free range boneless skinless chicken breast(turkey works as well especially if one canfind the ground variety)

.Fresh Fuji apples - Look for these at yourfarmers market as they are at the height ofthe season.

.Jamaican All Spice

.Garam Massala

.Cinnamon

.Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We have used all of the spices listed aboveeither singularly or in combination to cre-ate several varieties of chicken apple hash.These spices tend to be forgiving if overusedso be creative and experiment with whatyou find to be the ultimate hash.

Mince or finely chop chicken breast. Somebutcher shops and better super markets willgrind the chicken breast for you. This is

preferable as it will result in better consis-

tency.

Grate 2 Fuji apples, include the pits if youare feeling particularly Paleo and would likea small dose of anti cancer fun.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium heatand add a generous amount of olive oil. Add

1-2 tsp. of any of the above spices to the oiland allow to infuse for ~2min. If you are us-ing more than one spice keep the amount to1 tsp. each unless you enjoy intensely fla-vored food. We particularly like a hash witha lot of cinnamon. We will use as much as1 Tbs. in this recipe. Give it a try and see ifyou like it!

Add chicken to the infused oil and stir fre-quently to brown the chicken on all sides.

When the chicken is almost completelybrown add the apples and cover pan for 3-5 min stirring occasionally. If the hash be-comes a bit watery because of moisture fromthe apples increase heat to medium-high fora few minutes and finish cooking uncovereduntil the apples have cooked down.

Serve with cinnamon infused espresso

Zone Blocks: This recipe is particularly

friendly to the Zone. Our 1 block propor-tions are: 1oz chicken breast for protein, 1/2an apple for the carbs, 1/3 tsp olive oil sup-plies the fat. To construct a meal of a par-ticular block measure simply multiply theabove measure appropriately. Remember toadd extra fat blocks if you are using chickenor turkey breast as they are very low fat. Ifone is following the Athletes Zone as muchas 2 Tbs. of olive oil will be necessary toround out a 4 block meal with 5x fat.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/cam/laetrilehttp://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/cam/laetrile


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