Ok, so I said that I would rant on this subject. It's controversial, scary, and boogie man approved, so if you need to throw on some huggies before you piss yourself with what I'm about to talk about, go do so. I'll wait.
Ok, you back? Lets begin. Yesterday, there was some debate among strongman competitors on a popular strongman forum that we use to talk shop. The debate was about the emergence of a new strongman federation in the US. It is called WNSF (World's Natural Strongman Federation). It is a drug tested federation. The initial question was, "Do you think that adding a new federation to strongman will be bad for the sport?" But, because it is a "natural" federation, the topic, almost at warp speed, went of into a tangent about natural athletes vs "others" and ego's and blah blah blah. I'll touch on this briefly for my fellow strongmen and women. I love the fact that we have a new federation. I love the fact that there will be more contests to compete in. I like that it gives an outlet for amateurs to compete with pros. I love the fact that it gives us a chance to compete on a world stage as amateurs, more often. I like that there are two organizations out there, because it will do nothing but benefit us as athletes. I'm not in favor of either organization, I just want to compete, I don't care where, or how, or with who, just put me under some iron and get the fuck out of my way. If it means that my poor ass will get some better prizes, like cash, and more free t shirts (I love free t shirts), then I'm all for it.
Now, the argument erupted into the idea that a natural federation would give the other US organizations, NAS and ASC, the stigma that they aren't a natural organization. Look, I get it, but we as strongmen and women don't exactly not already fit into that stigma. You think normies believe that we can deadlift 600lbs for reps without being on "da juice"? Of course they don't, but we know better. If we have athletes competing in both organizations, showing that we can do these things then maybe people will start giving us the credit we deserve. Everyone loves seeing feats of strength being performed, but if they're too ignorant to think it comes from years of hard work and determination, then this may shed some light and battle their ignorance.
Now, onto the subject of steroids. This is for all you normal people out there... you know who you are. You see a dude like me lifting heavy objects and weighing in at 300lbs and you whisper to your friend "there is no way that dude is not using steroids". I get it all the time. Shit, I got it yesterday from some dude who straight out asked me "how many steroids are you one" and I just laughed at him and said "Man, I wish I could afford them". Before I go on, I am going to suggest that you watch Chris Bell's documentary on steroids called "Bigger, Stronger, Faster". It sheds a lot of light on steroids, the people who use them, the supplement industry, etc. Caution: it will make you actually think, which I know can be hard if you've just spent the past few months watching Jersey Shore and whatever the hell else bullshit that they spew out on TV, but its well worth it.
Its no secret that some people in strength sports, or any sport for that matter, use steroids to enhance performance, I think we can all agree on that, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn't give these people a "shortcut" or give them the "Easy way out". Its actually quite the opposite. You see, steroids don't work the way the general public thinks that they do. You don't just inject yourself with a dose and all the sudden you're deadlifting 900lbs and have the physique of your favorite pro bodybuilder. Steroids are a (insert drum roll) recovery drug. That's right. Steroids are used to decrease recovery time in athletes who push past the normal limits of human capability (of course there are different types of steroids that elicit a different effect, but that's the broad generalization I'm going to use). The amount of work you need to put in to use steroids and have them be effective for you is immense. What a lot of people don't realize is that most of the time, when people use steroids correctly, they are pushing themselves so hard that their body would collapse if they didn't. Look at a pro body builder's workout routine in a magazine. Look at the volume and intensity that they use. That's not for the average broski in the gym trying to get teh abz. The pro's that do these work outs and use these drugs are doing such a large amount of work to get the results that they want and need to win, that they have to use these drugs just so they don't freakin collapse... but I guess its just a short cut, huh?
Now, the other things I hate about the ignorance on steroids is this; people always assume that if a guy is bigger and stronger than them, it must be because they are using steroids. Its simply not the case. Believe it or not, sissy boy, there are people out there that push themselves to the limits that their body allows, and then they push themselves a little bit further. They dedicate themselves to making sure they eat and recover properly. They don't just read the newest issue of Men's Fitness and then hit the gym and pretend to do the workout that the "pros" do. They have educated themselves on training methodologies and learned that doing heavy deadlifts and squats will add more muscle to your body than bench presses and bicep curls (like A LOT more muscle). They know that drinking a protein shake a day on top of your 3 meals isn't enough to recover. The majority of people who are big and strong are actually not on the juice, and the ones that are, aren't doing as much of it as you think. They don't need to. They just need it to get them through the workouts they're doing and to recover quick enough for them to do it again the next time.
Ok, I'm not going to go into the science behind steroids or the safety behind them... like I said, Chris Bell does a really good job of that in his documentary. I will say however, the dangers of steroids are up there with, if not blown even more out of proportion, than smoking weed. I mean, right now at this moment, most chicks are a form of steroids. We call it birth control, but its a synthetic hormone, ie. steroids. Do I advocate using them? I personally don't use them and don't have the desire to because I'm still making gains and haven't even come close to reaching my full potential, but if an adult wanted to use them and went about it correctly, hiring a doctor or someone knowledgeable, then knock yourself out.
Now, as far as sports and the people who use them in competition goes, I personally don't give a shit. I know I've competed against dudes using and I've beaten some and lost to others and I don't care. It just makes me want to push that much harder. In baseball, I want to see people hit 600 foot home runs, personally. Do I think that there should be an asterisk next to these new home run records? Yes, but only if we put an asterisk next to Hank Aaron's record with a note that says "Hank Aaron had the distinct advantage of having 4000 more at bats than Babe Ruth, along with swinging a bat that was half the weight." Look, we're always going to find ways to get bigger and stronger than our predecessors. Its human nature. Not only that, but when people are shown that something can be accomplished, it becomes obsolete very quickly. Look at the 1 mile sprint. For forever, it was thought to be impossible to break under 4 minutes. As soon as someone accomplished it, I think like 80 more people did it that year because they knew it could be done. Shit, us amateur strongmen are doing event weights now that used to be World's Strongest Man weights. Athletes will always get better, whether its naturally or not. Steroids aren't the key to success or a magic wonder drug, its just another tool in the box that, with lots of hard work and determination, will help you achieve your goals.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Inner Drive
"I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr.Pepperman.Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn't see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads. I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you're made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole." - Henry Rollins
If you've never read "The Iron" by Henry Rollins, do yourself a favor and read it. http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/henryrollins_iron.html It is by far, one of my favorite pieces of inspirational literature out there. I can connect with it almost 100%. Well, not 100%, but very close. Yea, I'm a 300lb behemoth of awesomeness now, but I wasn't always like this. Growing up, I was fat and out of shape... I wasn't good at sports, or at least I never cared to be, I was lazy, I hated gym class and my favorite activity was Super Nintendo. It wasn't good. Luckily, I never really got picked on. I had a lot of older people looking out for me because of my brother. I was lucky to have such a protective brother, but I was even luckier because his friends looked at me like their little brother, too, and for that, I'm more thankful than any of them probably even know. Sure, they fucked with me a lot, but it was an equal trade off. My nickname since I was in like, 5th grade? Pudge. Yup, I still get it from a select few, and I don't mind it. It reminds me of everything I never want to be again, so I look at it as a reminder of why I do what I do.
Ok, so now you now I was a loser like Chester, from Airheads, as a kid... lets move on. I'm writing this blog about the inner drive it takes to accomplish things. The reasons why people do things. The reason why I do the things that I do. Everyone has an inner drive in them, but very few people learn how to harness it to accomplish things in life. They always look toward comfort instead of stepping outside of themselves and what they know to grow and learn. Now, before I can explain why I push myself to the limits that my grandmother would call "horrid", I feel like I must explain my failures. So lets go back to loser Zach and his entrance into high school. Despite my aptitude to be bad a sports and what not, I made a lot of friends in middle school. Probably because where I grew up, among kids, more emphasis was put on where to score the best weed instead of who was the best football player. Yea, my home town is like 80 something square miles of wood
s, so we drank, smoked pot and partied in the woods. Weekend bonfires and camping was the norm... since I was in 8th grade. The first time I smoked pot was in 7th grade, and it was also the first time I got drunk. This made it really easy for people to get along, haha. Anyway, as I entered high school, and was basically a burn out with shitty grades, I began to try to get my own identity. Smoking pot didn't really interest me anymore. Drinking was cool, and I was pretty good at it, so that never really left my side, but we'll get into that later. In my school, there weren't really any cliques either, so everyone basically got along, but I always felt like I needed to be and do something bigger than just party every weekend and just fit in. My junior year, I took up wrestling. My grades never let me wrestle in any actual matches, but I still went to practice every day and the team took me in. The coaches at my high school were awesome. Our wrestling coach, Mr. Blakely, was always checking up on me and my grades and bothering me to do better. Back then, I always thought to myself "why the hell is he bothering me, I can't even wrestle in matches, shouldn't he bothering the other wrestlers?", but now I look back on it, and I realize that he actually gave a shit. That's a hard thing to come by as a kid nowadays it seems, people who actually give a shit. Anyway, I finished out the season with an all time record of 0-0. Awesome. Now, up until this point, I had always fucked around in the gym and I was pretty strong, well, high school strong, but it wasn't really until the spring of my junior year that things changed for me. I decided to join the football team as my junior year was coming to an end. First day of spring weightlifting, me and some friends were fucking around outside the high school. There was this wall, probably about 10-15ft high. My one friend got onto it and was thinking whether or not he could jump off it and land without getting hurt. He decided against it. I, for some reason, had eaten my invincible flakes that morning and said "ehh, fuck it" and I jumped. Mid air, my half retarded friend, decided to grab my leg. I hit the ground and felt my leg snap. Sweet. There goes football, but I decided though to keep going to the weightlifting practices. It was the only thing I could do. It became an obsession. I'll never forget though, the one day where I knew I would be addicted to the weights for life. I was bench pressing, like a good high schooler should, you know, so I could have teh sweet pecs. One of the town police officers came in and was lifting with us. I had 225 on the bar and I pressed it out for 10 reps. He looked at me and said "you wanna go up to 285?" I though this guy was crazy. He looked at me and said "you want to fuck around and get strong, you gotta fuck around with big weights" So we went up to 285 and wouldn't you know it, I pressed it for an easy 5 reps. For a 16 year old that never really tried to press that weight, that's like pulling a 900lb deadlift. From that day on, I never let a set do anything less than kick the shit out of me. I lifted as heavy as possible for as long as they would keep the weight room open. I got huge (comparatively). I got people asking me if I was juicing, I heard rumors... it was awesome. (btw, I had not been juicing.. I have never touched steroids and don't plan on doing so any time soon.... I understand if you don't believe me, no one does, but I could really give a shit less. I know I don't, and that's all that matters... I don't have anything against them though, but that'll be saved for another rant)
Ok, so I lifted all summer, I made gains, I was losing some weight, I loved it. I was still on track to start practicing for football, despite my injury. Then, the last day of summer came. We had a huge party back in the woods. It got busted, everyone ran, except I couldn't... I still had an air-cast on my leg. My brother and a few other people stayed. Unfortunately, the cops had a bug up their ass that night and brought us all in. The next day, I got kicked off the football team, but it was also the same day as the football team's weightlifting competition. All that hard work was finally going to come to some sort of tangible accomplishment. I could only bench, but shit, I kicked every one's ass. I hit 350 no problem (Hey, that was a lot for me back then). I think the only kid to come close to me was about 330. When it came time to give out the awards, there was no mention of my name, despite the entire team questioning why I didn't win... oh well, shit happens. I handed in my gear and that was that. Mr. Blakely didn't care though, he knew I was going to still wrestle. From that point on, I made it a point to workout every time the football team was in the weight room. I was the strongest kid in the weight room, and I made it known to our football coach.. fuck him. Anyway, the rest of the year, I focused on wrestling. I did alright, I wasn't the worst, but I sure as shit wasn't the best. It was during one match that I realized something about myself. I had to wrestle the first match as a JV 215 pounder and the last match as a heavyweight for varsity. The first match, I lost, I can't remember why, but I lost.. I think it was points. It got me angry... shit, my anger enveloped me. Great, right? I mean, I could use that for my next match and go in and kick some ass. Well, this is when I learned a very valuable lesson about myself, a lesson that I think a lot of people need to learn about themselves. Anger can be a double edged sword. I went into my varsity match seeing red. I couldn't think, I didn't try to. I lost. I lost because of disqualification points. I head butted this kid so many fucking times, they had to stop the match so he could fix his head gear. My coaches yelled at me. I didn't give a fuck, I was so pissed of, I would lock up with him and after giving him a nice head butt, I would dig my head into his temple as hard as I could, with every ounce of strength. It didn't end with a victory, it ended with a defeat and I had no one to blame but myself.
That day, I learned that I don't do well when I'm angry. I'm not an angry person by nature. I prefer to be happy and make people happy. Why did I think that the trying to accept the opposite would work?
Ok, so two more failures and then we'll get onto what the fuck I'm talking about. Now, its the end of my senior year. I was probably like 328 out of 336 in class ranking. I cared more about partying than grades. Anyway, we were at graduation practice and then all of the sudden I got a notice to report to the guidance counselor's office. I had to go to summer school! Are you fucking kidding me? I had all this shit planned out with the army to leave in June and now, because I was an asshole, I had to spend another two months doing algebra. I sat there and watched my entire class walk for graduation and celebrate. It was miserable. Anyway, I did eventually get my diploma and I made it off to the army.
Now, the last failure I'm going to talk about is pretty recent, but you know what? My life has done a total 180 since it has happened. Since my time in the Army and my time here at OSU, I've had a lot of good times, don't get me wrong. I found the sport of strongman and I'm very happy for that. I've grown so much because of it and I've learned so much about myself and how far I'm willing to push myself, but about 6 months ago, I woke up one day and my back was killing me. I don't know why or how it happened, but it was bad. It didn't help that I was so out of shape that I could barely tie my shoes without seeing spots and taking a breather halfway in between each foot. Basically, I told myself I will just take a break and let my back heal. I fell into a thick depression. I couldn't sleep, I didn't go to class (I actually dropped all my classes) and I felt sorry for myself. I became everything I hated about week people. I ate like shit, because, I was a strongman, so it was cool right? I decided I needed to get myself out of this rut. I told myself I was going to break the amateur record for overhead press on an axle. It is currently (as far as I know) 365. I've hit 370 in practice before... "no problem" I told myself. It would be a nice booster for me and my ego. Anyway, I started to train again, and wouldn't you know it, my back pain started to deteriorate. So one morning in May, me and two of my buddies drove to Pittsburgh where my only goal was to break this record. A good placing would have been nice, too. So the contest started and the first event was a 40000lb fire truck pull... I probably pulled it 30 feet? It was pathetic, but max axle press was coming up and I was ready.. or so I thought. My first attempt was 300lbs.. easy. Second attempt, 330lbs for the win. Third attempt? fuck it, 375, lets do work son. Now, this axle was a tough one. thicker than 2" and fixed wheels. The difference between fixed wheels and free rotating plates is like night and day. Anyway, I gave it a good effort. I got psyched! Someone even smacked me on the back to get me fired up. I was ready.... fail! I didn't get it up. What the fuck? I should have hit that easy... oh wait, I hadn't been pressing and training like I should have for the past few months. Wonder why I didn't hit it. Anyway, it wasn't a total loss, I got second place and took home 150 bucks. Also, I had my motivation back, somewhat. Great... I started to train again, things were going good, but I was still drinking my ass off and eating like shit. Now, when I say I was drinking my ass off, I don't think a lot of people understand what "drinking your ass off" means to me. I'm talking about finishing a 750ml bottle of vodka before we even went out to the bar, on the regular. I mean, I could easily throw back 15 beers and be normal. Yea, I'm 300lbs, but come the fuck on. Anyway, I was getting sick of it, absolutely sick of it. In June, I went home for two weeks. My mom told me to see a doctor. I went in and she immediately diagnosed me with ADHD and depression. She prescribed me some pills and I haven't looked back. So, my last night home, I went to a friends party and we were drinking all day. It wasn't until the next week, when I saw the picture below, that I knew things had to change
Now, if that doesn't say "get your life together" than I don't know what does. I was an out of shape, 315lb fat ass, eating a steak with a bib, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette.. I don't even smoke. I made the decision right there and then to quit drinking. Sure, its basically made me a social leper around campus, but whatever. I needed the change, I'm fucking 27 years old and still in college. Can I really afford to be partying every weekend? Fuck no. I have goals and aspirations and that shit isn't a part of it. I've "lived my life to the fullest" enough times for a dozen people. Anyway, fast forward 2 months later:
I haven't had a drop of booze since the weekend before 4th of July, I've lost at least 20lbs of fat and probably have gained some muscle, my strength has skyrocketed and I can finally think clearly now. I don't miss waking up feeling like shit and I've realized that if I plan on achieving anything, a plan must be made and action must be taken. You need to make the decision, not just want to make a decision. Either you do something or you don't. So, if you're still with me, lets get into what I've been leading up to. Inner Drive. I think I've always had a lot of it, but it isn't until these past two months that I've really tested it and have seen the results. Lets move on.
Despite the shit I talk about being in the Army, I actually really enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed the training. I was actually a little disappointed at how easy I thought it was, but it taught me a lot about myself. I remember leaving my medic AIT (thats where you learn your skill set) on my way to airborne school and my drill sergeant came up to the group of 10 of us that were leaving and said "you know, only about 3 of you are going to make it through airborne school, its one of the hardest schools out there"... thanks dick, way to make me feel good about it. Anyway, I went through airborne school and laughed the whole way through. Honestly, if you've gone through basic training and AIT and can't pass airborne school, you should probably rethink life. After airborne school, I went to do Ranger Indoctrination. Basically, its a 3 week qualification course to get into Ranger battalion. I though I wanted to do it, but I didn't. Anyway, there is a part of it in the first week where you go out to the woods to bivouac (a fancy word for being out in the field). Well, for three days, you get maybe an hour of sleep if you're lucky, and you become very close friends with a piece of earth called "The Circle of Woah". Basically, after you spend 7 hours of doing land navigation, you come back around 2 in the morning and line up and get in formation in the circle of woah and the Ranger Instructors find any reason they can to make your life hell. Its just a way for them to weed people out. So when you finally set up a parimeter after being smoked for 3 hours, you might get an hour of shuteye, if you're lucky. Second day, you "wake up" and go for a nice 5 mile run in boots and then you come back and do some sand bag and log PT. Then, you do some classes and then its back to 7 more hours of land navigation. This second night is which really stands out in my mind. Its probably 3 am and we're all tired and delerious. The RI's pull us out one by one from formation to recite the Ranger creed. Of course we're all fucking up. Everytime we do though, we get the honor of doing a fun thing called "hit the woodline". Behind us, is a a field, probably a little longer than a football field, full of hay, sharp grass, pebbles, etc. When you hit the woodline, it means you all filter out of the "circle of whoa" through one small opening and run to the wood line, touch it, and run back. Every time you come back, the RI's have you bow your head and say "who wants to quit? raise your hand and it'll all be over... shit, you'll be back in a warm bed by morning" People start to drop out like flies. Now, they don't only take these people out of formation, but they bring them up to a small fire (its cold as fuck out at this time of night in Georgia) and give them cookies and smores and act all buddy buddy with them. Now, I'm telling you this story because these three days taught me two very important lessons. After about 3 hours of hitting the wood line and watching people who quit eat cookies and go back to bed, I had it. I whispered to my buddy next to me "dude, you just want to say fuck it?" I'll never forget what he said to me, "Why man? We have a weekend coming up in a day. It'll all be over soon" Sure, it isn't anything fancy or anything, but he was right. Despite all the bullshit we went through, we had weekends off. So I decided to stick with it. The next lesson came the next day. After we got some "sleep" for about 45 minutes, we got up and started an 8 mile road march with 80lbs on our back. We did it in about an hour and a half (i think, i can't remember). When we got back, the RI's gave us some time to change into fresh uniforms. So as we all were in the circle of whoa, getting down to our skivvies, changing into fresh uniforms, they felt we weren't utilizing our time properly because we were talking to each other, so, we hit the wood line... half way through changing.... shit, I only barely had my pants on.. just pants. Some people were naked, some just had boots on. We hit the woodline, feet blistered and tired after an 8 mile road march. We got back, they gave us some time to get on our uniforms again. Then we hit the wood line. Then we hit the woodline. Then we hit the woodline. Then we hit the woodline. Then one of the RI's said, "Why the fuck do you think you keep hitting the woodline? Don't Rangers work as a team? Why are there people coming in ahead of other people and why are there people coming in behind other peolpe?" It took us a few more tries, but we realized that we need to run down there as a team, in one line and come back the same way. It taught us about team work, how we're only as strong as our weakest link. Those three days taught me a lot about myself and how people around us can influence us, influence the week, and how a team can come together to accomplish things. It was 3 days of shit, but I'm glad I did it. It showed me I had inner drive, that nothing horrible can last forever, unless we let it. (Me in the Army, a high point in my life, haha)
Now, back to what I was talking about earlier with anger. I'm not an angry person, despite how much my social commentary might make me seem. I actually love being happy and making people feel good. I like to help people, I truly do. I'm also a very emotional person and I like to express myself, obviously. I think every person needs to learn what type of person they are. If you're truly angry, get some fuckin help dude. Life is too short to be an angry, miserable piece of shit. But if you're not, what drives you? Our emotions are the number one thing we can use to drive us, to push past pain barriers, to motivate ourselves. Now, I don't want to sound like a Mary, but I think the idea of love and the fear of failure are the two biggest factors that push me and give me the mental capacity to do the things I do.
Let me explain. When I want to pump myself up for a lift or to get motivated to go train when I'm tired, I don't listen to death metal or anything. I don't throw on Rage and go nuts. I'm the exact opposite. I like to throw on songs that evoke emotions,that make me think about my future or that make me thing about my past failures, whether they be personal mistakes or lost chances, whether it be for love or personal advancement. That pushes me much further through a mental barrier than anything else. I'd rather listen to Journey while doing a personal record lift than Slayer. Side note: when I was in Iraq, I worked with civilian explosives guys and I was always in a Tahoe when we drove out of the wire. The only CD we had in his truck was Journey's greatest hits, so basically, to pump myself up for a mission, "Anyway You Want It" was my shit. Why? Because it made me think of making it home, to see my friends again, to find a good girl to be with. It evoked emotions in me that brought me to another level and got me ready to face any situation. I never thought about dying, it just wasn't in my head, even when we got hit by IED's or something. I didn't think about it, because I was on another level, a level where the only thing on my mind was survival.
So now, I prefer those sort of songs in the gym. They make me think of the emotion I'll get from winning a contest, and now, with my eyes on the prize, winning a pro card. Its all I can think about, and these songs, about love and failure, make me want it even more. It makes me think about not walking with my class, or letting my health get out of hand and feeling sorry for myself and it drives me to disgust and pushes me to never be that person again. Go watch my strongman training videos, "Lose yourself" by Eminem or "My Curse" by Killswitch Engage are like, the only two songs I hit PR's to.
We all have that inner drive in us, you need to figure out how to cultivate it. You need to take a step back and evaluate what drives you. One of my good training partners has said that when he goes off into his "other place" he pictures his daughter and the pain subsides. Thats a big thing about strongman as a sport, or any strength athlete for that matter. We do things that should be impossible. People aren't meant to lift the things that we do, but we do, and its not that we're these ridiculously, genetically gifted people.... for a lot of people, its quite the opposite. The difference between us and the lay person is that we have figured out our minds, or a portion at least, and how we can blast through plateaus. Humans are all made up of the same basic tissue, our bodies are all machines, we all have the same basic potential as the next person (barring any medical problems)... its all about the mind and your mastery of it. Finding that inner drive that pushes you to be the best. Its achievable to anyone, you just have to want it. Hey, if a fat, out of shape stoner could do it, why can't you?
So now you need to ask yourself, "what do I want out of life? What do I want to work towards?" When you figure that out, you need to make the decision to do it. Don't say you want to do it, do it. One of the biggest things that I get angry about with society today is that people are always looking for the easy way out and unfortunately, we're raised to do just that. We're taught to go to school, get a degree, get a good paying job, buy a house with a white picket fence and have a family and we'll all live happily ever after. Fuck that. That very notion is making us week mentally as a whole civilization. Where are all the stories of people who dedicated themselves to their dreams, the couples who struggled through rough times, but stayed with each other through thick and thin because they truly loved each other? You never hear that shit anymore. Nobody wants to push themselves to find true happiness. No one has that inner drive anymore because we've been told that this cookie cutter dream is the "right thing" to do. Every story I hear is of people who go to college, get some bullshit job to pay the bills, marry the first person that can somewhat put up with their shit and then 10 years later, they're divorced because they're both miserable. They both passed up on their dreams to follow what they have been told is their dream, because they don't have that drive, because they haven't figured themselves out. Shit, I was doing the same thing. Why do you think I'm in college? I fucking hate college, but I've gone this far, so I might as well finish. (June, keep your fingers crossed!) I have dreams, and I've decided to throw caution to the wind to make those dreams a reality, at any cost. Sure, its a lonely road and I'm struggling, a lot, but their is something inside of me that just says to push on. If I fail, I fail, but at least I can look back in 20 or 30 years and be proud that I dared greatly. I wish more people could say that. Ok, I haven't eaten in like 4 hours and that's too long for me. So I'll leave you with this quote, which is my favorite quote ever and pretty much sums up this last paragraph.
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
If you've never read "The Iron" by Henry Rollins, do yourself a favor and read it. http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/henryrollins_iron.html It is by far, one of my favorite pieces of inspirational literature out there. I can connect with it almost 100%. Well, not 100%, but very close. Yea, I'm a 300lb behemoth of awesomeness now, but I wasn't always like this. Growing up, I was fat and out of shape... I wasn't good at sports, or at least I never cared to be, I was lazy, I hated gym class and my favorite activity was Super Nintendo. It wasn't good. Luckily, I never really got picked on. I had a lot of older people looking out for me because of my brother. I was lucky to have such a protective brother, but I was even luckier because his friends looked at me like their little brother, too, and for that, I'm more thankful than any of them probably even know. Sure, they fucked with me a lot, but it was an equal trade off. My nickname since I was in like, 5th grade? Pudge. Yup, I still get it from a select few, and I don't mind it. It reminds me of everything I never want to be again, so I look at it as a reminder of why I do what I do.
Ok, so now you now I was a loser like Chester, from Airheads, as a kid... lets move on. I'm writing this blog about the inner drive it takes to accomplish things. The reasons why people do things. The reason why I do the things that I do. Everyone has an inner drive in them, but very few people learn how to harness it to accomplish things in life. They always look toward comfort instead of stepping outside of themselves and what they know to grow and learn. Now, before I can explain why I push myself to the limits that my grandmother would call "horrid", I feel like I must explain my failures. So lets go back to loser Zach and his entrance into high school. Despite my aptitude to be bad a sports and what not, I made a lot of friends in middle school. Probably because where I grew up, among kids, more emphasis was put on where to score the best weed instead of who was the best football player. Yea, my home town is like 80 something square miles of wood
s, so we drank, smoked pot and partied in the woods. Weekend bonfires and camping was the norm... since I was in 8th grade. The first time I smoked pot was in 7th grade, and it was also the first time I got drunk. This made it really easy for people to get along, haha. Anyway, as I entered high school, and was basically a burn out with shitty grades, I began to try to get my own identity. Smoking pot didn't really interest me anymore. Drinking was cool, and I was pretty good at it, so that never really left my side, but we'll get into that later. In my school, there weren't really any cliques either, so everyone basically got along, but I always felt like I needed to be and do something bigger than just party every weekend and just fit in. My junior year, I took up wrestling. My grades never let me wrestle in any actual matches, but I still went to practice every day and the team took me in. The coaches at my high school were awesome. Our wrestling coach, Mr. Blakely, was always checking up on me and my grades and bothering me to do better. Back then, I always thought to myself "why the hell is he bothering me, I can't even wrestle in matches, shouldn't he bothering the other wrestlers?", but now I look back on it, and I realize that he actually gave a shit. That's a hard thing to come by as a kid nowadays it seems, people who actually give a shit. Anyway, I finished out the season with an all time record of 0-0. Awesome. Now, up until this point, I had always fucked around in the gym and I was pretty strong, well, high school strong, but it wasn't really until the spring of my junior year that things changed for me. I decided to join the football team as my junior year was coming to an end. First day of spring weightlifting, me and some friends were fucking around outside the high school. There was this wall, probably about 10-15ft high. My one friend got onto it and was thinking whether or not he could jump off it and land without getting hurt. He decided against it. I, for some reason, had eaten my invincible flakes that morning and said "ehh, fuck it" and I jumped. Mid air, my half retarded friend, decided to grab my leg. I hit the ground and felt my leg snap. Sweet. There goes football, but I decided though to keep going to the weightlifting practices. It was the only thing I could do. It became an obsession. I'll never forget though, the one day where I knew I would be addicted to the weights for life. I was bench pressing, like a good high schooler should, you know, so I could have teh sweet pecs. One of the town police officers came in and was lifting with us. I had 225 on the bar and I pressed it out for 10 reps. He looked at me and said "you wanna go up to 285?" I though this guy was crazy. He looked at me and said "you want to fuck around and get strong, you gotta fuck around with big weights" So we went up to 285 and wouldn't you know it, I pressed it for an easy 5 reps. For a 16 year old that never really tried to press that weight, that's like pulling a 900lb deadlift. From that day on, I never let a set do anything less than kick the shit out of me. I lifted as heavy as possible for as long as they would keep the weight room open. I got huge (comparatively). I got people asking me if I was juicing, I heard rumors... it was awesome. (btw, I had not been juicing.. I have never touched steroids and don't plan on doing so any time soon.... I understand if you don't believe me, no one does, but I could really give a shit less. I know I don't, and that's all that matters... I don't have anything against them though, but that'll be saved for another rant)Ok, so I lifted all summer, I made gains, I was losing some weight, I loved it. I was still on track to start practicing for football, despite my injury. Then, the last day of summer came. We had a huge party back in the woods. It got busted, everyone ran, except I couldn't... I still had an air-cast on my leg. My brother and a few other people stayed. Unfortunately, the cops had a bug up their ass that night and brought us all in. The next day, I got kicked off the football team, but it was also the same day as the football team's weightlifting competition. All that hard work was finally going to come to some sort of tangible accomplishment. I could only bench, but shit, I kicked every one's ass. I hit 350 no problem (Hey, that was a lot for me back then). I think the only kid to come close to me was about 330. When it came time to give out the awards, there was no mention of my name, despite the entire team questioning why I didn't win... oh well, shit happens. I handed in my gear and that was that. Mr. Blakely didn't care though, he knew I was going to still wrestle. From that point on, I made it a point to workout every time the football team was in the weight room. I was the strongest kid in the weight room, and I made it known to our football coach.. fuck him. Anyway, the rest of the year, I focused on wrestling. I did alright, I wasn't the worst, but I sure as shit wasn't the best. It was during one match that I realized something about myself. I had to wrestle the first match as a JV 215 pounder and the last match as a heavyweight for varsity. The first match, I lost, I can't remember why, but I lost.. I think it was points. It got me angry... shit, my anger enveloped me. Great, right? I mean, I could use that for my next match and go in and kick some ass. Well, this is when I learned a very valuable lesson about myself, a lesson that I think a lot of people need to learn about themselves. Anger can be a double edged sword. I went into my varsity match seeing red. I couldn't think, I didn't try to. I lost. I lost because of disqualification points. I head butted this kid so many fucking times, they had to stop the match so he could fix his head gear. My coaches yelled at me. I didn't give a fuck, I was so pissed of, I would lock up with him and after giving him a nice head butt, I would dig my head into his temple as hard as I could, with every ounce of strength. It didn't end with a victory, it ended with a defeat and I had no one to blame but myself.
That day, I learned that I don't do well when I'm angry. I'm not an angry person by nature. I prefer to be happy and make people happy. Why did I think that the trying to accept the opposite would work?
Ok, so two more failures and then we'll get onto what the fuck I'm talking about. Now, its the end of my senior year. I was probably like 328 out of 336 in class ranking. I cared more about partying than grades. Anyway, we were at graduation practice and then all of the sudden I got a notice to report to the guidance counselor's office. I had to go to summer school! Are you fucking kidding me? I had all this shit planned out with the army to leave in June and now, because I was an asshole, I had to spend another two months doing algebra. I sat there and watched my entire class walk for graduation and celebrate. It was miserable. Anyway, I did eventually get my diploma and I made it off to the army.
Now, the last failure I'm going to talk about is pretty recent, but you know what? My life has done a total 180 since it has happened. Since my time in the Army and my time here at OSU, I've had a lot of good times, don't get me wrong. I found the sport of strongman and I'm very happy for that. I've grown so much because of it and I've learned so much about myself and how far I'm willing to push myself, but about 6 months ago, I woke up one day and my back was killing me. I don't know why or how it happened, but it was bad. It didn't help that I was so out of shape that I could barely tie my shoes without seeing spots and taking a breather halfway in between each foot. Basically, I told myself I will just take a break and let my back heal. I fell into a thick depression. I couldn't sleep, I didn't go to class (I actually dropped all my classes) and I felt sorry for myself. I became everything I hated about week people. I ate like shit, because, I was a strongman, so it was cool right? I decided I needed to get myself out of this rut. I told myself I was going to break the amateur record for overhead press on an axle. It is currently (as far as I know) 365. I've hit 370 in practice before... "no problem" I told myself. It would be a nice booster for me and my ego. Anyway, I started to train again, and wouldn't you know it, my back pain started to deteriorate. So one morning in May, me and two of my buddies drove to Pittsburgh where my only goal was to break this record. A good placing would have been nice, too. So the contest started and the first event was a 40000lb fire truck pull... I probably pulled it 30 feet? It was pathetic, but max axle press was coming up and I was ready.. or so I thought. My first attempt was 300lbs.. easy. Second attempt, 330lbs for the win. Third attempt? fuck it, 375, lets do work son. Now, this axle was a tough one. thicker than 2" and fixed wheels. The difference between fixed wheels and free rotating plates is like night and day. Anyway, I gave it a good effort. I got psyched! Someone even smacked me on the back to get me fired up. I was ready.... fail! I didn't get it up. What the fuck? I should have hit that easy... oh wait, I hadn't been pressing and training like I should have for the past few months. Wonder why I didn't hit it. Anyway, it wasn't a total loss, I got second place and took home 150 bucks. Also, I had my motivation back, somewhat. Great... I started to train again, things were going good, but I was still drinking my ass off and eating like shit. Now, when I say I was drinking my ass off, I don't think a lot of people understand what "drinking your ass off" means to me. I'm talking about finishing a 750ml bottle of vodka before we even went out to the bar, on the regular. I mean, I could easily throw back 15 beers and be normal. Yea, I'm 300lbs, but come the fuck on. Anyway, I was getting sick of it, absolutely sick of it. In June, I went home for two weeks. My mom told me to see a doctor. I went in and she immediately diagnosed me with ADHD and depression. She prescribed me some pills and I haven't looked back. So, my last night home, I went to a friends party and we were drinking all day. It wasn't until the next week, when I saw the picture below, that I knew things had to change
Now, if that doesn't say "get your life together" than I don't know what does. I was an out of shape, 315lb fat ass, eating a steak with a bib, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette.. I don't even smoke. I made the decision right there and then to quit drinking. Sure, its basically made me a social leper around campus, but whatever. I needed the change, I'm fucking 27 years old and still in college. Can I really afford to be partying every weekend? Fuck no. I have goals and aspirations and that shit isn't a part of it. I've "lived my life to the fullest" enough times for a dozen people. Anyway, fast forward 2 months later:
I haven't had a drop of booze since the weekend before 4th of July, I've lost at least 20lbs of fat and probably have gained some muscle, my strength has skyrocketed and I can finally think clearly now. I don't miss waking up feeling like shit and I've realized that if I plan on achieving anything, a plan must be made and action must be taken. You need to make the decision, not just want to make a decision. Either you do something or you don't. So, if you're still with me, lets get into what I've been leading up to. Inner Drive. I think I've always had a lot of it, but it isn't until these past two months that I've really tested it and have seen the results. Lets move on.
Despite the shit I talk about being in the Army, I actually really enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed the training. I was actually a little disappointed at how easy I thought it was, but it taught me a lot about myself. I remember leaving my medic AIT (thats where you learn your skill set) on my way to airborne school and my drill sergeant came up to the group of 10 of us that were leaving and said "you know, only about 3 of you are going to make it through airborne school, its one of the hardest schools out there"... thanks dick, way to make me feel good about it. Anyway, I went through airborne school and laughed the whole way through. Honestly, if you've gone through basic training and AIT and can't pass airborne school, you should probably rethink life. After airborne school, I went to do Ranger Indoctrination. Basically, its a 3 week qualification course to get into Ranger battalion. I though I wanted to do it, but I didn't. Anyway, there is a part of it in the first week where you go out to the woods to bivouac (a fancy word for being out in the field). Well, for three days, you get maybe an hour of sleep if you're lucky, and you become very close friends with a piece of earth called "The Circle of Woah". Basically, after you spend 7 hours of doing land navigation, you come back around 2 in the morning and line up and get in formation in the circle of woah and the Ranger Instructors find any reason they can to make your life hell. Its just a way for them to weed people out. So when you finally set up a parimeter after being smoked for 3 hours, you might get an hour of shuteye, if you're lucky. Second day, you "wake up" and go for a nice 5 mile run in boots and then you come back and do some sand bag and log PT. Then, you do some classes and then its back to 7 more hours of land navigation. This second night is which really stands out in my mind. Its probably 3 am and we're all tired and delerious. The RI's pull us out one by one from formation to recite the Ranger creed. Of course we're all fucking up. Everytime we do though, we get the honor of doing a fun thing called "hit the woodline". Behind us, is a a field, probably a little longer than a football field, full of hay, sharp grass, pebbles, etc. When you hit the woodline, it means you all filter out of the "circle of whoa" through one small opening and run to the wood line, touch it, and run back. Every time you come back, the RI's have you bow your head and say "who wants to quit? raise your hand and it'll all be over... shit, you'll be back in a warm bed by morning" People start to drop out like flies. Now, they don't only take these people out of formation, but they bring them up to a small fire (its cold as fuck out at this time of night in Georgia) and give them cookies and smores and act all buddy buddy with them. Now, I'm telling you this story because these three days taught me two very important lessons. After about 3 hours of hitting the wood line and watching people who quit eat cookies and go back to bed, I had it. I whispered to my buddy next to me "dude, you just want to say fuck it?" I'll never forget what he said to me, "Why man? We have a weekend coming up in a day. It'll all be over soon" Sure, it isn't anything fancy or anything, but he was right. Despite all the bullshit we went through, we had weekends off. So I decided to stick with it. The next lesson came the next day. After we got some "sleep" for about 45 minutes, we got up and started an 8 mile road march with 80lbs on our back. We did it in about an hour and a half (i think, i can't remember). When we got back, the RI's gave us some time to change into fresh uniforms. So as we all were in the circle of whoa, getting down to our skivvies, changing into fresh uniforms, they felt we weren't utilizing our time properly because we were talking to each other, so, we hit the wood line... half way through changing.... shit, I only barely had my pants on.. just pants. Some people were naked, some just had boots on. We hit the woodline, feet blistered and tired after an 8 mile road march. We got back, they gave us some time to get on our uniforms again. Then we hit the wood line. Then we hit the woodline. Then we hit the woodline. Then we hit the woodline. Then one of the RI's said, "Why the fuck do you think you keep hitting the woodline? Don't Rangers work as a team? Why are there people coming in ahead of other people and why are there people coming in behind other peolpe?" It took us a few more tries, but we realized that we need to run down there as a team, in one line and come back the same way. It taught us about team work, how we're only as strong as our weakest link. Those three days taught me a lot about myself and how people around us can influence us, influence the week, and how a team can come together to accomplish things. It was 3 days of shit, but I'm glad I did it. It showed me I had inner drive, that nothing horrible can last forever, unless we let it. (Me in the Army, a high point in my life, haha)
Now, back to what I was talking about earlier with anger. I'm not an angry person, despite how much my social commentary might make me seem. I actually love being happy and making people feel good. I like to help people, I truly do. I'm also a very emotional person and I like to express myself, obviously. I think every person needs to learn what type of person they are. If you're truly angry, get some fuckin help dude. Life is too short to be an angry, miserable piece of shit. But if you're not, what drives you? Our emotions are the number one thing we can use to drive us, to push past pain barriers, to motivate ourselves. Now, I don't want to sound like a Mary, but I think the idea of love and the fear of failure are the two biggest factors that push me and give me the mental capacity to do the things I do.
Let me explain. When I want to pump myself up for a lift or to get motivated to go train when I'm tired, I don't listen to death metal or anything. I don't throw on Rage and go nuts. I'm the exact opposite. I like to throw on songs that evoke emotions,that make me think about my future or that make me thing about my past failures, whether they be personal mistakes or lost chances, whether it be for love or personal advancement. That pushes me much further through a mental barrier than anything else. I'd rather listen to Journey while doing a personal record lift than Slayer. Side note: when I was in Iraq, I worked with civilian explosives guys and I was always in a Tahoe when we drove out of the wire. The only CD we had in his truck was Journey's greatest hits, so basically, to pump myself up for a mission, "Anyway You Want It" was my shit. Why? Because it made me think of making it home, to see my friends again, to find a good girl to be with. It evoked emotions in me that brought me to another level and got me ready to face any situation. I never thought about dying, it just wasn't in my head, even when we got hit by IED's or something. I didn't think about it, because I was on another level, a level where the only thing on my mind was survival.
So now, I prefer those sort of songs in the gym. They make me think of the emotion I'll get from winning a contest, and now, with my eyes on the prize, winning a pro card. Its all I can think about, and these songs, about love and failure, make me want it even more. It makes me think about not walking with my class, or letting my health get out of hand and feeling sorry for myself and it drives me to disgust and pushes me to never be that person again. Go watch my strongman training videos, "Lose yourself" by Eminem or "My Curse" by Killswitch Engage are like, the only two songs I hit PR's to.
We all have that inner drive in us, you need to figure out how to cultivate it. You need to take a step back and evaluate what drives you. One of my good training partners has said that when he goes off into his "other place" he pictures his daughter and the pain subsides. Thats a big thing about strongman as a sport, or any strength athlete for that matter. We do things that should be impossible. People aren't meant to lift the things that we do, but we do, and its not that we're these ridiculously, genetically gifted people.... for a lot of people, its quite the opposite. The difference between us and the lay person is that we have figured out our minds, or a portion at least, and how we can blast through plateaus. Humans are all made up of the same basic tissue, our bodies are all machines, we all have the same basic potential as the next person (barring any medical problems)... its all about the mind and your mastery of it. Finding that inner drive that pushes you to be the best. Its achievable to anyone, you just have to want it. Hey, if a fat, out of shape stoner could do it, why can't you?
So now you need to ask yourself, "what do I want out of life? What do I want to work towards?" When you figure that out, you need to make the decision to do it. Don't say you want to do it, do it. One of the biggest things that I get angry about with society today is that people are always looking for the easy way out and unfortunately, we're raised to do just that. We're taught to go to school, get a degree, get a good paying job, buy a house with a white picket fence and have a family and we'll all live happily ever after. Fuck that. That very notion is making us week mentally as a whole civilization. Where are all the stories of people who dedicated themselves to their dreams, the couples who struggled through rough times, but stayed with each other through thick and thin because they truly loved each other? You never hear that shit anymore. Nobody wants to push themselves to find true happiness. No one has that inner drive anymore because we've been told that this cookie cutter dream is the "right thing" to do. Every story I hear is of people who go to college, get some bullshit job to pay the bills, marry the first person that can somewhat put up with their shit and then 10 years later, they're divorced because they're both miserable. They both passed up on their dreams to follow what they have been told is their dream, because they don't have that drive, because they haven't figured themselves out. Shit, I was doing the same thing. Why do you think I'm in college? I fucking hate college, but I've gone this far, so I might as well finish. (June, keep your fingers crossed!) I have dreams, and I've decided to throw caution to the wind to make those dreams a reality, at any cost. Sure, its a lonely road and I'm struggling, a lot, but their is something inside of me that just says to push on. If I fail, I fail, but at least I can look back in 20 or 30 years and be proud that I dared greatly. I wish more people could say that. Ok, I haven't eaten in like 4 hours and that's too long for me. So I'll leave you with this quote, which is my favorite quote ever and pretty much sums up this last paragraph.
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Food Guide Pyramid..... is a crock of shit
Disclaimer: I'm not a scientist, nor do I ever plan on being one. I'm not a dietitian either... I don't want to waste my time learning the bullshit they teach in most universities about the subject. I'm just an asshole with an internet connection and a keyboard. I will not be citing any references, nor will I be referring to any particular studies. I am basically going off of what I consider general knowledge, things I have learned along the years due to my interest in such a fascinating subject. If you want to call bullshit on me, please do. I believe in the Socratic way of thinking, so don't hesitate. I will say though, that despite my lack of credentials, I've sat and read more boring studies and journals and articles about nutrition and training methodologies and anything else you can think of dealing with strength sports and fitness, than any person ever should, for the simple fact that it fascinates me so much. Good thing I'm gonna be a history major, huh?
I'm not really writing this for the meatheads out there. The information I'm about to present is pretty much already well known to most of you. This is more for the lay person who is following my incoherent babbling. It's about diet in general and really meant for people that don't compete and just looking for overall health and well being. So disregard if this stuff all seems basic to you, but unfortunately, this is like fucking rocket science to a majority of the population.
Let's begin, shall we? Since you, or I, can remember, the mainstream media and "authority figures" alike have been trying to teach us how to be healthy. We've been drilled since we were in kindergarten about the importance of a well balanced diet and the importance of the ever vigilant "Food Guide Pyramid". Well, I'm here to tell you that that has all been a load of shit.... the kind of shit you get from someone on a high protein diet.
A quick history lesson. Back in the early 20th century, there was a guy named Ancel Keys. He, along with a couple other scientists, developed a theory (keyword, theory) called the lipid hypothesis (Actually, it was devised a while before these guys, but they made it popular). Through their studies (and by studies, I mean they found a couple things that backed up their theory and left out MOUNDS of information that proved them wrong) they came up with the idea that dietary fat and cholesterol had a direct influence on heart disease and other fun things that kill us. They found that in countries with a low intake of dietary fat, there was also a low occurrence of heart disease and obesity. Sure, it makes sense right? I mean, if you eat a lot of fat, then you'll get fat and clog your arteries. Well, its not that simple. What they neglected to inform the public about, is that there were many other countries who's fat consumption was THROUGH THE ROOF (I'm talking about countries where a dudes lunch was salami on a block of cheese, slathered with butter), and yet, they had very little heart disease and obesity. Out of site, out of mind right? So, when this was presented to the US Government, along with the influence of farming lobbies, ie corn and wheat (which we subsidize the SHIT out of) they thought, "GREAT! Now we have beaten heart disease and we can make a butt load of cash, too!" (The food guide pyramid wasn't really created until the late 80's early 90's, but their were other government guidelines like the RDA and that shit... but that's neither here nor there.. same concept)
Well, lets fast forward a couple decades later. Heart disease has increased, obesity has increased, diabetes has increased and it just keeps getting worse. But wait a minute, I thought that low fat diet was good for us? Well, it can't be that, it must be the evil corporations like McDonalds forcing us to eat shitty food. If you believe that, then please learn how to work a shotgun with your toe, rent a gun and buy a bullet.
Ok, so lets recap. About 60 years ago, scientists found out that cholesterol and fat were bad. Low fat diets with a lot of grains were good, but diseases related to these subjects keep rising.
Let's go back in history one more time. This time, about 40,000 years, before the development of agriculture. The human population was probably in the 10's of millions (maybe?) and people were hunting and gathering. Now, I'm not one to argue with mother nature, but for some reason, the only food she gave these people to eat were, fruits, vegetables, tubers (yams and root vegetables), and... duh duh duh (that's supposed to be a suspenseful prelude) animal meats, full of fat! Why would nature provide us with stuff that causes heart disease, and in abundance?! Oh, wait, that's right... because it doesn't.
Now, lets go back even FURTHER this time... about a couple million years. Humans, or human like creatures, are roaming the earth. We're not that bright yet, but we're smarter than Yogi. Our brains still have some evolving to do, and we'll get to that, but lets talk about how we're going to make that happen. Well, our brains are made up of two fatty acids called EPA and DHA
(of course, its more complex than that, but we won't get into it)... if you haven't been living in a cave, you'll notice that they're enriching everything with this shit nowadays, especially baby formula. You know why? Because it leads to healthy brain development! Yup, the horrible fats in the dead animals we eat are full of fats that are beneficial to our brain. Now back then, we were more than likely scavengers. We hadn't figured out how to make weapons to defend ourselves or hunt, so we ate the left overs of another predator's kill. Usually, the eyeballs, the brains, and internal organs. All of which are full of fatty goodness. So after millions of years of doing that, our brains evolved, and we became smarter. So what does this tell us? Well, the horrible meat that is supposedly killing us actually made us evolve into smarter organisms.... crazy right? "But Zach, if we're supposed to eat meat, then why can't we eat it raw?" This argument pisses me off so much. If you really think humans can't eat raw meat, than hit yourself in the head with a tack hammer. Of course we can eat raw meat. There are still dozens of cultures that eat raw meat all the time. The reason we invented cooking was merely as a time saver. You ever try to eat a steak raw? Its pretty fucking tough and chewy. It would take you hours to eat at Outback, but because of our now super advanced brains, we figured out that cooking tenderizes it and makes it easier to consume.
Ok, so for millions of years, we were eating tons of meat and veggies and other shit we could find laying around. But then, about 40,000-20,000 years ago (depending on who you ask) a break through occurred. We developed agriculture. We figured out how to grow and utilize grains to make food in mass quantity. Great right? Sure, for the development of civilization's sake, but not for our own physiology. Humans had never eaten grains before this, not in mass quantity anyway. Almost instantly, in terms of evolution, (and you can find the anthropological data online) we became shorter, fatter and probably dumber, but cities became larger and more populated and fast forward to today, and well, the rest is history.
So now, onto why the food guide pyramid is bullshit. We're told that in order be healthy, we need to consume a low fat diet, rich in whole grains. Ok, so we're doing that, but why are we getting fatter and dieing younger from heart disease? I'll tell you why, because we fucked with mother nature. We're not supposed to eat low fat diets or eat whole grains. For millions of years we did neither and thrived physiologically (anthropoligical evidence shows that humans, before agriculture, were taller, had larger brain capacity, better teeth, lower instance of disease, lived just as long as we do today, and were probably stronger) and then in a fraction of the time we've been on this earth, we've changed our diets to some sort of weird bullshit that goes against everything nature intended. Humans are supposed to ingest fats and proteins in abundance. We're not supposed to eat carbohydrates like we've been told since ol' Ansel and his friends came up with their silly hypothesis. (Who trusts anyone named Ansel? He sounds like a Nazi to me) Humans, as nature intended, are supposed to eat fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. Basically think of it this way, anything that a cave man could have eaten. (Now, if you're an athlete or something, as previously stated in the introduction, we have manipulated ways to make different diets work for us, so this doesn't really apply to us for performance reasons; that is until we've given up said sport and we're just eating to live)
Ok, so where's my proof? Lets look at the 3 main macro nutrients found in food. There are fats, protein and carbohydrates. If I asked you who would live longer, a person eating only fats and proteins or a person eating only carbs and protein, which one would you choose? Well, if you picked fats and protein, you'd be right. Here's why... The human body makes a lot of things that it needs to survive on its own.. these are called non-essential items, but there are other things the human body needs that it must get from an outside source, these are called essentials items. The human body needs essential amino acids (protein) and essential fatty acids (fats)... guess what it doesn't need? That's right, there are ABSOLUTELY ZERO essential carbohydrates. "But Zach, what about glucose, that's a sugar that the body needs to operate" You're correct. The thing is though, in the presence of protein and fats, the body can produce its own glucose through a mechanism called "gluconeogenesis". Now, I've argued with people who have told me that that is an inefficient mechanism, but they were all fucking idiots. It's very efficient. Another argument I've heard is "well that creates ketones and can put you in a state of ketoacidosis" Again, fucking idiots. The production of ketones in the body when you don't consume carbs and the life threatening diagnosis of ketoacidosis, something usually only found in diabetics, do not go hand in hand.
Ok, so what about cholesterol and fats in the blood stream. Don't they clog up your arteries and make you have a heart attack? Uhh, no. My guess to how that theory came about is that they were looking at high fat intake, but neglected to record the intake of simple carbohydrates along with those fats. Fat is an essential macronutrient that the body MUST have in order to operate. The amount of functions your body does that require fat is incalculable, well, to me on my keyboard at this moment anyway. You're body is a very efficient machine. Don't let anyone fool you... the human body is fucking amazing and I've seen it do phenomenal things first hand. On that note, it is also very, very, very efficient. When you take in an abundance of fat and simple sugars, of course your body is going to burn the simple sugars first. I mean, 4 calories is a lot easier to burn than 9 right? But, carbs are not the fuel of choice for the human body, its just the fuel it reverts to when it has the choice of doing less work. Its like putting rocket fuel in a space ship vs. the shit you buy at Exxon. The Exxon gas may be cheaper, but it definitely isn't the best choice. On the other hand, when you take in fats without a ton of unwanted sugars and other carbs, your body has no choice but to burn the fat and it runs very smoothly. So, what have we learned so far? Our brains our made up of fat. Fat is a very good fuel source. Fat is needed for the body to live. Fat is good. Fat doesn't make you fat. So what makes us fat? Insulin resistance. Eating too much sugar. Eating too many refined carbs in our low fat milkshakes. Its just bad shit, don't eat it.
As for cholesterol. "Zach, I've been eating cheerios to raise my good cholesterol, that's whole grains, aren't I moving in the right step?" No. Here's a little bit of fascinating information. LDL and HDL aren't even cholesterol. Cholesterol is cholesterol is cholesterol. That's it, no ifs, ands or buts. LDL and HDL are "Low density lipoproteins" and "high density lipoproteins"... that's right, they're proteins. See, cholesterol is a lipid and it doesn't mix well with blood, so it combines with a protein so it can move through the blood. So, the lipoprotein's only job is to ship and receive cholesterol to wherever the body desires it. The LDL brings it to where it needs to be and the HDL comes and cleans it all up and takes it away. Why do we need cholesterol? For lots of shit. Hormones, cell function, blah blah blah. We need it, and despite what they tell you, your body is very good at regulating it. If you eat too much, your liver (your own bodies production center for cholesterol) doesn't make as much, if you eat too little, your liver will produce more. (Its only in cases of certain liver diseases that it can get out of whack). So what does this mean to us? Nothing really. The correlation between cholesterol levels and instances of heart attacks is pretty much null, but newer research has been linked to a raise in LDL (the bad lipoprotein) from the over consumption of sugar. Basically what happens, without getting too into it, is sugar can cause a chain of chemical reactions which create low density lipids. There are actually 2 kinds of LDL, one that is good and does its job efficiently, and then there is another one that is bad and clogs up our arteries.
So now the question arises, why do we get heart disease and diabetes? Well, A LOT of research is starting to come out verifying that these are caused by inflammation due to an increased consumption of sugar! That's right. Sugar is an inflammatory substance to the human body. Think about it this way... you ever met someone with diabetes that got it from eating too much steak? Me neither. We need the fat and cholesterol for so many things to happen in our body that keep us healthy and vibrant (Q-Tip just popped into my head). We don't need sugar, or hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup, etc. All of these processed things that we eat in our "Super brand new low-fat salad dressing" are fucking killing us and causing disease. They are linking so many diseases to sugar and processed foods that if it isn't clear to us by now, then it probably never will be.
I mentioned insulin sensitivity before. When you ingest sugars, or any carb for that matter, your pancreas releases insulin which goes into the blood stream to shuttle the carbohydrate to where it needs to go. When you eat carbs in such an abundance, you overwork your pancreas, causing it to get out of whack and your body becomes insulin resistant. Its a lot more complex than that, but its basically what happens. Insulin resistance, if you haven't caught on, is bad and it contributes a whole fuck load to your body storing fat.
Crazy huh? The diet that's been pushed on us for years is killing us. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but its kind of hard not to notice that the same people who are pushing this diet on us are also the ones pushing lipitor. Maybe its just me, I don't know.
What about protein. Well, if I really have to go into the benefits of eating protein, then I just wasted the past hour of my time. Its the building block for everything in our bodies. Eat more of it. Oh yea, don't worry about it damaging your kidneys. You know that study that your one friend told you about that said that a high protein diet will damage your kidneys? Well, first off, your friend is a fuckstick and second, that study was only conclusive in people with PRE-EXISTING kidney problems.
So now comes the question, what should you eat? Well, I'm a fan of the Paleo diet. There is enough info on it out there that you should be able to find out what I'm talking about. (no, I don't get any money for this, otherwise I would be in my apartment writing this, not at the school's library... but that doesn't mean I won't take donations.) Basically, to sum it up... well, I summed it up before. If a caveman couldn't eat it, don't eat it. The biggest and most important factor is, don't fucking worry about dietary fat and cholesterol! Just steer clear of sugar and... you know what, fuck it.. don't eat carbs unless they come from vegetables, fruits, legumes, or tubers (yams and sweet potatoes). eat full fat meats. dairy if you can handle it. I guarantee you won't only look better, but you'll feel about a trillion times better when you stop eating all that low fat processed bullshit... and ohh yea, focus on PROTEIN! You don't even have to weigh out your foods. Your body will know when its full and it will tell you with vengeance. Don't believe me? Go buy a rotisserie chicken right now. Sit down and eat the whole thing. Don't fucking pussy foot around it. I'm talking skin, breasts, thighs, wings... eat it all. Unless you're like me and you've trained yourself to eat that much, there is a good chance you'll get halfway through before you throw in the towel.
And one last thing before I leave you, because my fingers are starting to hurt. Drink water! Like, a lot of it. Fuck that 8 cups a day bullshit. 64 ounces? That's cool, if you're a 120lb chick. But if you're not, you should drink at the minimum, half your body weight in ounces of water a day. Your body needs water or it will die.
I'm not really writing this for the meatheads out there. The information I'm about to present is pretty much already well known to most of you. This is more for the lay person who is following my incoherent babbling. It's about diet in general and really meant for people that don't compete and just looking for overall health and well being. So disregard if this stuff all seems basic to you, but unfortunately, this is like fucking rocket science to a majority of the population.
Let's begin, shall we? Since you, or I, can remember, the mainstream media and "authority figures" alike have been trying to teach us how to be healthy. We've been drilled since we were in kindergarten about the importance of a well balanced diet and the importance of the ever vigilant "Food Guide Pyramid". Well, I'm here to tell you that that has all been a load of shit.... the kind of shit you get from someone on a high protein diet.
A quick history lesson. Back in the early 20th century, there was a guy named Ancel Keys. He, along with a couple other scientists, developed a theory (keyword, theory) called the lipid hypothesis (Actually, it was devised a while before these guys, but they made it popular). Through their studies (and by studies, I mean they found a couple things that backed up their theory and left out MOUNDS of information that proved them wrong) they came up with the idea that dietary fat and cholesterol had a direct influence on heart disease and other fun things that kill us. They found that in countries with a low intake of dietary fat, there was also a low occurrence of heart disease and obesity. Sure, it makes sense right? I mean, if you eat a lot of fat, then you'll get fat and clog your arteries. Well, its not that simple. What they neglected to inform the public about, is that there were many other countries who's fat consumption was THROUGH THE ROOF (I'm talking about countries where a dudes lunch was salami on a block of cheese, slathered with butter), and yet, they had very little heart disease and obesity. Out of site, out of mind right? So, when this was presented to the US Government, along with the influence of farming lobbies, ie corn and wheat (which we subsidize the SHIT out of) they thought, "GREAT! Now we have beaten heart disease and we can make a butt load of cash, too!" (The food guide pyramid wasn't really created until the late 80's early 90's, but their were other government guidelines like the RDA and that shit... but that's neither here nor there.. same concept)
Well, lets fast forward a couple decades later. Heart disease has increased, obesity has increased, diabetes has increased and it just keeps getting worse. But wait a minute, I thought that low fat diet was good for us? Well, it can't be that, it must be the evil corporations like McDonalds forcing us to eat shitty food. If you believe that, then please learn how to work a shotgun with your toe, rent a gun and buy a bullet.
Ok, so lets recap. About 60 years ago, scientists found out that cholesterol and fat were bad. Low fat diets with a lot of grains were good, but diseases related to these subjects keep rising.
Let's go back in history one more time. This time, about 40,000 years, before the development of agriculture. The human population was probably in the 10's of millions (maybe?) and people were hunting and gathering. Now, I'm not one to argue with mother nature, but for some reason, the only food she gave these people to eat were, fruits, vegetables, tubers (yams and root vegetables), and... duh duh duh (that's supposed to be a suspenseful prelude) animal meats, full of fat! Why would nature provide us with stuff that causes heart disease, and in abundance?! Oh, wait, that's right... because it doesn't.
Now, lets go back even FURTHER this time... about a couple million years. Humans, or human like creatures, are roaming the earth. We're not that bright yet, but we're smarter than Yogi. Our brains still have some evolving to do, and we'll get to that, but lets talk about how we're going to make that happen. Well, our brains are made up of two fatty acids called EPA and DHA
(of course, its more complex than that, but we won't get into it)... if you haven't been living in a cave, you'll notice that they're enriching everything with this shit nowadays, especially baby formula. You know why? Because it leads to healthy brain development! Yup, the horrible fats in the dead animals we eat are full of fats that are beneficial to our brain. Now back then, we were more than likely scavengers. We hadn't figured out how to make weapons to defend ourselves or hunt, so we ate the left overs of another predator's kill. Usually, the eyeballs, the brains, and internal organs. All of which are full of fatty goodness. So after millions of years of doing that, our brains evolved, and we became smarter. So what does this tell us? Well, the horrible meat that is supposedly killing us actually made us evolve into smarter organisms.... crazy right? "But Zach, if we're supposed to eat meat, then why can't we eat it raw?" This argument pisses me off so much. If you really think humans can't eat raw meat, than hit yourself in the head with a tack hammer. Of course we can eat raw meat. There are still dozens of cultures that eat raw meat all the time. The reason we invented cooking was merely as a time saver. You ever try to eat a steak raw? Its pretty fucking tough and chewy. It would take you hours to eat at Outback, but because of our now super advanced brains, we figured out that cooking tenderizes it and makes it easier to consume.
Ok, so for millions of years, we were eating tons of meat and veggies and other shit we could find laying around. But then, about 40,000-20,000 years ago (depending on who you ask) a break through occurred. We developed agriculture. We figured out how to grow and utilize grains to make food in mass quantity. Great right? Sure, for the development of civilization's sake, but not for our own physiology. Humans had never eaten grains before this, not in mass quantity anyway. Almost instantly, in terms of evolution, (and you can find the anthropological data online) we became shorter, fatter and probably dumber, but cities became larger and more populated and fast forward to today, and well, the rest is history.
So now, onto why the food guide pyramid is bullshit. We're told that in order be healthy, we need to consume a low fat diet, rich in whole grains. Ok, so we're doing that, but why are we getting fatter and dieing younger from heart disease? I'll tell you why, because we fucked with mother nature. We're not supposed to eat low fat diets or eat whole grains. For millions of years we did neither and thrived physiologically (anthropoligical evidence shows that humans, before agriculture, were taller, had larger brain capacity, better teeth, lower instance of disease, lived just as long as we do today, and were probably stronger) and then in a fraction of the time we've been on this earth, we've changed our diets to some sort of weird bullshit that goes against everything nature intended. Humans are supposed to ingest fats and proteins in abundance. We're not supposed to eat carbohydrates like we've been told since ol' Ansel and his friends came up with their silly hypothesis. (Who trusts anyone named Ansel? He sounds like a Nazi to me) Humans, as nature intended, are supposed to eat fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. Basically think of it this way, anything that a cave man could have eaten. (Now, if you're an athlete or something, as previously stated in the introduction, we have manipulated ways to make different diets work for us, so this doesn't really apply to us for performance reasons; that is until we've given up said sport and we're just eating to live)
Ok, so where's my proof? Lets look at the 3 main macro nutrients found in food. There are fats, protein and carbohydrates. If I asked you who would live longer, a person eating only fats and proteins or a person eating only carbs and protein, which one would you choose? Well, if you picked fats and protein, you'd be right. Here's why... The human body makes a lot of things that it needs to survive on its own.. these are called non-essential items, but there are other things the human body needs that it must get from an outside source, these are called essentials items. The human body needs essential amino acids (protein) and essential fatty acids (fats)... guess what it doesn't need? That's right, there are ABSOLUTELY ZERO essential carbohydrates. "But Zach, what about glucose, that's a sugar that the body needs to operate" You're correct. The thing is though, in the presence of protein and fats, the body can produce its own glucose through a mechanism called "gluconeogenesis". Now, I've argued with people who have told me that that is an inefficient mechanism, but they were all fucking idiots. It's very efficient. Another argument I've heard is "well that creates ketones and can put you in a state of ketoacidosis" Again, fucking idiots. The production of ketones in the body when you don't consume carbs and the life threatening diagnosis of ketoacidosis, something usually only found in diabetics, do not go hand in hand.
Ok, so what about cholesterol and fats in the blood stream. Don't they clog up your arteries and make you have a heart attack? Uhh, no. My guess to how that theory came about is that they were looking at high fat intake, but neglected to record the intake of simple carbohydrates along with those fats. Fat is an essential macronutrient that the body MUST have in order to operate. The amount of functions your body does that require fat is incalculable, well, to me on my keyboard at this moment anyway. You're body is a very efficient machine. Don't let anyone fool you... the human body is fucking amazing and I've seen it do phenomenal things first hand. On that note, it is also very, very, very efficient. When you take in an abundance of fat and simple sugars, of course your body is going to burn the simple sugars first. I mean, 4 calories is a lot easier to burn than 9 right? But, carbs are not the fuel of choice for the human body, its just the fuel it reverts to when it has the choice of doing less work. Its like putting rocket fuel in a space ship vs. the shit you buy at Exxon. The Exxon gas may be cheaper, but it definitely isn't the best choice. On the other hand, when you take in fats without a ton of unwanted sugars and other carbs, your body has no choice but to burn the fat and it runs very smoothly. So, what have we learned so far? Our brains our made up of fat. Fat is a very good fuel source. Fat is needed for the body to live. Fat is good. Fat doesn't make you fat. So what makes us fat? Insulin resistance. Eating too much sugar. Eating too many refined carbs in our low fat milkshakes. Its just bad shit, don't eat it.
As for cholesterol. "Zach, I've been eating cheerios to raise my good cholesterol, that's whole grains, aren't I moving in the right step?" No. Here's a little bit of fascinating information. LDL and HDL aren't even cholesterol. Cholesterol is cholesterol is cholesterol. That's it, no ifs, ands or buts. LDL and HDL are "Low density lipoproteins" and "high density lipoproteins"... that's right, they're proteins. See, cholesterol is a lipid and it doesn't mix well with blood, so it combines with a protein so it can move through the blood. So, the lipoprotein's only job is to ship and receive cholesterol to wherever the body desires it. The LDL brings it to where it needs to be and the HDL comes and cleans it all up and takes it away. Why do we need cholesterol? For lots of shit. Hormones, cell function, blah blah blah. We need it, and despite what they tell you, your body is very good at regulating it. If you eat too much, your liver (your own bodies production center for cholesterol) doesn't make as much, if you eat too little, your liver will produce more. (Its only in cases of certain liver diseases that it can get out of whack). So what does this mean to us? Nothing really. The correlation between cholesterol levels and instances of heart attacks is pretty much null, but newer research has been linked to a raise in LDL (the bad lipoprotein) from the over consumption of sugar. Basically what happens, without getting too into it, is sugar can cause a chain of chemical reactions which create low density lipids. There are actually 2 kinds of LDL, one that is good and does its job efficiently, and then there is another one that is bad and clogs up our arteries.
So now the question arises, why do we get heart disease and diabetes? Well, A LOT of research is starting to come out verifying that these are caused by inflammation due to an increased consumption of sugar! That's right. Sugar is an inflammatory substance to the human body. Think about it this way... you ever met someone with diabetes that got it from eating too much steak? Me neither. We need the fat and cholesterol for so many things to happen in our body that keep us healthy and vibrant (Q-Tip just popped into my head). We don't need sugar, or hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup, etc. All of these processed things that we eat in our "Super brand new low-fat salad dressing" are fucking killing us and causing disease. They are linking so many diseases to sugar and processed foods that if it isn't clear to us by now, then it probably never will be.
I mentioned insulin sensitivity before. When you ingest sugars, or any carb for that matter, your pancreas releases insulin which goes into the blood stream to shuttle the carbohydrate to where it needs to go. When you eat carbs in such an abundance, you overwork your pancreas, causing it to get out of whack and your body becomes insulin resistant. Its a lot more complex than that, but its basically what happens. Insulin resistance, if you haven't caught on, is bad and it contributes a whole fuck load to your body storing fat.
Crazy huh? The diet that's been pushed on us for years is killing us. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but its kind of hard not to notice that the same people who are pushing this diet on us are also the ones pushing lipitor. Maybe its just me, I don't know.
What about protein. Well, if I really have to go into the benefits of eating protein, then I just wasted the past hour of my time. Its the building block for everything in our bodies. Eat more of it. Oh yea, don't worry about it damaging your kidneys. You know that study that your one friend told you about that said that a high protein diet will damage your kidneys? Well, first off, your friend is a fuckstick and second, that study was only conclusive in people with PRE-EXISTING kidney problems.
So now comes the question, what should you eat? Well, I'm a fan of the Paleo diet. There is enough info on it out there that you should be able to find out what I'm talking about. (no, I don't get any money for this, otherwise I would be in my apartment writing this, not at the school's library... but that doesn't mean I won't take donations.) Basically, to sum it up... well, I summed it up before. If a caveman couldn't eat it, don't eat it. The biggest and most important factor is, don't fucking worry about dietary fat and cholesterol! Just steer clear of sugar and... you know what, fuck it.. don't eat carbs unless they come from vegetables, fruits, legumes, or tubers (yams and sweet potatoes). eat full fat meats. dairy if you can handle it. I guarantee you won't only look better, but you'll feel about a trillion times better when you stop eating all that low fat processed bullshit... and ohh yea, focus on PROTEIN! You don't even have to weigh out your foods. Your body will know when its full and it will tell you with vengeance. Don't believe me? Go buy a rotisserie chicken right now. Sit down and eat the whole thing. Don't fucking pussy foot around it. I'm talking skin, breasts, thighs, wings... eat it all. Unless you're like me and you've trained yourself to eat that much, there is a good chance you'll get halfway through before you throw in the towel.
And one last thing before I leave you, because my fingers are starting to hurt. Drink water! Like, a lot of it. Fuck that 8 cups a day bullshit. 64 ounces? That's cool, if you're a 120lb chick. But if you're not, you should drink at the minimum, half your body weight in ounces of water a day. Your body needs water or it will die.
You just never know
As many of you know, today is my birthday. Hooray! The big 27. Another year notched into my belt. But that's not what I'm writing about (but yea, I figured a way to sneak it in there because I'm awesome... meeeeeee). I'm writing about something that I sent to someone in a text, as a joke, but it really began to resonate in my mind. This isn't verbatum, but it basically boiled down to me saying sarcastically "I've gotten so many birthday wishes on facebook, I'm a pretty big deal... I never realized how my greatness has affected so many." Of course I was joking. I think I'm a pretty big deal, but my head isn't that big (well, it is physically).
Me at 16
Me now
Me at 16Me nowAnyway, if you know me, you know that I'm not shy about my life and the shit I go through. I have no problem telling people shit that most would like to be kept a secret. Hell, if you've been my friend on facebook for more than a day, I've made it pretty apparent that I can be vocal, almost annoyingly so, and its OK, I'm fine with it. If you don't like it, block me, piss off, whatever. I'm gonna keep saying my shit and you're gonna deal with it, but again, thats not what I'm writing about.
What I'm writing about is the fact that we never know who we're influencing around us, but believe me, your actions and voice speak louder than you think. I mean, some of the stuff that I say, regardless of how stupid half of it is, I have found, believe it or not, to really help people. I have actually affected some people's lives in a positive way. People dealing with issues like ADHD, to depression and other stuff, have contacted me looking for advice and help, and who the hell am I? I just some schmuck with a computer. Its not that I'm anyone important, its just that I'm someone they can relate to because I have made it clear that I'm dealing with the same issues. I mean, I never really thought about it, but there are people out there looking for help and looking for other people like them, and sometimes, there are people just looking for something stupid to make them smile for a second so they can forget about the monotony of their day. Why do you think I post shit so often? If something pops into my head that I think is funny, I figure at least ONE other person will get a kick out of it. (but lets be honest, I'm fucking hilarious)
I hate getting all deep like this, but I just felt the need to write about how we influence others. I'm not saying that you should go out and spread your dirty laundry, just in case there is someone else out there with your problem, but keep open ears and eyes, because you just never know when someone is looking for that assurance that they're not alone in this shitty world.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Aren't you afraid that muscle is going to turn to fat?
So, I've decided to turn this whole blogging escapade into more than just a recipe guide. I mean, I've got a lot of shit to say, regardless of whether or not you want to hear it. It will all be fitness related, so don't worry, I'm not going to rant and rave about how shitty of a president Ol' Barack has turned out to be or anything (really, really shitty by the way)
Anyway, a question I, and I'm sure many of my fellow meatheads get, is "aren't you afraid all that muscle is going to turn into fat when you get older?" This question pisses me off to no avail. Its almost as annoying as "how much do you bench". Look, first of all, IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR MUSCLE TO TURN INTO FAT! It just can't happen. Its not like a dude who lifts weights turns 50 and then all of the sudden his body starts going into some sort of physiological tailspin and starts alchemying (I just made that up) muscle into fat.
Now, am I worried that when I get older and probably become more sedentary that I may gain some unwanted body weight? Its a possibility, but very doubtful, and I'll tell you why. You see, when people like myself or other strongmen, powerlifters and bodybuilders put on such a large amount of mass, it isn't just an over night thing that they do because they are "genetically gifted". I don't think that the majority of the population really gets how much work is put into getting your weight into the upper 200's and 300's. We have to eat A LOT of food.... to the point that it isn't really enjoyable. After reading an article by Dave Tate yesterday http://www.t-nation.com/testosterone-magazine-641?s=indexTitle#dave-tate-talks-bulking-cutting I began thinking about this and my own experiences and how often I come across people who are so oblivious to the dedication it takes. Every time someone comes up to me to inquire about training, the first question out of their mouth is, "hey, what supplements should I take?" They're always shocked when I look at them and say "what's your diet like? if you're not eating enough, then supplements are a waste of time." Then of course, they always tell me "ohh, I eat a lot... like yesterday, i went to subway twice and had a protein shake" wow dude, you're really chowin down huh... now take that and triple it and you're starting to get into the realm of eating enough. They don't realize that it requires shoving down 7-8 meals a day, hating every bite you take. Its not for the week of heart. You really need to "want" to do it.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, when I get older and my ego finally lets me stray away from wanting to be the biggest and strongest motherfucker on the planet, I'll simply not eat as much. Its really that simple. Plus, I guarantee you I'll never stray away from the weights or physical activity. Lifting heavy things isn't just a hobby, its a fucking religion to me and my fellow meatheads. At night when I go to bed, I think about the next session I'm going to have under the bar. I schedule my classes, work and social life around my eating and training schedule. I am constantly envisioning breaking through my goals and despite how many out of shape and obese doctors and nurses tell me that I'm ruining my body, I'll never quit do it.... to sum it up, its pretty important to me.
Also, all of us meatheads know something that most of the general population doesn't. The dietary guidelines set forth by the USDA and the food guide pyramid are COMPLETE BULLSHIT! Most of us like to eat healthy whole food sources like full fat meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and oils. You know, stuff that's full of that terrible fat and cholesterol. Yet, we're healthier, larger and stronger than everyone else... wonder why that is? But keep eating your low fat, processed foods and we'll see who lives longer.
So when I get older, am I worried? No, I'll probably be that dude that's in his 60's, looks like he's 30 and is hitting on 20 year old gym bunnies while the rest of the people my age will be the fatties on the stationary bike, reading stupid fitness magazines, eating low-fat/low-cholesterol diets, wondering why they're so fucking fat.
Anyway, a question I, and I'm sure many of my fellow meatheads get, is "aren't you afraid all that muscle is going to turn into fat when you get older?" This question pisses me off to no avail. Its almost as annoying as "how much do you bench". Look, first of all, IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR MUSCLE TO TURN INTO FAT! It just can't happen. Its not like a dude who lifts weights turns 50 and then all of the sudden his body starts going into some sort of physiological tailspin and starts alchemying (I just made that up) muscle into fat.
Now, am I worried that when I get older and probably become more sedentary that I may gain some unwanted body weight? Its a possibility, but very doubtful, and I'll tell you why. You see, when people like myself or other strongmen, powerlifters and bodybuilders put on such a large amount of mass, it isn't just an over night thing that they do because they are "genetically gifted". I don't think that the majority of the population really gets how much work is put into getting your weight into the upper 200's and 300's. We have to eat A LOT of food.... to the point that it isn't really enjoyable. After reading an article by Dave Tate yesterday http://www.t-nation.com/testosterone-magazine-641?s=indexTitle#dave-tate-talks-bulking-cutting I began thinking about this and my own experiences and how often I come across people who are so oblivious to the dedication it takes. Every time someone comes up to me to inquire about training, the first question out of their mouth is, "hey, what supplements should I take?" They're always shocked when I look at them and say "what's your diet like? if you're not eating enough, then supplements are a waste of time." Then of course, they always tell me "ohh, I eat a lot... like yesterday, i went to subway twice and had a protein shake" wow dude, you're really chowin down huh... now take that and triple it and you're starting to get into the realm of eating enough. They don't realize that it requires shoving down 7-8 meals a day, hating every bite you take. Its not for the week of heart. You really need to "want" to do it.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, when I get older and my ego finally lets me stray away from wanting to be the biggest and strongest motherfucker on the planet, I'll simply not eat as much. Its really that simple. Plus, I guarantee you I'll never stray away from the weights or physical activity. Lifting heavy things isn't just a hobby, its a fucking religion to me and my fellow meatheads. At night when I go to bed, I think about the next session I'm going to have under the bar. I schedule my classes, work and social life around my eating and training schedule. I am constantly envisioning breaking through my goals and despite how many out of shape and obese doctors and nurses tell me that I'm ruining my body, I'll never quit do it.... to sum it up, its pretty important to me.
Also, all of us meatheads know something that most of the general population doesn't. The dietary guidelines set forth by the USDA and the food guide pyramid are COMPLETE BULLSHIT! Most of us like to eat healthy whole food sources like full fat meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and oils. You know, stuff that's full of that terrible fat and cholesterol. Yet, we're healthier, larger and stronger than everyone else... wonder why that is? But keep eating your low fat, processed foods and we'll see who lives longer.
So when I get older, am I worried? No, I'll probably be that dude that's in his 60's, looks like he's 30 and is hitting on 20 year old gym bunnies while the rest of the people my age will be the fatties on the stationary bike, reading stupid fitness magazines, eating low-fat/low-cholesterol diets, wondering why they're so fucking fat.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Vegetables
Cooking vegetables can be a daunting task, that is, if you're an illiterate that can't count to 10. Cooking veggies is easy, and yet, a lot of people make it so much more difficult than it really is. Plus, as we all know, eating vegetables helps us grow big and strong, like flintstones vitamins. I'll go over 3 methods to make them quick, easy and in a hurry.
Step 1. Cut the vegetables lengthwise, so they dont fall into the grill (also, you can put them sideways... logic works wonders)
Method #1- Blanching
This is probably the easiest and quickest way to cook veggies, especially green vegetables. I don't fully "blanch" them, but lets go over what blanching is. Blanching is boiling the vegetables very quickly, only for like a minute, and then dumping them into ice cold water to stop the cooking process... this leaves them fresh and crisp. I do the same thing, sans the ice bath. This works very well for broccoli, asparagus, green beans, and a few others. Its really easy to do with green vegetables, because as soon as they turn a shade of green that really "pops", they're done.
Step 1. Boil water and add some salt
Step 2. Wash veggies
Step 3. Chop the vegetables down to a size that will let them fit into the pan.
Step 4. Carefully! put them into the boiling water. Wait about a minute... you should notice them turn a brighter green.
Step 5. Pull the veggies out of the pot using something other than your hands
Step 6. Either put them on the plate, or put into an ice bath for a good 15-20 seconds and then serve.
Step 7. Devoure
Method #2-Broiling or grilling
This method is great because you can do it with virtually any vegetable, ie. Zucchini, squash, asparagus, broccoli, onions... whatever. And, its quick and easy.
Step 1. Cut the vegetables lengthwise, so they dont fall into the grill (also, you can put them sideways... logic works wonders)Step 2. Preheat the grill or broiler
Step 3. Brush the veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can add other stuff, but lets keep it simple for simplicities sake.
Step 4. Put under, or over (depending on grilling or broiling) direct heat. Let them cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness... just check every once in a while.
Step 5. Put on the plate and enjoy.
I prefer my vegetables to be a little more burnt, I really like the charred taste, but you can experiment with times and heats to cook it to your desired taste.
Method #3- Steaming
Now, this requires a little bit of technical skill... well, not really, but you need to have the right tools to do it. You can either A. buy a vegetables steaming machine
Or B. buy an insert for a large pot, as shown.
Basically, the first option is the easiest and will provide you with tons of veggies for a long time. Really, all you have to do is follow the directions that come with the device and presto, you're a chef. The second option just requires that you know how to boil water. Its easy, but require a little more finesse. Timing all depends on how done you like your veggies.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
the art of marinating a steak
If you're a true meathead, then you probably eat a lot of meat, steak in particular. If you're not culinary inclined, then I'd be willing to bet that when you cook a steak, you probably just throw the cheapest cut of meat you find onto a grill and then suffer through eating it. (that's what I used to do anyway) I'm going to give you a couple of pointers on how to make that steak good enough to slap yo momma. 
First of all, lets talk about cuts of meat. Not all cuts of meat were meant to be marinated. You're best bet is to marinate the cheaper cuts of meat, because they're usually tough and "undesirable". If you have yourself some filet mignon, t-bone, strip or sirloin, just brush them with some olive oil, throw on some salt and pepper, and cook both sides on direct heat for about 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness of the cut and your preference on doneness). Now, if you're poor like me, you're not splurging on these steaks every day, but don't worry, there are plenty of other steaks that you can make taste better and be more tender than filet mignon, very easily.
First of all, lets talk about cuts of meat. Not all cuts of meat were meant to be marinated. You're best bet is to marinate the cheaper cuts of meat, because they're usually tough and "undesirable". If you have yourself some filet mignon, t-bone, strip or sirloin, just brush them with some olive oil, throw on some salt and pepper, and cook both sides on direct heat for about 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness of the cut and your preference on doneness). Now, if you're poor like me, you're not splurging on these steaks every day, but don't worry, there are plenty of other steaks that you can make taste better and be more tender than filet mignon, very easily. 
The first steak that I love to marinate and cook with is a skirt steak (also known as a hanger steak, pictured above) They cook up very quickly and take on marinades quite well. The next cut, which is from the same family of steaks, or brisket, is called a flank steak (pictured right). Both of these steaks are easy to find and pretty cheap. Just make sure you ask the butcher to clean off the "silver skin". This is a tough membrane that runs across the steak. Its edible, but it will make the steak curl, and thats not good.
Ok, now on to marinading, grilling and/or broiling.
Spicy Balsamic skirt steak
1 skirt steak (about 12-16oz)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
salt
1 chopped clove garlic
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp Sriracha
1 tbsp honey
Start this about an hour before you're going to cook, if you have the time. If not, throw it in the fridge early in the day and then take it out at least a half hour before you cook it. You want to give the steak some time to come to room temperature so it cooks more evenly. Now, take the steak, and place it in a plastic bag. Set aside. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients until emulsified (a fancy word for when the oil and vinegar mix together). I do my marinade 1 part vinegar, 2 parts oil because I like mine to be pretty acidic, but if you're not a huge vinegar fan, just put in a 1/4-1/3 of a cup, depending on taste. Now, pour the marinade into the bag and let it either sit in the fridge for a few hours, or on the counter for at least 45 minutes. 10 minutes before you're about to cook, turn on either you're grill or broiler (grill on high!). If you're broiling under a flame, the distance should already be set, but if you're broiling in an electric oven, I've found that placing the rack two rungs down works well. Now, if you're using a broiler, put the steak on a cookie sheet or baking tray (preferably with sides to catch the juices) and put under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, then pull it out, flip it and put it in for about another 2 minutes. It cooks very quickly, if you over do it, it'll get tough, but if you cook it just right, it'll be tender. It'll be about the same cooking time on a grill, maybe a little longer, depending on the grill. After you take it out, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes! this lets the juices redisburse in the steak and keeps it moist. Now, sit down and enjoy. Its probably going to be a little big for your plate, so if you do cut it in half, cut against the grain.
a few more tips
-it isn't necessary for a skirt steak, but on a flank steak, you're going to want to poke some holes in it with a fork or "corse" it with a knife, or just make little slits on the top of the steak
-using pot holders when toucing hot things, meathead
-when in doubt, remember the words of Bobby Flay, "Season more and cook for less time"... I personally believe that the more raw a steak is, the better it tastes.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
first post
This blog is for all of my fellow meatheads out there that love to lift heavy things and eat in mass quantity. It is intended for anyone looking to up their mass, get teh sik abz, or just be cock diesel strong and, it is also for the culinary disabled. I've spent years being confused about cooking, that is, until I just decided to start doing it. The recipes I share are meant for people who have very little time and or understanding of cooking... they're very easy... so easy, a meathead could do it. And lets be honest, if you can do a 16 week block periodization based on percentages of a perceived max or differentiate between which muscles are extending and flexing during a deadlift, then opening a can of beans shouldn't be very hard. I'm going to open your eyes to spices, easy to learn cooking methods, and ways to make food not suck so you can keep making people scratch their heads at the stupid things we do. So anyway, on to my first two, EASY, recipes...
Meathead's low-carb chili
12 oz. raw ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer organic fire roasted)
Ground cumin
Salt
Yea, its that simple. You can do this in a skillet (thats a frying pan) or you can do it in a 2 qaurt sauce pan (what you would cook soup in). Turn the heat up to medium/medium-high (4 or 5 for electric ovens) and let it heat up a little... spray the bottom of the pan with some non stick spray (or olive oil if you're not counting calories or fat content) and when it starts to get hot, throw in the ground beef in crumbles. Wash your hands. Now, cook the ground beef around till most of it is brown, it doesn't have to totally brown, because it is still going to cook in the tomatoes. Throw some salt onto it too. Now that you have it browned, throw in the tomatoes. (At this point, you can either drain the excess liquid from the meat and the can of tomatoes, or you can keep it in there, it just depends on if you like your chili soupy or not) Throw in about a teaspoon of the cumin (Cumin is what makes chili smell like chili... its an awesome spice and I use it a lot now) Stir everything together and let it simmer until it's at a desired thickness (simmering makes a lot of the liquid evaporate). Make sure you stir it every couple of minutes so it doesn't burn. Pour into a bowl and eat. Ohh, and if its too bland, add some salt, or Sriracha... if you've never had Sriracha, then you need to really rethink your entire life. If thats too hot for you though.. go to the "ethnic" section of your grocery store and get some authentic mexican taco sauce... they don't add anything but the good shit.
Nutrition Data (using 95% lean ground beef)
560 calories
17grams fat
76 grams protein
18 grams carbs (3 grams fiber)
(carbs may be a little higher, depending on what type of seasonings you use)
Now, if you're not counting calories and you're trying to get as bulky as possible, here are a few things you can do to awesome it up.
1. When you're putting in the tomatoes, add in a can of either kidney beans or black beans.
2. When you're heating up the pan, you can throw in some diced onions and garlic.
3. Right before you add the tomatoes, throw in some bacon pieces... they're cheap and add some more protein.
4. Add some tortillas, cheese and sour cream into the mix
Easy chicken soup
9 oz. cooked chicken breast (about 12 oz. raw)
one cup of brown rice (cooked)
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken broth
salt to taste
Ok, lets start off talking about the chicken. You can either buy it canned or cook it yourself, I find that while the canned version is easier, it tends to be a lot drier and harder to get down. Another option, that I love doing, is buying a rotisserie chicken and ripping it to shreds. (especially if you're not counting calories... just eat the skin while you're ripping it apart, because throwing the skin away should be some sort of crime punishable by death) If you're going to just buy some breasts to cook, get the thin sliced, they don't dry out as easy as whole breasts. Now, you've got your chicken (if you chose breasts, hand rip it apart to some bite size pieces)... throw the chicken, the cooked rice, and the broth into a soup pan. turn it on medium-high and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to low. Add some salt. Right before you turn it off, add the frozen peas and stir them in. They'll cook up almost instantly, so turn off the heat and transfer the ingredients to a bowl. Add some more salt if you need to. You're done.
Nutrition Data
Calories ~ 720
Fat~ 15 grams
Protein~85-90 grams
Carbs~ 56 grams (about 8 grams fiber)
These numbers can vary depending on what type of broth you use, the chicken, and rice.. but thats pretty accurate. You can add more vegetables as needed... putting frozen veggies in at the end is a great way to save time and cash, plus, they're usually fresher than regular produce. If you get feisty, you can use cut up steak or pork too. Hope you enjoyed!
Meathead's low-carb chili 12 oz. raw ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer organic fire roasted)
Ground cumin
Salt
Yea, its that simple. You can do this in a skillet (thats a frying pan) or you can do it in a 2 qaurt sauce pan (what you would cook soup in). Turn the heat up to medium/medium-high (4 or 5 for electric ovens) and let it heat up a little... spray the bottom of the pan with some non stick spray (or olive oil if you're not counting calories or fat content) and when it starts to get hot, throw in the ground beef in crumbles. Wash your hands. Now, cook the ground beef around till most of it is brown, it doesn't have to totally brown, because it is still going to cook in the tomatoes. Throw some salt onto it too. Now that you have it browned, throw in the tomatoes. (At this point, you can either drain the excess liquid from the meat and the can of tomatoes, or you can keep it in there, it just depends on if you like your chili soupy or not) Throw in about a teaspoon of the cumin (Cumin is what makes chili smell like chili... its an awesome spice and I use it a lot now) Stir everything together and let it simmer until it's at a desired thickness (simmering makes a lot of the liquid evaporate). Make sure you stir it every couple of minutes so it doesn't burn. Pour into a bowl and eat. Ohh, and if its too bland, add some salt, or Sriracha... if you've never had Sriracha, then you need to really rethink your entire life. If thats too hot for you though.. go to the "ethnic" section of your grocery store and get some authentic mexican taco sauce... they don't add anything but the good shit.
Nutrition Data (using 95% lean ground beef)
560 calories
17grams fat
76 grams protein
18 grams carbs (3 grams fiber)
(carbs may be a little higher, depending on what type of seasonings you use)
Now, if you're not counting calories and you're trying to get as bulky as possible, here are a few things you can do to awesome it up.
1. When you're putting in the tomatoes, add in a can of either kidney beans or black beans.
2. When you're heating up the pan, you can throw in some diced onions and garlic.
3. Right before you add the tomatoes, throw in some bacon pieces... they're cheap and add some more protein.
4. Add some tortillas, cheese and sour cream into the mix
Easy chicken soup
9 oz. cooked chicken breast (about 12 oz. raw)
one cup of brown rice (cooked)
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken broth
salt to taste
Ok, lets start off talking about the chicken. You can either buy it canned or cook it yourself, I find that while the canned version is easier, it tends to be a lot drier and harder to get down. Another option, that I love doing, is buying a rotisserie chicken and ripping it to shreds. (especially if you're not counting calories... just eat the skin while you're ripping it apart, because throwing the skin away should be some sort of crime punishable by death) If you're going to just buy some breasts to cook, get the thin sliced, they don't dry out as easy as whole breasts. Now, you've got your chicken (if you chose breasts, hand rip it apart to some bite size pieces)... throw the chicken, the cooked rice, and the broth into a soup pan. turn it on medium-high and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to low. Add some salt. Right before you turn it off, add the frozen peas and stir them in. They'll cook up almost instantly, so turn off the heat and transfer the ingredients to a bowl. Add some more salt if you need to. You're done.
Nutrition Data
Calories ~ 720
Fat~ 15 grams
Protein~85-90 grams
Carbs~ 56 grams (about 8 grams fiber)
These numbers can vary depending on what type of broth you use, the chicken, and rice.. but thats pretty accurate. You can add more vegetables as needed... putting frozen veggies in at the end is a great way to save time and cash, plus, they're usually fresher than regular produce. If you get feisty, you can use cut up steak or pork too. Hope you enjoyed!
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