The Fitness Burden

What are macros?

Should I be tracking my macros?

What are the advantages of tracking my macros?

Is it hard to do?

• Body:
  • Topic #1 - Brief introduction: Family, friends, passions other than CrossFit.
  • Topic #2 - How did you get started with CrossFit? What is your favorite part about CrossFit? How long do you foresee yourself continuing CrossFit?
  • Topic #4 - Anyone that trains as long and as hard as you has probably had to deal with injuries. How did you overcome those obstacles, and what advice would you give to someone who in currently dealing with one?
  • Topic #3 - From an athlete's perspective, what does a typical day look like for you? Training? Programming? Nutrition? Mobility? Sleep? Start with when you wake up ;)
  • Topic #4 - Outside CrossFit, what do you like to do for fun?
  • Topic #5 - If there was one piece of advice you could give a new CrossFitter, what would it be?
  • Topic #6 - What is your favorite book, and what is one book you would recommend that every athlete should read? They can be the same book.
  • Topic #7 - Rapid fire round: silly, quirky off the cuff but appropriate questions.
  • Topic #8 - Shout outs? Sponsors?

• Body:
• • Topic #1: Matthew 22:36-40 "Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
  • • CrossFit = Community
    • Coaches want to help people.
    • The best way to help people is to love them.
  • Topic #2: Unlike any sport I've played, CrossFit focuses on growth of individuals as members of a community.
  • • Definition of CrossFit =
    • "Relative intensity" means it is difficult for everyone, equally. A bench-warmer on the varsity football team, is still on the team, but they don't get any playing time.
    • Muscle-up = jumping pull-up
  • Topic #3: Christians and CrossFitters are committed to a higher calling/goal. The Bible says Christians are too be a living testimony for God on earth. To be His hands and feet. True CrossFitters are merely interested in their own fitness, rather, they are committed to the fitness of others around them.
  • Topic #4: Which famous CrossFitters are Christians?
  • • Jacob Heppner, Rich Froning, Dan Bailey, Chris Spealer, Lindsey Smith, Andrea Ager, and the list goes on and on.
  • Topic #5: What is Share the Burden CrossFit's Mission statement, and what do we represent?

• Intro:
• • Justin
  • • "Welcome to The Fitness Burden, I'm Justin Smiley with my Co-Host,"
  • Brian
  • • "Brian Turek"
  • Justin
  • • "On today's episode we are going to"

• Body: The 4 Degrees of action: "The 10x Rule" by Grant Cardone
• • Massive Thought or goals require massive action. Most people fail with both. Most people underestimate the amount of action it takes to achieve success and therefore rarely achieve it.
  • Degree #1: Do nothing people: give up on their dreams, accep any result good or bad. Spend energy justifying why they aren't doing anything. They have to spend a ton of time and creativity coming up with excuses.
  • Degree #2: Retreat people: react instead of act. Action in reverse just to avoid something negative. Justify their response their responses. Keeps them 'safe'. Don't be too ambitious, too focused, etc. Example: most marriages end in divorce. Retreat is an action.
  • Degree #3: Normal action: middle class, mediocrity. It's incredibly dangerous because most people consider it acceptable. Average heath, average career, average finances etc. The worst of the 4.
  • Degree #4: children are born with the natural instinct to take massive action. It is society that tells them to be average and retreat. Massive action will actually produce new problems. Only unsuccessful people view massive action as unusual.

• Conclusion:

• - Justin
• • "If you liked what you heard, please don't forget to go over to iTunes or Stitcher and give us a 5-star rating and share us on your social media of choice."
• - Brian
• • "And leave us some feedback and comments about what you liked and what you would like us to discuss on future episodes."

"When your diet isn't cutting it - literally." (Part 3)

Parts 1 and 2 of this podcast have addressed food logs, macronutrient timing, carb cycling, and intermittent fasting. If you have not yet listened to those, please press pause on this episode and go back to those episodes first, as part 3 only builds on the first 2. Assuming that you get optimal sleep, eat high quality fat, protein, and carbohydrates at the appropriate times during the day, and that you have normal thyroid and adrenal function, carb-cycling and intermittent fasting may still not be enough. In 2012, the federal government of the United States spent roughly $11 billion to subsidize and insure commodity crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans. In contrast, during that same year the federal government spent $1.6 to subsidize and insure specialty crops like fruits and vegetables. So, it shouldn't surprise anyone, that according to macronutrient breakdown on myplate.gov 's website, Americans should follow a diet that gets roughly 40% of its caloric intake from starchy carbohydrates. In a volatile commodities market, it makes economic sense to encourage farmers to produce goods that don't spoil quickly and that don't require refrigeration. Additionally, most of these crops can be used for more than just food. For example, corn and its derivatives can be found in everything from cereal to gasoline to batteries to baby diapers. Conversely, there are very few uses for grassed beef, other than feeding mammals that don't eat grass. As a result, the S.A.D diet is one with a surplus of pre-processed, pre-packaged carbohydrates. We've been duped by the ad agencies and marketing departments of multinational corporations like KraftHeinz and General Mills. These food companies along with governmental organizations like the FDA have led us to believe that fat is the enemy. They suggest that if we eat a low-fat diet, that all of our health issues will disappear, but apparently they don't reference the data. By systematically eliminating all fat from our diet, we open the door for a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates. Not only are these carbohydrates low in calories (1g carb = 4 calories & 1g fat = 9 calories), but they get digested and broken down into glucose which the body uses for energy or stores for a later use as fat. To makes things worse, Americans are becoming more sedentary than ever; which means, very few of those carbohydrates are getting used as metabolic fuel and most of them are getting stored as fat. This is why a low-fat diet does not work.

So what is the correct alternative? A ketogenic diet. Ketones are water-soluable fat molecules that are produced in the liver in an absence of carbohydrates. This alternative source of fuel can pass the blood-brain barrier, and they can be used by the body and brain as an alternative, and arguably superior, form of energy. Prior to the agricultural and industrial revolutions, humans relied heavily on ketosis. In fact, without it, our species would be extinct. Before our ancestors had McDonald's, Travel Marts, and Walmarts, we had to hunt, gather, or farm our food. When times were tough, we would often go for days between meals. We were forced by nature, to rely on a very basic process. We would use stored fat as fuel. Now, you tell me. Does this sound like something you would like to do? Use your stored bodyfat deposits as fuel? Translated, this means that you can actually use that spare tire around your midsection to get rid of the spare tire around your midsection. If the human body, can naturally enter a fat-burning state in an absence of carbohydrates, it would make sense that a society that eats too many carbohydrates would have an obesity problem. Because Americans eat too many carbohydrates, their bodies are never forced to use the fat they store up as fuel, and their fat stores continue to increase, just like their waste lines. But surely, a government that wants to provide affordable healthcare to all of its citizens would care about the health of its citizens, right? Remember those subsides I mentioned earlier, and do you remember the macronutrient breakdown on myplate.gov?

What does a Ketogenic diet look like? Definitions vary, and unfortunately, because of the bodybuilding community, many people think a ketogenic diet is a diet void of carbohydrates and fat, but that is not the case. In order for the human body to effectively use ketones for fuel, it must also have a sustainable source of fat. A ketogenic diet is high in Coconut and or MTC oil, healthy grassfed meats, grassfed butter, nuts, and seeds. Yes, the body can enter a state of ketosis without a regular source of healthy fat, but it isn't sustainable for longer periods of time, and it definitely is not good for people who are looking to improve their fitness performance. A ketogenic diet is the exact opposite of the S.A.D or Standard American Diet, and that should be enough reason to give this new lifestyle a try. 60% of Americans are overweight and or obese, and the problem is now affecting our children. So, one could argue that a drastic nutritional shift from the preprocessed, prepackaged, carbohydrate eating habits of most Americans, would be a smart move.

• Look back at the 2015 Training season.
  • Determine your strengths and weaknesses
  • Take a look at the 5 Open workouts
    • Breakdown each workout and evaluate where you need to improve
• As for an unbiased opinion.
  • Have someone else look at your strengths and weaknesses
• Re-evaluate why you train.
  • Do you really want to get better at double-unders or do you want to look/feel better?
• Create a plan that will help you improve those weaknesses and maintain your strengths
• Stick to the plan regardless of what other people are doing.

• Intro:
• Justin
• “Welcome to The Fitness Burden, I’m Justin Smiley with my Co-Host,”
• Brian
• “Brian Turek”
• Justin
• “On today’s episode we are going to address a common question in our box, “When should I go heavier, and how do I know when to push the clock?”

• Body:
• Topic #1 The CrossFit training spectrum: Technique, Strength, Speed
• Scaled weights vs Rx Weights - relative strength
• Topic #2 What will using heavier weights do for my performance?
• Rx weights will feel lighter and therefore easier.
• Topic #3 What will going faster do for my performance?
• Push the anaerobic threshold (Oxidative vs glycolytic)
• Topic #4 Which is best to help me achieve my goals?
• Look, feel, or perform.
• Determine the proper blend. Training frequency.
• Topic #5 When should I go heavier, and when should I go faster in my training cycles?

• - Justin
• “If you liked what you heard, please don’t forget to go over to iTunes or Stitcher and give us a 5-star rating and share us on your social media of choice.”
• - Brian
• “And leave us some feedback and comments about what you liked and what you would like us to discuss on future episodes.”

• What is the open?
• What are the dates?
• Why should you sign up for the open?
  • Community
  • Competition
  • Inspiration / Motivation
  • Test / Re-test
• What if I can't do all of the movements?
  • Movements to expect
  • Workout style
• What are our predictions?.

• Body:
• Topic #1: What is the difference between a plateau and a valley-canyon
• Plateau - a regular/natural byproduct of training that usually occurs after a period of consistent progression. A true performance plateau occurs when an athlete has already optimized their sleep, training, and nutrition.
• Questions to ask yourself to determine whether or not you have hit a ‘true’ performance plateau.
• If I don’t sleep, eat, or train optimally, what can I do to improve those three factors.
• Optimal fat, protein, carbohydrates, sleep, hydration etc.
• Valley-Canyon - an irregular/unnatural product of poor sleep, nutrition, or training habits that usually occurs when an athlete has not optimized the aforementioned criteria.
• Examples from Justin & Brian where we have experienced both plateaus and valleys.
• Topic #2: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” - Mark Twain.
• Even though CrossFit is defined as Constantly Varied, Functional Movement, Performed at a relative high intensity, that doesn’t mean you are protected from encountering plateaus.
• What happens when you encounter a plateau?
• Self-analysis. What is the plateau? (Example: Snatch) Why can’t I snatch more weight? Which part of the snatch do you struggle with most? Pulling down and under the bar? Trusting you legs, shoulders, wrists?
• Example: Brian - squat clean??? (Lots of Front Squats because getting under the bar wasn’t the problem, it was standing up with the weight.
• Deadlift, strong legs, but lower back rounds.
• Topic #3: How long have you been training? The longer you train, the more likely you are to hit a plateau and the more difficult it will be to break through it.
• Many CrossFitters encounter plateaus that involve their weaknesses.
• Example: Muscle-up - you may have the pulling strength to get your chest to the rings, but you may not have the dip strength to get out of your catch or wrist strength to maintain a false grip- transition.
• Example: HS Pushups, you may have the overhead strength, but you lack the overhead mobility or stability to balance properly.
• Topic #4: Pushing to failure, maxing regularly to determine effective percentages, and proper recovery.
• The human body adapts quickly and likes to operate at the minimum effective dose.
• Minimum effective dose. (Example: If 1 - 50mg ibuprofen could get rid of a headache, then why take more than 1. ) If doing a 5x5 back squat hurts at 70%, then why would we make it hurt a little bit more and up the weight an additional #10.
• The harder we push, the more likely we are to get sore and injured. Increasing the weight used or reps performed, or decreasing the time it takes to complete a workout are good things, but we must also increase our warm-up time, cool-down time, and spend more time on mobility.

• Intro:
• Justin
• “Welcome to The Fitness Burden, I’m Justin Smiley with my Co-Host,”
• Brian
• “Brian Turek”
• Justin
• “On today’s episode we are going to talk about self-empowerment”
• Body:
• Topic #1 What we can’t control.
• The weather, traffic, other people and their actions or responses.
• Modern medicine preaches the opposite
• Genetic, environmental, hereditary, byproduct of circumstances.
• Topic #2 What can we control?
• For the most part, we control our sleep, food and drink consumption, physical activity, preventative maintenance, the people we surround ourselves with, and what we allow into our heads.
• As humans, I believe it is our God-given right to control our physical bodies.
• “Invictus” I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
• Much of life is out of our control
• Focus on what we can control: attitude, our response.
• Viktor Frankl - Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning: Nazi Holocaust survivor
• Forced abortion of his first child, Mother, Father, Wife, and Brother are all murdered in Auschwitz extermination camp.
• Attributes his survival to his focus on his own actions and responses than that of his captors. (Controlling what he can control)
• “Meditations” Marcus Aurelius: “. . . he who lives longest and he who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose something he does not already possess.”
• Topic #3 Small Victories lead to big victories, but you have to set yourself up for success. Control what is within your control, and don’t stress on the rest.
• Put yourself in situations and circumstances that will be most conducive to success.
• I know that I get a much better workout and I will push myself harder when I workout with other people. This is one readon why CrossFit works so well.
• “Do not waste the remainder of your life in thoughts about others, for you lose the opportunity of doing something else when you have such thoughts. - Aurelius
• “A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others. - Aurelius
• Conclusion:
• - Justin
• “If you liked what you heard, please don’t forget to go over to iTunes or Stitcher and give us a 5-star rating and share us on your social media of choice.”
• - Brian
• “And leave us some feedback and comments about what you liked and what you would like us to discuss on future episodes.”