5 Nutrition Strategies For Injuries & Recovery

by Rick Kaselj

I’m known as the exercise for injuries guy. I rarely discuss the nutrition side of injury prevention and recovery. Today I have a very special article for you written by my friend Lori Kennedy RHN, CEO of WOW! Weight Loss Inc.
Today she is sharing her 5 Nutrition Strategies for Improving Recovery after an Injury. Take it away Lori…
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Hi everyone!
Thanks for having me back on the blog again Rick. I read Rick’s blog diligently because my client demographics are mostly baby boomers. A lot of my clients have injuries that prevent them from engaging in exercise or even being active in their daily lives.
While exercise and rehab routines are a necessity to recover from injuries, the nutrition side of recovery often gets ignored. Being that I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and not an expert in exercise recovery I turn to food to help my clients. I’ve been using some fairly simple, yet really powerful healing nutrition strategies with my clients that I wanted to share with you.
Strategy #1: Focus On Mono-Unsaturated Fats
Examples of mono-unsaturated anti-inflammatory fats are Omega 3 essential fatty acids like olive oil, fish oil, avocado, salmon, certain nuts/seeds like walnuts, flax oil and flax seeds. In order to keep inflammation in check it’s important that clients consume these foods on a daily basis.
While we don’t want to greatly limit the inflammation process because it’s required for healing, we want to make sure inflammation doesn’t become a problem that can then lead to the reduction of blood flow and lack of mobility.
The most popular solution I use is to have clients take between 3 to 9 grams (based on body size) of an Omega 3 supplement daily. The chances of them eating the appropriate amount of mono-unsaturated foods every day is slim. You will experience better compliance with the supplements recommendation.
Strategy #2: Add In Strategic Foods Or Supplements
Research shows that there are some well-known foods that can aid in injury recovery. While these foods are readily available it’s highly unlikely that your clients are going to remember to consume them daily.

• Bromelain: (from pineapple): 1 cup daily OR 500 – 1000mg daily
• Garlic: 2-4 whole cloves daily OR 600 -1200mg extract daily 
• Turmeric: 1 tsp daily OR 400 – 600 mg daily

I suggest that they aim to include these elements as food sources but supplement on days when they can’t. Most clients are not going to have 4 cloves of garlic per day.
Strategy #3: Ensure Adequate Daily Caloric Intake
It’s quite common for appetite to decrease when clients are injured. It’s also common for injured clients to have the mindset that they need to eat less because they are unable to exercise to burn off calories.
This is faulty thinking. During an injury period resting metabolic rates actually increase between 15 – 50% depending on the injury. If the client decreases their caloric rate they could actually be slowing down the repair and recovery process because the body is not getting enough energy to cover the metabolic healing demands.
This can be remedied by getting your clients to do a simple 3-day diet diary. You can survey your clients’ intake over a 3-day period to make sure they are taking in enough calories.
Strategy #4: Getting Enough Protein
When appetite is already low and the client is in pain they will most likely consume a diet full of carbohydrates. We know that just like the anabolic training process requires protein the healing and remodeling process does too.
If I were to explain to my clients that they need 1 gram of protein per lean pound of body weight they would look at me like I had 2 heads. Instead I give them a very simple visual representation of the portion size of protein they should be consuming 3 times per day.
2 closed palms for men or 1 closed palm for women. Flat palms, not closed fists.
I provide a small list of quality proteins, things like eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, fish, bison, BioTrust protein powder and Greek yogurt.
Strategy #5: Compliance Checklist
While it’s all well and good to be giving your clients this helpful information it only serves them if they actually follow it. How do you get your clients to remember to take the supplements and eat the foods when they are in pain and angry about their injury?
I create a very simple checklist that they print and post on their fridge as a reminder. Each day it lists what supplements they need to take and the foods they should be eating. When they complete their goals for the day they put a check mark.
Download my sample Compliance Checklist HERE (<== When you click this, the file will download to your computer)
As you can see these are easy nutrition strategies you can recommend to your healing clients. You don’t need any fancy certification or credentials to be able to give these basic tips.
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Thanks Lori.

How To Gain 20 Pounds In 28 Days

Written by Tim Ferriss

The Extreme Muscle Building Secrets of UFC Fighters

Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva: The Superfight

For the past couple of years, there have been rumors of a super-fight between current UFC Welterweight champion Georges St Pierre and current Middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
If the fight becomes a reality, it will easily be the biggest fight in UFC history.
Fans want it. Sponsors want it. UFC president Dana White wants it. The only people who seem like they don’t want it?
St Pierre and Silva.
And it’s easy to see why when you look at the stats:
St Pierre, who’s 5’10″, fights in the 170-pound division. Silva, who’s 6’2″, fights in the 185-pound division.
After reading Part 1, you know how elite fighters use weight manipulation to strategically lower their body weight before official pre-fight weigh-ins. You also know that they quickly rehydrate to get back up to their real weight.
In GSP’s case, that would be about 190 pounds. In Silva’s? 230 pounds.
So for the super-fight to go through, and for it to be a reasonably fair fight, one of two things would need to happen: either St Pierre would have to gain 20-30 pounds to move up a weight class, or Silva would have to lose 20-30 pounds to move down a weight class.
Both are very difficult.
In fact, it’s enough of a weight disparity to make even the most enthusiastic MMA fans chalk up the super-fight to a pipe dream, something that will likely never happen.
But here’s the thing: That kind of extreme weight manipulation isn’t impossible. Far from it.
In fact, it’s entirely possible to gain 20 pounds of quality mass in as little as 28 days.
That’s what Nate did recently with some help from GSP’s nutrition coach, Dr. John Berardi and Martin Rooney, a strength coach who regularly trains UFC athletes.
And in this post, we explore how a guy like GSP could gain 20-30 pounds in a short period of time, increase his power, boost his strength, and maintain his athleticism and (mostly) endurance.
And maybe — just maybe — these techniques will make this super-fight a reality.
Take it away, Nate…

Enter Nate

I recently decided to try and gain 20 pounds of quality mass in 28 days.
Why?
For starters, a lot of people in the fitness world don’t think this is possible without taking steroids. Fortunately, this isn’t true. With the right program and world-class advice, it’s attainable. I wanted to prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Dr. John Berardi wanted a guinea pig to show exactly how someone like GSP could–if he wanted to–gain enough muscle to move up an entire weight class and take on a fighter like Anderson Silva.
I started the official experiment at 169 pounds and 28 days later, weighed in at 190.
This post detailed exactly how we did it.

Here’s a breakdown of the strategies I used to put on 20 pounds in 28 days.

6 Strategies for Rapid Muscle Gain

[Note from Tim: Nate shares the exact meal plan and workout program after outlining the six strategies/principles. Again, after reading once, this is probably a post you'll want to print out for reference.]

STRATEGY #1: CYCLE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD YOU EAT.
We kept things simple here. My nutrition plan was split into two different kinds of days: High-Calorie or Low-Calorie.
On my weight-training days, I ate more food. This ensured I was getting a huge influx of nutrients on the days where my muscles could put them to use. On the days I did interval workouts or took off from the gym, I ate a little less food. This helped me to add weight without adding lots of body fat.
It’s important to note that even my “low calorie” days still involved eating more food than I was previously used to. So, no matter the day, I was always in a positive energy balance. Except for Sundays. Which brings me to the second strategy.
STRATEGY #2: USE INTERMITTENT FASTING.
Every Sunday I did a 24-hour fast to offset the inevitable fat gain that would normally come with an eating plan like this. The goal was for me to be in a caloric surplus – an anabolic state – six days per week, eating more calories than I burn which would lead to muscle growth.
And then I’d be in an extreme caloric deficit one day per week, which would help reset my insulin sensitivity, boost growth hormone secretion, and help stimulate fat loss while preserving my lean mass.
STRATEGY #3: GIVE YOURSELF ROOM TO GROW.
Making a big change is all about small incremental improvements. You try something for a little while, see how it works, and if you need to, make a small change and repeat the steps.
For this experiment Berardi started me off with a lot of food, enough to where I’d be in a caloric surplus and gain muscle. But he didn’t overload me as much as he could have. Not at first, at least. He wanted to leave a little wiggle room to make changes if needed.
In both Weeks 3 and 4 we strategically added more calories to help push me past a plateau when my weight stalled at 178 pounds. (You’ll see how we did that below.)
STRATEGY #4: EAT MORE FOOD. MUCH MORE.
My weight-gain nutrition plan called for way more food than I was used to eating. So instead of focusing on counting calories — which would have been a nightmare — we turned our attention instead to making sure I was in a positive energy balance.
When you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Dr. Berardi knew all I’d have to do to gain weight was eat more food than I was eating before we started the experiment. And that was easy to do, since I was eating enough to only maintain a 170-pound body.
So how much food does it actually take to gain 20 pounds? I went through and added everything I ate in 28 days. Here it is:

• 65 pounds of meat
• 54 bananas
• 84 scoops of protein powder
• 72 pieces of bread
• 36 sweet potatoes
• 7 jars of almond butter
• 5 jars of fruit jam
• 8 jars of sauerkraut
• 144 cups of vegetables
• 36 pieces of fruit
• 72 squares of dark chocolate
• 8 bags of frozen blueberries and raspberries
• 7 cans of coconut milk
• 4 cartons of heavy whipping cream

STRATEGY #5: TRAIN YOUR ASS OFF.
Most guys think the training program is the most important part of gaining muscle. Well, most guys are wrong. If I didn’t eat enough food I could have trained as hard or as long as I wanted and not much would have happened.
Of course, the workout program is important. So Martin Rooney hooked me up with a variation of his Training For Warriors routine that he uses for high-level UFC athletes like brothers Jim and Dan Miller.
Here’s what it looked like:
Monday: Upper Body Strength
This workout focused on compound exercises and used heavy weights to build strength and target fast-twitch muscle-fibers, the ones most primed for growth.
Tuesday: Hurricane Day – Sprints
An intense total-body workout that promoted rapid fat burning and power development. Martin calls them “hurricanes” because the workouts are like a brief, powerful storm that create disruption in the muscular, cardiovascular, and neurological systems.
They’re also some of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done in my life. (I nearly passed out after my first Hurricane session; I took a 5-minute nap next to the treadmill.)
Wednesday: Off – Recovery
A much-needed rest for my muscles and mind.
Thursday: Hurricane Day – Energy Circuit
A brief, intense workout comprised of five unconventional exercises (like sledgehammer slams, medicine ball work, and rope climbs) all done in circuit fashion.
Friday: Upper Body Hypertrophy
A second upper-body day that used less complex exercises and higher reps to promote more muscle growth.
Saturday: Lower Body Strength
Just like the Upper Body Strength day, this workout focused on compound exercises and used heavy weights to build strength and target fast-twitch muscle-fibers.
Sunday: Off – Recovery
Another rest day.
So when you put it the weight-gain nutrition plan and workout program together, this is what you get:
Monday: High Calorie / Upper Body Strength
Tuesday: Low Calorie / Hurricane Sprints
Wednesday: Low Calorie / Off
Thursday: Low Calorie / Hurricane Energy Circuit
Friday: High Calorie / Upper Body Hypertrophy
Saturday: High Calorie / Lower Body Strength
Sunday: Fast / Off
STRATEGY #6: USE STRATEGIC SUPPLEMENTS.
We like to say “Supplements are supplements.” In other words, they’re ingredients you add to a smart eating and training program. They don’t replace them.
Despite what the supplement ads say, no guy has ever built a good body by taking a weird powder with a stupid name and doing nothing else.
For this experiment, however, Dr. Berardi decided I should use a few supplements strategically to maximize the amount of muscle I could build on such a short time-frame. With only 28 days to gain 20 pounds, I had to look at every opportunity to take in more calories.
The following surely didn’t “make the difference”. But they did help.
Multivitamin: Helps fix small decencies of vitamins and minerals and enhance energy metabolism.
Protein powder: Makes eating large quantities of protein easier. I used Optimum Gold Standard Casein (for my Breakfast Pudding) and Jay Robb Egg-White Protein (for my Super Shakes).
Vitamin D: Even though natural sunlight allows our body to create Vitamin D, many of us are still deficient, which can lead to loss of muscle strength and mass and low levels of immunity.
Creatine monohydrate: Helps regenerate muscle energy stores and can improve strength, boost performance, and increase muscle mass.
Fish oil: A key source of omega-3 fatty acids that helps improve mood and motivation while boosting fat-burning and dampening inflammation.
BCAA capsules: Helps reduce the chance of muscle tissue breakdown while stimulating protein synthesis, leading to better recovery and preservation of lean muscle mass. I used Optimum BCAA capsules primarily on my fasting days.
Greens powder: Veggies, fruits, algaes and/or grasses that have been compacted and distilled into powdered form and contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients.
Peri-workout drink: Supplies essential amino acids to help re-build muscle and acts as a performance-enhancing stimulant. I used Purple Wraath by Controlled Labs.
Post-workout drink: A mixture of high-quality protein and fast-acting carbohydrates that helps your body recover and rebuild quickly. I used Universal Torrent.

The Weight Gain Menu – Weeks 1 and 2

Now that we know the strategies, let’s get to the actual menu.
HIGH CALORIE DAY (MONDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY)
Breakfast
Breakfast pudding
The following was all put into a blender and blended into a pudding.
2 frozen bananas, blended until creamy
1/4 cup of almond milk
3 scoops casein protein powder
2 squares high cacao chocolate
Side dish
4 pieces whole grain bread
2 Tbsp peanut or almond butter
2 Tbsp jam
multivitamin
3,000 IU vitamin D
1 tsp creatine in coffee or green tea
Immediately Pre-Workout
500ml water
10 grams BCAA’s
Sip During Workout
1L water with
1 scoop of workout drink
Immediately Post-Workout
1L water with
3 scoops post-workout drink
Post-Workout Meal
1.5lb any type of lean meat
3 cups of favorite veggies
½ cup sauerkraut*
2 large sweet or white potatoes
1 Tbsp Udo’s 3.6.9 oil
Anytime Meal
1lb any type of lean meat
3 cups of favorite veggies
½ cup sauerkraut*
2 servings of your favorite fruit
1 Tbsp fish oil
*Your body has a mixture of good and bad bacteria in it. Fermented foods like sauerkraut are rich in enzymes and help increase the amount of good bacteria in your intestines. You’ll notice my diet contained a cup of sauerkraut per day. That’s not in there by chance.
LOW CALORIE DAY (TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY)
Breakfast
Breakfast pudding
2 frozen bananas, blended until creamy
1/4 cup of almond milk
3 scoops casein protein powder
2 squares high cacao chocolate
Side dish
2 pieces whole grain bread
1 Tbsp peanut or almond butter
1 Tbsp jam
multivitamin
3,000 IU vitamin D
1 tsp creatine in coffee or green tea
Lunch
1.5lb any type of fattier meat
3 cups of favorite veggies
1/4 cup mixed raw nuts
½ cup sauerkraut
1 large sweet or white potato
1 Tbsp Udo’s 3.6.9 oil
Dinner
1lb any type of fattier meat
3 cups of favorite veggies
½ cup sauerkraut
1 servings of your favorite fruit
1 Tbsp fish oil
FASTING DAY (SUNDAY)
I fasted every Sunday with the goal to reboot my insulin sensitivity and carb tolerance before another 6 days of big eating. The rules were simple:
Rule 1: Stop eating by 10pm on Saturday.
Rule 2: On Sunday, have 3 “meals” consisting of the following:

• 1L water with 1/2 serving greens powder
• 15g BCAA’s
• 1 cup of green tea

Why have these fake meals? According to Dr. Berardi, we release a hormone called ghrelin about 30 minutes before our normal meal times, which stimulates hunger pangs and gets us ready for the upcoming meal.
So it was psychologically comforting to have some kind of eating routine. The BCAAs and greens powder made it feel like I was still “eating”, which helped curb those hunger signals. (Plus the BCAAs helped preserve my lean muscle mass.)
Also, the caffeine in green tea (or coffee) helped to liberate stored fats. This helped my body eat the “food” that was stored in my love handles instead of requiring me to actually have a meal.
Rule 3: Break the fast at 10pm Sunday night by eating 1 pound of any protein with 3-4 cups of veggies.

The  Weight Gain Menu – Weeks 3 and 4

My menu on Weeks 3 and 4 followed the same base menu as above but we strategically added calories. In Week 3, we introduced a Super-Shake (basically a fancy protein shake) because by this time I was tired of chewing. Drinking a shake was much easier.
Here’s what we added:
WEEK 3 ADDITIONS
High-Calorie Day Super Shake (Monday, Friday, Saturday)

• 8 oz unsweetened almond milk
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream/whipping cream
• 1 scoop protein powder
• Handful frozen raspberries
• Handful frozen blueberries

Low-Calorie Day Super Shake (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

• 8 oz unsweetened almond milk
• 2 oz coconut milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 2 Tbsp cacoa nibs or 99% chocolate
• 1 Tbsp favorite nut butter

WEEK 4 ADDITIONS
We continued to add more food to my existing meals in Week 4.
Additions to High-Calorie days

• 1 banana to my breakfast pudding (for a total of 3 bananas)
• 1 chocolate square to my breakfast pudding (for a total of 3 chocolate squares)
• 1 scoop Purple Wraath to my workout drink (for a total of 2 scoops)
• 1 scoop Universal Torrent to my post-workout drink (for a total of 4 scoops)
• 2 Tbsp nut butter to my breakfast toast side-dish (for a total of 4 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp of jam to my breakfast toast side-dish (for a total of 2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream to my Super Shake (for a total of 4 Tbsp)
• 1 scoop protein to my Super Shake (for a total of 2 scoops)

Additions to Low-Calorie days

• 1 banana to my breakfast pudding (for a total of 3 bananas)
• 1 chocolate square to my breakfast pudding (for a total of 3 chocolate squares)
• 1 Tbsp nut butter to my breakfast toast side-dish (for a total of 2 Tbsp)
• 2 oz coconut milk to my Supe Shake (for a total of 4 oz)
• 1 scoop protein to my Super Shake (for a total of 2 scoops)
• 1 Tbsp chocolate to my Super Shake (for a total of 3 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp nut butter to my Super Shake (for a total of 2 Tbsp)

These were seemingly small changes that made a big impact on how much weight I gained this week.

Workout Program – Week 1

MONDAY – UPPER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
3 sets jumping jacks x 10
3 sets pogo jumps x 50
3 sets of wide outs x 10
2 sets of 20 yard skips
2 sets of 20 yard side shuffle
2 sets of 20 yard carioca
2 sets of 20 yards backward run
1 set of fire hydrants x 8
1 set of forward hip circles x 8
1 set of backward hip circles x 8
1 set of side leg raise x 8
2 sets of band shoulder external rotation x 10
2 sets of band shoulder row x 10
2 sets of band shoulder extension x 10
Weights
Bench Press
Warm-up sets of 5 reps up to the weight of your 5RM (5 Rep Max)
Perform 5 sets of 5RM.
Weighted Chin-up
Warm-up set of 8 reps.
Second set with 25 pounds of 6.
Perform 4 sets of 6 reps with 6RM.
Weighted Dips
Warm-up set of 10 reps.
Second set with 30 pounds for 8.
Perform 4 sets of 8 reps with 8 RM.
Overhead Press
Perform 4 sets of 10 with 10RM.
Barbell Curls 
Perform 4 sets of 10 with 10RM.
Abs of your choice
(I did 3 sets of 8 reps of weighted crunches.)
TUESDAY – HURRICANE SPRINTS 
Warm-up
3 sets jumping jacks x 10
3 sets pogo jumps x 50
3 sets of wide outs x 10
2 sets of 20 yard skips
2 sets of 20 yard side shuffle
2 sets of 20 yard carioca
2 sets of 20 yards backward run
1 set of fire hydrants x 8
1 set of forward hip circles x 8
1 set of backward hip circles x 8
1 set of side leg raise x 8
5 sets of quick steps for 5 yards
5 sets of high knees for 5 yards
Hurricane Category 2
Round 1
Sprint on treadmill at 10 mph and 10% grade incline for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill and perform the following:
1 x 20 regular crunch
1 x 20 table-top crunch
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 rounds.
Rest 2 minutes before moving on to Round 2.
Round 2
Sprint on treadmill at 11 mph and 10% grade incline for 20 seconds.
Jump off treadmill and perform the following:
1 x 20 knee-grab crunch
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 rounds.
Rest 2 minutes before moving on to Round 3.
Round 3
Sprint on treadmill at 12 mph and 10% grade incline for 20 seconds.
Jump off treadmill and perform the following:
1 x 20 bicycle crunch
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 rounds.
WEDNESDAY – OFF
THURSDAY – HURRICANE ENERGY CIRCUIT 
Warm-up
3 sets jumping jacks x 10
3 sets pogo jumps x 50
3 sets of wide outs x 10
2 sets of 20 yard skips
2 sets of 20 yard side shuffle
2 sets of 20 yard carioca
2 sets of 20 yards backward run
1 set of fire hydrants x 8
1 set of forward hip circles x 8
1 set of backward hip circles x 8
1 set of side leg raise x 8
5 sets of quick steps for 5 yards
5 sets of high knees for 5 yards
Training For Warriors Circuit 
Complete each station of the circuit for 1 minute for 5 total minutes. Rest for 3 minutes and repeat.  Rest for 3 minutes and perform the last round for 30 seconds each station.
1. Rope
Begin standing holding one end of the rope in each hand. Start by performing 10 double arm swings by bringing the arms up and down as violently as possible. Then perform 10 alternating swings by bringing each arm up and down one at a time. Then perform 10 rotations by bringing each arm up and out to the sides and back down. Once all 30 reps are completed as fast as possible, start back at the beginning for the allotted time.
2. Kettlebell Swing
Begin standing with the kettlebell in both hands. Swing the bell between the legs. Extend at the knees and hips and swing the bell forward to shoulder height.  Repeat for 10 reps.  Then perform 10 more reps using each arm (single-handed swings). Once the 30 reps are completed, start back at the beginning with two hands for the allotted time.
3. Medicine Ball Slams
Begin holding the medicine ball in both hands overhead. Fire the ball into the ground as hard as possible. Recover the ball and repeat for as many reps as possible in the allotted time.
4. Sledge Hammer Swings
Begin facing the tire with both feet forward holding the hammer. Bring the hammer back and over one side of the body and hit the tire as hard as possible. Return the hammer over the other side of the body and repeat for as many reps as possible in the allotted time.
5. Ladder
Begin standing inside of the ladder with both feet.  Jump and land with your feet outside of and forward one box. Jump your feet back into the box and repeat for the length of the ladder and back.  Once completed, begin running with high knees using one foot in each box, down and back the length of the ladder. Once this second set is finished, perform side steps through the ladder using two feet in each box down and back up the ladder.  Once the third set is completed, start at the beginning and complete as many reps in the allotted time possible.
FRIDAY – UPPER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Warm-up
3 sets jumping jacks x 10
3 sets pogo jumps x 50
3 sets of wide outs x 10
2 sets of 20 yard skips
2 sets of 20 yard side shuffle
2 sets of 20 yard carioca
2 sets of 20 yards backward run
1 set of fire hydrants x 8
1 set of forward hip circles x 8
1 set of backward hip circles x 8
1 set of side leg raise x 8
2 sets of band shoulder external rotation x 10
2 sets of band shoulder row x 10
2 sets of band shoulder extension x 10
Weights 
Close Grip Bench
Do 3 warmup sets of 5 reps.
Perform 4 sets of 8 with your 8 RM.
Cable High Pull
Do 4 sets of 10 reps after a warmup set.
Band Triceps Pushdown
Do 4 sets of 15 reps.
Cable Rows
Do 4 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
Dumbbell Curls
Do 3 sets of 8 each arm.
Abs of your choice.
(I did 3 sets of 5 reps on each side of half-kneeling chops.)
SATURDAY – LOWER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
3 sets jumping jacks x 10
3 sets pogo jumps x 50
3 sets of wide outs x 10
2 sets of 20 yard skips
2 sets of 20 yard side shuffle
2 sets of 20 yard carioca
2 sets of 20 yards backward run
1 set of fire hydrants x 8
1 set of forward hip circles x 8
1 set of backward hip circles x 8
1 set of side leg raise x 8
Weights
45-degree back raise
Perform 1 set of 10 with bodyweight.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 25 pounds.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 45 pounds.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 70 pounds.
Barbell Squat
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
Deadlift
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
SUNDAY – OFF

WORKOUT PROGRAM – WEEK 2

MONDAY – UPPER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Week 1.
Weights
Bench Press
Warmup sets of 6 reps up to the weight of your 6RM.
Perform 5 sets of 6RM.
(The goal is to use heavier weight in last few sets than Week 1 at 5 reps.)
Weighted Chin-up
Warmup set of 8 reps.
Do second set with 25 pounds for 8 reps.
Perform 4 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
(The goal is to use heavier weight in last few sets than Week 1 at 6 reps.)
Weighted Dips
Warmup set of 10 reps.
Do second set with 30 pounds for 10.
Perform 4 sets of 10 reps with 10RM.
(The goal is to use heavier weight in last few sets than Week 1 at 8 reps.)
Overhead Press
Perform 5 sets of 6 with 6RM.
Barbell Curls
Perform 5 sets of 8 with 8RM
Abs of your choice
(I did 3 sets of 10 weighted crunches.)
TUESDAY – HURRICANE SPRINTS 
Warm-up
Same as Week 1.
Round 1   
Sprint on treadmill at 9.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
Push Jerks x 10
Close Grip Snatch x 8
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 2.
Round 2   
Sprint on treadmill at 10.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
Wide Grip Bent Over Row x 10
High Pull x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 3.
Round 3  
Sprint on treadmill at 11.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
Biceps Curl x 10
Cleans x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Curl into a ball and try not to throw up.
WEDNESDAY – OFF
THURSDAY – HURRICANE ENERGY CIRCUIT 
Warm-up
Same as Week 1.
Training For Warriors Circuit 
Complete each station of the circuit for 1 minute for 5 total minutes. Rest for 3 minutes and repeat. Rest for 3 minutes and perform the last round for 30 seconds each station.
1. Farmer’s Walk   
Begin standing holding a heavy dumbbells in each hand with the elbows extended. Walk for 20 yards down and back as many times as possible in the time allotted.
2. Sandbag Drag   
Begin facing the sandbag while gripping the bag with both hands.  Drag the bag backward for 20 yards, using a toe-heel foot contact. Repeat for the distance as many times as possible in the time allotted.
3. Hand-Over-Hand Rope Pull 
Begin standing with the single rope in each hand. Pull the rope to the hip with the far hand and then grab further down the rope with the opposite hand. Repeat for as many times as possible in the allotted time.
4. Prowler Push or Sled Push
Begin using the high grip on the Prowler. Taking as big of steps as possible, push it 20 yards. Run around to the other side and push it back using the low grip. Repeat for as much distance as possible in the allotted time.
5. Tire Flip 
Begin facing the tire. Bend down and grab both hands under the bottom rim. Using the legs, lift the tire onto one side while keeping the elbows extended.  Turn the hands over and push the tire down as hard as possible. Run to the opposite side of the tire and flip it back to the other side. Repeat for as many reps as possible in the allotted time.
FRIDAY – UPPER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Warm-Up
Same as Week 1.
Weights
Close Grip Bench
Do 3 warmup sets of 5 reps.
Perform 4 sets of 10 with your 10RM.
Cable High Pull
Do 4 sets of 8 reps after a warmup set.
Band Triceps Pushdown
Do 4 sets of 20 reps.
Cable Rows
Do 4 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
Dumbbell Curls
Do 3 sets of 8 each arm.
Abs of your choice.
(I did 3 sets of 6 reps on each side of half-kneeling chops.)
SATURDAY – LOWER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Week 1.
Weights
45-degree back raise
Perform 1 set of 10 with bodyweight.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 25 pounds.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 45 pounds.
Perform 1 set of 8 with 90 pounds.
Barbell Squat
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
Deadlift
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
SUNDAY – OFF

WORKOUT PROGRAM – WEEK 3

MONDAY – UPPER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1 and 2.
Weights
Band Bench Press
Warmup sets of 5 reps up to the weight of your 5RM.
Perform 5 sets of 5RM.
(I used mini-bands. Here’s a video of how they work.)
Alternating Grip Weighted Chin-up
(One hand using a overhand grip, and the other hand using an underhand grip.)
Warmup set of 8 reps. (4 reps with each grip.)
Do second set with 25 pounds for 8 reps. (4 reps with each grip.)
Perform 4 sets of 8 reps with 8RM. (4 reps with each grip.)
Weighted Dips
Warmup set of 6 reps.
Do second set with 40 pounds for 6 reps.
Perform 5 sets of 6 reps with 6RM.
Overhead Press
Perform 5 sets of 5 with 5RM.
Barbell Curls
Perform 4 sets of 8 with 8RM
Abs of your choice
(I did 3 sets of 10 of reverse crunches.)
TUESDAY – HURRICANE SPRINTS 
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1 and 2.
Round 1   
Sprint on treadmill at 9.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
High Pull x 10
Bent-over Row x 8
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 2.
Round 2   
Sprint on treadmill at 10.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
Close-Grip Snatch x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 3.
Round 3  
Sprint on treadmill at 11.5 mph x 10% grade for 25 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, grab a 65-pound barbell and do the following:
Cleans x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
WEDNESDAY – OFF
THURSDAY – HURRICANE ENERGY CIRCUIT 
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1 and 2.
Training For Warriors Circuit 
Same exercises as Week 1 but with different time parameters  Complete each station of the circuit for 30 seconds for 2.5 total minutes. Rest for 1 minute and repeat. Do 4 total sets.
FRIDAY – UPPER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Warm-Up
Same as Weeks 1 and 2.
Weights
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Do 3 warmup sets of 5 reps.
Perform 4 sets of 10 with your 10RM.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Do 4 sets of 8 reps after a warmup set.
Cable Triceps Pushdown
Do 4 sets of 12 reps.
Bent-Over Reverse Fly with Dumbbells
Do 4 sets of 8 reps with 8RM.
Dumbbell Curls
Do 3 sets of 8 reps.
Abs of your choice.
(I did 3 sets of 8 reps on each side of half-kneeling chops.)
SATURDAY – LOWER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1 and 2.
Weights
45-degree back raise
Perform 1 set of 10 with bodyweight.
Perform 2 sets of 8 with 45 pounds.
Perform 2 sets of 8 with 90 pounds.
Barbell Squat
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets x 6 of 6RM.
Deadlift
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets x 6 of 6RM.
SUNDAY – OFF

WORKOUT PROGRAM – WEEK 4

MONDAY – UPPER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1, 2, and 3.
Weights
Band Bench Press
Warmup sets of 8 reps up to the weight of your 8RM.
Perform 5 sets of 8RM.
Weighted Pull-Up
Warmup set of 8 reps.
Do second set with 25 pounds for 8 reps.
Perform 3 sets of 6 reps with 40 pounds added.
Weighted Dips
Warmup set of 6 reps with 25 pounds added.
Do second set with 40 pounds for 6 reps.
Perform 5 sets of 6 reps with 80 pounds added.
Overhead Press
Perform 4 sets of 8 with 8RM.
Barbell Curls
Perform 4 sets of 10 with 10RM
Abs of your choice
(I did 3 sets of 12 of reverse crunches.)
TUESDAY – HURRICANE SPRINTS 
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1, 2, and 3.
Round 1   
Sprint on treadmill at 10 mph x 10% grade for 30 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, and do the following with light weight:
Cable Row x 10
Cable Triceps Pressdown x 8
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 2.
Round 2   
Sprint on treadmill at 10.5 mph x 10% grade for 30 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, and do the following with light weight:
Cable High-Pull to Chin x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
Rest 2 minutes before performing Round 3.
Round 3  
Sprint on treadmill at 11.5 mph x 10% grade for 30 seconds.
Jump off treadmill, and do the following with light weight:
Cable Lat Pull-Down x 10
Repeat from beginning for a total of 3 sets.
WEDNESDAY – OFF
THURSDAY – HURRICANE ENERGY CIRCUIT 
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1, 2, and 3.
Training For Warriors Circuit 
Same exercises as Week 2 but with different time parameters  Complete each station of the circuit for 30 seconds for 2.5 total minutes. Rest for 1 minute and repeat. Do 4 total sets.
FRIDAY – UPPER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Warm-Up
Same as Weeks 1, 2, and 3.
Weights
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Do 3 warmup sets of 5 reps.
Perform 4 sets of 6 with 6RM.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Do 4 sets of 8 reps after a warmup set.
Cable Triceps Pushdown
Do 4 sets of 10 reps.
Bent-Over Reverse Fly with Dumbbells
Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbell Curls
Do 3 sets of 8 reps.
Abs of your choice.
(I did a basic plank for 3 sets of 30 seconds.)
SATURDAY – LOWER BODY STRENGTH
Warm-up
Same as Weeks 1, 2, and 3.
Weights
45-degree back raise
Perform 1 set of 10 with bodyweight.
Perform 2 sets of 8 with 45 pounds.
Perform 2 sets of 8 with 90 pounds.
Barbell Squat
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets x 10 of 10RM.
Deadlift
Do 3-4 warmup sets.
Perform 5 sets x 8 of 8RM.
SUNDAY – OFF

Girth, Body Fat, and Performance Metrics After Gaining 20 Pounds

So let’s say Georges St Pierre wanted to put on 20 pounds to move up a weight class to fight Anderson Silva. (Granted, he probably wouldn’t do it in 28 days.)
What would happen to his performance? Would he get slow and fat? Or even more powerful and agile?
We can only speculate with GSP, but here’s what happened to me.

Baseline After Weight-Gain
Weight 169.6 190.2
Girth Measurements
Neck 15.25 15.38
Shoulder 48 49.25
Chest 41.5 44
Upper Arm 14.75 16
Waist 31.5 32.25
Hip 38 39.5
Thigh 23.13 24.25
Calf 15.5 15.38
Body Fat Measurements
Mid-Ax 2.8 3.8
Cheek 2.8 5.7
Chest 2.8 4.7
Ab 7.6 3.8
Subscap 5.7 7.6
Triceps 2.8 3.8
Suprailiac 2.8 4.7
Knee 5.7 2.8
Hamstring 3.8 4.7
Calf 9.5 6.7
Body Fat (%)3.03 (probably ~6) 4.1 (probably ~7)
GIRTH MEASUREMENTS
Expected: We were confident every part of my body would increase in size, and for the most part, that was true.
Surprised: My calf measurements actually went down. We believe it had something to do with the resultant fat loss from doing the Hurricane sprint days.
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE
A quick note about the body fat test: We used calipers and a 10-site skinfold test. All measurement days were done at the Missoula Underground Strength Training Center and performed by trainer Mike Scialabba.
When testing body fat with calipers, there’s always a 2 – 3 percent margin of error. Mike, who’s done this same test on hundreds of his clients, ended up with skinfold measurements that indicated the obviously wrong numbers of 3.03 and 4.1 respectively. Adding a 3% margin of error, the real numbers were probably more like 6-7% and 8-9%.
All of this to say, my body fat percentage went up, but very minimally.
Surprised: I expected to gain more body fat than this (but was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t). Also, while most of my individual sites increased, there were a few that went down (ab, knee, calf). Those were three of the places that had the highest body-fat percentage on the initial Day 0 test.
And here are the performance metrics:
STRENGTH TEST: DEADLIFT MAXIMUM
Baseline: 405 pounds
After Weight Gain: 475 pounds
POWER TEST: VERTICAL JUMP
Baseline: 28 inches
After Weight Gain: 31.7 inches
STRENGTH ENDURANCE TEST: 225-POUND BENCH PRESS
Baseline: 8 reps
After Weight Gain: 15 reps
ENDURANCE TEST 1: MAX VELOCITY ON TREADMILL (VMAX)
Baseline: 9 minutes and 32 seconds of sprinting at 8mph, working up to an incline of 8%
After Weight Gain: 7 minutes and 38 seconds of sprinting at 8mph, working up to an incline of 6%.
ENDURANCE TEST 2: MAX TIME ON TREADMILL (T-MAX)
Baseline: 3 minutes and 11 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6% incline
After Weight Gain: 3 minutes and 14 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6% incline
STRENGTH/POWER/MUSCLE ENDURANCE TESTS
Expected: We expected to improve performance dramatically in all three of my non-endurance tests (vertical jump, 225-bench, max deadlift).
Surprised: No surprises here.
V-MAX AND T-MAX
Expected: I wasn’t too sure what to expect here, honestly. I felt like I was in better shape than on our baseline testing day, but I didn’t know if my short duration Hurricane sprint training (25 second sprints) would translate to better endurance.
Surprised: What surprised me about both the VMax and the TMax was that I actually felt like I had more endurance. However, I was much heavier and I felt it during the endurance testing. Perhaps I didn’t have enough time to adapt to my new body weight.
Now, this is something GSP may not have to deal with, since he’d likely gain weight over a longer period of time and his body would have more opportunity to adapt.

Closing Words

During each phase of my experiments, I pushed my body to its physiological limits.
I ate as much as I could for 28 days straight. I fasted for a full 24 hours multiple times. I purposefully dehydrated myself and robbed my body of water. I lifted heavy weights and sprinted as fast as I could.
I proved that it’s possible to for a regular guy to gain 20 pounds of (mostly) lean mass in a month. That it’s possible to then lose those 20 pounds in a week. And that it’s possible to gain them all back in a day.
In the process, I hope I’ve demystified the process of muscle building, weight cutting, and rehydration. In the end, there’s no voodoo and witchcraft here. Just the right advice, expert guidance, and a ton of hard work.

Ten Ways To Lower Estrogen Toxic Load

"1/25/2012 5:24:04 PM
Prevent cancer and lose weight by detoxifying estrogen from the body. High estrogen levels and problems eliminating it are well known to result in prostate and breast cancer. Estrogen is a problem for men as well as women due to multiple factors, especially the huge amounts of chemical estrogens we are exposed to in our daily lives. Did you know that there are chemical estrogens in plastic bottles, cosmetics, shampoo and personal care products, oil-based coatings, pesticides, and animal hormones?
That’s right, but the ills of estrogen on the body don’t just come from the environment. The ineffective way we metabolize estrogen is directly linked to prostate and breast cancer risk. It also produces poor body composition and inhibits weight loss.
According to functional medicine expert Dr. Bob Rakowski, living on earth is a risk for toxic estrogen exposure. As human, we are swimming in a sea of estrogens.Too much estrogen affects men and women, and this article is focused on what men need to know and what they can do to minimize the health effects and risks that come from too much estrogen. But, women can benefit as well, especially since women are exposed to the same chemical estrogens as men, and in general, our bodies metabolize estrogen the same way, regardless of gender. Exposure to chemical estrogens is a big issue for children too, making this a major health issue for any parent.
Studies show that genetics and obesity contribute to about 30 percent of the cancers that affect the sex organs (breast, prostate, ovarian), but the cause of the remaining 70 percent is still unclear. It is likely due to chemical estrogen exposure and problems with metabolism due to diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The solution is to live a lifestyle that both detoxifies and minimizes exposure to chemical estrogens. This article will tell you why and how you can do this by changing your lifestyle in the following ten ways:

1. Improve Gastrointestinal Health
2. Improve Diet
3. Decrease Body Fat
4. Use Phytoestrogens To ImproveEstrogen Detoxification
5. Stop Testosterone From Turning into Estrogen
6. Improve Estrogen Metabolism
7. Ensure Complete Elimination
8. Supplement With Essential Nutrients
9. Watch What You Drink
10. Limit Chemical Estrogen Exposure

Estrogen: The Basics
Estrogen is a hormone that is produced primarily in the ovaries in women and in the testes in men. For men, it plays an important role in sperm production and bone maintenance. Estrogen is also produced by other tissues in both men and women, including fat and the brain.
The amount of estrogen needed by men to support these functions is very small, and men tend to have excess estrogen in their systems for two reasons. First, an enzyme called aromatase that is found in tissues throughout the body will turn testosterone into estrogen. Aromatase is found in body fat meaning that men with more fat will produce more aromatase and therefore have higher estrogen levels and lower testosterone. The good news is you can block aromatase by eating or supplementing with nutrients that do this naturally. There are also drugs that inhibit aromatase that are used to prevent breast and prostate cancer, but it’s best to take the natural route without consuming synthetic drugs.
Secondly, men have excess estrogen because of the chemical estrogens in the environment, such as BPA and phthalates. BPA is a petroleum based chemical that mimics estrogen in the body and studies have shown that it affects endocrine response in the body in humans and animals. For example, one study in the journal Toxicology Letters found that BPA exposure led to lower testosterone and poor sexual function in both men and rats because it inhibited the production of androstenedione—the hormone from which testosterone is produced.
Phthalates are another chemical estrogen that are used in plastics and many personal care products such as shampoo and lotion. They contribute to excess estrogen levels and need to be detoxified as safely and quickly as possible in order to minimize the damage they have on tissues in the body. Just as you can inhibit aromatase with proper nutrition, you can also give the body the nutrients it needs to detoxify excess estrogen safely from the body.
How Estrogen Is Detoxified By The Liver
Estrogen is metabolized by the liver. The liver converts excess estrogens into compounds that can be excreted by the body. The catch is there are three pathways through which estrogen can be metabolized. One is a “toxic” pathway that is linked to cancer development, the second is unfavorable for health, and the third is more benign and preferable.
If your body can convert estrogens along what is called the 2-hydroxy pathway it will be healthier and you’ll decrease your cancer risk, whereas if your body converts along the 16-alpha-hydroxy pathway it will be at greater risk of cancer. Don’t worry about the chemical names of the pathways, just remember that what I will call the C-2 pathway is healthier and the C-16 pathway is toxic. The other unfavorable pathway is the C-4 pathway, which should also be avoided. The solution is to nutritionally support conversion of estrogen along the C-2 pathway, which can be initiated by ensuring you have a healthy gut.
1) Improve Gastrointestinal Health Poor gastrointestinal health can inhibit excretion of unwanted estrogen from the body and promote its reabsorption. A healthy gut with dietary fiber in the form lignan, such as flaxseeds, can bind to estrogen in the digestive tract so that it will be excreted from the body. Dietary fiber also reduces the amount of an enzyme (called B-glucouronidase) that uncouples or breaks apart bound estrogen that is on its way out of the body. When the estrogen breaks free in the large intestine, it re-enters circulation and is not removed from the body. This is a bad situation.
The solution is to eat adequate fiber and include lignan in the diet, including flax, leafy greens, and bran (oat, rye, barley—if you’re not gluten-free). A probiotic is essential because it will increase the “good bacteria” in the gut and support neurotransmitter function.
2) Improve Diet With Low Carb, High-Protein, Omega-3 Fats A diet that is low in simple carbs and high in vegetable carb sources will help you detoxify estrogens and provide adequate fiber. To avoid excess estrogen, you need to manage insulin because it doing so is better for body composition, and persistently high insulin produces a poor endocrine profile that can inhibit estrogen detoxification.
Getting your carbs from vegetable and fruit sources will provide the lignans and fiber needed for gut health and increase antioxidant levels, which can abolish free radicals that produced by estrogen that goes down the C-16 pathway. Omega-3 fats, which are found in fish, have been shown to promote the C-2 pathway over the 16 pathway, particularly EPA omega-3 fatty acids. On the flip side, diets low in omega-3s have resulted in estrogen being metabolized primarily through the C-16 pathway. I’ve written a lot about omega-3s so I won’t go into detail here, but supplementation with a high concentration of EPA and DHA fish oil daily is recommended for estrogen metabolism.
A high protein diet will produce a better body composition for most people. Plus, low protein diets have been shown to decrease activity of something called cytochrome P450 that detoxifies estrogen. The amino acids lysine and threonine have been shown to support liver function and since estrogen is metabolized by the liver, it is thought that these proteins can help get rid of estrogen from the body. Lysine and threonine are found in meat, fish, beans, eggs, and some seeds (sesame, fenugreek). Sesame seeds also provide fiber and fenugreek helps lower the insulin response to carbs, making both good additions to your diet.
3) Decrease Body Fat The more fat you have, the more estrogen you’ll have because fat tissue increases levels of the aromatase enzyme that turns testosterone to estrogen. Decreasing body fat and building lean mass are key to cancer prevention and estrogen detox.
Another way to protect the tissues from circulating estrogen is to keep it bound to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). When it is bound to SHBG, estrogen is not available to bind with cellular receptors and won’t have its estrogenic impact. Flaxseed hulls are especially good at increasing SHBG (as well as inhibiting aromatase).
4) Use Phytoestrogens To Promote the C-2 Pathway Include foods with phytoestrogens in your diet because they will take natural and chemical estrogens out of play in the body. Phytoestrogens are plant-based compounds that can bind to estrogen receptors, but they have about 1/1000th of the effect on the body as real or chemical estrogen. When phytoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors they basically take up the parking sport of the true estrogen, and keep it from exerting its effect.
Lignans and isoflavones are the main phytoestrogens, and in addition to binding with estrogen receptors, they can increase SHBG levels (protects the body by binding to estrogen), decrease aromatase (prevents testosterone turning into estrogen), and shift metabolism of estrogen away from the C-16 pathway to the C-2 pathway (the safer pathway).
The best phytoestrogens to include in the diet are flax, sesame, leafy greens, kudzu, alfalfa, clover, licorice root, and legumes. Greens, flax, and sesame can be easily added to the diet, and the others can be supplemented to support estrogen detoxification.
5) Block Aromatase and Stop Testosterone From Turning into Estrogen
Blocking aromatase is key for getting rid of estrogen because it plays the main role in producing estrogen in men. If aromatase is present, there are two chances for estrogen to be produced in the body. First, the hormone androstenedione will be turned into testosterone unless aromatase is present in which case it will be turned into estrogen. Then, aromatase will turn testosterone into estrogen as well.
Nutrients that have a proven effect on aromatase include selenium, melatonin, zinc, green tea, and citrus flavonones—substances found in orange and grapefruit rinds along with tomato skins. You can include these in your diet and take a supplement for best results.
We know aromatase inhibitors work because there are numerous studies demonstrating their influence, and one of the most illuminating is a review that found that men who took a combination of zinc, folic acid, acetyl-l-carnitine, and had adequate omega-3s improved fertility and sexual health. Flax and lignans were also part of the diet. This study tells us that estrogen detox is not a simple endeavor. Rather, it’s a lifestyle that includes the ideal diet with additional nutrient supplementation to inhibit aromatase, boost SHBG, and reduce the ratio of estrogen that goes down the C-16 pathway in favor of the C-2 pathway.
6) Improve Estrogen Metabolism By Promoting the C-2 Pathway Promoting the C-2 pathway of estrogen metabolism is probably the most important thing you can do to prevent cancer. The first step of estrogen elimination is for enzymes to initiate metabolism by joining the estrogen molecule. This will happen at either the 2-carbon position or the 16-carbon position of the molecule, which determines the pathway the estrogen will head down.
The C-2 pathway produces very weak estrogenic activity and is termed “good” estrogen. In contrast, the C-16 pathway produces robust estrogenic activity and promotes tissue damage that leads to cancer. There’s also a C-4 pathway, that is not good, but its role is small and for simplicity sake you only need to know that you want to avoid it as well.
Research shows that men and women whose estrogen is metabolized down the C-16 pathway have significantly greater rates of prostate and breast cancer than those whose C-2 pathway dominates. In one large scale study of premenopausal women, those who metabolized estrogen predominantly via the C-2 pathway were 40 percent less likely to develop breast cancer during the five-year study.
Key nutrients for supporting the C-2 pathway are EPA fish oils, phytoestrogens, and of special importance, B vitamins and a substance called DIM. The B vitamins, particularly B6, B12, and folic acid promote the C-2 pathway. B6 is also known to decrease gene activity once estrogen is bound to a receptor, meaning this vitamin can inhibit cell damage and cancer development.
DIM is a compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. It is often taken in supplement form because you would need to eat large quantities of these vegetables daily in order to provide sufficient DIM to have an effect on estrogen elimination.
Take note that most people need to supplement with aB vitaminand that trainees who take BCAAs will quickly become deficient in B vitamins, making it essential that you get extra. A high protein diet that provides adequate BCAA levels also requires extra B vitamins.
7) Ensure Complete Elimination of Estrogen Once you shift your estrogen elimination to the C-2 pathway you have to make sure it gets excreted from the body. Two things can happen along the way out that cause big problems. First, estrogen that is heading down the C-2 pathway can be easily turned into something called quinones, which are “highly reactive” and can damage DNA and cause cancer.
In order to avoid the production of quinones you must have adequate amounts of two nutrients—magnesium and something called SAM. This process of metabolizing estrogen to avoid quinones is called methylation and is the first place that things can go wrong on the estrogen detox pathway.
Another notable antioxidant that can support damage to the body by estrogen quinones is alpha lipoic acid, which I mention here because it is one of my favorites and has many health benefits.
As estrogen is heading out of the intestine, it needs to be bound to glucuronic acid, but there is a “bad” intestinal bacteria that contains an enzyme that breaks estrogen apart from the glucuronic acid. This is the second place estrogen detoxification can go wrong. When the “bad” bacteria, called glucouronidase, uncouples the bond between estrogen and glucuronic acid, estrogen re-enters circulation, effectively raising estrogen levels in the body and damaging tissue. To avoid this, you need a healthy gut as mentioned in #1, which you can get by taking a probiotic, and eating lots of fiber and lignans.
8) Supplement With Essential Nutrients To review, the essential nutrients to help detoxify estrogen are the B vitamins, zinc, omega-3 fish oils, DIM (nutrient found in cruciferous vegetables), green tea, magnesium, selenium, and melatonin. The only nutrient I haven’t already mentioned is vitamin E, which is a potent antioxidant.

Magnesium plays a role inmethylation, or that final phase of estrogen excretion mentioned in #7.  I call your attention to it here because almost everyone needs to supplement with magnesium because people are chronically deficient. Athletes and strength trainees are especially susceptible to low magnesium because this nutrient plays a role in muscle contractions. Low vitamin E is associated with elevated estrogen and it has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells.
9) Watch What You Drink Eliminate all alcohol besides certain red wine. Sardinian and Spanish wines are rich in antioxidants that help remove estrogens. Other good choices are Pinot and Merlot. Alcohol increases estrogen levels in men and women, and it has been shown to decrease testosterone as well. Even moderate alcohol consumption (other than Sardinian, Spanish and certain French wines) has been shown to increase the risk of prostate and breast cancer.
The one exception is wine rich in either resveratrol or trans-resveratrol, which has been shown to inhibit aromatase (the enzyme that turns testosterone into estrogen), thereby lowering estrogen levels. For example, a study that was just published showed that red but not white wine acted as an aromatase inhibitor and resulted in lower estrogen levels after one month in premenopausal women. The group of women that drank eight ounces of red wine daily had higher testosterone and lower estrogen levels than the group that drank white wine daily. Previous studies have shown that red wine appears to lower overall cancer risk, and it provides cardioprotective effects along with increasing insulin sensitivity.
10) Limit Chemical Estrogen Exposure Avoiding chemical estrogens is one of the most important strategies for preventing cancer and protecting yourself. If you were able to have no contact with chemical estrogens, and you had good nutrition, a lean body composition, and a large proportion of muscle mass, it is very unlikely you’d have excess estrogen or be at risk of cancer. But, chemical estrogens are everywhere. It is only recently that the mainstream medical community has started to seriously consider the connection between cancer and the toxic environment the industry has created with the lax regulation of toxic estrogenic chemicals.
There is even a movement in public health advocacy that government regulatory bodies and chemical companies need to take action to reduce environmental toxins. Although there is an awareness that the responsibility of reducing cancer risk shouldn’t be on the individual because we cannot completely avoid contact with chemical estrogens, the reality is that you have to take responsibility for eliminating estrogen from your body and the bodies of your loved ones. Tomorrow, look for a list of ten things you can do to minimize your chemical estrogen exposure.
References:
Knower, K., To, S., et al. Melatonin Suppresses Aromatase Expression and activity in Brest Cancer Associated Fibroblasts.Breast Cancer Research Treatment. January 2012. Published Ahead of Print.
Gao, R., Zhao, L., et al. Methylseleninic Acid is a Novel suppressor of Aromatase Expression. Journal of Endocrinology. 2012. 212(2), 199-205.
Heudel, P., Tredan, O., et al. Antihormonal Therapy in Breast Cancer and mTor Inhibitors.Bulletin du Cancer. 2011. 98(12), 1431-1437.
Simpson, E. Sources of Estrogen and Their Importance. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2003. 86(3-5), 225-230.
Zahayi, A., Perel, M. The Information Encoded by the Sex Steroid Hormones Testosterone and Estrogen: a Hypothesis. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2011. 280(1), 146-149.
Cutolo, M., Sulli, A., et al. Estrogen Metabolism and Autoimmunity. Autoimmune Reviews. December 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Ye, L., Chan, F., et al.The Citrus Flavonone Hesperetin Inhibits Growth of Aromatase-Expressing MCF-7 Tumor in Ovariectomized Athymic Mice.Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. December 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Mousa, N., Eiada, R., et al. The Effect of Acute Aromatase Inhibition on Breast Parenchymal Enhancement in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Prospective Pilot Clinical Trial. Menopause. January 2012. Published Ahead of Print.
Teas, J., Cunningham, J., et al. Urinary Estrogen

Secrets to Staying Fit at Fifty

Today, I have an interview between Rick Kaselj, of Exercise For Injuries, and Shawna Kaminski, who developed The Challenge Fat Loss Program, about the secrets to being fit at fifty.


Shawna Kaminski: Well I think the biggest thing is people use age as an excuse and they just say “you know what I am 38 and I shouldn’t be able to do that” or “I am turning 40 and I shouldn’t be doing that”. The whole thing is we just shouldn’t back off intensity.
If you are turning 50 and you haven’t done anything then you can’t start with super intense workouts, you have to kind of ease into things.
The biggest problem that I find with people is that they say “I turn 40 and my metabolism has tanked”. Well it is not really your metabolism has tanked, overtime you trade fat for muscle because you become more sedentary.
Everyone becomes sedentary and they don’t mean to but they just slow down as they age or their children get older. If they have kids, children get older and you are not chasing them as much, you are sitting more and most people just have a natural slow down.
In their daily life they are not as active and then they kind of find ways not to be as intense in their workouts and that is intentional. And they use age as an excuse for it which it really shouldn’t be.
Trading fat for muscle to being sedentary metabolism doesn’t tank so much and our muscle is metabolically active. And so the more muscles you have the more your metabolism will stay pump in and wrap up.
The key is maintaining your lean muscle tone and I am talking muscle mass. You don’t need to go and get huge, just maintain the muscle that you have built. My goal is I am trying to build more muscles. I am not going to build tons of muscles. I am maintaining what I have and so those muscles help maintain my metabolism.
Another thing is doing short workouts using cardio. So many people think they need to run and I need to get on the treadmill. If you like running for mental health or you love marathons, great! But you are not going to get the body of your dreams with running. You cannot get super lean, you will maybe get a skinnier version of yourself, maybe a skinny fat but you are not going to get the shaping muscle that you are hoping for.
If you want to run that’s fine but you need to do burst training with some strength training. You know when I look back on it, I am a mom, I was a teacher for 20 years, and now a fitness professional with several businesses I don’t really have a lot of time but I train every single day very short workouts.
So what do I do? This is what I do, short burst training and strength training. When it comes to my training, I am trying to do heavy body-weight training, pull ups and push-ups which people see “oh that’s just body weight” well you can’t change your body weight when you get tired. Looked back and that’s what I’ve been doing and it is working.
Rick Kaselj: Yes, it is definitely working. Other things that I have noticed when I go to the gym ,and I am 40, and I see people that are 20 I know when it comes to learning new exercise or learning a new compound movements, I need to go at things a little bit slower. I can’t rush my body like I did when I was 20.
I need to be a little bit smarter at being good with my body because if I tweak it or tweak my back it can probably throw my workout for a good week so I need to be little bit slower and smarter when it comes to doing my workouts to make sure that I have good movements and I am not going to injure myself.
The second thing that I found out is that working out with other people kind of pushes your intensity. I think there’s a research to back it up, that when you train yourself you kind of go to certain intensity with the average person but when you train with others it will kind of push you out of that comfort zone and push you into that higher intensity.
That is something that you have to think about that if you are not pushing yourself hard enough try to train with someone else or another group. Maybe once a week or once every month go and train with another person or with another group to push you out of your comfort zone and to do different exercises.
Shawna Kaminski: The key with that is the balance between training smartly because we want to push ourselves. I also use that in my training bootcamps telling my new clients “50% today”, you are going to sore anyway. You have the energy of the group and there might be some people who haven’t sprinted since Junior high and they just go with it, I say to them to go easy, take modifications and just kind of build on it.
We say it is a Marathon, it is not sprint when it comes to training. And of course it’s all backed by sensible eating. I don’t starve myself, I eat solid nutrition. It’s not a 10,000 hour rule. It is like “I am not on a diet this week”. This is how I live. I am actually pleasantly surprise when people say “are you getting ready for a contest?” or “did you just finish some physique contest?” Yes, in 1990. I have competed like a hundred years ago.
But it is just because since that time I am not on a contest diet but it is just sensible eating. I am not starving myself. I am just making healthy choices 80% of the time. Those are my secrets.
Rick Kaselj: Awesome. There you go, thank you very much Shawna and thank you very much exercisesforinjuries.com readers, listeners, and viewers. Here’s another interview for you and if you want more information when it comes to injury side of things swing by exercisesforinjuries.com it is a resource of exercises and injuries.
If you are watching this on YouTube make sure you go above and subscribe to this. And also definitely check out Shawna’s newest program Challenge Fat Loss, I have a link down below to it. It’s an amazing workout program.

What is Dynamic Variable Resistance Training

Dynamic Variable Resistance Training (DVRT) gives you the versatility to train rehabilitation or performance with a high metabolic demand. It is both unique and innovative system that was developed by Josh Henkin from the ground up with the purpose of filling a void in strength training. DVRT rewards mastery of foundational skills as layers of complexity can be added as competence is achieved. Watching a sandbag demonstration with Josh makes DVRT look effortless, that’s until you have a look at his watch that reads 735 calories burned in 23 minutes.

The Ultimate Sandbag has been refined by Josh for use with DVRT. Inside the Ultimate Sandbag are bladders that can be filled with varying substrates (we have used sand, rice, and water). Load is one variable, but often not the most important. The dimensions and stability of the implement become key considerations when performing an exercise. The caloric expenditure of training with an unstable load is substantial.

Changing load position, body position, stability of the load, dimension of the implement, and weight of the load combine for an almost infinite amount of possibilities of exercise variation. Here’s an example that takes into consideration only body and load position:
1. Front Loaded Squat (stable load and body position)
2. Shoulder Squat (unstable load position, stable body position)
3. Front Loaded Staggered Squat (stable load position, unstable body position)
4. Contra Load Staggered Shoulder Squat (unstable load position, unstable body position)
5. Same Side Load Staggered Shoulder Squat (unstable load position, unstable body position)
There are five quick progressions! And that is only the tip of the iceberg, DVRT is versatile.
The Ultimate Sandbag provides a different training stimulus than a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. For example, in performance of power movements such as a clean the load is distributed unequally on the very bottom of the implement, and must be pulled higher to catch in the front loaded position. You must create more power with less load than conventional equipment to achieve the same position. Decelerating the load is also experienced differently as the filler bags inside the sandbag and substrate inside the filler bag are all moving at different rates. A lighter sandbag can make for a more challenging exercise compared to a comparable load with a kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell during a similar movement.

DVRT demands major recruitment of the core musculature. The stabilizing demands increase when the load placement is asymmetrical (such as on your shoulder) or during acceleration or deceleration. The end result is a huge hit on the exercise’s metabolic demand, in other words it’s really hard.
Here’s a DVRT workout I performed two and a half weeks from competing at the 2013 Boston Marathon while in Hawaii. All that is required is an Ultimate Sandbag and a kettlebell. For your benefit I have listed the workout below:
Circuit 1 (Power – 10 minutes):

• 1. 1. Staggered Single Arm Kettlebell Swing
• 2. 2. Cyclone
• 3. 3. Clean and Press (progression: Rotational Clean and Press)
• Each performed for 6 repetitions. Rest as much as needed between sets.

Circuit 2 (Strength – 15 minutes):

• 1. 1. Staggered Squat with Contra Load (4 second eccentric pause)
• 2. 2. Lateral Bag Drag
• 3. 3. Alligator Push Ups (Single Arm Push Ups)
• 4. 4. Deceleration Lunge with Offset Row

Each is performed for 6 repetitions. Rest as much as needed between sets.

Here is a sample of DVRT in Action:

Envision Fitness is proud to be hosting Josh Henkin for a Level I and II DVRT Certification May 18th and 19th at our gym in Maple Ridge, BC.
You can register for DVRT Level I and II here (select Vancouver): http://www.dvrtcertification.com/dates-locations/
Steve Di Tomaso CSCS
Director of Envision Fitness
DVRT Master Instructor
P.S. – If you can make it to the course, here is a great resource that you can do when it relates to sandbag training from Travis Stoetzel:

How To Include Coffee In Your Diet When You Are Trying To Get Lean

Drinking coffee can have some pretty amazing health benefits. Coffee can even help you get lean because the combination of antioxidants and caffeine it contains will enhance the body’s use of fat for fuel. There’s nothing bad about this delicious wonder bean!

Research shows the health benefits of coffee include the following:

1)    Association studies show the more coffee you drink a day, the lower your risk of death by all causes.

2)    Coffee improves vascular health, decreases risk of diabetes, and lowers risk of heart disease. Although caffeine may raise blood pressure acutely, it has no long-term effect on blood pressure in the vast majority of people.

3)    Coffee is jam packed with antioxidants called caffeic and chlorogenic acid, which lower your risk of a variety of cancers, and are linked to HDL increases.

4)    Drinking coffee increases the metabolic rate so that your burn more calories and it can help shift the body to burn fat rather than glucose for energy. A series of studies show that supplementing with coffee that is particularly high in antioxidants can lead to significant loss of 4 percent body fat over 6 weeks.

5)     Prior to training, whether lifting or doing intervals, a large dose of coffee can increase your performance.  The benefit is greater power output, more motivation, and a tendency to self-select heavier loads and push yourself harder in training.

6)    Coffee can improve reaction time and concentration, particularly when sleep deprived.

To get the benefits of coffee, you must follow a few simple practices. First, avoid putting sugar in your coffee. This is very important because consuming any sugar, or carbohydrates, with coffee will completely negate the stimulatory effect of caffeine. A recent study showed that when a group of volunteers ate a high carbohydrate meal when taking caffeine, the stimulatory effect was reduced by 90 percent compared to a group that just took caffeine in a fasted state.

 To get the performance enhancing and fat burning effects of coffee during workouts, it’s necessary to avoid all carbs. A second reason to avoid carbs when drinking coffee is that it has been shown to acutely decrease insulin sensitivity, while simultaneously freeing up fatty acids. Don’t muck things up by throwing carbs into the mix. Therefore, if you must sweeten your coffee, do so with stevia, but avoid sugar and fake sweeteners at all costs.

A second factor to consider in preparing coffee is that research suggests you can maximize antioxidant content by brewing it with a percolator or French press. However, these two methods have been shown to increase the content of a compound called cafestol in the coffee, which has been shown to elevate cholesterol levels.

Therefore, if cholesterol is a concern, you may want to use unbleached coffee filters to brew your coffee, or avoid it altogether.

Another option would be to use a green coffee been extract to get the fat burning and antioxidant benefits without worrying about the cafestol effect.

Reference
Skinner, T., et al. Influence of Carbohydrate on Serum Caffeine Concentrations Following Caffeine Ingestion. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2012. Published Ahead of Print.

Source: http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/2070/Tip-602-How-To-Include-Coffee-In-Your-Diet-When-You-Are-Trying-To-Get-Lean.aspx

The Great Cholesterol Cover-Up

By Dr. Mercola

There’s serious confusion about cholesterol; whether high cholesterol levels are responsible for heart disease, and whether statins — which are cholesterol drugs — are really the appropriate solution to reduce heart disease risk.
The documentary above, Statin Nation — The Great Cholesterol Cover-Up, sheds much needed light on this topic. The film is available for free viewing for only seven days, so please share it widely as soon as possible.
As noted in the film, heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, the most common form of which is coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD affects the blood vessels supplying blood to your heart, causing them to narrow, thereby restricting the amount of oxygen supplied to your heart.
The conventional view is that high cholesterol is a major risk factor for this condition — even children “know” that cholesterol forms plaque and is bad for your heart.
The focus on cholesterol has created an enormous market for statins; drugs that act by blocking the enzyme in your liver that is responsible for making cholesterol.
Statins are now among the most widely prescribed drugs on the market, and are the number one profit-maker for the pharmaceutical industry, largely due to relentless and highly successful direct-to-consumer advertising campaigns.
Meanwhile, as of 2010, there were no less than 900 studies proving their adverse effects, which run the gamut from muscle problems to increased cancer risk! Besides the fact that statins are dangerous to your health, they also do not reduce your risk for heart disease, because high cholesterol does NOT increase heart disease risk...

Where Did the High Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth Originate?

The idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease can be traced back to Rudolph Virchow (1821-1902), a German pathologist who found thickening in the arteries in people he autopsied, which he ascribed to a collection of cholesterol.

Later, Ancel Keys (1904-2004), a well-known physiologist, published his seminal paper known as the "Seven Countries Study¹," which served as the basis for nearly all of the initial scientific support for the Cholesterol Theory.
The study linked the consumption of saturated fat to coronary heart disease. However, what many don’t know is that Keys selectively analyzed information from only seven countries to prove his correlation, rather than comparing all the data available at the time -- from 22 countries.
As you might suspect, the studies he excluded were those that did not fit with his hypothesis, namely those that showed a low percentage fat in their diet and a high incidence of death from CHD as well as those with a high-fat diet and low incidence of CHD. When all 22 countries are analyzed, no correlation at all can be found.

And that is what mounting research now confirms. There really is NO correlation between high cholesterol and plaque formation that leads to heart disease.

Why Do You Need Cholesterol?

Missing from the cholesterol-CHD hypothesis is the holistic understanding of how cholesterol operates inside your body, and why arterial plaques form in the first place, which is clearly described in the film. Cholesterol is actually a critical part of your body’s foundational building materials and is absolutely essential for optimal health. It’s so important that your body produces it both in your liver and in your brain.
There’s no doubt that your body needs cholesterol. In fact, we now have evidence showing that cholesterol deficiency has a detrimental impact on virtually every aspect of your health. One of the primary reasons is because cholesterol plays a critical role within your cell membranes.

Your body is composed of trillions of cells that need to interact with each other and cholesterol is one of the molecules that allow for these interactions to take place. For example, cholesterol is the precursor to bile acids, so without sufficient amounts of cholesterol, your digestive system can be adversely affected.
Cholesterol also plays an essential role in your brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It is critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow you to think, learn new things, and form memories. In fact, there's reason to believe that low-fat diets and/or cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause or contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Low cholesterol levels have also been linked to violent behavior, due to adverse changes in brain chemistry.
Furthermore, you need cholesterol to produce steroid hormones, including your sex hormones. Vitamin D is also synthesized from a close relative of cholesterol: 7-dehydrocholesterol.
To further reinforce the importance of cholesterol, I want to remind you of the work of Dr. Stephanie Seneff, who works with the Weston A. Price Foundation. One of her theories is that cholesterol combines with sulfur to form cholesterol sulfate, and that this cholesterol sulfate helps thin your blood by serving as a reservoir for the electron donations you receive when walking barefoot on the earth (also called grounding). She believes that, via this blood-thinning mechanism, cholesterol sulfate may provide natural protection against heart disease. In fact, she goes so far as to hypothesize that heart disease is likely the result of cholesterol deficiency — which of course is the complete opposite of the conventional view.

Identifying Risk Factors for Heart Disease

As mentioned in the film, if you want to understand what causes heart disease, you have to look at what causes damage to your artery walls, interferes in disease processes, and causes blood clotting. When the endothelial wall is damaged, repair mechanisms are set into motion, creating a “scab.” To prevent this scab from dislodging, the endothelial wall grows over it, causing the area to become thickened. This is what is called atherosclerosis. There’s no fat (cholesterol) “clogging the pipe” at all; rather the arterial wall is thickened as a result of your body’s natural repair process. So what causes damage to your arteries?
One of the primary culprits is sugar and fructose in particular. So eating a high sugar diet is a sure-fire way to put heart disease on your list of potential health problems. Meanwhile, total cholesterol will tell you virtually nothing about your disease risk, unless it's exceptionally elevated (above 330 or so, which would be suggestive of familial hypercholesterolemia, which, in my view, would be about the only time a cholesterol-reducing drug would be appropriate).
Two ratios that are far better indicators of heart disease risk are:

• Your HDL/total cholesterol ratio: HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your total cholesterol. This percentage should ideally be above 24 percent. Below 10 percent, it's a significant indicator of risk for heart disease
• Your triglyceride/HDL ratios: This ratio should ideally be below 2

Additional risk factors for heart disease include:

• Your fasting insulin level: Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates like fructose and refined grains generates a rapid rise in blood glucose and then insulin to compensate for the rise in blood sugar. The insulin released from eating too many carbs promotes fat and makes it more difficult for your body to shed excess weight, and excess fat, particularly around your belly, is one of the major contributors to heart disease
• Your fasting blood sugar level: Studies have shown that people with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had a nearly 300 percent increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl
• Your iron level: Iron can be a very potent oxidative stress, so if you have excess iron levels you can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease. Ideally, you should monitor your ferritin levels and make sure they are not much above 80 ng/ml. The simplest way to lower them if they are elevated is to donate your blood. If that is not possible you can have a therapeutic phlebotomy and that will effectively eliminate the excess iron from your body

Statin Drugs Place Millions of Americans at Risk of Serious Health Problems

It’s important to note that statins are classified as a "pregnancy Category X medication" meaning, it causes serious birth defects, and should NEVER be used by a woman who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy. If it is prescribed it is simply gross negligence and malpractice as many doctors are ignorant of this important piece of information as it is relatively recently identified.
Statins have also been shown to increase your risk of diabetes, via a number of different mechanisms. The most important one is that they increase insulin resistance, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Increased insulin resistance contributes to chronic inflammation in your body, and inflammation is the hallmark of most diseases. In fact, increased insulin resistance can lead to heart disease, which, ironically, is the primary reason for taking a cholesterol-reducing drug in the first place. It can also promote belly fat, high blood pressure, heart attacks, chronic fatigue, thyroid disruption, and diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cancer.
Secondly, statins increase your diabetes risk by actually raising your blood sugar. When you eat a meal that contains starches and sugar, some of the excess sugar goes to your liver, which then stores it away as cholesterol and triglycerides. Statins work by preventing your liver from making cholesterol. As a result, your liver returns the sugar to your bloodstream, which raises your blood sugar levels.
Drug-induced diabetes and genuine type 2 diabetes are not necessarily identical. If you're on a statin drug and find that your blood glucose is elevated, it's possible that what you have is just hyperglycemia — a side effect, and the result of your medication. Unfortunately, many doctors will at that point mistakenly diagnose you with "type 2 diabetes," and possibly prescribe another drug, when all you may need to do is simply discontinue the statin in order for your blood glucose levels to revert back to normal.
Statin drugs also interfere with other biological functions. Of utmost importance, statins deplete your body of CoQ10, which accounts for many of its devastating results. Therefore, if you take a statin, you MUST take supplemental CoQ10, or better, the reduced form called ubiquinol.  A recent study in the European Journal of Pharmacology²showed that ubiquinol effectively rescued cells from the damage caused by the statin drug simvastatin, thereby protecting muscle cells from myopathies. Another study³ evaluated the benefits of CoQ10 and selenium supplementation for patients with statin-associated myopathy. Compared to those given a placebo, the treatment group experienced significantly less pain, decreased muscle weakness and cramps, and less fatigue.
Statins also interfere with the mevalonate pathway, which is the central pathway for the steroid management in your body.

How to Optimize Your Cholesterol Levels Naturally

The most effective way to optimize your cholesterol profile and prevent heart disease is via diet and exercise. Remember that 75 percent of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which is influenced by your insulin levels. Therefore, if you optimize your insulin level, you will automatically optimize your cholesterol and reduce your risk of both diabetes and heart disease.
There is NO drug to cure heart disease, as the underlying cause is insulin resistance and arterial wall damage — both of which are caused by eating too many sugars, grains, and especially fructose. So, my primary recommendations for safely regulating your cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease include:

• Reduce, with the plan of eliminating grains and fructose from your diet. This is one of the best ways to optimize your insulin levels, which will have a positive effect on not just your cholesterol, but also reduces your risk of diabetes and heart disease, and most other chronic diseases. Consume a good portion of your food raw.
• Get plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega 3 fats, such as krill oil, and reduce your consumption of damaged omega-6 fats (trans fats, vegetable oils) to balance out your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.
• Include heart-healthy foods in your diet, such as olive oil, coconut and coconut oil, organic raw dairy products and eggs, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, and organic grass-fed meats.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels by getting proper sun exposure or using a safe tanning bed.
• Optimize your gut flora, as recent research suggests the bacterial balance in your intestines may play a role in your susceptibility to heart disease as well
• Exercise daily. Make sure you incorporate interval training which also optimizes your human growth hormone (HGH) production.
• Walk barefoot to ground yourself to the earth. Lack of grounding has a lot to do with the rise of modern diseases as it affects inflammatory processes in your body. Grounding thins your blood, making it less viscous. Virtually every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity. When you ground to the earth, your zeta potential quickly rises, which means your red blood cells have more charge on their surface, which forces them apart from each other. This action causes your blood to thin and flow easier. By repelling each other, your red blood cells are also less inclined to stick together and form a clot.
• Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol excessively.
• Be sure to get plenty of good, restorative sleep.

Ninety-Nine Out of 100 People Do Not Need Statin Drugs

The odds are very high — greater than 100 to 1 — that if you're taking a statin, you don't really need it. From my review, the ONLY subgroup that might benefit are those born with a genetic defect called familial hypercholesterolemia, as this makes them resistant to traditional measures of normalizing cholesterol.
Remember, your body NEEDS cholesterol for the production of cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help you to digest fat. Cholesterol also helps your brain form memories and is vital to your neurological function. There is also strong evidence that having too little cholesterol INCREASES your risk for cancer, memory loss, Parkinson's disease, hormonal imbalances, stroke, depression, suicide, and violent behavior.
Statins really have nothing to do with reducing your heart disease risk. In fact, this class of drugs can increase your heart disease risk — especially if you do not take CoQ10 along with it to mitigate the depletion of CoQ10 caused by the drug.
Knowing that high cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart disease finally frees you to take a serious look at what does cause this potentially lethal condition. And as described above, poor lifestyle choices are primarily to blame, such as too much sugar, too little exercise, lack of sun exposure and never grounding to the earth. These are all things that are within your control, and don’t cost much (if any) money to address.