Link Dump

I've been laying low this week.

It's not by choice. The house is still wrecked, which means we're well into the second month of living in a hotel. Which means the grandparents don't have room to crash overnight when Michelle's working. Which means I have no babysitters at 5 a.m. Which means no gym. Which means I'm cranky and restless.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'm forced into taking a few days off. My right shoulder has been bothering me for over a week now, and I might as well give it some extra time to recover.

Plus, I've been slammed with work, kid stuff, and the Nom Nom Paleo iPad App. (Yes, still. We're feverishly working on a new update to fix the update that was supposed to fix the previous update, but didn't. Got that?) So getting a few extra hours of sleep is a good thing. 

I'm hitting the sack, but if you're looking for something to read, check out these links:

• The New York Times wrote up a nice piece about CrossFit and Memorial Day Murph.

• "The Paleo Diet Moves From The Gym To The Doctor's Office" (NPR)

• Our friend Stacy Toth from Paleo Parents is the "Face of Paleo" in Women's World!

• Holy crap. Tickets for this year's CrossFit Games are sold out. The Home Depot Center is at capacity. I fully expect that it'll be a bazillion times crazier than last year. (And it was already pretty insane last year.) To whet your appetite for the competition, check out the Regional summary videos here.

• The Wirecutter recently researched and wrote a lengthy piece on the best standing desks. Check it out, because your office chair is killing you.

• Last but not least: Glazed-donut-flavored vodka exists. Be afraid.

The Benefits of Massage

I’ve had my share of massages. Not of the John Travolta variety, mind you -- but when I’m feeling particularly wrecked, I’ll drop into my friendly neighborhood sports therapy center and spend an hour getting worked over by Lois, my regular masseuse. Lois is old enough to be my grandmother (and often dispenses grandmotherly advice in the middle of my session, like “remember, don’t text while driving!” and “don’t hunch your shoulders!”), but the woman has hands of steel. She could probably snap my spine in two with her bear-claw-hands.

I don’t go to relax. Despite the soothing spa music that's piped into the rooms, I find it difficult to chill out when Lois is vigorously digging her elbows between my muscle tissues or driving her knuckles into my IT bands. The first time I got a massage from her, I puffed out my chest and told her she should apply as much pressure as possible. She did just that. And now, I feel weird about admitting to her that she's regularly testing the limits of my pain tolerance (which is admittedly pretty low).

Still, while part of me is biting my lip in pain, the other part of me actually enjoys the experience. Plus, I’ve always felt like I recover from my workouts faster after getting a painfully good massage from Lois.

But does massage really bolster recovery? We know that intense exercise causes micro-tears in muscle fibers that trigger an auto-immune reaction (a.k.a. inflammation). Does massage help bring that inflammation down?

Some studies have suggested that there is “little support for the use of massage to aid muscle recovery or performance after intense exercise.” In fact, one study noted that massage actually impairs blood flow and therefore impedes lactic acid removal from muscles after intense exercise -- the opposite of what most assumed to be true. This was measured by examining blood samples taken from athletes who participated in the study.

More recently, however, a group of Canadian researchers took a slightly more in-depth look at what happens to athletes’ muscles when massaged post-exercise.

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers... 

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

Yeesh. And ouch.

But in comparing the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs, the researchers found that massage “reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair.”

“The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky. 

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

Lesson: When you’ve been beat down by intense exercise, don’t reach for the ibuprofen. Go book a massage instead.

Too expensive? Invest in a foam roller and some lacrosse balls instead. (Another side benefit to doing deep-tissue mobility work in the privacy of your own home rather than getting a professional massage: There’s no need to worry about accidentally releasing an errant fart.)

[Source]

Good Morning

When on vacation, I'm all about sitting around the pool, reading a good book and watching the kids splash around. These days, our travels usually involve minimal sightseeing and maximal R&R. Still, too much lazing around gets me antsy; being inactive for more than a couple of days is torture.

Thankfully, this morning was a particularly active one. On the agenda? CrossFit, outrigger canoe paddling, and snorkeling -- all before lunchtime.

Using a bit of reverse psychology ("Fine by me if you want to sleep in and miss CrossFit"), I managed to get M out of bed and down to Lahaina CrossFit for the 7 a.m. class.

Our workout consisted of three separate components:

1. Interval Sprints

Class started with some self-directed stretching, and then some group warm-up exercises. Once the blood was pumping, Anthony instructed us to perform 10 interval sprints. We ran like our hair was on fire for about 100 meters, and then jogged back -- 10 times. By the time I was done with my third sprint, I was dog-tired. My shirt was already soaked from the humidity and my own perspiration -- and the sun wasn't even bearing down on us yet.

There's something to be said about working out in the chilly pre-dawn darkness, y'all.

2. Twelve Rounds of Cindy (5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, 15 Squats)

You know I'm head over heels about Cindy. Bodyweight workouts are my favorite, and Cindy is the queen of bodyweight WODs. I've loved every variation of Cindy I've tried: half-Cindy, three-quarter Cindy, full Cindy, task-priority Cindy, double-under Cindy, Murph, you name it. When I saw Cindy on the whiteboard today, a huge grin broke out on my face.

In fact, I'm sure I was practically drooling.

Still, it's not like a dozen rounds of Cindy is a walk in the park. In particular, the pull-ups gave me some grief after the first half-dozen rounds. After Round 6, I had to pause a couple of times during each set of pull-ups to wheeze and shake the sweat off my face. Nonetheless, the pull-ups and squats felt fast and smooth, and I managed to finish fairly quickly.

Result: 10:42 as RXed.

(The worst part of the workout was afterwards, when M made me stop taking pictures of her as she did push-ups. Note to self: Do not piss off the person who makes your food.)

3. Cleans (5-5-3-3-1-1)

After Tuesday's running-push-ups-burpees-squats-pull-ups workout and today's running-and-Cindy WOD, I was happy to see some barbell work on the board. The strength workout was optional, but a good number of us stuck around to practice cleans. It's been a week since I lifted an object heavier than my three-year-old kid, so I was in the mood for some squat cleans.



"Be careful with your back," M warned as I went to grab plates. It was a good reminder; even though my back feels infinitely better than it did a few weeks ago, going heavy would be a mistake. I kept it light, and well below my 1-rep max. But  by that point, I was exhausted anyway, so I doubt I would've been able to hoist a fully-loaded barbell up even if I'd tried.

Going light does have its disadvantages, though; judging from the bruise on my neck, I was cleaning the bar a bit too aggressively. Either that, or I passed out and someone gave me a hickey while I was unconscious.

After class, M and I drove back to meet up with the rest of the family, and we hit the ocean for an hour of outrigger canoe paddling with Maui Paddle Sports. My cousin and his wife are experienced, competitive, kick-ass paddlers, but M and I are total newbies. Secretly, I was hoping to be seated in one of their canoes so I could just coast and let them do all the heavy paddling.

Alas, M and I -- along with our boys -- were put in a separate canoe, so we actually had to work. It turned out to be incredibly fun and challenging, especially with our three-year-old dragging his paddle in the ocean and our six-year-old using his to giddily slap at the water. Paddling in unison, switching sides, thrusting with arms and back and core, bracing with legs -- all of it made for an excellent full-body workout.

"Regularly learn and play new sports," right?

Last but not least: Snorkeling. There's no better way to cool down than to float around in the warm ocean, casually following the fluorescent fish as they dart through coral.

I sorta don't want to go home.

Wednesday's Workout: Don't Be An Idiot

Another good one today.

5 rounds for time:

• 400-meter run
• 5 deadlifts (225lbs / 155lbs)
• 7 burpees
• 9 pull-ups

I love deadlifts, so when they show up in a metcon, it's a real struggle to keep myself from going RXed. But ultimately, the risk of exacerbating the muscle tear in my back keeps me scared straight. As a result, I went super-light -- 135 pounds (my bodyweight) -- and focused instead on maintaining smooth movements through all the exercises. With another 90 pounds on the bar, I'm sure I would've gassed out quickly on the burpees and pull-ups, but today, I managed to get through the entire workout with unbroken sets. In particular, the pull-ups felt crisp and tight. 

Result: 16:35.

Friday's Workout

Resting for a few days did me a world of good. My achy back still has a way to go before it's 100 percent again, but it's significantly looser than it was just a few days ago. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have in over two weeks. "Stay active," the doctor had said. So I headed back to the gym at 5 a.m.

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Ring Dips (3-3-3-1-1)

I worked my way up to a 28kg (62lb) kettlebell on the weight belt before calling it quits. For a moment, I considered trying to match my previous PR of 80 pounds...and then I realized I was just being a greedy idiot.

Metcon:

• Run 400 meters
• 21 sumo deadlift high pulls (95lbs / 65lbs)
• Run 400 meters
• 21 push-presses (95lbs / 65lbs)
• Run 400 meters
• 21 thrusters (95lbs / 65lbs)

We last did this workout almost exactly one year ago. Back then, I did it with the RXed weight of 95 pounds, and it took 12:39 for me to finish. (According to my blog post, I was dead last in my class.)

I struggled with the temptation to go RXed today so that I could compare my performance against last year's. But this was just more idiocy on my part. I'm injured; recovery is the name of the game. Besides, even if I went RXed, my results wouldn't be comparable because I wasn't hurt last October.

In any event, I scaled the weight down to 75 pounds, and as a result, the barbell lifts weren't too bad. My SDHPs were unbroken. I took one quick break halfway through the push-presses, and two breaks during the thrusters. My running was slow as molasses, but I still managed to finish the WOD relatively quickly.

Result: 10:23.

Pitstop

No workout today.

Before scuttling off to bed last night, I already knew I wouldn't me making it to this morning's CrossFit class. My back is still giving me fits, and as a result, my sleep has been terrible these past few nights. I'm beat, and in no condition to get up in the middle of the night to practice deadlifts.

Yes, I think it's important to stay active while recuperating from an injury. And yes, I've been borderline fanatical about not missing the 5 a.m. class. But lately, I've been sloooowly coming to the realization that sometimes, my body simply needs a break.

Trish posted an excellent article today about overtraining and the need to prioritize rest and recovery. Do I think I'm overtraining? It's possible. I don't exhibit many of the classic symptoms of overtraining (like elevated resting heart rate, declining performance, compromised immunity, and constant crankiness), but I've clearly been hampered lately by a series of injuries. If my body's screaming "no mas," I guess I ought to listen.

So I took today off. By the time Friday rolls around, I'll have had four consecutive days of rest. And during my time away from the gym, I'm going to heed Trish's sage advice:

If you're antsy between workouts, consider using time to improve your mobility instead. Cook a good meal. Go to bed early. Play with your kids. Play with your wife... The answer to faster times and better performance often has more to do with turning the lights out, computer off and getting some good shut-eye than adding an extra run. 

She's absolutely right. Our engines run better after a pitstop.

Wednesday's Workout: 50% Off

Believe it or not, I managed to rein in my appetite this morning. It was a "50% off" kind of day.

My back felt okay as I stepped into the gym at 5 a.m., but I reminded myself to fight the usual urge to push myself. My goal over the course of the next month is simple: To recover. I'm going to focus on mobility, and resist the temptation to go heavy on strength work and metcons. Think I can do it?

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (5-3-3-1-1)

Instead of loading up the barbell, I cut my normal weight in half and did bodyweight deadlifts. And instead of five sets, I just did three sets of three. In other words: Super-light, super-short. It was just enough to get me moving a little bit, but not nearly enough to strain anything.

Metcon:

"Half-Cindy" -- in 10 minutes, as many rounds as possible of:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 squats

I'm a huge fan of bodyweight workouts, and Cindy's the queen of 'em all. We've done a number of different variations on Cindy -- including Murph -- and I've loved all of them. And today, with doctor's orders not to go heavy, a short 10-minute bodyweight metcon couldn't have been more perfect. Before the clock started, I gingerly tested out each of the movements. None of them bothered me in the slightest, so I happily joined the rest of the class.

The workout was fun -- my pull-ups were strong and smooth, and the push-ups felt good and fast, too -- at least for the first five rounds or so. Towards the end, I had to take brief pauses after every 4 or 5 push-ups and squats, but my pull-ups never slowed.

And best of all, my back felt looser afterwards than it has in days.

Result: 11 rounds + 16 reps as RXed.

Flesh, Not Bone

There's a sports medicine facility across the street from my office. I've passed it a million times, but I've never once peered inside or made any inquiries about the services it provides. Who needs it? I thought.

Turns out I do. 

I'd hoped that my lower back stiffness would've dissipated by now, but no dice. Lingering muscle soreness and occasional twinges of pain made me think twice before attempting to twist my torso or bend over. This was not good.

So I picked up the phone and made an appointment at the place across the street. Luckily, there was an opening today, so after a long day behind a desk and a computer, I walked over to the clinic. The facility was bigger than it appeared from the exterior, and housed specialists in sports medicine, physical therapy, medical neurology, chiropractic care, and medical massage. 

The doctor who examined me poked and prodded at my back while asking questions about my exercise regimen ("CrossFit"), pain levels ("low"), type of discomfort ("extreme soreness, occasional pinching or shooting pain"). As part of the exam, my spine and pelvis got x-rayed and ultrasounded (is that a word?) to rule out certain possible conditions that I couldn't pronounce, like "ankylosing spondylitis."

And then, as the x-rays were being developed and reports were being prepared, I was escorted into a room where I lay on my stomach and got hooked up to some wires that delivered an electric current to my back muscles. It's called "electric stimulation therapy," and for the most part, it was pleasant -- like sitting in one of those massage chairs at the Brookstone store in the mall. Of course, once in a while, the electricity did some weird things to my back muscles, causing my right lat to seize up involuntarily a few times. I'd like to think it was akin to getting very, very mildly tased by a cop.

After my back muscles were sufficiently tenderized by electricity, the doctor returned and told me that my spine looked A-OK. "You have a very healthy spine, with just some osteoarthritis developing. Normal for a guy your age who exercises a lot." (My age? Damn, I'm feeling old.)

He explained that my vertebrae were just peachy, and my discs looked fine, too. "So the good news is that there's no damage to your spine. You're just suffering from a muscle tear. Do some mobility work as it heals to make sure you don't build up too much scar tissue, and take it easy for the next month or so. And we'll do an adjustment to make sure your spine is in alignment."

All I heard were the words: 

• "OSTEOARTHRITIS"
• "MUSCLE TEAR"
• "TAKE IT EASY FOR THE NEXT MONTH"

None of which were particularly awesome-sounding.

On the other hand, the spine adjustment felt fantastic. After a chiropractor contorted me into various pretzel shapes ("I'm gonna get all up in your area," he warned me beforehand), he suddenly yanked and twisted me until loud popping sounds exploded from my back. "That's supposed to happen," the chiropractor assured me. "I'm not breaking your back." Good to know.

I have to admit that I felt significantly better after the spinal adjustment, and so I made an appointment for another adjustment later this week.

Before I left, I had a very important question for the doc: "So does this mean I can't work out until this heals?"

"No, you can work out," he said. "You're a healthy, fit guy, and I'm sure you'll go work out even if I told you to take a break. But start with light weights, don't overdo it, and listen to your body. Stop if your back doesn't like what you're doing. And remember to do plenty of stretching and mobility work."

He had me at "No, you can work out." 

(But I promise I won't be an idiot.)

K-Star on Training Through Injury

WHAT?!?

According to super-guru Kelly Starrett, an ankle sprain takes -- without exception -- FOUR TO SIX WEEKS to heal. As K-Star says: "That four to six weeks sort of has a natural place in the healing cycle, the healing timeframe. We are superhumans. We're CrossFitters. I do superhuman shit every day. I can do anything...EXCEPT I cannot outrace my tissue healing times or my own physiology."

Also: Once tissue's been injured, it'll never be quite the same again.

Kill me now.



On the plus side, Starrett is emphatic that acutely injured individuals can't just sit on the sidelines until they're 100 percent. It's important to get back into the gym as soon as possible: “You had a surgery on Friday? Okay -- take a couple of days off. See you on Monday.”

WODs can (and should!) be modified, not shelved. Use dumbbells or scale down the weights. Do movements on one leg. But whatever you do, don't plant your ass on the couch and munch on ibuprofen. For a whole host of reasons, athletes should train through and around injuries:

Continuing to work out reinforces tissue and keeps systems intact. The metabolic and anabolic cascade and neurendocrine response lead to increased growth hormone, increased testosterone and increased insulin growth factors—all good things. And the psycho-social factors are also important. Athletes should not be isolated from their workout buddies or allowed to give up. They need to get back into action...

The recovery phase is when athletes need CrossFit most. When it comes to fitness, it’s a case of use it or lose it. Workouts should be modified, not abandoned. Do a workout on one leg, if necessary. Or consider Tabata intervals on day one of the recovery program, and let the intensity find you. Working out increases blood flow and promotes healing. It drives insulin sensitivity, restores proteins and gets the whole system looking for anabolic enzymes. 

Bottom line: "Injured athletes are still athletes. They need to avoid feeling sorry for themselves and get their butts back into the gym. And quickly."



More at the CrossFit Journal.

Monday's Workout: 9/11 WOD

After five long days away from the gym, I was looking forward to joining my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs at CrossFit Palo Alto today. Alas, M was at work, and my in-laws weren't available this morning, so I was grounded again. I wish I could say I slept in, but like clockwork, my eyes popped open at 4:20 a.m. Groaning, I pulled the covers over my head and tried to go back to sleep.

Another bummer: I missed the triumphal return of XFitMama. Despite giving birth less than two months ago, she's already in full-on beast mode: She did the WOD as RXed on her first day back at the gym. (Not a surprise, considering that this is the same firebreather who was doing WODs with unassisted pull-ups while nine months pregnant.)

Despite missing the 5 a.m. class, I was determined not to skip another day at the gym. I'd considered (for about a half-second) being a smart, reasonable person and resting my ankle, but I'm pretty sure I would've gone stir crazy if I'd stayed away. So in the end, I moved heaven and earth (otherwise known as a meeting and a conference call) in order to hit the noon class at the gym. 

The class was packed with familiar faces; it was great to hang out with Lawyerhands (who thoughtfully brought me a bag filled with OldSkoolBoarder's various ankle braces), Carol (who occasionally pops in at 5 a.m.), Alma, Carmela, Jimmy and others. It was also oddly gratifying to see that I wasn't the only one with a bum foot in class today. Two(!) others were hobbling around due to extracurricular injuries, and during warm-ups, the three of us formed a sad little group in the corner, unable to do jumping jacks and high-knees.

Strength Skill:

• Cleans (5-5-5-3-3)

Jimmy (who also has a sprained ankle) and I paired up and got through two ankle-jarring sets of cleans before we hung it up. Tim had us practice kettlebell cleans instead, which -- while a nice change of pace -- aren't quite as fun as squat-cleaning a barbell. Then again, I'm biased: I discovered today that I kind of suck at kettlebell cleans. Another skill to practice!

Metcon:

"9/11" - 5 rounds for time:

• 9 push-presses (95lbs / 65lbs)
• 11 knees-to-elbows

I did a few push-presses yesterday in the garage, and they were less than comfortable whenever I dipped and forced my ankles to flex. But for whatever reason (maybe because I took Tim up on his offer to treat my ankle by yanking on my foot before class?), my push-presses were surprisingly decent. This isn't to say that I was particular fast or graceful during today's WOD. On more than one occasion, I tipped forward at the top of my presses, which lifted me awkwardly onto my toes. And starting in the third round, I had to dump the bar a couple of times mid-set, which slowed me down considerably. My knees-to-elbows weren't super-fast, either -- but on the plus side, I didn't further wreck my hands. 

And frankly, it just felt great to move around.

Result: 7:00 as RXed.

Whine, Whine, Whine

It's been over a week since I sprained my ankle, and the slowness of the healing process is really pissing me off. Yes, the groin pull was annoying, and the torn hands weren't fun. But they're pretty much behind me now, which clears the way for me to obsess over my left ankle.

I can't run. I can't jump-rope. I can't even descend stairs without looking like an elderly Asian gentleman. (Not because Asians walk down stairs funny, but because I'm Asian. Duh.) I can't push off with my left foot, and anything that requires a decent amount of ankle flexion -- deadlifts, box jumps, push-presses, etc. -- is uncomfortable.

After two grueling workouts last week -- neither of which demanded too much ankle action, thankfully -- I benched myself for Friday's WOD to give myself a chance to recover. (And it's a good thing I did, because Friday's workout was 5 rounds of 500-meter rows and 400-meter runs. In other words, hell on earth.)

And after 5 days off, I am mentally ready to go now. Rest is awesome, but I've been itching to move around for days. I literally can't sit still anymore. This morning, when M got home from work, I ducked into the garage to do a bunch of sumo deadlift high pulls and push-presses and box jumps and wallball shots. (One must prepare for Fight Gone Bad this Saturday, right?)

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that my ankle does not get along with push-presses. Or box jumps. Or wallballs. And when I grabbed my jump rope tonight to go practice double-unders, I came to the realization that I can't even do single-unders right now. And now, as I head off to bed, my ankle is aching again.

This is driving me crazy.

Monday's Workout

I hate it when my body quits on me.

It's the final week in our strength cycle, and I wanted to join the rest of the 5 a.m. class as they practiced overhead squats today. But thanks to my pulled groin, I still can't properly squat without pain.

Grudgingly, I sat this one out. I certainly don't want to tear up my adductors even more, but being sidelined annoys me to no end. I tried to stay productive by working on my handstand holds this morning, but it wasn't the same.

Thankfully, our metcon today didn't require any squatting:

• "Grace" - 30 clean-and-jerks (135lbs / 95lbs) for time.

After my last encounter with Grace (when I used a too-light 95-pound barbell), I'd promised myself I'd go up to 115 pounds the next time we faced this workout. But I already got a good taste of my stupidity on Friday, so to be safe, I went up only to 105 -- in other words, just a few pounds more than 17-year-old Kallista Pappas clean-and-jerked during the "Heavy Grace" event at the 2008 CrossFit Games.

During the WOD, I felt slightly more tentative and restrained than usual, and babied my right leg more than probably necessary. Still, the power cleans felt good, and my lockouts overhead were strong. I finished in 4:41 -- a half-minute slower than the last time around -- but frankly, I was just happy I got to play.

Sleep or Die

Tired of my harangues about the importance of sleep? Too bad. Suck it up.

Tonight, let’s look at what happens once you drift off into slumberland, and dive in a little deeper into why it’s so damaging to your health (and fitness goals) when you don’t get enough shut-eye.

Typically, over the course of a night, your body and brain goes through a series of anywhere from four to seven sleep cycles. If uninterrupted, each cycle takes about 90 to 110 minutes, and consists of several distinct stages:

• Stage 1: This initial stage of light sleep (which occurs only when you go from a conscious state to an unconscious one) lasts about 5 or 10 minutes, during which you drift in and out of sleep. Your muscles relax (except when your whole body twitches and you get that sudden “OH CRAP, I’M FALLING!” sensation -- it's called hypnic myclonia, by the way) and your eye movements slow down. You can be awakened pretty easily during Stage 1 sleep; when that occurs, you usually don’t recognize that you fell asleep at all.

• Stage 2: In this second stage of the sleep cycle, which lasts for a half-hour or so, you’re still in light sleep, but your body temperature drops a bit. Also, your eye movements, respiration, heart rate and brain waves slow considerably – interrupted by just a few occasional bursts of rapid brain waves. Fully half of your total sleep time is spent in Stage 2 sleep, which is also called “spindle sleep” because of the spikes (or spindles) in brain activity. These spindles, incidentally, are critical to the brain’s ability to process information.

• Stage 3: When you enter Stage 3 (some experts separate this into two stages – 3 and 4 – but for our purposes, let’s just lump ‘em together), you’re in deep sleep. Your brain begins producing much slower, high-amplitude “delta” waves. When you’re in deep sleep, there’s basically no eye movement or muscle activity. (This is also the time when some kids experience sleepwalking or bedwetting.) It’s very difficult to be awakened from deep sleep – but if you manage to be roused, you’ll likely feel disoriented and out-of-sorts for a while.

• REM Sleep: Rapid eye movement distinguishes REM sleep from the other stages. But it’s not just your eyes that move faster -- during this period, your heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and breathing becomes rapid, irregular and shallow. Brain waves during REM sleep increase to levels similar to those during regular waking hours, and most of your dreaming occurs during this stage.

Now: What happens if your sleep is interrupted, or you don’t get enough sleep?



If you’re awakened -- by noise, light, your own snoring, your alarm clock -- and you go back to sleep, you actually start over again at square one: Stage 1 sleep. If this happens within the first few minutes of sleeping, no harm, no foul; after all, your head just hit the pillow a few minutes ago. But if some disturbance awakens you while you’re in Stage 2 sleep or beyond, you’ve just deprived yourself of some valuable Stage 3 and REM sleep.

The same goes for inadequate sleep. Go to sleep too late or wake up too early, and you’re missing out on the full benefits of a full night’s rest -- and exposing your mind and body to a host of risks.

What risks, you ask?

First and foremost, lack of sleep can lead to obesity, diabetes and premature aging.

Research suggests that chronic sleep deprivation “may influence weight through effects on appetite, physical activity, and/or thermoregulation,” and that it's linked to the development of type II diabetes. The link between lack of sleep and insulin resistance is clear:

In laboratory studies of healthy young adults submitted to recurrent partial sleep restriction, marked alterations in glucose metabolism including decreased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity have been demonstrated. The neuroendocrine regulation of appetite was also affected as the levels of the anorexigenic hormone leptin were decreased, whereas the levels of the orexigenic factor ghrelin were increased. Importantly, these neuroendocrine abnormalities were correlated with increased hunger and appetite, which may lead to overeating and weight gain. Consistent with these laboratory findings, a growing body of epidemiological evidence supports an association between short sleep duration and the risk for obesity and diabetes.

In other words, your metabolism is wrecked and your appetite goes haywire.

This appears to be especially the case if your Stage 3 deep sleep is restricted or interrupted -- even if your total sleep time remains the same. A University of Chicago study concluded that suppression of slow-wave “delta” sleep resulted in significant decreases in insulin sensitivity, which leads to reduced glucose tolerance and increased risk for type II diabetes.

Even a single night of partial sleep deprivation can induce insulin resistance in otherwise healthy individuals.

As Robb Wolf put it:

Sleep deprivation mimics many elements of the aging process. One could make the argument that how you feel when you are sleep deprived is likely how you will feel if you are both diabetic and old (sleep deprivation dramatically impacts insulin sensitivity). Improved sleep time and quality will help you: Lean out, avoid depression, autoimmunity, heart disease... It might even help you be a better athlete.

Stephan Guyenet has similar stuff to say:

Besides making us miserable, lack of sleep appears to predispose to obesity and diabetes, and probably sets us up for the Big Sleep down the line. I can't say I'm surprised, given how awful I feel after even one night of six hour sleep. I feel best after 9 hours, and I probably average about 8.5. Does it cut into my free time? Sure. But it's worth it to me, because it allows me to enjoy my day much more.

Want more? Sleep deprivation will jack up your cortisol -- the hormone released by your adrenal glands in response to stress. “Even partial acute sleep loss” can negatively “affect the resiliency of the stress response and may accelerate the development of metabolic and cognitive consequences of glucocorticoid excess.” If you accumulate high levels of cortisol overnight, you’re more likely to be insulin resistant during the day, which in turn will derail your body’s efforts to efficiently process glucose. Your diet may be clean, but heightened cortisol levels will negate all your awesome Paleosity. Plus, chronically elevated cortisol levels have been linked with decreases in muscle tissue and bone density, elevated blood pressure, and lowered immunity. Fun!

Wait -- what did you say? Oh, so you’re lean and insulin sensitive and a super-kick-ass athlete and think you can therefore get by with less sleep? Consider this: Studies show that even a “relatively low degree of sleep disturbance” can disturb the natural secretion of human growth hormone (HGH) that occurs while you sleep.

Sleep deprivation also impairs your body’s ability to recover from your crazy metcon beatdowns. According to U.C. San Diego study, lack of sleep results in reduced levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) -- a cytokine that triggers an immune response to trauma -- including normal microtraumas from exercise.

Not enough to convince you? Okay -- how about this: Another effect of sleep deprivation is lowered testosterone. That's right: Sleeplessness is not a sign of virility -- it's the exact opposite.

Want to get bigger, stronger and faster? Get enough sleep.

For those of you who care about your noggins, there's even more to consider: Sleep deprivation will rob you of the brain-related benefits of REM sleep, which is essential for processing and managing everything from information and memories to emotions and stress.

Even if you like to pride yourself on being a lunkhead who cares not a whit about your brainpower or emotional well-being, think about this: REM sleep is the period when your brain transfers the muscle movements you learn from your short-term memory into your long-term memory. Your hippocampus downloads information to your neo-cortex so that you can recall -- among other things -- how to perform physical skills. In other words, don’t waste your time trying to perfect your snatch technique if you’re not going to get enough sleep.

Check out this handy infographic for more about the risks of sleep interruption and deprivation:

(Click the image above for the full picture.)

The upshot? Go to bed early. Try to wake up without using your alarm clock, or use an alarm that'll gently rouse you rather than jolting you awake. (Gadget hounds: Try the Lark or Zeo.) Worried you won't wake up in time for your early morning meeting or workout? THEN GO TO BED EARLIER. Make sure you keep your room pitch-black -- no nightlights, no glowing LCD displays on your cell phone, clock, DVD player. Cover 'em up if that's what it takes. Get blackout curtains. The light's bad for you and contributes to you getting fatter. And no, I’m not kidding.

I know I’m guilty of not always often practicing what I preach. (I'm still awake right now, after all.) I recognize that I'm skating on the edge of being chronically sleep deprived. But I want to turn that around. Part of why I wrote this post was to convince myself to get my butt into bed earlier.

So I'm off to bed. Are you?

Wednesday's Workout: 3 Minutes Is A Long Time

My quads haven’t stopped aching since Murph, so I’ve been squeezing into a pair of compression pants before bedtime for the past few nights. As I’ve written before, multiple studies suggest that this body-hugging gear does appear to help reduce post-exercise trauma and muscle soreness when worn during recovery.

So did I notice a difference? Hard to say. I still woke up with stiff, sore legs. But hey: It’s deadlift day at CrossFit Palo Alto. I wasn't about to let a little achiness get in the way of another chance to work towards a new PR.

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

PEE ARRR, baby! My previous best was precisely 2X my bodyweight, but today, I managed to yank 5 additional pounds off the ground. Granted, I didn't exactly set the world on fire, but it still felt pretty friggin' heavy. It took everything I had to stand up with the weight. And just as soon as I hoisted up the bar, I lost my grip on it, and the plates dropped with a resonant KA-CLUNK!

From across the room, Tim admonished me for splashing the weights before getting set. "In a weightlifting meet, you gotta hold it ‘til the white light goes off!”

“Oh, I saw a white light all right,” I responded.

Metcon:

As many reps as possible:

• 3 minutes of strict presses (75lbs/55lbs)
• 3 minutes of rest
• 3 minutes of push presses (75lbs/55lbs)
• 3 minutes of rest
• 3 minutes of jerks (75lbs/55lbs)

There was a nasty twist to this one: During each 3 minutes of activity, the penalty for resting the bar -- either across the shoulders or on the ground -- was 5 burpees. Clearly, the objective was to keep moving for three minutes straight. Still, with 75 pounds on the bar, this didn't sound too hard. After all, what's three minutes?

Answer: An eternity, it turns out.

In the first round, I managed only 25 reps, and dropped the bar three times, which meant having to crank out 15 burpees. I expected the strict presses to be the most difficult of the three exercises, so I didn't freak out too much about my crappy performance. Still, I vowed not to drop the weight in the second round.

Didn't happen. In the second round, despite accumulating 31 push presses, I dropped the bar three times again. Another 15 burpees. Crap.

In the final round, I was determined to not only surpass my Round 2 results, but also keep the bar moving. No more burpees! No more burpees! No more burpees! I managed to eke out 32 jerks, but of course, I dropped the bar three times again -- the last time, just A HALF SECOND before time was up, which meant I had five final burpees to complete even after the clock had stopped.

Results:

• Round 1: 25 reps
• Round 2: 31 reps
• Round 3: 32 reps
• Total: 88 reps (and 45 burpees) as RXed.

The best thing about today's workout? I didn't once think about the soreness in my legs. The worst thing about today's workout? I'm going to have to wear a compression shirt to bed tonight.

Because.

Okay: I've got some explaining to do. Below, I listed (again) the dietary tweaks I intend to implement, along with my reasons. I may mangle some of this stuff up, as I'm just regurgitating what we heard yesterday at the Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition workshop.

THE TWEAK:

Get more sleep -- especially the night before a 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto. (Whole9's rule: Didn't get at least 6 hours of sleep? THEN NO EXERCISE FOR YOU. Use that time instead to get more Z's or prep some food.)

THE REASON:

This goes without saying, right? We all know by now that we ought to be getting at least nine -- yes, nine -- hours of sleep per night, or else risk all sorts of health issues, including obesity and diabetes. These and other disorders are all linked to chronic, systemic inflammation; your body's immune system is constantly pushed to work harder than it should to repair and maintain your body in response to the added stress you're placing on it.

Another point that hit home with me at yesterday's presentation: Sleep should take priority over training. Your body doesn't get fitter while you're training. Your body gets fitter when it's recovering and re-building itself. (Some -- including Robb Wolf -- say it's even more important than food.)

Plus, lack of sleep makes you look like crap. No need to crow about functioning on just four hours of sleep; after all, sleeplessness not a sign of virility. 

THE TWEAK:

Stop pounding caffeine after noon.

THE REASON:

I've wavered on this point before, and I sure love me a good cuppa coffee (the cold-brewed stuff is like crack to me). But in the end, I'm kinda-sorta coming around to the Whole9's way of thinking. Caffeine's a potent stressor, and promotes a stress response that I don't need. Plus, if I keep chugging it in the P.M., it's going to keep wreaking havoc on my sleep patterns. Not good.

So starting now: No more coffee after noon. (Read the Whole9's Coffee Manifesto here.)

THE TWEAK:

Reduce my intake of nuts and seeds -- and when I do indulge, I'm going to reach for macadamia nuts and hazelnuts over all others.

THE REASON:

Nuts and seeds are incredibly nutrient-dense foods, which makes 'em a great addition to any diet.

But the concern is that the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in all nuts and seeds have a pro-inflammatory profile, with higher ratios of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. By now, we all know why it's important to reduce the markers of systemic inflammation by maintaining a ratio closer to 2:1 or 1:1 than the standard American diet's ratio of upwards of 30:1, right? Besides, there's the whole Chris Masterjohn line of thought about the connection between PUFA degeneration and atherosclerosis.

Of course, some nuts have very low PUFA content (only 2% of the fats in mac nuts are PUFAs, for example), and in the end, they're a net nutritional plus. Others, though, are pretty damned high in PUFAs. (For instance, 72% of the fats in walnuts are pro-inflammatory PUFAs.) So going forward, I'm going to be a more discriminating nut eater -- and favor mac nuts in particular, which studies suggest offer a host of other health benefits as well.

Yes, there's some debate over this stuff (isn't there always?), but even beyond the whole systemic inflammation argument, I've found that it's just way too easy for me to mindlessly binge on nuts. Nuts are super dense in calories. (Just one cup of macadamia nuts, for example, contain almost 1,000 calories.) I'm not a calorie counter at all, but I'm addicted to nuts. If left unchecked, my nut consumption would grow to the point that weight maintenance would surely become an issue. And while nuts are certainly "Paleo" (excepting those "nuts" that aren't actually nuts at all, like peanuts) 'cause cavepeople could eat 'em, that doesn't mean they're the optimal source of dietary fat for modern humans. I think I'm going to try to mindlessly binge on eggs and avocados instead.

THE TWEAK:

Cut the cheese. (HAR HAR! I meant cutting it from my diet.)

THE REASON:

I've already cut most dairy out of my diet, save pastured butter/ghee, the cheese on my burgers/in my salads, and a little Greek yogurt when it's cooked in a few of the dishes that M makes. But after listening to the Whole9 folks lay out their case against dairy, I'm considering eliminating cheese from my diet entirely. In particular, cheeses have an acidifying effect on the body, and an "acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and also contributes to the following maladies and illnesses: kidney stones, age-related muscle wasting, hypertension, stroke and asthma." Yeesh.

Plus, the beta-casomorphins that are created in the cheese-making process are literally addictive. That's right: When milk is turned into cheese, it becomes dairy crack. And crack is wack.

THE TWEAK:

Eat something starchy/carby immediately post-workout.

THE REASON: 

I'm still doing the intermittent fasting gig (and am enjoying its benefits), so this will require some re-jiggering of my early-morning fasted training routine.

It won't hurt me if I fail to refuel my muscles with some carbs and protein after a long, intense metcon. But the body's uptake of nutrients is most efficient in the half-hour after intense exercise. During this short window, our muscles are particularly insulin-sensitive, so we take advantage of a mechanism called “non-insulin mediated glucose transport” to shove some nutritious carbs into our systems. Protein can also help with refilling our glycogen stores and decreasing the inflammation caused by intense exercise. In other words, we recover faster.

So I'm now considering downing some sweet potato, beets, parsnips, chestnuts or winter squash after hard WODs. (But I'm also considering staying the course and not eating anything, per my current practice and Mat Lalonde's words of wisdom.) [UPDATE: See notes by The Lazy Caveman and The Nutty Kitchen below -- I am now officially off the fence!]

By the way, the Whole9 warns against eating fat or fruit as part of the post-workout meal -- fat'll slow down the body's ability to replenish your muscle glycogen, and the fructose in fruit will prioritize the replenishment of your liver glycogen -- not your muscle glycogen.

THE TWEAK:

Try to get over my aversion to olives, because they're awesome sources of fat (assuming no preservatives or other additives are in the mix).

THE REASON:

The best monounsaturated fats recommended by the Whole9 are avocados, avocado oil, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, olives and olive oil. I already eat copious amounts of everything on the list except olives. And I am nothing if not a completist.

THE TWEAK:

Seriously cut back on fruit, and stop drinking juice altogether.

THE REASON: 

Honestly, I stopped drinking juice eons ago, and I don't go crazy with fruit. I just stuck this one in here just for those of you who still haven't gotten the memo that eating fruit is fine -- but in moderation. (We're talking one to two servings a day.) I get the feeling there are those of you out there who think that going Paleo is a license to go to town on smoothies, juice, and berries in everything. If you're out there, here's why you should watch your fruit intake:

Fruit is not as nutritionally dense as most vegetables. The top ten vegetables on the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale range from kale (score: 1000 -- perfect!) to arugula (559). But the most nutrient-dense fruit -- strawberries -- gets a score of just 212.

Fruit is too often used as a crutch by perfectly well-meaning Paleo adherents who rely on fruit to satisfy their lingering sugar cravings. Do you find yourself piling your plate high with fruit for breakfast? Snacking on bananas and grapes all day? Constantly adding fruit to meals just to add some (totally unnecessary) sweetness? Juicing fruit -- thereby removing all the good stuff in order to concentrate the liquid sugar into drinkable form? STOP IT. 

THE TWEAK: 

Never cook with olive oil again.

THE REASON:

"Never" is probably too strong a word. And I should have qualified that statement further by saying "high-heat cooking." Still:

From what we learned yesterday, olive oil -- while mostly comprised of good monounsaturated fat -- still contains proportionally greater amounts of unstable PUFAs than other cooking fats that are available to us (like coconut oil, ghee, etc.)

PUFAs happen to have a low smoke point (the temperature at which the fat begins to smoke and break down chemically). And they're also the most susceptible to oxidation. And oxidation is bad news.

As Inhuman Experiment put it:

What about olive oil then? Even though everyone seems to love olive oil in general, there's something of a debate going on over whether it should be used for cooking purposes. My opinion is that ... it's not the worst choice but it's not the best either. The smoking point of extra virgin olive oil seems to vary from 160 to 190 °C, depending on the free fatty acid content. Virgin olive oil, however, has some properties that make it more heat-tolerant than most other oils...

So which oils should you use for cooking? For sautéing and cooking at light to medium temperatures, my choice would be the ones on the left of the graph: coconut oil, ghee, butter, palm oil, and lard. If you stay below 170 °C, you're in pretty safe waters in terms of oxidation regardless of which one of them you choose. Virgin olive oil seems like a viable choice, too; just make sure the particular olive oil you're using it doesn't start smoking.

But why even bother cooking with olive oil when I can just use the humongous vats of coconut oil and ghee in my pantry for all my cooking needs? I'll just save the EVOO for non-heated applications (e.g., in dressings, etc.)

THE TWEAK:

Break open the vat of duck fat we have sitting in the freezer.

THE REASON:

Note that I didn't say I was going to cook exclusively with duck fat, or that duck fat is superior to all other forms of cooking fats. I just said I was going to break it out.

Still, duck fat (along with beef tallow and goat fat) is -- according to Whole9 -- preferable to cooking with lard. Why? Because lard (and all pork products) generally come from pigs that eat at least some shitty stuff. There's no such thing as a "grass-fed" pig, because pigs aren't ruminants like cows. They're natural omnivores like you and me. So even pastured pigs who are given freedom to root around and eat whatever they can find in the wild nonetheless are provided with supplemental food -- often in the form of cheap grains and corn. (One exception: The pastured pigs at Full of Life Farm, from which we just bought half a pig.)

Besides, duck fat tastes good.

Let the Poison Out

End your workout with a big dump.

(Source: kmaschke)

The Dread

When M told me about her (second ever) WOD at CrossFit Palo Alto this morning, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Her class (along with all other Tuesday classes) did "Uphill Fran" today -- and given that I'm a Monday/Wednesday/Friday guy, I missed it.

Uphill Fran is our gym's twist on CrossFit's signature workout, turning the Fran formula of 21-15-9 thrusters and pull-ups on its head. Oh, and it also adds 3 rounds of 400 meter sprints for good measure. Here's what Uphill Fran looks like:

• Run 400 meters
• 9 barbell thrusters
• 9 pull-ups
• Run 400 meters
• 15 barbell thrusters
• 15 pull-ups
• Run 400 meters
• 21 barbell thrusters
• 21 pull-ups

As with most CrossFit WODs, the mere thought of Uphill Fran gets me both excited and nauseous. So on the one hand, a (very small) part of me was jealous that M got to try this workout before I did -- but a much bigger part of me was relieved that I didn't have to suffer through it today. In the end, I'm happy to kick back and enjoy my off day.

After all, as Freddy from CrossFit One World pointed out, rest days are important not just for your body, but for your head:

The rest day is your day to get your mind fresh again. Think about that anxiety you get when you first read what the workout is. We often experience what I like to call "The Dread." Nervousness, anxiety, making up excuses on why you don't need to workout that day..."The Dread" can kick your ass. We need that rest day to get a break from "The Dread." I don't know about you, but I never experience "The Dread" while I am contemplating sitting on my couch and watching "So You Think You Can Dance" reruns on my TIVO.

I don't know about the "So You Think You Can Dance" part, but I'm certainly glad The Dread won't kick in until 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Give It a Rest

At the start of a new year, it's easy to get amped up about attacking one's fitness goals, but don't overdo it.

From Art De Vany's just-released "The New Evolution Diet":

I fail to see how anyone can train 5 or 6 days a week in the gym and for hours at a time. That is factory or agricultural work, not anything human beings were evolved to do. And the paradox is that you will gain less strength and fitness if you overtrain. You will join the thousands who quit exercising out of sheer boredom. Overtraining increases your stress level, interferes with your sleep, raises your level of stress hormones, and reduces your level of growth hormones and testosterone. It leads to less muscle gain, not more, along with loss of fitness and boredom. Boredom is one way your brain stops you from harming yourself.

Chris Highcock says the same thing. Listen to them. Those guys know their stuff.

Friday's Workout

I showed up to the 5 a.m. class still sore from Wednesday's upper-body-intensive WOD.
(It doesn't help my recovery that I've gotten less sleep than usual, but it's my own damned fault. I've had this irrational compulsion to blog and tweet instead of hitting the sack. It's crazy, but I've also contemplated staying up late just to read more of "Lights Out" -- a book that's all about the critical need to sleep more.)

So what was on tap this morning?

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Ring Dips (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

Despite my achy arms and back, I was able to crank 'em out with a fully-loaded 50-pound weight vest on and an extra dumbbell clenched in my crotch. I was feeling pretty good about myself. And then I saw the metcon written on the dry-erase board:

Metcon:

5 rounds for time:

• 240-meter sprint
• 10 dumbbell thrusters
• 10 24-inch plyo box jumps

One or two rounds: A piece of cake. Three rounds and you're starting to falter. Four and it totally sucks. Five? On the floor.

To do this as RXed, guys are supposed to use a pair of 45-pound dumbbells for the thrusters, and gals are supposed to use a pair of 25-pound dumbbells. I split the difference and used 35 pounds because (1) the Terminator grabbed the only pair of 45-pound dumbbells in the gym, (2) see my comment above regarding lingering upper body soreness, and (3) I'm not that much stronger than a girl. But thrusting 70 pounds 50 times was plenty, thankyouverymuch.

Result: 12:45. I came in first, beating the Terminator by 9 seconds. He used heavier weights, but that's totally appropriate in light of the fact that he's a relentless homicidal cyborg with a metal endoskeleton. (Okay, he's actually an accountant. Same difference.)