It is functional, right?

Thanks to Colin for pointing this out to me

Self Eating.....not a bizarre form of masturbation

Autophagy (surely pronounced Auto[space]Phagy) is usually characterised as cells eating themselves.  I think I've posted stuff before about  autophagy being turned on by fasting.   This guy (Ron Mignery) also explains how fasting from protein alone can also turn on autophagy.   Matt Lalonde also mentioned this idea in Robb Wolf's podcast last week - he occasionally has a low protein dinner to promote autophagy.

Anyway, here is something else interesting - another reason to fast occasionally or at least have low protein days - autophagy represents an important natural safeguard against cancer development:


Scientists discover that self-eating cells safeguard against cancer

Normally, the process of autophagy is switched on when cells experience periods of starvation and in this context is beneficial by helping to keep the 'wolf from the door' until food reappears on the menu. However, the Martin laboratory has discovered that mutations in a gene called Ras, which is involved in approximately 30% of human cancers, triggers excessive autophagy leading to auto-destruction of the fledgling tumour cell. Mutant Ras was found to switch cells into the self-eating mode by ramping up the production of Noxa. The study suggests that autophagy represents an important natural safeguard against cancer development.

The Mail on Sunday gets it right

Well they got this right!  Barefoot means....well barefoot.  But there is no money in that is there!

More Hillfit thoughts

Here is some of my current thinking:

A template – the Hillfit Paradigm

There is science behind what I will recommend, but science is fickle – the same data can often be read differently depending on the presumptions of the scientist. You need a paradigm under which to view the data, a lens to give some sense to what you see. I’ll be discussing through my own template. “Hillfit” is essential, foundational and functional.

Essential – we are looking at efficiency and economy. Getting the most effect from a minimum investment of time and effort. It is Lighten up all over again!

Foundational – coming back to basics about what is natural? What are we built for? How were we designed to move? There is a lot to learn here and modern fitness prescriptions - uniform and regimented - are often “unnatural” from the perspective of our ancestors who randomly would walk or run but not jog.

Functional – Training is not an end in itself. It should facilitate FUN! My ideas might make you stronger or increase metabolic conditioning, but you need to apply that capacity to your skill. You need to walk, to climb. It is not about the time in the gym but the time on the hill.

My thoughts and writings are being shaped by:

• Body by Science
• MovNat

Common Strength

Any site that has me in a list of experts is surely worth linking to! 

Common Strength is a blog I've come across from a guy in Dundee.  Here is how Sean describes it:

Commonstrength is a straight-forward project created to answer a simple question: “What can I do to get stronger?”

The name is a play on the term “common sense”. Our strength training beliefs are really quite simple…like everything in life, if you want to get better at something, you have to do that thing more often. In our case, we want to get better at lifting stupidly heavy things…as such, it’s just common sense to get lifting heavy things, frequently, with enough rest to give it your absolute best with each session. “Perfect practice makes perfect”.

Slider Exercises

More good stuff from Ross. I have also just bought his Missing Links DVD but haven't had the chance to watch it yet.

Danny MacAskill interview

I think I've had Danny's video on here before...but if not:



Anyway, here is an interview with him:

Hillfit thoughts

I have been asked to write a series of articles in a UK backpacking magazine on fitness.  I might use this blog as a place to record some of the ideas that I want to remember to include.  It is hard because there is so much to say.  Yet the focus I want is simplicity. 

The template I am using is

• Efficiency - best bang for buck, do more with less
  
• Fun -  fitness facilitates fun, more important than fancy gear
  
• Nature - doing what we are built for / designed for (the whole EvFt / paleo thing)

In effect it will be sprints / simple calisthenics (slow or statics) for metabolic conditioning / strength and then developing the skill of walking.....and it is a skill.

There will also be something on looking at what works, not what the successful do.  The successful can be such despite their training.

I am taking some ideas from lightweight backpacking too:

• use of appropriate technology (e.g sprints)
• efficiency - use what you need, multipurpose gear
• challenges the mainstream
• independence
• fun - it is about enjoyment of the outdoors ultimately gear and fitnes only facilitate that
• realistic - ignore the adverts!

All my interests are coming out in this stuff:   Body by Science, HIIT, MovNat, CrossFit endurance, posture.  I may not address diet - it is too challenging to the mainstream. .... we'll see


The hardest thing is condensing all these ideas into a useful article.

I am having to cut my reading back and go more in depth into things.  Blogs and twitter are great and immediate  but you rarely get any depth.  I am getting overwhelmed by the information.  It is time for some independent thought I think.

There will also be a  vibe here  simplifying and minimalism in general with respect to consumerism.  I like shiny new things as much as the next guy but gear is nowhere near as important as fitness for a good day out.  I've seen guys togged up in the latest kit struggling to get up a hill while others in older kit wander up with no trouble.  if you are not fit the gear doesn't matter much.  The magazines however rely on advertising income so they will not really tell you that too readily.  They sell us an image of what we need to own to be successful.

Fertility study and fat consumption

My girlfriend -  a PhD immunologist -  pointed this out to me.  She said:

I came across this abstract but have attached the paper but not read it. In the results infertile women consumed more polyunsaturated fat (OR 1.23), less saturated fat (OR 0.83) and had more hangovers (OR 1.02), a significant but marginal effect (2%).  But the conclusions say that alcohol use is something that needs to be addressed.  There was stuff on the BBC website yesterday that alcohol consumption has decreased since 2004...  But hey, you can't mention polyunsaturated fat being bad for you!

Pass the butter.

...and another big jump

Skill execution and sleep deprivation caffeine and creatine

Forget the creatine and caffeine the lesson I take from this is that sleep deprivation erodes your skills....so don't lose sleep.

Skill execution and sleep deprivation: effects of acute caffeine or creatine supplementation - a randomized placebo-controlled trial

full pdf available.

It is about genetics

some people are just better at responding to resistance exercise

Killing yourself due to too little sleep

Literally!  Lack of sleep leads to suicide!?

Sleep, serotonin, and suicide in Japan.


Well maybe.

Bloody Hell....Wii Fit is not exercise

They are doing scientific studies on the Wii.     Bloody.  Hell.

Findings suggest that the Wii Fit™ can be used as an effective activity for promoting physical health in this population.

I have another suggestion.....or two

It can take at least 6 days to recover from a hard training session

This study seems to support the basic workout frequency prescribed by Doug McGuff and John Little in Body by Science - once a week (and less frequently if necessary).

Recovery after Heavy Resistance Exercise And Skeletal Muscle Androgen Receptor And Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Isoform Expression In Strength Trained Men.

The effects of heavy resistance exercise on skeletal muscle androgen receptor (AR) protein concentration and mRNAs of AR, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF)-IEa, and mechano growth factor (MGF) expression were examined from biopsies of vastus lateralis (VL) muscle before and 48 hours after heavy resistance exercise (5 × 10 repetition maximum [RM] leg press and 4 × 10RM squats) in 8 adult strength trained men. The present exercise induced an acute decrease in maximal isometric force and increased serum total testosterone (T) and free testosterone (FT) concentrations. During 2 recovery days, maximal isometric force and subjective perception of physical fitness remained significantly lowered, whereas serum creatine kinase activity, subjective muscle soreness, and muscle swelling (i.e., thickness of VL by ultrasound) were significantly increased compared to pre-exercise values. Subjective perception of physical fitness was followed up to 7 days, and by 6 days postexercise, it was elevated above the pre-exercise level. Basal T and FT concentrations remained unaltered after the exercise. No statistically significant changes were observed in AR protein or mRNA expression, but IGF-IEa (p < 0.05) and MGF (p < 0.05) mRNA expression were increased compared to pre-exercise levels. These findings indicate that IGF-IEa and MGF responses may be related to acute regenerative processes in muscle because of exercise and may contribute to muscular adaptation to resistance exercise. Subjective perception of physical fitness suggests that recovery over a pre-exercise level of the present type of heavy resistance exercise can take approximately 6 days.


Of course I am left asking about the vaidity of subjective perceptions.....

Exercise Bout Increases Metabolic Rate

The debate of whether or not exercise increases the metabolic rate post exercise floats around a fair bit.    Anyway this was just published:

A 45-Minute Vigorous Exercise Bout Increases Metabolic Rate for 14 Hours

INTRODUCTION: The magnitude and duration of the elevation in resting energy expenditure following vigorous exercise have not been measured in a metabolic chamber. This study investigated the effects of inserting a 45-min vigorous cycling bout into the daily schedule versus a controlled resting day on 24-h energy expenditure in a metabolic chamber.

METHODS: Ten male subjects (ages 22 to 33 yrs) completed two separate 24-h chamber visits (one rest and one exercise day) and energy balance was maintained for each visit condition. On the exercise day, subjects completed 45-min of cycling at 57% Wattsmax (mean±SD, 72.8±5.8% VO2max) starting at 11:00 am. Activities of daily living were tightly controlled to ensure uniformity on both rest and exercise days. The area under the energy expenditure curve for exercise and rest days was calculated using the trapezoid rule in the EXPAND procedure in the Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) and then contrasted.

RESULTS: The 45-min exercise bout resulted in a net energy expenditure of 519±60.9 kcal (P<0.001). For 14-h post-exercise, energy expenditure was increased 190±71.4 kcal compared to the rest day (P±0.001).

CONCLUSION: In young male subjects, vigorous exercise for 45-min resulted in a significant elevation in post-exercise energy expenditure that persisted for 14-h. The 190 kcals expended post-exercise above resting levels, represented an additional 37% to the net energy expended during the 45-min cycling bout. The magnitude and duration of increased energy expenditure following a 45-min bout of vigorous exercise may have implications for weight loss and management.

 Pretty interesting.   It is soemthign that I have been thinking about recently - every workout has an impact:  hormonally on post exercise metabolic rate etc.  Every workout is important.

The Big Fat Truth about Low Fat

I have no idea what this will be like, but Colin alerted me to this programe that is on BBC3 on Tuesday night:

The Big Fat Truth about Low Fat Foods

For thousands across the UK, the new year usually means a new diet. But it's the supermarket rather than the health club that many are turning to. The low fat food industry is worth two billion pounds and there are more reduced calorie ready meals sold in January than at any other time of the year. But is a life on low fat foods any life at all?

For four weeks, model and former Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon ditches the fine dining she's used to and lives on nothing but pre-packaged, highly-processed foods that are labelled either low or lower in fat. She finds out what's in these foods and how they affect her moods, nutritional levels and, crucially, her weight. She also meets the low calorie converts who say that eating this way isn't just a diet, but a way of life.

Could be interesting.

Optimal Exercise Guide Bodyblade Plus

I had something up from Bill about this the other week.  Here he explains more:



Once again, the guide is now available from Bill.  Anyone interested in buying a copy of "Optimal Exercise Guide: The Bodyblade Plus":  can get it, Paypal $20 US, $27 outside the US, including Priority Mail, to optimalexercise@comcast.net.)

nice jump

Here is Norik Vardanian jumping over 5ft box




and lifting big weight


and this is his Dad:

the potential benefits of low-carbohydrate diets

Here is an abstract for you:

Dietary prescriptions for the overweight patient: the potential benefits of low-carbohydrate diets in insulin resistance

Obesity in the USA continues to be a medical problem of epidemic proportions, affecting one-third of American adults. This increase in body weight and body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for insulin resistance; individuals with insulin resistance are at increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The identification of effective dietary treatments (e.g. low-carbohydrate diet, low-fat diet) for patient populations with insulin resistance remains controversial. While a variety of dietary approaches will result in weight and cardiac risk factor reduction, individuals who have been identified as insulin-resistant may derive additional short-term weight loss results from a low-carbohydrate diet compared to a low-fat diet.

More Jumps

Some pretty impressive jumps from big guys in this video

Avital Zeisler – Israeli Krav Maga Association

Nice video (from here).  If you are in Scotland get along to Krav Maga Edinburgh's SELF DEFENCE WORKSHOP  - 12 FEB, 12-3pm to learn to do the same things

Things to watch....

Work is really busy at the moment.  The rest of life is busy too - looking after aged relatives - which  means that every evening is taken up at the moment.  So I'm not realy getting the chance to spend as much time as I'd like to reading and training.

I have three DVDs sitting on my desk that I have bought but not yet had the chance to watch.  I've had  stuff from each of these guys before,  enjoyed it, learned from it and am looking forward to watching this material:

Ross Emanait - The Missing Links
This package includes two DVDs. The combined running time is 2 hours and 38 minutes.

Within these videos, you will learn inexpensive and effective ways to train the hands, neck, wrists, and core. These vulnerable areas often leave athletes susceptible to injury. Learn how to train these areas to protect yourself, while also improving athletic performance.


Gray Cook and Brett Jones: Kettlebells from the Center, Dynami - to correct the common deficit of disconnection between the extremities and the core. Gray and Brett will also expand on our elementary understanding of reflex-driven stability timing and will increase our understanding of neural loads and how to prepare the neural pathways from the grip through the core all the way to the toes.

Thug - Jitsu: Intelligent Asymmetric Responses to Violence -  the name thug jitsu is a tongue in cheek reminder that violence is ugly and that how we best train for violence might not come from shoehorning pre existing martial arts training into a street context but by modelling the criminal predators, the "thugs" themselves. Taking the advantages and strategies they have and giving them back to the normal person in an effort to level the playing field.

Born to Run - TED Talk

I've mentioned this guy before - Christopher McDougall

Interview: Drew Baye .....it is about hard work and progression

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