Workout: Primal Bootcamp

Balance walking on railing @ Primal Bootcamp

Warmup:

2 x 10 Wall Squat

2 x 20 Air Squats

Shadow Boxing

Shadow Kick Boxing

Playout:

Various Animal Walks (Bear, Crab, Bunny Hops)

Sprinting

People Carry

Precision Jumps

Throw and Sprint Retrieve

Climbing/Pull-Ups

Rail - balance walking

Bench balancing/Squats

Note:

Please scale all Fitness Explorer workouts to your current ability.  Get adequate rest and sufficient nutrition to fuel the activity and to aid in recovery.  Work hard and play hard but never sacrifice correct form.

Please visit the exercise FAQ for details on individual exercises or consult the advice of a registered exercise professional to ensure safe execution of the above movements.

If you are new to this mode of exercise, try one of the beginner's circuits

Perform a warmup prior to activity, here's an example Fitness Explorer warmup

Watch   Fitness Explorer video's here on YouTube

Nutrition: The Role of Insulin

Nutrition: The Role of Insulin

The 2nd in a series of blog posts based on a recent question of the week: 

1. Calories-In vs Calories-Out;
2. The Role of Insulin;

Ever wondered why even though we consume foods that are fat-free one can still store fat?  

Well given we are bombarded with messages that "eating fat means we get fat" or "a low-fat diet leads to weight loss" - how could a zero fat food (for example a bag of sweets such as Skittles) increase levels of body fat?  

Well the answer is pretty straightforward: an excess of carbohydrates (glucose) provided by your diet will be stored as fat.

So how does this happen?  Well let's get back to (not thinking about) eating those bag of Skittles.  Once digested the carbohydrates are released very quickly into the blood stream via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract otherwise known as the digestive system.  Your body has to remove this blood glucose, as high concentrations of blood glucose are dangerous.  This detection of blood glucose triggers secretion of the hormone insulin which is released by the pancreas.  

Insulin signals to the body that muscle and liver cells should accept and absorb this blood glucose.  This blood glucose is then converted by the liver into glycogen.  Glycogen is a stored form of energy that can easily be converted to glucose and used by the body as required.

Glycogen levels will continue to increase - however there is a upper limit to how much we can store.  Once the glycogen reservoir is full the body has an alternative mechanism for managing excess blood glucose.  The excess blood glucose which can not be converted into glycogen is decomposed into smaller molecules by the liver which are then reassembled into fat.  This is then dispersed into the bloodstream and inserted into adipose (fatty) tissue cells around the body.

Due to high levels of regular refined and processed carbohydrate consumption in the modern diet - wheat, orange juice, processed snacks, sodas, etc  - many people live with full glycogen levels for 24 hours a day.  Any exercise performed are also usually countered by consumption of istotonic or sugar based drinks or justification to 'treat yourself with desert' which maintains this highly glycogenic state.  

In the presence of full glycogen levels and an excess of insulin in the body (hyperinsulinemia) any carbohydrate consumption (even a small bag of Skittles) will lead immediately to fat storage and a difficulty in the body of utilising it's fat stores for energy.

This is one reason a paleolithic type diet is renowned for it's success in reducing body fat, as it is more likely to maintain healthier blood sugar levels - with less reliance on carbohydrates as the main source of food.

Question of the Week: Calories In vs Calories Out?

Question:  Darryl, recently found your blog and love it. Over the last year I have been reading a lot and reading more and more about how weight loss is so much more than calories in vs calories out. That it is the type of calories. I have been eating primal for the last four months and love it, but have been stuck somewhat the last two or three weeks. 

I am currently studying for my NSCA-CTP cert and in the book it drills over and over and over that weight loss is 100% calories in vs calories out. But I don't exactly believe this is true.

Where do you come down on this and why?

Thanks

Dean Ouellette

Answer:

Dean, like most questions in life the answer is not that straightforward.  

Let's get the obvious out of the way.  If one restricts calories and/or increases activity exceeding your daily energy requirements you can (and usually will) lose weight.  This is the conventional route but let's face it most people eat too much - even when consuming healthy foods.  

But there are some who don't eat too much (or indeed too little) and yet they still have issues with managing a healthy body composition.

There are also those who exercise excessively and they too can have issues with maintaining a healthy body fat percentage.  

Calorie intake vs calorie expenditure is definitely not the only factor (and is usually not the most important area) for most people to consider when looking at this equation.

Well there are a few other main considerations in my opinion:

• The role of insulin;
• Fat-loss vs Weight-Loss;
• Thermic effect of food;
• Satiety;

I will post a reply to each point above over the next few days.  As each item is worth discussing in its own right.

Workout: 100 Turkish Get-ups

Workout: 

100 Turkish Get-ups (slow and controlled)

 --

Recommended Weight: (use sandbag, kettlebell or dumbbell)

Men: 24kg
Women: 12kg

Note:

Please scale all Fitness Explorer workouts to your current ability.  Get adequate rest and sufficient nutrition to fuel the activity and to aid in recovery.  Work hard and play hard but never sacrifice correct form.

Please visit the exercise FAQ for details on individual exercises or consult the advice of a registered exercise professional to ensure safe execution of the above movements.

If you are new to this mode of exercise, try one of the beginner's circuits

Perform a warmup prior to activity, here's an example Fitness Explorer warmup

Watch  Fitness Explorer video's here on YouTube