Paleo Diet for Wiggins?

History beckons for Bradley Wiggins.  Today he became the first Briton to wear the Yellow Jersey for the seventh day.  There is a great likelihood of him winning the Tour De France. 

The French are suspicious of British economics, British Food and British alcohol, but it seems they have a soft spot for our cyclists.  I wonder what they'd make of his diet?

The Sunday Times today reports that Wiggins has shed several kilograms in preparation for this year's Tour De France (being lighter helps in the moutain stages)! 

Wiggins (6ft 3in), has gone from the 82kg (180lb) he was when he won two golds at the Beijing Olympics, to just under 73kg today.  His training has gone from a 'peak power' emphasis to the 'maximum amount of power he can sustain over time'.

Nigel Mitchell, nutritionist with British Cycling looked to fuel Wiggins training but limited certain foods - as the Sunday Times reports,

• "With Bradley we looked at the minimum amount of food he needed to do the training and get the recovery, but also looked at the structure of the food he was eating so there was no waste".

So we seem to looking at some form of calorie restriction.  The Sunday Times goes on,

• "In layman's terms, there were no junk calories, so carbohydrates were restricted and white sugar was out."

Makes you wonder what foods would have constituted 'junk calories' in our evolutionary past. We can guess why we'd choose to engineer food that qualifies as 'junk calories'; profit. What I can't fathom is why anyone would want to eat such fare.

So what was 'in'?

• "'It's not rocket science.' said Mitchell. 'It's simple stuff'.  On the Tour, Bradley will eat porridge in the morning or rice and an omelette.  On the bike he's taking in 60-90g of carbs per hour in rice cakes, energy gels or sports drinks.  The evening meal is carefully planned so there's protein for recovery and carbs for energy.'
  
  A rider's calorie intake on the Tour ranges from 4000 to 9000 calories per stage."

This is an approach that looks every bit compliant with The Paleo Diet for Athletes.

Titan Diet

I have followed Beyond Strong on and off for a few years now, dipping in and out periodically. It is run by Nick McKinless and he seems to move easily between bodybuilding, strength and athletic disciplines. It is a great resource for training ideas. You can check out his training in the YouTube clip above.

Here is an interesting interview with him (published on his site), which is well worth a read. He was a stuntman on the new Clash of the Titans film and in the interview he talks about his preparation. In particular, his diet caught my eye. When asked about nutrition he replied;

• Itʼs the usual things like cutting out carbs after 4pm, donʼt eat anything man hasnʼt killed or grown on the land and reducing alcohol intake. That last one isnʼt easy for stuntmen! Seriously, nutrition these days should be a piece of cake (pun intended). Just buy good quality meats, fruits and vegetables (preferably Organic). Stay away from ʻwhite deathʼ foods like white bread, white sugar, white rice and donʼt eat anything with saturated fats. Drink more water. Having said that, eating less healthy foods isnʼt going to kill you as long as itʼs in moderation. If you eat 21 meals a week then 3 of them could be junk food or ice cream or whatever floats your boat. The rest should be things like steak and salad, salmon or chicken and brown rice or eggs and spinach.

Now I am not sure how on a diet of steak, eggs and fish you can avoid saturated fat, but the caveat about 'white death' and the recommendation not to "eat anything man hasnʼt killed or grown on the land" is bang on the money.

The photo of him in the interview is pretty impressive. Shredded, athletic and strong as hell!

GTG

This week I am 'feeling it' a bit. The L-sit fingertip pull ups are easy but the pistols and tuck planches are feeling laboured.

I have moved to assisted pistols and the planches are now in the 'frog' position - but for the same short duration.

I have omitted the odd heavy workout this year already, but think I might need to deload for some time more 0n the GTG work.

Listen to your body. Adjust.

Make My Body Younger

We are going through a TV revolution here in the UK. Hot on the heels of a decade of gardening, DIY and property-centric programming we are now in the age of Diet/Exercise Docu-drama (DEaD) programming. These televisual feasts are fueling the airways in the UK and like a carb-oholic faced with a plate of hot chips, fresh toast, pasta and a side order of pastries, the viewing public seem to be lapping it up.

With an increasing number of fat and fattening members of the general public in the UK, it makes sense to target this demographic. It is both a growing population, and a GROWING population (you read it right first time).

First things first; as with just about every other DEaD program, do not expect anything that will work long term. In fact, we could reduce all these programs down to four words;

Eat more, do less.

Tonight's offering on BBC3 was called "Make My Body Younger". Now before I go on to criticise much of the advice given on this program, I want to give you the brief of how the suits at the Beeb must have decided to pull this show together.

The Pitch

Gustav: "Charles, we need a new show to fill the airtime on BBC3! We cant tamper with BBC1, BBC2 is stuck together by anything involving Jeremy Clarkson - so we can't dilute it with re-runs, and besides we have sold all the repeat rights for "Top Gear" to 'Dave', and BBC4 is turning in to a general crock of shite. Your budget is zero. Hit me."

Charles: (Clearly crapping himself because decent public service broadcasting involves making BRAVE programs that challenge conventional wisdom); "Erm we could do a diet program....erm, but not any old diet program, this one is erm.......erm ..it has young doctors - men and women that you'd want to shag, and erm, patients that are young - and who you'd want to shag.....erm and the doctors are dressed like the cast of The OC or Lost (during their flashbacks)..one of the doctors has an Audi A3."

Gustav: "My God Charles, you're a genius. We appeal to youth, with youth, attack Mad-dog McKeith's audience and draw in the fat-bastard demographic, whilst simultaneously appearing to be tackling a serious issue, following real people - all for the cost of a £20k car, some good haircuts and a wardrobe from Top Shop. Let's do it!"

So there you have it. Another DEaD program which, in case I didn't say it before, boils down to;

Eat more, do less.

Tonight's Episode

So let us not beat around the bush. I am a heterosexual married man with two kids. However, within minutes of seeing this program I wanted to shag all the doctors - male or female - it doesn't matter - and in any order, nick their clothes (those of the men only - I mean what are you thinking, that I am some kind of pervert or something?) and run off with the keys to the Audi A3. Erm, well actually I would only run as far as the Audi A3, then I would get in it and drive. In fact, if they didn't mind that I had just shagged them and nicked their clothes, the doctors could actually come with me in the car and we could all be friends - I mean THAT IS HOW COOL THEY ALL WERE!

As for the subject of this program, the delightful Amy, we find that her life was turned around '360 degrees' (Dr James said so). And just in case we didn't catch it, at the end of the program Amy reiterated the fact that her life had been turned around '360 degrees'. Now thank God Dr James is a doctor and not a mathematician - although if he was ever faced with an operation to resolve inverted sternum the result might be interesting (that would make a bloody good program in itself - the final scene of which could involve a close up of the parents face as they realise little Timmy's sternum had been inverted back to its original position).

We get to see Amy meeting up with Dr James and she is wearing a low-cut pink top - a scene from which, if you only saw a still, you'd swear was from some kind of romantic fly-on-the-wall dating show. The suave Dr James smiled seductively (and damn is hair/clothes/teeth looked good), whilst Amy leaned forwards forcing her boobs in to his face. Jeez, I am no psychologist but I could tell that he was fighting the urge to look down - I'd say they had to re-shoot and edit that section several times - the out-takes from that bit alone should be worth their own show!

I digress.

So what did Amy get out of it?

Well, she ate more fruit and veg, she cut back on the sugar and fat and took up wholemeal this that and the other. She also found exercise - long, arduous, boring and repetitive exercise like treadmill work and spinning. That certainly sounds like a life turned 360 degrees - changing one piss-poor lifestyle based on poor nutrition and no exercise for another piss-poor lifestyle based on poor nutrition and piss poor exercise. YOUR FACING THE SAME WAY AMY!

Note to all: If you want to turn your life around, turn it around 180 degress, and no more!

So what didn't Amy get out of it?

She didn't get out of this program and way of eating that would tame her HUNGER. She didn't get our of this program a way of exercising that embraces novelty and sustains interest.

So what won't Amy get out of it?

Amy has rules. The rules are based upon limitation and denial. The model is premised on hunger. She is encouraged to eat food with a poor satiating quality. She is encouraged to eat food which will compel her to eat MORE (refined carbohydrate). She is encouraged to eat less. On top of all that, Amy is encouraged to perform activities that will make her hungry.

If we follow the Paleo model, we get a concept from which we can generalise. The generalisations give us reasonable rules by which to live and conduct ourselves. So unlike a rule that says "drink five glasses of water a day" - something that sets up a condition of failure, a Paleo approach reaches deeper, and advises us to simply "respond to your thirst". Thus you understand that thirst is simply feedback - there is no failure.

Similarly, if you feel you are suffering from bloating or eating too much fruit (yes it CAN be done), follow the paleo model. In this case, you just need to eat seasonal fruits. You see how easy that is? You answer a technical question such as 'am I eating too much fruit' not from having dietary knowledge or gardening wisdom, nor from rules based on hte consupmtion of 'x number of fruits a day', but from a simple philosophy based upon a model from which you can generalise and get a ball park answer to your problem.

Feeling your bicep curls aren't working as an exercise? Bored with your gym routine? Well climb a tree - hoist your body up in to the branches, climb up 20ft and then climb down. Repeat a few times - and imagine a tiger is after you. Think like a paleo guy and act like a paleo guy.

Hell, I am not sure what paleo-guy REALLY did think, eat or do, but I know he didn't eat 14 bananas and work on two sessions of 5x5 dead curls a week.

Follow Up

For all these DEaD programs, I'd like to see a follow-up program one, two, three and five years down the line. That would be a real TV-treat. It is a win/win for the production companies as well.

Invariably, even after 5 years, at best most of the subjects of these shows will have maintained their weight. They'll still be fucking fat. Most will be fatter. The doctors (undoubtedly fatter themselves), could then mock their subjects and criticise them for their lack of self control. We could then go through the whole cycle again.

As an approach to nutritional health, the premise of 'eat more, do less', as most of us know, is dead. Don't believe me? Then ask the next fat person you see a) have they ever been on a diet? and b) have they tried to exercise to lose weight? The answers to both will be "yes"!

Let us just step back and think about that for a minute. The fat person you have asked will have tried to 'diet' (and I use 'diet' in its conventional sense), and exercise to lose weight.

Stoopid DEaD TV

What annoys me about this program is that I am sooooo willing to bet that these TV doctors were selected due to their media-friendly appearance rather than for their knowledge or belief in the advice they give. I would go so far as to say that the 'doctor' status is a 'badge' - I mean I am sure they ARE doctors but that they do not drive the program's agenda.

The credits showed some additional medical advisers/consultants involved with the program and I suspect that these are the real architects of the show and who the Beeb would claim 'have little desire to appear in front of the camera', but who I reckon are simply too frickin' ugly to appeal to the wider demographic (hey, their target audience are fat, NOT blind). In fact, I'll bet that these advisers are actually overweight themselves!

TV should be accessible and there are important messages to get across. It is great that we no longer have doctors in white coats stirring test tubes of foaming liquid, or wearing a stethoscope, castigating us for our unhealthy way of life in some plummy English accent, but sexing up TV based upon such dire advice as 'eat more, do less' is no way to tackle a real health time-bomb.

I am NOT the Messiah, naturally!

I am not the Messiah! The title of this blog is purely tongue-in-cheek. I chose a title that would reflect the profound influence that trying to apply 'natural' concepts has had to my life. Let me expand this idea...

...Several years ago I was training hard. I am in to weight dependent sports such as climbing and to a lesser extent, kickboxing (where weight determines the division you fight in). I used to do about three runs a week - each of which lasted up to an hour. In addition I would be in the gym for up to three or four hours a week lifting the iron. On top of all that were three climbing sessions a week. The training was periodised and I would always take care not to over train. I would vary my routines and always looked to use compound exercises and emphasise 'movement'.

My diet was high in wholewheat and wholegrain carbohydrate, with lots of fruit, vegetables and protein. It was also low in fat. I was a vegetarian so I guess the protein was not of optimal quality.

Puzzle

One thing that always puzzled me was why, given the amount of exercise I did and the minimal amount of fat I ate, were my bodyfat levels always around 10%?

This might seem quite lean, but I wanted to see how I could manipulate it (let me just say, I was happy with my physique at the time, I just like to experiment). So, I upped my running and really cut back on the fat.

The results were that any gains would be short-lived and I would quickly feel run down. Out of curiosity I persisted with tweaks to my diet - particularly fat levels and caloric consumption - and with the exercise volume and intensity. It was a struggle and I started to have issues with fatigue and hunger.

It was then that I came across the concept of how would someone survive on a desert island. I put a lot of thought in to what they would eat and how they would move. This idea fascinated me. It was a massive and immediate revelation; utterly compelling in its simplicity, and lead to me looking in to hunter-gatherer concepts and the whole paleo-diet philosophy.

Diet

I had heard of the Atkins Diet and had always been dismissive of it as it challenged conventional dietary advice and I had developed an athletic physique from following this conventional dietary advice. I could see how Atkins was built upon the paleo-diet idea - so it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't to be dismissed.

After 10 years of vegetarianism (three of which were as a vegan), I headed off to get some lamb chops from the local store. I wanted to experiment!

I felt awkward eating that first meal. It was odd not eating refined carbohydrates. A meal did not seem complete without rice, pasta, potatoes or bread. Eating lots of red meat and fat seemed to go against everything I knew. After a few days of 'adjustment' however, I settled in to my new eating pattern.

After a week I really noticed an improvement in muscle definition, particularly in my abs. I quickly dropped a few jean-sizes. By week two my shoulders and upper arms were much more defined.

As a vegetarian I used to get a lot of hunger shakes. Cooking the evening meal, I would be chomping on toast and fruit. Within the two weeks, these shakes had disappeared. I had a greater control over my appetite. There was no going back.

Action Stations

I was still consumed by the idea of paleo-movement, and by the end of week two I decided to adopt shorter and more intense exercise sessions. I was always a fan of basic lifts and often implemented sprints.

An interest in climbing meant that I conscientiously developed a thorough upper body workout in the gym that strengthened traps, lats, pecs, delts, rotator cuff, you name it....but there was a bit of an iron-head in me that demanded that I use a lot of isolation exercises (like crunches and curls), to make sure EVERY muscle was hit over the course of a week.

My thoughts on paleo-movement and the success of a paleo-diet gave me the confidence to let go of this way of thinking. I rejected the curls and crunches. Sure I would keep the heavy lifts and sprints, but now I would throw in more diverse playful activity - handstands, hand walking, jumps, pistols. Bodyweight exercise seemed largely the way to go.

I got some gymnastic rings which, in addition to my climbing, would really work out my upper body in multi-planar movement over a full range of motion. (Yeah, yeah. I know that Paleolithic man didn't use rings, but I wanted to emulate his likely range of motion when doing something like throwing a spear).

Paleolithic man would have exercised as a matter of survival. His exercise would have been diverse, adventurous and intense. The narcissistic, uninspiring and sterile world of the gym suddenly lost its grip on me. Climbing always gave me adventure and heart-stopping moments, but now my other strength and fitness sessions did the same. I might work out with logs in the local woods. Carrying a loaded back pack around. Jumping on to, and then running along fallen trees. I just started to really mix things up. I was motivated and inspired.

The handstands were a real revelation. Hand walking seems to have really strengthened up my shoulders. I can walk on my hands for over a minute (I am now tinkering with the idea of a hand-walk obstacle course), and am working towards static handstands of 20 seconds. This is nothing to a gymnast, but to an armchair athlete like me - this is serious progress.

My Conclusion

I don't think I am particularly vain but clearly look at my physique in the mirror on occasion! One thing I have noticed is that I maintain my leaness and muscle mass for longer during breaks from exercise. I feel that in general, I am in great shape.

I was clearing out some files on my work PC and noticed a spreadsheet of by sick absence from work. I averaged about two sick days a year. Since eating and exercising the 'paleo way' I have NEVER had a day off sick. We are talking several years here of excellent health. I recall that 'pre-paleo' I used to regularly get colds. They were seldom bad, but I got them nevertheless. Not anr more! My previous training regimes or particularly my vegetarian diet may have caused this so simply adding meat to my diet might have been beneficial.

I never worry about my fat levels - they are lower than they were and it is effortless to maintain it. I respond to my hunger. As long as I follow my dietary principles I outline below ("If you can eat it raw you can eat it"), I eat what I want without worrying about fat of calories. Physically I feel great. Workouts are attractive propositions as they offer fun and adventure.

I must add that my eldest child is also a massive inspiration on my training. We play on her climbing frame using plenty of static holds (isometrics are perhaps not strictly 'paleo'), balancing tricks and jumping. We finish laughing and exhausted.

This is how a work out should feel. This is how eating should feel. This is how life should feel.