CFT

[Theo]

heyy i just wanted to add my piece on this,

mrmojorisin is absolutely right about overtraining causing lower testosterone levels. i know i certainly want to train more than i should, it's not a bad thing to want to train tho

but something you will want to watch out for is running. now i have nothing against it but studies show that the longer the run/the higher the aerobic contribution the worse it is going to be for your testosterone.

i suppose it make sense if you look at a top sprinter, he will be very muscular, and a long distance runner, still possibly impressive but smaller and more wiry.

it hasn't actually been confirmed why it happens, i think the best theory put down so far is reduced circulation to the genitals caused by exercise.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1332330

about 400m is even, slightly anaerobic, so if you're wanting to keep your testosterone up i wouldn't go any farther. a good idea would be short, intense intervals.

and i have to say compound exercise are the best for testosterone, and well...that's the way they should be.
a squat is an effortless motion, known as passive use of a joint. so to squat, you simply relax your quads but because it is perceived as an exercise, a lot of people put unnecessary misplaced effort into the movement.
many people try to get good posture by tensing, this is insane as it destroys natural poise and coordination and makes every physical aspect of life harder.

so i am afraid i would have to pick fault with lf365's comments about compound movements, they are natural movements but can be beneficial or detrimental depending on how and in what circumstances the person executes them

a backwards bridge expands all of the vertebre, it is a good therapeutic hold.

in my opinion they are far to important to miss out, butit is definately a good idea to keep goodform and make sure you are not trying too hard.

and as for the intial question it would be better to take away the principles that the exact regime.
pyramids are used because they're aan effective way of stretching out sets and pushing yourself without failing, you can apply it to pretty much any movement.
the general idea is to make you a hybrid athlete that excels in different aspects of fitness.

lf365 i liked the post about the immunolin, it sounds good. is it expensive?

i think i read somewhere that high quality whey contains a good source of immunoglobins....but i may be wrong.

[mrmojorisin]

I think that we all can and will make this the longest topic in Warrior Diet history! , and this is kinda off subject but it'll be fun. What are the goals that all of us who are on this diet, and or interested in this diet would like to achieve? I think that most of us will answer by saying: to gain, lean muscle mass, stregth, & to burn fat. Well let's look at different exercises, and the facts that we know about how to achieve these goals, and see if these particular exercises are truly the correct ones to be doing, or if we're doing them out of false beliefs, past practices, or because they're easy and we're a little lazy.

(1. Cardio/long distance running. I've talked to a LOT of runners and most will tell you that they "feel great", and that their cardiovascular fitness is so outstanding. Wel, let's look at the facts. It's proven that strenuous exercise that is done continuosly for more than 45 minutes is actually detrimental to your endocrine system for several hours after exercise is finished. It's so negative because your testosterone levels will drop, and your cortisol levels will increase, and not to mention how long distance running is very hard on you knee joints.
So, everyone knows that to build lean muscle, burn fat, and to increase stregth you need your hormones to be in check; therefore if you want to run I would opt. for short distance sprinting(100, 200, 400 yds.) like wolf had said earlier. Atheletes who are sprinters, hurdlers, etc. are obviously in better physical shape than the 6" 140 lbs. long distance runners. In conclusion exercise should be short, explosive, and challenging for a good hormonal response, and to gain lean muscle/ burn fat.

(2.Compound exercises VS. isolated exercises I've read arguments over this topic for over ten years. Some people will say that you should use machines, or free weights that will isolate the muscle to focus more on growth, and hypertrophy. Other people will tell you that the human body is naturally best designed to work in synchronicity, and this is the way that true stregth, and  is attained. I happen to believe the latter.
Isolated exercises will cause muscles to grow, and especially if you're a beginner, but the reason that this is happening is because you're using resisitance exercises and tearing/rebuilding muscle; it's a very simple process and function. However, just because you're muscles are larger doesn't mean you're truly stronger. Actually, outside of these isolated exercise most "bodybuilders" are dysfuctional, and will find that they're sore after a game of football/soccer, basketball.

In my opinion compund exercises are the ONLY way to go. I think exercises like the bench press, squats, pull-ups, push-ups, bent-over rows, barbell curls, lunges, etc.while being done in a CFT fashion are the exercise for strength, lean muscle mass, and to burn fat the best; and 30 minutes is about all you will be able to handle if done correctly. Wolf is right about the squats if done by relaxing the quads will be very easy on the back, and won't cause any damage to the vertabrae, and I'll agree with LF365 about the improper use of some exercises like hack squats, good mornings, etc. aren't something you want to be doing either, and I know a lot about back injuries I broke mine in 03'.

(3. How much to train/overtraining I always hear people talking about overtraining, and how many days a week to train. In my opinion there isn't a set amount of days to train. I say this because evryone is different, and there is only one certain way to know what's too much, and that's what you're body is telling you. If you go the the gym for 6 days a week and feel great, then i would say keep it up(FREAK!!); but if you go only four days a week and are feeling fatigued, can't focus, or are unusaully weker than normal then you're overtrained or sick. So, just go with you"Warrior instincts", and don't worry too much about what some muscle magazine tells you.

[david219]

Great posts mrmojorisin and wolf,

Here's my 2c.

As far as running goes, I can tell you what my experiece was. I started doing triathlons to get in shape and loose weight. At 5'10 and 185 pounds I felt I had at least 20-30 pounds to loose. I started training and over time increased workouts to around 12-16 hours a week and completed several olympic and half-ironman triathlons. I actually started doing pretty well in my races - but guess what - I hardly lost ANY weight, but all the training made me feel great. Some lessons I learnt from this:

1. Large amounts of cardio (2+ hours a day) is not enough to loose weight. You need a sensible diet too. I was actually watching what I was eating and even logged my calories on a website for around 6 months- but restricting calories and doing a lot of cardio did not work for me  (BTW since starting WD I have experienced great results - more on that in another post)

2. I found that 14+ hours per week did NOT constitute overtraining *for me*. I never felt fatigued or got sick etc. I don't think this is because I am special in any way since all the guys that I used to train with and have met through triathlon all train minimum 12 hours per week.  However, when you compare the workouts of people doing CFT, strength workouts, bodybuilding etc it sems that people spend a lot less time training for these... so does this mean that weights have a more profound effect on your body than cardio (swim,bike,run)? I think so. I think that the hormonal effects of lifting heavy weight and building muscle mass are greater than the hormonal effects from endurance sports (even though people spend 4-5 times longer per week training for endurance sports).

3. As far the long distance runner vs sprinter argument goes, I'm going to have to disagree. I don't think its fair to compare these athletes as they are training to achieve specific body types. Long distance runners want to be extremely thin and wirey  becasue that translates to faster marathon times. So runners do not squat, deadlift etc - they just run a lot and diet hard. Sprinters train for power so they Squat, Dead lift, press etc. Obviously the sprinter is going to look bigger. The only way the comparison would make sense would be if both sets of athletes train the same way and same amount of time with weights - which they don't.

Personally since I started the WD and CFT 2 weeks ago, my body has made more change (for the better) than I had with 12 months of endurance training. How much is contributed to the WD alone and how much to CFT I am not sure...

The question I am still most interested in is how much training does it take to "over train" and I agree with mrmojorisin wrote - it is probably very personal. There are so many factors: intensity of workout, length or workout, number of workouts per week, which muscles are trained per session etc. One interesting thing I have noticed is that the guys who do Crossfit seem to train 6 days a week and their workouts seem really intense. Does anyone on this board have any experience with crossfit?

I've decided to experiment a little myself. So far I have been doing 3 CFT sessions per week and I can comfortably handle that. I feel like I need to do more so I am going to add in either 2 days a week of pure strength excercises or perhaps 1 strength and 1 crossfit. If it ends up being too much I will just cut it back and see what happens.... One thing I have been pretty religious about is keeping my workouts to around 30 mins and have a good recovery after my workouts (I'm having 3 scoops of warrior milk). I know most people will say that 5 sessions a week is overdoing it (even if they are only 30min each)... but I guess I have decided to learn the hard way!

It would be really interesting to hear what other peoples weekly training schedule looks like. Is there anyone out there training more than 4 days a week with weights? Anyone combining CFT and crossfit?

[chico]

I have been doing hill sprints up a 40-50ft hill. i jog to the site, 1/2 mile. then i do 4 hill sprints, 30 sec break , 2 bear crawls 1 hill sprint, 30 sec break, 1 bear crawl 1 hill sprint, 30 sec break 1 hill sprint then jog 1/2 mile back home. all in all it takes me 20 minutes.

you guys think its killing my test levels? it knocks the hell out of me, and even i got sick but cannot relate it directly to the sprints. what do you guys think?


also i heard that crossfit stuff is dangerous and can cause kidney failure and such. dont know why, its just like CFT but with more reps of the same exercises. i like to keep my reps to 5 then switch an exercise, then go back for 5 ect.. i think repetitive reps ruins your joints if you dont switch up the movements. just my opinion.

[mrmojorisin]

David, it's good to read that you're getting good results so quickly, and I would definitely attribute that to both the CFT model workouts, and following the diet.

Chico good job, I don't think that what you're doing will negatively affect your hormones; because you're keeping it all under 30 minutes, and from what I read these exercises are very efficient and actually demand your body to increase testosterone, and your metabolic rate. 

[LF365]

Wolf,

ImmunoLin is much more concentrated than whey. ImmunoLin contains a minimum of 45% IgG (2.5 times more than colostrum). ImmunoLin contains less than 1% fat, versus approximately 16% fat in colostrum. Plus, it's lactose-free and purified to remove all antigens and allergens.

To be affective you have to take at least 5 grams a day to see any benefit. Most capsules sold are 500mg, which means you'd have to take 10 capsules a day! The only way is in a powder form which is what I take. — a scoop in my power shake every day.

The cost per day is about $1.75.  At one point I calculated the cost of my power shake with all the ingredients and it came out to something around $6 per day. That sounds high but not really considering a meal at a greasy fast food joint or pizza cost that much. And my shake is so much better and powerful and nutritious. A nutritionist once said to me that you either pay now or you'll pay later. It is so true.

Exercise —

Well, I do believe that the big compound exercises are very effective.  I guess my point was that most people (I would say at least 80%) don't do them correctly.  You really, honestly can't read it in a book you need a trainer to watch your form, correct you verbally when you're out of form, guide you personally. Some can figure it out on their own but most can not.  If a person has any kind of back problems it's best to stay away from those exercises.

The other thing you have to remember is the body changes as you get older. For example what you could do in your twenties can potentially injure you in your 40's and beyond. Your workout routine will change and should change as you progress.

My previous workouts

About a year ago I had the extra money to hire a personal trainer (something I've always wanted to do).  My goal was to get as big and strong as I could. I didn't have to work for that year, so this was perfect timing. That year I focused all my attention on me. Where I live there is a highly respected personal training company. I hired this trainer who had several certifications and highly regarded.

It was the traditional bodybuilding workout. He had me working out in the morning for an hour, high intensity and heavy weights, pre and post fatigue exercises. I remember being so exhausted after that hour I literally couldn't breath.  He'd give me my training schedule for that evening that I'd do by myself at my gym. Yes I was working out 2 times a day for an hour each time. He told me to eat, eat, eat! I did, every three hours. I think at one point I was taking in about 4,000 calories a day.

During the first few month my body began to go through this incredible metamorphous.  It was such a weird feeling.  I just blew up with sold muscle. My shoulders got huge I didn't fit into my shirts anymore. My thighs got so strong and wide my jeans were uncomfortably tight.  My legs were my greatest achievement. At one point I was lying leg pressing close to 800 pounds!

I remember going into the gym and for the first time in my life I heard someone whisper to his training parter; "I want shoulders like that" I can't describe to you the overwhelming feeling of self confidence you feel when you look and feel big and strong.  Not fat and strong, but lean, big and strong.  Especially when you're 6'2" tall like me you have a commanding presence and people sit up and take notice.  I wasn't the biggest guy in the gym, but I looked extremely fit and strong.

What I didn't like about the workout is first it was insane and time consuming. I always felt bloated and full. I was also retaining water. (I was drinking a gallon of water a day!) When I wasn't working out in the morning or evening, I was either eating or sleeping.  Food was never a treat, it was something I forced down because I had to consume the calories. It got to the point where I hated to eat and dreaded fixing all those meals. I always had to have food with me which became almost impossible at times.

I always felt a bit tired and fatigued. I was big, but slow. Strong but had shorter range of motion. Jogging was out because I really had no stamina. In fact I was told by my personal trainer to avoid cardio work as it would hinder my progress.

That was then. This is now.

I'm no longer that big, but I'm still fit. I've now got my stamina and endurance and strength up and I feel great.

My Workouts Now

I go to the gym every two days (based on my current work schedule). I try to get in and out in 1/2 hour, but will do a max 1 hour if I can.  I do a combination of free weights, cable machines, functional fitness and now incorporate some CFT.

I've developed this type of routine that works in blocks of time rather than reps. I use 5 min blocks and combine them to create a 30 min workout. The key to making this effective is to work out at a very fast pace, with no rest in between. Go directly from one to the other as if you were doing a timed obstacle course. Always keep good form!  If you have to stop and catch your breath do so for only 20 seconds and get going again. You get the benefits of cardio and resistance training all in one.  Here is an example:

5 min pre fatigue treadmill with weights - very fast
5 min combination close grip and wide grip pull ups and chin ups
5 min push ups
5 min frog jumps (front, back, sideways)
5 min dumbbell lunges - wide and deep, controlled but fast pace.
5 min combination standing leg raises lying leg raises (abs)
5 min post fatigue bike - very fast

What I do is write down a bunch of different exercises (30-40) that I can do in 5 min.  When I create my workout for the day all I do is just pick 6 or 7 from that list until I get a total of around 30 min. 

This is just one technique I use. Sometimes I do a combination of time blocks and rep workouts. Some days I do total body, other days I work a few muscle groups or maybe upper body one day and lower body the next.  Some days I'll do the workout above and combine it with 15 min. of isolated free weight exercises with reps — shoulder day, back day etc to make a 45 min workout.

My workouts are always intense and at a fast pace.

-LF365