Becoming A Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett with Glen Cordoza

This may be the most important book published in many years - for my body’s health and fitness. Stack up my extensive library of volumes relating to athletics, weight training, nutrition and health, and I’m crowning Becoming A Supple Leopard with the top spot. 

Kelly Starrett has been helping me take care of myself for a long time through his hundreds of instructive videos about mobility and freedom. I used to think he was a bit crazed - now I’m confident he’s a mad genius. Who else devotes a three-video series to the box jump (of course I watched all of it too!).

Supple Leopard is the result of a couple of years of Starrett’s working to compile and sort into one big ‘ol volume his teachings. Subtitled “The ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury, and optimizing athletic performance,” I quickly found the book to be so much more. Don’t be afraid this is a dense textbook you’ll get lost in; don’t fear you need a couple of college degrees to understand Starrett and benefit from this book. Dive in and I assure you fog will clear. Hell, my shoulders began to feel better just reading the introduction!

The longer I work to improve my life and athletic performance, the more I realize it all comes down to movement patterns. Kelly Starrett figured this out long ago. As I’ve aged, dysfunction has crept in when left unattended; injuries follow. My rotator cuffs have been my weak points, for example, after decades of weight training, followed by a few years of CrossFit. Some brief videos Starrett shot over the years in his garage, posted on his mobilitywod.com site, helped me with one issue or another at different times.

Equipment, supplements, sleep, training, food: none of these matter if your body cannot physically perform properly. Kelly Starrett is devoting himself to teaching everyone who cares about how to maintain and enhance their health and fitness, whether they are elite CrossFit competitors or experienced strength-training athletes. After several years of doing so through his website, seminars, and videos on the CrossFit site, he’s taken one of the next gigantic steps with this immense, comprehensive book.

The first chapters of Leopard drew me in immediately. What I anticipated was going to be a casual dip into the introduction resulted in more than an hour of deep concentration; I felt under a spell. I’m going to go ahead and credit Glen Cordoza with assisting Starrett in putting his thoughts, ideas and philosophies into such compelling language. However they teamed up for this process, they nailed it.

Here’s the big picture. Kelly Starrett has a worldview of form and function in his head and he’s working to guide everyone with an interest in rectifying disfunction and optimizing performance on the road to achieving this. Becoming A Supple Leopard is one platform for teaching, for introducing Starrett’s worldview, what he calls the “New Human Performance Epoch.” I get excited reading how Starrett has organized movement and mobility systems and explains what an adaptable machine the human body really is. Basic adaptation and learning proper mechanics are key; undoing thousands of reps of wrongly performing a movement is tough. Worse, lifts in the gym and in competition, done wrong, can be handled by the human body for years, with no consequences noticed at the time. However, Starrett makes a good case that there’s a cumulative series of effects piling up that often cause seemingly abrupt injuries later in life. Amen to that, my shoulders say!

Hundreds of photographs, with many asides clarifying and making points, help Starrett work through every movement associated with using the human body in the gym and in sport. He’s guiding us through proper and improper set-up,  and execution. I found myself re-thinking exercises and moves I’ve performed for many years, never suspecting I was doing them wrong. Or in some cases wondering why they hurt now, or didn’t have the effect they used to. Kelly Starrett in most cases has the answer.

I could ramble on and on, but I’ll spare you. Physical culture enthusiasts of all callings should study Becoming A Supple Leopard. Chances are if you’re reading this blog and have come so far in this writeup - you spend a decent amount of time in the gym. You must enjoy lifting heavy stuff, taxing yourself metabolically, paying attention to what you jam into your mouth, and most critically, want to learn more about your physical body, limitations and horizons. It’s here. The keys are contained within these 400 pages.

This isn’t a book about stretching and becoming limber. Supple Leopard is a blueprint for enhancing your entire life, beginning with your physical self, aiming toward enhanced athletic performance. Who doesn’t want that?

@mobilitywod, @victorybeltinc, @marksmellybell, @iamunscared, #kellystarrett, #mobilitywod, #crossfitmobility

$59.95  Victory Belt Publishing

Tomorrow's Kettlebell Complex from Hell

Skim through this 8 1/2 minutes; looks simple, doesn't it? I have enough experience with kettlebells to know it's going to kick my ass tomorrow morning when I attempt this. Well, I'll finish it. I'm going to go at it with a 35# KB.

Thanks to Pat Flynn at the RKC blog for putting this into my head today!

Update on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 11:04AM by John Koenig

This morning, about an hour after I got up, with two cups of coffee/butter/coconut oil in me, and no real warmup other than some shoulder mobility work, I tackled this KB complex. I actually performed it twice, watching the video and doing my best to keep up, rep-for-rep. These two guys are far more polished and faster than I am, but the workout was enjoyable.

First time through was with a 26# KB; rested about two minutes, long enough to walk from the basement to my kitchen for some water. Second workout was with a 35# kettlebell. Slower and tougher with more weight, of course. Duh! All in all, an efficient and worthwhile 15 minute "active rest day" session.

I should have included a breakdown of the workout in yesterday's post, rather than cause you to have to watch the entire video to find out. Here it is:

The complex is as follows:

 The one arm swing (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The high pull (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The clean (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The snatch (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The reverse lunge (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The military press (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The two hand swing (30 seconds)

Four point plank (30 seconds)

The two hand swing (30 seconds)

Four point plank (30 seconds)

Push Up (30 seconds)

Everyone Is A Guru Today

I'm tired of all the new experts and guru's and "I've got the answers" types flooding the online strength-training and fitness and nutritional worlds.

A few years ago, those of us who watched the Internet eat our print publishing world right out from under our desks, used to say “everyone with a computer and online access is a publisher now.” No events since then have changed my views about that reality. Ask freelance writers in today’s marketplace.

In the universe of fitness, strength training and nutrition today, I’m beginning to be overwhelmed with experts, pundits and gurus. In our world of obese populations, gyms full of out-of-shape people, and skyrocketing sales of junk and fast food, the proportion of “experts” to regular exercising people seems out of whack.

Not a day goes by that a new “guru” or expert doesn’t pop up in my Facebook or Twitter feed, or my email inbox, with the newest, latest information. I don’t care whether they’re telling me how to get lean, muscular, ripped, better at CrossFit, powerlifting or regular ‘ol strength training, I’m awash in advice. Swimming in “here’s the real deal” offers, articles and memes. 

Let me assure you - nobody has all the answers. Everyone’s situation and life is different. If someone tells you they know just what to do, and have a ready supply of correct solutions for you - run for the hills! They’re scamming you 

I know this: what works to enhance fitness and health has generally been effective for a long time. Our society and world is evolving; the food supply is altered in many ways; food marketing has changed a hell of a lot. Exercise and food scientists know a hell of a lot more than they used to. I’m a little smarter each day; so are many others who are much smarter than me. 

To achieve success enhancing your fitness, losing bodyfat, gaining muscle, living a healthier life, becoming better at CrossFit - whatever you want, absorb information from everywhere you can find intelligent discussion. Read every book, blog post, and article. Scour message boards. “Like” a diverse bunch of fitness, coaching, health, nutrition and workout Facebook pages.

Anyone setting themselves up as a guru or expert just may not be. Sure, perhaps they are real smart, and all gurus have to begin somewhere, but use common sense. Science rules what does and doesn’t happen with your body, health and fitness. There’s much scientists haven’t figured out yet. There’s a great deal of conflicting theory bouncing around in the world of nutrition, much less nutrition as applied to strength training, or CrossFit. Read and learn all you can, then make logical changes and decisions.

I’ve lived through a couple of generations of gurus and experts in the worlds of fitness, strength training and nutrition. Many have come and gone, burning brightly, attracting attention and money, sometimes selling supplements, often selling books. I enjoy buying the books and reading them; I always learn something. Of course I’ve bought and used all the supplements at one time or another - I’m that guy. I harken all the way back to Hoffman and Weider supplements in the early 1970s - when we believed. I’ve even met many of these experts and gurus at one time or another.

Reading Vince Gironda convinced me to consume 100 dessicated liver tablets daily - for years. Dave Draper had me eating cans of tuna, washed down with water - for many years. Dan Duchane offered some unusual nutritional counseling, in person and via the printed word. In my nearly 45 years of hanging out in gyms and lifting, I’m confident I’ve read nutritional advice from everyone at one time or another. Today I watched Mark Bell advise “Dorito’s” for massive muscle and strength gains!

In my opinion, the one “expert” with the best long-term advice for me, ever, is Dr. John Berardi. John and I worked together for Biotest / Testosterone magazine, did some shows side by side, even trained together once at the Arnold Classic. He’s of course gone on to great acclaim with Precision Nutrition. Berardi doesn’t need me to pump him up, and would be the first to spit if I called him a “guru.” But following some simple eating advice from Berardi worked well for me for years, whether I was bodybuilding, powerlifting or simply working out all the time.

He may have had a fancy name for this program, but I doubt it. Alternate meals of protein/fat with protein/carbs. Never combine carbs/fat. 

That’s it. I used to begin my eating day with a powerful bowl of oatmeal with raisins, protein powder, peanut butter, flaxseed, etc., all stirred into a tough mess of mush. But my next meal would be protein/fat only, and on and on. I always tried to end with my final meal of any evening protein/fat; my go-to for years was cottage cheese and peanut butter. For most of those years I was relatively lean, and certainly carried a hell of a lot of muscle.

Remember, this is before Paleo, Primal, Facebook, Twitter and damn near before the Internet! And it worked.

My point is you should read a bunch, experiment, weed out the crackpots, fear “guru’s” and be logical. When in doubt, eat more real food and listen to those who’ve been around for a while (Berardi, Dave Tate, Robb Wolf, Draper, on and on. Do you think these new kids on the block know more about nutrition for weight training than Frank Zane does? I don’t.

Enjoy “liking” all the new Facebook pages appearing daily, you’ll learn something if you’re discerning, but keep in mind that the human body has worked the way it does for many years. Lift heavy, do interval cardio, work hard, eat plenty of protein, vegetables and fat. Rest. Repeat.

Always Learning: Vitargo

Vitargo has been an on-again, off-again part of my post-workout protocol for several years. I love the product, it’s nutritional profile and effectiveness. However, I’ve always struggled with properly blending Vitargo in a shaker. Often I’m faced with a sticky clump inside the Blender Bottle ball, after the protein and BCAA has been hungrily consumed.

Solved the problem: add warm water to the Vitargo in the shaker, mix the powders, add cold water. Voila, smooth and enjoyable. 

Guess where I got the brainstorm? Reading the label on the Vitargo jug! Anthony Almeda, smack me next time we meet...

If you haven't watched my interview with Anthony Almeda at the Arnold Classic Expo, view and learn more about why Vitargo is such a wonderful post-workout ingredient.

Guess I'm Not Going to the Games...

Rudy Nielsen of Outlaw Crossfit interviewed by David Tao at Greatest.com

Are the days of CrossFit hobbyists being able to compete on the biggest stages coming to an end?

They already have. All the top people right now are affiliate owners or coaches or have some sort of job that allows them to be in the gym all day, basically. That’s the prototype now, because that’s a guy who can be in the gym all day long and still earn an income. There’s more and more money coming into the sport for sponsorships, and I think that’ll continue. I’d like to see it continue. These guys are working out for sometimes three to four hours a day, every day. They’re on the same schedule Lebron James is on.