Violent Zen™

It's not about how you train... It's about WHY you train!  When your passion propels you to the point that you would walk through fire to devour your goals!

[officialviolentzen]

Be Careful How You Interpret The World - It Is Like That

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Be Careful How You Interpret The World - It Is Like That

“Be Careful How You Interpret The World; It Is Like That.”  ~Erich Heller

If you’re anything like me, you have several different worlds within your “world”.  Wow, that’s deep for me, right?  haha!

But, to keep this relevant, let’s talk specifically about the world of training, fitness, health, nutrition, etc. AND… To be clear, I am NOT talking about only the “gym” or “health club” world, because if that’s where your training begins and ends each day, then no wonder you’re getting the results you’ve gotten. Just sayin.

Have you ever heard you are the average of the 5 people you hang around most? Well, it’s true… Physically, financially, mentally, etc etc…

So when was the last time you took inventory of the people you spend the most time with? Maybe they’re great people, but if they’re lazy unfit negative slobs, it’s not going to help you in the long run (except that you’ll always look amazing when with them. 😉 ).

Too much time with the wrong people will effect your attitude and performance.

I could ramble on even more about this, but I won’t. Just take a look at the fittest, healthiest, strongest people you know. AND THEN… Ask…

More often than not…

Who do they associate with?

What do they focus on?

Do they have a good attitude about training?

Period!

[officialviolentzen]

Why Do You Train During the Holidays?

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/holiday-training-schedule/

Why Do You Train During the Holidays?

Because serious training has no time for “Holidays”!

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Micro Recovery VS. Macro Recovery (Part 1)

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/micro-recovery-vs-macro-recovery-part-1/

Micro Recovery VS. Macro Recovery (Part 1)

Side note to start: In part 2 I’ll show you exactly how I’m implementing this in my physical and mental training.

The names “Micro Recovery” and “Macro Recovery” hit me at 3:13am while lying in bed and luckily I recorded a voice memo about it.

What is Micro Recovery?

Micro Recovery deals specifically with the short recovery periods between intense activities whether it be mental or physical (or both). And more specifically how much you understand about the time you need, why you need it, and how to effectively get back in a peak state.

What is Macro Recovery?

Macro Recovery deals specifically with the extended periods between intense activities whether it be mental or physical (or both). And more specifically understanding the time you need, why you need it, and how to effectively get back in a peak state.

WHAT? That’s almost exactly what you said for the Micro Recovery! Well yes, but… Micro Recovery deals with short recovery periods (like seconds to sometimes hours) and Macro Recovery deals with the extended recovery periods (like a day or more).

Two Analogies

These two analogies that “should” help, and give you something more to think about..

Training / Workout Analogy

Micro (physical) Recovery: During training…. How quickly do you recover between sets / exercises?

Micro (mental) Recovery: During Training…. When your brain says, “Holy crapanoly, that was stupid hard”, how soon are you ready to go again?

Macro (physical) Recovery: In between training sessions… Do you recovery fully? Do perform at your best in your next workout? ie. If you squat on monday and Thursday, are you fully recovered by Thursday, and does Monday’s training effect any of your other workouts?

Macro (mental) Recovery: Are you able to analyze your mental state between and just before your next training session? If you destroy yourself today, are you going to be able to walk into the gym with the right frame of mind and train with the same intensity as yesterday or better?

School / Learning Analogy

Micro (physical) Recovery: How did/does your physical state effect your transition from subject to subject during a day?

Micro (mental) Recovery: How did/does each session/class effect your learning in the next class during day?

Macro (physical) Recovery: How did/do your activities (nutrition/sleep/etc) between days effect the next day’s sessions/classes?

Macro (mental) Recovery: Are you ready to learn new information again the next day or are you overwhelmed with the previous information? Have you retained what you learned from the previous session?

Did this just come out of thin air? Sorta. My brains won’t shut off and random things sometimes pop in from months back. This idea was spawned by a book.

NOTE: Just to be clear, as a preface… These are my interpretations of what I read from the book I reference below. I am not saying this is what the author believes.

Recently I read a book named “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin. Without going into a ton of detail in this post, let’s just say he was as good or better than Bobby Fisher in the world of chess. BUT… He also became a world champion in Tai Chi Chuan.

I learned heaps from his book and it’s made a big difference in my training, but the biggest thing was how Josh combined his mental and physical training. He describes in detail his journey becoming a world champion mentally and physically and how he combined the strategic mental aspect of chess with the physical aspect of Tai Chi and vise versa.

Stay tuned…. In part 2 I’ll be giving examples from the book, and explain how I’m implementing this into my training.

  Image credits: http://musc.libguides.com/comstudents/anatomy http://uphe.org/air-pollution-health/the-brain/

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Strength Training with Your Eyes Wide Shut. What??

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/strength-training-with-your-eyes-wide-shut-what/

Strength Training with Your Eyes Wide Shut. What??

First off!!  Badass Eyes Closed Image Credit goes to STILphotography (I don’t know him, but he’s got some crazy cool art!)

So… Eyes Wide Shut? Also known as lifting with your eyes closed. Seriously! But LOOK… Before you go out and hurt yourself and then try to blame me, let me elaborate.  (Keep reading to see what I mean by “Eyes Wide Shut”)

Remember the last time you tried to do anything with your eyes closed?  It was a lot more difficult right?  But then it was way easier when you opened them again, right?

Well, the other day I was thinking about different martial arts training I’d done in the past and how we would train (and even spar) with our eyes closed from time to time.  Doing that really forces you to know your body and use all of your other senses to compensate which makes everything you do with your eyes open that much more precise and powerful!

Anyway… Recently, my right shoulder has been a bit wonky so I’ve been lifting upper body much lighter than normal.  And lifting light is sooooo freaking boring that I want to drop a 45lb plate on my head.  Did I mention it’s BORRRRING… ARGH!

So last week I started doing most of my upper body work with my eyes closed.  (I even started jumping rope with my eyes closed, which is really interesting. ha!).

Eyes Wide Shut?

Get out your tinfoil hats and incense!  Ok, it’s not that crazy…

I’ve even done light squats with my eyes wide shut.  Talk about a trip!  Wow!

By shutting your eyes, you’re forcing all your other senses open up wide and take over.  It’s really strange at first, but right away you’ll start noticing any muscle imbalances. The biggest benefit is that you must really focus on the “movement”!  And that means you can concentrate on activating the muscles you’re working.

So like I said before… Anything you can do well with your eyes closed, you can do even better with them open.  So why not give it a try on something simple like curls, pushups, etc.  It’ll put you in tune with “yourself” real quick.

Share your experience below in the comments….

LAYMAN'S DISCLAIMER

Don’t be an idiot and try doing some heavy complex compound movement with your eyes closed!  Like I said, do some curls or something simple just to see how it feels.  If you move on to more advanced lifts, then just use the bar or no weight at all till you get it down.  If you fall over, or drop a weight on yourself, and die, I am not responsible.

And.. Again… Badass Eyes Closed Image Credit goes to STILphotography

[officialviolentzen]

You're an Idiot if You Workout When You're Sick

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You're an Idiot if You Workout When You're Sick

Some people may think you’re an idiot, but like I say about most things… It depends!

I hate being sick  when I’m training hard.  Muhammad Ali said it best… “I’m so mean I make medicine sick!”  Sometimes you gotta break out the “mean” and get it done!

Recently I came down with a cold and it got me thinking about how I adjust my training based on being sick. There are 5 things I consider when deciding whether to workout when sick, and what you should consider…

Are You Being A Nanna? (a.k.a Making excuses)

Are You Contagious?

The Above/Below the Neck Rule

How Should You Adjust Your Intensity/Weights/Etc?

Nutrition & Recovery

Are You Being A Nanna?

That title pretty much says it all. Are you really really sick, or are you just making excuses? Time for an attitude check. (Yes, I have to check mine from time to time too even when I’m not sick). Now, I’m not saying to “tough it out”, I’m saying you need to take a hard look at your “nanna meter” and decide where you are on it.

Are You Contagious?

Remember the last time you were at work or the gym and “that person” showed up coughing and hacking and sneezing and they looked like death warmed over? Don’t be that person! Nobody likes that person!

Based on info from WebMD, if you have the flu, “you are most likely to pass it to someone else from 1 day before symptoms start and up to 7 days after symptoms develop.”

And for a cold, people are most contagious for the first few days. (Flu & Cold Symptoms)

The Above/Below the Neck Rule

This is a very common “rule”, but I like to use it as a “guideline”. Any symptoms above the neck (like a head cold) and you should be fine to workout (which still won’t be much fun). Any symptoms below the neck like severe aches, pains, stomach issues (vomiting), diarrhea, fever, etc, and it’s recommended that you rest. Plus, you really don’t want to be pushin weight around or running or anything and have an explosive “event” from either end. If you know what I mean.

How Should You Adjust Your Intensity/Weights/Etc?

This is going to be different for everyone. What I do while sick is go into my training session with the mindset of completing all my major (primary) lifts and dropping the weight and/or sets (but also paying attention to how I feel).

As a general guideline this is my starting point when adjusting my program…

Drop the weight about 25% (or more)

Cut sets and/or reps (possibly in half)

Drop some assistance/accessory lifts

If I’m feeling really cruddy, I sometimes skip primary lifts and only do lighter assistance/accessory lifts.

HOWEVER… Again, this is all based on knowing your body. For example, recently I had a head cold and it was volume squat day. The previous workout I did 345lbs for 8 sets of 3 reps. So I decided I would at least go up to around 260lbs and do at least 4 sets of 3 reps. BUT, I was feeling better than expected and decided to bump it up. So I did 315 x 5 x 3. I also did some light good mornings, and assisted glute ham raises.

Nutrition & Recovery

When you’re sick, it’s not the time to be in a calorie deficit or feel guilty for sleeping too much. (That last part might just be my problem. ha). You need to eat healthy and keep your energy up so your body can repair itself.

A good basic guideline…

Lots of water. (Notice I didn’t say “fluids”… I said water.)

Eat “real foods”. (You know, like the stuff your parents tried to get you to eat as a kid).

Vitamin C

Echinacea

Garlic

Cayenne Pepper

What I typically do…

Lotso water. At least 4 liters/day.

Lotso veggies. (I like to pick all the different colored ones)

10g Vitamin C spread out through the day

Echinacea

Raw garlic (but sometimes it’s better to get the odorless pills. 😉 )

Lotso Cayenne pepper (or anything else with lotso capsaicin). The spicier the better I say.

And even though I hate ‘medicine’, when necessary, I will take some Vitamin I (Ibuprofen).  But I seriously have to be hurting to do that!!

NOTE: I’m not saying you should do what I do, because I’m not you, and I am not a doctor so this isn’t medical advice. (Layman’s note: Don’t be an idiot, talk to your doctor before trying any of this).

Muhammad Ali Image Credit: Success & Nothing Less

[officialviolentzen]

Welcome to "Throat Punch Thursday"

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/welcome-to-throat-punch-thursday/

Welcome to "Throat Punch Thursday"

This is going to be a fairly short post. I’ll just briefly be covering…

What is Throat Punch Thursday?

Why am I doing Throat Punch Thursday?

How you can get involved?

Preface: This may sound a bit like a rant because it is. However, please note… This is meant for educational purposes and should not be misconstrued as whining or complaining. 😛

What is Throat Punch Thursday?

This random idea popped in my head a few weeks back when I was at the gym training. I needed a 25lb plate, but… oh look… there’s no way to get to the 25 because it’s been covered up with a 45lb plate, and it’s blatently freaking obvious that the 25 isn’t coming off unless you pull off the 45 first.  (And yes, I am that lazy when it comes to using weight.  Pulling off the 45 to get to the 25 is too much work!)

This type of laziness (and blatant disregard for efficiency) runs rampant and takes me, myself, and I to a bad place. haha!

Why am I doing Throat Punch Thursday?

This is a nice non-destructive outlet for sharing those “lil annoyances” at the gym that make you smack your head and say, “REALLY?? What the H – E – Double hockey sticks was the moron that did (insert random stupid thing here) thinking?”

And I’m also hoping that by sharing the shear stupidity (or maybe just laziness) of some people, it’ll shed a light on this worldwide epidemic and maybe, just maybe, if we all come together and acknowledge the problem, we can find a cure.

How you can can become part of the solution?

Instead of being a lamo facebook sheep in the “Throwback Thursday” crowd, why not participate in “Throat Punch Thursday” and shoot a pic or two of something at the gym (or training related) that makes you want to just throat punch someone.

Step 1: Like the Violent Zen™ FB page: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialViolentZen Step 2a: Post your best “Throat Punch Thursday” pic (on the Violent Zen page, or post on your timeline and tag ViolentZen. Step 2b: (Optional) Let me know if you have any ideas for a cure.

And that’s it! I’ll be re-posting your images on facebook for the world to see and hopefully to help bring more awareness to this epidemic of stupidity and laziness.

[officialviolentzen]

5 Ways to Sleep Less Even While Training Hard

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/5-ways-to-sleep-less-even-while-training-hard/

5 Ways to Sleep Less Even While Training Hard

This is a result of my “Throat Punch Thursday” post Why you should NOT sleep 8 hours.

If you want sleep less, you can. It’s not easy in the beginning, but it is simple. And since people always ask how I get by on such little sleep all the time and still train as hard as I do, here it is… How I trained myself to sleep less than 8 hours/night. For a while I was at 4hrs / night, but I found that my sweet spot is right around 5.27ish hours depending on what I eat. AND… 99.9% of the time it doesn’t matter how hard I train. Not sure why. Maybe I’m a freak.

I’ve said it before… Listen to “your” body and do what works best for “you”.

Pre-requisites and game plan for the sleeping less thing

Eat Right (Required): How’s that for a generic statement. Ha! This means eat what works for YOUR body. How do you know? Pay attention!! If I eat meat and veggies and barely and sugar, I wake up feeling awesome. If I eat a lot of processed carbs and other garbage, I usually sleep terrible and wake up feeling like garbage. +

Keep a sleep journal: Keep track of what you’re eating and start a journal if you need, where you can record what you eat for the day and then in the morning how you feel and how restful your sleep was. For example… – How long did it take you to fall asleep? – Was it quality sleep. Did you feel rested? – What did you eat that day? – Was there any added stress during the day? There is also some great technology out now that will analyze your sleep.  I’ll be looking into that more and put out some info on what I find. +

Set a Sleep schedule: If you’re not on a consistent sleep schedule now, get on one for at least a few weeks before you try to sleep less. Just like anything, you need a solid base to build on and if you’re sleep schedule is all jacked up you’re not gonna make it better by trying to sleep less. Turn off all electronics (yes, that means TV’s and computers and iPads and and) and do something relaxing at least one hour before you plan to go to sleep. If you think you need to watch TV to fall asleep, that’s probably part of your problem. I’ve never found anyone that falls asleep watching TV that talks about how awesome they sleep (“everyday”). Plus, most of the people that I know that watch TV to fall asleep, spend 1 to 2 to 3 hours watching TV before falling asleep. +

Meditate or do some type of relaxation at least once/day: I sorta kinda did this in the beginning. I literally would visualize myself sleeping and going through all 4 stages of sleep. (Oh the odd things you do when you’re 18). I’ve found real meditation really helps. A couple resources that I’m currently using are Brain.fm, Holosync, Dr. Joe Dispenza’s books/methods. (Dispenza’s stuff is on the edge of woowoo but it works). +

Sleep less: Darrrr, right? So here’s a generic outline you can tweak. It’s super complex. HA! It’s sorta what I did, but more conservative. Weeks 1-3: Go to bed 15 min later or get up 15 min early Weeks 4-6: Go to bed 15 min later or get up 15 min early (now you’re 30 min later than week 1) Weeks 7-9: Go to bed 15 min later or get up 15 min early (45 min later than week 1) Etc… etc… till you find your limit

Like I said you may need to tweak this just a bit for your circumstances. Ie, you may need to do 5 or 10 min instead

Final Notes: Now I don’t really have a set sleep schedule. I have a “window”. As long as I can get the allocated amount of sleep in, I’m good. For example, I sometimes go to bed around 1am and wake up around 6:30am, but there are several nights/week that I stay up till 3 or 4am. ALSO… I RARELY set an alarm ever. I just wake up after ~5.27hrs.

If you want to do something really interesting, try out “Polyphasic Sleep“.  I first tested it out about 13 years ago, and have done it again a couple times.  Just never ended up being practical.  Was fun though!

[officialviolentzen]

Why you should NOT sleep 8 hours

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/why-you-should-not-sleep-8-hours/

Why you should NOT sleep 8 hours

Before I begin, I’d like to say… Weeee, my first “Throat Punch Thursday” post!

Please throat punch the next person that says you must have 8 hours of sleep every night.

The fact is… You may NOT “need” 8 hours of sleep every night. Yep, I said it. I’m making a giant generality like all the experts and doctors and and and… But what about if I’m training extra hard, you say?  Nope, I say!

Let me clarify a few things first. I rarely if ever sleep 8 hours (that is… unless I drink too much the night before and have a hangover. ha! Doh!) I’ve never been a big fan of sleep, so when I was younger, I trained myself to sleep less. Yep, you heard me right. I trained myself to sleep less. You can train yourself to do anything if you’re dedicated enough. (Click here for my 5 ways to sleep less while training).

Now I just wake up after 4.67 to 6.13 hours (or around those times). That’s unpossible you say. What about when you’re training really hard you say? (I already answered that above, were you not paying attention?)

When I’m training really hard, that’s when I push the 6 hour sleep range.  (Again, it just depends on when I wake up).

So… Am I telling you to sleep less?? 

Listen to “your” body and do what works best for “you”.

NO! I am telling you to listen to your body and do what works best for you and stop listening to all the experts out there that have know idea how “your” body responds to anything because they don’t know you and they just made some generalized statement trying to cover all their bases.

I do understand we have “guidelines” for a reason, but too many people and doctors and experts make them sound like they are the “law” and if you don’t follow them, you’re gonna die or something. If that were the case, I woulda croaked long ago.

The moral of the story: Don’t just blindly follow advice from experts. And that includes me! (See what I did there? 😉 )

[officialviolentzen]

7 Reasons Why You Should Video Your Training

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7 Reasons Why You Should Video Your Training

PREFACE: Your cellamafone camera can work great for this. However, don’t be one of those douchebags at the gym that sit and text and talk on their phone. Turn your freakin cellamafone off when you’re at the gym!

Ideally I recommend going crazy and getting yourself a tripod to eliminate shakiness. Plus it’ll let you see which angle/height is ideal for properly analyzing everything. (If using an iPhone, check out the iPhone mount). Don’t just have some schmo at the gym record you because typically what happens is…. for example on squats, they stand up straight, hold the camera right in front of their big stupid face and then angle the lense down. That is obviously NOT what you want. If you really want to go crazy, you should get two cameras and shoot from two angles.

In no particular order

1. Proof: (This really isn’t super important, but it’s fun to have the archive). Ever run into those people at the gym that talk a big game about how much they lifted way back when, or before they had that mishap or or or…

I’m always leery when someone “tells” me unsolicited what they used to be able to do with no proof. Stop telling me, and show me! (Even if it’s an old video. At least it’s proof).

2. Form Refinement: This is why it’s so important to have the height and angle correct when you shoot because you’ll see those areas that you need to concentrate on when training.

3. Teaching Tool: For yourself and others. I’ve used a lot of my videos in the past for teaching others either the proper way to do things or the way to NOT do something. See that? Do that! See that? Don’t do that!

4. Discover Your Weaknesses: Similar sorta to ‘Form Refinement’, but hear you’re looking for areas that you need to get stronger in. For example, years ago I used to shake when my deadlifts got heavy. At that time I wasn’t quite as knowledgeable as I am now so I asked my mate Warren over at PowerHose gym in Wellington, NZ. He pointed out after watching the videos that my posterior chain was my week point. I fixed that and BOOM… no more shaking and I started pulling even more.

5. Slow Motion: Use high definition when shooting and then play it back in SLOW MOTION. Enough said!

6. The Background Peeps: I never really noticed all the people in the background of my videos before because I was to busy watching my form and everything and then one day someone pointed it out and about died. So funny sometimes what people are doing. it’s worth recording just to see this. Trust me! Bahahaha

7. BONUS REASON: Hotties in the Background. haha… What??? YOU CREEPER!!

[officialviolentzen]

Your Attitude Sucks So Much, You Should Be on a Street Corner, Not at the Gym

New Post has been published at http://violentzen.com/your-attitude-sucks-so-much-you-should-be-on-a-street-corner-not-at-the-gym/

Your Attitude Sucks So Much, You Should Be on a Street Corner, Not at the Gym

Preface: SO, the main purpose of this post is to hopefully help make you aware of what you’re focusing on when training / working out. This will be ironical to some of you because… well you’ll see. 😉

This post (semi-rant) is brought to you by the letter ‘S’ (for Stop It!), and is dedicated to Nelly, and all her negative sisters. haha. I guarantee you know at least one of them! Ya know… they decide to pop up in the locker room, or when you’re resting between sets, or whenever you least expect it, and let you know how terrible their day was, or how terrible their workout is today, or how terrible traffic was, or or or… Sheesh!!

Maybe I’ll start carrying my phone and make them watch this video when it happens. It’s freakin’ HILARIOUS!

Ever heard of the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out”? It’s pretty self explanatory… You let garbage in, you get garbage out… That applies to everything… INCLUDING your workout / training.

And don’t get me started on people that watch the news at the gym. There are TV’s in the locker room, and if I walk in and the news is on, I immediately mute it, turn it off, or turn the channel. (Yeah, I like to stay informed, but I am there to train and improve and make myself better. We all know that typically the “news” is not gonna make you feel all warm and fuzzy). Plus, even if you just tune it out, invariably someone says something negative that’s completely unrelated to working out.

Unsolicited Training Tip: It’s amazing how awesome your workouts can be when you leave your garbage / baggage at the door.

Anyway… So I was at the gym the other day finishing up some barbell rows next to the platform. There were two guys deadlifting around 315lbs, so after I finished, I asked, “Hey, you guys want these 45’s?” The response… “No, cuz it would just be another week of failing at 405 pounds.” And then one of them proceeded to demonstrate (without the bar) himself failing. He was really convincing too. It was one of the best pretend failed attempts I’d seen in a while.

Seriously?? No wonder he couldn’t deadlift 405. First he tells me he can’t do it, then he demonstrates “can’t doing it”. Ha! begin sarcasm font Nothing like a lil positive reinforcement to get better. end sarcasm font I find it sadly amusing and mostly was bummed that I had to walk another 10 feet to put my plates away. ha!

I’m not saying I never have moments at the gym when I say something a bit negative, BUT… I do recognize it immediately and correct myself!

The moral of the story is… If you have pent up anger and frustration at the world or the traffic or whatever, stop telling everyone about it and USE IT TO FUEL YOUR WORKOUT!

[officialviolentzen]

Engineering the Alpha - Intermittent Fasting - Calculator and My Experience

New Post has been published on http://violentzen.com/workout-spreadsheets-macros-calculators/macros-spreadsheets-calculators/engineering-the-alpha-intermittent-fasting-calculator-and-my-experience/

Engineering the Alpha - Intermittent Fasting - Calculator and My Experience

If you don’t like to read, or can’t, then just Click Here or scroll down to watch the instructional video and download the spreadsheet. (HA! Writing “If you can’t read…” is like having brail on a drive up ATM.) And don’t forget to sign up for updates.

In this article I’m only going to be covering…

My pseudo intermittent fasting program

The intermittent fasting diet overview (from the book “Engineering the Alpha“, by John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein)

AND –>> The three intermittent fasting calculator spreadsheets, you can download at the bottom, that I created and automated, so you don’t need to do any manual calculations ever. (All calculations are based on data from Engineering the Alpha)

I do have future plans for fully implementing and testing the intermittent fasting program, and keeping a detailed blog (and possibly video blog).

Note: I do have another universal macronutrient calculator spreadsheet (that can be used with any diet) with multiple tab variations that will auto calculate everything, or if you like adjusting grams, (there’s a tab for that), or if you like adjusting percentages, (there’s a tab for that too), so it will work for any nutrition plan or… “diet”, and print out nicely if you want to have them handy while preparing meals or whatever.

Click here to see the universal macronutrient calculator instructional video and download the spreadsheet.

My pseudo intermittent fasting program that’s not a program

Except for a while back in the mid 1990’s when I was studying the glycemic index of foods and playing with spiking my insulin levels, I have, for as long as I remember, eaten pretty much meat and veggies, and fruit from time to time. And no, it is not the ‘paleo’ diet.

[Begin short paleo rant]

I guess it kinda fits the paleo criteria, but it’s freakin annoying hearing, oh you’re paleo? over and over. Nope, I’m Travis, and I follow the “what Travis’ body likes best for performance” eating plan. And, I was eating this way well before someone put a name on it and the cult got started. It’s like the crossfit of ‘diets’. haha ugh.

[End short paleo rant]

So, for a lil more back story… I think eating and sleeping kinda blow. And not in a good Las Vegas kinda way. 😉 haha. Actually, they aren’t that bad, I like both in moderation, BUT, they are both eat up so much time!  (No pun intended).  So my favorite meals are super simple, like steak and salad, or salad and steak, or eggs and bacon, or bacon and eggs, etc..

I found out that the intermittent fasting schedule is approximately 8 hours of feeding and 16 hours of fasting. For some reason about 8 months ago, eating breakfast got to be too much of a hassle, so I just started having a green drink powder mixed with some protein powder and water.

Then I would eat (preworkout) around 1pm or 2pm, then postworkout, then a few hours later, and have a protein drink about an hour before bed, and that was usually it. So I was sorta following the guidelines, minus the green protein drink in the morning. One thing I noticed was I was more alert, and the small preworkout meal really helped with workouts. It was typically just a small handful of granola with raisins mixed with protein powder (~35g protein) and water. (I hate milk, but that’s another story. I just don’t like it and never have and never drank it growing up and still don’t… AND I’ve never had any major broken bones or developmental issues, except maybe my brainses. ha. So if the only reason you drink milk is because “it’s good for you”, then I have 3 legged dog with one eye named Lucky that craps golden eggs I’d like to sell you).

Basically I was eating the majority of my calories post workout. My ‘meals’ were based around my wkout.  No I didn’t track or weigh any of it.  (I plan to try that in the future though to see what happens)

Breakfast: Green drink with protein and water

1/2pm ish: Small amount of granola with ~35g added protein from whey or whatever

4:30/5:30pm ish: Post wkout drink, then about 15 min after, a huge amount of whatever beef or bacon or meat I could find. I tried to have a salad too beforehand

7:30pm ish:  More meat. and sometimes I’d have fried gizzards.

10pm ish:  ~35g protein from whey or casein powder.

The intermittent fasting diet

All the info in this article is based on the book “Engineering the Alpha”, by John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein. Something else to note is that they have a very specific training program that goes along with their version of the IF diet. (I am not planning to use it because my goals are centered around powerlifting and my current training). If you are not on a specific training regime that will work with the IF program, I’d say give their workout a try.

This is going to be a fairly high level overview. I will Not being going into detailed specifics because that’s called “plagiarism” and “copyright infringement”, and I don’t want any lawyers breathing down my neck. So you’ll just have to get the book. Overall I did like it, and recommend it, and you’ll understand my calculator better if you read the book. I did learn a few things and also was forced to question some of the nutrition information I’ve followed for years.

All phases follow the 16/8 schedule. Fast 16hrs, Feed 8 hours. Timing doesn’t really matter but it’s recommended to not start your “feed” before noon.

Phase 1 (Prime)

Weeks 1-2: The foundation of this phase is to start increasing production of testosterone and GH, while reseting your insulin sensitivity by almost completely eliminating carbs. (Note: Fibrous vegetables are considered “free foods” and not counted as carbs). According to the author’s, this is the most important phase. I agree, because if you look at a typical diet today, it’s mostly carb based and contains heaps processed crap, which keep your insulin levels spiked more often than they should be.

Weeks 3-4: This is the second half of the Prime focuses on reintroducing carbs slowly.

Phase 2 (Adapt) One week

This phase is about reintroducing more carbs into your newly highly sensitive insulin receptors and centers around optimizing testosterone.

AND… In this phase the “cheat day” and “fast day” immediately following. I personally loathe that saying because it sounds like you’re doing something wrong. Why not call them “Reward Days” since you went through all that punishment sticking to the program during the week? hmmmm?

For your Reward Day, pick a day you know will work well, like Sunday if you live in America and like to watch foosball and BBQ. On this day, have fun, but don’t be a mo-ron. Again, have fun, because you’re supposed to fast the next day. (So skip a day of eating after your Reward Day).

Phase 3 (Surge) One week

According to the book, by now you should have lost a significant amount of fat. The focus of this phase is on muscle growth. Increasing GH (growth hormone) and decreasing cortisol.

Phase 4 (Complete) Four weeks & ongoing

Combine the insulin sensitivity of Phase 1, lean gains from Phase 2, and strength gains from Phase 3.

This phase also has a workout that is specifically setup for one day of fat loss training, one day of density based training, one day of muscle building, and one day of strength work.

The Intermittent Fasting Calculator Spreadsheets & Destructions (aka. Instructions) Be sure to watch this video below…

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5X5 Workout Info & Madcow 5×5 Spreadsheet – Intermediate

Click here or Scroll down to watch the instruction videos and download the Madcow 5×5 workout spreadsheets (Click Here for Madcow’s detailed Program Info)

When I found the Madcow 5×5 workout spreadsheet based on Bill Starr’s Intermediate 5×5 routine, I wasn’t even thinking about “strength gains”.  I just wanted to get bigger (because I’ve been around 175lbs forever and really wanted to hit 190 or 200). Now I look forward to out lifting guys that are a lot bigger than me.  Mwahahaha!

I’m truly glad I found it and it, and I credit this routine with setting the base for the first time I pulled 500lbs. (Next is 600lbs)!

The 5×5 workout is just that… 5 sets of 5 repetitions using compound movements almost exclusively. There is some assistance (isolation) work which is good to include, but one of the big goals I’ve found with the intermediate 5×5 is getting more time under the bar so when you move on to more advanced routines you don’t look like those tools in the gym that throw on a ton of weight in the squat rack and then do a 1/4 squat with knees buckling and a myriad of other form flaws.

The basic premise of the routine is squat/bench three times/week. (Deadlift is only once per week). Also, the original Bill Starr program used power cleans. (Madcow recommends using bent over barbell rows if you don’t know how to do power cleans. I’ve done both at different times but typically used bent over barbell rows).

Another thing about the 5×5 workout is that you increase your weight every week. It’s not always increased a lot, but usually around 5lbs for upper body and 10lbs for lower. There are percentage calculations you can use, and Madcow actually created a great spreadsheet (that I improved on with formatting, printing, etc), and that’s a great place to start for newbies.

It breaks down to this:

Monday: Squat/Bent over barbell rows/Bench

Wednesday: Light Squat/Incline Bench/Deadlift (I prefer doing incline dumbell bench)

Friday: Squat/Bent over barbell rows/Bench

Finally, PAY ATTENTION… I completely agree with the Madcow… DO NOT SCREW WITH THIS WORKOUT.  Just do EXACTLY what it says and you’ll see results. After you’ve been on it for a while you can start playing with it. In the beginning, stick with the template 5×5 workout.  You’ll thank yourself, I know from experience.

Recently I cleaned up the spreadsheets even more and moved them from DIY Strength Training to Violent Zen™. (Links are below). I don’t go into any detail on how to implement the 5×5 workout in these videos because Madcow’s info covers it very well and there is a ton of other info online too. (HOWEVER, in the future I may put a video together).

At a very minimum, you need to watch the portrait version of the 5×5 spreadsheet breakdown: “5X5 Workout Routine – Madcow 5×5 Spreadsheet – PORTRAIT – Intermediate”

NOTE:  The first two videos are from my other site DIY Strength Training, that I am no longer updating.

Also, be sure to sign up for updates! I have no idea how many thousands of people have downloaded previous versions of these spreadsheets, and now I have no way to notify them that there are new versions available.

Portrait Version Total Time: ~7min

Landscape Version Total Time: ~2min

Updated Version Total Time: ~3min

Get Updates

Get Notified of Updates. Yes sometimes I do update these or create new super duper awesome spreadsheets, and if you don’t sign up, you’ll never know about it. SOOOO…….. Sign up for updates and your life will be complete.

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Bill Starr Intermediate 5×5 Workout Spreadsheets (Madcow Version) Portrait Layout Download Portrait Version

Bill Starr Intermediate 5×5 Workout Spreadsheets (Madcow Version) Landscape Layout Download Landscape Version

Download Both Versions together (Zipped)

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New Post has been published on http://violentzen.com/stunt-school-day-3-guns-cars-falls-tramps-fire/

Stunt School Day 3 - Guns, Cars, Falls, Tramps, & FIRE!

Timeframe:  Left hotel about 8:15am, returned around 11:30pm. I may have the order of stunts mixed up, but doesn’t matter. << Click Here for Day 2 Blog & Videos | Click Here to be Notified when the Blog is Updated >>

Side Note: All the videos in the post are unedited, and I’m not sure if they’re in the correct order or not, but doesn’t matter. To see the final edited version with all the stunts edited together click here (Demo Reel)…

Here’s a quick shot of the warehouse we were in…

Started out today going through proper protocol for weapons handling on set, and the difference between weapons handling in the real world versus a movie set. Also went through stances, moving with pistol, and how/where to hold it (again, in the movie world for ‘the camera’, not real life). You gotta pay attention to not cover your face, and make sure it’s “good for the camera”, etc. Real world tactics take second place if it’s not going to ‘look good’.

Then we moved on to being shot. For this, many times they will CGI (use a computer to add it in) the bullets hitting people and blood splattering, and other times they use what are called squibs. A squib is basically a packet of fake blood that explodes to make it look like you were shot. (Explode may be a lil extreme). It makes a loud pop like a big firecracker and feels almost like you got hit with a paintball but not as bad. It does leave a mark though…

Next was a high(er) box rig fall. I didn’t realize we were doing a bigger fall so was excited. (Although for some reason I was a little anxious about it too. Not sure why cuz it wasn’t really that high. About 20-25 feet, and this time we actually got to jump facing forward). I was told it was higher, but based on the input from everyone jumping, I’m going with 20-25′.

Since this was higher, we started with two layers of 14″ boxes and about 14″ of padding. After everyone jumped a couple times, we took out one of the layers of boxes. So then there was a total of about 28″ of stuff to break our fall.

Similar to the back fall yesterday, we flailed our arms and legs while falling. At first we were just doing the forward fall with the twist at the last minute to our back. Then we moved on to the 3/4 front flip. So, jump off head first, flat, flailing, then at the last minute flip forward and land on your back.

I definitely want to do more of this so it’s like eating bacon… Just second nature.

Then we moved back to guns and shot 10 rounds full auto. That’s not really a “stunt”, but it was setup to show we had experience and to use it for our demo reel (because you never know what “look” they’ll be looking for when casting stunt work).

Next up was mini tramp work. This was using the mini tramp to fly over a wall of boxes while looking like you were being blown up or whatever. So run, jump on mini tramp, fly and flail over boxes, and either 3/4 front flip or twist at the end to land on your back.

That was pretty fun and it came down to more of a timing/aim thing on the mini tramp to get as much height as possible over the boxes.

After that was… The stair roll down 17 fairly steep wooden (luckily) stairs. I’m fairly comfortable with my ability to roll and absorb shock and stuff, but when you get to the top of a set of stairs and know you’re going to throw yourself down them headfirst, it’s a bit weird. haha.

The best way to do it is as fast as possible. Basically, ball up and hall arse making as little contact as possible with the stairs.

We did have a lot of hidden padding on under our normal clothing, and wore a hoodie to hide the helmet. (NOTE: In the real stunt world you don’t get a helmet). I’m pretty certain I would have been fine without the helmet. NO, not because there’s nothing in my head to injure, but because I don’t think I hit my head once.

It was a bit freaky at first, but I went down pretty easy. I did open my legs up toward the bottom to get some flail, but didn’t get them pulled back in fast enough and ended up kinda plunkin on my butt at the bottom. Still was a successful stair fall though! BOOM!

Oh, and only one cut on the outside of my ankle from the whole thing. Thought it would hurt a lot worse.

Next was the car gags. Unfortunately we didn’t get to actually get hit by a car. I assume some students in the past ruined it. Grrrr!! So we did a gag where we were walking down the road and the car came speeding up and clips us (but doesn’t really even touch us) with the corner of the car and sends us flying off to the side. The effect comes from the camera angle in the car and the person doing the stunt flying off to the side.

I did three takes on this one and trust me, flipping and twisting yourself up into the air and landing on the ground rolling away. Asphalt and curbs are not very soft fyi.

So… I really didn’t like this one very much because it was the most painful of all the stunts! The stair roll was cake compared to this, but then… I may be able to throw myself better in the future. You’ll see how in some I’m bracing myself with my hands on the ground because… Again… Asphalt is not soft. haha!

We also got to do a stunt where the scene was someone stole our car and we jumped on the hood to stop them. So we sped down the road swerving and hanging on with one hand while beating on the window saying colorful adjectives about stopping and giving the car back. haha

After the car gags, we stopped for dinner and discussed marketing yourself. The concepts are similar to many other industries, and along with those other industries, you need to learn the “language” and “terminology”. Of which, I am lacking. I mean, I didn’t even know what a squib was or a ratchet before this weekend.

And last but not least….. THE BURN!

I only lasted 10 seconds because of a hot spot on the back of my head. Which ended up burning because I didn’t stop sooner. It wasn’t too bad tho.  ALSO, the first video is of the burn prep!

I could have kept going for a long time if it weren’t for my head because it wasn’t hot at all anywhere else and holding my breath (on ground) isn’t a problem.

Click Here to see the full Demo Reel with music (1 min 33sec)

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Stunt School Day 2 - Fights, Falls, Flying, & No Drowning

Timeframe: Left hotel at 8am, returned at 9:30 pm Scroll down to see all the videos and links << Click Here for Day 1 Blog & Videos | Click Here to be Notified when the Day 3 Blog and Videos are Posted >>

Today was awesome! Still really had no idea what to expect, so I was more anxious about not knowing than about doing the stunts.

Side Note: All the videos in the post are unedited (except I took out a word from the fight scene, ha), and I’m not sure if they’re in the correct order or not, but doesn’t matter.  Also, all the vids are HD so you may need to change the quality setting.

You can watch the final edited version (aka sweet Demo Reel) at the bottom…

And, here’s a quick shot of the studio we were using…

We started with fight scene work. After practicing for a while, working on angles and timing and “selling it”, we were paired up and given scenarios to create a quick little fight scene skit. My stunt partner Alex and I had the scenario of a jerk that was always harassing his coworker. So I was the jerk.

Then we moved on to box rig falls. This fall was about 10-12 feet, and we fell backwards into a layer of boxes and matts. The boxes were 14″x14″x14″, and all the pads were probly about 14″ also. (Maybe a lil more). So about 28-30″ of stuff to fall onto.

So we would stand on the ledge, and then just fall backwards and flail our arms and legs and try to land as flat as possible. Like someone pushed you off a balcony or something.

Next was wirework. First we did a Matrix style stunt where you get pulled up in the air and fly forward a lil bit. For this we just did a side kick into a mat one of us was holding. It was a bit awkward, but I know with practice it would be easier.

After that was a back flip off a wooden box that was about 3 feet tall. This stunt gave me the most trouble because for weeks I’ve been practicing doing back flips on my own. In this stunt, you don’t need to jump at all because the pullers do that for you, but I was jumping, so it threw everything off.

There’s one clip where I don’t think I was completely ready to go and they pulled before I took off and the flip didn’t happen. They saved my bacon on that on. Mmmmm bacon! (You’ll see).

However, once I stopped jumping, it went ‘ok’. I think it would have been easier just to back flip off the box with no wires. haha. So I definitely need to work on my wirework.

Next was the ratchet. This was so freakin fun! (Everything was fun, but this was really fun). This stunt involves getting yanked backwards like you’ve been blown up. On the harness, you clip the rope in the middle of your back. The rope goes up to a pulley on the ceiling way behind you. Then you tighten up the slack, and when they say ‘action’, you’re yanked.

There are machines that do the work, but many times people are still used. That is what we did. Two ladders were set up right in front of the person doing the stunt and a plank was put between them. Then two people would grab the rope and jump, and it would pull you super fast, back and up, into a big pad leaning behind us.

There’s a hilarious (at least to all of us) blooper toward the beginning, and the same blooper from a different angle at 43 seconds. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

The final stunt for the day was the underwater fight scene… Which I was super stoked about sarcasm font.

I really don’t care for water, unless I’m drinking it. ha! And we had to jump in the deep end of the pool with a knife and our stunt partner and go as deep as possible and grab each other’s wrists and flip and roll to simulate an underwater struggle with a knife. Oh, AND… While exhaling so there would be bubbles making the struggle look even more intense.

It “sounds” way simpler than it actually is. Even the advanced swimmers in the class had trouble. Synchronizing the flipping was the hardest thing I think. You’ll see… Some of them are pretty hilarious. Just flailing and stuff. LOL!

I think we accomplished it, or came really close. (We only watched the video real quick on a small screen, and I was freeeezing my arse off). Either way, I’m just glad I made myself do it and that I didn’t drown. Cuz that would have made for a bad weekend.

Demo Reel Note:  I couldn’t remove the ads from YouTube because of the song.

Click to Watch Demo Reel

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