Links Beyond Well -- deadlifts, sleep, meal frequency, fasted training vs. stress

Today's links bring a good mix of tried and true wisdom combined with critically thinking, or questioning "conventional wisdom".  As with any diet, exercise, or lifestyle change you consider, please remember to take a moment to think about "why you are doing it" and consider implications from multiple angles.  Enjoy!

Fasted Training, Cortisol, and Stress -- Christian Wernstedt, Modern paleo

"I have learned about some qualifiers that one might want to take into account before rushing headlong into fasted training, particularly if one's mode of training entails frequent- and/or intense workouts added to a perhaps already somewhat stressful life situation."

"Having cortisol out of control can actually lead to the paradox of a lot of sugar floating around the blood stream, even if one eats as little as zero carbs."

Deadlifts and Viagra -- John Welbourne, Talk to Me Johnnie and CrossFit Football

"... if you want to make gains in the squat and other lifts, use the deadlift sparingly. You can create a monster pull with a steady diet of squats, reverse-hypers for strength and flexibility, abs for a strong trunk, a ton of grip work for strong hands and heavy weighted dips for strong shoulders and upper back."

Is Sake Paleo?..

Easy Ways to Be a Sleep Viking in 2011 -- Julien Smith, RobbWolf.com

".. it tends to be those who have the worst problems are who know the most about it. When it comes to sleep, that makes me guilty.  This is because I had epileptic seizures from 16 onward, and kept having them until I got my sleep, stress, and exercise in order. I’m now seizure-free for 10 years (knock on wood)– and always working to know more and improve how I sleep and eat ... With this in mind, let’s talk sleep and how to improve it in 2011."

Selfish Goals Post 2011

Last year was a good year. This year will be better. Did you make any goals or resolutions? Are they specific? Attainable?
 
I've talked to a lot of friends who have set resolutions to "be stronger", to "eat better", or "be less stressed". These are good ideas, but what do they mean? Does eating better mean eating an extra vegetable each day? How strong do they want to be? What does being less stressed mean? Seriously.

  

There are a lot of good tools out there for setting specific, attainable goals. A classic is the SMART system. Whatever you use ... it's helpful to be specific about what you want, when you want it, and how you plan to get there.

  

This is a "selfish" post, because I'm not going to write any "how to's" or "about", just simply want to share some of the things that I'm working on in the coming year.  I sat down with some paper new years day and thought about what I wanted to accomplish in 2011.  A few were things I've already been working towards, however it still felt good to write them down.  Here's what I came up with:

  

Fitness Goals

• Snatch Bodyweight (165) - Personal Best 155
• Back Squat 2x Bodyweight (330) - Personal Best 275
• Dead Lift 2.5x Bodyweight (412) - Personal Best 380
• Clean and Jerk 225 - Personal Best 192
• Freestanding Strict Handstand Pushup
• 10 Consecutive Muscle Ups - Personal Best 7
• Maintain a sub 9:30 1.5 mile run (for Air Force PT test) - Most recent 9:12

No bells and whistles, just wood, steel, and dust

Educational Goals

• Test for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) February/April 2011
• Test for Certified Sport Specialty Dietitian (C.S.S.D.) July 2011