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."

Better Blood Glucose with Lower Meal Frequency -- Martin Berkhan, Lean Gains

"Eating every 2-3rd hour to manage blood sugar is nonsense and a myth that's just about to die"

"Higher meal frequency does not "stoke your metabolism" or lead to better fat loss"

"Maintaining blood sugar within a healthy range is very important for individuals with poor glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity"

"Proper timing of sampling is a huge confounder - and this has been handled poorly in earlier studies on meal frequency, BG, and insulin. In order to make a fair assessment of the results, researchers need perfect timing in relation to meals or draw several blood samples throughout the day. Otherwise, the results will be highly misleading."

Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials, Part V -- Stephen Guyenet, Whole Health Source

"One of the most intriguing findings in his 2007 study was the low calorie intake of the Paleolithic group. Despite receiving no instruction to reduce calorie intake, the Paleolithic group only ate 1,388 calories per day, compared to 1,823 calories per day for the Mediterranean group."