Comments on: Hippies VS Jocks – Which Group is Healthier?

By: Janalyne

Janalyne — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:44:06 +0000

I agree also, that a mix is the best. Eating whole organic foods is great, but most people (myself included) don't usually eat perfectly all the time and need some help with vitamin, etc. supplements to fill the gaps in the diet. With workouts, variety is the spice of life and the more options you have and the more you switch it up…the more you stick with it. It's also helpful to do more outdoorsy type activities that are weather dependent and then on rainy or snowy days (except skiing and winter sports!) to stay inside and do more gym type workouts.

By: Tovah

Tovah — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:39:27 +0000

Autumn, you might be exactly who I need to talk to. What kind of strength exercises would you recommend to supplement a 3x per week yoga routine?

By: Tovah

Tovah — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:34:53 +0000

Hi Rusty! I've been subscribing to your blog for a month or two now, and in the past week I have been obsessively reading it since I have committed myself to getting very trim and toned by memorial day (my ten year reunion). This post really spoke to me because I'm have a lot of "hippie" roots (vegetarian at one point, liberal, love hiking) and yet I have spent some time at the gym doing weight training or intervals. My problem, of course, is sticking to these routines–3 months is the longest I've ever managed.

My question is this: My body type is shorter, pear-shaped, and I build muscle easily. I have been enjoying yoga as a form of exercise, and I'm thinking of using an aggressive yoga routine as my main muscle-building exercise so I can combat some of my natural "stockiness". I will also be doing HIIT cardio followed by steady state to burn fat. (I have about 10-15 pounds to lose). I am also planning on doing ESE with general calorie cutting. I have a weakness for fast food and beer though! Do you think this will be an effective routine to lose about 10-15 pounds and look my best within 3 months?

Thank you for site! I have learned so much here and I finally feel like I have the tools and determination to finally hit my goal size.

By: John

John — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:11:57 +0000

Chalk up another one for the "hybrids". My diet could definitely be improved, but I go between shakes and organic produce. I also go back and forth between the normal gym and the rock climbing gym, so I have some of both worlds working for me. Hoping to improve my diet more by reading this site, as of now it's all kind of guess work, and I just make a shake when I want one for breakfast on random days.

By: Michael H.

Michael H. — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:49:52 +0000

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of EODD (Every Other Day Diet) and know whether this is a healthy approach to staying healthy.
Thanks!

By: Aaron Curl

Aaron Curl — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:31:55 +0000

Really good article. I am a hybrid also. Like you, I spent loads of money and a lot of time in GNC years ago. One girl knew me by name. I was like Norm from cheers….lol. Now I get most of my nurtients from my paleo diet but I supplement also. I used to spend hours in the gym bulking up years ago, now I primarily do bodweight exercises, run and bike. At 35 I can honestly say I am in better shape now than when I was 20. I would say for the most part it's the diet. I never knew eating good foods would make you feel so alive and full of energy! Any ways…another awesome post!

By: Nick @ MMA Explosion

Nick @ MMA Explosion — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Combination of fresh real food and the right supplements I believe is the way to go. There are good protein powders available such as rice protein, which are pretty effective.

By: Autumn

Autumn — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:32:09 +0000

I enjoyed this post. I come from an exercise physiology background, so I've often thought of this division; it's interesting. I definitely think both schools of training are valid, however, the more I think about how I was raised (in the summers, fresh foods from our garden; in the winters, home-canned, preservative-free and frozen foods; my parents would buy a cow from a local ranch and pay to have it butchered and stored frozen so we had preservative-free, free-range meat as well…long before this was en vogue or anyone would even think there was any other way) versus all of the boxed food that requires "fortification," I think the way to go is the way my parents did things. If you are eating properly for your body and amount/type of exercise, you don't need all of those supplements…from any type of store.
I highly recommend reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. It talks about how we have broken our food down to the minutiae and yet aren't any healthier for it…hence, he makes a case for eating 'food' instead…aka whole foods.
Another example of this division is yoga versus conventional gym workouts for strength. I love yoga, I take 2-3 classes per week. It can be a wonderful calorie-burner, stress reliever, and muscle strengthener all at the same time. However, I've found that for me, I need to supplement it with gym time. I was a personal trainer for 8 years so I also enjoy sweating it out at the gym. For all of the battle cries for "balance," I've found that even yoga lacks balance if that's all you're doing. There is no way to concentrically work your lats and other back muscles, so I make sure I do assisted pull-ups at the gym. Calves and hamstrings get a bit neglected as well. Also, if you are super flexible like I am, it doesn't mean the opposing muscles are necessarily strong enough to support certain poses. Great yoga instructors can tell you this and how to get the strength you need for balance, but most classes are way too big for most instructors to tell their students…a lot of people get injured from yoga and don't even realize how.
I definitely think you need to strike a balance between being a hippy and a jock.

By: Jeff Todd

Jeff Todd — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:17:24 +0000

Hi Rusty – can I get your thoughts on creatine? I've used it in cycles for the last several years and wonder how you feel it either benefits or detracts from getting/maintaining that toned look we all work towards.
The people here that respond to your blog are great.
Jeff

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:36:25 +0000

Hot Stuff…wow, that really takes me back.

I remember way back to when I was 16-17 and I bough a tub of Hot Stuff – I grew like a weed. After a couple of tubs, it stopped working..and I stopped buying.

And then a few years later, I start hearing that the reason it worked so well was that it was laced with steroids. The roids were cheaper to buy than all of the stuff that was supposed to be in Hot Stuff

And now they're selling it again – http://www.hotstuffnutritionals.com/magento/read_more_hotstuff

Personally, I am halfway between a hippie and a jock. I eat mostly real food, with some peri-workout supplements

By: chica

chica — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:07:20 +0000

hey rusty,

I agree with you about the best path probably lying between these two extremes. I take a fish oil supplement regularly, and sometimes something else depending on my goals/lifestyle. I'll drink a protein shake if I'm trying to lose weight, creatine if I'm trying to build muscle, and antioxidants to give my poor liver a break if I'm drinking heavily The rest of my nutrition I get from whole foods (organic when i can afford it)

It's off topic, but I was reading your vacation body blueprint, and was wondering what speed of weight loss you thought it was safe to aim for. I'm 24 now, 5 foot ten, about 165 pounds 13-14% bodyfat, and I want to slim down for new year – just found out the party I'm going to is gonna have a hottub

I know (from past experience) that I can easily lose 1-2 pounds per week by eating around 2000 calories and working out 5-6 times a week (weights twice every 4 days and hiit once every 4 days) while preserving pretty much all of my muscle.

Given my tight deadline, do you think I should try to accelerate my weight loss by some combination of reducing my calories further, using eat stop eat, fasted workouts and your stubborn fat loss protocol? Or is it unhealthy for me to lose more than 2 pounds a week when I'm nearish to my ideal weight, and will it make me lose muscle (I've worked hard to build this muscle. I don't wanna throw it away)?

thanks,

chica

By: Alex Sotelo

Alex Sotelo — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:19:13 +0000

I notice you and a lot of others have commented about eating "organic" foods. Please show me scientific research that proves that eating organically grown fruits and vegetables is healthier, more rich in nutrients or any of the other claims that most people make. It's not bad for you so if you want to pay more to eat "organic" then go right ahead. But just a like a lot of the supplement misinformation garbage that floats around on the Net, the same goes for the whole organic foods market.

By: shane

shane — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:37:11 +0000

yep.i'm a recovering vegetarian myself.i lost like 35 pounds while not eating meat.but i had that skinny fat look.then i went back to the whole gym rat lifting 425 stage.looked bloated and my joints hurt.now i'm back on meat,which to be honest i love:).theres nothing more natural l l then a great steak on the grill.i do try to eat paleo when i can.to be honest organic meat is to expensive for me right now.so i go with natural which i know is not nearly as good for you,but its a heck of alot better then tofu.i learned that while being a vegie eating all the soy made my testosterone drop way low.

By: Sandeep

Sandeep — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:41:46 +0000

Hey Rusty.

I have a question about compound exercises. You said muscle definition is about the mind-muscle link. If you're doing compound exercises like bicep curls with the olympic bar, clean and jerks, what muscle do i focus on?

By: Jason G

Jason G — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:20:54 +0000

Slim Jim,

My workout is similar. I believe this type of weight training will one day be as popular as HIIT is becoming for cardio. This type of training will increase human growth hormone more so than others. Its also more time efficient. I don't really do circuits. Instead I do many exercises with one set each. I am always moving. I will hit all of my major muscles at least twice. I like this better than circuits because I don't have to worry about people taking my equipment. Instead I always have alternative options. Ultimately my muscles are being worked out like circuits because I will alternate from one muscle group to another.

By: deb

deb — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:45:09 +0000

Put me in the hybrid group, too. I shop for organic fruits and veggies, was thrilled to find a butcher who carries grass-fed beef and pasture raised poultry. Yet I have 2 protein drinks, vitamins, and additional supplements every day.

When I hold to this regimen I am not sick. When things get thrown off -when I'm travelling for instance- I always come home sick.

This mix also makes me clear headed, energetic and looking years younger than my true age.

By: Josh W.

Josh W. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:33:53 +0000

Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for your website, Rusty. There are a lot of websites out there promoting various plans that promise to help you lose weight and gain muscle, etc., but yours cuts through a lot of the bullshit, provides both scientific explanations (and data) and anecdotes, is willing to consider methods that other websites disparage without adequate testing, and–perhaps most importantly–presents ideas that actually work. I've lost about 25 pounds in two months and am pretty close to my ideal weight mostly thanks to the information on this site (and the Internet's calorie calculators). So once again, thanks a ton, and hopefully your website will gain the recognition that it deserves.

By: slim jim

slim jim — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:20:41 +0000

Hi Rusty, i have got an urelated question, but might be of interest to many readers. I have been combining strenght training with circuits, by doing my lifting in this manner: very heavy bench press 6 reps, then immediately very heavy inverted rows, 6 reps, then very heavy squats, very heavy military press, and a little rest, then do the sequence again, making sure to maintain good form and not to lift to failure. I noticed that i feel very worked out and good after this, breathing heavily and sweating for up to an hour. Is there anything i need to note with this type of workout? thanks for all yur help

By: Studio Element Personal Training

Studio Element Personal Training — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:27:52 +0000

I believe that there are extremes in both directions. Myself and my staff at Studio Element try to push our clientele to obtain their nutrition through whole food choices, limit preservatives, and avoid supplements unless absolutely necessary.

By: FITGORDO

FITGORDO — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:38:44 +0000

Rusty,
you mentioned you got sick while eating "hippie" style. what kinda sick did you get. i seemed to get sick while taking soy protein powder shakes. i usually get the flu every 5 years and i got it 2 years in a row and had a lot of fatigue during that time. i too have trimmed down my supplements because it is better and cheaper to eat whole foods.