7:00PM - 8 whole eggs, 2 large handfuls of spinach, and 3-4 oz. turkey breast fried in about 2 Tbs. coconut oil; filled the rest of the plate with steamed broccoli.
9:00PM - Spring mix, cucumbers, and bell peppers topped with a 12 oz. sirloin steak (marinated in EVOO and spices), 3/4 of an avocado, and a splash of Frank's Red Hot.
Since yesterday was the first day off of the program, I think today is the perfect day to talk about rest and recovery. I am used to training hard, but the increased frequency in addition to the intense nature of this program is going to make my rest days that much more important. Contrary to what many broscientists (credit: Berkhan) believe, working out twice a day, every day will not get you ripped; it will get you sick. Yesterday I briefly mentioned the importance of sleep; Here I'm going to discuss why maintaining quality shut-eye and adequate recovery time are key factors making you lean, strong, and healthy.
There are a few major players involved here - insulin and glucagon, to name a few - but today I'm going to focus on one in particular. If you've ever heard of "cortisol," chances are it went along with the word "stress." Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland in response to physical (such as illness, trauma, surgery, temperature extremes, etc.) and/or psychological stress. In this day and age, stress is everywhere you look. Stress leads to sleep disruption and heavy drinking. Unfortunately for the workaholics, alcoholics, and avid YouTube fans out there, our bodies perceive lack of quality sleep and alcohol consumption as additional stress, and produces more cortisol in a vicious, cyclical response.
Like most hormones, cortisol is beneficial and actually necessary in proper amounts. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-histimine, and increases the amount of glucose available for energy during those "fight-or-flight" situations. Blood cortisol levels fluctuate throughout the day even in the most rested, stress-free individuals, normally peaking in the early morning and bottoming out in the evening. This makes sense, due to the ancestral human tendency to be active during the day and rest at night.
In excessive amounts, though, cortisol can be extremely harmful and even deadly. One of its primary responsibilities is suppressing the immune system from overreacting to "disorder" and causing collateral damage (see: H1N1 flu). When cortisol levels are chronically high, the immune system is on vacation. For those of you keeping score, that is generally a bad thing. Cortisol increases the amount of sodium in the blood, increasing blood pressure and in turn, stress on the heart, vasculature, and kidneys. It also weakens connective tissues like skin and makes you mad wrinkly.
In order to increase available energy substrates, cortisol catalyzes gluconeogenesis, a process in the liver that converts non-carbohydrate sources into glucose to be released into the blood stream. Most often, glucose is generated through the breakdown of amino acids (read: muscle-wasting - also a bad thing). And that's not even the worst of it. Chronically high blood sugar leads to chronic insulin secretion and eventually insulin sensitivity, which is associated metabolic syndrome and severely increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type-II diabetes. In addition, insulin completely blunts fat metabolism which means you'll be large with cortisol in charge - but a little extra chub will be the least of your problems.
Have I completely freaked you out yet? Perhaps the scariest part is the fact that exercise actually causes cortisol levels to increase. Our ancestors generally only exercised as necessary for survival (hunting, escaping predators, building shelter, etc.), therefore, your "fat-burning, stress-relieving, 2 hour cardio session," is exactly the opposite.
At the risk of sounding hypocritical, overtraining is not a "myth," and too much of a good thing is usually bad. Yes, this my program is intense, but let me be clear that it is not designed for beginners. There's a fine line between training hard and overtraining, and please realize that I am taking precautions to ensure that I stay on the proper side of that line. I see pump'n'tone fanatics and cardio-confessionalists failing to reach their goals all the time, and I certainly don't want to be one of them. If that sounds a lot like you, listen up: decrease your gym time, get more sleep and tighten up your nutrition.
But today ain't no rest day for me. I hit the gym this morning for four 500m sprints in the rower with 3:20 rest. I was shooting for 1:45, and posted times of 1:41, 1:45, 1:48, and 1:45. Not bad, but soon to be better. I sipped 20g of BCAAs throughout the day, but I did not eat. I've learned to prefer fasted training and it's easier to not have to bring food to work. We'll see if my workout suffers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to go H.A.M. on some cleans.
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