Episode 40: 5 No-Brainer Carb Strategies, Master Any Skill Faster & Lifts of Legends

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On Our Minds

Brace yourself and take a deep, calming breath. Why? Because we’re talking about something very divisive: carbs. Yep, the most “controversial” macronutrient.

Do couch potatoes need to decrease their carb intakes? Probably. But what about fit people? That’s where it gets tricky.

We break down this topic and talk about insulin (so misunderstood), carb quality, carb cycling, and several strategies experienced lifters can use to manipulate their carb intakes for better bodies and high-performance workouts.

Be sure to check out Christian Thibaudeau’s Best Damn Diet for Natural Lifters  for more info and some very effective carb-timing strategies.

Want a dirt-simple plan? Take a peek at Chris’s “controlled carb” diet, The 100 Gram Carb Cure.

Quiz

This week Chris is quizzing me on exercises and lifts named after famous lifters and strength coaches. For example, we all know who came up with (or at least popularized) Arnold presses. See if you can do better than I did.

Spoiler Alert: One of those exercises is the Waterbury deadlift walk. You can
read all about it here.  Also try out the Gironda perfect curl  and the Saxon side bend.

Newsflash

What’s the fastest way to learn a new motor skill, like a complex lift? According to a new study, all you have to do is practice the new skill then do 15 minutes of cardio. To make it work even better, get some good sleep that night.

That little dose of cardio increases the brain’s connectivity and efficiency, and that helps you retain the new skill. It has something to do with neural connections, the hemispheres of your brain, and, well, other complex crap that Chris explains.

So, is CrossFit onto something? Their workouts often start with a complex lift or skill acquisition, then end with metabolic conditioning. We chat about that and discuss some other applications.

Want to read the whole boring study, you nerd? Click here.

The Shugart Cart

There’s nothing in my cart this week that you can buy. Nope, it’s a workout. It’s called The Half-Hour Deadlift Challenge. Have you tried this Dan John classic?

Here’s how to do it:

1. Load up the barbell with a weight you can deadlift for about 8-10 reps.

2. Now set a timer for 30 minutes. Every minute on the minute, pull just 2 reps.

3. That’s it. Keep doing that for half an hour… or until you pass out and people point and laugh.

It seems easy… for the first 30 or 40 reps, but wait ’til you’re getting closer to 60.

Dude Wipes are in Chris’s cart this week. Yep, for your butt. But Chris mainly uses them for quick clean-ups after his workouts. They’re fragrance-free, paraben-free, and dye-free.

Got swamp ass? Skid marks? Schweddy balls? Pick up some Dude Wipes here. 

Miss any of our previous episodes? Catch up below…