I stumbled upon Mark's Daily Apple, the blog of "Primal Blueprint" author Mark Sisson. It presents his take on the paleolithic/evolutionary fitness and diet lifestyle. In a nutshell:

• Primal Blueprint Law #1: Eat Lots of Plants and Animals
• Primal Blueprint Law #2: Avoid Poisonous Things
• Primal Blueprint Law #3: Move Frequently at a Slow Pace
• Primal Blueprint Law #4: Lift Heavy Things
• Primal Blueprint Law #5: Sprint Once in a While
• Primal Blueprint Law #6: Get Adequate Sleep
• Primal Blueprint Law #7: Play
• Primal Blueprint Law #8: Get Adequate Sunlight
• Primal Blueprint Law #9: Avoid Stupid Mistakes
• Primal Blueprint Law #10: Use Your Brain

One could do worse.

Return of the Kettlebell is Pavel Tsatsouline's latest book. It focuses on building muscle mass while maintaining or improving strength and conditioning. The tools of choice are double kettlebell exercises organized in alternating two week blocks. One block is devoted to slow grinding movements: the Double Kettlebell Press, the Double Kettlebell Front Squat, and the Double Kettlebell Deadlift. The alternate block is devoted to explosive movement, specifically the long cycle double Kettlebell Clean and Jerk.

This looks like fun, but it's a pretty intense program, not something I want to do during the throwing season. Pavel suggests that you shouldn't start it until you've reached the "Enter the Kettlebell" Rite of Passage goals of a half bodyweight Clean and Press, and 200 Kettlebell Snatches with the 24 kg implement as used by the U.S. Secret Service. I'm some way from that, so I'll work on the Rite of Passage until the end of throwing season and see where I am then.

This program in this book is really intended for elite athletes who want to add lean body mass. I found it interesting though I don't think it's the right thing for me at this point in time. I'll practice the double kettlebell movements on some of my "variety" days which can be considered a kind of active rest. Good book, but not for everyone.

Never Let Go is a collection of Dan John's writings on strength and conditioning training. Subtitled "A Philosophy of Lifting, Living, and Learning", it provides a pragmatic approach to navigating the tangled web of information about health, fitness, and athletic training. A certain amount of strength and conditioning is necessary for good health and is fundamental to fitness and athletic performance. How much and what kind depends on your goals, and Dan emphasizes that you need to need to stay focused on your goals.

The main points of Dan's strength and conditioning philosophy are:

1. The Body is One Piece.
2. There are three kinds of strength training:
   • Putting weight overhead
   • Picking it off the ground
   • Carrying it for time and distance
3. All training is complementary.

Each chapter is a lesson in the guise of an entertaining and enlightening story told by a master practitioner of the strength arts. Reading and rereading these stories will help you in your own strength practice, whether as a coach, athlete, or fitness enthusiast. As you read it you will sometimes think "I knew that", while realizing that you've just reached a better understanding. Dan teaches movements rather than muscles and you need to train the full spectrum of normal movement. However, if you try to emphasize everything, you end up emphasizing nothing, so he recommends a warm up that works a variety of movements which allows you to focus on specific goals in the main workout.

Since the body adapts to novel stresses, everything works but nothing works forever. Combined with everyone's unique genetics and history, this implies that you should try different things long enough to see how they work for you. If they don't work, move on to something else. If they do, continue with them until you stop progressing, then try something else. Keep a training log so you'll know what has worked in the past and can profitably be repeated.

"Never Let Go" is a worthwhile and enjoyable read for just about anyone. It's a great book on the pursuit of althleticism that should be read and re-read by anyone with more than a passing interest in health, fitness, and/or sports performance.

Since reading Enter the Kettlebell last year, I've made kettlebells the mainstay of my athletic training but haven't tried the Rite of Passage (ROP) training program advocated in it. It consists of a pull (Kettlebell Snatch or Swing) and a push (Kettlebell Press) in a light/medium/heavy pattern plus a couple of variety days and, leaving two days off each week.

I've decided that it's time to give ROP a shot and tested today to see where I am. I've been pressing the 24 kg kettlebell so I tried the 32, getting one rep with the left arm and two with the right. In the U.S. Secret Service Snatch Test with the 24 kg kettlebell, I managed 110 reps in 10 minutes. Should've been good for a few more reps, but I tested shortly after lunch and was flirting with Pukie.

Saturday Dan presented his philosophy of strength and conditioning, followed by catered BBQ. Later we were treated to a sample workout and individual instruction. I believe that everyone woke up muscles that they'd forgotten they had, no matter what kind of training they'd been doing.

Sunday we met at Mimi's for breakfast and I drove back to Lyons. My goals for the weekend were:

1. Secure a copy of Dan's new book.
2. Polish my kettlebell technique.
3. Find out why I don't need barbells. Dan advised me to stick to kettlebells when I visited him last Fall.
4. Have fun!

I achieved all my goals. My conclusion on barbell training is that last Fall I needed to focus on rehabbing my knees and shoulders, for which kettlebells are perhaps the best tool. Depending on where I'm working out, I'll do some barbell and dumbbell training, but I think kettlebells will be my mainstay.

In The Purposeful Primitive Marty Gallagher presents his strength and conditioning philosophy with the stories of notable strength and endurance athletes with his own experiences as a world champion powerlifter and coach.

While focusing on strength, Marty also recognizes the importance of cardiovascular conditioning and diet. He describes simple programs that have proven effective for both world class athletes and couch potatoes getting into shape. This book deserves a place in the library of all serious fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and coaches.

While LSD (Long Slow Distance) type training is most popular for cardio, research has shown that sprint intervals like the Tabata Protocol are more effective for developing VO2 max. In Viking Warrior Conditioning, Kenneth Jay presents interval training protocols that he's developed using kettlebell snatches. I enjoyed the book though it's a bit pricey for the amount of material presented.

I'm using his basic protocol of 15 seconds of snatches with the left arm followed by 15 seconds of rest, then 15 seconds of snatches with the right arm followed by 15 seconds of rest and find it to be a nice challenge. In addition to the cardiovascular conditioning, this develops the explosive power needed for the Highland Games Heavy Athletics events.

I spent the day at a Highland Games throwing clinic hosted by RMSA and coached by Sean Betz. It was fun and I learned a lot. This was the most throwing I've done in one day, so I was ready for a shower, dinner, and an early night afterward.

A friend recently founded ElderThink, a site devoted to Living longer, Living Well for elders and those who care for them. While I still have a hard time thinking of myself as an elder, my beard has become pretty gray. The site is a good source for information on dealing with aging on a day-to-day basis, unlike Fight Aging which focuses on cutting edge longevity research.

I decided to start my throwing season early (and get a break from winter) by competing in the Arizona Highland Games in Phoenix on February 21st and 22nd. The weather was beautiful so I drove most of the way down there and back with the top down.

My 50+ Men's Masters class competed on Saturday along with the Men's Pro/Am, Men's Light Weight (under 190 pound) and Men's 40 to 49 Masters classes. I didn't see much of the other classes Saturday. RMSA's own Lowell Thompson won the 190s. I ended up 5th, but set several personal records despite not throwing much since September. My focus on rehab, strength, and conditioning with some footwork drills has payed off. Afterward, I had dinner with an old friend and colleague at Mi Patio a nice little Mexican restaurant.

On Sunday I watched the Men's A, B, and C, and the Women's Open and World Championship classes. I tried to watch everyone, but focused the latter. I was rewarded with some outstanding performances, including a world record in the Women's Heavy Hammer and near miss in the Women's Weight for Height.

Nicholas Romanov's Pose Method of Running makes the case that running technique has been neglected by most runners and coaches, who believe that high volume training is all that is needed to become a better runner. Some say that running ability is purely inherit and cannot be taught. Romanov asserts that running can be taught and that proper technique is critical to maximize performance and minimize injury.

Romanov begins by describing how he developed the Pose Method, taking inspiration from ballet, the martial arts, and comparative biomechanics. He then describes the method which is based on the concept of movement as a sequence of poses. The critical pose for running is balanced on the ball of the support foot with the other raised and the body poised to fall forward. Let gravity do most of the work and pull the support foot vertically with the hamstring as the other foot swings forward to land on the ball at a new point of support. It's simple and would be natural if we ran barefoot. However, many environments make foot protection attractive, so we wear shoes, and modern running shoes have evolved to perhaps do too good a job of protecting the feet, allowing heavy heel strikes. The feet are protected, but the force of the heal strike is transmitted to the knees, hips, and back, which Romanov contends leads to most running injuries.

The core of the book is a series of drills to teach the pose method and exercises to improve balance, strength, and flexibility. Dedicated runners may chafe at spending training time in this manner when they could be running, but this is probably time well spent. The book concludes with methods to correct various running flaws. These include some of the drills and exercises covered earlier with some additional variations.

Romanov's ideas make sense, and I think they are worth trying for both recreational and competitive runners. With my knees, I may not do a significant amount of running, but I've applied the method to walking and it definitely helps. If I minimize heal strikes and use the balls of the feet for most support while walking, I'm pain free. If I forget and allow heavy heal strikes, the pain reminds me to pay attention.

Iron Mind: Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies by Randall Strossen covers psychological aspects of weight training in considerable detail. While it contains some useful insights, many of the points are presented as stories which seemed contrived to me.

Though The Russian Kettlebell Challenge came first, it's best treated as a sequel to Enter the Kettlebell which emphasizes the basics of kettlebell training for strength and conditioning, The Russian Kettlebell Challenge provides additional exercises for variety, and guidance for designing sport specific programs.

I've seen claims that going barefoot leads to stronger and healthier feet and joints, but haven't gone barefoot regularly since I was a kid. I bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers in an after Christmas sale last year. However, I didn't wear them much, just around the house a little and a couple of workouts.

Dan John recently reported that after regularly wearing FiveFingers for a week, some hip pain he's had for a year went away. I dug mine out of the closet to give them another try. They're a little weird to wear outside the house, so I may also try something like this Vivo Barefoot for getting out and about.

I did my duty and voted today, though I didn't like the choices. On a brighter note, my new kettlebells arrived today from Dragon Door. I put them to good use working off some frustration about the state of our political system.

I just got back from a road trip to San Francisco to visit the Stone Clinic for an evaluation of my knees. Bad news is that the right knee is toast, beyond 2008 technology for biologic joint repair. Good news is that the left knee is a good candidate for a meniscus transplant. I need to think about where to go from here.

On the way there, I stopped to train at the Murray Institute for Lifelong Fitness, aka Dan John's garage gym. I got a good workout, some technique pointers, and advice for training with my knee issues. Dan suggested that I work on my gait and forward head posture to mitigate the effects of arthritis. To that end he had me doing kettlebell and ring work: farmer walks, swings, presses, reverse rows, lawn mowers, and pull-ups. We finished with some 56# weight for distance throws.

Dan's "rings" are simple 5" lengths of 1" PVC tubing with rope threaded through them. They are cheap and effective and I think I have suitable material around the house to make my own.

It was a good trip. The weather was great and I had the top down most of the way. I really enjoy driving across the great American West. I find it relaxing and invigorating. Traffic from the eastern side of Sacramento to San Francisco was heavy on the way out Sunday afternoon, and took me longer than I expected. I planned on two nights in San Francisco, but after experiencing Sunday's traffic I decided to start back Monday afternoon following my visit at the Stone Clinic. I threw a kettlebell in the trunk before leaving home so I wouldn't have to rely on hotel fitness centers.

I've been playing with Google Spreadsheets. Putting my Highland Games results in a Google spreadsheet is pretty easy and seems like a good way to share data. I'm still waiting for results from the Long's Peak games.

A hydrogel will soon be used to assist in articular cartilage repair. It promises to make micro-fracture techniques more effective.

I competed in the RMSA Fall Fling Highland Games yesterday. I'm happy with my performance, improving in several events. My knees have continued to get better and I've had fun. The Highland Games atmosphere is competitive, but friendly.

I finally turned a caber, so I'm beginning to feel like a real heavy events athlete. Now, if I can just get the spinning down for the weight for distance events.

Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore blends the limited research published on this subject with their years of experience as competitors and coaches. They point out that most anything works for untrained individuals, but some things work better than others. They cover the changes required take an athlete from novice, to intermediate, to advanced, and for the few, elite performance. This is a great resource for coaches and athletes who are developing their own lifting programs.