Primal Blueprint Fitness

© 2010, Mark Sisson. All rights reserved.

Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of Mark Sisson.

Editor: Erik Cisler

Project Manager: Aaron Fox

Design/Layout: Kristin Roybal

Text Consultant: Brad Kearns

For more information about Primal Blueprint Fitness and the Primal Blueprint,

please visit primalblueprint.com and marksdailyapple.com

Publisher: Primal Nutrition, Inc.

P. O. Box 6250

Malibu, CA 90265

ii

DISCLAIMER

The ideas, concepts and opinions expressed in this book are intended to be used for educational purposes only. This book is sold with the understanding that authors and publisher are not rendering medical advice of any kind, nor is this book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, condition, il ness or injury.

It is imperative that before beginning any diet or exercise program, including any aspect of Primal Blueprint Fitness or Primal Blueprint programs, you receive ful medical clearance from a licensed physician. Author and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or al-leged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the material in this book. Sorry, but that’s what my lawyers forced me to say in order for me to be able to offer you my insights. If you do not agree with this disclaimer, you may return the book to the publisher for a ful refund.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction....................................................................................................................1

Chapter 1: Defining Fitness...............................................................................................16

Chapter 2: Move Frequently at a Slow Pace..................................................................23

Chapter 3: Lift Heavy Things.............................................................................................30

Chapter 4: Sprint Once in a While....................................................................................60

Chapter 5: Workout of the Week (WOW).........................................................................71

Chapter 6: Play..................................................................................................................75

Chapter 7: Rest.................................................................................................................78

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns......................................................................81

Primal Blueprint Fitness Logbook.....................................................................................92

iv

INTRODUCTION

Struggling, Suffering, and Burnout:

Flawed Conventional Wisdom

I spent over half my life training for high-level

health. Thousands of other extreme athletes suffer

competition in endurance sports, carefully follow-

a similar fate, as do millions of less fit folks who try

ing the extreme training regimen recommended

valiantly to follow the struggle and suffer approach

by Conventional Wisdom. I ran and bicycled thou-of Conventional Wisdom in pursuit of even modest

sands of miles each year, lifted at the gym several

exercise goals.

days a week, stretched like crazy every day, and

covered my body with expensive, super high-

For the duration of my career as an endurance ath-

tech gear. I sacrificed, endured and suffered be-

lete, I was emaciated, physically fatigued, and bat-

cause I truly believed it was necessary to achieve

tling one injury or illness after another. Aside from

a healthy, lean, fit body. I fueled my constantly

possessing superior cardiovascular endurance, I

depleted muscles with the obligatory high-com-

was actually a pretty useless physical specimen.

plex-carb diet, suffering all manner of diet-related

I didn’t dare take up any new sports or even play

health problems without even realizing it.

any fun physical games for fear of getting hurt or

straining unfamiliar muscles. I missed out on any

Yes, I could race a marathon or triathlon faster

semblance of a social life because I was exhaust-

than almost anyone else around, but the conse-

ed from my year-round training. By contrast, some

quences of earning medals and trophies on the

of my plump couch potato friends seemed to be

race course were severe. In no uncertain terms,

healthier and, in some important measures, fitter

my devotion to fitness severely compromised my

than me. They certainly enjoyed life more.

Primal Blueprint Fitness is just one component of a healthy Primal lifestyle. Pick up a copy

of The Primal Blueprint to learn the rest and get a FREE Poster and FREE S&H.

1

Shortcuts Changed My Life

My real epiphany came after I had retired from

Luckily for me, I was forced to retire from endur-

competing, when the endorphins wore off and I

ance competition due to a broken down body

realized that throughout all my pain, suffering and

while I was still a young man. I’ve been able to

sacrifice, during all those hundreds of endurance

enjoy the past couple decades exploring what

contests in which I had competed, from the time

it really means to be a strong, fit, lean, healthy

the gun went off until the time I crossed the finish

and happy human being. On the occasion of

line, not once could I ever truly say to myself “isn’t

my 40th birthday, still under the influence of lin-

this fun!” How sad, really. Life’s too short not to

gering fatigue from my racing days, I got a few

be enjoyed to the maximum, especially when it

laughs when I made the profound statement that,

comes to physical pursuits and pleasures.

“I’d really rather just look fit than be fit.” Really

though, my quip had a measure of truth to it, and

Granted, I enjoyed a tremendous sense of accom-

actually became the impetus for me to search for

plishment from pursuing and achieving compel ing

effective shortcuts to fitness, strength, leanness

athletic goals, and learned many valuable charac-

and health, that required the least amount of time,

ter lessons from the journey. As legendary sub-four pain, suffering, and sacrifice. That’s what Primal

minute miler Sir Roger Bannister said in reflecting

Blueprint Fitness (PBF) is all about. This booklet

upon his accomplishments on the track, “Struggle

will describe in detail how you can get fit quickly

gives meaning and richness to life”. As you pursue

and then maintain your strength, fitness, leanness

your fitness goals with my guidance, I want to inspire

and health well into your 70’s, 80’s and beyond.

you to be the best you can be, shatter mental and

And I’ll explain in detail how you can arrange your

physical barriers to peak performance, and achieve

physical activities to include the most pleasure,

personal growth and enlightenment in the process.

fun, enjoyment and satisfaction possible.

However, I want to help you establish parameters so

that your journey—your struggle to be the best you

can be—is healthy and fun, instead of destructive.

2

PBF = LGN

The Primal Blueprint Fitness strategy will help

and started eating  Primally, you’ll already have you build or maintain lean muscle mass, reduce

the direct experience of losing body fat without

your body fat, increase your energy, improve your

needing to do much exercise. That’s one of the

strength, agility and power-to-weight ratio, reduce

principles that make the Primal Blueprint Fitness

your risk of getting injured, improve insulin sensi-program work so well: once you dial in the eating

tivity, boost immune function and increase organ

to reprogram your genes to selectively burn body

reserve. A major side effect, of course, is that you’ll fat for fuel, you really don’t need to do very much

look good naked (we affectionately call it “LGN”)!

exercise to shape, tone, build muscle and get

Not like a greased up, muscle-bound cover boy or

stronger. In fact, more is not necessarily better.

girl...more like a Calvin Klein underwear model,

You can maximize your potential on relatively

SI Swimsuit model, Olympic Gymnast, or Linda

little “work.”

Hamilton in Terminator 2: well-muscled and pro-

portioned, with minimal body fat. No matter what

Conversely, no amount of aerobic or cardio exer-

your family history, you’ll arrive naturally at the

cise will ever make up for a bad eating strategy.

optimum expression of your own unique genetic

Recent research suggests that the sum total of

makeup. Oh sure, you may vary a few percentage

all those hours of sweating in the gyms and open

points in body fat from those with world-class ath-

roads of America in the name of weight control

lete genetic attributes, but you’ll be able to main-

simply leads to an increased appetite—particu-tain your fitness and your new body easily on very

larly for sugar—with minimal effect on body fat

little work, for the rest of your life.

percentage. Obviously, exercise has many physical and psychological benefits, but if you are

It’s important at this point to restate one of my

struggling and suffering in the name of losing

most important caveats from The Primal Blueprint:

weight, why not stop right now and try this greatly

that 80 percent of your body composition is deter-

appealing alternative approach.

mined by how you eat. If you’ve read the  book

3

The PBF Schedule

PBF employs the simple principles that I (and

now thousands of Primal Blueprint followers) have used to regain, build and maintain superb

strength and health. These principles are visually

Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid

illustrated by the Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyra-

mid, of which anyone that has read my  book is intimately familiar.

At 57 years of age, I now work out less than I ever

did in my twenties and thirties, yet I am as strong

as I’ve ever been. I can still sprint well and, despite no other specific cardio training, am fit enough to

hop into a 10k race, a trail run, or a 50-mile bike

ride whenever I feel like it. Most importantly, I’ve

been able to take up new, fun (much more fun!)

sports. Ironically, many people say that I look fitter

and healthier now than I looked when I was a

world-class athlete. But the truth is, I only work out

for two reasons now: 1) So I can play more and play

harder. 2) So I can reduce the risk of injury while

I’m playing more and playing harder!

Today my competitive flame still burns brightly,

but instead of fighting to the death on the steam-

ing hot lava fields of the Hawaii Ironman course,

4

I’m giving it my all playing Ultimate (Frisbee),

That said, I understand the desire to have some

stand-up paddling, snowboarding, or racing my

structure and advance planning for your exercise,

teenage son down the beach and into the waves.

so I’ll share with you suggested weekly routines

And while the euphoric feeling that comes from

that align with the Primal Blueprint fitness prin-

“going long” is still in my blood, instead of push-

ciples. As you absorb the information, please

ing the pace in the pack till my tongue hangs out,

remember that you are still the one behind the

I take my time and enjoy a deeper connection

wheel, while I’m riding shotgun. This is a critical

with nature. I might follow the little white ball distinction that many programs and experts fail

around the golf course, or hike and explore the

to emphasize, and I have personally suffered the

remote canyon trails near my home, but I’m not

pitfalls from turning the responsibility for my train-

concerned with beeping heart watches or down-

ing decisions over to someone else.

loading data from a GPS training watch into a

computerized mileage log.

Listen to your own voice above everything else.

Absorb the information provided, but remember to

Many folks ask me for insightful pearls about my

exercise when you feel like it, do the stuff that’s the exercise “schedule”. Truth is, about the only thing

most fun, and always align your workout choices

on my schedule is a standing Ultimate game on

with your energy level, motivation level and state

Sunday afternoons. The rest of my workouts are

of health. If I’m tired, jet lagged, or detect a slight based on what my mind and body feel like doing,

sore throat or elevated temperature, I’ll do little

if anything. This sporadic, intuitive, unstructured

or no exercise until I feel fine in a resting state. If

approach is flat out the most effective and evolved

I’m energized and excited, I will pull out the stops,

way to become fit and healthy. I must emphasize

throw caution to the wind, and push my body to

that I’ve arrived at this epiphany after forty years

great new heights doing fun new stuff. Excuse my

of struggling and suffering, so let me underline

over-the-top enthusiasm, but I can’t tell you how

how strongly I object to the linear fitness ap-

awesome it feels to be fitter, healthier, and more

proach favored by Conventional Wisdom—a life

energetic at 57 than I felt at 27 or 37. Lifelong

of graphs, schedules, weekly progressions, and

functional fitness can be yours too, in as little as a

beeping watches.

few hours a week of PBF style exercise.

The PBF Schedule cont’d

5

Primal Blueprint Fitness is built around a very

The actual prescription is simple: conduct an av-

simple formula that draws from recent work done

erage of one sprint workout a week, two brief,

in modern exercise physiology labs—as well as

but intense, strength sessions a week, accompa-

from what we know of evolutionary biology—to

nied by plenty of low level aerobic activity (your arrive at the perfect exercise prescription for max-choice), play and rest. It’s that simple. While a

imizing fitness with the least amount of time and

week represents an arbitrary block of time on

suffering. PBF workouts are based on real world

the continuum of pursuing lifelong fitness, and I

natural movements that result in functional fitness.

like to allow for plenty of fluctuation in my weekly,

PBF combines simple full-body workouts, using

monthly or annual exercise patterns, it’s helpful

as many muscles in combination as possible, with

to get a picture of a suggested PBF-style rou-

occasional short anaerobic bursts, and then regu-

tine that might fit with your busy life and allow

lar longer, easier aerobic efforts to effectively work

for proper recovery between challenging efforts.

every muscle, energy and performance system in

On the following page you will find the suggested

the body. The science supporting this strategy is

PBF Weekly Schedule.

irrefutable. After all, it’s what our ancestors did for

two million years, adapting to selection pressures in their environment to survive and become lean,

healthy, fit, and strong.

The PBF Schedule cont’d

6

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Move Slowly/

Lift Heavy Things

Move Slowly/

Move Slowly/

Lift Heavy Things

Move Slowly/

Sprint

Play/Rest

(or WOW)

Play/Rest

Play/Rest

(or WOW)

Play/Rest

Description: Run like Grok

Four opportunities

Progressive Bodyweight Four opportunities

Four opportunities

Progressive Bodyweight Four opportunities

during the week to

Strength Training Day

during the week to

during the week to

Strength Training Day

during the week to

All out effort

either move slowly,

either move slowly,

either move slowly,

either move slowly,

once a week

play or rest. Use

- or -

play or rest. Use

play or rest. Use

- or -

play or rest. Use

these days to reach

these days to reach

these days to reach

these days to reach

your weekly low level Workout of the Week

your weekly low level

your weekly low level Workout of the Week

your weekly low level

aerobic activity goals,

aerobic activity goals,

aerobic activity goals,

aerobic activity goals,

to incorporate work or

to incorporate work or

to incorporate work or

to incorporate work or

sport specific training

sport specific training

sport specific training

sport specific training

for a custom program,

for a custom program, for a custom program,

for a custom program,

to have fun and to

to have fun and to

to have fun and to

to have fun and to

take recovery days

take recovery days

take recovery days

take recovery days

when you need some

when you need some

when you need some

when you need some

rest.

rest.

rest.

rest.

Move Slowly

Move Slowly

Move Slowly

Move Slowly

Get 3-5 hours of 55-75%

Get 3-5 hours of 55-75%

Get 3-5 hours of 55-75%

Get 3-5 hours of 55-75%

max HR each week.

max HR each week.

max HR each week.

max HR each week.

Play

Play

Play

Play

It’s not al about training.

It’s not al about training.

It’s not al about training.

It’s not al about training.

Play is what training is for.

Play is what training is for.

Play is what training is for.

Play is what training is for.

Rest

Rest

Rest

Rest

Relax and recover.

Relax and recover.

Relax and recover.

Relax and recover.

Where To Sprint routines

Move Slowly

See the Lift Heavy

Move Slowly

Move Slowly

See the Lift Heavy

Move Slowly

as described

see p. 23

Things Protocol in

see p. 23

see p. 23

Things Protocol in

see p. 23

Find: on p. 68 in the

the Primal Blueprint

the Primal Blueprint

ebook

Play

Fitness ebook (start-

Play

Play

Fitness ebook (start-

Play

see p. 76

ing on p. 30)

see p. 76

see p. 76

ing on p. 30)

see p. 76

Rest

Visit Mark’s Daily

Rest

Rest

Visit Mark’s Daily

Rest

see p. 79

Apple each week for a see p. 79

see p. 79

Apple each week for a see p. 79

new optional Workout

new optional Workout

of the Week (WOW)

of the Week (WOW)

Time: 15–25 min.

varies

10–45 min.

varies

varies

10–45 min.

varies

Let’s take a closer look at this suggested schedule.

can produce excellent fitness benefits. On LHT

days, you will also have the option to substitute

your regular LHT workout with a Workout of the

SPRINT

Week (WOW).

One day a week is dedicated to all-out sprints (and

sprinting does not necessarily mean running). It’s

WORKOUT OF THE WEEK (WOW)

a highly effective workout that takes only 15 to 25

minutes, including your warmup. Conduct these

Mark’s Daily Apple publishes a new Workout of the

workouts only when you are feeling 100 percent

Week every week. Expect High Intensity/Metabol-rested and energized. Once a week is the maxi-

ic Conditioning routines, but really anything goes

mum you need to sprint, while once every ten days

for the WOW. Generally, these sessions should be

is a good minimum to shoot for.

conducted in place of a Lift Heavy Things workout,

but they can also substitute for a Sprint or Play

session if the WOW contains those elements. This

LIFT HEAVY THINGS

is an optional workout that you can integrate into

your schedule as you see fit, just to spice things

There are two strength training days each week

up a little and apply your fundamental PBF skills to

(Day 3 and Day 6 in the above schedule). You’ll

a variety of new challenges.

finish these brief, intense sessions in anywhere

from 10 to 30 minutes. Twice a week for 30 min-

utes (45 minutes is okay for very experienced

strength trainers) is the maximum you need to

Lift Heavy Things. If you aren’t able to do the

second recommended 30-minute session, con-

sider conducting an abbreviated LHT session,

such as a single set of the Five Essential Move-

ments. Even a session as short as 10 minutes

The PBF Schedule cont’d

8

MOVE SLOWLY/PLAY/REST – You have four

Rest – Proper recovery is as important to your fit-

days a week to:

ness as hard workouts, yet many exercisers disre-

spect this fundamental truth and engage in chronic

Move Slowly – Meet your quota of 3–5 (or more)

exercise. Every week should feature several days

hours of low level aerobic activity. Do it all at once

of rest or easy exercise, and you should also take

on a long weekend hike or cumulatively throughout

a week or two off if you notice a sustained trend

the week. Walking 30 minutes to work counts just

of sub-par energy levels or performance. A good

as much as a planned bike ride or a pool swim. It’s

rule of thumb is to return to your typical exercise

about the movement—not the calories.

patterns when you feel energized and motivated

in a resting state.

Play – Playing is a large part of PBF. Use these

days to let loose, play a sport with friends and

With four days each week for Move Slowly/Play/

have fun while you move. Personally I try to paddle

Rest, you have the freedom to choose what you do

surf and/or play Ultimate Frisbee at least once a and when you do it without venturing too far from

week. The essence here is to engage in some

the core plan. Additionally this freedom allows for

outdoor physical fun. If you like to play hard, you

sport and work-specific training as needed.

can certainly feel comfortable replacing a Sprint

or Lift Heavy Things workout with a vigorous Play

That’s the basic outline of what PBF is. Now let’s

session. Remember, PBF is not about regimenta-

dig into why it works, and how best to incorporate

tion or exercising compulsively, so embrace the

it into your life so that you can start getting the

spirit of the suggested weekly schedule without

results you deserve.

feeling compelled to follow it to the letter week

after week.

The PBF Schedule cont’d

9

Benefits of Primal Blueprint Fitness

GIVES YOU LIFELONG FITNESS

PREPARES YOU FOR DIVERSE CHALLENGES

PBF is a program you can follow for life. If all you

Grok, my fictional hunter-gatherer healthy lifestyle want is enough strength, endurance, vitality, and

role model and protagonist of The  Primal Blue-

agility to function effectively and actively until

print,   was a well-rounded athlete. He could con-you’re old and gray, our simple, dynamic system

jure up superhuman bursts of strength or speed to

of bodyweight training, occasional sprinting, and

save his life when he had to on occasion, track a frequent, slow movement will get you where you

tired animal for hours once in a while, climb a tree,

want to be. This program adapts to any age or

carry heavy things, and generally exhibit a well-

ability level.

rounded level of fitness that provided prepared-

ness for all situations.

HELPS YOU AVOID INJURY

Today we need overall fitness, too, even though

Down time sucks. When you add a heavy exer-

we’re not hunting, killing, climbing, and gathering

cise schedule to the daily stresses of modern life, like we used to. Our genes still expect us to be

you end up with a good chance at getting injured

active, lean, and strong, and these abilities are

on a regular basis. The same is true if you do the

essential for truly enjoying life and staying active

Weekend Warrior thing and engage in occasional

through old age. PBF workouts will allow you to

intense competition with an unfit body.

jump into an occasional 10k endurance run, keep

up with your kids at a practice scrimmage, ma-

Primal Blueprint Fitness doesn’t impose a rig-

nipulate your body composition relatively easily orous schedule, nor does it force you to use

when combined with Primal eating, and tackle heavy weights that, to the uninitiated, can result

exciting new challenges (kite-surfing, anyone?)

in injury. Your PBF workouts will be shorter and

without relegating you to the couch for a week’s

more intense—with less potential for overtraining

recovery afterwards.

and overuse.

10

INCREASES YOUR ENJOYMENT OF LIFE

KEEPS YOU GUESSING!

I train so I can play. It’s true that I want the actual

Life is fractal and randomized. Natural terrain is training to be as enjoyable as possible, but I don’t

uneven and strewn with obstacles. Our bodies are

live to work out. I live for family outings, dinners with

basically symmetrical, but the environment we use

friends, snowboarding trips and paddle-boarding

them to navigate is not. Even a healthy human

sessions with my kids. Unless you’re a profession-

heartbeat follows a fractal pace, rather than a met-

al, the ultimate goal of getting fit is to be healthy,

ronomic one. As humans, though, we’re unneces-

lean and strong and to enable an enjoyable, active

sarily intent on creating symmetry, smoothing out

lifestyle doing the things you love to do.

natural terrain by laying concrete and removing

obstacles. It even extends into the workouts—gym

Some people honestly enjoy pushing their bodies

regimes full of precise numbers of sets and reps;

to the limits and killing themselves in the gym, but

endless miles on a flat, rubber treadmill or urban

I don’t. I’d argue that if these folks saw the light

sidewalk at a painstakingly consistent pace. The

and reframed their competitive fitness goals into

tortoise and hare fable holds that slow and steady

areas that were less physically exhausting and

wins the race, but I’d rather be that crazy, erratic

destructive, they would gain even greater satisfac-

hare, switching up speeds, stopping to smell the

tion than they do from struggling and suffering to

roses, and having much more fun than the slow

achieve extreme goals.

and steady tortoise.

PBF understands that certain elements of work-

out structure and periodization are important, but

also that life should be fractal. Instead of treadmill

runs, we go on hikes, trail runs, and hill sprints.

We keep things random, with enough linear pro-

gression to ensure gains but not so much to stifle

your imaginative spirit.

11

MAKES STAYING IN SHAPE EASIER THAN

IT’S EVER BEEN

• 80 percent of your genetic potential for body

That’s right, no matter who you are or what shape

composition comes from your eating strategy.

you are in, 95 percent of your ultimate genetic

Primal is the key.

potential can be realized by living Primally! In

• 10 more percent of your genetic potential for

contrast, if Conventional Wisdom were to take a

body composition will come from your PBF

crack at these percentages, they would be wildly

program. With minimal effort and time commit-

disparate. We’ve been brainwashed to believe that

ment, conducting a PBF routine of bodyweight

a devoted exercise routine gives us a free pass

exercises, sprints, and low level movement

with diet; that a routine of only a few hours a week,

will take you to the next level of your genetic

including mostly very low level movement, won’t

potential, after achieving tremendous results

contribute much to body composition; and that the

through Primal eating.

path to a six-pack or buns of steel involves strug-

• 5 more percent of your body composition can

gling and suffering through extreme training.

be further influenced by lifestyle factors, such

as getting adequate sleep and effectively mod-

While its obvious these percentages can’t be

erating life stress factors.

scientifically validated, one need only glance at

• The final five percent of your genetic poten-

the absolutely mind-blowing success stories and tial body composition can be achieved with

photos at Mark’s Daily Apple for proof of people extreme training in pursuit of specialized ath-who have transformed their physiques in a short

letic goals.

time, after years of struggling and failure following

Conventional Wisdom methods, simply by transi-

tioning over to Primal eating and exercise.

12

Ambitious readers who aspire to bump from 95

DOESN’T USE ISOLATION EXERCISES TO

percent of their genetic potential to 100 percent

PROMOTE PUFFY MUSCLES

should note that pursuing a more ambitious train-

Isolation exercises run counter to functional fitness.

ing regimen should still fall under the Primal Blue-

If functional fitness refers to the natural interplay be-

print Fitness parameters. Take longer hikes, but tween corresponding joints, tendons, and muscles

keep them at a comfortable Primal pace. Make

as they are meant to be used in everyday move-

your brief, intense PBF Five Essential Movements

ments, isolation exercises ignore how the body is

workouts more difficult, but not more frequent. If

designed to function. You can get bodybuilder-big you start drifting toward a Chronic approach in

by doing five contrived isolation exercises for each

pursuit of peak performance (higher heart rates

individual muscle, but it might not transfer over ef-

on endurance sessions, more weekly workouts,

fectively into real life situations. You’ll look great at

longer duration strength sessions, etc.), you run

the beach, but you may need a lithe lifeguard to

a high risk of burnout, and consequently dropping

pull you out of a riptide if your overloaded muscu-

below 95 percent of your potential. This is the

lature can’t fight through the waves.

moral of my personal story, where I essentially

sacrificed my health to try and improve my mara-

Primal Blueprint Fitness promotes functional

thon time by a few minutes. While I was temporar-

muscles. Strength, in my opinion, is not how much

ily rewarded with occasional peak performances,

you can bench press, or how many plates you can

I backslid often by suffering from recurring illness,

stack on the leg extension machine; real strength

injury and fatigue.

is revealed by real results. Can you climb a tree,

or hop a fence if someone’s chasing you? Pow-

erfully stroke to shore against that rip tide? Carry

your wife or husband from a burning house? You

may be able to shuffle through a half-marathon,

but how’re your hops? How about your 40 time?

Would you embarrass yourself (or pull something

unmentionable) on the court or field if your number

was called—even though you’re logging double-

digit training hours each week?

13

DOESN’T INVOLVE CHRONIC CARDIO

DOESN’T MAKE YOU SPEND HOURS IN THE

If there’s anything I know too much about, it’s

GYM DAILY

long, steady state cardio. I did it competitively for

Exercise doesn’t have to be torturous and drawn

about half my life, and I know how addictive it can

out; in fact, it’s far more effective to work out hard

be. The thrill of beating my time and beating the

as hell for half an hour using full body exercises

other guy was almost worth the toll it took on my

than it is to spend two hours working every pos-

body. Almost.

sible striation of your rear deltoids and then follow-

ing up with half an hour on the treadmill.

PBF is about stopping the obscene exaltation of the

marathon, ironman triathlon, and al other Chronic

Primal Blueprint Fitness keeps things short and

Cardio endeavors as ultimate barometers of health to the point. Lifting sessions run no longer than

and fitness. They aren’t, and it’s time to fix it. The

30 minutes for all but the super-fit, and the sprint

fact that PBF wil leave you fit enough to run a 10K

workouts take only about 20 minutes, including

or even a marathon on a moment’s notice doesn’t

warmup and cooldown. As for the low level Primal

mean you have to run one every day!

work you’ll be doing, think walks with your loved

ones, challenging hikes on weekends, bike rides

DOESN’T INTEREST THE AB AND BEACH-

with friends, and even marathon shopping at

MUSCLE OBSESSED

the mall—fun stuff you should already be doing.

Simply put, PBF is fitness distilled to its most ef-

Oh, sure, you’ll get the lean, cut body you’ve prob-

fective, functional essence.

ably always wanted in half the time, but you won’t

be winning any body building contests on the PBF

plan. I think most people are okay with that. You’ll

look good naked and be strong and capable and

happy—what else matters, really? So yes, if you’re

interested in the Bruce Lee look, PBF will get you

most of the way there—but that isn’t our focus. It’s

just an added bonus.

14

DOESN’T MAKE YOU LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS

DOESN’T BORE YOU

If your personal preference is for weight training in

At the end of the day, Primal Blueprint Fitness elic-

the gym, that’s fine. Lift whatever you like. The ex-

its a Primal, guttural reaction from us. It prescribes

ercises prescribed in the Primal Blueprint Fitness

the basic movements that got us through several

Lift Heavy Things progression and the Workouts

hundred thousand years of toil and trouble—we’re

of the Week can be modified (either by lowering

meant to be doing this stuff, and our bodies crave

rep count or upping the weights) to fit a heavy

it. In time, you’ll find yourself looking forward to

weight training focus, but that is not the system

the next workout. You’ll feel the afterglow of a

as prescribed: it’s all about manipulating your own

killer bodyweight strength routine, bask in the

bodyweight to increase the load safely and effec-

endorphin rush of a sprint day, and appreciate the tively for all participants.

simple beauty of an early morning hike. Satisfying

the demands of our genes is never dull or boring.

You don’t need barbells or squat racks to prog-

ress and get fit. I know I’m probably going to get

flack for this from the hardcore set, but I comfort-

ably stand by that statement. Whether you load

your musculoskeletal systems with heavy weight

is up to you.

15

CHAPTER 1: Defining Fitness

Primal Blueprint Fitness is a scientifically proven, effective strategy that works for just about everyone, regardless of gender, age, ability, or starting weight. If you eat according to the Primal Blueprint, and exercise according to the simple PBF strategy, I guarantee that you can achieve at least 95 percent of your ultimate genetic fitness potential. At that point, you will be leaner, fitter, stronger, more powerful and healthier than 99.5 percent of the US population. And yet, you needn’t stop there. I think of Primal Blueprint Fitness as endlessly malleable, and eternally scalable. The beginners, the ill, or the elderly can perform the more basic bodyweight movements and just walk really fast, while the hardcore can push their bodies to the limits performing the more advanced movements and running really fast, ultimately achieving the very highest levels of fitness. As long as you pay attention to the underlying principles of Primal Blueprint Fitness and follow in Grok’s footsteps, you can achieve functional, lifelong fitness—at any and all levels of proficiency.

But before we get started, it will be instructive and helpful to set some goals and define what fitness means to you.

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16

Survival of the Fittest. Literally.

So much of human history (and prehistory) saw

or energy doing superfluous “extra credit” training.

men and women working for their survival—liter-

In fact, hunter-gatherer societies today, as fit and

ally working with their hands, feet, arms, and all

lean as they are, spend a great deal more time

requisite muscles and energy systems to obtain

resting or engaged in leisure play than the typical

food, shelter, and security. In that regard, true

American (see page 55 of The Primal Blueprint). I

physical “fitness” was an absolute necessity for

like the way they think, so I have incorporated that

survival. Walking, foraging, crawling, twisting, concept (lots of rest and play) into PBF.

climbing, squatting, throwing and carrying were the basic movements that helped shape human

The interesting thing about Grok was that he didn’t

evolution for millions of years. Being unable to

actually train by our definition. I really doubt he got

sprint or climb meant going hungry or getting eaten

up in the morning and headed out for a morning

yourself and the end of the line for your genes. A

jog, or a round of circuit training at the stone pile.

typical “work” day for Grok was perhaps stalking a

Of course, there were races and sporting events

wild boar for an hour or two, giving chase through

and hunting challenges—and plenty of warfare—

the brush, eventually thrusting with a spear, butch-

but it’s doubtful our early ancestors viewed physi-

ering it, then hauling it back to camp slung over

cal fitness the way we do today, as an elective

his back. Translated into today’s terms that would

activity to be consciously cultivated in the absence

be: a little light jogging, a bit of trail running with

of any real survival requirements. They “just did it”

some short sprinting, a few lunge-thrusts, some

because it was a part of the natural survival pro-

sledge-hammers, a dead-lift and a fireman’s carry

cess. And yet the records seem to indicate that

back to camp.

they were supremely fit and exceptionally healthy

by almost all modern standards. Strong, fast, lean,

Talk about a perfect total body workout! Yet after

powerful, with significant aerobic (endurance) ca-

it was all done, you can bet Grok rested. He was

pacity and low body fat. Their genes—that human

probably not going to waste any more precious time

DNA recipe that molded such awesome fitness—

17

are exactly the same genes we carry in each of

us today (with a few minor variations you got from

your parents).

Our challenge, then, is to figure out what best

prompts the kind of gene expression that will give us that supreme fitness and the lean, strong, healthy,

productive body we all seek and deserve. But we

also want to do it in the context of a comfortable

21st century existence, with the least amount of

pain, suffering and sacrifice necessary. Better yet,

why not reframe fitness in the more positive terms

of joy, ease, contentment and pleasure? There’s

no reason achieving supreme fitness has to have

any negative connotations at all.

The intent of Primal Blueprint Fitness is simply to

streamline the workout process with all the short-

cuts possible, so we can focus on the things that

really matter—playing, relaxation, leisure, and

time with family and friends. But before plotting

our strategy, there are three more relevant ques-

tions we can ask before proceeding:

Survival of the Fittest. Literally. cont’d

18

How Fit Should I Really Be?

Interestingly, most medical or epidemiological

On the other hand, you probably should be fit

studies will tell you that you don’t need to be all

enough to handle your daily chores, carry grocer-

that fit to maximize both your health and your lon-

ies up two flights of stairs or lug your bags through

gevity. There are studies that suggest that slightly

the airport without hurting your shoulders. Better

overweight people who are otherwise reasonably

yet, as legendary strongman Earle Liederman

fit, live longer on average than really thin people.

once wrote, there are five fitness benchmarks that

Reasonably fit overweight people also tend to

any man (or woman, with some modifications; Lie-

have a reduced risk for cancer and many other

derman wrote this in the not entirely enlightened

diseases as well. Conversely, those who train too

1920s) possessing adequate fitness should be

hard for too long actually start to incur increased

able to do:

risks for illnesses of all types. I guess the good

news is that it really doesn’t take much effort to

“Every man should be able to save his

be “reasonably” fit. A few long walks a week, a trip

own life. He should be able to swim

or two to the gym and some attention to your diet

far enough, run fast and long enough

will get you there if that’s all you want. But I doubt

to save his life in case of emergency

anyone wants to be only “reasonably fit” and still

and necessity. He also should be able

overweight?

to chin himself a reasonable number

of times, as well as to dip a number of

times, and he should be able to jump

a reasonable height and distance.”

(Liederman, Endurance)

19

For argument’s sake, we could frame Liederman’s

quote in practical terms as follows:

• 1/2 mile swim

• 200 yard run, at full sprint speed

• Ability to jump over waist-high objects

• 15–20+ pullups

• 25+ dips

I would add that anyone should be fit enough

to take on a new fun activity without fearing an

injury. In fact, true fitness can best be defined by

the acquiring of a variety of strengths and skills,

a combination of speed, power, agility, endurance

balance, and coordination…all the while enjoy-

ing excellent health. Fitness is no longer simply

a snapshot measure of how much you can bench

press or how fast you can run a marathon. True

fitness is more a question of how many push-ups

you can stop and do in the middle of a 5k run while

carrying a child on your back…while looking fabu-

lous in a skin tight racing suit!

How Fit Should I Really Be? cont’d

20

How Fit Can I Be?

Ah, that’s a far different question and one with

The irony is that today my simple Primal Blueprint

many nuances. World champion decathletes and

Fitness program endows me with at least 80 per-

NBA players can be deemed extremely fit over a

cent of the endurance capacity I had when I trained

fairly wide range of tests (strength, speed, jump-

ten times as long and twice as hard, but it also

ing, agility, accuracy, endurance, etc.). It is also

gives me more speed, strength, balance, agility,

possible to be extremely fit as measured in very

muscular symmetry (looking good naked, re-

narrow tolerances like racing fast times or lift-

member?), a vastly improved power-to-weight

ing heavy weights. We’ve already discussed the

ratio, and improved immune function, mood,

drawbacks of pursuing narrowly focused fitness

sleep habits, eating habits, and daily energy

goals that require Chronic training and compro-

levels…all in a tenth of the time I used to spend

mise health. I’ll admit that I took some perverse

training! As far as I’m concerned it’s no contest.

pleasure in measuring my ability to endure pain

against the rest of the field. But as addictive as the

actual endorphin-fueled competition was, it simply

wasn’t sustainable, nor was it worth the damage I

was doing. I decided I wanted to be very fit across

a broad range of tests. I also wanted to be sick

less often and have more fun in general.

21

How Fit Do I Want To Be?

That’s the big question. The answer here is that

the sky’s the limit with PBF. Fol ow the simple

guidelines and PBF wil get you very close to maxi-

mizing your unique genetic fitness potential just in

terms of strength, speed, agility, aerobic capacity,

power-to-weight ratio, body fat level and aesthetic

goals (and 95% of your genetic body composition

goals). From there you can choose to maintain

that level effortlessly for life or, if you need more,

you can start incorporating the more intense PBF

bodyweight movements that promise to get you to

within just a few degrees or your ultimate genetic

fitness potential. So forget al the isolation exercis-

es, expensive gym memberships and equipment,

ultra endurance workouts, and obsessive body-

builder nonsense. Fitness just got effortless again:

conduct an average of one sprint workout a week,

two brief, but intense bodyweight routines a week,

move frequently at a moderate pace, play to your

heart’s content and rest whenever you feel like it.

OK, time to proceed to Chapter Two and explore

the specifics of the program.

22

CHAPTER 2: Move Frequently at a Slow Pace

The foundation of the PBF plan is to simply move your body through your surroundings frequently at a low-to-mid-range heart rate. That means 3–5 hours a week of low level aerobic activity (walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, puttering in the garden, playing golf, etc.). Not only is low level aerobic activity the natural evolutionary expectation of the human genome, it’s flat out beneficial in its own right. It plays an integral role in maintaining weight and metabolic balance. It also builds your base and makes more strenuous workouts possible by toning all the muscles, joints and connective tissue needed for optimal strength training and high intensity anaerobic activity. Low level aerobic exercise engages your energy systems and incrementally improves their function-ing and efficiency. And while it does all that, it also physiologically and hormonally counters the effects of stress.

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23

It’s About Movement, Not Calories

In the case of low level movement, more actually

time tracking that little LED screen on the treadmill

can be better—as long as your heart rate doesn’t

or elliptical machine, watching calories mount and

get too high. Please review Chapter 6 of The

thinking more is better, yet research has proven

Primal Blueprint for detailed discussion. For now that high levels of aerobic (cardio) exercise burn

limit your low level workouts to a range of 55 to

mostly glucose and glycogen (sugars) and burn 75 percent of maximum heart rate to ensure you

relatively little body fat.

achieve the desired training effect and minimize

risk of Chronic exercise. When you reprogram

Research also shows that most people who at-

your genes to preferentially burn body fat through

tempt to lose weight by burning calories at higher

your eating style, then any amount of very low

heart rates will ultimately fail because they’ll end

level activity strongly reinforces those pathways

up slightly overeating to compensate for the lost

so you can become a fat burning machine around

glycogen. Do this enough and you reach what I

the clock.

call “Chronic Cardio,” the no man’s land of aerobic

exercise where systemic inflammation rises, hy-

Ironically, we seem to have forgotten our roots. The

perinsulinemia (overproduction of insulin) starts

past few decades have seen an alarming increase

to occur, oxidative damage (the production of free

in the amount of aerobic or “cardio” exercises that

radicals) increases by a factor of 10 or 20 times

health professionals and even the US Government

normal, joint pains increase, fatigue is ever-pres-

recommend in the name of better health and fit-

ent, precious muscle tissue is destroyed as stress

ness. The truth is we really don’t need to do much

hormones mount, and you actually start to store

cardio to achieve a fairly high level of aerobic and

more fat. Chronic Cardio is a path to disappoint-cardiovascular health, provided we take advan-

ment and frustration, so make your long, easy

tage of certain synergies from sprints and resis-

workouts easier!

tance training. Too many people spend too much

24

Yes, we were born to run, but I argue strongly that

The health impact of low level activity is impres-

we were not born to run 42 miles a week year in

sive to say the least. Specific studies have found

and year out as we accumulate marathon finisher that it reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, medals on the wall. Let’s look at our own evolu-

breast cancer, and death from cardiovascular dis-

tion. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors engaged in

ease. It also appears to reduce the risk of vascular

extensive low level of aerobic activity every day:

dementia.  But the kicker is this: low level aerobic walking, foraging, migrating, hunting and gather-activity, research suggests, can decrease overall

ing. I guarantee you they didn’t regularly ramp

systemic inflammation and the risk for the vast their heart rates up to 80 percent of max for over

array of degenerative diseases that plague our

an hour a day like so many of us do now. Even

modern society. Skeletal muscle fibers, research-

when the concept of organized or persistence

ers have found, act as “an endocrine organ.”

hunting came along, it was something they did as Working the muscle fibers, it appears, stimulates

occasionally necessary for survival and certainly

the production of Interleukin-6, an anti-inflamma-

not on a daily basis. It would appear that our

tory cytokine, which in turn signals and benefits

hunter-gatherer ancestors relied more on supe-

other organs. Don’t you love this? On the lighter

rior tracking ability (using highly evolved and ex-

note, low level aerobic activity also decreases the

ceptionally large brains) and walk/jogging (using

incidence of colds.

superior fat-burning systems), rather than on ac-

tually running at race pace to chase down their

Want more? Turns out there are mental health ben-

prey. Evolution has driven our genes to expect a

efits as well. Moderate exercise has been shown

fair amount low level activity, but only infrequent

to improve the mood and well-being of those with

high-level endurance work.

chronic depression. But for all of us, low to moderate level aerobic activity can elevate our mood a

good two to four hours after exercise. (And that’s just after 20 minutes or so of activity.) We’ve all felt

this one, haven’t we? Letting go of the stress on a

solitary hike or evening walk with a friend?

It’s About Movement, Not Calories cont’d

25

Heart Rate Guidelines

Low level aerobic activity involves working most

If you have a wireless heart rate monitor and wish to

of the time at 55 to 75 percent of your maximum

determine a more accurate value, you can perform

heart rate. You often see it referred to as “mod-

a self-test, with medical clearance, as follows:

erate exercise.” This individualizes the exercise

warm up for a few minutes, exercise at a high in-

such that one man’s leisurely stroll is another

tensity for about two minutes, then sprint as fast

man’s endurance workout. In fact, raw speed is

as you can for the last fifteen seconds. Note your

immaterial when figuring out what moving slowly

heart rate. With a max heart rate value, do some

really means; all that matters is the cardiovascu-

math and determine your exercise zone range of

lar system’s reaction to the work. If you’re heav-

55–75 percent to max.

ing and panting and sweating, you are not moving

at a slow pace—no matter what the speedometer

For reference, the lower limit of 55 percent of max

says. Heart rate (and the aerobic activity that de-

is a very, very comfortable rate that represents

termines it) varies considerably based on how in

the minimum level required to really consider your

shape you are.

effort a workout. Your energy source is primarily

fat at this level. For a fit person, this might be a

To determine the proper exercise zone for your

medium intensity hike, a slow bike ride on level

“Move Frequently” sessions, you must determine

ground, or a super easy session on a cardio ma-

or estimate your maximum heart rate. This formula

chine. For an unfit or moderately fit person, this’ll

is fairly accurate for most of the population.

be a casual stroll around the block.

For males, 220 - age = Estimated Maximum Heart Rate

For females, 226 - age = Estimated Maximum Heart Rate

26

The upper limit of 75 percent of max is stil a very

sense of what the various percentages feel like

comfortable intensity level. Despite your sense that

and develop a keen intuitive sense of effort level.

the effort level might be too easy, you’l be getting an

excel ent aerobic workout at 75 percent, while still

NOTE: Once in a while it can be beneficial to exceed

burning mostly fat and minimizing the stress and in-

your 75 percent limit for a sustained workout. This

flammatory impact of the session. For accomplished

represents a peak performance effort (maybe it’s

endurance athletes, I al ow 80 percent to be used as

a race, a time trial or an adventurous trail run) that

an upper limit for “Move Frequently” workouts.

allows you to test all the elements you’ve trained

separately in the PBF program. Even moderately

If you’re not a big numbers person and don’t wish

fit people can sustain 85 to 90 percent of maxi-

to mess with heart rate monitors, there are some

mum for up to an hour. These types of sessions

critical subjective guidelines you can follow. 75

can even stimulate fitness breakthroughs when

percent workouts should feel extremely comfort-

done well rested and infrequently, because they

able, especially if you are accustomed to pushing

call into play all the elements of fitness that your

your body into the Chronic zone frequently. You

PBF program works on. Still, it’s critical to avoid

should be able to conduct a conversation without

working out more than just occasionally in this

getting winded, and complete such workouts feel-

“Chronic Cardio” zone.

ing refreshed and energized, rather than feeling

light-headed and famished.

Unfortunately, the typical jogger huffing down your

block or on a stairclimber panting in the health club

For a fit person, a 75 percent workout amounts to

window is exercising in this zone too frequently.

a vigorous, hilly hike, a hilly bike ride, or a slow jog.

This Chronic Cardio epidemic transcends fitness

Unfit/moderately fit: medium intensity hike with a

levels—elite athletes suffer side-by-side with the

few hills here and there, a slow bike ride with a

unfit trying to do the right thing by Conventional

few hills thrown in, a very slow jog. If you are a

Wisdom and simply count calories burned. If

novice, I suggest you monitor your heart rate on

you’ve been pounding the pavement or slogging

several occasions (either by monitor or by check-

the treadmill this way for too long, I have two words

ing pulse with a second hand), so you can get a

of advice that can quite possibly benefit your fit-

ness and health more than anything: Slow Down!

Heart Rate Guidelines cont’d

27

Suggested Exercises

WALKING

HIKING

Walking is the ultimate “gateway exercise”—our

Technically an offshoot of walking, this is my per-

preeminent mode of transportation for a couple

sonal favorite way to Move Frequently at a Slow

million years. Many people aren’t ready to lift heavy

Pace. There’s nothing wrong with walking around

weights or do a bunch of pullups right away, but

the block with my wife at sunset (in fact, there’s

almost everyone can walk—even if you can only

everything right with it), but there’s just something

start with a trip around the block. Walking sets

about being out in nature, mostly alone and free to

the stage for more advanced and more intense

do as I please. And really, is there anything more

movements, and you should be able to walk for

Primal than messing around in the open wilder-

30 minutes before you attempt bodyweight exer-

ness? The terrain shifts, there are rocks to lift and

cises or sprints.

toss, tree limbs to climb, and hills to scale. Be-

cause your foot lands differently on varied terrain,

you train the small muscles in your feet more ef-

CYCLING

fectively. If walking around your placid suburban

Cycling can be tricky. It’s undoubtedly a low impact

block gets old, strike out for the hills! A sufficiently

movement, making it a great choice for people

vigorous, extended hike once a week can pretty

with joint injuries, but it can be deceptively easy

much take care of all your “cardio” needs.

to forget you’ve just done thirty miles on the bike,

mostly uphill, with your heart rate drifting out of

the Primal training zone frequently. Take it easy on

lengthy outings, and also consider using your bike

around town for errands.

28

ROWING

CARDIO MACHINES

Rowing machines in the gym offer an effective full-

Not everyone has easy daily access to wilder-

body workout, but it’s easy to exceed 75 percent

ness, sprawling parkland, or even safe sidewalks

when you get into the rhythm. Take it easy or try

and weather conditions for walking. If you can’t

the rowing machine for a no impact sprint workout.

make it outside, feel free to use a treadmill, ellipti-

Real, actual rowing in a rowboat, on a kayak or

cal machine, stairclimber or other machine to get

canoe is a nice relaxing workout which you can

in some comfortably-paced exercise.

easily conduct at a moderate pace.

Whichever method of activity you choose, try

to accumulate three to five hours each week of

SWIMMING

moving frequently at a slow pace. Remember,

Swimming is the ultimate joint-sparing total body

little things add up to big lifestyle change. Take the

workout. Explore all four strokes, or even try random

stairs instead of the elevator, or parking at the fur-

leg and arm patterns to tread water. Because you

thest spot in the shopping center instead of cruis-

are weightless and constantly temperate-cooled,

ing for the closest are examples of excellent habit

it’s more difficult to elevate your heart rate into

patterns that increase daily movement and have

Chronic Cardio zone land when swimming than it

a discernable impact on your overall fitness and

is on land. This means you can enjoy the sensa-

well-being.

tion of a more vigorous workout while maintaining

the proper metabolic stimulation (fat burning, mini-

Of course, going over five hours is perfectly fine,

mal stress response). Check your pulse at the wall

and even recommended if you can manage it, but

with a second hand to be sure you are at or below

three hours is the bare minimum. If you’ve got

the 75 percent level during these sessions.

a busy week ahead, try to knock all three hours

out in one fell swoop. Go for a vigorous, all day

hike, or get up a little early and go on a long walk.

Spread it out over all seven days, or compress it

into one—everything counts. What’s important is

that you move.

Suggested Exercises cont’d

29

CHAPTER 3: Lift Heavy Things

Clearly, our ancestors were strong across a wide spectrum of modalities: pushing, pressing, pulling, throwing, squatting, lunging, jumping, twisting, hauling and myriad other physical movements.

Today Conventional Wisdom says that to be strong, one must lift heavy barbells and toss around big weights. The current interest in functional fitness has tons of beginners in gyms getting under heavy barbells without the proper training—and that’s a recipe for disaster. PBF dictates that you master the basics before attempting the technical lifts.

Very few of us grew up in an intensely physically demanding world like that of our ancestors; it’s more common to embark on fitness endeavors with a substantial strength and fitness deficit. Regardless of your current fitness level, you are certainly suited to Lift Heavy Things. But heavy is a relative term; all that matters is what’s heavy to you. The essence of Lifting Heavy Things is to complete high intensity repetitions with good form to avoid injury.

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30

The distinctive feature of Primal Blueprint Fit-

ness is the emphasis on bodyweight resistance

exercises. PBF makes strength training simple,

safe, cheap, time efficient and always acces-

sible (unless you’re living on the Space Shuttle

I guess…). Bodyweight resistance workouts are

the ultimate Primal and functional way to exer-

cise. They are infinitely scalable—they can be

as easy or as difficult as you can imagine. For

hardcore folks that don’t believe that bodyweight

exercises can be difficult enough, try doing a set

of muscle ups, one-arm handstand pushups and

one-arm pullups. Not so easy, is it? Since you

are not introducing any outside resistance that

could overwhelm you, bodyweight is the safest

way to train, easy on the sensitive joints and soft

tissue that is often injured in the gym, even under

expert supervision. Since by definition all body-

weight training is functional, you’ll develop the

esteemed physique sported by Olympic decath-

letes or gymnasts—lean, naturally proportioned,

muscular, but without the hypertrophy or often

embarrassing asymmetry often seen strutting around the gym.

Chapter 3: Lift Heavy Things cont’d

31

The Five Essential Movements

The Primal Blueprint Fitness Lift Heavy Things

PULLUP (VIDEO)

protocol is simple, intuitive and focuses on just

Climbing a tree to escape a predator, pursue prey,

“Five Essential Movements” to get the job done.

or reach the heights of a particularly bountiful fruit

Essential movements are those actions for which

tree; scaling a cliff to nab a nest ful of fatty, nutri-

our bodies are designed to execute without injury

ent-dense bird’s eggs; driving a herd of bison into

and on a daily, near-constant basis. These move-

a ravine to their death and hauling the choicest re-

ments were essential to our survival for two million

mains up twenty feet by way of sturdy vines laced

years. Men and women couldn’t go about procur-

together, ropelike, using only Paleolithic elbow

ing food, defending themselves, foraging, carry-

grease—these situations cal ed for wel -developed

ing heavy loads, or building domiciles without also

“pul ing muscles.” Grok wasn’t doing strict mili-

performing these five movements:

tary pul ups, but he was using the corresponding

muscles on a near-daily basis. Your average couch

PUSHUP (VIDEO)

potato can barely do a single pul up, if that. That has

to change, and training the pul up can be achieved

Probably the single greatest muscle-building ex-

almost anywhere—using a bit of ingenuity.

ercise of all, pushups deserve more respect than

they get from the strength community. Yeah, the

bench press is sexy, but it can lead to rotator cuff

injuries, and it neglects the core-stabilizing as-

pects of the pushup. The pushup also allows for

full scapular range of motion, whereas the bench

press requires you to retract the scapulae for the

duration in order to preserve your shoulders. If

pushups get too easy, you can always increase

the load or switch your hand position.

32

SQUAT (VIDEO)

OVERHEAD PRESS (VIDEO)

Watch kids at play. They squat effortlessly. It’s The overhead press remains one of the best func-second nature. And for many modern hunter-

tional strength-building exercises you can do, but

gatherers, the squat represents the default rest-

not everyone has access to, or wants to use, a

ing position. Some call it the “third world squat.”

barbell. Luckily, by progressing through a series

Most adults in developed countries, meanwhile,

of semi-to-fully inverted pushups, you can gain

bend (incorrectly I might add, compromising the

the benefits of overhead pressing without need-

spinal discs) to pick stuff up. Instead of squatting

ing equipment. All you’ll need is a bench and, for

down to rest, we look for a chair. Is it any wonder those that venture into advanced territory, a wall…

why many of us have no mobility when it comes to

or impeccable balance.

squatting? If it’s not the hips, it’s the knees. If it’s not the ankles, it’s the back. It doesn’t help when most doctors advise against the squat, especially

full, lower than parallel squats, because they’re

“bad for the knees.” A full squat, performed with

proper technique, is perfectly safe and supports

knee health. We have generally forgotten how to

squat properly, but Primal Blueprint Fitness will

develop this lost, essential skill.

You don’t need to perform heavy back squats—I

just want you to gain the mobility and strength necessary to perform a full bodyweight squat. Adding

massive amounts of weight to a barbell squat will

develop strength, power, and good amounts of

muscle fiber, but it isn’t necessary for PBF. You will,

however, have a firm grasp of proper squat form

should you decide to up the ante in the future.

The Five Essential Movements cont’d

33

PLANK (VIDEO)

The buzz word “core” refers to perhaps the most

misused and misunderstood muscle group of all

time. The “core” refers to the muscles that run the

length of the trunk and torso. Most gym-goers “work

the core” with a series of predictable movements.

Sit-ups, crunches, ab machines, ab pul downs…

notice a pattern? They’re al abdominal workouts,

but the core is much, much more than just the abs.

What about the lower back? The hip flexors? The

obliques? Heck, even breaking the core up into in-

dividual parts at al completely misses the point.

Everyone wants the six-pack, the beach muscles,

and they completely miss the fundamental purpose

of the core: to provide a stable base for the rest of

the body. That’s right, the core is a stabilizer; it can

contract (sit-ups, knees-to-elbows, leg lifts), but its

primary role is to maintain rigidity and uniformity.

The best way to “work the core,” then, without tons

of equipment, is through plank progressions.

The Five Essential Movements cont’d

34

The Five Essential Movements Progressions

By following a strict progression of bodyweight

On the following pages you will find a description of

exercises, you can progress towards ever more

the progressions for each Essential Movement (p.

difficult movements, getting all the resistance you

36–52). This is followed by a self-assessment (p.

need to achieve 95% of your genetic potential and

53). Perform the self-assessment to learn where

even beyond. For example, grandma might start

you should begin in each of the five progressions.

with wall pushups, eventually progressing to regu-

It’s crucial that you begin at the appropriate level

lar pushups, whereas someone who is already fit

and that you achieve mastery over each level

might start with regular pushups and progress to

before advancing in the progression. Each PBF

plyometric pushups while wearing a weight vest.

LHT workout consists of two cycles. Each

Regardless of your fitness level, you should at-

cycle puts you through a set of each of the 5

tempt to eventually master the Essential Move-

Essential Movements. To advance, manage to

ments of Pushup, Pullup, Squat, Overhead Press

complete the goal reps in both of your two cycles

and Plank.

during your workout.

Each of the Five Essential Movements has a three-

exercise progression (Levels 1–3) that will help

you build strength and eventually master the Es-

sential Movement (Level 4). There are also numer-

ous advanced bodyweight progressions beyond

essential movement mastery (Levels 5–8), and

suggestions for intensifying PBF LHT with added

weight (Level 9).

35

Pushup

Reps

LEVEL

MOVEMENT

DESCRIPTION

MEN

WOMEN

Mastery

Stand facing a wall at arms length. Touch

the wall with your fingertips, arms shoulder

width apart and then bring your palms

50

40

Wall Push

down to the wall. Bend your elbows, bring-

ing your head to the wall and then press

back up. (VIDEO)

With knees on the ground, torso straight,

Movement

Knee

palms flat on the ground, hands shoulder

width apart, lower your chest to the ground

50

30

Pushup

and then push yourself up. Be sure to get a

full range of motion at the top. (VIDEO)

Stand a few feet away from a secure, hip-

height object, like a table or a desk, and

Essential

grab the object shoulder width apart with

Incline

50

25

straight arms. Keeping your torso straight

to

as a board, lower yourself until your chest

Pushup

touches the object, wait a second, then

push yourself back up. (VIDEO)

The Essential Primal Movement:

You know the drill. Form a 45-degree angle

at your armpit, relative to your upper arms

and torso. Keep your head neutral (don’t

50

20

drop your forehead to the ground), and

Progression

keep your core and glutes tight throughout

Pushup

the pushup. (VIDEO)

36

Pushup cont’d

Advanced Bodyweight Pushup Variations

M

W

Perform a full pushup with your feet

elevated. Place them on a bench, a

basketball—anything that’s 1–2 feet high.

Decline

30

15

Pushup

Treat this like a normal pushup, only stag-

ger the elevation of your hands. Place one

15

10

Advanced Movements

Uneven

hand on the ground and one on a basket-

each

each

Pushup

ball or a cinderblock—anything that will

side

side

keep one hand a foot off the ground.

Perform a full pushup, only this time keep

your palms four to five inches outside of

Alternating

shoulder width. Come up and bring your

15

10

Wide/Close

right hand closer to your left so that they

are now only about a foot apart and

Pushup

perform another pushup. One wide and one

close pushup counts as one rep.

At the top of a full pushup, throw yourself

off the ground forcibly. Explode off the

ground and catch yourself, then repeat the

Plyometric

15

8

movement. Clapping between reps is the

popular technique on this one.

Pushup

37

Pushup cont’d

Advanced – Beyond Bodyweight

M

W

Strap on a weight vest and follow the

Weighted progression starting at #3.

X

X

Pushup

Advanced Movements

38

Pullup

Reps

M

W

Mastery

Place a chair underneath the pullup bar.

Chair-assisted Stand on it and grasp the bar overhead,

Pullup

then pull yourself up while keeping two feet

20

20

on the chair for support. Gradually reduce

(2 legs)

the amount of support until you just need a

single foot. (VIDEO)

Do the same as last time, only with a single

foot for support and with the bench moved

Movement

Chair-assisted forward a foot or two in front of you. The 15

15

Pullup

farther the bench from the bar the more

difficult the pullup becomes. (VIDEO)

(1 leg)

Pul up is with an overhand grip, chin-up is

with an underhand grip. Jump up (or use a

Reverse

Essential

7

4

chair) and grab the pul up bar, using your

Pullup/

momentum to carry your chin over the bar,

each

each

then hold the position for two seconds. Slowly

to

Chinup

lower yourself in a control ed manner to the

count of 4. Do Reverse Pul ups in your first

cycle and Reverse Chin-ups in your second.

(VIDEO)

The Essential Primal Movement:

You know the drill. Just make sure to keep

Pullup/

your shoulder blades retracted during the

12

5

pull to protect your shoulders, drive your

Progression

Chinup

elbows toward your sides, and lead with

each

each

your chest up. Keep your chin somewhat

tucked to protect from cervical strain. Do

Pullups in your first cycle and Chinups in

your second. (VIDEO)

39

Pullup cont’d

Advanced Bodyweight Pullup Variations

M

W

This is the same as a pullup only with your

grip wider than shoulder width.

Wide Grip

12

5

Pullup

Throw a towel over the bar. Grip the towel

with one hand about one foot lower than

6

4

Advanced Movements

Uneven

the bar. Grab the bar with your other hand

each

each

Pullup

and perform a pullup.

side

side

At the top of the pullup, throw yourself as

high as you can, let go of the bar and

Plyometric

5

3

switch your grip. Catch yourself, lower in a

each grip

each grip

Pullup/

controlled manner and repeat.

alternating

alternating

Chin-up

This is an advanced and difficult move to

master, and can’t be summed up in a few

short sentences. The gist is to perform a

7

3

pul up variation that results in you bringing

your torso completely above the bar. I’l write

Muscle Up a detailed blog post on this at some point.

For now take a look at this.

40

Pullup cont’d

Advanced – Beyond Bodyweight

M

W

Throw on the weight vest and do the

Weighted

progression starting from #3.

X

X

Pullup

Advanced Movements

41

Squat

Reps

M

W

Mastery

Stand with your back against a wall or pole

Wall

and with your heels about 12 inches from

the base of the wall. Slide down to just

50

50

Squat

below parallel (or as low as you can com-

fortably go) and then slide back up to the

full standing position. (VIDEO)

Stand facing a pole. Hold the pole with

both hands a little lower than chest height.

Movement

Sit back into the squat position and then

Assisted

50

50

stand back up using the pole as little as

possible to assist. (VIDEO)

Squat

Place a chair or a smal stool behind you.

Perform a squat, using the chair as guidance

or support. When you feel your butt touch

Essential

Bench

50

50

the chair, pause to rest or come back up.

(VIDEO)

Squat

to

The Essential Primal Movement:

Stand with feet slightly wider than

50

50

shoulder-width and toes turned slightly out.

Lower yourself by sticking your butt back.

Keep your chest up, your upper back tight,

Full Squat and your lower back should have a slight

arch. Go below parallel (hips lower than

Progression

knees) and come back up, making sure

your knees are tracking in line with your

feet, rather than bowing inward. (VIDEO)

42

Squat cont’d

Advanced Bodyweight Squat Variations

M

W

With your feet in the standard squat position,

move your hips and upper body approximately

30

30

6 inches to the right (or left) so that your weight

Side-to-Side

each

each

is distributed disproportionately over one leg.

side

side

Perform a squat as described above, this time

Squat

focusing on allowing one leg to bear most of the

weight throughout the squat.

Stand about 3 feet in front of a bench. Reach

Advanced Movements

back and place one foot on the bench. Lower

25

25

Bulgarian

your body so that your front thigh at least

each

each

reaches parallel or until your back knee touches

Squat

side

side

the ground, and then push back up focusing on

using your front leg to lift your weight.

Stand on a bench with one leg on the bench and one

leg off and to the side of the bench. Bringing your

15

non-working leg forward as you lower yourself, squat

15

Single Leg as low as you can go and then push yourself back up. each each

This is effectively a pistol squat without the ground

Box Squat

side

side

getting in the way of your non-working leg. Work on

raising your non-working leg as you lower into the

squat. Also, you may want to perform this movement

next to a wall so you can use one arm for support.

Stand on one leg with your other leg raised

straight in front of you and as close to hip height

10

10

as possible. Place your arms out in front of you

Pistol

each

each

for balance and to help keep your chest up.

side

side

Slowly descend to below parallel making sure

Squat

to keep your non-working leg’s foot hovering

above the ground throughout the course of the

squat, and the push back up.

43

Squat cont’d

Advanced – Beyond Bodyweight

M

W

Add a weighted vest to the mix and start

Weighted

the progression from #3.

X

X

Squat

Advanced Movements

44

Overhead Press

Reps

M

W

Place your palms about shoulder-width

Elevated

apart on a bench 2–3 feet off the ground.

Mastery

Jack Knife

Take a step back, stand on your toes and

25

20

bring your head down between your arms

Press

while raising your hips and straightening

your back. Lower your head to the bench

and then push back up with your shoulders.

(VIDEO)

Keep your feet flat on the ground and place

your hands shoulder width apart on the

Jack Knife ground several feet ahead of your feet. Hinge

at the hips, forming an upside down “V” with

20

15

Movement

Press

your legs and torso. It’s like a pushup posi-

tion only with your butt and hips sticking up

and the top of your head touching the

ground. Use your shoulders to lower your

head toward the ground and push back up.

(VIDEO)

This is a cross between the Jack Knife Press

and a Pushup. Assume a shallow Jack Knife

Essential

Press Position. Imagine a bar about 1 foot

Dive

off the ground and directly above your hands

15

10

under which you must pass your head and

to

Bomber

torso. Slide down under the bar and back up

so that the bar is now above your lower-mid

back. Now slide back under the bar the

opposite direction to complete one rep.

(VIDEO)

The Essential Primal Movement:

Make your torso perpendicular to the

ground by placing your feet on a bench,

table, or chair. Your hips should form a 90

Progression

degree angle between your upper and lower

12

7

Shoulder Press

Pushup

body. Keep your hands shoulder width apart

on either side of your head and press up

with your shoulders. Keep your head and

neck aligned with your torso as you press,

so top of head is pointed to the ground and

you are looking backwards. (VIDEO)

45

Overhead Press cont’d

Advanced Bodyweight Overhead Press Variations

M

W

Place your hands shoulder width apart

approximately 12 inches from the base of a

wall. With your arms straight, bring one

90

90

knee up to your elbow. Simultaneously

seconds

seconds

bring your straight leg up toward the wall

Handstand while pushing down with your bent leg.

Follow your straight leg with your bent leg

to the wall and hold the position.

Place your hands at shoulder width on the

Advanced Movements

Half

ground, 6 inches away from a sturdy wall.

Handstand

Swing yourself into a handstand with

12

7

extended arms, keeping your feet against

Pushup

the wall for balance. Lower yourself about

halfway and then press back up.

Get in the handstand position, only this

time lower yourself until your head touches

Full

the ground. Push up.

10

5

Handstand

Pushup

Same as a Full Handstand Pushup only

with one hand on a ball or box to make the

Uneven

3

handstand uneven. If you have superior

5

each

Handstand

balance, you can add further degree of

each

side

difficulty to the handstand sequences by

Pushup

side

doing them without a wall!

46

Overhead Press cont’d

Advanced – Beyond Bodyweight

M

W

Add some resistance and start the progres-

Weighted

sion from #4.

Overhead

X

X

Press

Advanced Movements

47

Plank

Reps

M

W

Mastery

Get in the knee pushup position, only

Hand/Knee instead of pushing and descending, keep 90

90

your torso tight and firm—like a plank.

Plank

Tense up your entire core and glutes. seconds

seconds

(VIDEO)

Now turn on your side with your knees bent

Movement

Hand/Knee and stacked on top of one another. Raise 45

45

your hip so that you’re body is straight from

Side Plank your knees to head then go a bit higher and seconds seconds hold.

Get in the knee plank position with your

elbows on the ground, instead of your

Forearm/

90

90

hands. Make sure your shoulder lines up

Essential

Knee

with your elbow. Hold it. (VIDEO)

seconds

seconds

to

Plank

Same move as the Hand/Knee Side Plank

but this time on your forearm.

Forearm/

45

45

Knee

seconds

seconds

Side Plank

Progression

48

Plank cont’d

M

W

Get in the full pushup position. Tighten up

your core, squeeze your abs, and remain

Mastery

90

90

stiff as a plank. (VIDEO)

Hand/Feet

Plank

seconds

seconds

Now turn on your side and place one hand

on the ground and rest the other on your

45

45

side. Stack your feet on top of one another.

Hand/Feet Raise your hip so that you’re body is seconds seconds Movement

straight from your feet to head then go a bit

Side Plank higher and hold.

The Essential Primal Movement:

Get in the plank position, keeping your

elbows on the ground and in line with your

Essential

Forearm/

90

90

shoulders. (VIDEO)

Feet

to

seconds

seconds

Plank

Same move as the Hand/Feet Side Plank

but this time on your forearm.

Forearm/

45

45

Feet

seconds

seconds

Side Plank

Progression

49

Plank cont’d

Advanced Bodyweight Plank Variations

M

W

Assume the Forearm/Feet Plank position.

Ups and

From this position move to the Hand/Feet

90

90

Plank position and then back to the

Downs

Forearm/Feet Plank position. Repeat.

seconds

seconds

Assume the Hand/Feet Side Plank position.

Lower your hip to the ground and then raise

45

45

Advanced Movements

Side Ups

it as high as you can. Repeat.

and Downs

seconds

seconds

Assume the Forearm/Feet Plank position.

Now raise one arm off the ground and

One Foot/

90

90

forward so that it is parallel with the ground

One Arm

and simultaneously raise the opposite foot

seconds

seconds

a few inches or more off the ground. Hold

Plank

the position and then switch.

Assume the Hand/Feet Side Plank position.

Simultaneously raise your arm and leg

Hand/Feet

45

45

toward the sky and then return them to the

Side Plank

starting position.

seconds

seconds

w/ Raises

50

Plank cont’d

M

W

Assume Hand/Feet Plank position. Drive

right knee forward to touch right elbow,

90

90

then return leg quickly to plank position.

Repeat with left knee to left elbow.

Spidermans

seconds

seconds

Assume the Forearm/Knee Plank position.

Take your left arm off the ground and extend it

Forearm/Knee

45

45

to your side. Turn your right forearm left by 90

degrees so that it is pointing to the left. Now

Advanced Movements

Side Plank

seconds

seconds

rotate your entire body 90 degrees counter-

w/ Rotation

clockwise and point your left hand to the

ceiling. Rotate back to the starting position

this time bringing your left arm under your

body to your right side. During the rotation

you wil be on your toes in the starting position

and on the side of your feet when ful y rotated.

Assume Hand/Feet Plank position. Drive

right knee forward to touch left elbow, then

90

90

return leg quickly to plank position. Repeat

Cross

with left knee to right elbow.

Spidermans

seconds

seconds

Assume the Forearm/Knee Side Plank.

Raise your knee that is closer to the ground

Forearm/Knee

45

45

up off the ground and so that your torso

Side Plank

and thigh form a 90 degree angle and hold.

seconds

seconds

w/ Knee Up

51

Plank cont’d

Advanced – Beyond Bodyweight

M

W

Starting with #4, complete thirty seconds of

Plank

each step with minimal rest.

30

30

seconds each

seconds each

(Alternatively, you can put on a weight vest all sides 4–8

all sides 4–8

Rotations

to intensify the plank.)

Advanced Movements

52

Where to Begin: A Self-Assessment

The PBF LHT self-assessment has you perform a single set of Pushups, Pullups, Full Squats, Dive Bombers, and the Forearm/Feet Plank at maximum effort. Your rep or time counts will correspond with starting exercises in each of the five progressions. See the self-assessment chart on the next page.

53

Max set of Pushups

Men

Women

Starting Point

Pushup

0 to 10

0 to 5

Wall Push

11 to 30

6 to 15

Knee Pushup

31 to 50

16 to 25

Incline Pushup

51+

26+

Pushup

ssesment

Max set of Pullups

A

Men

Women

Starting Point

Pullup

0 to 2

0 to 1

Chair-assisted (2 leg)

3 to 6

2 to 3

Chair-assisted (1 leg)

Self-

7 to 10

4 to 5

Reverse Pullup/Chinup

11+

6+

Pullup/Chinup

Max set of Full Squats (below parallel)

Men

Women

Starting Point

Squat

0 to 20

0 to 20

Wall Squat

21 to 40

21 to 40

Assisted Squat (w/ Bar)

41 to 60

41 to 60

Bench Squat

61+

61+

Full Squat (Prisoner)

Max set of Dive Bombers

Men

Women

Starting Point

Overhead 0 to 5

0 to 4

Elevated Jack Knife Press

6 to 11

5 to 7

Jack Knife Press

Press

12 to 18

8 to 11

Dive Bomber

19+

12+

Shoulder Press Pushup

Max time Forearm/Feet Plank

Men

Women

Starting Point

Plank

0 to 45 sec

0 to 30 sec

Hand/Knee Plank + Side Knee

46 to 90 sec

31 to 60 sec

Forearm/Knee Plank + Side Knee

91 to 120 sec

61 to 90 sec

Hand/Feet Plank + Side Feet

121+ sec

91+ sec

Forearm/Feet Plank + Side Feet

54

Ken Korg’s Self-Assessment Example

Ken Korg (he’s turning his life around!) tal ies 36

KEN KORG’S SELF-ASSESSMENT SCORE

Pushups, 8 Pul ups, 65 Ful Squats, 10 Dive Bomb-

ers, and 110 seconds on the Forearm/Feet Plank.

This means he wil begin PBF LHT doing Incline

Pushups, Reverse Pul ups/Chinups, the Jack Knife

Pushups – 36

Press, Ful Squats and the Hand/Feet Plank.

Pullups – 8

Full Squats – 65

Dive Bombers – 10

If you have a borderline score (e.g. a score of 32

Forearm/Feet Plank – 110 seconds

pushups for a man) consider going lower on the

progression. Starting with a movement you can

According to the Self-Assessment chart,

handle is the surest way to get stronger and fitter,

Ken Korg will begin PBF LHT with:

and there’s real y no rush. You have your entire life

Incline Pushups

to master these movements. During the assess-

Reverse Pullups/Chinups

ment, take sufficient breaks between sets to ensure

you are able to give each set your max effort, but

Full Squats

do not take breaks during any single set.

Jack Knife Press

Hand/Feet Plank

Where to Begin: A Self-Assessment cont’d

55

How To: PBF LHT

As you’ve already seen from the PBF Weekly

KEN KORG’S FIRST WORKOUT

Schedule chart you’ll be doing LHT twice a week.

For each LHT workout complete two cycles,

back-to-back, of each of the five movement

Cycle 1

sets. For example, the first PBF LHT workout for

Ken Korg is illustrated in the box to the right.

Incline Pushups

Reverse Pullups

Full Squats

Jack Knife Press

Give your max effort on each set. If you can do

more than the goal values by all means do more.

Hand/Feet Plank + Hand/Feet Side Plank

- Rest -

Cycle 2

Incline Pushups

Reverse Pullups

Full Squats

Jack Knife Press

Hand/Feet Plank + Hand/Feet Side Plank

56

PROGRESSING

Once you’re able to perform the goal values in

KEN KORG’S FIRST WORKOUT SCORES

both sets of any movement, you can proceed to

the next movement in the progression. Continu-

ing our example, this means if Ken Korg had the

Cycle 1

following scores for his workout he would be able

to proceed from the Jack Knife Press (Level 2) to

Incline Pushups – 45

Dive Bombers (Level 3) for his next workout since

Reverse Pullups – 7 each

he scored 22 and 20 respectively in his two Jack

Knife Press sets (goal value = 20), but wouldn’t

Full Squats – 62

be able to proceed in any other category since the

Jack Knife Press – 22

goal values weren’t met in one or both sets.

Hand/Feet Plank + Hand/Feet Side Plank – 90

seconds, 45 seconds each side

Though you have the green light to move on once

- Rest -

you meet your goal value, I recommend sticking

with the same movement for multiple workouts

Cycle 2

even after reaching the goal value. Give it your all

Incline Pushups – 38

in these workouts, adding reps, time and strength.

This will give you the best chance for success

Reverse Pullups – 4 each

when you advance to the next movement.

Full Squats – 43

Jack Knife Press – 20 Reps – Time to Progress!

Hand/Feet Plank + Hand/Feet Side Plank – 74

seconds, 35 seconds one side, 32 seconds

other side

How To: PBF LHT cont’d

57

RESTING

Take little to no breaks between reps, sets and

Rest Between Sets – Take as much rest be-

cycles if you are training for endurance and stam-

tween each set of exercises as you need to be

ina. Otherwise build your strength by following the

able to give your next set all you’ve got and to give

standard rest protocol for PBF LHT:

yourself a shot at reaching your goal reps. I gen-

erally recommend 30 seconds to 2 minutes rest

Rest During Sets – Try to knock out all your goal

between sets, but this depends in large part on

reps in one go each cycle. If you can’t get there in

your fitness level. Some people might only need a

a single shot take a short break and then add to

ten second breather while others may need a little

your total. Take as few breaks as needed to get

more rest before jumping to the next movement.

you to your goal number. Never take more than

I wouldn’t rest much longer than two minutes for

about three minutes for any single set, and if you’re

two reasons: you’ll cool down and the workout will

only adding a few seconds or a single rep to your

become exceedingly long.

cumulative total after a short break then you’ve

reached the end of that set. Move on to the next

Rest Between Cycles – Similar to rest between

set in the cycle once you’ve either reached your

sets. Take as much time as you need to recover

goal number or have reached the max reps you

and be able to give the second cycle your all, but

are able to complete within a reasonable amount

not so much time that you completely cool down.

of time.

How To: PBF LHT cont’d

58

ADDING WEIGHT

Once you have mastered all Five Essential Move-

While PBF LHT bodyweight exercises can offer

ments you’ve reached a major milestone. For

even the strongest guys and gals out there a chal-

most people this will be the ultimate goal. If all

lenge, there is certainly a place for lifting weights

you did from that point on was to maintain your

in PBF if that interests you. For one, Workouts

strength and ability to perform these Five Move-

of the Week (more on WOWs in chapter 5) peri-ments you will have a solid baseline of functional

odically make use of weights. Secondly, I highly

fitness for life. Put another way, if you can do two

recommend tossing on a weight vest to increase

sets totaling 100 pushups, 12 chinups, 12 pullups,

the difficulty of any of the bodyweight move-

24 shoulder press pushups, 100 full body squats,

ments listed above. Just be sure that you’ve

and a total of 6 minutes of plank variations, you’re

mastered all advanced bodyweight exercises

fit—period. I’d venture to say that you are a 1 in

before adding weight.

1,000 physical specimen! Sure, you can produce

tiny incremental gains in the gym, but at this point

While the PBF Five Essential Movements guide-

I’d recommend broadening your definition of fit-

lines are specific and focused, I want to emphasize

ness to direct more energy to sprinting, playing,

that simplicity and personal preference are keys to

and low level endurance work.

your strength training routine. You don’t have to hit

every Essential Movement at every workout, and

can feel free to introduce other adaptations to your

workout that still respect the basic concepts.

How To: PBF LHT cont’d

59

CHAPTER 4: Sprint Once in a While

I guess you could call this section “Born to Run, Part Two.” When you consider the millions of years over which our ancestors evolved to sprint upright for the purpose of ending a hunt or to evade being hunted themselves, you can appreciate how humans are designed and well-equipped to sprint anaerobically (all-out) for short distances. The problem is that many of us have become so unfit that we’ve lost this most elementary of skills. There is probably no more effective weapon in your modern fitness arsenal than sprinting.

Research confirms that an occasional series of short, all-out bursts of effort can have a more profound effect on fitness—especially on fat loss—than a medium-paced jog lasting many times longer. One set of sprints (also know as “interval training”) per week is all you need to improve speed, muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular strength and aerobic capacity. Sprints help stimulate a pulse of human growth hormone and testosterone (beneficial for both men and women) and it can have an immune-boosting effect. No other exercise modality gives as much bang for the

buck. 15 to 20 minutes from warmup to finish and you’re done. And before those of you who are out of shape, grossly overweight, older or have bad knees decide that this part of the PBF plan is not for you, you can definitely pursue low-impact sprinting options (bike, pool, elliptical and other machines) and enjoy similar physiological benefits.

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60

Even with these low impact options, sprinting is

Let’s answer that by first reviewing our muscle

widely neglected by all levels of exercisers. We

fiber types. There are two primary muscle fiber

generally are comfortable tackling the low level

varieties: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch

cardio and strength training components of PBF,

fibers regulate powerful, explosive movements—

but seem intimidated by the concept of sprinting.

stuff like Lifting Heavy Things and Sprinting Once

This could be due to injury risk from doing high-

in a While—while slow twitch fibers are better

impact options, or the prevailing mentality that

for endurance training—long distance aerobic or

more is better—an hour of Chronic Cardio three

cardio activities. Outdated Conventional Wisdom

days a week must be better than an occasional

says that one must train the slow twitch fibers

10-minute max effort, right?

through endurance exercise to increase actual

endurance. On the surface, this seems somewhat

As I said in the opening of this book, I love shortcuts.

reasonable, right? It seems to jibe with the Primal

My entire training regimen revolves around finding

philosophy on functional fitness (improve your

shortcuts to better fitness by maximizing efficiency

ability to perform real world, natural movements

in the gym, on the track, at the beach, in a hotel

by training those exact same real world, natural

room, or wherever else I’m exercising. I’m not sel -

movements when you work out), and it doesn’t

ing myself short, and I’m not losing out on any of the

sound outlandish to imagine that endurance work

benefits; I’m training smarter and more effectively

improves aerobic endurance, while sprint work

than ever. The sprint is the ultimate exercise hack.

improves sprinting. Once again, Conventional

By definition, it’s brief. It has to be, because once

Wisdom has led us astray.

you start slowing down—once your power output

begins to wane—you have ceased to sprint.

So how does sprinting work so well in such a short

amount of time? Why is it important to maintain

maximum speed by sacrificing work volume? And

aren’t you missing out on “aerobic endurance” by

focusing on short sprints?

Sprint Once in a While cont’d

61

Yes, endurance work does improve aerobic en-

durance, and sprinting does improve sprinting and

short-term speed. At the same time, though, sprint-

ing also improves aerobic endurance. That’s killing

two birds with one stone: running sprints improves

the endurance capacity in all muscle fibers, not

just the fast ones, while low-intensity aerobic exer-

cise only targets the slow twitch fibers. I’ll always

encourage everyone to Move Frequently at a Slow

Pace as a foundation for Primal Blueprint Fitness,

mind you, but it’s clear that any functional fitness

regimen is incomplete without a sprint dynamic.

There’s nothing wrong, remember, with a shortcut

that doesn’t shortcut results. Sprinting is simply an

efficient, effective way to target your fast twitch,

type II muscle fibers without spending a ton of

time in the gym and improve slow twitch efficiency

at the same time.

Sprint Once in a While cont’d

62

Getting Started With Sprinting

Sprinting is about moving as fast as possible and

go 80 or 85 percent those first few sessions until

getting the heart rate high quickly. It’s more about

you are comfortable. As your fitness, speed and

effort than speed. And it’s not about running end-

strength improve, you might increase that time to

less wind sprints until you fall down from exhaus-

20 or 30 seconds per work interval and decrease

tion. That kind of high intensity work might have

the rest interval to a minute or a minute and fifteen

its place in some extreme sports training, but it

seconds. Then, you can add additional work inter-

doesn’t get you all the benefits of a real sprint

vals to your workout, so instead of only doing four

session. The key, then, becomes simply avoiding

this week, you do five, and then six next week.

failure. Maintaining maximum effort is basically as

Within a few weeks, you’ll improve dramatically.

simple as running (or biking, or rowing, etc) as fast

as you can and then stopping when you note a

Sprinting, clearly, is about quality over quantity.

drop off. I suppose you could get overly technical

Even as you progress with your fitness, you don’t

with it, maybe hook up a few sensors and have a

ever have to go longer than 30 seconds for a

doctor monitor your vital signs, but I like to keep

single interval, and no more than six repetitions of

it simple. When you feel yourself starting to slow

this duration. Alternatively, you could max out with

down, stop. That’s it. That’s the sprint. Then you

8–10 repetitions of 15-second intervals. Workouts

rest a bit and do it again.

like these are plenty for most everyone to hit that

95% of genetic potential marker. Hence, you can

For beginners, your first few sprint “work intervals”

measure your progress in sprinting by going faster

might only be ten or fifteen seconds and your rest

during your efforts. Of course, you can play around

interval two minutes. That’s fine. It’s better that you

with your speed and endurance by entering a 5k

ease into this than go overboard and get injured or

once in a while or doing a timed mile on the track

burned out in your first few sessions. In fact, if you

for fun. Many of the WOWs at Mark’s Daily Apple

haven’t gone all-out in anything physical for years,

will offer a chance to apply your new fitness to

or if you are concerned about overdoing it, just

other real-world experiences.

63

The Start

Sprint sessions must begin with a proper warmup—five or ten minutes of light intensity exer-

cise of the same type that you will be sprinting at.

After you’ve warmed up sufficiently, take a minute

or two to do a few “transition” sessions where you

gradually ramp up the speed or effort until you

hit max for just a few seconds, then ease it back

down. This will prepare you for the speed and

effort you’ll be “digging down” for when you begin

the actual sprints. As you start your first actual

sprint, ease into that as well for a few seconds,

rather than bursting out of the blocks as if a start-

er’s gun went off. You want to get up to speed

as soon as possible, but you’ll avoid injury if you

accelerate smoothly.

As I mentioned, if you have an underlying injury

or weakness that prevents actual full out running,

there are many other options. The important thing is moving as fast as you can; the actual movement

doesn’t matter so much as the moving. Let’s look

at a few options.

64

CLASSIC SPRINTS

HILL SPRINTS

These are ideal, because sprint running is the

Hill sprints are another option for those with joint

most basic movement the human body is de-

concerns. Running uphill means less direct impact

signed to do. We’ve got big glutes for propelling

with each footfall; your feet aren’t “falling” as far

us at high speeds across terrain, and sprinting is

when you’re going uphill. Plus, fighting gravity is

a total body experience. All net benefits. If your

a killer workout, making hill sprints a viable option

joints give you problems, try running in sand, on

for even healthy athletes interested in upping the

grass, or without shoes. That’s right—go barefoot.

ante on their sprint days. Run the ups and walk

Our feet were born naked, and four million years

(rest) the downs.

of natural selection has crafted some pretty ef-

fective lower extremities. Going barefoot actually

reduces stress on the joints, and wearing shoes

BIKING

may actually cause damage to knees, hips, and

If you can’t run, hop on that bike, but instead of

ankles. If those are problem areas for you—heck, going for an all-day marathon trek, find a steep hill,

even if they aren’t yet—consider exercising bare-

ascend as fast as you can, and coast back down to

foot or in the least intrusive shoe possible. Just be

commence another rep when your breathing has

very careful once again to ease into your first few

returned to normal at the bottom. Pick a gear that

sessions. Even if you decide not to go the barefoot

allows for as rapid a cadence as possible. This will

route, avoid shoes with pronounced heels and

alleviate joint strain and actually provide more ef-

extra padding.

ficient leverage than stomping a bigger gear. You

can also do this workout on a stationary bike in

the gym, using the different resistance levels to

facilitate rest and work intervals.

Getting Started With Sprinting cont’d

65

SWIMMING

Wind sprints in the pool are a fantastic way to get

Most people will see all the major benefits by

your sprint session in. I’ll even sometimes skip the

sprinting once a week at the most. I know some

beach sprints and opt for the pool. The total body

very accomplished athletes who prefer a once workout provided by a decent sized pool is pretty

every ten days pattern. Be sure to ease into the

much unparalleled. No pool? No sweat. Any body

speed and effort as well as gradually increasing

of water will do, but finish your sprints in shallower

the number of work intervals. Also give yourself

water (otherwise you might not get all the rest you

enough time in between sprints to return to a

need between sets).

normal breathing pattern and be fully prepared

to deliver a maximum effort at the next interval.

These are sprints, and they should be you at your

ROWING

fastest! Each session should run about fifteen to

The sprinting row is another great total body work-

twenty minutes including warmups and transi-

out, but you generally need access to a gym for

tions, tops, and eventually be comprised of 8–10

this one. Still it’s worth it if you can. The Concept2

actual sprints.

Rower is the gold standard for indoor rowing

equipment. For sprint rows, go for 30 seconds,

rest for two to three minutes. It’ll take a lot out of

you—believe me, you’ll need the rest. Of course,

you could get truly Primal and head out to open

waters with a kayak, if you were so inclined.

Getting Started With Sprinting cont’d

66

TABATA SPRINTS

Another variation on interval training was devised

timing yourself, this might actually work fairly

by a scientist named Izumi Tabata, whose land-

well—keep in mind, though, that you’ll be flailing

mark 1996 study on moderate and high-intensity and sweating like a madman, so don’t do this in a

interval training was what actually proved that high-

crowded early-evening gym), but I prefer doing it

intensity intermittent training improves both anaer-

on the beach. That way, I have the option of run-obic (intensity and muscle building) and aerobic

ning in dry sand (with the bonus—or punishment,

(slower, oxygen consuming) body systems, while

some would say—of more give and harder work)

aerobic exercise only improves aerobic systems.

or the slightly forgiving wet sand. Whichever you

The protocol he used in the study even spawned a

choose, your joints will thank you for not pound-

specific training method: the Tabata (Ta-BAH-ta).

ing them on hard concrete. There’s also the added

Quite simple and effective, a Tabata session con-

bonus (again, some might say punishment) of get-

sists of twenty seconds of maximum output, fol-

ting an extra workout from traversing the uneven

lowed by ten seconds of rest, repeated eight times

and varied surfaces on the beach (dunes, dips,

without pause for a total of four minutes. One cycle

inclines, sand castles…kidding).

is a good start, but I like to do three four-minute

cycles with a two minute rest in between. Any ex-

The best thing about Tabata sprints is that they

ercise will work (running, cycling, burpees, jump

only take four minutes to complete for one cycle.

rope, squats, etc.) Doing Tabata sprints is perhaps

While a few Tabata cycles will provide a major kick

the most rewarding—and physically taxing—way

to your sprinting, one four minute cycle is enough

to spend those four minutes.

to get a short, intense workout if that’s all the time

you have. There’s simply no excuse (save injury) You can technically perform Tabata sprints any-not to try them, so drop what you’re doing and get

where: up a hill (for extra kick), on a track, wearing

out there and sprint!

a weight vest (for Primal pros), in the snow (but

wear shoes, please), on a trail (watch out for roots

and rocks), even on a treadmill (and since you’re

Getting Started With Sprinting cont’d

67

Sprint Workout Suggestions

NOVICE SPRINT WORKOUT

Workout 1

Workout 2 – Hill Repeats

6 x 50 meter warmup runs at moderate effort, fo-

6–8x hil sprint lasting 8–30 seconds. Recover by

cusing on maintaining an efficient stride pattern.

walking or trotting down the hil . Return to normal

20 second rest period between strides. Focus on

breathing before beginning next effort. Sprinting

good running form and don’t worry about your

uphil is a great workout that stimulates slightly dif-

speed. This is just a warmup for your sprint ef-

ferent muscle groups than flat running, and carries

forts. After your warmup strides, commence 6 x

far less impact trauma. Choose a duration (e.g. 10,

50 meter sprints (they should take 8–15 seconds

20, or 30 seconds) and take note of how far you

each) at 75% effort. Take a one-minute rest period

make it uphil during your timed effort. For an ef-

between sprints or otherwise enough to be fully

fective workout, you should reach the same spot at

recovered and achieve normal respiration before

every effort, but of course require more effort for the

beginning your next sprint. After two to three ses-

last one than the first. You don’t want to disperse

sions over a few weeks time, increase your sprint

too much energy in early sprints and then fal apart

efforts to full speed. Use a moving start (jog up to

during the later sprints. When you repeat the work-

starting line and then begin sprinting) instead of

out at the same location and same effort duration in

a static start to minimize injury risk. Pay attention

the future, you can notice how far you make it up the

to the difference between leg fatigue and pain. If

hill and gauge your fitness progress accordingly.

you experience any acute pain or tightness, par-

ticularly in your hamstrings, wrap up the workout

Workout 3 – Accelerations

immediately with an easy cool down and ice the

6–8 x 30 second sprints with the first ten seconds

offended area.

at medium effort, second ten seconds at hard effort

and third ten seconds at full sprint. One minute re-

INTERMEDIATE SPRINT WORKOUTS

covery between efforts. You can use a running track

and do 150 meter repeats—accelerating every 50

Workout 1

meters (start at turn apex, accelerate at straight-

6 x 50 meter warmup strides followed by 6 x 50

away, accelerate again at middle of straightaway,

meter sprints as described previously, building to

finish at traditional finish line) or any other course

100% effort when appropriate.

you can mark with 1/3 distance intervals.

68

ADVANCED SPRINT WORKOUTS

Workouts 1, 2, and 3 as described in the

2 x 50m hopping. Take off on both legs and jump

previous sections.

up and forward. Focus on achieving a good bal-

ance between height and length. Swing arms to

Workout 4

assist effort and ensure a balanced landing. One

Sprint Drills:

minute rest between efforts (you’ll need it, trust

4 x 50m strides at 75% effort. Ten second rest

me!). Two minute rest before next exercise.

between efforts. One minute rest before next

exercise.

4 x 50m full speed sprint. One minute rest

between efforts.

2 x 50m skipping. Drive knee as high as you can

(try to hit your chest), taking off and landing on op-

posite leg. Then launch off, and land, with opposite

leg, driving other knee high into chest—like an ex-

aggerated skip. Strive for maximum height instead

of length on each of your strides. Fifteen second

rest between efforts. One minute rest before next

exercise.

2 x 50m bounding. Take as long a stride as pos-

sible, focusing on keeping your balance rather

than speed. Thirty second rest between efforts.

One minute rest before next exercise.

69

Stair Drills:

This workout mimics the Sprint Drills but is con-

2 x one-legged stairs (caution: very advanced

ducted on stadium or building stairs. Your flight of

exercise). Ascend stairs by hopping on one leg,

stairs should take between eight and thirty sec-

one stair at a time. Using a handrail for support is

onds to ascend. Take thirty seconds rest between

highly recommended.

each exercise, or more (or less) as needed to feel

refreshed and get your breathing under control.

4 x full speed stairs. Skip desired number of stairs

with each stride to get the top as fast as possible.

4 x warmup stair climbs at 75% effort. When

you reach the top, return immediately down the

Descend comfortably and recover completely be-

stairs at a comfortable pace, then ascend again.

tween efforts.

2 x single stairs. Ascend one stair at a time with

rapid leg turnover. Descend comfortably and

repeat effort.

2 x bounding stairs. Ascend by skipping as

many steps as you can with each stride. Focus on

keeping your balance rather than speed. Descend

comfortably and repeat effort.

2 x hopping stairs. Take off and land on both

legs, taking either one or two stairs at a time. Use

handrail if you are concerned about slipping and

proceed with caution. Descend comfortably and

immediately repeat effort.

70

CHAPTER 5: Workout of the Week

The Workout of the Week allows you to add fun, diverse, playful, and functional fitness challenges to your routine, putting to the test the competency you develop with the Five Essential Movements, sprinting and aerobic endurance through PBF workouts. Every week, I publish a WOW on Mark’s

Daily Apple. We enjoy tapping into the vast resource that is our MDA community for WOW suggestions, and are confident that you will love the steady stream of creative ideas to spice up your fitness pursuits. Some friendly virtual competition takes place each week as readers detail their performances in the comment section! We also repeat WOWs periodically to give you a chance to

improve your results, and every WOW is archived for free perusal.

Once you’ve mastered the Five Essential Movements, you can substitute WOW workouts for basic LHT workouts to keep you refreshed and help stimulate further fitness breakthroughs. Taking on a challenging new WOW each week will leverage Grok’s legacy of facing highly unpredictable physical challenges throughout his life. There are a few samples on the following pages.

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71

WOW #1: GROK VERSUS BOAR

WOW #2: BUTCHER THE BOAR

The wild boar is a formidable foe. You have to

The beast is fallen, and the meat must be prepared

creep up on the beast, staying low and holding

and taken to camp. Butcher its remains (sledge-

your weapon aloft (weighted lunges), then climb

hammer swings), pick up the large pieces (rows),

a ledge (pullups and dips) to get a good vantage

and heave them up to your shoulders (sandbag

point from which to launch your attack. Then,

squat clean, followed by an overhead press).

shatter its skull with a well-placed rock throw

(weight toss)!

Four sets each of:

• 15 sledgehammer swings

Four sets each of:

• 10 rows (weight vest optional)

• 20 lunges (push with your heels)

• 10 sandbag/kettlebell squat cleans and

• 10 pullups (chest-to-bar, or as close as you

presses

can manage)

• 10 weighted throws (hold the weight between

your leg, as if doing a kettlebell swing; gener-

ate power by explosively extending your hips

to launch the weight out; chase it down where

it lands)

• 15 dips (add weight if desired)

72

WOW #3: WEIGHTED CARRY MEDLEY

As you can see, these workouts test your agility,

Pick a weight, or two. Dumbbells, kettlebells, sand-

balance, conditioning, power, physical strength,

bags, heavy rocks—anything works.

and coordination—sometimes all at once! You’ll

notice that WOWs occasionally call for special-

Two sets of:

ized equipment such as kettlebells, medicine

balls, ropes, sledgehammers, tires, slosh tubes,

• 50 yards farmer walks (carrying two weights

and other creative implements or venue particu-

at your side)

lars. We’ll offer alternative suggestions so that

• 50 yards one sided walk (carry a weight

you can complete the WOWs with some modifica-

slung over either shoulder; repeat with other

tions. Remember, it’s all about fun and creativity

side)

so feel free to adapt WOWs to your own imagina-

tion and surroundings.

• 50 yards overhead carry, one handed (car-

ry a weight overhead with one hand; repeat

with other hand)

• 50 yards overhead carry, two handed

You’ll make a total of 12 50-yard walks. It’s brutal,

and it works your “long strength,” but it’s over

before you know it.

73

WHEN SHOULD I DO A WOW?

As the Weekly Schedule shows, Workouts of the

Week are intended as optional replacements for

regular LHT days. Note that I don’t recommend

doing WOWs in addition to two LHT days and a

Sprint day each week. At this point I’m sure you

understand why. More is not better.

Replacing both LHT days with WOWs is fine, too.

Though I do recommend you periodically hone

your proficiency at the Essential Movements.

WHO SHOULD DO WOWS?

I highly recommend that you master the Five Es-

sential Movements (Level 4) before replacing an

LHT day with a WOW. WOWs will often make use

of added weight and incorporate slightly more ad-

vanced movements. This means that mastery of

the basics is critical to ensure injury avoidance.

Workout of the Week cont’d

74

CHAPTER 6: Play

I have learned to focus my training on one major goal: so I can play—hard! I hope you can get into that same mindset. Why else do we want to be strong and fit and able to run and jump? In order to enjoy our existence. Being unable to walk up those stairs or lift that box of books equals just another thing to worry about and stress over. When you don’t have to worry about the physical stuff anymore, or the aches and pains, you can start enjoying life again. Stress dissipates, melts away.

Life is good when you’re able to play.

The way I see it, the ability to play (Primal Blueprint Lifestyle Law # 7)—to engage in unscripted, random bouts of youthful exuberance with loved ones, friends, and family—is the ultimate goal of Primal Blueprint Fitness. I’ve already stated that enjoyment of life is what being fit is all about. I maintain my fitness in order to enjoy life, rather than hobble around from waiting room to waiting room. What better way to muster some real happiness than to play like a kid again? This is an absolutely integral aspect of the Primal Blueprint Fitness program. When playing, you’re often getting exercise without even knowing it. Plus, play has been a vital part of our lives for many thousands of years, used as a way to unwind, connect with community, or—quite simply—enjoy life.

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75

Leisure has the effect of building community co-

with more vacation time lead happier, more stress-

hesion, strengthening social bonds, and fostering

free lives—but then they never act on this knowl-

the enjoyment of life—the keys to a happy, healthy

edge! They’l see the “slackers” fooling around at

society. These are perfect examples of play, of rec-

the park with a Frisbee and be secretly envious, reation, and I’d argue that such play time was inte-but then think, “Oh, I could never do that.” Why the

gral to human development. It’s our primal instinct

hel not? They speak as if play is strictly the realm

to respond well to free leisure time; the problem is

of children, as if adults are physical y incapable of

that too many of us no longer get free time. Or if

engaging in frivolous physical activity. As if “kids’

we do, we feel guilty about enjoying it. It’s no less

stuff” carries the weight of a cosmic proclamation.

important to us city dwellers, perhaps even more

so because of the constant, chronic stress heaped

Even kids rarely play anymore. Instead, they go

upon us, but we don’t realize that.

on play dates and follow strictly regimented sched-

ules. Every hour of every day is accounted for in

Play becomes a flitting, unreachable fantasy.

advance. Games like tag or dodgeball are banned

People speak about play wistfully, as if it’s long

by school districts for being too dangerous or pro-

gone, never to return—for kids only. It rarely, if

moting competitiveness. No child left behind winds

ever, enters an adult’s mind to just drop every-

up leaving every child behind!

thing, head out to the nearest grassy hill, and roll

down. Try getting a game of adult tag going; you’ll I say we should embrace kids’ stuff. It’s not about

be laughed out of the room.

being childish. It’s about uncovering an essential

aspect of our humanity that work, stress, and re-

Look at the word itself. Play. What do you think of

sponsibility enshroud. Our sense of play is hidden,

when hear it? Childhood, free time, carelessness.

even from us, but it’s definitely ready to go.

Freedom and happiness. These are virtues, real

badges of pride, but they seem unattainable. Oh,

people pay lip service to leisure, they’l spout off

about some study they read that shows people

Play cont’d

76

The answer, quite simply, is to get out there and

play. Play with your kids. Round up some buddies

for a game of football, Ultimate Frisbee (my per-

sonal favorite), or basketball. Learn to surf, skate,

or rock climb. Play with your dog. Heck, lift some

weights or go for a run if that’s truly your idea of a

good time. The PBF WOWs offer all kinds of cre-

ative playful routines from members of the Mark’s

Daily Apple community. Just tap into that childhood exuberance residing within. It’s still there, believe

me. You just have to give it a chance. If you want

to get others involved, all it usually takes is some-

one getting off their butt to start a game or toss a

Frisbee or propose a hike. Be the one to initiate!

As you improve your fitness, you’ll find that physi-

cal play becomes more and more attractive and

natural. Play, ultimately, is about unwinding from

stress and enjoying life. It’s anything and every-

thing that takes the edge off. And by streamlining

your workouts and making the most of your time

spent training, you get to make the most of your

life outside the gym, too. Don’t let PBF turn into a

hardcore, grueling, torturous regimen; instead, let

it enable your overall enjoyment of life.

Train to play.

Play cont’d

77

CHAPTER 7: Rest

Modern studies reveal a stunning disparity between the amount of free time enjoyed by contempo-rary hunter-gatherers and by folks in industrialized nations (that’s us). By and large, hunter-gatherers have far more leisure time, and they tend to get far more (and better) sleep. It’s a completely different ballgame when you can live off the land and its bounty, share your “earnings” with a small band of family members and kinsmen while avoiding rush-hour traffic and the steady accumulation of consumer electronics. I wouldn’t give the creature comforts or technological advances of our modern world up for anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn certain invaluable lessons from traditional or ancestral peoples about rest and leisure.

People aren’t machines, after all. We need down time. We need to rest, and we need to relax and enjoy ourselves. And if you’re Lifting Heavy Things twice a week, sprinting once a week, and Moving Frequently at a Slow Pace on your off days, your body needs more rest than ever, especially if you want to make any sort of progress. Whether you’re trying to pack on muscle or just get fit, you need to do three (equally important) things: exercise, eat, and rest.

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78

Your muscles certainly aren’t growing—aren’t

You’ve got to have a balance. And you’ve got to

synthesizing more protein—when they’re under get your sleep, because that’s when serum growth

duress. Lifting Heavy Things breaks down your

hormone levels are at their highest.

muscle fibers as intended, but you need plenty of

rest to recover and get stronger from that effort.

Understanding your body’s stress response

Real growth happens when your muscles aren’t

mechanisms and the pivotal role cortisol plays in

doing anything at all, like when you’re in deep

your health can be life-altering, particularly if you

sleep. Yes, sleep. Sleep is your best friend, the

have engaged in chronic exercise in the past. I

deeper and darker the better. Get eight hours of strongly recommend that you review Chapter 6

deep sleep every night for the best results. Turn

of The  Primal Blueprint for an extensive discus-off the lights and sleep in pitch blackness, if you

sion about the importance of rest and the impact

can manage it, to maximize the sleep quality.

of chronic exercise, and excessive life stress, on

your health.

It can be said that maintaining good health and

making steady progress on your physical fitness

boils down to effective management of your hor-

mones. Lifting Heavy Things and Sprinting Once in

a While spur the secretion of testosterone, which is our primary anabolic, muscle-building hormone,

as well as growth hormone, which helps maintain

muscle while burning fat. On the other end of the

spectrum is cortisol, the “fight or flight” stress hormone, a catabolic hormone that breaks muscle

(and other systems) down. Both testosterone and

cortisol are essential for proper function, but most

people these days have too little testosterone and

too much cortisol coursing through their veins.

Rest cont’d

79

PBF is designed to counteract any potential cor-

tisol problems. You’ll be working your butt off, but

you’ll do it for short bursts. No two hour gym ses-

sions here. You’ll be Lifting Heavy Things (your

twice weekly bodyweight routine) to stimulate

testosterone and growth hormone, both of which

combat cortisol’s muscle-wasting, fat-storing pro-

clivities; you’ll be avoiding Chronic Cardio style endurance training, which eats away at muscle,

stimulates cortisol, and reverses the testosterone-

cortisol ratio, in favor of Moving Frequently at a

Slow Pace, which is neutral, and Sprinting Once

in a While, which promotes testosterone and mini-

mizes cortisol. Taken as a whole, PBF will have you

exercising smartly and efficiently, getting plenty of

rest and relaxation for recovery, promoting posi-

tive levels of anabolic hormones, and playing like

a kid again.

PBF gives you four optional days each week.

You can use these to move slowly, play, try the

Workout of the Week, or take a load off and rest

and recover.

Rest cont’d

80

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns

Are warmups and stretching really necessary?

Pre-workout static stretches can actually be un-

Dynamic stretches—leg swings, shoulder dis-

desirable, believe it or not. Especially for strength

locates, and any other joint mobility work—are

work and sprint training, “passive muscle stretch-

the way to go. They’ll get your muscles prepped

ing” is found to “negatively impact the performance for the workout, and you’ll help prime your cen-of high-power short-term exercise.” Much of our

tral nervous system for the work that’s about to

strength derives from tension, from that snap in

come. And there are always the old standards, the

the hips. If you’re spending ten minutes doing

Grok Hang and the Grok Squat (see The Primal

static stretches that leave your limbs flaccid, you’re

Blueprint,  page 186)—safe, functional, full-body setting yourself up for failure or a disappointing

stretches that help you transition from active to in-

sprint. Save your static stretches for a few minutes

active and vice versa without weakening muscles

post-workout, or even on off days. Touch your toes

or risking overstretching injuries.

when you get up in the morning, not when you’re

about to run hills.

The 3 foundational supplements everyone should be taking: Primal Flora, Vital Omegas, Vitamin D. Grab your Primal Essentials Kit today and save 25% off the full retail price.

81

What should I eat while doing PBF, and when

micromanagement method, try to get a nice chunk

should I eat it?

of protein within the hour immediately fol owing a

workout. If you want to eat a sweet potato or an-

If you haven’t read my  book or visited my blog, other type of starch, post workout is the time to do

now’s the time. Primal Blueprint Fitness doesn’t

it. Your muscles wil be particularly insulin sensitive work without a Primal eating strategy—that means

and glycogen starved, and any carbs you take in

lots of plants and animals. It’s relatively low carb,

wil be converted to glycogen.

high fat, and moderate protein. You should be

eating meat, fish, plenty of saturated and monoun-

You could also forgo eating entirely and go into

saturated fats, some fish oil if you don’t eat enough

your workouts in a fasted state. Grok often did;

fish, colorful veggies with an emphasis on leafy

the hunt wasn’t always successful, and early

green ones, and the occasional starchy root veg-

humans rarely at three square meals a day.

etable post-workout. Eat the stuff Grok was eating

Some people—including me—find that ending

to fuel optimum performance of the movements

a fast with a vigorous strength training ses-

Grok was making. Pretty straight forward, right?

sion is invigorating and incredibly stimulating.

The proven benefits of intermittent fasting—im-

In my book, there’s no magic to pre- and post-work-

proved lipid numbers, insulin sensitivity, adipose

out meals. None of these workouts deplete so much

tissue mobilization (that’s fat burning), and growth

glycogen that you need to top off stores immediate-

hormone secretion—are heightened, and you may

ly before or after workouts. I don’t subscribe to any

find yourself tapping into a truly Primal source of

hard and fast meal timing rules besides the most energy. It’s a strange kind of energy, because ac-basic one of al : Eat when hungry. If you simply pay

cording to Conventional Wisdom, skipping a single

attention to your body’s natural hormonal hunger

meal (let alone three!) results in drastically low-cues, you’l do fine. Most people never have to

ered energy, cannibalized muscle tissue, and your

worry about timing their protein intake or micro-

metabolism grinding to a halt. The reality is that

managing their nutrition. A few select athletes—

once you have reprogrammed your genes to pref-

the elite of the elite—can squeeze out a couple

erentially derive most of your energy from stored

extra degrees of performance by timing their pre

body fat, intermittent fasting becomes a healthy,

and post workout nutrition, but that’s so far beyond novel addition to any Primal trainee’s schedule,

what most of us have to worry about. Stil , some

one that has evolutionary precedent and proven

people truly enjoy optimizing their nutrition. For a

clinical benefits.

happy medium between my KISS method and the

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

82

How do I deal with soreness?

Delayed onset muscle soreness, also known as

Experiencing soreness is a great message from

DOMS, gets everyone, especially if you’re doing your body that it’s time to rest from anything close

an exercise for the first time. Some people hate

to a maximum effort until the soreness completely

it, while others take a sick sort of pleasure in it.

dissipates. While some studies suggest that there

Any time you pursue fitness improvements, you

are no magic techniques to speed the healing of

can expect occasional soreness to be part of the

sore muscles, a combination of rest, ice, massage,

picture. One positive element you can hope for is

or even a light workout can be the best approach

that it “takes more to get you sore.”

to getting back to peak condition.

DOMS isn’t necessarily an indication of a workout’s

effectiveness. More than anything, it’s a sign that

you’ve done something new. It could be an entirely

new movement that induces soreness, or it could

reflect a smal shift in your lifting technique. Either

way, an absence of soreness does not indicate a

bad or ineffective workout. This is key, because

while intense DOMS can have the effect of dis-

suading beginners from sticking with the workout,

more experienced lifters often attribute the lack of

DOMS to a lack of progress.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

83

What are some common mistakes I should

watch out for?

There’s a ton of misinformation out there, and I’ve

3. Too heavy, too hard, too fast. Take things

tried to dispel a good chunk of it throughout the

gradually. There’s no reason to launch

previous ten chapters, but I’ll sum things up as

into heavy barbell squats. You’re better off

best I can. Top mistakes:

learning the movement before adding re-

sistance. Remember, PBF is about avoid-

1. Too much exercise. Stick to the program.

ing injury through mastery of bodyweight

I’ve designed PBF based on the science,

exercises. Paired with a good Primal eating

my experience as top athlete and trainer,

strategy, bodyweight exercises will get you

and evolutionary biology; it all adds up to

90 percent of the way there.

some compelling info, so I recommend you

4. Too easy. Now that you’ve read al the cau-

pay attention and let Primal Blueprint Fit-

tionary messages about Chronic exercise,

ness work for you. Don’t fall into the “more is

the importance of rest, and how PBF em-

better” trap, especially with exercise. More

phasizes brevity over duration, you stil have

is quite often worse. Much, much worse.

to chal enge your body if you want to prog-

2. Too specialized a fitness regimen. This

ress with your fitness. It’s short and intense

works for athletes with very specific goals,

that promotes optimal gene expression, but for the average person a well-balanced,

not short and moderate!

Primal fitness program is most desirable.

Besides, PBF provides a stable foundation

for any future athletic pursuits.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

84

Should I join the gym?

Sure, but I think working out at home, if you have But the beauty of PBF is that it works everywhere

sufficient motivation, is best. No rules, no manag-

and anywhere. Whether you’re on the road, stuck

ers coming over to talk to you about your loud gut-

in a hotel room, in the gym, or on a camping trip,

tural noises and the sweat flying from your brow,

you can always do bodyweight exercises, sprints,

no lopsided meatheads using the squat rack for

and go for long walks. If there’s a tree or an over-

bicep curls. You can work out on your own time,

head ledge, you’ve got yourself a pullup bar. If

at your own pace. You can drop weights. You can

you’ve got a heavy rock, you’ve got yourself a

throw sandbags. You can work out with no shirt

nice weight.

and no shoes. Simply put, you can get as Primal

as you want.

What about sport or work-specific training?

Can you tell I prefer home workouts?

You get four optional days every week. Feel free

to use any or all of them for sport-specific training.

What does the perfect Primal Blueprint Fitness

Consider it play! Just don’t over train.

center look like?

My ideal “gym” would be a heavily wooded area

with tons of low hanging branches for climbing

and pullups, some vines for swinging and climb-

ing, a few massive logs, some heavy rocks (both

for lifting, throwing, and clambering), a fifty-yard

15–20 degree angled hill for sprints, and maybe a

wild animal to wrestle. Sort of like this or this.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

85

What about ab workouts?

doing much of anything while your highly function-

ing immune system is working double-time to rid

Planks are just about the most complete ab work-

your body of illness.

out anyone can do. Otherwise, learn to engage

your abs in virtual y every other movement you

Many experts speculate that highly active people

perform. Pushups require ful y engaged abs, as do have superior immune function to sedentary people,

pul ups and presses. Learn to engage (tighten) the

unless they over-exercise, in which case they have

entire abdominal area when you are sitting at your

inferior immune function to sedentary people. Re-

desk, driving, walking or just standing stil . Even-

member that story about me and my col ege bud-

tual y, everything in life contributes to washboard

dies who seemed to have more energy and more

abs. Of course, we need to see them, so you’ll

fun than I when I was pounding out the miles?

have to burn off the fat by eating Primal y, too.

Use common sense and your intuition when you

Can I work out when I’m sick?

aren’t feeling 100%, and take care to align your

This article covers the topic in detail. In summary, workout choices with your energy level, motiva-I strongly recommend erring on the very easy side

tion level, and health. If you don’t feel confident in

when you have any symptom of less than opti-

your abilities in this area, I recommend using the

mal immune function. Remember, PBF is about

PBF Logbook (found at the end of this book) with

functional fitness for a lifetime, not filling in every

daily free-form notes about your health and work-

blank in your workout log.

outs. Rate on a scale of 1–10 your daily energy

level, motivation level and the degree of difficulty

If you feel up to a very light workout when you are

of your workouts, along with the state of your

fighting off a mild cold, and you tend to feel better

health. If you notice time periods where you drag

after such activity, you can go ahead and try it

along with a bunch of “3’s” for energy, motivation,

cautiously. If you pride yourself on being sensitive

and health, you certainly shouldn’t have many

to biofeedback and in-tune with your mind, body

workout scores above that number. When you

and spirit, you may notice that you don’t feel like

can write down 8–10 in the daily scores, that’s

when you should tackle 10-scale workouts!

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

86

Should I try working around my injuries?

Do I have to do the workouts on the days

specified?

Avoid pain—that’s my motto. If you can do a

movement without pain, feel free to do it. But if

The PBF schedule is merely a guideline to provide

pain flares up, that’s your body tel ing you some-

adequate recovery and progress, and it doesn’t

thing’s wrong. When I’m injured, I just focus on all

have to be followed to a T. Use personal experi-

the other movements I can do that don’t exacer-ence and track your success trying different meth-

bate the injury, and keep training that way until the

ods. Among the ranks of elite athletes, some prefer

injured area can rejoin the fun.

a pattern of two hard days in a row, following by a

series of easy days, as opposed to the traditional

When I say, “pain”, I’m referring to injuries to your

spacing out of hard days. The suggested weekly

ligament, tendon, joints, or inflammation resulting

schedule is an attempt to provide some practical

from acute trauma, such as a fal or sprained ankle.

application to the Primal Blueprint Fitness philoso-

Introducing further pain to an injury should always

phy. Following the philosophy is non-negotiable

be avoided. You can certainly exercise through

(brief, intense strength sessions; 75% of less max

routine muscle soreness, and should experience

heart rate for “Moving Frequently”; aligning work-

some loosening of stiff muscles as you warm up

out difficulty with energy level, motivation level,

into your workout. However, you should refrain

and health, etc.), but there is plenty of flexibility in

from asking sore muscles to produce peak work

discovering your own ideal weekly, monthly and

efforts, which can cause additional discomfort and

annual schedule for you.

muscle damage. Remember the prevailing phi-

losophy of Primal Blueprint Fitness is about fun,

balance, and freedom from the struggle and suffer

approach advocated by Conventional Wisdom.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

87

How long should I do PBF?

How quickly will I see results?

This isn’t a 90-day extreme boot camp fad regi-

You’ll see—or perhaps “feel” is a better word to

men that you’l quit halfway through and never go

use—results immediately. Particularly if you are

again. This isn’t some ab ripping monster workout

coming from Conventional Wisdom’s Chronic

program being hawked on an infomercial. Primal

Cardio approach, you will experience higher and

Blueprint Fitness is a sustainable, lifelong fitness

more consistent daily energy levels right away

program. You do it for life. And because the move-

when exercising according to PBF guidelines.

ments contained within are so basic, fundamen-

Especially if you tandem your PBF efforts with

tal, and timeless—because they are the essential

Primal eating, excess body fat will disappear virtu-movements our bodies are meant to perform—you

ally before your eyes, to the tune of 4–8 pounds

wil always be able to progress simply by increas-

per month (range depends mostly on your size

ing the intensity (go from presses to handstand

and other personal attributes). This is a huge and

pushups to one-armed handstand pushups) or

highly noticeable number when we are talking

by adding a weight vest. You’l always be able to

body fat instead of the typical muscle/water/and

maintain mobility, strength, and day-to-day function

a little bit of fat crash diet approach. Get ready for

safely. Six-pack abs are just a fringe benefit. Be-

muscles to firm up, pants to sag, and compliments

sides, once you master the basic LHT movements,

to accumulate!

you can experiment with the Workouts of the Week

to keep things fresh and new indefinitely.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

88

How does PBF compare to CrossFit?

I have great respect for CrossFit founder Greg Glassman’s approach to fitness. A ton of my regular readers fol ow the CrossFit protocol, and I’ve

been known to bang out a WOD every now and

again. That said, CrossFit’s intensity and degree

of difficulty can be inappropriate for beginners, and

bring a high risk of injury from overuse or using

less than perfect form. Your average couch potato

trying to make a real difference by eating and ex-

ercising right for the first time in his life may not be

a great fit for CrossFit.

I’m here to change as many lives as possible. I

want to make fitness approachable without dumb-

ing it down, and I think I’ve succeeded. Both PBF

and CrossFit teach functional fitness and real

world application of strength, speed, and power,

but I believe my program is more sustainable for

more people. You might say it’s CrossFit for the

rest of us.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

89

How does PBF compare to Mark Rippetoe’s Start-

ing Strength or the StrongLifts 5x5 program?

I view Starting Strength and StrongLifts as primar-

I guess it all comes down to how heavily you weigh

ily designed for young, skinny athletes looking to

raw strength on the scale of physical fitness. A

get big and strong. They are excellent strength-

huge aspect of our program is the bodyweight por-

focused protocols that revolve around the most

tion of Lifting Heavy Things, but it’s also sprinting,

basic human movements—squatting, pulling, lift-

playing, hiking, climbing, jumping, and throwing.

ing, pressing—the very same essential actions I

It’s a panoply of Primal movements, whereas the

describe. Rippetoe’s book in particular provides

SS and SL protocols revolve around getting the

excellent, incredibly detailed instructions for each

trainee physically strong and little else– perhaps

of the major lifts. The guy has a knack for describ-

to the detriment of other skills and strengths. PBF

ing the motor functions of the human body with

appeals to those who may be more interested in

cold efficiency, similar to a master mechanic de-

keeping up with the pre-teens at soccer practice

scribing the inner workings of the engine. SS and

than in squatting five hundred pounds.

SL are great for their intended audiences, and

they’ll certainly get you strong. In fact, if you’re

interested in building a raw-strength-based foun-

dation before anything else fitness-related, going

with either program would suit you.

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

90

How does PBF compare to Body by Science/

Super slow stuff?

I’m a big fan of Doug McGuff’s work. It gets cited

structural adaptation of the musculature in the

frequently as a sort of refutation of the Primal,

shortest, safest way possible. I’m about maximiz-

evolutionary-based fitness models, but I don’t see

ing function—and not just of the muscles, but of the

it that way. What I see is two different protocols re-

body as a whole. Training on expensive machines

lying on very similar physical truths: lift hard and lift

wil get you strong; there’s no question. But I be-

intensely just enough to get strong and fit. That’s it.

lieve that you can develop agility, speed, and coor-

Body by Science tends to recommend slower lifts

dination better with real-life movements in the PBF

to failure using complex weight machines; I prefer

program—and have more fun while you’re at it!

more powerful movements, sometimes to fail-

ure, using bodyweight. The tie that binds the two,

though, is intensity of effort and a de-emphasis

on volume. BBS recommends once a week, while

PBF recommends twice a week of Heavy Lifting.

Efficiency of effort is the name of the game.

Where BBS and PBF diverge, I think, is on the defi-

nition of strength itself. What is strength? Is it mus-

cular hypertrophy? BBS is based on maximizing

Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d

91

Primal Blueprint Fitness Logbook

Table of Contents

ebook

CHAPTER 1: Defining Fitness

CHAPTER 3: Lift Heavy Things

CHAPTER 5: Workout of the Week

CHAPTER 6: Play

CHAPTER 7: Rest