My New Favorite Charlottesville Paleo Spot

I have eaten in dozens of restaurants since I went Paleo and had plenty of good Paleo meals but nothing has really stood out.  In many cases even the soundest Paleo choice has some sort of cheat attached unless you significantly stray from the menu.  That was all true until today.  My wife had a doc appt this morning and by the time she was done it was well after lunch and we were starving.  We decided to try something new and I conducted my standard search for Paleo restaurants and came up with the same old results.  I had seen Eppie's pop up before but for some reason it never sparked my interest.  It was the only one I saw that we had not eaten at so we decided to try it out.  I was not disappointed.

Eppie's has a gluten free menu with a meat and veggies section that is perfect if your Paleo.  I chose the dark meat jerk chicken plate and since I dropped the cornbread got to choose three sides.   I chose collard greens, broccoli, and the sweet potato.  My wife got the white meat lemon pepper chicken with fruit, a salad, and broccoli.  Each of these plates was a reasonable $10 but the jury was still out.  I picked up the plates and took them to our table.  The food looked wonderful and there was a lot of it.  I started out with the chicken and it was perfect, the jerk flavors were awesome and the meat was perfectly cooked.  On to the veggies, with expectations of over cooked mush, these were the biggest surprise.  The collard greens had a hint of vinegar and were cooked just right.  The broccoli was bright green and also cooked just right.  Then there was the sweet potato, ok so I am pretty sure it came with a bunch of butter on it, but either way it was spectacular.

If I had any idea of how fantastic this lunch was going to be I would have taken a picture but then again it gives me a reason to get back to Eppie's as soon as I can.  This was hands down one of the best lunches I have had for $10 and easily my #1 Paleo choice.

Thanks for stopping by,
Chuck

Developing the Training Plan for the St. Patty's Challenge

Developing the training plan for a lifestyle

Cville Fall Classic 10K 2013

I started running when I was pretty young and think I ran my first 5K when I was 11 years old. I ran track for a year and cross country for part of a season in high school before getting injured. I then ran to stay in shape on and off most of my adult life. As an adult I routinely found myself getting talked into 5Ks which would get me motivated to head out and run a little more. The goal was always to train for the distance to gain that minimal confidence I could finish without walking or worse. Eventually I ran a couple 10 milers and had the same distance focused approach.  After running a race I would generally reflect back on prior times and determine if I was in better or worse shape. If I had recently ran a few races I had an expectation I would be faster and if I hadn't I just hoped I hadn't lost too much ground. I developed expectations for myself without any plan for getting there and in many cases hitting the finish line meant a met the main goal and was done training for a while, maybe years. This was not a prescription for improving or maintaining my health.  

I talk about lifestyle a lot. If your training plan is too focused on a specific event, isn't something you can maintain before and after an event, or is so intense you run the risk of injury, then it is not going to stick and become part of your lifestyle. Training in these ways almost always results in falling off the wagon. 

One of the main purposes of my St. Patty’s Challenge is to aggresively7 document and find things that work for me and can become part of my family's and hopefully others lifestyles.  These things include how we cook, train, eat, etc and they have to be things my family can sustain so we keep up on that wagon. The following are the key things I have studied and considered when developing the my training plan.

What are the training goals?

Before mapping out any training plan the first question must be, “What are your goals?” Your goals can be a variety things.

• Are you trying to reach a distance, number of reps, or weight?

• Are you trying to hit a personal record for a particular race?
• Are you trying to maintain cardio for general health?
• Are you trying to reach your peak fitness level?
• Are you trying to beat your buddy (BIB 130) at the next race who keeps betting you by 30 seconds? (uh this one is all mine)

Your goals should ultimately drive how you train but without some thought and planning your results will not be optimal.  For me at this point my goal is optimal total performance and the last bullet up there on the list.

What is lactate threshold and why should you care?

Nothing that I am going to say here is new or revolutionary but when I learned what my lactate threshold was and got a little education on how to train based on it, several light bulbs all went off all at once.

Lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the blood stream. Prior to reaching this threshold lactic acid levels stay fairly constant due to the body’s ability to metabolize the lactic acid. As exercise intensity increases lactate acid production increases and at some point exceeds the body’s ability to keep up. In many athletes the threshold occurs at a fairly specific level of exercise intensity followed by a very rapid build-up of lactic acid and in others the buildup occurs more slowly over a period of time. As this build-up occurs one’s ability to perform decreases rapidly. The lactate threshold is one of the best predictors of an individual’s performance. Understanding where your threshold is and the rate of increase of lactic acid at different exercise intensities can help you predict your peak performance over different spans of time and help shape an optimal training plan. An individual’s lactate threshold can be increased over time through an increase in training volume and by training above the threshold.

How can your lactate threshold shape your training?

If you are looking to maintain cardio vascular health it will likely be adequate to exercise at or slightly below your lactate threshold with consistent or slightly increasing volume. But that’s not very exciting. If your goal is to increase your distance for a race or personal goal, it will likely be adequate to exercise at or slightly below your lactate threshold with a continuously increasing volume of 10-20%. If you are looking to reach your peak performance, hit a new PR, significantly increase your speed or cardio vascular capacity then you need to incorporate training at levels well above your threshold.

What if I don’t know my lactate threshold?

While you may not know your lactate threshold or want to go through the test there are ways to get a good approximation. The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale and a heart rate monitor can be great tools and give you an idea of where you lactate threshold might be. 

Grab an RPE chart like the one on the right and head out for a run. Start off with an easy jog and slowly increase your pace. At regular intervals note your pace, heart rate, and your RPE. It may help to have someone with you to help record the measurements. When training below or at threshold you should be able to exert yourself for a significant period of time without any notable drop in performance and your RPE is likely to be around 11-12.  For high intensity training your RPE should be around 15-16. 

An individuals RPE should fairly consistently map to heart rate. With the measurements you took you can identify target heart rates for both low (11-12 RPE) and high (15-16 RPE) intensity training sessions. You will want to re-run the test every 6 months or so as your RPE, heart rate, and lactate thresholds will change over time.

Slow-Twitch vs. Fast-Twitch

As you exceed your threshold there is a transition from the use of slow-twitch muscles to fast-twitch muscles. Slow-twitch muscles are those used to do slow steady activity where fast-twitch are those used for more explosive activity. According to Dr. Weltman, of the UVA Exercise Physiology Lab, recent studies are indicating that fast-twitch muscle recovery times are around 72 hours while that of fatigued slow-twitch muscles is closer to 48 hours.  Keeping high intensity sessions for a particular muscle group or cardio 72 hours apart is likely to produce optimal recovery and forward momentum.

Increasing Volume

To avoid injury due to over training, increase the volume by no more than 10-20% per week. I have ignored this and spent months with a physical therapist as a result! It's also a good rule of thumb to take a few days off to stretch and roll if anything is not fully recovering.

Fueling, Back-Loading, and Protien

This is a subject of pretty wide debate and this is purely my opinion based on the various information I have and personal experience. Even on a fairly low carb diet like paleo you are most likely receiving plenty of carbs and fats to fuel you through low to mid intensity workouts of less than an hour. For those workouts that are of significant intensity or for duration close to or over an hour fueling and back-loading is a good idea.  Fuel before and during for long endurance activities, and back-load with carbs and protein.

The Training Guidelines Emerge

All of this information along with a desire to meet the lifestyle requirement led me to series of guidelines. This post has a bit of a cardio flavor but these concepts and guidelines can be applied to any type of training. 

1. Training for performance should include two high intensity workouts per week well above the lactate threshold, ideally at an RPE of 16.
2. Training can include as many short to medium volume at or under the lactate threshold as desired.
3. Do not exceed the weekly total volume by more than 10-20% week over week.
4. Endurance training sessions at or below threshold should be placed as far from high intensity sessions as possible.
5. Fuel before high intensity sessions with simple carbs
6. Fuel before and during endurance training sessions with simple carbs
7. Fuel after high intensity and endurance training sessions with simple carbs and protein
8. Have at least one full rest day per week or more if not recovering fully.
9. Training should be easily conducted wherever you find yourself.
10. Training sessions should be brief and focused as to ensure they get done.

With these guidelines I developed two primary plans.

• Performance Focus
• Two high intensity workouts per week
• One endurance training session placed at the furthest point between the high intensity session
• One rest day best after the endurance day
• Two days of low intensity training up to weekly volume limits 

• Maintenance Focus
• Five low intensity workouts per week
• Two rest days

Here is the weekly schedule I came up with.  I will be following the performance plan for the challenge unless I am injured or fatigued and will then follow the maintenance plan.  The performance plan brings together both cardio and resistance training intensities on similar days. One could certainly take these guidelines and apply them per muscle group and cardio allowing for low and high intensity training on a daily basis and effectively allowing one to train much more. I did not do this since I was aiming for something easy to follow both in terms of schedule and duration per day, that whole lifestyle thing.

So here goes nothing, let's see if this plan produces results you can see.

Thanks,

Chuck

The St. Patty's Challenge Baseline Stats

As promised, here are my baseline statistics. I highlighted some key measures I will be most interested in when I get tested again in about 6 months. I was pretty surprised by the 12.9% body fat and setting a goal of 10-12% body fat by Christmas or St Patty's is hardly a significant challenge. This also highlights the incredible inaccuracy of my home scale in measuring body fat.  My pace at lactate threshold was also a little surprising.  While I didn't really have any true expectations, after the fact, I would expect or hope to be in the middle 9s but was my threshold pace was a little under 11 minutes.  I will dedicate a few upcoming posts to fully explaining these stats and how I am using them to tailor my training plan.  

I am still considering what my new targets will be but for now I am hoping to achieve 8% body fat, any increase in lean body mass, and a lactate threshold pace of 9 minutes or less.  

In my next St Patty's Challenge post I will give you a glimpse into the nutrition and training plan I am developing based on prior plans and Dr. Weltman's feedback.  Please shoot me an email at chuck.brady@bradynutrition.com if you want to get an idea of what to expect from UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab or how you might use the results to optimize your training.  

Thanks again for your support and interest!

Weight	171.897
BP Systolic at Rest	130
BP Diastolic at Rest	70
Resting HR	82
Avg Sleep	7.5
Neck	14
Bicep	12.3
Forearm	11
Chest	37
Waist	34
Hips	40
Thigh	21.3
Calf	15.5
V02 Max	55.6 mL/kg/min
BP Systolic Peak	150
BP Diastolic Peak	80
Lactate Threshold Pace	0:10:54
Peak Pace	0:06:40
Lactate Threshold RPE	11
Peak RPE	18
Lactate Threshold HR	140
Peak HR	186
Body Fat	12.9%
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)	1794
Total Energy Expenditure (Active)	3122
Total Cholesterol	160
HDL	65
Triglyceride	55
VLDL	11
LDL	84

Christmas Challenge Becomes St. Patty's Challenge?

I spent two and a half hours at UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab and to be honest I have a lot of information to digest. First and foremost is the fact that after discussions of my results and the technology I was easily convinced that it would be best to wait for 6 months before returning for a second run of tests. I guess that means this is turning into more of a St. Patty's Challenge and honestly that goes a bit better with a name like Brady Nutrition and my known vices :-)

If you are familiar with the UVA medical center you know it pays to know where to park and were to not even try, especially at lunch time.  I remembered this after a few laps through some clogged full parking lots, just head straight to the parking garage!

I was greeted by Shannon Slovensky, an Exercise Physiology Researcher, and we headed back to the lab.  First stop was the Bodpod and a little paperwork.  Before I go any further, I have to add that Shannon was the first person that contacted me from the lab.  She was extremely responsive and helpful.  Shannon walked me through all the tests the lab conducts and helped me understand how each would meet my goals.  Shannon discussed some basics with me concerning the bodpod and handed me the first pair of bikini underwear I had or would ever experience.  I had three runs in the pod, each lasting less than a minute, and the last run involved me following some specific breathing instructions into a tube located in the pod.  The bodpod uses air displacement technology to develop the measurements and you can tell by pressure you can feel inside the tube, a bit like the first couple minutes being in a pressurized plane.

So now it was off to the larger lab area where the treadmill was located.  I had read all kinds of material on how blood might be collected and the nerves I had been carrying around all day were now at full peak.  See the truth is, I cannot handle needles at all.  Shannon informed me that the nurse would be up in a few minutes to put in a line, a line I thought sounded more invasive and needly than the finger pricks I read about online.  I think I was starting to turn flush and the nurse hadn't even arrived.  I ate up two Lara Bars and chugged some Brady Nutrition Endurance Drink to fuel up for the run.  The nurse arrived a few minutes later and got to work.  This is where Shannon really shined by encouraging me to go on about paleo and my training techniques.  This totally kept my mind off the line being placed in my hand.  

After about 5 minutes of watching my color completely return, Shannon got me up on the treadmill and attached a bunch of electrodes to my body.  Judy Weltman, the Excercise Phisyology Core Laboratory Manager, helped suit me up in what looked like a sweet mesh tanktop I wore back in 1985.  This mesh was to keep all the wires from flailing around while I was running.  Next it was time to strap on the Darth Vader mask.  Let me tell you this thing really limited my visibility which makes staying in a general area on the treadmill a little challenging.  

 Judy let me know how the test would be run and how and when she would pull each blood draw.  The test started at a 12 minute pace and increased by 1/2 mph every three minutes.  At each three minute mark Judy drew blood from my line to test my lactate levels and Shannon asked me how I felt on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. The run went great and I felt very good for most of it. I lasted over 25 minutes and when I pulled the plug I was definitely spent.  

I cooled down a bit and then spent about 30 minutes discussing my results with Dr. Weltman.  He asked what my goals were, explained all the results, and gave me some solid recommendations based on my goals and results.  I also asked Dr. Weltman a number of questions concerning training and nutrition and he gave me very detailed and informative feedback.  It was a very valuable discussion for me and the development of my training and nutritional philosophies.  

I am going to post the details of my results and baseline measurements in my next blog entry after I have had some time to digest them and rethink my Christmas Challenge into a St. Patty's Challenge.  I would like to thank Shannon, Judy, and Dr. Weltman for the awesome experience.  I only wish I had gone months ago to have a baseline prior to my major lifestyle changes. I highly recommend their services especially if you are just beginning a serious lifestyle change or want to take your training to the next level. I look forward to my next visit, minus the needles. Go check them out on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uvaexlab or shoot them an email at exlab@virginia.edu and let them know Chuck Brady sent you.

     

Glen Arnold Memorial Special Olympics 10K Results

Wow it was a beautiful morning for the Glen Arnold Memorial Special Olympics 10K.  We spent most of the hour before the race trying to stay warm.  It was in the 50's and although everyone was clearly uncomfortable most of us knew this was perfect race weather.  My crew drank some Brady Nutrition Endurance drink and headed to the start line.  The race started out in a bit of a bottle neck leading out to the main road.  The racers were all mixed up so I spent the first half mile trying to work into my pace group.  The first mile was a gentle down hill that was perfect to get warmed up on.  The second mile was back up the same hill and reminded me that I still had a ways to go.  The road was beautiful with stately homes and the sun rising over dew covered fields with crisp cool air occasionally rolling by.  I finished in 53 minutes easily 10 minutes faster than my best expectations and the whole crew I was running with absolutely crushed the run.  Congrats to the the soldiers out there running the 10K with full rucks on and thank you for your service. Thanks to the Albermarle police department for keeping the road clear and safe.  And finally congrats and thanks to all those that ran the race and supported such a great cause!