The Primal Blueprint (4 page)

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Authors: Mark Sisson

BOOK: The Primal Blueprint
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Cardio Workouts

CW:
Centerpiece of fitness program. Promotes cardiovascular health and weight control, minimizes heart disease and cancer risk. Minimum 30 minutes, three times per week (but more is better) of sustained efforts in medium to difficult intensity zones (happens by default keeping up with class/group or trying to jog instead of walk).

PB:
Frequent medium to difficult sustained efforts (aka “Chronic Cardio”) = overstress, fatigue, burnout, injury, accelerated aging, and increased disease risk. Ineffective for weight loss: calories burned through Chronic Cardio simply increase appetite, particularly for sugar. Slow down for better health and peak performance!

Strength Training

CW:
Focus on form and deliberate work/return rhythm. Lift to failure in sequence through numerous stations (takes about an hour for a complete workout), including isolating body parts to get desired size, toning and “cuts”.

PB:
Emphasize explosive movements over deliberate pace. Conduct full body, functional exercises to develop
Primal Fitness
(broad athletic competence with optimal strength-to-weight ratio). Finish most sessions in 30 minutes or less. Occasional “Primal” max efforts (including sprints) promote optimal gene expression, hormone flow and organ function = delay of aging process.

Weight Loss

CW:
Achieve with high complex carb/low fat diet, regimented meals, portion control and Chronic Cardio exercise program. Severe calorie restriction coupled with overly stressful exercise effective for those “fit into the dress by June” emergencies. Bottom Line: It’s all about “calories in, calories out”…and lucky genes!

PB:
Driven by high fat/moderate protein/low carb diet, intuitive, sporadic meals, and exercise and Primal Exercise Laws. Don’t worry about portion control, regimented meals, fanatical exercise or even family genetic predisposition. Calorie restriction with extreme exercise leads inexorably to long-term failure. Bottom line:
It’s all about insulin
to enjoy effortless lifelong weight control.

Play

CW:
Ah, brings back fond memories of childhood. Who has time these days?

PB:
Outdoor, active, unstructured fun is an integral component of overall health and balanced lifestyle, and scientifically proven to increase work productivity.

Sunlight

CW:
Avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer! Lather up with SPF 20, 30, 40, 50 – all you got!

PB:
Get adequate sun to avoid skin (and other) cancers! Vitamin D synthesis promotes healthy cellular function. Cover up with clothing, find shade or go inside after sufficient daily exposure is achieved.

Prescription Drugs

CW:
Relieve pain, speed healing, prevent/cure disease, and address genetic frailties. Everyday use can enhance quality of life (Viagra, etc.).

PB:
Mask/exacerbate underlying causes, compromise homeostasis and thus health, and produce disastrous side-effects. Simple lifestyle changes can replace vast majority of pills. Wonderful in case of emergencies only!

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