Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength: Phase 2 Wrap Up

So I just completed month 2 of Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength Program. All I can say is I hate clusters.

No silly, not those clusters, though they suck too!

The clusters with the front squats were by far the worst. For those of you who don't know what a cluster is, it goes like this. 5 sets of 4 x 2 with 10 second pause would mean you would do 2 reps, wait ten seconds and repeat that for a total of 4 times. That would count as one set. Take a 2 minute break, and chat it up at the water fountain with all the hot chicks and then do it all over again until you've done that sequence five times. Doing this with front squats really tests your commitment to getting stronger mentally as well as physically.

Go ahead, chat it up, you got 2 minutes!

NOTE: I completed phase 2 for the first time in November, so this is roughly 10 months after the fact. Here are a few of the main exercises where there have been good improvement.

Best set the first time through is in black, best new set is in red.

Straight Bar Deadlift 185x5, 305x5
Front Squat Cluster 135x4x1x10sec,175x4x1x10sec
Close Grip Bench Press 135 x 5, 170 x 5
Pull Up Clusters: A whole lot of assistance from bands, Unassisted Body Weight Clusters (and it should be noted these are even harder because I've put on some weight.)

The biggest improvement has been in my deadlift. I think finally doing some straight bar deadlifting form work has helped out significantly and my upper back just feels a lot stronger which was expected after my success in phase 1's rack pulls. I don't straight bar deadlift often and normally use a trap bar, but I think the carry over is pretty good. I should be able to do a single around 350 would be my guess, but that test won't happen for another 8 weeks in which I hope to go well beyond that.

I'll be doing a quick wrap up of each phase of Maximum Strength so look forward to the phase 3 wrap up next month. If you haven't picked up a copy of Maximum Strength yet go here and order it already!

"Natural" Food: Cheetos and High Fructose Corn Syrup

Well I heard rumors the corn industry was going to fight back, but I never imagined it would be quite like this. With all the bad media around High Fructose Corn Syrup it was only a matter of time before people would wise up and avoid the stuff. Check out the ads from sweet surprise dot com. Who knows maybe you've already seen one of these on TV by now.





You know what they say about it? This is what they say about it. It's made from corn. Well this is true, but lets get real here for a moment. Industrialized corn funneled and processed down to High Fructose Corn Syrup and it isn't all that natural. Fruit sugar is still sugar, and to have them compare HFCS to regular sugar is certainly fair, but isn't that setting the standard pretty low?

Also lets think for a minute about all this "natural" food we keep hearing about. I see it on food labels all the time. Natural doesn't mean anything anymore. A cheeto can be natural, processed meats like bacon and sausage can be natural, but could anyone really argue that just because it's labeled natural it really is. Last I checked cheetos don't grow in the ground, you can't hunt them and aren't an animal byproduct. As far as I'm concerned that is what is natural.

Go ahead, eat the bag, it's all natural

But HFCS is made of fruit sugar, it has to be okay, right? Well again, this sugar comes in the absence of any of the positive things fruit brings to the table like antioxidants, fiber, and all kinds of micro-nutrients. The proposal for moderation is absurd because lets face it, one cup of that juice and you are over your daily limit for moderation. A couple tablespoons of ketchup would probably put you over a moderate amount. Moderation and HFCS don't exist. It hides in the ingredients label of all the packaged garbage food.

I think these commercials are further going to confuse the public and give them the rationalization they need to continue their crappy eating.

Chocolate Mint Shake

Chocolate & Mint: A Heavenly Combination

This protein shake is a refreshing treat that reminds me of those little after dinner chocolate mints you get at those "fancy" restaurants. If you are tired of that plain boring chocolate protein drink this is a great way to shake things up.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cold Water (more if you like a thinner shake)
5 Large Ice Cubes
2 Scoops Chocolate Protein Powder (about 40g of protein)
3 Drops Mint Extract
1 TBSP Flax Oil (or other healthy fat)

Instructions:
Toss all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink it while it's still ice cold.

Variations:
I like to add flax meal to all my shakes and this one is no different. Don't add more than a couple Tablespoons else your shake will be really gritty which is a no no, unless you like that sort of thing.

You could also use fresh mint or peppermint tea instead of the mint extract.

With any shake you can add some xanthum gum which is a thickening agent that will give the most runny the density of 10W40 on a cold, bitter morning.

Drink Up!

Lastly feel free to experiment with healthy fats. Things like olive oil, coconut oil, tree nut oils and even flavored fish oils can go great in a protein shake.

Processed Meat

I hope by now you are aware that processed meats like deli meats, sausages, pepperoni and hot dogs aren't the best foods for health(understatement of the century).

But do you think this is a bit over the top?



The kids in the commercial are disease free and I do realize the shock factor is at play here. Is this not stooping down to levels unnecessary. If you remember a ways back that vytorin commercial with the heart doctor. It was later found out he did none of the activities he was depicted as doing in the commercial. Many people were outraged by this misleading commercial.

I'm all for educating the public, but I think it should be brought about the right way.