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Row 500 meters(1회당 8m)
30 body-weight bench presses=>80kg
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CFWUx2 15*20kg 10*95 1*60kg sub for dips
33:14
60kg bench (<bw)
23:07 RX
M/38/5’9”/195#
Dr. Lustig presents a "grand, sweeping narrative" regarding a cultural focus on short-term pleasure in favor of long-term contentment. In this case, the discussion is framed biochemically, pitting the short-sighted and impulsive dopamine against our mature, philosophical protagonist serotonin. Given Dr. Lustig's background and training in endocrinology, he assuredly knows that this is a gross oversimplification. However, every good story needs a hero and a villain.
Given that this is a popular science book intended to persuade people to put their phones, their TV remotes, and their spoons full of ice cream down, one wouldn't necessarily expect deep technical rigor. However, the oversimplification of an area in which Dr. Lustig *is* actually an expert rubbed me the wrong way. I would actually like to know more about the ins and outs of dopamine and serotonin. I want to know about the predictive processing model of cognition! I want to know about how the body regulates receptor sensitivity to different neurotransmitters and hormones! I want to know what's actually going on with pleasure responses to preternatural stimulus!
Instead, we get a Spy vs Spy novella deadset on villainizing *an entire neurotransmitter.* To invoke a CrossFit bogeyman, this reads like the Orange Theory welcome packet explaining heart rate zones. Anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the area is like "Ok, this is kind of dishonest and offensively oversimplified."
Dr. Lustig fares even worse when and gets way over his skis when discussing economics, philosophy, and government. While I'm no expert in any of those areas, I know more than enough to recognize mischaracterized citations, incorrectly applied concepts, and cursory supporting arguments pulled out of the meme stew that iconoclastic health experts swim in. Lustig's misinterpretation of Milton Friedman's economic philosophy in particular made me lump him firmly in with the "unreliable narrator group."
I do agree with Dr. Lustig's concern regarding the prevalence of highly rewarding stimuli, and I appreciate his focus on behavior in discussing the health crisis America faces. I find that many pundits lack nuance in this area, and tend to focus *only* on implausible biochemical explanations for obesity (cough...Taubes...cough) or completely dismiss the subtleties of exactly how highly rewarding foods drive excess calorie consumption. I think this is an area where Lustig could have really made some interesting arguments regarding hypernovelty in the food environment and really fleshed out exactly what he's saying regarding dopamine.
Overall, this attempt to tie together biology, politics, economics, and — of course — sugar is huge on ambition, but very short on substance. I don't love being harsh on people's creative output, but I can't call this anything more than a bloated vanity project. I do think Dr. Lustig's work on fructose is interesting, so I was hoping for quite a bit more in this book. If you're looking for CEUs for the CrossFit Book Club, pick a different book!
24-cal stationary bike
115-lb bench press
19:02
Dr. Robert Lustig, in this book, discusses that during his research on the properties of sugar, the individual in search of happiness, ended up submitting to addiction and depression, that is, the human emotions linked to what we eat and how we live, pleasure versus happiness.
To better understand what Dr. Lustig meant, we need to understand how hormones react in an individual. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for carrying information to various parts of the body, which when released causes the sensation of pleasure, increasing motivation, however, when this neurotransmitter becomes overloaded, the result of the behavior caused by it is addiction. Serotonin, on the other hand, is a neurotransmitter that regulates body sensations, such as sleep, mood, appetite, heart rate, body temperature, sensitivity and cognitive functions, when this hormone is in low concentration, it can cause bad mood, difficulty sleeping , anxiety or even depression. Dr. Lustig explains, that the pleasure center in our brain, which is manipulated to crave sweet foods, acting as a stimulus for dopamine, gives us a sense of well-being. Cortisol helps the body to control stress, reducing inflammation, contributing to the functioning of the immune system, keeping blood sugar levels constant, as well as blood pressure. Elevated levels also contribute to weight gain. Dr Lustig explains how this connection plays a role in the addiction reward cycle: dopamine-cortisol-serotonin and how the three work together to create stressed, obese and depressed individuals.
The quantity and quality of food, as well as the quality and quantity of sleep, has a great impact on our quality of life. The society we live in, the food industry, government-backed social media are designed to make a profit, we have easy access to food, whether it's apps or drive-thru, these highly processed foods, and it leaves us wanting more , increase the metabolic syndrome together with the cycle of anxiety and excessive consumption, subjecting the individual to chronic diseases and depression, this fact happens because the reward system for dopamine to obtain pleasure ends up affecting the stress hormone (cortisol) , which kills neurons that help inhibit food intake. As people become less healthy and automatically become less happy, just like drugs in the medium term, the brain stimulates the need and desire for the pleasure that we need more to get what we're looking for.
But only food leads to addiction? The world we live in today is totally addicted, addiction generates profits for industries and companies. Another factor that reveals this statement is cell phones, with all the applications and games. Large companies know how to take advantage of this cycle and influence our path to addiction.
Dr. Lustig presents four strategies to use as a fulcrum in such a situation, called the four C's: Connect (connect to a community, it will give you contentment), Contribute (contribute, cause happiness), Cope (sleep, do exercises),Cook (Cook your own food).
As a Coach, the four C's must be applied (exercise, healthy food, connecting with people) is basically what a CrossFit gym promotes, so this is a fact that definitely helps students embrace weight loss in conjunction with well-being and quality of life. But it also means that CrossFit is reward-based. The dopamine after each workout together with the training results in the medium term, defining the student/athlete's body, causes an addictive effect, dopamine x serotonin x cortisol. For a Coach, the implementation of the 4 C's that Dr. Lustig makes available, in addition to already being a tool that every academy should implement, serves as a lever in the coach and student process, connecting them to each other in a relationship, in order to get the expected result. When the individual enters a healthy environment, in the case of a gym, the lifestyle automatically starts to be affected, helping to overcome obstacles.
However, happiness is a unique and individual feeling for each person, which is why it is so complex and should not be based only on hormones.
Dr. Robert Lustig, aborda nesse livro, que durante sua pesquisa sobre as propriedades do açúcar, o indivíduo na busca da felicidade, acabava se submetendo ao vício e a depressão, ou seja, as emoções humanas vinculadas ao que comemos e como vivemos, prazer versus felicidade.
Para entender melhor, o que o Dr. Lustig quis dizer, precisamos compreender como os hormônios reagem em um indivíduo. A dopamina é um neurotransmissor responsável por levar informações para várias partes do corpo, que quando é liberada provoca a sensação de prazer, aumentando a motivação, contudo, quando esse neurotransmissor se sobrecarrega, o resultado do comportamento provocado pelo mesmo, é o vício. Já a Serotonina, é um neurotransmissor que regula as sensações do corpo, como o sono, humor, apetite, ritmo cardíaco, temperatura corporal, sensibilidade e funções cognitivas, quando esse hormônio se encontra numa baixa concentração, pode causar mau humor, dificuldade para dormir, ansiedade ou mesmo depressão. Dr. Lustig explica, que o centro do prazer em nosso cérebro, é manipulado para desejar alimentos doces, agindo como um
estímulo para a dopamina, nos proporciona a sensação de bem-estar. O cortisol ajuda o organismo a controlar o estresse, reduzindo inflamações, contribuindo para o funcionamento do sistema imune, mantendo os níveis de açúcar no sangue constantes, assim como a pressão arterial. Níveis elevados também contribuem para o ganho de peso. Dr Lustig explica como essa conexão desempenha um papel no ciclo de recompensa do vício: dopamina-cortisol-serotonina e como os três atuam em conjunto, gerando indivíduos estressados, obesos e deprimidos.
A quantidade e qualidade da comida assim como a qualidade e quantidade do sono, é de grande impacto em nossa qualidade de vida. A sociedade que vivemos, as indústria alimentícias, mídia social com o apoio do governo, são projetadas para lucrar, temos acesso fácil a comida, seja por aplicativos ou drive-thru, esses alimentos altamente processados, além de nos deixar com vontade de querer mais, aumentam a síndrome metabólica em conjunto com o ciclo de ansiedade e consumo excessivo, submetendo o indivíduo, as doenças crônicas e á depressão, tal fato acontece porque o sistema de recompensa por dopamina pra se obter prazer acaba afetando o hormônio do estresse (cortisol), que mata os neurônios que ajudam a inibir a ingestão de alimentos. À medida em que as pessoas ficam menos saudáveis, automaticamente ficam menos felizes, assim como as drogas a médio prazo, o cérebro estimula a necessidade e o desejo do prazer de que precisamos de mais para obter o que procuramos.
Mas só a comida leva ao vício? O mundo em que vivemos hoje é totalmente voltado ao vício, vício gera lucros as indústrias e empresas. Outro fator que revela essa afirmação são os celulares, com todos os aplicativos e jogos. As grandes Empresas sabem como aproveitar esse ciclo e influenciar nosso caminho ao vício.
Dr. Lustig apresenta quatro estratégias para se usar como ponto de apoio em tal situação, chamado de quatro C's: Connect (conecte-se a uma comunidade, isso lhe proporcionará contentamento), Contribute (contribuir, causa felicidade), Cope (durma, faça exercícios),Cook (Cozinhe seu
próprio alimentos). Como Coach, os quatro C's devem ser aplicados (exercícios, alimentos saudáveis, conectar-se com as pessoas) basicamente é o que uma academia de CrossFit promove, então esse é um fato que definitivamente ajuda os alunos a adotar o emagrecimento em conjunto com o bem-estar e qualidade de vida. Mas isso também significa que o CrossFit se baseia na recompensa. A dopamina após cada treino em conjunto com os resultados do treino em médio prazo, definindo o corpo do aluno/atleta, causa um efeito viciante, dopamina x serotonina x cortisol. Para um Coach, a implementação dos 4 C's que o Dr. Lustig disponibiliza, além de já ser uma ferramenta que toda academia deveria implementar, serve como uma alavanca no processo coach e aluno, conectando-os um ao outro em um relacionamento, para se obter o resultado esperado. Quando o indivíduo entra de cabeça em um ambiente saudável, no caso de uma academia, o estilo de vida automaticamente passa a ser afetado, ajudando a superar os obstáculos.
Contudo, a felicidade é uma sensação única e individual para cada pessoa, por isso é tão complexa e não se deve ser baseada apenas pelos hormônios.
Dr. Lustig does a great job of illustrating how we have become brain chemical dependent of stimulation. The section of the book comparing contentment to happiness was very inwardly thought provoking, challenging me to examine thoughts and motivations for certain tendencies. The ways the US courts have supported the rights of corporations was not something I was aware of its entrenched reality. The marketing of happiness and its illusion is very concerning and worryingly accepted. We know we are often being manipulated and we accept so much of it. Being aware of the chemical battle occurring within our brains and challenge of being content is amazing. There is so much to self examine of our behaviour, and how these chemicals are influencing us at every turn.
The Hacking of the American Mind
By Dr. Robert H. Lustig
“Hacking” peels back the layers of rot to expose how our minds have been hacked by Big Business. This hacking of our minds (and spirit) by companies is done for one reason… increase profits. Hacking has led to addictions with food, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, gambeling, shopping, social media, and sex. The book starts with an in depth analysis of the differences between pleasure and happiness. Dr. Lustig explains how the pleasure centers in our brain have been manipulated to crave more sugary foods, facebook likes, and buying more stuff we don’t need. Ultimately this has led us to chase pleasure instead of pursuing true happiness. Dr. Lustig then dives into the hormonal underworkings of this hacking and how dopamine, cortisol, and serotonin all play a role in the addiction-reward, pleasure-happiness cycle. The book discusses how food is a big contributor to our health and well being. What we eat and how much sleep we get has a huge impact on our contentment and overall happiness. Unfortunately the modern day diet and production of food is designed for profit instead of health, leading to metabolic syndrome and depression. Lastly, Dr. Lustig outlines the path to breaking free of the addiction-pleasure cycle via the four-C’s: Connect, Contribute, Cope, and Cook.
Main Takeaways:
Dopamine, Cortisol, and Serotonin:
Dr. Lustig explains the neurochemical processes that drive human behavior, addiction, and our overall health and well being. One of the major players is dopamine. Dopamine is part of the reward pathway that when released causes feelings of reward. When dopamine is chronically released the receptors are reduced, leading to tolerance. Food, social media, and other “out for profit” companies take full advantage of this dopamine-reward system, driving us to addiction. The stress hormone, Cortisol, plays a key role as well. Cortisol is a short term mitigation hormone for stress (frear). However, modern society produces countless stressful situations (lack of money, long work days, fear of being fired, traffic, etc), this leads to chronically elevated cortisol levels that can last for months. Elevated levels also contribute to weight gain, thus feeding into the cycle of diminishing health and body composition. The last big hormonal player is serotonin, a key contributor of the contentment pathway. Factors that increase dopamine (lack of sleep, technology, drugs, and a bad diet), decrease serotonin, thus fueling depression. Dr. Lustig paints a grim picture of the dopamine-cortisol-serotonin connection and how the three play off each other contributing to stressed-out, overweight, and depressed humans. Big corporations know how to tap into this cycle and influence our addiction-reward pathway to drive profits.
Food:
The food we eat is a big contributor to the addiction-reward pathway. We have on-demand access to hyper-palatable food-like products. These food-like products are laced with sugar, heavily processed grains, and poisonous seed oils. This leads to sickness and depression, as well as fueling a global obesity epidemic. “Hacking” highlights the neurochemical effect food has on our bodies, specifically the lack of tryptophan (precursor to serotonin) in our modern diet. Dr. Lustig states: “Does red meat have enough tryptophan? It does, but let’s look at the difference between the corn-fed beef of processed food versus beef that came from cattle that were grass-fed. Turns out that corn is relatively deficient in tryptophan but is loaded with phenylalanine and tyrosine, the precursors of dopamine”.
The Solution:
Dr. Lustig proposes a very elegant and natural fix to our current situation. Four simple strategies that can be implemented to regain a foothold on the current deathsprial we are in. The four strategies are Connect, Contribute, Cope, and Cook.
“Connect”: Belonging to something that is bigger than ones-self (religion/community), having in-person social interactions with other people (support), and getting off the devices.
“Contribute”: Establishing self worth, altruism, volunteerism, and philanthropy
“Cope”: Sleep, mindfulness, exercise
“Cook”: For yourself, your friends, and your family
Personal thoughts on the book:
Dr. Lustig did an amazing job of capturing the current state of affairs of our civilization. The reward-addiction-repeat cycle is causing the human race to fall to levels of depravity that have never been seen in history. As bleak as things look, there is hope. Exercise, eating healthy food, connecting with people, basically everything a CrossFit gym/community fosters, is the key to our salvation. CrossFit gym owners and coaches have tremendous responsibility for contributing to the fight against big corporations and the influence they have over our minds.
The Hacking of the American Mind was interesting, but I agree, it wasn't my favorite read. There was definitely some good information that really made the wheels turn, and times where I was saying "Yup! So true!" But overall, I was left wanting more. Maybe that was the point? We've become so accustomed to wanting that instant gratification, that feeling of satisfaction or "happiness," or that dopamine rush, that anything short of that leaves us feeling like something is missing so we go in search for more. I'm left with that feeling. I want to know more and I want to know more about how to stop this cycle. One chapter talking about the 4 C's was helpful and useful, but I want more.
As I read, one of the parts that really had me thinking was where he was talking about drug addicts and why/how they often end up overdosing. Their tolerance increases and increases because they're chasing that feeling that they got from that first hit, then they try to get clean and go an extended period of time without their drug. Something happens and that craving, that desire, becomes too strong to resist and they go back. Instead of them taking a small dose, they take the same amount as they did before they decided to get clean and that last dose ends up being an overdose. I had a wow moment with that because I know so many people who this likely happened to. Where I live, drugs are a huge issue and far too many people that I went to school with growing up have died from drug overdoses. Many of them I had heard were trying to get clean and were doing well and then next thing I heard, they were dead. It's heart breaking. Addiction is so powerful! And he's right, addiction is so much more than just to drugs or alcohol or food. We're addicted to our phones, to the internet, to social media, to the tv, to the news, to relationships/people, to porn, to sex, to working out, etc. These are all things that we chase in hopes of getting that "reward" and feeling "happy," but it never works. We're consistently left wanting and needing more.
Social media is hacking our minds left and right, I truly believe that, and we're allowing it. The ads alone, how they target each person's specific interests, is a complete mind hack. Now these ads are even more individualized! Just today I had an ad show up on one of my social media accounts advertising a dating site matching single Christians in their 30s and the picture was of a handsome, muscular guy (who I've seen in other "dating site" ads) with two French Bulldogs (which I happen to search for often and follow a lot of frenchie social media accounts). These are all things that I'm looking for and they've dialed in on all of that to the point where there are now ads specific to all of that and thrown specifically at me! What the heck? It is mind blowing! And quite disturbing. Social media and that "need" for likes and follows has us glued to our phones and then we get stuck in the rabbit hole of scrolling. Then as we're scrolling and comparing ourselves to everyone else, we're getting these person-specific ads sprinkled in. Next thing we know, time has flown by and what did we gain from it? Nothing good, that's for sure! We're missing out on the important things in life that bring true happiness because of these addictions that have been created without us even realizing it.
We need to regain control of our lives and find that healthy limit. Where is that line? Even with healthy addictions, such as working out, where is that line? What is too much? How do we determine when it is no longer healthy? These are things we need to figure out for ourselves because everyone is different. Some honest self reflection is a must to determine what that means for each of us.
The book was an interesting read but to be honest didn`t make a huge impact on me. Maybe because I am not American?
For me the neuroscience behind reward/pleasure and dopamine/serotonin/cortisol biochemistry behind it was the biggest take from this book, and that was the boring part to read. But for me it was interesting to know how our brains respond to diferent stuff and could find myself in some examples, especially in what drives us to seek reward, or pushes us to go for a dopamine rush. But does that mean that CrossFit is also based on reward? Do we get a dopamine rush after every WOD, every PR or see our name high on the Open leaderboard? Is that why it is so addictive for us?
Happiness is something that is too complex to comprehend or explain just by hormonal and neural pathways, especially that it is based on your societal norms, and those are diferent in every society. But I will be sure to raise my tryptophane intake :-)
American way of living is something that we copy in some part like most of the world but I guess we are still kind of unhacked by the corporations so it was hard to relate to all of the facts pulled from American economy. But sugar addiction is something that is global, and although I knew, and we all know that sugar is something you should avoid as much as you can, it is interesting to get a deeper sense of how it hacks our minds and makes us wanting more and more.
Love the final chapters, the 4Cs (connect,contribute,cope,cook) and the explanation of how it can help us to unhack our minds from fast reward pathways and stear us into contentment. And as a coach I will for sure add more advices on that, not just how to train and what to eat to get healthier, because a healthy unhacked mind is what will make a healthy body on the long run.
In general, Robert Lustig's "The Hacking of the American Mind" was not my favorite book club read. He would probably be great to sit in a bar and have a conversation with (pleasure) but the constant injections of snark and attempts at humor didn't lead me to literary contentment (happiness).
He does a thorough and important job of laying out happiness and pleasure, and their neurochemical basis in dopamine and serotonin. The part that surprised me the most here was that burned out dopamine receptors and the postsynaptic response can take up to a year to regenerate. It certainly elongated a timeline for our athletes combatting obesity.
I like how he made the connection with our Declaration of Independence and it's pursuit of happiness and contrasted with what can currently only be described as discontent. The overwhelming desires to eat, spend, and "appear to be". Make these same individuals the target of marketing, allowed by the courts and capitalized upon by the corporations selling the latest dopamine pleasure hit and we have a perfect storm of depressed, overweight, withdrawn people, many of whom are young.
Refreshing to find a section titled "In search of the Four C's" which contains actionable methods of connecting, contributing, coping and cooking- the very things Lustig suggests as an offense to mind hacking.
In coaching, I think the time period of dopamine restoration plays an important role in creating goals and timelines for our athletes (and maybe ourselves). Even a cursory understanding of the difference between happiness and pleasure, contentment and reward should be a conversation were having with our athletes, in both in terms of life satisfaction and today's Fran time. It might just be the shift we all so desperately need.
As I was reading The Hacking of the American Mind, I was reminded of a talk by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn. Using the metaphor of a tree, Hahn talked about momentary pleasure as the leaves of the high branches, subject to any wind or other unpredictable environmental factors. He was speaking of modern youths and the issue of suicide. Those who live among the high branches and have no roots are much more vulnerable to forces outside their control and may not see any way out. The roots he was referring to are the same ones Lustig refers to as the four C's.
Lustig gave a thorough and scientific account of how modern society, from the food industry to social media, incents us to live in the high branches. The more we are rewarded with pleasure in the form of a a dopamine hit, the more we seek it out. But the more we seek it out the more blunted our dopamine receptors become and the more vulnerable we become to factors outside our control.
Focusing on happiness and fulfillment, rather than pleasure and achievement, grows our roots by increasing serotonin. Lustig's four C's: Connect, Contribute, Cope & Cook are his prescription for growing our roots and becoming impervious to the changeable nature of life. As a CrossFit coach, this prescription is the foundation for what we do. The sense of community and camaraderie in our boxes is as health-giving as is the exercise and nutrition prescription. Every good coach instinctively understands the power of a supportive and inclusive community. Lustig brings it all together for us in a nice, scientific package.
What is the difference between pleasure and happiness? Are they compatible? Are they opposites? Can you have both? Does an increase of one decrease the other? This is one of the overriding themes in The Hacking of the American Mind and it is an essential topic to understand in our time.
I love this book for many reasons. First of all in a time when everything has become political and as the political divide has become wider and wider this book is all over the political map. Whichever side you are on there are parts where you will be saying "Right on" and other times when you will be like "F this guy". But this kind of honest pursuit of the science to try to figure out why people everywhere are becoming less happy and more fat and let the science take you to the conclusion regardless of where that means the answer falls politically is very rare and so incredibly necessary to make real progress. He equally hammers on Obamacare and Trumpcare. He paints LSD in a somewhat positive light and then says that when Marijuana use becomes commonplace nationwide that is rock bottom for us as a society. I gave this book to people I know on both sides of the political aisle and told them don't quit when he says something that offends you. Keep reading and you'll be glad you did. The people I recommended this to also all have children and my sales pitch to them was that this book would make them a better parent. I know it has had that affect on me. It has helped make me more conscious of some of the skills and habits I want to pass on to my daughter. Learn how to spend time alone without distractions. Be able to have an in depth conversation with someone in person. Be able to cook for yourself and have it be healthy and taste good. I love his conclusions at the end. Anyone can do them. You can't say you can't afford it or don't have the time. He puts the responsibility on the individual and it is not stuff you need to have but actions you need to make a part of your life. Talk to people. Cook a meal then sit down with people and eat and interact with them. Workout and workout hard. Very few people will be able to actually implement his solutions but there isn't a doubt in my mind that for those that do they will live happier, longer, more fulfilling lives instead of chasing the next buzz or rush that society is pushing all of us towards. I am going to read this one again.
Consumption is healthy for the Economy, but not necessarily Society.
This is one of many themes throughout the book "The Hacking of the American Mind" that really stood out as an underlying cause for the current diet based pandemic (obesity -> type II).
The book starts off by defining the difference in pleasure and happiness and how both are chemical responses to dopamine and serotonin. But we also know as coaches that too much of a good thing can be bad.
This is the black whole of our modern day lifestyle, the ever pursuit of pleasure (and misrepresentation of that pleasure being happiness). It's the consistent desire for pleasure that leads us to addiction, and it is chemically based. It's no longer a surgery treat, but an overwhelming lust for sugar due to decades of government subsidized/promoted drugs (sugar) and our ever growing stress levels.
We've been raised in a culture of anxiety-overconsumption loop which has led to chronic disease. Big companies along with government support have been selling happiness, but the sample you get is pleasure (making you addicted). Like any other drug dealer, they're peddling pleasure to a community that is in pain.
Chronic elevated cortisol had led to drug use and addiction. And just like drugs over time, we need more to get the same response we're looking for. With the biggest drug being pushed, sugar. "Sugar surpasses cocaine in rat studies".
Now we've reached a level that the Insurance wants to fix the problem and no longer just prescribe drugs, because it's getting too expensive.
Similar to Dr. Fungs "Obesity Code" "The Diabetes Code", what we are eating is causing the growth in obesity and type II, both mentioned in this book. The book goes further on why this is occurring neurologically/biochemically with how the brain functions with dopamine and serotonin. It answers how we’ve become addicted.
Dr. Lustig's recommendation to get ourselves out of this whole is through connection, contribution, coping, and cooking.
So how can this book help a coach? First of compassion and empathy for new clients coming in that are suffering from metabolic syndrome. Understanding that as much as we hear "It's my fault", it really is heavily influenced by how companies market and how the government has supported the fast food industry over the years.
Secondly the four C's recommended by Dr. Lustig as tools to help individuals unplug are exactly the things we provide as CrossFit's and Coaches. Being a part of a Crossfit community creates connection through the relationships you build with other athletes and with your coach. Contribution we've seen by how much the community affects an individual when they first start to the point where they start to pass it along in class and out of class (sharing it with friends and family). Having a team behind you helps you overcome obstacles with food and lifestyle challenges that for many were the root cause of their current situation (coping). Finally with cooking, it's something we recommend to all clients, because you are what you eat.
The first few sections of this book lay out several health problems plaguing American, and worldwide populations. The early sections are fairly scientific and include dozens of citations and references to medical research in each chapter.
The summarized premise is that chronic stress leads to addiction and over-eating. We use food as a stimulus for dopamine to make us feel good. We develop a tolerance for this dopamine spike and crave more. The two strongest legal stimulants are caffeine and sugar, and soda is especially harmful because it contains both. Drugs and alcohol have become cheap, readily available, lucrative to produce, and generate lots of tax revenue.
Addictive consumption leads to lower fat + increased sugar intake. This leads to the metabolic syndrome.
Corporations market and sell happiness to consumers through food consumption. Even though the Food Industry generates billions in tax revenue, healthcare costs in the United States are $1.8T, triple the profits from the food industry. As people become unhealthier, they become less happy, leading to decreased health, aka "The Death Spiral". Unfortunately, insurance companies can't keep up with the sick.
The solution, according to the author, is the four C's: Connect (Be part of a larger community, this leads to contentment), Contribute (Volunteerism brings happiness), Cope (sleep, meditate, and exercise), Cook (Make your own food so it doesn't contain sugar like almost all processed foods).
Thank you,
I always was of the opinion that we are continuing to become overstimulated by technology, instant pleasures, competing with the Jones's, and the like. And I also feel that this makes it harder to find true inner peace and contentment. But this was simply based on my opinions from what I've seen happen with friends, with my kids, and with myself. Reading Robert Lustig's versions of this struggle to find true happiness, based on actual data and medical knowledge was very interesting!
Lustig's big claim is that several industries consciously take advantage of addictive behavior and market specifically for it. He lays out in plain language how the dopamine stimulus mechanism works, how it can be abused to the point of permanent damage, how the serotonin production system mediates these reactions, and how some of the very same addictive behaviors actually prevent the behaviors that would promote serotonin production and a healthy balance between the two.
His book makes claims against processed food, substance abuse, and most significantly for modern audiences who "aren't addicted to anything," the profound new role of "attention addiction"—being unable to tear your attention away from social media, craving ever-more-frequent little hits of dopamine when someone "Likes" your post or retweets your tweet, and digging yourself into a cycle whose chemical effects on your body, and short- and long-term effects on your mood, mental health, and physical well-being, are no different from those resulting from substance addictions.
This was definitely an eye-opening account of the current social media era and the damage it can have on us if we don't find a good balance.
This book should be a required read for everyone, especially those of younger ages (high school to be specific). There were a few things that stuck out to me (although I had heard them before): pleasure vs happiness, and how healthcare works to treat instead of cure.
The more I read the book, I got a greater understanding of pleasure vs happiness. Along those lines, were also understanding how cortisol, dopamine, and serotonin work in greater meaning. I kept asking myself: Do sugar cravings really increase my dopamine that much when I eat them? Am I getting pleasure or happiness out of this situation? Dr. Lustig created a better idea in my mind of scenarios that are quite common in myself, but also in others that I work with. Pleasure to me, means more in the short term, but it may not make me happy. Happiness is more long term (in my mind), and usually involves other outside factors that contribute to it. Does sugar cause pleasure or happiness? It could be both. However after reading this book, I believe it rewards pleasure far more than happiness. It’s usually instantaneous, and we end up paying for it later in terms of healthcare (assuming it’s long term).
To go along with sugar, food companies have hacked our minds with sugar. What seems so innocent in food itself, has sugar (sometimes more than we think) to make it palatable, and to encourage us to eat more. This goes back to pleasure. We eat sugar, dopamine sky rockets, we want more to create the same effect, we overeat, we become obese. Does this make us happy, or are we rewarding our pleasure buttons?
The facts on healthcare are mind-blowing as well. I don’t ever think healthcare will “cure”, rather they would treat because it’s money driven to take care of people just enough to keep them sick and needing more. Doctors will treat instead of cure? Obese? Here’s more insulin. Have this issue? Here are pills. Don’t do anything different because we can make tons of money of you. That’s the message I see often, and it’s quite sad.
Final thoughts: will the government every decide to stop subsidizing sugar, corn, and soy? I get farmers love it, because they can make tons of money off it. But if we truly want to get healthy as a country here in the USA, what would happen if we started subsidizing fruits and vegetables for farmers to grow? Would that help start to turn our obesity rates down? We will never know because our country is driven by money, not health.
The Hacking of the American Mind
Before we get into the meat of it, I would like to say I
thought this book very well written. The
tempo was good and it was quite funny a points for a non-fiction. That said, I think the book really started
off strong, with the differences between reward and contentment, reward being
the short, RIGHT NOW compared to the long-lasting contentment. Contentment is achieved with deeds. It then introduces dopamine and serotonin,
which oddly, is the subject of another book I just read about why we make certain
choices. The hacking went into the
science of it though, which I found intriguing, such as chronic obesity makes
you leptin resistant, so you literally are on full tilt dopamine signal so you
can stop yourself. I found it amusing
that they go into beta-endorphin, which is released in response to hard
CrossFit workouts, and some people jones for it (wanting the long hard grinds
all the time rather than hit the shorter time modalities). I think the dopamine high chasing in relation
to high cortisol levels (we have so many burnt out middle aged business men who
are fried and have alllll kinds of subsequent bad habits). We are a society of non-stop stress for those
stuck in the cubicles. I thought the
recent research into LSD finding improved social relationships and increased self-care
was intriguing. The quality of our food,
grass fed versus corn fed beef, having SUCH a profound impact on our serotonin
levels was rather eye opening and how bad food can help lead to a cornucopia of
addiction and depression when paired with other stressors and bad habits. I think this is why nutrition is on the base
of the pillar of the CrossFit belief system.
It is the foundation of good habits.
The book went into some interesting studies of money and how after
certain basic needs were met, it doesn’t increase happiness really and often
only buy distractions such as cellphone and the internet. I laughed that eggs were so price elastic
even though they are amazing for you. I
thought the crux of the book was in the health prevention rather than treatment,
as that was CrossFit believes. Solve the
problems before they happen. Actually, a lot of the wrap up into the how to
be content was a “how to” to running a box; form a tight community, volunteer
and do go deeds for the community, preach the gospel of sleep and exercise, and
learn how to cook for yourself to help good eating habits. These four make up the prime aspects of a good
box.
The Hacking of the American Mind opened my eyes to how our physiology has been hijacked by corporate America through the quest for our attention and our dollars.
Most modern American’s have been wired to seek short term pleasure (dopamine driven), versus long term contentment (serotonin dependent). Food companies, drug companies, and technology companies keep us coming back for more by giving us a little dose of dopamine through sugar, antidepressants, and “likes and shares.”
This search for short term pleasure has subverted our ability to achieve long term happiness and has lead to a society with higher rates of obesity, metabolic disease, suicide, and depression than ever before.
Luckily we have the ability to fight this dopamine addiction. Through simple actions like setting boundaries around technology use, cutting out processed foods and sugar, consistent exercise, mindfulness practice, and engaging in community and connection. We can tip the scales and rewire ourselves to seek happiness and contentment - not just pleasure.
I was astounded to read some of the studies that related to visceral fat, metabolic syndrome, and mood / depression. I knew there was a link, but the degree of correlation was much greater than I thought. It was also a good to learn that many people who appear thin or healthy on the outside, may not be metabolically healthy on the inside. It was refreshing to learn however, that visceral fat can be reduced in as little as 10 days with the right interventions (referencing one of Lustig’s studies).
Lustig also does a great job illuminating how much of threat our dopamine addiction is to our country as a whole. Rising rates of metabolic syndrome and related diseases along with healthcare costs alone could bankrupt our nation in the not so distance future.
This book has given me the motivation to step back from many short term pleasure-driven habits I’ve developed in my own life. It’s also added several bullets to my coaching toolbox that I can use to provide context for clients when it comes to building their long term health and happiness - With one of the biggest drivers being to get off of sugar and processed foods.
Overall the book is a great read, and I would definitely recommend.
This is an excellent book. The part that stands out to me the most is towards the very end of Chapter 15:
Tobacco:
$14b annual healthcare costs in the US, but pays $25b in taxes.
Alcohol:
$100b annual healthcare costs in the US, but pays $5.6b in taxes.
Sugar:
$1.8t annual healthcare costs in the US, and at the same time is subsidized!
22:44 @ring press ups (feet 9" above hands) and m/c rows
The book showed me the link between cortisol and comfort food which leads to addiction. This happens because cortisol kills neurons that normally helps to inhibit food intake. So this a fact that definitely helps me to answer questions of my clients about CrossFit, losing weight and wellbeing.
Another good information I got out of the book is that sleep deprivation leads to the intake of around 300 calories per day. So sleep deprivation has a link to obesity.
If clients will ask me how to lose weight I will not only give them advices about what to eat but also will ask them: "What´s your stress level?" and "How is your sleep? How long do you sleep? When do you go to bed?"
These things are very good explained with the "vicious cycle":
STRESS - SLEEP DEPRIVATION - CORTISOL RELEASE - INFLUENCES DOPAMINE RESPONSE CURVE - INCREASED DOPAMINE = MORE LIKELY TO EAT - THE MORE EAT = THE MORE LIKELY OBESE - OBESITY - OBESITY LEADS TO SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Also very interesting was the addiction transfer which explained the link between smoking cigarettes and obesity. The cheapest addiction is the sugar addiction (cheap thrill) and that your relatives often are your best dealers...
Beside other good informations like the triptophin in quality meat and how important it is for the whole body gives me the possibility to give me clients a lot more advices regarding nutrition.
Another example is the "food is the driver" chapter. Here the author describes the cognitive decline through Diabetes II and how sugar leads to brain plagues. This leads to Diabetes, Dementia and Depression.
So: Don´t medicate but avoid sugar...
This leads to a "happy gut, happy you", because 90% of Serotonin comes directly out of your gut.
A really interesting chapter in the book was the info that fish doesn´t produce Omega3 but eats it. So if a fish eats only pellets it doesn´t have a source of O3.
But O3 has a relation to happiness through its indirect relation to Serotonin release throughout the brain (antiinflammation). If the area around a neuron is inflammed it doesn´t work as it should.
Also the DHA in O3 is called the human marijuana because it brings down the level of ones anxiety and O3 is the "healthiest" antidepressive medicine.
All together the book showed me how Triptophine, Sugar and Serotonin are the leaders of happiness or depression.
All these information I got out of the book will help me to advice my members about their lifestyle and will give me a much broader range of informations to help them to live a healthier life.
P.S.: I read the book shortly after my "CrossFit Kids Course" and thats why I was also a shocked about the fact that many children get mood medication against their diagnosed ADHS.
19:49 with push ups.
Compared to 23:25 with 80% bench press
There were so many parallels to the CrossFit world in The Hacking of the American Mind that stood out to me. One in particular related to the chapter on the limits of the health care system. Lustig states, "There are no services to prevent chronic metabolic disease that can be provided by the health care system. There's only treatment. We doctors can keep these people alive, but we can't stop people from getting heart disease or diabetes or fatty liver disease or kidney disease with pills, just like we can't stop people from getting obese." This quote was energizing and helped reinforce a sense of purpose. It's really easy to get caught up in the thrusters and pull-ups and lose sight of the impact that one hour in the gym supplemented with a healthy diet can have on people's lives. The health care system, while good for some things, is not built to get people healthy. Health care helps us when we are sick. It is a reactive approach. Health, the proactive approach, is all about not getting sick in the first place. Affiliates around the world are second homes that help people to push off chronic disease. They are there to help people stay functional, not just alive. I respect Dr. Lustig's honesty about the limitations of his practice. We as trainers also have limitations, but the one of the things we can control is the culture we create within the walls. Placing a greater emphasis on nutrition, as the book states, can lead to better health and more contentment for our athletes. CrossFit without a nutrition prescription isn't CrossFit at all, and that's what makes this program so powerful.
Although I generally find books with this much information difficult to read, this book really held my interest. I appreciate the way in which information was presented -- in an easy-to-understand manner but not dumbed down... and information often repeated itself to remind the reader of information that had previously been presented.
I think my big takeaway from this book was the profound difference between a pleasure response and a happiness response. The way in which our body responds to dopamine vs serotonin and the relationship between the two responses was fascinating to me. Of course, the way in which big corporations / pharma / etc capitalize on this is shocking -- I really started to think about how I can use this idea in my coaching. For instance, when discussing why sticking to a routine that makes quality of life that much better is so hard (contentment), I will feel more informed to explain why those bright shiny objects (pleasure) constantly try to pull us away from contentment. Of course, the inverse is also true, that living a life of mere contentment without pleasure moments is actually just boring. As with most things in life, striking a balance is important.
Mostly, I am appreciative that this book has given me the language to decipher the difference between pleasure and contentment -- and to recognize for myself when I have skewed too far in one direction or the other.
scaled to 135# BW = 175#
24:28
I enjoyed this read and I especially appreciate CrossFit including it in the book club. I liked how much of the book is laid out like a conversation: questions, potential answers. It reminded me a bit of Michael Pollan’s writing style, but with more science and less narrative. I probably wouldn’t have read it without the book club – its title and writing style is a bit alarmist in tone, and in our current political environment I’m trying to avoid things of this nature. That said, the tone is earned by the situation, and perhaps necessary. He provides research and examples to back it up, and also provides concrete advice for a way forward. One thing I took to heart was the American tendency to conflate pleasure with happiness. How true! It makes me think of the Marshmallow test, where they give children 1 marshmallow but tell them if they wait 5 minutes, they can have two. Pleasure is our first metaphorical marshmallow, and happiness is the second. Though, I doubt the author would approve of my use of a sugary treat such as a marshmallow to demonstrate his point.
30:36. 135# 82%
The Hacking of the American Mind was a little bit difficult to follow along in the beginning because of how informative it is. I do like the approach that the author takes with showing the difference between happiness in different categories like reward, slowing down stress, addiction, love etc...
It's amazing to me how the world turns with societies deliberate aim at our body's dopamine response. For example I was captured by the thought of the love addiction because love creates a high uptick of dopamine which is how addictions begin. We perceive something like marriage to be this eloquent bond between two people and achievement of personal happiness but it's not that at all. The marketing of marriage is designed once again for our dopamine system, not serotonin and necessarily directed towards the bride.
Moving along, the deep connection between smokers, sugar addicts and alcoholics hits home. Being in the fitness industry it's easy to comprehend how all three (not including addiction to drugs) can be interlinked and an addiction transfer can occur.
I see these two scenarios and others mentioned in the book and I'm able to better understand that depression is not easy to fix. We are constantly put into positions willingly, unknowingly and even forcibly that confuses our body with happiness or satisfaction. The commercials that we watch, the doctors that we listen to, our families upbringing, our careers and even our significant other can hack or happiness. We cannot search outwardly for the source of happiness, we have to strip down to the bare bones and find it from within.
23:45 rx’d
40:42 rxd. Bench was too heavy at 180. Did 4 in the warmup. 5 would’ve been a work set. Thought I could get though the 30s with 3s but only made it to 21 before switching to 2’s then 1s. Missed a rep in the 20s. 3 sets of 2 in the 20’s but otherwise singles...rowed sub 2:00 for the first two rows then around 2:03 avg. for the 2k.
180/41/69”
36/194/5’11”
used 205 for bench 16:50rx
23:23 min
145# Bench Press
Rowing
subbed 5/10/20 pull-ups for row, and used 40# dbs
11:31
32:06 RX
175# Bench Press.
21’06
RX
bodyweight 88kg
Subbed run for row, 185# BP: 28:35
27/195/5'9"
28:48
25 burpees
175#x30 (sets of 3)
800m run
175#x20 (sets of 3)
800m run+25burpees+400m run
175#x10 (sets of 5)
M /48/20200713
Bp100%--->70% 125#
20'26"
M/34/6'/175#
29:27 Rx
20:34
did 1.5x push ups instead of bench and wore a 20lb vest the entire workout
M/27/6’1”/205
65 lbs Bench Press
27:14
Sc to 185# (95% bw), had to break into 3/3/2 sets
27:34
'The Hacking of the American Mind' has been a great read for me personally. I had never thought to question the difference between pleasure seeking behavior and happiness. Once it was put down on paper it makes you look at your own habits and thoughts. Looking at it from my personal perspective, many of us chase the 'thing' that will make us happy, the key that will unlock that door. I have certainly been guilty of this.
In recent years I have found myself wanting and needing less to feel content, without ever really looking at why. I focus more now on being of service to others and my family, in doing so I have found my 'happy'. Looking around my house, I own fewer 'things', but am surrounded by memories of great times with great people in my life.
I would recommend this book to anyone, it makes you look deeper and recognize your own bias towards 'pleasure' or 'happiness'. From there you can start to take steps to feel fulfilment, what we are all looking for.
21:40 , SC 60kg bench press
Subbed 1.5 x push ups
17m26s
thanks
17:00 flat, i had to sub clapping pushups for press.
good work everyone!
21:44 RX
body weight = 157#
Bench = 160#
Amazing, same weight but Took me 10 note minutes! Happy to have done It Rx by the way
18:59
45lb dumbells
Rx 19:59 BW 180
45:09
24:23 Rx
160 lbs
Scaled to 185lbs/88%. 29:10
22:00Rx 80kg
M/43/78kg
Dzisiaj 20:30
Scaled 80%, 115lb
29:21
Scaled to 185 (86% bw)
27:50
6’2”/215/26
100m swim
30 floor presses w/ 35# kettlebells
200m swim
20 floor presses
400m swim
10 floor presses
19:24
Rx at 170lb/165lb body weight:
25:50
M/47/5' 7"/180#,No bar at home so I used 50# dumbbells for the bench press.
24:08
22:42 Scaled BP to 45#, tried to stay where I could cycle the 30 reps fast & clean.
Nice work JS!
Replaced presses with push-ups, as I don't have weights at home.
20:57
M, 51, 6' 2" 250#
M/24/5'8"/160lb
22:30 - Sc
(3/4 BW Bench Press, 125lb)
32:19, 185#, 205 BW, Scaled... really good WOD
19:54 Rx @215 (BW 212)
30/m/5'11"/175
25 minutes with the following subs:
Used 115# for the bench
For the row: 2:30 minutes of rowing, 5 minutes of rowing, 10 minutes of rowing
33:18
175 bw bench press
About 14 min on the rows...the rest was slow and steady on the bench.
35/195/5’9/M
30 Cal echo bike
30 ring push ups
60 Cal echo bike
20 ring push ups
120 Cal echo bike
10 ring push ups
Time: 18:35
18:42. 180 pounds. Almost 4 minute improvement from 2017
40:30 - way longer than i thought
M/175#/53
As Rx
M/39/112kg/179cm
Run
500m/1000m/2000
Bench press
90kg
Time
50'40"
M/45/6'2"/180#
Modified to hand release pushups the rest as rx'd
17:41
28:33
400-800-1600 single unders
50# vest pushups (165# body weight)
25:30 @ 145lbs
No rower,used a ski machine (made sure im using the handles to simulate the rower as much as i can and doubled the distance since its easier)
BW-70kg/154lbs
BP-55kg/121lbs
31:53min
M/36/172#
BP: 78% of BW (135lb)
Every 500m of rowing, alternate between:
400m run
and
12 right arm KB swings (1/2 pood)
12 left arm KB swings (1/2 pood)
12 SDHP (1 pood)
12 KB swings (1 pood)
22:40
M/34/6’/220
rx: 45:00 on the dot
Scaled to 60kg bp I weigh 90kg
No rower available so i did
SDHP
50
100
200
time 30 mins
35/M/190
22:09
Row: 50 DU, 100 DU, 200 DU
Bench: 78% body weight 150lbs, used Plyo box for bench 🤷♂️
I like the looks of this a lot - it feels familiar but I can't load any of the archives - no biggy I'll give it a go but I may do half the BPs I'll see how the first 30 go
Just as I thought the bench press at 175 lb was too much to do more than sets of three so I scaled them to 15 10 and 5
28:30
M/59/176
19:48 at 170-lbs (85% of BW)
Compare to 170312: 19:32 scaled to 165-lbs (85% BW)
m/52/5'11"/200#
Day 3 at 9000+ feet in Colorado. No way I could do this WOD in a mask at the fitness center. So doing some strength work till my lungs catch up.
5-5-5 back squats 195-205-205#
5-5-5-5 bench press 135-145-145-145#
Mask + 9000-ft = not today!
23:19
Subbed bike for row &
Scaled Bench press to:
30 Reps: 65# (54% BW)
20 Reps: 75# (62% BW)
10 Reps: 85# (71% BW)
2 Mile hike with the family before.
Scaled to 135# bp
26:12
Ugh--crazy hot in the garage gym---close to 100
m/50/175
compare to was
23:11
Sweet! Another garage gym person.
For time:
Run .25 mile
30 body-weight bench presses (95lb)
Run .50 mile
20 body-weight bench presses (115lb)
Run 1.0 mile
10 body-weight bench presses (135lb)
31 min
Pleasure versus happiness. It’s so easy to confuse the two, but they are distinctly different. Before reading this book, I would have said the difference was short term vs long term, but it goes deeper than that.
Coach Glassman has often said that chasing after money won’t get you there, but pursuing excellence will. By the same token, chasing after pleasure is unlikely to lead to happiness.
Going out with some close friends and having a beer is a good mix of happiness and pleasure. Drinking alone skews toward pleasure not happiness (in most cases). Aristotle had an even better insight when he said that true friendship is the exclusive space of people engaged in noble endeavors together. The same must be true of happiness.
Interestingly, happiness does require pleasure. This was proven by a spectacular pharmaceutical failure called Rimonabant. This drug was meant to help people lose weight by diminishing their interest in food, but it actually decreased their interest in everything. They lost all sense of pleasure and many became depressed and even committed suicide. It’s a sad way to gain insight into happiness. For me, it drives home the importance of happiness not as some state to strive for in the future, but also something to grasp in the present.
Enter Dr. Lustig. We are under attack and he has a keen sense of who is attacking us and how. Our attackers are the social media titans, processed food companies, casinos and others who have figured out how to manipulate our dopamine receptors to their advantage.
Take a look at any old photo of a crowd of people and compare the size of the people you see at the grocery store with the people in that old photo. The difference is obvious. It can’t be by choice that the average person is now obese. They’ve been hacked.
Big food companies have created hyper-palatable foods that are addictive by design. Every bite is designed to stimulate our reward pathway, giving us a hit of dopamine. They know exactly how to manipulate the flavors, mouth feel, etc. On top of this, highly processed foods are rapidly digested, leaving us hungry for more.
In one study, obese children were given one of three meals of either high, medium or low glycemic index (as a result of the degree of processing). Several hours later the kids were let loose in a snack room. The kids who consumed the highly processed meals ate 81% more in the snack room compared to the kids who ate the least processed meal. This should be a dire warning to doctors and parents, but to food companies it is their playbook.
Less obvious is the attack on our minds. The foods we eat. The devices we carry. The cities we live in. They’re not designed for our health and well-being. Our phones and apps are designed to be addictive. Apps are designed like slot machines, giving us the occasional reward in the optimal amount and frequency to keep us engaged. The battle for mindshare in the app store is intense. Only the most ruthless companies will get venture-backed and bought, making millions for tech entrepreneurs. What do we get? Addiction, anxiety and depression.
I do have one fear about this book. I’m afraid the wrong people might read this as a manual on how to manipulate our dopamine pathways. For the rest of us, it’s a manual to fight back. I quite like the idea that my thoughts are my own. That my feelings are real. And I want to pursue happiness on my own terms. Unhacking my brain is a necessary first step.
28:16 bw 93kg. started with 90kg for ten, just to see how much i could hack thru then went down to 80kgs. last ten unbroken...row was a slow steady...havent been on it lately.
26:52 rx (145#)
Jackie
rows rx
strict press 35#
22:59
21:03
500m Row (1:54.9)
30 Bench Press (135lbs)
1000m Row (3:58.8)
20 Bench Press (135lbs)
2000m Row (7:53.0)
10 Bench Press (135lbs)
Body weight: 170lbs
23:50 Scaled
Row RX
30-20-10 Floor press 55# BB
spicy 🥵
Woot! Did way better than I thought I would.
80# floor press (don’t have a bench) and just a tad under HALF my body weight.
Gave myself 26:00 minutes but completed in 23:03
F/53/GarageGym
500m row
30 floor press, 80#
1,000m row
20 floor press
2,000m row
10 floor press
55/5'11"/185 - 22:58 RX
Subbed/scaled:
Run 400m-800m-1600m
50lbs* dumbbells chest presses 30-20-10
19:38
*about 2/3 of body weight
Row 500 meters RX
30 body-weight bench presses 167.5 lbs 75%
Row 1,000 meters RX
20 body-weight bench presses 167.5
Row 2,000 meters RX
10 body-weight bench presses 167.5 lbs
30:27
23:30
M, 37, 176cm, 78kg
Good ol' piece of CrossFit! :)
17’21” main WOD
warm up 5‘
cool down 5’
This was great to wake up to
Subbed/scaled
400m run
30 bench press 135lb
800m run
20 bench press 135lb
1600m run
10 bench press 135lb
21:02
bench press weight ~ 75% body weight
“The hacking of the American Mind” by Robert H. Lustig looks at the science that drives states of mind like pleasure, happiness and depression, the role of chemicals like serotonin, cortisol, and dopamine play for them, as well as the actions and influence of government and corporations.
For me, learning more about biochemistry and neuroscience added another interesting angle of looking at the “mess”:
“We are our biochemistry, whether we like it or not. And our biochemistry can be manipulated. Sometimes naturally and sometimes artificially. Sometimes by ourselves but sometimes by others. Sometimes for good and sometimes for ill.” (p. 152)
“As long as America views the concept of happiness as consistent with both consumption and GDP, it will not be able to break free of corporations’ stranglehold on our brains. And they know what they’re doing, because they’ve done the research and know what works.” (p. 230)
One particular section in the chapter where the author talks about what the reader can do in their own pursuit of happiness (contentment), really hit home for me:
“…it’s not the incantations, it’s not the incense, it’s not the genuflecting – it’s the social engagement or emotional bonding that correlates with contentment. When you are a part of something larger than yourself – whether united by religion, or tribal origin or heritage, or a worldview, or a hobby, or a common goal – you feel a greater sense of contentment.” (p. 276)
That “something” larger than myself for me is CrossFit and the people that it has brought into my life.
27:47 rx @ 6:30am
m/40!/6’2”/205
Modified (and reversed, apparently)
30 shoulder press
400m run
20 shoulder press
800m run
10 shoulder press
1600m run
17:51 - 105lbs (67% BW)
Dr. Lustig laid out some sobering statistics in The Hacking of the American Mind that motivate me, as a CrossFit trainer, to help others understand “the mess”. One of the most striking quantities he explained was what the US healthcare system spent in 2015: 3.2 trillion dollars. Of that cost, 75% went to “diet-related chronic metabolic diseases.”
In his recent talk “Translating Science into Policy” as part of the CrossFit Health lecture series, Dr. Lusting suggested that we rename metabolic disease to “processed food disease” in order to better describe the condition. He also stated bluntly that processed food is poison. Like it’s fitness protocol, I am confident that CrossFit supports any strategy that makes individuals realize that the standard American diet is rubbish is a useful one. I am trying to do my part in helping others open their eyes to the realities of this crisis and I am grateful that CrossFit is also working to protect trainers’ First Amendment rights in providing sound nutritional advice.
I found the information more directly linked to biochemistry at the beginning of The Hacking of the American Mind interesting yet fairly complex. I would like to hear Dr. Lustig speak more on the subject, as having the opportunity to hear him on the latest webinar was an enriching experience. He is well articulated, and his lecture was engaging and lively. Thank you for this read.
19:52
50 sdhp (2x20#db)
50 db bench (2x45# - 53%bw)
100 sdhp
40 db bench
200 sdhp
20 db bench
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! At first, I wasn’t sure where it was going and noticed it as being very different in tone and content to the other books recommended by CrossFit in the past few months. However, I felt that Lustig’s sequel to Fat Chance contains within it exactly the right information that we need to be paying attention to right now. Obviously the ins and outs of nutrition and sporting performance are important, helpful and interesting. But for the majority of the population, there are bigger fish to fry! How do you even adopt these healthy behaviours that we are learning about when there is a pressing authority who is deliberately sabotaging our efforts to gain control over our health and well-being.
Speaking personally, this is why I decided to study Psychology after 4 years of working in the fitness industry because I recognised that there was more going on “between the ears” than one first recognises in clients looking for fitness gains in the gym. However, in the past few years I have found myself lost amongst the wealth of information, both credible or not, available to us on the internet. Adopting this diet and that diet, this training program or that training program, I lost sight of the bigger picture and what the majority of people are struggling with on a daily basis. Robert Lustig has renewed my enthusiasm for Health Psychology and educating people in how to manage and cope in the modern climate where organisations are deliberately tapping into primitive mechanisms in our brains for financial gains, without us even realising. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has “tried it all” but just can’t seem to make any lasting progress on their quest for better health.
28’34” 60kg
WOD ANALYSIS
Modality: This exercise is a couplet modality that combines of high distances row from metabolic conditioning modality and body weight chest press from gymnastics modality.
Purpose: The main focus in this WOD is to challenge the cardiorespiratory.
Notes: The distance of the row is high and doubles in each round. The BW chest press was placed between the rowing, and the athlete can use this time to recover the muscles and the energy path involved in running. However, the reps decrease per round.
What is the conclusion?
“The difficulty of the exercise increases each round.”
WHY? While the rowing distances doubles, the recovery times (BW chest press) decreases.
Note: This WOD set in 3 rounds. Overall, athletes should row 3500 m and perform 60 reps of BW chest press between them.
Time to perform: This high duration WOD takes about ≈ 24 min, so if the athletes perform it longer than it, trainer can scale it. Advanced athletes can do it under 26 min.
Running a class: Trainers have ≈ 35 min for set other parts. So he/ she can set the other parts according to purpose of the training and level of physical fitness of athletes.
Physiology (GPP): Cardiorespiratory and stamina and play the major role in this exercise.
Physiology (energy pathway): The aerobic system is the dominant energy pathway in this exercise program.
Anatomy:
Row: Trapezius (middle fibers), Latissimus dorsi, Biceps, Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps, Soleus
Chest press: Pectoralis major (sternum head), Triceps, Serratus anterior.
_________________________
Running a 60 min class:
Whiteboard: ≈ 3 min
General warm-up: ≈ 5 min
Specific warm-up: ≈ 5 min
WOD: ≈ 24 min
Cool-down: ≈ 10 min
Additional time: It remains ≈ 13 minutes that can be divided in specific warm-up or cool-down
You can see my other analysis in my instagram page.
Train hard and challenge your body. Enjoy it ;)
GOOD LUCK
Alternative exercise for rows?
Champions Club Scaling Notes
RANT
Just a Workout
WHAT ABOUT THE MOVEMENTS
Row - locomotion (kind of), mono structural, skill (using gravity), deadlift shape, push-up shape
Bench press - pushing, midrange, external load
WHAT ABOUT THE FORMAT
Since local muscular fatigue on the bench press will be a big factor, the reps go down so intensity can stay high(ish). The row is a little easier to push through when fatigued, so that is going up to make stamina more of an emphasis.
TECHNIQUE SCALE
3 rounds of:
500-meter row
30 push press
*yes, there are fine points of a bench press, but most of them are applicable only to lying on your back. A push press is going to give you more coaching application if you are looking for some technique.
CONSISTENCY SCALE
As is, maybe lower the weight and keep the bench reps at 30 each time.
INTENSITY SCALE
Reverse the order of the row. Use the first two rounds to see how fatigue effects your pushing technique. Then blast the bejeezus out of yourself with a 500m sprint and 10 bench presses at the end.
MY STUFF
Got mixed up again! I did a different workout. I am thinking of hitting this one tomorrow with the 8 am session.
GENERAL FEAR LEVEL: 7
Love this book!
This book is a good read first because it explains in simple terms the different paths of humain emotions. It also links these emotions to what we eat and how we live. I really enjoyed the conversations that this book sparked between myself and my wife and coaches at the gym. What is it to be happy? What is it to be content? Is pleasure addictive? Is it always good? Isn't performance driven by wanting to win? All questions that are important to answer if you want to be happy.
Why do we crave "happiness" but never find it in food and luxury items you buy? Everyone knows that money doesn't by happiness but this book explains exactly why. At the same time I enjoyed that Dr. Lustig doesn't hate money either. It is just that money will accentuate what you already have. Don't think money will bring you closer to happiness if happiness wasn't present.
Everyone should question themself if they are pursuing pleasure or happiness. I din't really make the right distinction between these two terms before to read the book. And it is not surprise that compagnies like Coke advertise that you will find happiness drinking their product and it couldn't be further from the truth. I recommend this book to all but more importantly to the younger crowd that needs to navigate in this virtual, sugar dominant, misinformation age we are in.
Matthieu, I agree that this is a nice recommendation for younger generations. One of the college-aged statistics concerning the link between empathy and smartphone use was pretty surprising to me (235). Good call.
there are certain wods that make you go
"Oh, Heck yea!!"
This is one of them....Pretty sure I may scale it, but still....
If you can’t do bodyweight?
Scale to push ups maybe? or a lesser weight that would be challenging to you.
Scale to %. For example 75% of your body weight or even 60%.
