On September 22, 2009, the first post of 70’s Big was published and had fewer than 100 page views. The first few posts were named after Chicago songs, and KittenSmash was the first person to comment (second post). The concept of 70’s Big swelled after six months of joking around with the Chris, Brent, AC, and Mike — guys that you regularly see on the site (their training logs are linked on the left side bar). I figured the jokes would make an entertaining and educational website, and so started the process in September.
In that first year there was a heavy emphasis on lifting big, eating big, and getting big. Yet, year two saw the site shift into quality over quantity, emphasizing the finer points of programming, diet, conditioning, and even health. As you get more experienced, so should your ability to tweak your program and dial in your diet to lift and look Herculean. And don’t forget the committed intensity and fervor necessary to not just achieve, but elbow drop your goals.
This site has always aimed to a) entertain, b) educate, and c) have a fun time doing it. In order to garner and harness your attention, I have to do really weird shit
There is no zealotry in recommendations, only that strategies are derived from a baseline of anatomy, physiology, and the body’s adaptation to stress. There is no 70’s Big diet or workout. I guess sometimes we make fun of bodybuilding, but usually directed at a bro who is acting like a goober. CrossFit probably receives a jape every now and then, but I’m sure their skin is covered with plate armor made of $100 dollar bills papier-mâchéd together. The point is that this is a community that is open to new people, helps people, and has a good time along the way.
In this podcast I answer questions submitted by readers on the 70’s Big Facebook Fan Page. Topics range from rehabbing SI/lumbar injuries to deadlifting programming, powerlifting to Robert Baratheon.
This video will help you understand anatomical movement terms. By knowing and understanding these terms, it can standardize the way we talk about movement whether it’s in an actual lift/exercise, mobility, injuries, or rehab.
Post any anatomy-related questions to the comments.
In the “Getting Girls to Train” series, I aim articles at you, the reader, in hopes that you can use them to help a female in your life — friend, girlfriend, wife, relative, etc. — get into training. In Part 1 I gave some basic guidelines on how to create a strength program for her and in Part 2 we talked about why monotonous time spent doing “cardio” isn’t necessary as well as how to incorporate simple high intensity endurance workouts into a strength program. Today’s Part 3 concerns with ‘eating right’.
If you remember the Improving Diet post, you’ll remember that I’m not a stringent diet groupie. More importantly, I’m not an advocate of completely changing everything about a person’s diet because it’s the hardest habit to alter. Instead, I like to recommend small steps to improve eating, make it habitual, and then take the next step by addressing big things first, then focusing on the little things. It’s analogous to acting as a page, then a squire, and then being accepted into knighthood (with even fewer being raised to lords).
Women who are new to training are no different in that I would ask for gradual changes over time, yet the process is different than a typical guy’s. Societal and government sources would have the public believe granola bars, oatmeal, and orange juice is a healthy breakfast. Carbohydrates, especially the processed variety, run rampant. My first order of business with new female trainees is to get them to eat more protein.
Typically girls, especially those who don’t train, don’t gorge superfluously (unless they’re high?). By getting them to focus on having protein in every snack or meal, they will not only eat more of it, but they won’t have as much of an appetite for other crappier food sources.
Erin Stern has trained for 15+ years and some how didn't get bulky
Protein won’t make a girl bulky, especially since she not only hasn’t had a history of accidentally becoming bulky but more importantly females only have 5 to 10% of the testosterone that a male has. Instead, protein is the most abundant molecule in the body that is a major structural component of all cells — muscle, organs, hair, and skin — and helps regulate metabolism, form blood cells, and supports the immune system. The average woman is deficient in protein intake, and she will significantly improve her health by consuming more if it…even without exercise.
Then we compound this new-found protein intake with a proper program (this or this), and she is on her way to being lean and strong.
My friend Courtney Modecki, a female oddly enough, is in agreement with the “progressive steps” method of improving diet with women. She pointed out to me that it’s a sensitive issue since ranging from eating disorders to emotional issues with eating as a result of obesity. We both agreed that eating breakfast is one of the first progressions we would urge, along with increasing protein intake.
Courtney pointed out that she found it easy to get women to adapt to eating whole eggs. Some girls can be weary of meat (for whatever reason), but eggs are cheap and can be easily prepared to preference. Since each egg has the protein equivalent of an ounce of meat, they are a significant addition to a female diet.
Lastly, whey protein added into smoothies is another form of protein intake that is acceptable and easy to a female new to training. Whey is perfectly acceptable for any type of trainee, although it shouldn’t be relied on for the primary source of protein in a day. 50 grams of protein can be consumed through whey by women — this would typically leave another 100 grams for them to consume in food. In comparison, that number can be 75 to 100 grams for a male, and it leaves 100 to 150 grams for the average guy to eat through food. It doesn’t matter if a majority of the protein is consumed all at once, but typically we aim for a distribution throughout the day to prepare the body for training as well as recovering after.
The diet topic, especially concerning women who need to change it, can be extensive. Courtney and I have will explore this topic in future “70’s Big Female posts” on Mondays.
Happy PR Friday — post your week’s personal bests or training updates to the comments.
There are two sides to a successful heavy lift: the volitional violence at a critical point in the lift coupled with a pre-existing shot of adrenaline. The former consists of gritting your teeth and ripping through each rep. The latter, however, is more of a skill that has to be developed over time. Considering that I’ve raised my heart rate by 50 beats per minute while sitting in a chair getting ready to squat, I’ll draw on my own experiences while combining some simple stuff I learned while studying sport psychology a few years ago.
Most people, especially stereotypical powerlifters, will use music as their source of external motivation. Even your average friend will have an image of a guy listening to inexplicable death metal and screaming prior to a lift that represents a similar range of motion to Stephen Hawking’s squat. This isn’t always the case, but douche bags — as well as mammoths — do exist.
Now consider the opposite side of the equation: the crafty champion. He is a man who wears an armored suit of serenity, yet his mind is full of wroth. He is courteous to the judges, undergoes his routine, seamlessly hits his lift, and pays homage to the crowd after a personal best. He has learned to summon the dragons from within.
Causing a raucous prior to lifting is a young man’s method of boosting his adrenaline; it’s more primal, easier to do. Yelling and flailing about is an external method of raising adrenaline, because the actions are typically associated with anger, action, and violence. Let’s learn how to develop the mental aspect of lifting.
