The Intelligent Workout

I’m here today with the Son of Grok discussing the process of going Primal. He went from being a smoker, heavy drinker, and nearly 250 pounds to 186 pounds with perfect cholesterol levels and newfound ability to handle stress with ease. He loves the food that he is eating, the workouts he is performing, and his set of rock hard abs straight out of the Stone Age.

So SoG, How would you summarize the Primal lifestyle?

Hmm that’s hard… “The quickest, easiest and most sustainable path to general fitness, health and well-being.”

Sounds like a pretty good deal – How long have you been following the primal lifestyle?

Since August of ‘08 just after my honeymoon. I am coming up on my One Year Primal Anniversary! Most of my weight came off within the first several months and my health has just been getting better since.

Congratulations, I’m sure your wife enjoyed watching your transformation. Exactly how far does Primal reach? Is it just diet and exercise or do you avoid parabens and the like to stay as close to Grok as possible?

I do take being Primal beyond just diet and exercise in some aspects. One important thing to me is in chemical exposure. I try to use all natural products when possible… soaps, deodorants, et cetera. I think Mark Sisson referred to it as “reducing your chemical load”. In my opinion, this really does help one’s health and wellness. I also make sure to get plenty of natural sunlight, within reason of course, and fresh air. There is also a fun “do it yourself” aspect of living Primal for me where I build my own workout equipment and stuff like that. I try to keep it all realistic though. I don’t shun my corrective lenses or other modern things that improve quality of life.

Sounds like quite an Intelligent Caveman, a new blog may be in order. But can you go Primal if you’re a college student or a frugal bugle? Is it worth the cost/benefit?

I wish that I had known about Primal when I was a college student. Eating Primally can be so much cheaper that eating out every single meal like I did. Were I back in college now and broke I would probably eat eggs all day every day and it doesn’t get much cheaper than that. Even if you want to “splurge” on things like beef, canned salmon, which I think costs all of $2.50 a can LoL, and the like, the cost/benefit ratio is way on the benefit side. Considering that college is a time where most people tend to put on weight (Freshman 15 anyone?) and define many of their lifestyle habits for the rest of their lifetime.

Haha, those poor incoming freshman didn’t stand a chance against buffet style meals and the ice cream machine in the cafeteria. But do you ever feel restricted in your diet? Do you even consider it a diet?

Not at all. If anything I eat far better and with more variety now than I ever have. Prior to kicking sugar and grains, I probably would have called myself nuts and said the typical “I could never do that”. Thing is though that there is SO much you can do with natural food that it still amazes me. Especially once you start cooking all your meals for yourself, the possibilities are endless. The ever increasing list of recipes on my site is just a sampling of my kitchen creations. As for considering it a diet, that just cracks me up. People get so sensitive about certain things. Bottom line is what you eat IS your diet. You could technically eat nothing but cheeseburgers and that would be your “diet”. The fact that part of being Primal is what you eat then yes… it would encompass a diet. It is more than about just what you eat though so I would call it a lifestyle.

Good point. Technically everyone is on a diet even if it is sporadic, unhealthy, and unprepared. Do any complex carbs such as quinoa and steel cut oats or organic low fat dairy have a place in the primal diet?

Quinoa and steel cut oats have no place in my diet at all. Neither does organic low fat dairy. However, I do not see any problem at all with incorporating a little organic FULL FAT dairy as long as you can digest it decently. I eat organic butter, occasional cheese, and sour cream with no problems. While not truly “Primal”, I think the profile of organic full fat dairy is close enough that of primal that it is not a problem as long as your body can digest it.

I’ve been hearing the word “Primal” all over the internet. Is there a difference between going Primal, Paleo, Caveman, or are they all generally the same system?

The main difference between Primal and Paleo as far as I can tell is the view on fats. Us Primal cats don’t demonize saturated fat which I think still gets a bad rap in the Paleo approach. I think that while both Primal and Paleo do share similarities, there are definite differences. Paleo seems to focus more on just eating practices while Primal (and I suppose Caveman) focuses on a broader model to include exercise and lifestyle.

Speaking of lifestyle can you be a Primal Partygoer or is Grok a teetotaler? What’s the Primal perspective on alcohol?

Alcohol can actually provide health benefits. The trick is to make the right choices and respect moderation. Animals in nature are attracted to fermented fruit in the wild and Grok probably would have even gotten his hands on some from time to time, though not what we drink now and not in the frequency or quantity. A glass of red wine is chock full of antioxidants and in my opinion is the best option. I frequently have a glass of red wine with dinner or if we go to an evening social function. You can definitely do without the sugar laden mixers and liquors. As for beer I don’t drink it anymore (and I used to be a beer fiend!). I don’t think a beer here or there is the end all by any means but as always… Respect Moderation.

Glad I don’t have to give up my occasional pint of Guinness. Do you ever have to break the primal lifestyle at a party, restaurant, movie theatre or do you always have some primal jerky handy? Along the same lines, is cheating part of the primal lifestyle? How would a scoop of ice cream come in to play?

I always have the primal jerky handy. I tend to be a little more gung ho than most though. I always plan ahead with nuts, jerky, kipper snacks or sardines. Can you get away the occasional snafu? Definitely. I just haven’t ever really had the need or desire to personally. I think that the occasional cheat is a perfectly healthy part of a primal lifestyle. Some people call it the 80/20 rule. Whatever you want to call it, I think it’s perfectly alright and I advocate it even if I don’t really practice it. One of the Primal desserts I have created recipes for on my website, some cheese or a little bit of red wine is really as close to cheating as I ever get and it is more than enough for me. I can see the temptation for ice cream especially as it is getting hot during the summer. An ice cream here or there probably won’t kill you. I make a pretty kickin’ milkshake out of 100% cocoa, berries, and coconut milk that is just as good as any ice cream in my opinion. A caveat: At the end of the month though I will break that streak. It will be my one year wedding anniversary and I must honor a promise to eat a piece of my wedding cake. I am still not sure how that is going to pan out…

Stay strong SoG. Maybe your wife will do a set of Grok Squats with you. I’m sure there are a few grams of Grok Approved Protein in there, somewhere, perhaps, maybe? Speaking of which I think a jug of whey protein is the greatest thing in the world. Would I have to give it up? Can I still be like Grok??

I am not of the opinion that you have to give up your whey by any means. I would recommend sticking to one of the pure whey isolate types and avoid all the sugar and other crap they put in most protein powder. Whey is still an excellent option when you get in a protein pinch. That being said, I have actually long given up my whey drinks and am glad for it. I would much rather put back an omelet or a big bowl of egg salad (or some other real food source of protein) than some shake any day. For me, I get more than enough protein in a day without the whey. As far as portable protein options, I prefer jerky and tins of kippers or sardines. This may sound way out there, but I think more people would benefit from a good fish oil supplement than whey protein shakes.

Good call on the fish oils. Great supplement for heart health, joint health, and keeping your brain intelligent. It is tough to escape from all the sweeteners in protein powder. I also would much rather be eating a slab of flank steak everyday.

Well I am all out of inquires… My Primal Knowledge has been significantly buffed. Thanks to Son of Grok for the great information on living the Primal lifestyle. Be sure to check out his website Son Of Grok as well as Mark Sisson’s new book The Primal Blueprint at Mark’s Daily Apple.