The Anabolic Challenge
Becoming the Strongest Version Of Yourself is a commitment to taking action towards all of the necessary physical, physiological, psychological and lifestyle adjustments that our mind-body and spirit guide us to.
Our bodies are constantly speaking to us and guiding us towards actions that support the evolution of our strength.
Many people refer to the body’s appeals as “The Gut Instinct.” This is accurate as the gut produces a great percentage of the body’s neurotransmitters, and is well aligned with the intentions of nature and your heart.
Nature wants us to be strong.
In fact, nature abhors weakness of all kinds and often does away with weak organisms in order to make room for the strong.
You don’t have to be Darwin to accept the fact that weak crops are devoured by pests, weak animals are invaded by parasites and pathogens and weak human beings spend much of their so-called lives sick, sad, injured, impotent and depressed! (also usually infested with pests, pathogens and parasites)
Feel free to attack the statement above with any heart-felt, hippie squabble but the fact remains… only the strongest really ever LIVE.
And by strong I don’t mean aggressive, arrogant, overpowering or physically dominant.
I mean calm, confidant, courageous, happy, healthy, generous, vibrant, vital, balanced, beautiful, and STRONG!
These are the type of men and women who contribute to the world either by way of trade, industry, art, communication, family or prayer.
Their energy is STRONG and is a refection of their thoughts, words, actions, habits and character.
Ladies and gentlemen… THIS is the type of person that we all strive to become, and is the reason WHY we train.
We understand that a weak, ugly body can hardly reflect to majestic magnificence that we yearn to express.
We are strong in spirit and our bodies are the vehicle for its expression!
When your body is lean, fit, supple and strong it speaks volumes about your character.
It tells the world that you are on a serious mission. That you are here to take care of business and aren’t willing to let a moment pass in laziness or dysfunction.
Here Is The Problem…
There are times when we feel our efforts are self defeating.
When we bring our FIRE to the fight, day-in-and-day-out, there comes a point when what was once a roaring blaze seems to be no more than a flickering matchstick.
Then as we double our efforts by training harder, training longer, cutting more calories and taking on greater commitments, it begins to feel as if everything is being done in vain.
Results come to a screeching halt!
You begin to question your intentions, your abilities and your work ethic.
I don’t know about you… but I’ve been in this battle before, several times!
What Went Wrong?
Everything in nature is a dialectic.
It’s a dance between seeming opposites.
We can not have day, without night.
We can not have light, without dark.
We can not have summer, without winter.
We can not have cool, without hot.
We can not have heaven, without hell.
…this list goes on, and on.
In fact, just about everything in our world follows this natural rhythm.
This natural rhythm is expressed deep within human psychology and physiology!
It’s hard coded into our DNA.
It’s wisdom is as old as man himself.
We see this law of contrast in the ancient traditions of the East within the Yin and Yang of the Taiji, as well as in the poem of Genesis where man and woman are invited to partake of the “Tree Of Wisdom” that brings him the insight of “good” and “evil”.
Its this interplay of opposites that creates the energy by which we live.
From the ON / OFF switches that power the digital age, to the systolic and diastolic actions of our hearts.
…But, over time we have come to resist this natural balance.
We wish for it to always be daytime… and electricity has made it so.
We wish for it to forever be springtime… and air conditioning / heating makes it so.
We wish to produce healthy crops without rotation… and pesticides make it so.
We wish to ALWAYS BE FORCING… and never to yield.
In our forcefulness, despite the appeals of nature and our intuition, we disrupt a rhythm that is at the very core of our strength and vitality.
The Circadian Rhythm of
Anabolism & Catabolism
When we ignore this rhythm we find that no matter how astute our efforts, results come slowly, if at all.
Chronic ignorance of this cycle leads to all sorts of dysfunctions including low vitality, low libido, diminished physical strength and power, poor focus and concentration, poor immunity and the onset of disease.
By pushing harder when your body is begging you to yield, you cause the over production of YANG, Catabolic Breakdown Hormones, and a decrease in YIN Anabolic Building Hormone release.
It’s like fighting fire with fire!
In order to restore balance, and bring back the natural anabolic responses of the circadian rhythm, there are several steps we can take.
It’s been over a year since I became a pro strongman, tore my biceps tendon and began steering my life in a new direction.
Amongst several physical advancements that I’ve made, including losing 60 pounds and riding my digestive system of some common yet deadly bacterial infections with the help of my naturopath Dr. Kalish, I have begun practicing the cultivation of internal strength through holistic health practices.
With this new commitment to building strength from the core, I have implemented the following nutrition, training and lifestyle strategies to bring balance and superior strength to my physiology.
Its a game plan for building the foundation of becoming The Strongest Version Of Yourself.
I share them with you below… along with a challenge!
The Anabolic Challenge!
For the next 30 days I challenge you to bring your natural anabolic hormone production up to par by following the steps below and keeping a journal of your experiences. You can post your journal in the comments area below or keep it confidential.
Either way, if you want to restore your strength, energy and vitality… START NOW!
You may need to make big adjustments to your life in order to accommodate this challenge… but THAT is why it’s called a challenge!
This is the foundation for becoming the strongest version of you! — Good luck.
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1. Wake daily between 5am – 9am, even weekends. If possible, also complete your cardiovascular physical training at this time. My workout consists of some bodyweight circuit training at this time and I follow up with heavy lifting around 4pm.
2. Splash cold water on your face or take a cold shower upon rising. This has several benefits including an energizing effect that may rid your need for caffeine.
3. Eliminate all gluten containing grains (barley, rye, oats, wheat, spelt). This will lower gut inflammation as well as the associated immune response, leaving you more anabolic.
4. Eliminate all processed foods. This basically leaves you eating only meats, eggs, veggies, some grains, root veggies and fruits. I also include raw dairy (if you can get it) in my diet.
5. ONLY drink water! During this challenge you are not to drink anything except water. Use coffee and tea (without sugar) sparingly. No coffee or caffeine after 1pm, and NO ALCOHOL ever.
6. Eliminate sugar in all it’s forms. #4 pretty much covers this one.
7. Take a mid day nap or “down time”. To assist the anabolic pathways later in the day it is best to take a nap, meditate, or just sit with your eyes closed for 30-60 minutes between the hours of 11am – 1pm.
I meditate using Holosync meditation at this time.
** This step alone has been the most beneficial step for me. It may be the one that most people will have a hard time committing to, but it may very well be the most important step.
8. Practice Anabolic Energizer Exercises (click here to learn more) – at least once per day, best upon rising OR at bedtime.
9. Be mindful of your breathing & emotions - several times throughout the day you are to simply bring your awareness to your BREATH. If you have a tendency to hold your breath or breathing shallow, use this as an opportunity to take longer, slower breaths.
Also “create a space” between outside stimulus and your response. If you tend to be an emotional person, STOP yourself from reacting, take a deep breath and then consciously choose your next action.
10. Go to bed no later than 11pm daily, even weekends. This will allow for the full spectrum of anabolic hormones to be given enough time to be released into your body for building and recovery.
RECOMMENDED READING:
During these 30 days I also invite you to study all of the books below. Each book is a prized addition to my personal library and has had a profound impact on my health, strength, performance, career, family and happiness.
Listen To Your Body: The Wisdom Of The Dao
Qigong For Health & Martial Arts
Your Guide To Healthy Hormones
Good luck… you’ll be a newer, stronger you in 30 days!
Related posts:
About a week before the 1st day in October, I decided my diet needed a massive overhaul. I was living off of milk, eggs, pastry’s (from the bakery I work in), and not much else. I figured the best way to change was to start from scratch. So I went strict vegan for the entire month of October. It was kinda hard for the first week but after that, it was a pretty smooth trip. I learned a ton, my eating habits are now actually good habits, and I’m actually thinking about what I’m eating. Now that’s over, I wanted something a little more challenging and this may just be what I am looking for. I’m gonna give your challenge a shot.
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Max
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November 8th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Great Work. Thanks
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Haha! As a devoted fan of yours… I’m already doing all of it, actually! Works great for me:) Love the post!
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I am a little confused with 3 and 4 it says no grains but then in number 4 says some grains? I want to start this but I want to make alan and outline my next 30 days.
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Elliott
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November 8th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
“gluten containing grains (barley, rye, oats, wheat, spelt)” — so you can have the very limited “gluten free” grains like buckwheat.
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Haha plan not alan!
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Im In…. I will keep a journal and do my best to to everything
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I am really new to this whole gluten free thing so I am trying to learn, thanks for the input! What are your thoughts on gluten free steel cut oats?
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Elliott, This program is great if your life is your own, but for those of us who have 8-5 or 9-6 jobs before adding a 30 to 60 minute commute, a more practical schedule would be better.
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Elliott
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November 8th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Do the best you can with what you’ve got Jim… drinking water and cutting alcohol and grains shouldn’t cost you any more time than you already invest.
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Count me in Elliott..thanks for the challenge!
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Huge fan of yours Elliott!! After following you for sometime I find myself doing 8 out of 10 of these.it us kind of difficult to take a nap during the day due to my work. I sometimes eat oatmeal in the a.m. does that contain gluten and should I eliminate that from my diet? Thanks again keep up the great work.
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[...] is why I created The Anabolic Challenge for you to [...]
Awesome article Elliot! I will take on this challenge with 3 guys on my team. Looking foward to it. Also i am half way through your Manifesto of strength, Great book. Faith Focus Finish
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great article again elliot can you give any recommendations on what diet to follow with this challenge because I get bogged down with the nurtitional side of things.
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any thoughts on bringing the cycle back together after a weekend of late nights? I don’t mean partying, but I’m in a band, so most Fri/Sat nights I’m lucky to get in bed before 3am.
Are there any kickstarts/restarts to getting the cycle back on after a lapse or does it really matter as long as you jump back in?
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wat about cheat dayz elliot no cheat days for this challenge??
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Elliot you mentioned Holosync, I have been looking at that program. I believe that Jason Ferruggia uses it as well but I haven’t been able to find anyone I trust to tell me their opinion on it. So… what do you think? Also there is a a similar program call LifeFlow that I am also trying to decide between anyone have any experience with either/both of these for a comparison?? Thanks all!!
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Elliott
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November 16th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
I give it my 1,000% endorsement! I can honestly believe that I wouldn’t be anywhere NEAR where I am today if I had not been meditating with Holosync.
I don’t get any commission for suggesting their product, I just know how amazing it really is and feel compelled to share it.
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Adam
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November 16th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Have you heard of LifeFlow? It is a similar product but actually costs less. Which makes me wonder cause sometimes you get what u pay for.
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Elliott
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November 16th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
I’ve never heard of it, so i really can’t say.
A quick question on the timing of training in relation to circadian rhythm. I’ll agree that strength training in the late afternoon/evening provides the best anabolic environment throughout the entire day. We tend to reserve skill work and sport specific work for the late am so as to captilize on skill acquisition.
But the conundrum I’ve had as of late is this…what is TOO late for the strength training? I and you could easily delve into the many factors (CNS activity, pwo meals, cortisol levels, T:C ratio, artificial light, etc). But that would be one long comment. I’m looking for more of a rule of thumb one could use that is based on all the science, to determine what is too late for training. Granted it might get violated from time to time. But getting an ideal, and working towards that with what’s possible, is always a great plan of attack.
Thanks!
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