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8 SERVINGS
167 kcals | 11g Protein | 28g Carbs: 4g Fiber, 8g sugar | 3g Fat

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 2 tbsp ground flax (optional)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 scoops protein powder mixed in 1 to 1.5 cups water (can use 1.5 cups milk instead)
• 1 egg
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional topping but highly recommended)
• 1 greased 8' x 8' baking dish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Measure 2 cups oats into large mixing bowl.
3. Add salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and flax, and mix thoroughly.
4. Mash one banana and mix with egg, set aside.
5. Slice remaining 2 bananas evenly into 32 pieces.
6. Align 16 banana slices in 4 x 4 arrangement in baking dish.
7. Add protein shake, mashed banana, and egg to dry ingredients - fold lightly.
8. Pour mixture into baking dish, try not to disturb bottom row of banana.
9. Level the mixture in the dish, then add remaining banana slices in same 4 x 4 pattern.
10. Top with 1 tbsp of sugar.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center surface is firm to touch.
12. Divide into 8 even servings.
13. Let cool at least 15 minutes before chowing down!

Sometimes we get so caught up with the idea of "optimizing" our training that we find ourselves unable to switch gears. You don't have to be at your strongest, leanest, and fittest all the time - in fact, many strength athletes and coaches would argue against it.

"You can't have the peaks without the valleys"

Often times life gets in the way, and unfortunately we may often perceive this as a nuisance or detriment, when in fact life's inconveniences serves as a natural mode of deloading our body from mechanical stress. The downside of course is that life's inconveniences are typically fraught with mental stresses, so we have to manage those too.

Training can be very simple, or it can get very complicated. For most people it should be the former, but also remember that without practice, everything is complicated in the beginning. Acquiring skills and honing requires ACTION and AWARENESS. You must take action, but also be aware of the feedback you get from your body: the nuances of the exercise, the consequence of making mistakes, the systemic impact of the whole workout, the muscle messaging you get afterwards (Stiffness, soreness, pain, etc.), and how you adapt to that feedback. Below is a list of the ACTIONS you must take when developing your training regimen, and the part you should pay most attention to (AWARE).

ACTION - Start with the general approach - try many exercises
BE AWARE - of which ones you like best (you are more consistent when you do things you enjoy)

ACTION - Narrow your repertoire - identify a movement fundamentals checklist
BE AWARE - that when training for strength, the human body expresses mechanical efficiency within a limited series of patterns that serve as the basis for all variants (e.g. Hinge Pattern, it's derivatives include: unilateral DL, Good Morning, Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge, Inverted Plank, Hardstyle Swings, Softstyle Swings, Snatch, Clean, Broad Jump, Sprinting, Sumo Deadlift, Medball Slam, Over The Shoulder Throw / Keg Toss, ....). Start with the simplest form, and master it before experimenting.

ACTION - Train all these movement patterns 2-3x weekly, with undulating intensity
BE AWARE - that there is a minimum effective dose for training adaptions. 2x / week / muscle group or pattern is typical, with 3x / week showing a mild advantage. If you try 3x / week per movement but you find recovery taking a hit, go back to 2x / week. This presumes the presence of adequate sleep, hydration, nutrition, stress status.

Undulating intensity means:
E.g.
Mon - LEGS: HEAVY, 5-8 reps, 8-10 hard sets
Thurs - LEGS: LIGHT, 12-20 reps, 6-8 sets to fatigue
If doing a third day, start with an extra light day - OR - if you are doing SPLIT TRAINING (i.e. LEGS/CHEST/BACK/ARMS all diff days) then you can have 1 extra FULL BODY day to hit ALL MUSCLE GROUPS. Keep it medium intensity, 3-4 sets per muscle group/movement.

ACTION - Predetermine your light and heavy days
BE AWARE - that when left to make the decision yourself, freedom of choice tends to reinforce your bias. So if you tend to find it difficult not going hard every session, without a set program to follow you may find yourself training every session hard & heavy and be on the fast-track to possible overtraining syndrome, AS WELL AS possibly leave some metabolic training adaptations on the table. If you tend to hold yourself back, then if left to decide you will find yourself likely not reaching your minimum effective training stimulus.

The above suggestions aren't meant for you to "optimally strategize your training periodization protocols" (don't I sound so scientific and smart?)....these are just minimum standards to ensure that the time you invest in the gym pays dividends back to your body and psyche.

Do you have a good understanding of why your diet didn't work, or why it may have worked initially but you couldn't sustain it?  Millions of people diet, and dieting is a Billion dollar if not Trillion dollar industry.  The culture of body image and weight loss means big bucks for people looking to capitalize by marketing diet products and programs.
You've probably tried a few different diets and achieved similar results, or perhaps you experienced divergent results but a common regression to your original starting point - perhaps you ended up gaining more than you lost.  This is a common problem.  It's been said that we don't have trouble losing weight - people do it everyday.  Rather, we have trouble keeping weight off.  Why?

The reason....

Please watch, listen, and share the video lecture.

What is connection?

Connection means connecting the arm holding the kettlebell to your body (i.e. the hips) in order to conduct the force of your hip drive into the bell.
This is the foundation upon which kettlebell swinging works.  You cannot create a ballistic swing if you don't have connection, because you cannot launch the bell (i.e. arm) off a surface it was never connected to.
Connection means more power, but it also means lifting safer because it shortens what is referred to in the study of biomechanics as the moment arm.
A moment arm is the length between a joint axis or fulcrum and the line of force acting on that joint.

This is my interpretation of the line of action in a kettlebell swing.  I'm not a physics wizard so if anyone else is well studied on lines of action and moment arms feel free to add your take if you feel like there is a significant discrepancy with what actually happens during the swing.
Basically, the longer the line of red dots (moment arm), the more stress the back lever undergoes.  Not connecting to the hips also displaces the relative load higher up the spine to the scapula (anchor) increasing the risk of back injury.  So example (A) exhibits less risk and less stress, whereas example (B) exhibits more risk and more stress.

It cannot be stressed enough how fundamentally crucial this concept is.  If you don't get this concept then you should not be lifting.  It's fine if you're working on it, and really it's something you should ALWAYS be working on.  But not adhering to this principle makes you a back lifter, and a back lifter is not a safe lifter.

Play safe!

Coach Solly