Diving right in.

Matt Cameron:

Do you ever mix front squats into your workout?

Matt,

Appreciate this very much. Here’s why:

I’ve been performing front squats on and off for many moons. I value the move highly. I’m not alone. From breakingmuscle.com:

From a coaching perspective, front squats are easier to teach, almost self-correcting, and promote better depth. From an injury prevention perspective, they incur less shear forces and compressive forces. They are also kinder on the shoulders (in most cases.) From an athletic perspective, front squats facilitate awesome core strength and have incredible carry over into other strength movements – not just strength-wise, but in terms of position and mechanics too.

Recently, I have most definitely been off my front squat game. Your question serves as a friendly reminder that I’d like to bring them back for a while.

You never know where the right words at the right time will arrive.

Thanks,

Kap

Justin Smith:

I see a lot of mixed info about general targets of the amount of protein to consume each day. I have seen anywhere from 0.5 g per lb up to 1.5 g per lb, that can be a huge difference for a 200 lb guy. I often wonder how much is too much and is just being wasted. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on targeted intake of proteins, fats, and carbs in a healthy diet. Thanks for all the great posts and happy holidays!

Thanks, Justin.

I don’t buy that our bodies will throw a fit if we feed it 0.7 grams of protein per pound per day instead of 0.9, for example. Many of the numbers you and I have read about for years were never backed by conclusive evidence. Rather, they were meant to serve as guidelines and, despite their good intentions, created a great deal of stress for a large number of muscle seeking athletes. I have consistently illuminated the importance of nutritional balance. I never (now) count grams of protein or calories or cut carbs. Instead, I look for animal flesh, fruits and veggies and try to spice them up with delicious flavors. In fact, I crushed a bunch of veggies with parsley/scallion hummus and chicken while answering your query. I don’t have any clue how many grams of whatever was in my fare. I do know I’m fully satiated and that my body sponged what it needed.

Appreciate you stopping by,

Kap

Msquared:

What’s your take on meal size?

My man. The size of a meal is certainly relative. I like this topic for a full post. Not surprising given your continually inspiring questions.

I’ll keep it short here and expand at a later date. Eating slowly, something I don’t do well generally, provides the answer for me when it comes to how large my meals should be. When I take my time through the the consumption of a meal and hunt quality ingredients and nutritional content, I’m full before I go too far. Like I said, it’s all relative. Whenever I eat a few bites of animal flesh and bones, some raw veggies and an apple slowly, I don’t need another bite.

More detail another day,

Kap