Im going deep today.. Real deep inside your cells to educate you all on the building blocks of who you are. DNA or Dioxyribonucleic Acid is the genesis of all living things on this earth. The macromolecule is anything but simple. Some speculate that the arrangement is as close to proof of a GOD as anything that science can offer. Think about it. Out of all the space junk floating around the universe Nature has found a way to carefully group nucleotides (Amino Acids) together to form the instructions for LIFE! If this doesn’t flip your lid, you gotta get with the program. Lets dive in on 5 amazing facts about your DNA.
As we look into our health from all angles and perspectives, you can inevitably reduce it all down to your DNA. From Athletic Performance to what color your kids hair will potentially be, its all in there. The trends towards understanding more about the complicated Double Helix are nothing new, in fact they are quite main stream. Commercial companies like 23andme.com have exploded in popularity as it gives real insight into what you are truly made of and where your life will go. Sorry Fortune Tellers and Psychics! When you want hard facts and prescriptive possibilities on your future, you need to look at your DNA.
1. There is a TON of it packed in your body.
Nearly Every living cell in your body is jam packed with your DNA. The amount of DNA in each cell is hard to qualify because in our reality we cannot even conceptualize how small a cell really is, but let me put it like this. If you were to take one cell and extract the DNA from it, you would have 2 Meters with of Genetic Instruction on how to build you! If this were extrapolated to include all cells in the entire body, your DNA length would be 2X the size of our solar system!
2. DNA is incredibly simple.
We all know that Amino Acids are Protein basics. There are 22 Amino acids, 9 of them are essential for complete protein synthesis and on 4 of them are utilized in the DNA of you. These Amino Acids Are ; adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). These Amino acids (called nucleotides), like all others in the formation of proteins, are sequenced together to form long chains. The Human Genome has 3 BILLION base pairs of these Amino Acid complexes. Did this just blow your mind? It is so random and chaotic that it just has to make sense.
3. We are all related.
From the Dawn of bi-pedal ape man until now, our DNA really yhas’t changed very much. Since the mapping of the Human Genome started in 1990 there has been an amazing realization which says that we all share 99.9% of the same DNA. Researchers have dug up bones from hundreds of thousand of years ago and surprisingly, our DNA matches. The last .1% of DNA that is truly US is so diverse its scary. With only .1% of differentiated DNA we have the reasons for why each of us is a different athlete, likes the foods we like, needs the exact amounts of vitamins and minerals, and are attracted to a certain type of mate.
Another interesting fact is that 50% of our DNA is directly identical to the foods that we eat.
4. RNA; Respect Homie!
If DNA is the Queen Bee, RNA is the Worker Bee. RNA or Ribonucleic Acid moves Genetic information from one protein to assemble another. Think of it like the production of honey. The honey bee has innate instructions that tell it to gather pollen and turn that pollen into honey. These RNA are like the honey bee, moving around and transforming small AMINO ACIDS into PROTEINS. Protein production needs to be constant in order for your life to keep on going. Cells are constantly being born and dying in your body. The reason why Physical Exercise is so important is that it assists in the bodys ability to produce new and healthy cells. Through exercise and a healthy diet we are providing the building blocks for optimal DNA transfer from old cells to new vibrant cells. RNA is essential for that transfer… so mad respect goes out for the tiny worker bees in your body!
5. Virus and Mutations shape us.
Our DNA is ancient and very fragile, Another wonder as to how we have made it this far and have the intelligence we do. Much of our DNA is Viral DNA picked up over the eons as we have lived in direct relation to nature. Virus’ are probably more amazing than anything else and if you are hell bent on identifying your personal GOD with a tangible ‘thing’, dont picture a human floating in another dimension; it is most likely a Virus you picked up from our Caveman relatives 50,000 years ago! Virus’ continue to evolve and so does our DNA. Nature is not going to stop evolving and therefore our DNA picks up slight mutations to change with it. Global Warming is a good example. As our environment is changing, so is our DNA. We Will likely develop DNA mutations that can help us deal with extreme climate swings. When you train consistently, you alter your DNA slightly in favor of adapting to the stress that comes with training.
The world opened up to us in 2003 when the Human Genome was finally mapped out. Insights in the Human species from our past, are now helping us to live better today and plan out how the future of our species will endure. DNA, the smallest instruction manual ever, has the power to unlock the truest understanding of your physical self. But, as we are more than just our physical selves, the spiritual and mental aspects are not yet fully understood. It is up to you to keep pushing to fully grasp the depth of your mental toughness, spiritual oneness, and love of yourself. Ill keep supporting you if you keep mutating towards being a better person.
With so much love and respect,
Eric
Programming Notes 3/18-3/22 *** This is week 6 of the Gymnastic strength exposure cycle. As well we continue to work power capacity on Monday with some Ballistic Squats. A Ballistic Squat is a controlled lower (eccentric) and then a powerful, almost jump, out fo the bottom. Reset before each rep but perform them quickly. Finishing the week we have unilateral work that is going to send you into the week end with a nice backside.
3/18
Baseline:
400m Run
3x
10 Side Lunges
10 Knee To Elbow Push Up
10 Jump Squat 180’s
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
20 Minute EMOM:
A- 6 Ballistic ‘Bodyweight’ Squats
B-8 Lateral box Jump Overs/ 8 Russian Kettlebell Swings
*Scale the weight on the Squat to allow for ballistic ‘jump’
Finisher:
2X 400m Run @ 5 K Pace
3/19
Baseline:
3X
35 High Knee jump Rope
5 Burpee
10 Banded Lat Pull Down
15 Med Ball Thruster
Shoulder Primer:
W/ Light Dumbbells
3X 8
-Bent Row
-Reverse Flys
-Strict Press
-Lateral Raises
Gymnastic Strength:
Week 6**
3X
Max Strict Pull Ups
then,
1:00 Hollow body Flutter Kicks
Conditioning:
AMRAP 12
20 V Ups
50 Double Unders
20 Single Arm Kettlebell Thrusters
3/20
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
10 Kip Swing
8 Divebomber Push ups
6 Arm Haulers
4 Elbow To instep Lunge + Reach
1X
12 Banded Pull APARTS
12 Banded Pass Thrus
12 Banded Trunk Twist
12 Banded Press + Rip
Upper Body Strength:
4 Rounds Not For Time
12 Hip Bridge Barbell Floor Press
10 Barbell Bent Row
8 Push Press W/ Pause @ Shoulder
Conditioning:
3X
100’ Kettlebell Overhead Lunge
25 Burpee Over Kettlebell
3/21
Baseline:
4X :30
-Hip Swivel Kicks
-Bird Dogs
-Mountain Climbers
-Side Lunges
-Lateral Line Touches @ 10m
-Linear Line Touch/Backpedal @ 10m
Aerobic Capacity:
Every 2 Minutes for 24 Minutes
A- 25/20 Cal Bike
B- 400m Run/ 300m on Air Runner
C- 25/20 Cal Row
Cool Down:
Banded Hamstring
Banded Squat Hold
Banded Lateral Distraction Hip Stretch
3/22
Baseline:
4X
100m Med Ball Run
10 Med Ball Squats
12 Med Ball Single Leg Deadlift
20 Med ball Toe Taps
Strength:
20 Minutes @ casual Pace
8 Single Leg Deadlift ea. (barbell or Dumbbells)
6 Single Leg Hip Thrust ea.(weight on hip or not , you choose)
8 Box Pistol Squat ea.
WOD;
“Karen Bites hard”
150 Wall Ball Shots
EMOM 2 Deadlift @ 225/135
