I have missed a lot of things about living on Kauai. Family, Hiking, solitude…. and the coconut water! I used to get gallons of Coconut water from a friend on the East side who would fill up old milk jugs and glass bottles with the totally pure, totally unfiltered water . Served ice cold, there is nothing like it. Coincidentally, it was also perfect for my training. Coconut water is by far the main stop gap between out nutritional deficiencies as well as optimal recovery from training and sweating. I would go as far as to say it is the BEST recovery tool we can use.
Coconut Water crushes the Sports Drink Competition.
As with everything that nature provides, it over delivers on what we actually need. All sports drink use flavoring (sugar), coloring, and other artificial flavors to make their drinks match up to what we can get from either water or food. From GUT health to calories, Coconut water is literally balanced perfect to get the goods into our blood stream without messing with nature. Literally, the sugar in gatorade gives you the same calorie count as a soda whereas coconut water maxes out at 80 calories if you drink a whole can or pint glass.
Potassium Rich food.
When training, sweating and going the distance your body loses an electrolyte called potassium. We have all heard that bananas are the best for this but you get the same amount in coconut water. Lets compare;
Bananas 420mg
Gatroade 30mg
Coconut Water 405mg.!!!
The additional importance of potassium has to do with what it does in the GUT. It is pH balanced so that the gut flora and receptor pumps are not effected by its presence. This means that the GUT remains ‘calm’ during digestion and more is absorbed. The balance helps to saturate the blood and liver better than even water.
Sodium levels on point.
The other VITAL electrolyte is Sodium. While too much sodium is associated with cardiovascular issues and heart disease, depleting the body can lead to everything from cramps, digestive issues and heart attack. On a day when we are at a baseline level, our optimal amount of mg per day is 1500. When training, the cells need more sodium to allow for work to be done and electrical charges to pass easily from cell to muscle.
We can lose up to 900mg of sodium in a single workout depending on the length and intensity. Averaging around 200-400mg of sodium loss means we need to replace it immediately to ensure that the muscles dont eat themselves searching for it. Coconut water delivers with 252mg of sodium per serving so it dominates over gatorade once again.
It has the most balanced amount of Calcium and Magnesium.
Our bodies constantly search for balance. From the cellular level all the way up to our five senses. We are not built for extremes, really … we are pretty fragile creatures. Calcium and magnesium are a good example of this. To balance out muscle contraction throughout the body, we need to maintain even levels of both minerals.
Coconut water is not only pH’d for the best digestion, but it also delvers literally the perfect amount of both into the GUT lining to ensure that it doesn’t overload the body and works with the water to help it be absorbed.
Finally we look at how Coconut water is packed with antioxidants.
Just look at where coconuts grow. The environment is usually tropical which means that there is a lot of sunlight. Sunlight is is destructive and so nature has adapted the fruit of this tree to contain big amounts of anti-oxidative properties. This includes specific minerals and amino acids that combat the harsh environment. Oxidative stress occurs when we work out and push our bodies, breaking them down. This is something that even the best hydration sports drinks can deliver on so elegantly.
So if you have the ability to get yourself some coconuts off the tree and bring them to the gym, I would 100% support that. If you dont, there are numerous companies out there now that offer good quality coconut juice without the BS. Plus you will save money by not buying all the expensive supplements and other junk that marketing feeds us.
With you in strength,
Eric
Programming Notes 10/5-10/9 ** This is week 3 of the Fall Back squat Cycle. We go to the box this week, so drop the bar down the back. Aim for the target, (Parallel at the bottom) , and go heavy. Toes forward and feet in a comfortable stance.
10/5
Baseline:
800m Run
2X
12 Single Leg Toe Touch
12 Side Step Reverse Lunge
12 Lateral Line Touches
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Squat Strength:
7X3
Box Squat.
*Heavy Reps =<80%
*Squat to parallel.
*Bar Stay lower on the back.
Conditioning:
5 Rounds
2:00 on // 1:00 Off
Run 100m @ 70% effort
Max Clusters @ 135/95 in remaining Time.
10/6
Baseline:
3X :30 @ Each
-Assault bike
-Push ups
-Deadbug Reach
-Cherry Pickers
-Narrow Stance Squats
Midline Strength:
4X
1:00 Plank Hold
10 ECCENTRIC Box Pistol Squat (each leg)
Strength Workout:
4X
25 Front Rack Kettlebell Walking Lunge
25 Kettlebell Swings
100m Single Arm Farmer Carry
10/7
Baseline:
1000m Row
3X
10 Banded Pass Thru
12 Banded Pull Aparts
14 Banded Press
16 Banded Monster Walks
Shoulder Mobility:
1:00 @ Each
-Lat Banded Stretch
-Bully Stretch
-Scapula Distraction Stretch
Primal Strength:
3X
Max Rep Chin Up
12X Landmine Press (ea arm)
Conditioning:
20 Min AMRAP
9 Cal Row
9 Box Jumps
9 Push Jerks 135/95
9 Pull Ups
10/8
Baseline:
5:00 Easy Biking
3X
10 Scapula Push Ups
8 Elbow To Instep Lunge
6 Med Ball Devils Press
4 Divebomber Push Ups
Midline Strength:
3 Rounds NFT
10 Romanian Deadlift @ 40% of Deadlift max
150’ Sandbag Walk
20 Toes To bar
WOD:
3X
15 Ring Dip
15 Lateral Cone Touch @ 15’
15 Burpee Bar Touch
10/9
Baseline:
5:00 Easy Biking
20 Banded Good Morning
20 Banded Monster Walks
20 Side Lunges
20 Jump Squats
Snatch Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Snatch Deadlift
-Snatch High Pull
-Muscle Snatch
-Overhead Squat
-Back Rack Press
-Hang Power Snatch
-Squat Snatch Below the knee
Snatch Complex:
7 Rounds / Every :90
-Hang Power Snatch
-Snatch
-Snatch Drop
Conditioning:
3X 5 Minute AMRAPS
1 Snatch 185/125
1 Round Cindy
(5 Pull Ups, 10 Push Ups, 15 Squats)
