I don’t know about you, but I grew up with super heroes in cartoons and comic books that were impossibly muscled and capable of incredible feats of strength, speed, stamina, etc. It was exciting and alluring. Hey, if I could get bit by a radioactive spider and then have super human strength, be able to climb walls, and have a super human sense when something is about to go wrong, SIGN ME UP! But here in reality, nobody can become super human…or can they?
I think with a little bit of mental reframing of the term super human, I can. Turning my focus back on myself, what is super human? First, “my” definition of super human – the ability to do a maximum effort task that I was previously unable to do – may involve more repetitions, more weight, and/or less time. Next, in order to get really excited about this, I think about the miracle of “me” in every moment and appreciate it. I have life in my body, I can breathe, I can think, my heart is pumping life-giving blood throughout my body, my organs are functioning perfectly without so much as a second thought from me, etc.
Ok, with that background, I thought back through the last 10 years of my life and where I started and am now. Here are a few of my old human abilities:
- Max Pushups – 20
- Max Pullups – 3
- Max Air Squats – 30
- Withstand sub freezing temperatures comfortably in shorts and bare feet – 0 minutes
For my “now super human” abilities, I’m going to use the minimum numbers I can do at night when I was dead tired before I went to bed. Actually, doing exercises got my heart rate cranked up a little and it was another hour before I fell asleep. Caffeine was my friend the next day. Ok, moving on, my current can always do super human abilities:
- Max pushups – 50
- Max pullups – 10
- Max Air Squats – 50
- Withstand sub freezing temperatures comfortably in shorts and bare feet – 5 minutes
Now, my best efforts to date are:
- Max pushups – 100
- Max pullups – 17
- Max Air Squats – 51 (Intuitively, it just hasn’t felt right to push past the 51 mark. I can’t explain it, but anytime I am blessed enough to have a “feeling”, I try to follow it)
- Withstand sub freezing temperatures comfortably bare naked in ice bath with a surface temperature of 31 degrees – 22 minutes
I am super human compared to the previous version of myself – right now – and my gratitude for that is great! It makes me happy in this moment, and to me that is a blessing beyond compare. As a fun fact, I am continuing to get stronger as well! 😊
So, what’s with the whole Super Human Protocol thing? I’m going for the next level as it pertains to me. Super Heroes/Humans have muscle mass in my mind.
In my coaching, I advocate HARD for whole foods and supplementation as required. I eat more cleanly and intuitively than any other human being that I personally know. Until now.
I want to push, not because I have to or because there’s a deadline of any kind, simply because I do. My desire here is to gain muscle mass and a general well-being, energized, and powerful feeling as frequently as possible. I’m willing to bend my rules a little bit in order to get them.
Pre-Protocol Modification Standards:
- Eating: 0-3 meals per day (whole foods, minimal processing), intermittent fasting at least 12 hours per day and occasionally a full day.
- Working out: PEM (5-15 minutes workout time) 1-2 times per week, sprinting 1x every 2-4 weeks, weight lifting (5-30 minutes workout time) 1x every other week.
Protocol Modified Standards:
- Eating: 0-5 meals per day (whole foods, minimal processing with the addition of 4-10 Costco Protein bars and 1-3 scoops of JayRobb Protein powder for an additional 125-325 grams of protein and 45-115 grams of carbohydrate), eating regularly throughout the day to keep my system saturated with an occasional 24 hours of fasting for system reset and to activate autophagy.
- Working out: PEM (5-15 minutes max workout time) 2-3 times per week, sprinting 1x every 2 weeks, weight lifting (5-15 minutes workout time) 1-4x per week.
I built up to the final protocol modifications over the course of a month so as not to shock my system. I’m happy to say that I started out at 135 lbs. and am now at 149 lbs. for a 14 lb. weight increase over a few months. My gut feeling (not measured, just how I feel and how I think I look) is that I’ve gained 50% muscle (7 pounds) and 50% fat & water weight (the other 7 pounds).
This trip has been and is awesome. I’m learning so much about my body and appreciating it even more. I felt inclined to share this with you today because I truly believe that I’m living the life that is perfect for me.
I’m also not heavily invested in a final outcome of this experience experiment. Will I have all the muscle that I’m envisioning? Perhaps I will, perhaps I won’t.
At any point if this experience no longer serves or honors me, I will move off of it and back to a more longevity and performance based eating and workout pattern. I’m making my dreams come true right now. Are you? I sincerely hope so!
That’s it! Thank you for reading! If you’re looking for more help in optimizing your own life and would like to engage my services, feel free to contact me.
Wishing you happiness, health, and success!
-Gregg
