Deep Water

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DEEP

WATER Overcoming the Waves of Life JON ANDERSEN & JASHA FAYE

DEEP WATER

Table of Contents Where It All Starts CHAPTER 1 - DEEP WATER ORGINS CHAPTER 2 - THE ROURCE ROOM - AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LESSON CHAPTER 3 - IT’S ALL ABOUT NUTRITION

Getting Down to Business CHAPTER 4 - DEEP WATER TRAINING METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 5 - GETTING BEYOND YOUR CHALLENGES CHAPTER 6 - DEALING WITH THE PAIN CHAPTER 7 - TRAINING PARTNERS

Making Deep Water a Life Long Strategy REHAB & RECOVERY THE DEEP WATER PHILOSOPHY BONUS MATERIAL

© 2014 JON ANDERSEN & JASHA FAYE

DEEP WATER

Success in Deep Water requires overcoming big obstacles. It requires conflict. Stress is necessary for adaptation because without it, there is none. Deep Water portals often open as a result of stressful challenges. We face challenges every day with loved ones, co-workers, friends, diet, money and training. How we adapt to this stress, is directly related to how we prepare. The Deep Water approach leaves you prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually for any outcome.

Jon Andersen

wrestler | strongman | bodybuilder | author

DEEP WATER

Deep Water will transform you and make positivé changes.

Push Yourself Into Deep Water. Deep Water will get you on the right path. It’s difficult to push yourself into Deep Water. It takes a tremendous amount of honesty with one’s self to achieve adaptation. You have to be willing to push past your existing pain thresholds. Your mind is designed to protect you and keep your body safe. When you venture into Deep Water, even the toughest people begin to doubt themselves. When things get dicey, the “fight or flight” impulse kicks in. That’s how humans survive. Usually the brain convinces the body to stop long before it’s in any real danger. Recognizing your true limitations is integral to Deep Water. You have to be confident that you have more in the tank when every fiber of your body is screaming for you to stop. It’s when we are in the deepest waters that we achieve our greatest gains.

When Big Jon Andersen was a young boy, he was lazy, fat, and scared. In the showers after his first day of football practice, Jon had saggy tits and the only hairless scrotum in the room. His face burned hot with shame as he was showered with a constant stream of insults and abuse. Today when you see Jon at 300lbs with less than 7% body fat, it’s hard to believe he wasn’t born ripped. Through trial and error, and an open mind, Jon completely revolutionized his diet and training. He didn’t have a guide, he didn’t have a personal trainer, and he didn’t have anyone telling him he was right. In fact, almost everyone questioned his crazy ways. He felt like Magellan telling people the world was round when all around him everyone knew without a doubt that the world was flat.

DEEP WATER

Deep Water isn’t for everybody. Not everyone wants these kinds of results. Not everyone embraces the grind. That’s ok, because it gives people who do enjoy it, a huge motivational kick knowing they are achieving their goals by doing what others will not.

Deep Water is a way of life that will allow you to unlock your potential. Whether you want to see growth in the gym, relationships, work, your physique, or anywhere else, Deep Water will force you out of your comfort zones and into new growth. Deep Water will transform you from pud to stud and unleash your inner great white shark.

Jon Andersen’s Powerplant is in full swing. Every platform has at least 3 athletes on it and there are some gamers in the room. There’s a slight breeze and the sun is shining. It’s a perfect California day, a great day to pick up heavy weights. The workout is power snatches followed by power cleans: 5 sets of 5 reps in the snatch (technique work)

Deep Water is a way of life that will allow you to unlock your potential.

and 5 sets of 10 in the power clean (gut check).

Cal Rugby player Anthony Kosinski is ripping out a set of ten with 80 kilos. The intensity on the club platform is heating up. There are 3 guys training there, so the pace is pretty quick with little rest between sets. Big Jon is using 100kg (220lbs) for his sets while Anthony, and the third athlete, Ken Boatwright, use 80kg. It is Ken’s second or third workout at the ‘Plant. He is a former pro bodybuilder who has made the switch to CrossFit. He has a great attitude and knows how to work.

Jon decides to add a twist to the program: one more set to failure. Anthony and Ken will both use 60kg (132lbs). Jon is sticking with his original weight of 100kg. Ken and Anthony both stop at 40 reps; not a bad showing and a serious scorcher for anyone. Now it’s Jon’s turn. “Start filming,” he quietly says to me.

DEEP WATER

I quickly fumble around until I manage to turn on my phone camera. (I’m very low tech.) Luckily, I got my camera rolling just as Jon grabs the bar and begins his set. At forty reps, it’s clear he has no intention of slowing down. Seventeen reps later, my camera is out of memory. Jon is cruising past sixty reps. He’s breathing hard and his impressive frame seems to be growing with every rep. I notice that he is mumbling something to himself. He is in Deep Water. Everyone in the room is pulling for him, shouting encouragemaent. But Jon doesn’t seem to notice. He has a snarl on his face and he’s attacking the barbell like a great white devouring a seal.

He has a snarl on his face and he’s attacking the barbell like a great white devouring a seal.

At that moment Jon is reminded of a story he heard when he was a child: Alexander the Great had just sailed the high seas to land on Persian shores. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Alexander ordered his army to burn their own boats, thus removing any exit strategy or method of retreat. Alexander left himself and his men with only two options: victory or death.

It proved to be the right decision as it motivated Alexander’s invading army to conquer the Persian hoards. “Burn the Boats!” Jon shouts at rep sixty-five. Jon is saving nothing for the trip home. Seventy reps down. He’s in very Deep Water now, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down. His pace has quickened a bit as he passes eighty. It’s truly amazing to watch. His breathing is harsh and labored. His hands are a bloody mess. His entire body is in a state of stress but he keeps grinding away. Jon is talking out loud but his words are unclear. He stays focused as his resources start to run out: His vision is darkening. The pain in his hands and back jerk his mind back to reality as his body looks to protect itself by shutting down. Most people would have stopped long before, but Jon sees his narrowing vision as a portal and dives through. Eighty-five reps now. A six-foot circle of sweat and chalk surrounds him. Ninety reps.

DEEP WATER

As he approaches ninety-five reps, it seems that it must be the end, but Jon wants more... Young Jon

A lifelong journey Check out my Cool Videos As he approaches nintey-five reps, it seems that it must be the end, but Jon wants more. He has no idea how many reps he has done or what’s going on around him. Life outside seems to have slowed down while the storm in his mind and body rages on. Fear grabs hold of him. His heart is pounding in his ears and he can’t breathe. Every beat of his heart is like a clanging bell in his head. Alarms are sounding. Jon has broken through a new pain threshold and has never felt this close to dying. He presses on, curious to see how far he can swim into the abyss. To manage his fears, Jon uses the same tactics he has always used: face them, attack head on, and don’t leave anything in the tank for the swim back. Finally, he stops at 101 reps. I have been training with Jon for over fifteen years and I have never seen him in deeper water. His right eye is flipping up like a window shade and he seems

to be flashing in and out of consciousness. As he stumbles around it becomes

obvious that he is changing, growing to adapt to his extreme workload. He is falling forward when three of us catch him. It takes all of our strength to collectively right the behemoth and get him on all fours in front of a fan. When I ask him about that 101st rep, he smiles and tells me, “I can’t stand the idea that I might limit myself by picking some magical number like 100. What if my real limit is 102 and I set my mind on 100 at the beginning of the workout? Then I will never truly know how far I can push it.”

DEEP WATER I don’t think he had another rep in him. What we witnessed was something that few ever see but many talk about: going to failure. That is, truly exhausting one’s resources to the point of failure. Many people talk about going to failure, but most of the time, they set a number in their heads and stop when they reach it. They never truly reach the point of extreme adaptation and therefore never realize their true potential. The only way to truly grow is to push yourself beyond your limits, into the darkest places. Face your fears and attack them. Being afraid is normal. It’s part of life. It’s how you face that fear that is a true test of your mettle. You need to keep an open mind. Opportunities for greatness are all around you. If you don’t recognize them, they’ll slip through your fingertips. Jon had planned on going to fifty reps because it would allow him to beat his training partners and because fifty is a lot of reps to do in the power clean with any weight, let alone 220 pounds. When he got to fifty he recognized an opportunity for growth and dove through the portal. Even though he was hurt and tired he realized that if he pushed through his fear and discomfort, he could do something great and see fantastic gains from it. So he seized the opportunity, attacked his fear, and ignored his discomfort.

Deep Water A Way of Life.

DEEP WATER

DEEP WATER ORGINS

Chapter 1

Motivation started young for Jon. It is a warm day on the Willamette River. Children are splashing around in the cool waters, families are spread out on blankets soaking up the sun, and there is a friendly game of volleyball underway. The only interruption comes from the occasional shipping barge slowly lumbering by.

A young boy stands alone. He has separated himself from the throngs of other children. He is wearing a t-shirt in spite of the perfect temperature, the telltale badge of a self-conscious fat kid. His eyes are transfixed on the far bank of the river. Kids are playing there as well. Somehow the opposite shore appears to be sunnier and more fun.

He recalled every other visit to the river. He would swim out halfway before becoming overwhelmed by fear and turning back to frantically swim to shore. It never occurred to him that he was covering the same distance either way. He would crazily imagine being devoured by sharks, despite being in fresh water. His fear took the form of a feeling not unlike drowning. Before he was even ankle-deep, the air would become heavy in his lungs. He felt frantic and out of control and he wasn’t even swimming yet. Just the thought of venturing into the water made him shudder. He was sure everyone was watching him, waiting for his inevitable failure. Even though this time would be no different, he awkwardly negotiated the rocky shore into the cool water like a man walking the plank.

DEEP WATER

To Jon, the boys swimming nearby seemed like grown men. He would never be like them, he thought to himself. He would always be fat and lazy, never athletic or tough. He would never accomplish anything and he would definitely never make it across this river! The boys on the other side seem to be laughing at him, jeering and taunting. He takes another unsteady step. They are a thousand miles away. He has never been more motivated to swim across this river.

After what seems like an hour, he stops for a breath. The shore seems no closer than when he was standing looking at it. Instantly, he is filled with fear and disappointment. He’ll never make it across. Years from now, he’ll be an old man staring around

across

the

river,

still

gripped

by

terror.

Reluctantly,

he

turns

to make the shameful swim back. Surprisingly, he has come further than he

expected, further than he’s ever been. Fear washes over him and he begins to frantically thrash about, trying to gain some kind of control. He’s in trouble. This is beyond his childish fears. He’s in real danger of drowning and he knows it. Back on the shore, nobody is looking his way; they’re all looking upriver.

Before he even sees it, he knows what they are looking at. A quiet calm blankets him as he turns to see the massive barge closing in. Without hesitation, he begins to swim hard towards the shore where he started. Within seconds, he realizes he has come too far to get back to shore before the barge overtakes him and turns him into an urban legend.

He knows what he must do. His only chance is to swim to the far side. It has nothing to do with sharks, or with the thousands of times he had tried and failed. This is about survival. He will either drown or be run down by mediocrity if he doesn’t swim hard to salvation. This is a swim for his life.

He doesn’t look up until he feels the rocks on his fingertips. His lungs are on fire and his arms and legs are aching. But he’s made it. He no longer cares about his flabby chest because he knows something important has happened. For the first time in his life, he conquered his fear and he did it with hard work and determination. He won the first of countless battles against fear by grinding through it with sheer will power.

DEEP WATER

As he pulls himself out of the water, he glances back at the barge to see just how close he had come. He shudders, realizing that without a doubt, he would have been overrun and chewed up by its massive propellers.

Without another look back, he pulls off his wet t-shirt and strolls over to join his classmates. He’s almost as terrified of them as he was of drowning, but that doesn’t stop him. Fear means something else to him now. It means hard work.

Few animals instill a sense of fear and awe like a great white shark. Sleek, beautiful, efficient. It’s hard not to recognize the beauty of the big fish. It has adapted to the changing climates better than most animals, and remains at the top of the food chain. It’s a perfect killing machine, always moving, never at rest. Big Jon Anderson is like a great white. He is never at rest and has adapted to his environment in ways few people do. He certainly instills a sense of awe. At 6’1” and a powerful 300 pounds, with around 7% body fat, he commands attention without saying a word. He was an international strongman competitor and is currently a professional wrestler. Not content with being a pro athlete in two sports, he recently teamed up with the great Achim Albrecht to pursue a professional bodybuilding career.

All of this, and he doesn’t have an athletic bone in his body. Deep Water training is not about swimming, it’s not about diving, and it’s definitely not about fishing. Deep Water is about dragging yourself off of the comfortable beach of life and venturing into deep, dark places, physically, mentally and emotionally, with no regard for the return swim.

DEEP WATER

Deep Water was created by accident. It was born of a fat kid’s desire to be bigger, stronger, and leaner than everyone who ever hazed, picked on, or out performed him. Save nothing for tomorrow because there will never be another today. Deep Water is something that we believe can -and should- be applied to any aspect of your life where you want to see growth. It’s a paradigm that anyone can flourish with, but it isn’t for everyone. It requires laser focus and uncommon tenacity. It also requires more than a little amount of guts with complete and total devotion. Devotion to the philosophy, devotion to the grind, devotion to your peers, devotion to success, and devotion to failure.

Deep Water is not based on some exercise science journal or someone else’s facts. It’s based on individual achievement through adaptation. It’s all experiential. We learn by grinding it out and finding our true limits, pushing through pain thresholds and finding new levels of mental, physical, and spiritual growth.

Everyone has obstacles in life. For Jon, they were obesity and severe dyslexia. With Deep Water, Jon overcame his fears and shortcomings and is living a life he never imagined possible. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, Deep Water will release the great white inside of you.

DEEP WATER

THE RESOURCE ROOM Chapter 2

Making the Connections.

Check out my Cool Videos The Resource Room at Knight Elementary School was a place for students who struggled with the normal curriculum. Some were special needs students with learning disabilities, some had suffered head trauma, others had Downs Syndrome. The school’s main building is shaped like a horseshoe, with large windows facing inwards toward a garden and playground. All of the students attending the classrooms on the inner row of the horseshoe had a clear view of the playground and the classrooms opposite their own, including the Resource Room. Consequently, it was impossible to set foot in the Resource Room without the rest of the student body knowing about it. For most of the students who had classes in the Resource Room, this was an exciting by-product of being “special.” They loved the attention. Few of them understood the children’s cruel humor that led to it being called the “Retard Room.” For a select few, this was the ultimate humiliation and the worst part of every day. These “special” kids didn’t feel special at all. They knew all too well what it meant to be in the Resource Room. It meant name-calling, ass kickings, bullying, and all around general misery. One such “special” kid was Jon Andersen. Jon had loving parents and a sweet disposition. He was a good looking kid, but was on the bigger side of husky. His mother would supportively tell him it was just “baby fat,” and that it would melt off as he got older. But as the years passed, Jon kept getting plumper. His size and sweet disposition led to frequent bullying. The titty twisters were the worst. He was quickly given the nickname “Pud.” Needless to say, he hated the handle. No one named Pud had a girlfriend. No one named Pud had any friends. Still, over time, he shamefully began to respond to the name. It seemed better to be ridiculed than ignored.

DEEP WATER Jon had severe dyslexia. His experiences reading in class were brutal. When his name was called (which seemed to happen all the time), cold sweat would appear on his brow and his shirt would stick to his pasty folds. His throat would constrict and his mouth would become as dry as chalk, making it impossible to utter a word. His mind would become a static filled chaotic vacuum. He would just freeze most of the time, as hot tears rolled off his cheeks and down onto his textbook. He wasn’t afraid of public speaking so much as he was afraid of being exposed as a dummy. His dyslexia was as crippling as polio to him. Every time someone else’s turn came to an end he was riddled with anxiety. He wondered how his classmates made it look so easy, the way the words rolled off their tongues as if they themselves had written “To Kill a Mockingbird” and were reciting it from memory. For Jon, the words looked jumbled on the paper and made little or no sense. He knew what the letters meant and what sounds they represented, but somehow when they were printed in the form of a story, it became overwhelmingly confusing and daunting. When he was first placed in the Resource Room, he thought it would be an improvement. Maybe the other kids would be like him. No one would stare and laugh as he struggled with difficult reading. But he was wrong; it was even worse. There were no children like Jon. In fact, he didn’t identify with a single student in there. Worst of all, his time in the Resource Room was the period immediately after lunch, making it impossible for him to sneak in. The entire student body would be settling into their 5th period classes to watch the parade of misfits head into the Resource Room. His victory in the river had been huge for him on a personal level. But the rest of the world couldn’t give two hot shits. He was drowning again. It was the same feeling he had that day on the river, only this wasn’t a shipping barge running him down; this was a lifetime of beatings and ridicule. He was scared, but his experience on the river had taught him something: he could out-work his fear. He didn’t know how, but he was going to out-work this reading problem. He had to get out of that room. After a particularly nasty day at school, Jon told his mom through snot bubbles and tears that she had to get him out at any cost.


DEEP WATER The next day she saw the principal. She told him he was making big gains and belonged with the rest of his classmates. Somehow, she convinced him that he was ready to switch twothirds of the way through the semester. The following week, Jon was back in the regular classrooms. He wasn’t just battling dyslexia now. He was also very overweight and the only known “graduate” of the Resource Room. He wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. He read constantly. At home, he struggled with books a few reading levels above his own so that easier passages at school wouldn’t be so intimidating. He read aloud, in front of a mirror at first, then in front of his parents. Sometimes he would read the same difficult sentences over and over again -hundreds of times- until he could recite it from memory. He hadn’t cured his dyslexia, but he was out-working it.

His bodyweight was increasing at an alarming rate. He wasn’t abused at home or seeking attention. His parents were loving, caring, hard-working people. The kids in the Resource Room had obvious reasons for their physical ailments. Jon had no excuses. Jon was just lazy.

He knew he wanted to change. He knew he wanted to be great. He was just too scared to man up and sign on the dotted line. But nothing he did seemed to matter. He just kept eating. It was the only part of his life that he had any control over. He could eat until he was sick if he wanted, which he often did. He got great joy from the food he ate, especially the sweets. Jon would come home from a miserable day at school, collect all the snacks he could find, make a huge pile in front of the TV, and eat everything. When his parents came home, he would still eat a huge home cooked meal.

His mother loved the way he appreciated her cooking. He always asked for seconds and often thirds. There was always room for dessert, and momma was liberal with the sweets as well. She loved her boy and took great joy in preparing delicious meals for him. He loved to eat a big meal then enjoy a lavish dessert before lounging around in front of the TV. Whenever the food ran out and the TV was turned off, he felt empty and alone.

At school he was reminded of his obesity every day, bullied constantly. Everyone still called him Pud, or fat ass, and not just the strong kids. Somehow Jon had become lowest man on the totem pole. Even the weak, non-athletes picked on him. They saw that he was never going to stand up for himself and that he was an easy target.

DEEP WATER

The abuse continued into high school. At Canby High School the worst physical insult you could suffer was to be “top-locked.” Being top-locked meant you were hoisted on top of the lockers and your shoes were tied tightly through one of the locker doors. It was the equivalent to getting stuffed in a trashcan orgetting a toilet swirly. It meant either a nasty fall forward or waiting shamefully for help to come while the whole world laughed at the pussy who got top-locked. It was almost as bad as being in the Resource Room. Jon got top-locked at least once a week.

Once, his assailants were a group of pencil-pushing lab nerds. It was like some sick comedy. They were the least athletic, sickliest, pathetic group of bullies ever assembled. But to Jon, they were just another group of kids out to humiliate him. Together they managed to heave Jon’s substantial girth onto the lockers and tie his Converse to the door. As they walked away laughing, Jon began to cry. It was the worst feeling he had ever experienced. If things didn’t change soon he was going to die. He was drowning in the worst way. His round body shook and convulsed as he sobbed uncontrollably. Around him kids were laughing and pointing. A few looked sorry or concerned, but none offered a hand. Soon the bell rang and the kids all went to class, leaving Jon to moan on top of the third corridor lockers.

A few minutes later, the PE coach saw Jon and began untying his shoes and consoling him. Nothing the coach said calmed Jon down. He couldn’t breathe through the tears. He was drowning in an ocean of insults and couldn’t see an end to the pain that he was swimming in. He had accepted that he was going to always be less than mediocre.

He had no idea what he was doing, so he just trained as hard as he could every day, fueled by the determination of a kid who never wanted to get beat up again. The coach continued to talk to Jon, telling him he was going to be alright. All the while, he was guiding Jon through the hallways, gently pushing his shoulder this way and that. Jon was unable to see where he was going through his tears.

DEEP WATER Eventually Jon found himself in the weight room. It was empty except for him and the coach. Jon’s tear streaked face peered around the room as if he had never seen anything like it. In here, there were no jeering bullies. Only iron and steel.

The coached looked him dead in the eye and said, “Don’t you think it’s time to do something about it?”

From that day on Jon spent every spare moment in the gym. Like every boy his age, he had been to the movies to see “Conan the Barbarian.” Jon wanted to have muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the gym was where he could get them.

He became obsessed. He read books and interviews about bodybuilding and weight training. He lost himself in his workouts, training alone. He had no idea what he was doing, so he just trained as hard as he could every day, fueled by the determination of a kid who never wanted to get beat up again.

“What is the next level of pain?” he would ask the universe. “It’s not about who’s strong now, it’s who’s strong after 10 more sets of this shit!”

People still called him Pud, but the beatings were becoming less frequent. Perhaps it was his slow but gradual weight loss. Maybe it was the confidence he found in the weight room. He certainly wasn’t as afraid anymore. Now, he got approving nods from some of the more popular kids who saw him grinding it out in the squat rack. The same kids that used to point and laugh or take part in the hazing now looked at him with respect. It hardly seemed possible.

DEEP WATER He learned quickly that the bullying had less to do with his physical weakness and more to do with his emotional weakness. The more he acted like a frail victim, the more victimized he became. The more work he put in to improve himself, the more respect he got around the schoolyard.

Jon discovered himself in the weight room. In the gym, he found acceptance and a way to silence the critics. By his junior year in high school, he was one of two students who could squat 405 pounds.

He developed a mantra, a series of phrases he used to motivate himself when no one around him even dreamed of training like he did. In fact, most people just looked on in awe, convinced that he was crazy.

“What is the next level of pain?” he would ask the universe. “It’s not about who’s strong now, it’s who’s strong after ten more sets of this shit!”

Now when he walked the halls, he was given wide berth. He had not only transformed his body, but his outlook and way of thinking. He applied his all-or-nothing formula that he had learned in the river to every aspect of his young life: schoolwork, training, and diet. Now his classmates called him Stud, and Pud was a distant memory. But sometimes, someone would eventually remember and remind everyone what a pud Jon really was. He wanted to put distance between that scared young boy and the young man he was trying to become.

Every workout pushed him further from that fat kid in the mirror. Every swim into uncharted waters brought him closer to his goal: to look better and be stronger than everyone.

DEEP WATER

He had no one showing him how it was done. He was learning through repetition and experience, trial and error. There were no easy workouts for Jon. In the beginning, his training sessions were fueled by fear. Nearly every workout, he found himself in a compromised state, cramping up or gasping for air through mouthfuls of barf. When he got to a point in his workouts where he was afraid, he would throw a switch in his mind. Just bear down and get through it, he would tell himself, just like that day on the river. By now, he knew he could out-work his fear. He had started high school a pasty, round, flabby 130 pounds, and finished at a solid 190 pounds with a 400+ pounds squat. His shoulders had broadened and filled out enough that he no longer had an O-shaped body, but a vaguely V-shaped torso. His biggest transformation took place once he got to college. He no longer had the easy life of home-cooked meals and desserts. He had to pay for books and tuition before he even thought about food. So he shopped accordingly. There was no room in his budget for anything but the essentials. He discovered early on that he recovered from heavy workouts faster when he ate a lot of protein. So it didn’t take a genius to figure out that if Jon was planning on training hard, he had to budget his diet for recovery purposes only. That meant no money could be spent on sugar or carbs if he was going to maximize the space on his plate and the money in his wallet.

DEEP WATER

Deep Water will transform you and make positive changes.

His new lifestyle transformed his body from 190 pounds to a solid 260 in four years. His unique training style combined with his willingness to consume gigantic amounts of protein transformed him. His strength alone made him a sought after commodity. Before long, he was the starting inside center for his school’s rugby team. His amazing leg strength made him the fastest player on the field. His last year in college, he single handedly scored more points than the rest of his team combined. He was Team Captain and MVP.

Jon knew that his success on the rugby pitch was the direct result of his hard work in the gym. He knew that nothing he would face during 120 minutes of rugby would compare to a set of twenty reps with 500+pounds in the back squat. His unique training philosophy had made him mentally fierce and prepared him for the worst possible situations. Most games were like light workouts for Jon. In fact, it was not uncommon to find Jon attacking a big set of squats after a game while the rest of the team was out celebrating.

At twenty-three, Jon was a college graduate with a major in theology and a minor in philosophy from the University of Portland. After college, Jon hit the ground running. He knew he was onto something with his outlandish training style because his results were staggering. He was making gains he never thought possible while those around him seemed to be driving with their brakes on. Without hesitation, Jon applied his philosophy to the professional world of house painting. In 1995, Jon started his first business. In five years he had over twenty employees and was grossing over a million dollars a year. He figured that was a good time to sell and pursue his athletic career. He sold his company for half a million dollars.

DEEP WATER At the time, he didn’t have a name for his philosophy. He would constantly tell those around him that he was “All in, every day.” Now, at forty-two, he is attempting to open the door on his third pro career as a bodybuilder. Deep Water doesn’t discriminate against age. Deep Water will continue to produce results as long as you are committed to the grind. Deep Water works if you are willing to do the work. Almost every training session with Big Jon is set up to be some kind of battle. Jon will construct handicaps and co-efficient ratios to keep everyone in the game. You don’t have to be the strongest or the toughest person alive. All you need to train with Jon is a good attitude and an open mind. Guts help, too. One of Jon’s favorite battles is what he calls “dead man standing.” Dead man standing is a barbell loaded to a near maximum weight and dead-lifted for singles, alternating between two athletes until someone fails. They are done with no rest except for the time it takes your partner to finish his rep. Very few of Jon’s training partners can actually hang with him head to head, except for Ricky LaRocca. Ricky has a gigantic deadlift and great technique. He is also a great guy with a huge heart and a no bullshit approach to training. Jon and him like to load up a 750 pound barbell for this workout. When they go to battle, sometimes Jon wins, sometimes Ricky does. But every time they face each other, they learn and they grow. They have developed a trust and bond that few outside of the iron game can relate to. Often, the end of these high intensity battles results in a cool down set that turns into a portal and an opportunity to jump into Deep Waters. Another favorite is tire flips. Almost no one can hang with Jon in this movement, so he devises ways to challenge himself while dragging others into Deep Waters. For example: Jon will flip a 900 pound tire in a battle against two people. The first guy will flip it back to him and Jon will then flip it to the second guy. The other guy then flips it back to Jon giving the first guy time to rest, but Jon none. For every flip his partners complete, Jon finishes two. Jon uses stair running, vertical jumping, power cleans, and squats to do Deep Water battles as well. Any exercise that uses multiple joints and complex movements is perfect. Strongman implements are particularly challenging and always fun. Using stones is a good way to go to battle. Load a heavy stone onto a chest level platform. Unload it. Now it’s your training partner’s turn. Repeat to failure, last man standing wins. The results are undeniable. Deep Water battles are designed to be so nasty and uncomfortable that when you face life’s real battles, you’ll have the tools to cope.

DEEP WATER

DEEP WATER NUTRITION

Chapter 3

Success in Deep Water is dependent on a strict dietary regime. Success in Deep Water is dependent entirely on a strict dietary regime that Jon has developed over years of applied science. His results are hard to ignore. Here is a sample of what Jon consumes in a day:

5AM: 100 grams of whey protein with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter Back to sleep 7:30AM: 12 organic omega-3 DHEA eggs. 1/2 avocado 10AM: 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15) 1-½ cups green veggies 2 tablespoons flax seed oil 1 tablespoon guacamole 1 tablespoon sour cream 12:30: 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15) 1-½ cups green veggies 2 tablespoons flax seed oil 1 tablespoon guacamole 1 tablespoon sour cream

DEEP WATER 3PM: Post-workout, 150 grams of whey protein 5:30PM: 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15) 1-½ cups green veggies 2 tablespoons flax seed oil 1 tablespoon guacamole 1 tablespoon sour cream 8PM 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15) 1-½ cups green veggies 2 tablespoons flax seed oil 1 tablespoon guacamole 1 tablespoon sour cream 10:30: 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15) 1-½ cups green veggies 2 tablespoons flax seed oil 1 tablespoon guacamole 1 tablespoon sour cream NOTES: 2 gallons of water per day One fiber supplement in the morning and one at night 1200mg of fish oil If a meal is missed for any reason, a supplemental 100-gram whey protein shake is consumed during the night NOTES: 2 gallons of water per day One fiber supplement in the morning and one at night 1200mg of fish oil If a meal is missed for any reason, a supplemental 100-gram whey protein shake is consumed during the night

DEEP WATER If you look up the Latin translation of the word “diet,” it doesn’t say anything about getting ripped or losing weight. Directly translated, it means “lifestyle.” Deep Water is Jon’s life. He doesn’t have to remind himself to act this way or eat that way. It’s who he is.

For Jon, the eating disorders stuck with him the longest, long after he had conquered his learning disorder, the weight room, and the rugby field. Even after his successful business endeavors. Jon still ate like the fat kid in the Resource Room. He would hoard food. He would drink gallons of sugary sodas. He would drown himself in sweets until he had the sweats. One day he was watching TV after a hard workout. He had eaten more protein than anyone he had ever heard of, so he felt sure he had done all he could for his recovery. Now it was no longer about recovery, it was about comfort. This was his secret time.

He had a huge mixing bowl full of M&Ms balanced on his gut. As he watched mind-numbing crap on TV, he shoveled handful after handful of chocolate treats into his open gob. He couldn’t stop, even though he kept telling himself this was bad. His brow was wet from the insulin spike. His heart was pounding and he was breathing hard, but his hand just kept returning to the bowl for another scoop. His arm was like some giant flesh crane, dumping candy rocks into the vast quarry of his guts. At some point, the joy he was feeling was replaced by anxiety. He told himself to

He knew he would never reach his true potential if he didn’ t clean up his diet

stop, but he couldn’t. The thought of stopping made Jon feel sad and empty. But the feeling of self-loathing for not being able to control himself washed over him just as his roommate walked in.

He knew he would never reach his true potential if he didn’t clean up his diet.

DEEP WATER Immediately, Jon was ashamed and transported back to his childhood when he knew it was wrong, but continued to eat badly anyway. His friend looked at him in disbelief. How could this specimen have so little self-control? For Jon, it was a crossroads. He knew he would never reach his true potential if he didn’t clean up his diet. He didn’t think he could control the obsessive nature of his eating, but he figured he could at least choose which foods he obsessed over. He developed a way of life that would allow him to consume ridiculous amounts of food just like when he was eating those M&Ms. Only now it was flesh.

He figured protein and fat both had multiple roles in the body’s metabolic chain. Both served as sources for energy and for muscle development. Carbs and sugar, however, served only one purpose: energy. His new system would exclude any food that didn’t have recovery properties, but he could eat as much of that food as he wanted.

The results were fantastic. His body transformed almost overnight. When he didn’t have any outside sources of energy, his body immediately accessed the fat it had been storing for a rainy day. Within weeks Jon was leaner than he had ever been and was still making strength and size gains.

Most people are caught up in the way they view food and “dieting.” For most of them, diet means less food or restrictive eating. On the contrary, a good diet means you eat so much you will be sick of eating. Eating will seem more like a job than a source of pleasure. When you are adhering to a strict Deep Water regime, you eat so frequently that you let go of your ideas about food. You don’t have to be hungry. You don’t have to restrict calories. You don’t have to wait to eat.

When he didn’t have any outside sources of energy, his body immediately accessed the fat it had been storing for a rainy day.


DEEP WATER

When he didn’t have any outside sources of energy, his body immediately accessed the fat it had been storing for a rainy day.

You will consume so much quality food that the idea that you need to cheat will seem ridiculous and difficult. Food will no longer be in control of your life.

It’s important to recognize the value of quality food, stuff that is organic and locally produced. Food that is chemical- and hormone-free. Food that will go bad if you don’t eat it soon. If it’s in a sealed package and doesn’t require refrigeration, it’s probably not part of your Deep Water diet. If it can see you, you should eat it. Eat a diverse range of flesh: fish, beef, fowl, and pork. This will give the body a complete protein profile and allow it to become a more efficient protein synthesizing machine, thus allowing you to recover and rebuild after taxing workouts. Eat plenty of fats. Energy from fat is efficient, especially when a variety of fats are consumed. Just like the protein profile, your body will recognize the essential fats (fish oils, omegas, avocados, etc.) and become a more efficient fat burning vessel. By balancing your protein profile and supplementing essential fats you are giving your body a better range of tools to get into and survive your Deep Water workouts.

Make no mistake, you will eat some unintentional carbohydrates. Mostly in the form of protein shakes, avocado, nuts, and nut butter.

DEEP WATER Eat as many green veggies as you want at least three times a day. Avoid peas, as they are high in sugar. Drinking water is key to maintain liver and kidney health when utilizing a high-protein diet. If you weigh more than 250 pounds, drink 6-8 liters a day. If you are less than 250 pounds, drink 4-6 liters per day.

Protein is much more anabolic than is generally thought. You hear about only being able to absorb so much protein before you begin to waste it. That may be true. But the harder you train, the greater the demand for protein, and the more efficient your body will become at using the protein you put in it. This is especially true if you are limiting your carb intake. Your body will find the energy somewhere: unintentionally digested carbohydrates, excess protein, intentionally digested fat, and existing body fat stores. You just have to let it adapt. But be aware: adaptation is an intensely uncomfortable process. Most people want to see the gains, but very few have the mental fortitude and discipline to grind through the physical and mental stress that goes along with Deep Water dieting. The only way to adapt is to become comfortable with discomfort. You can thrive on a no carb diet if you allow yourself to adapt. It’s uncomfortable and painful, but gains hide in the pain. For starters eat a minimum of 1-½ grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, up to a maximum of two grams. Eat up to ¾ gram to one gram of fat per pound of bodyweight per day. Use up to a 2:1 ratio of protein to fats.

It’s important to balance the type of fats you eat. You can consume as much animal fat as you’d like as long as you supplement them with omegas (fish oils, salmon, swordfish, grassfed animal fat). The body will be a more efficient fat burning machine with a balanced intake. Increase the frequency of meals, especially if you are exercising hard. If your body doesn’t think it’s going to eat for a while, it will hold onto the calories that are introduced in the form of storage (fat). If your body knows it will be eating more frequently it uses the fuel it has available.

Most people want to see the gains, but very few have the mental fortitude and discipline to grind through the physical and mental stress that goes along with Deep Water dieting.

DEEP WATER If your body knows you are eating again soon it will surely burn right through what you put in it. Your metabolism will speed up. You will recover faster. You will have a sense of well being and you will feel better.

Think about the average American workday. Up early, maybe some coffee and a small snack, but usually no food at all. Eat again at lunchtime. By this time it has been 16-18 hours since your last real meal. Your body is in survival mode. Your metabolism assumes (correctly) that it won’t be eating again for 7 or 8 hours so it slows down and holds onto some energy in the form of fat. You finish the workday and gorge yourself on a carb rich diet because all you can think about is food. Maybe watch a little TV then go to bed with a belly full of food then wake up and do it all again.

This dietary cycle is the slow death and the worst possible scenario for a Deep Water lifestyle. This dietary cycle is the slow death and the worst possible scenario for a Deep Water lifestyle.

Even though most of us are in no danger of starving, we eat like we will never eat again. Whether we like it or not, our society has become obsessed with food. We are constantly inundated by millions of dollars worth of advertising telling us to consume massive amounts of crap. It’s a battle we fight every day. All around us are colorful, intriguing ads encouraging us to eat more shit for less money. Deep Water will teach you to choose foods based on their nutritional and performance value rather than slick advertising.

Eating a healthy, performance-based diet requires planning and discipline. So often, people miss meals or eat food that they know isn’t healthy because they failed to plan their day. Cooking for a few days at a time and storing the meals in the fridge is a great way to make sure you have food on hand. Just grab a tupperware container for every meal you will be away from the house. If you are looking at a 9 hour workday, grab at least three proteinrich, pre-prepared, organic meals on your way out the door.


DEEP WATER You won’t be hungry. You won’t obsess about where your next meal is coming from or if it’s healthy. You will be in control of the food you eat rather than the food controlling you. You will look and feel better than ever. Deep Water dieting takes the guesswork out. You will have complete control over your lifestyle and the food you eat.

Jon is trying to get down that path faster than anyone else. The only way to do that is by providing himself with the necessary tools and materials to facilitate growth at all times. There can never be a moment when he isn’t in a state of recovery. Deep Water workouts are nasty, tough, and painful. They push you into a state of recovery that often lasts for several days. Your diet needs to reflect that. Take a double shot of protein immediately after your workout. Immediately after heavy workouts, there is a window for increased protein uptake. Don’t just push your protein after heavy training sessions. In order to stay in a constant state of recovery, you need to maintain a regimented Deep Water diet. You can’t build without protein. The human body is constantly adapting and changing. If you continue to overload a body in an adaptive state with protein it will become more efficient at using that protein. The more you can digest, the faster you will recover and rebuild. Deep Water will make you a more efficient protein converting machine. If you believe your body can only ingest thirty grams of protein per meal and you only eat thirty grams of protein for the rest of your life, do you think you will ever adapt to eating forty-five grams? Or even sixty? No way. If you want to adapt you have to force it. Adaptation is violent. Your diet should reflect the intensity of your workouts.

DEEP WATER If you eat enough quality meats and fats, the rice and other carbs will not call out to you. They call out to you when you don’t eat regularly enough and your brain sends out signals saying it needs quick burning energy now. But none of that really matters. If you want gains, you have to get uncomfortable. Don’t be a pussy. The carbs will always call your name. It’s your job to silence the voices and push through. If you adhere to a strict Deep Water diet your body will become a fat burning and protein synthesizing expert. If Jon is eating, he is eating protein. This was before Atkins and long before Paleo. When he was thirty, Jon got a beef sponsorship that allowed him to consume five pounds of grass-fed beef per day. It is safe to say Jon Andersen has consumed four to six pounds of flesh a day for the last twenty years.

Thanks to Deep Water, Jon is 300lbs with never more than 7% body fat. He’s a physical juggernaut. It’s hard to imagine that he isn’t “pre-contest” or “tapering,” but this is how Jon looks 365 days a year. It isn’t about photo shoots or peaking for a show. It’s a lifestyle for him. Deep Water is a daily routine. It’s his way of life.

Before Jon’s feet hit the floor in the morning, before his butt hits the toilet, he has consumed 100 grams of protein. Jon will consume seven or eight meals a day, like clockwork, consisting of no less than 100 grams of protein per sitting. With that comes a healthy supply of fat. There is no room left for carbs. Not because he wants to watch his glycemic index, but because there’s just no way to eat more. Most of us, when faced with day-to-day choices, go for the pleasure lifestyle: eating for enjoyment instead of sustenance. For Jon, it’s not just a lifestyle, it’s a necessity. Jon is in a constant state of recovery at all times. He is never not sore. The more protein he consumes, the faster his recovery from the grueling, Deep Water grinders that he puts himself through. For Deep Water to be successful, this symbiosis between diet and training must exist. Eating massive amounts of protein without the hard work won’t be effective. Training at the intensity this program calls for, without proper protein replacement, is a waste of time, too. Jon enjoys his lifestyle. It brings him joy to know that he adheres to a unique regimen that produces drastic results. He is proud to do what others won’t.

DEEP WATER

“Every time I look in the mirror I see that fat kid in the locker room,” he says as a big grin spreads across his face. “I train like this to make sure he never steps on this side of the mirror again.” DEEP WATER FRIENDLY FOODS: MEAT POULTRY Ground beef Steak Buffalo Venison Ham Pork Bacon Veal Heart

Chicken Ostrich Turkey Duck Quail Rabbit

FISH

SHELLFISH

VEGETABLES

Arctic char Catfish Cod Flounder Grouper Haddock Halibut Herring Mackerel Mahi-Mahi Monkfish Orange roughy Perch Red snapper Salmon Sardines Sea bass Shark Sole Surimi Swordfish Trout Tilapia Tuna

Clams Crab Crawfish Lobster Mussels Octopus Oysters Scallops Shrimp

Artichoke Asparagus Bean sprouts Bell peppers Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots (uncooked only) Cauliflower Celery Green beans Kale Lettuce Mushrooms Onions Peppers Radish Spinach Tomato Zucchini Avocado

DAIRY

EGGS

NUTS

Low-carb cottage cheese Sour cream Cream Low-carb cheese Low-fat Greek yogurt (unsweet ened/unflavored)

Chicken (omega-3 eggs recommended)

Almonds Peanuts Almond and peanut butter


DEEP WATER

HERE IS A SAMPLE BEGINNER DEEP WATER DIET FOR A 200-POUND PERSON. USE FOOD CHOICES FROM THE LIST PROVIDED: MEAL #1, 8AM:

MEAL #4 (POST WORKOUT), 6:30PM:

9 whole omega-3 eggs

100 gram protein shake

1/2 avocado

2 tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup peanuts MEAL #2, 11:30AM:

MEAL #5, 10PM: 9 whole omega-3 eggs

3/4 lb. organic chicken thighs

1/2 avocado

Unlimited green vegetables

1/4 cup peanuts

2 tbsp sour cream 1 tbsp flax seed oil MEAL #3, 3PM: 3/4 lb. grass fed ground beef (85% lean) Unlimited green vegetables 2 tbsp guacamole 1 tbsp flax seed oil

DEEP WATER

Deep Water is all about recognizing opportunities to improve. Portals are windows of opportunity that present themselves when breaking new pain thresholds. Passing through a portal is like passing into a new world, a world where all of your goals are attainable and progress is inevitable. Passing through a portal is the moment in the workout when the body begins to manage pain more effectively. The big gains hide in the pain. Get comfortable

Chapter 4 being uncomfortable. Identify your portals and jump through. When you learn to DEEP WATER TRAINING

recognize and jump through portals, you are on the fast track to success.

BEGINNERS Ten sets of ten reps. There are plenty of exercises that can get you into Deep Water. Compound movements that use as much of the body as possible are ideal. As a beginner, you will want to stick with more basic movements. Back squats and deadlifts are perfect. Auxiliary exer-cises like curls and bench presses won’t do the trick. Keep in mind that your body may feel overtrained. The goal is to feel like you can keep going past ten even though you are whipped. Your body is releasing endorphins that have a numbing effect on the pain. At this point, don’t dive in, but watch for the portals of opportunity. Once you learn to recognize them, you are on track. These are portals to a whole new world of training and gains that you never knew existed: Deep Water.


DEEP WATER

INTERMEDIATE Now that you have pushed yourself with ten sets of ten it’s time to step it up. Remember the portals? Now it’s time to dive in there. You are now going to start turning sets of ten into longer, more brutal work sets. Your goal is to learn to push your body past what your mind is telling you is possible. Your body is very resilient and is capable of more than you know. When that little voice in side your head tells you to stop, you need to get mad and keep going.

It’s time to start learning to deal with being uncomfortable. Ultimately, you’ll learn to keep your mind calm while your body is freaking out. You’ll learn to ignore and even embrace the adrenaline being dumped into the bloodstream. It’s natural to start panicking, however this is the worst thing you can do. Calm your mind, but never your body!

Your ten sets of ten has now become a test to see how few sets you can do to achieve 100 reps. Keep in mind that even at this intermediate level, you are ultimately training yourself to operate in Deep Water. You are training the mind to stay calm even though the voice in your head says you are in great danger. You are training the body to break through pain thresholds like they are made of glass. Most importantly you are training the two parts to work together even though they are in two completely different states. When you are in deep, uncharted water it is important to stay focused on the next rep. Not the next 10. You can almost always get one more, then one more, and then one more again and again and again until you reach your goal. There is usually always one more and your mind can live with that. Don’t sell yourself short by setting a number and stopping there. Maybe, just maybe, there is more in the tank. You’ll never know unless you are willing to toe the line. As your thresholds increase, so will your ability to perform more complex exercises. The intermediate stage is a great place to ad power cleans, front squats, clean and jerks, and some strongman implements.

DEEP WATER

ADVANCED If you have come this far, you are achieving an unbelievable amount of success in the best way possible.

This method of training is something that you will benefit from immediately. However, you should always be pushing yourself into deeper water. Jon has been at this for over twenty years and he’s still going deeper. You will discover more about your version of Deep Water every time you get in. Keeping your mind calm will always be difficult. The bigger the goal, the tougher it is keep calm. In the beginner and intermediate programs, reps and sets are set up to do nothing more than teach you how to get in and how to recognize the portals and opportunities when they present themselves. As an advanced swimmer, you can use many different rep and set schemes. You can get into Deep Water on a set of five by turning a max set of five into seven or eight. Or add weight and do a harder set of five. It’s all about reaching for more and getting the mind out of the body’s way. There are so many ways to better yourself. Just apply your new tools and set new standards. You have learned to make your body and mind work together to deal with extraordinary amounts of pain and punishment. You have stretched out your work capacity both mentally and physically. Now it’s time to push it.

Now that you’re an advanced Deep Water athlete, you are equipped to use these tools to suit individual goals with individual/customized training. You are now able to harness and access more of your physical tools through mental toughness. Ask yourself: what is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? Reaching goals is satisfying no matter what level you are. Advanced Deep Water is truly a state of mind. The challenge is being able to recognize and capitalize on the opportunities when the time is right.

Deep Water

A Way of Life.

DEEP WATER

BEGINNER DEEP WATER PROGRAM *Anybody interested in engaging in a serious Deep Water program should establish a 1-rep max in thefollowing exercises: • Squat • Deadlift • Push press • Strict standing press • Power clean • Bench press • Incline press • Narrow-grip bench press Once you have found your 1-rep max, you will use that number to calculate your 10-rep max. Multiply your 1-rep max by .77 to find your hypothetical 10-rep max. Multiply your hypothetical 10-rep max by .7 to find your 70% as prescribed in the beginner’s program. DURING WEEKS 1 AND 2 USE 70% AND TAKE NO MORE THAN 4 MINUTES REST BETWEEN SETS.

WEEK ONE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Light deadlift

Pull-ups - 4 sets

Push press -

Bench press -

Active rest -

(technique)

to failure

10x10

3x10

Stairs,

- 3x10

Bent over rows

Lateral DB raises Close grip

hills, or swim:

Squat - 10x10

- 4x10

-

bench - 3x10

medium

Barbell lunges -

Clean pull (tech- 3x10 each arm

Incline press -

intensity for 20

3x10 reps

nique) -

Barbell curl -

3x10

minutes

per leg

3x10

5x10

Dips - 3 sets to

Sit-ups/back

60-second

Sit-ups/back

failure

extension

plank with 20

extesion - 20

Push-ups - 3

-20 each, 3 sets,

sit-ups - 3 sets

each,

sets to

no rest

no rest

3 sets, no rest

failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Saturday/ Sunday Off

DEEP WATER

WEEK TWO Monday

Tuesday

Light squat

Pull-ups - 4 sets Strict press -

(technique) -

to failure

10x10

3x10

Bent over rows

Lateral DB rai-

Deadlift - 10x10 - 4x10

Wednesday

ses - 3x10

Barbell lunges -

Clean pull (tech- each arm

3x10

nique) -

Barbell curl -

Sit-ups - 3x20

3x10

5x10

60-second

60-second

plank with 20

plank with 20

sit-ups - 3 sets

sit-ups - 3 sets

no rest

no rest

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Bench press 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Incline press 3x10 Dips - 3 sets to failure Push-ups - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Active rest -

Off

Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes

DURING WEEKS 3 AND 4 STAY AT 70% BUT REDUCE REST TIME BETWEEN SETS TO 3 MINUTES.

WEEK THREE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Light deadlift (technique) 3x10 Squat - 10x10 Barbell lunges 3x10 reps per leg Sit-ups/back extension -20 each, 3 sets, no rest

Pull-ups - 4 sets to failure Bent over rows - 4x10 Clean pull (technique) 3x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press 10x10 Lateral DB raises - 3x10 each arm Barbell curl 5x10 Sit-ups/back extension 20 each, 3 sets, no rest


Active rest Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes


DEEP WATER

WEEK FOUR Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light squat (technique) 3x10 Deadlift - 10x10 Barbell lunges 3x10 Sit-ups - 3x20

Pull-ups - 4 sets to failure Bent over rows - 4x10 Clean pull (technique) 3x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press 10x10 Lateral DB raises - 3x10 each arm Barbell curl 5x10 Sit-ups/back extension 20 each, 3 sets, no rest



Off

DURING WEEKS 5 AND 6 STAY AT 70%, BUT REDUCE YOUR REST TIME TO 2 MINUTES BETWEEN SETS. START IDENTIFYING YOUR PORTALS! STAY FOCUSED AND STAY TOUGH. THESE WORKOUTS WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO QUIT. NEVER GIVE UP! “PAIN CAUSES SOME MEN TO BREAK AND OTHER MEN TO BREAK RECORDS!”

WEEK FIVE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light deadlift (technique) - 3x10 Squat - 10x10 Barbell lunges 3x10 Sit-ups/back extension -20 each, 3 sets, no rest

Pull-ups - 4 sets to failure Shrugs - 4x10 Clean pull (technique) 3x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Strict press 10x10 Barbell curl 5x10 Sit-ups/back extension 20 each, 3 sets, no rest



Off


DEEP WATER

WEEK SIX Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light squat (technique) 3x10 Deadlift - 10x10 Barbell lunges 3x10 Sit-ups - 3x20

Pull-ups - 4 sets to failure Shrugs - 4x10 Clean pull (technique) 3x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Strict press 10x10 Barbell curl 5x10 Sit-ups/back extension 20 each, 3 sets, no rest



Off


DEEP WATER

INTERMEDIATE DEEP WATER PROGRAM *Anybody interested in engaging in a serious Deep Water program should establish a 1-rep max in the following exercises: • Squat • Deadlift • Push press • Strict standing press • Power clean • Bench press • Incline press • Narrow-grip bench press Once you have found your 1-rep max, you will use that number to calculate your 10-rep max. Multiply your 1-rep max by .77 to find your hypothetical 10-rep max. Multiply your hypothetical 10-rep max by .7 to find your 70% as prescribed in the beginner’s program. DURING WEEKS 1 AND 2 USE 70% AND TAKE NO MORE THAN 4 MINUTES REST BETWEEN SETS.

WEEK ONE Monday Light squat (technique) 3x10 Deadlift - 10x10 Box jumps 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Tuesday Push press 10x10 Barbell curl 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Clean pull (technique) 3x10 Power cleans 10x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Bench press 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Incline press 3x10 Dips - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest



WEEK TWO Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light deadlift (technique) 3x10 Squat - 10x10 Back extension - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press 10x10 Barbell curl 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Clean pull (technique) 3x10 Power cleans 10x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest



Off

DEEP WATER DURING WEEKS 3 AND 4, USE 80% AND TAKE 4 MINUTES REST BETWEEN SETS. NOW TRY TO COMPLETE THE REPS IN 9 OR LESS SETS. THESE WORKOUTS WILL BE YOUR FIRST SWIMS INTO DEEP WATERS. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR YOUR PORTALS!

WEEK THREE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light squat (technique) 3x10 Deadlift - 100 reps in as few sets as possible Box jumps 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press 100 reps in as few sets as possible Barbell curl 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Clean pull (technique) 3x10 Power cleans 100 reps in as few sets as possible 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest


Active rest - Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes

Off

WEEK FOUR Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Light deadlift (technique) 3x10 Squat - 100 reps in as few sets as possible 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press - 100 reps in as few sets as possible Barbell curl 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest





WEEKS 5 AND 6 WILL TEST YOUR MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND RESOLVE. HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR STRENGTH AND FORCE YOUR BODY TO ADAPT TO HIGHER STRESS LEVELS. LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACE. GET INTO YOUR PORTAL AND STAY THERE AS LONG AS YOU CAN. USE 80% OF YOUR ONE REP MAX AND TAKE AS MUCH REST AS YOU NEED. TRY TO FINISH YOUR REPS IN 8 OR LESS SETS.


DEEP WATER

WEEK FIVE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light deadlift (technique) 3x10 Squat - 100 reps in as few sets as possible 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Push press 100 reps in as few sets as possible Barbell curl 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest




Off

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday/ Sunday

Light squat (tech-

Strict press - 100

Clean pull (techni- Bench press -

Active rest -

Off

nique) -

reps in

que) -

3x10

Stairs,

3x10

as few sets as

3x10

Close grip bench

hills, or swim:

Deadlift - 100

possible

Power cleans -

- 3x10

medium

reps in as

Barbell curl - 5x10

100 reps

Incline press -

intensity for 20

few sets as pos-

60-second plank

in as few sets as

3x10

minutes

sible

with 20

possible

Dips - 3 sets to

Box jumps - 5x10

sit-ups - 3 sets no

60-second plank

failure

60-second plank

rest

with 20

60-second plank

with 20

sit-ups - 3 sets no

with 20

sit-ups - 3 sets no

rest

sit-ups - 3 sets no

WEEK SIX

rest

rest

DEEP WATER

ADVANCED DEEP WATER TRAINING On Deep Water days, there will be a reduction of volume and a massive increase in intensity. Burn the boats! On non-Deep Water days, work up to a max set of 10.

WEEK ONE Monday (Deep Water) Light squat (technique) - 3x10 Deadlift - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60 second plank with 20 sit ups 3 sets no rest

Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Strict press - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure 60 second plank with 20 sit ups 3 sets no rest

Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Bench press - 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Incline press - 3x10 Dips - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Thursday (Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power cleans - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Friday (Non-Deep Water) Active rest - Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes

Saturday/Sunday Off


DEEP WATER

WEEK TWO Monday

(Deep Water) Light deadlift (technique) - 3x10 Squat - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Bent over row - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Bench press - 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Dips - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Thursday (Deep Water) Push press - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest


Saturday/Sunday Off

DEEP WATER

WEEK THREE Monday (Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power clean - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Strict press - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power cleans - 5x10 Box jumps - 3x20 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Thursday (Non-Deep Water) Bench press - 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Incline press - 3x10 Push-ups - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest


Saturday/Sunday


DEEP WATER

WEEK FOUR Monday (Deep Water) Light deadlift (technique) - 3x10 Squat - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Push press - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power cleans - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest

Thursday (Deep Water) Full or squat cleans - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest


Saturday/Sunday

DEEP WATER

WEEK FIVE Monday (Deep Water) Light deadlift (technique) - 3x10 Front squat press - work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! Box jumps - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Strict press - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power cleans - 3x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Thursday (Deep Water) Clean and push press - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 5 sets no rest Friday (Non-Deep Water) Active rest - Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes Saturday/Sunday Off


DEEP WATER

WEEK SIX Monday (Deep Water) Light squat (technique) - 3x10 Squat - 5x5, work up to a max set and then drop down to 65% (multiply max set of 5 by .65). Dive into your portal and go to failure. Rest 5-8 minutes. Drop to 50% (multiply max set of 5 by .5) and go to failure again. Get wet! 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Tuesday (Non-Deep Water) Pull-ups - 3 sets to failure Strict press - 5x10 Barbell curl - 5x10 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Wednesday (Non-Deep Water) Clean pull (technique) - 3x10 Power cleans - 5x10 Box jumps - 3x20 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Thursday (Non-Deep Water) Bench press - 3x10 Close grip bench - 3x10 Incline press - 3x10 Push-ups - 3 sets to failure 60-second plank with 20 sit-ups - 3 sets no rest Friday (Non-Deep Water) Active rest - Stairs, hills, or swim: medium intensity for 20 minutes Saturday/Sunday Off

DEEP WATER Chapter 5 Getting Beyond Your Challenges

You can either go through the motions and barely finish, or you can bring all of your heart and resolve to a workout. Remember, Deep Water is not for everyone. It’s very challenging. It will stretch your limitations in ways you never knew possible. This goes for the beginning swimmer and seasoned deep sea divers alike. Before long, you will have standards. You will begin to break new pain thresholds and weights you found heavy before will seem like toys in your hands. Set goals. Create challenges for yourself and your training partners to attack and conquer. Learn to spot your portals and know when to jump through them. Set reasonable goals that will keep you healthy but push you into uncomfortable places. Find the comfort in the pain.

Here are some standards if you want to swim with the big fish. For these purposes, heavyweights (HWT) are 242+lbs, middleweights (MWT) are 242-186lbs, and lightweights (LWT) are 185lbs and under. HWT

MWT

LWT

SQUAT Deep Water

500x20

405x20

315x20

Beyond the Break

425x20

335x20

275x20

Shallow End

365x20

275x20

225x20

Still on the Shore

<315x20

<225x20

<185x20

PUSH PRESS Deep Water

315x10

275x10

225x10

Beyond the Break

275x10

235x10

185x10

Shallow End

225x10

185x10

155x10

Still on Shore

<175x10

<145x10

<115x10

Deep Water

500x20

405x20

315x20

Beyond the Break

425x20

335x20

275x20

Shallow End

365x20

275x20

225x20

Still on Shore

<315x20

<225x20

<185x20

Deep Water

315x10

275x10

225x10

Beyond the Break

275x10

235x10

185x10

DEADLIFT

CLEAN

Shallow End

225x10

185x10

155x10

Still on Shore

<175x10

<145x10

<115x10

DEEP WATER For those of you looking to test the waters outside the gym, try stair running. Stair running was my first “deep swim.” It’s a great beginner Deep Water workout. In fact, stairs are perfect for any athlete who wants to venture into unknown depths.

Jon likes the Larkspur stairs. 151 stairs straight to hell. Anyone who has ever experienced them shudders when they are mentioned. Anyone who has ever DEEP WATER: UNLEASH YOUR INNER GREAT WHITE 74 run them with Big Jon Andersen has a story to tell. Training with Jon is always an interesting

It feels like hot lead has been poured into my glutes and quads. I am in Deep Waters.

experience. Pushing yourself without any concern for the return swim, never leaving anything in the tank for tomorrow. Always testing your physical and emotional limits during a workout. It’s my seventh Sunday on the stairs. The fact that I still get the invite every week is a testament to my willingness to push my workouts into the Deep Waters. That, or a testament to my stupidity. Either way, I’m here again. I’m sick. I’m cramping up. I’m in big trouble, because I still have two sets to go.

The week before, an Olympic weightlifter who I coach had begged Jon to let him join us. Emile Brock is a Muni bus driver and a strength athlete. He wants badly to break into the strongman scene and knows training with Jon is a great place to start.

We all warned Emile not to eat breakfast and to come ready to work. This is an exclusive club and Jon does not suffer quitters or whiners. In fact, he chooses his training partners carefully. He only trains with people he knows will push him and get the most out of themselves. That’s how he stays sharp.

The program is five sets, skipping a step, full speed. There are over 150 steps with a landing about half way up. One set takes about a minute. When the first athlete hits the landing, the next one starts. If there’s someone new, Jon makes it interesting by following him. “If I catch you, I’m knocking you down and you have to start over.”

DEEP WATER It was Emile’s third set, when his breakfast boomeranged on him. It was obvious to everyone that he hadn’t heeded our warnings and had eaten eggs, toast, and some bacon. Wiping the barf from his gasping mouth, he looks up at Jon with pleading eyes, “I’m done. I can’t go on,” he gasps between heaves. Jon is patient at first, “That’s ok, brother. Get it all out so you can finish the workout.” Simple. Emile looks at Jon with amazement and horror in his eyes, “I can’t finish,” he sputters. “You can do it, Brock,” I groan through what seems like a gallon of saliva. I am close to barfing too. “Hang tough, homie.” But Emile is unresponsive, lying in the tall grass. Jon gives him another chance. “This is it, brother, this is why you came today. Push through the pain. That’s the only way to improve.” Emile is not hearing it. “I’m sick, dude!” Now Jon is pissed because this is affecting his workout and burning valuable time. “Listen, brother,” he growls, “this is your last chance. You can tear up your dance card if you quit because you will never train with me again!” With that he sprints up the rest of the stairs, grunting like it’s feeding time at the zoo. This week it’s my turn to hit a wall. I am three sets deep and the lactic acid dump is crushing. It feels like hot lead has been poured into my glutes and quads. I am in Deep Waters. Everyone, including Jon’s daughter, Tayler, is waiting at the top for me. There are also several other enthusiasts walking or jogging up and down for their version of torture including a beast of a powerlifter-turned-strongman named Ricki LaRocha and some skinny marathon types. One in particular has all the latest jogging gear on and is making cute remarks about the meat factory on the stairs. He had asked if he could join us. Jon said yes, as long as he does them our way. “Don’t start what you can’t finish.” “I’ll try and keep up,” he laughs sarcastically. Ricki hits the landing so off I go. By the time I hit the landing I am speaking in tongues and trying to remember my name. The second flight seems to have tripled in distance. By the time I approach the final stretch I am moving in slow motion, feebly pumping my arms and pulling my feet out of what feels like quick-dry concrete. I see Jon and Tayler, both screaming at me but I can only hear the blood pounding in my ears and my own mantra of “keep moving,” repeating in my head.


DEEP WATER There is no joy in finishing, only pain. It’s difficult to stand so Ricki and I are literally rolling around in the middle of the street, moaning in agony. Jon extends his giant paw to help me up. As I stand the nausea returns with a vengeance. I didn’t eat breakfast but last night’s dinner is threatening to make an appearance just as marathon-man gets to the top.

“Atta-boy,” smiles Jon, “only one set left.”

Ricki somehow laughs and groans simultaneously. I begin to laugh too but my laughter turns into a heave and there’s no turning back. Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast it was particularly tough to get the food out of my belly. I am a big man and don’t do anything quietly, especially barf. Nobody likes to see or hear that when they are feeling sick themselves.

“You gonna puke, brother?”

I’m doubled over in pain. I look at him and all I can say is, “It’s in the mail.” In true form, Jon is cracking up, making jokes.

In fact, we are all having a good laugh, even me between hurls. All of us, that is, except marathon man. He is not happy. “You guys are killing me,” he groans. He looks bad, sort of green around the edges. As my puking intensifies, he becomes more and more uncomfortable. Jon recognizes it and starts to egg him on.

“Dude doesn’t look so good,” he laughs. “Looks like he might be giving back that latte he rented!”

“Ha, ha,” says dude as he stands up to escape the smell. Right about then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell like a tree, face-first down the stairs, out cold.

There is a moment when we all look at each other and laugh in amazement. Then we spring as fast as our ruined legs can manage down the fifteen or so stairs that he has fallen before his face stopped his progress.

DEEP WATER He’s a mess. His face is bleeding and bruised. But he’s smiling because he has no idea where he is. He’s in very Deep Waters. Drowning, in fact.

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

“You passed out and fell down the stairs,” I say, fighting back the laughter, “but you’ll survive.”

Bewildered and confused, we pull him to his feet. He’s near tears now, “Please don’t tell my wife, she’ll never let me run the stairs again.”

“Don’t worry, brother,” laughs Jon, “your secret is safe with us.”

We load him into Jon’s truck after we watch him try and negotiate the stairs down. He is still very shaky and could really hurt himself. As we drive him home, all I can think about is how grateful I am that he took a fall when he did, thus ending the workout.

Now don’t get me wrong, running the stairs will not make you superhuman. They might not even be tough for certain athletes. But doing them the way Jon does them -with Jon- will push any athlete into Deep Waters. The anaerobic nature of climbing stairs means that the lactic acid builds up in the legs almost immediately. And the burn that comes with it doesn’t go away until long after the workout. Stair training works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. During the high intensity efforts, the anaerobic system uses the energy stored in the muscles (mitochondria) for short bursts of activity. Anaerobic metabolism works without oxygen, but the byproduct is lactic acid. As lactic acid builds up, the athlete enters oxygen debt (Deep Waters), and it is during the recovery phase (rolling around in the street) that the heart and lungs work together to “pay back” this oxygen debt and break down the lactic acid.

By performing high intensity intervals that produce lactic acid, the body adapts and burns lactic acid more efficiently during exercise. This means athletes can exercise at a higher intensity for a longer period of time before fatigue or pain slows them down.

I have never seen Jon slow down. He is always the last man standing, and he weighs 300+lbs!


DEEP WATER

“It’s a lifestyle within training,” he says when asked about his pain and discomfort tolerance. ”I take a great deal of pride in knowing that I will do things that others won’t. You can either go through the motions and barely finish, or you can bring all of your heart and resolve to a workout. There is a comfort in knowing you gave it your all. Something to lean on when the pain starts.”

That’s the rub. “When the pain starts.” For most athletes, this kind of pain marks the end of an intense workout. For Jon, the pain is simply a marker; a buoy in the water, telling him there is more to come. If you don’t get through the first barrier, where it seems unbearable, you wont get into Deep Water. If you are able to push through, you find a portal where things still hurt and it still sucks, just not as bad. That’s when things start to shut down.

“That’s when you unhook the governor in your mind,” Jon muses. “You know the shut-down is imminent and you begin to wonder if you can force yourself to do one more rep.” He looks me dead in the eyes, as serious as I’ve ever seen him, and says, “There is always one more. Always. You just gotta keep digging. That’s when you get to the Deep Water. When drowning is the least of your worries.”

As we drive away from marathon man’s house, Jon glances over at me with a big shit-eating grin. “Don’t worry brother, I didn’t forget about your last set just because dude took a swan dive. I’ll get it out of you yet. We’re doing cleans tomorrow.”

DEEP WATER

Chapter 6

Deep Water Clean and Jerks Andre Shiskin is a Russian-born football player from Northern California. He is a D-1 defensive end at the University of Western Carolina, but to hear him tell it, he’s already a Pro-Bowler. He’s on break and typically trains with me when he is home. Everyone loves him. He always has a big smile, an even bigger cooler full of food, and at 6’4” and 285 pounds, he barely squeezes into the cab of my truck. My daughter calls him Andre The Giant.

“Big Jash!” he exclaims as he slaps my back, “Zdrasvitsya!” He knows I speak some Russian. “I’ve got apples, bananas, a few turkey sandos, some peanuts, something my mom made, not really sure what its called in English. You hungry?”

“Yes,” I reply, “starving. But I’m going to wait until after the workout.”

“Why, you think its gonna be hard?” He is already peeling an orange.

I stare at him in amazement, “Do I need to remind you that we are training with Big Jon?”

“I know. He told me we’re doing cleans. Big deal. I always eat before weights at school. Makes me feel solid!” He slaps his chest hard as he says it and I shake my head in disbelief. “This is going to be awesome,” I laugh.

“What are you talking about?!” Now a banana. “I’m going to dominate this workout. I’m in great shape. These guys aren’t gonna know what hit them!” He’s excited now, and sweating.


DEEP WATER I am laughing and shaking my head. For me, training with big Jon Andersen is a very serious matter. It doesn’t compare to a casual workout with the homies or even a big squat day with some heavy hitters. With Jon, there are no easy or light days. Training with Jon requires a great deal of mental preparation, not to mention a significant amount of time blocked off for recovery, as well as food, water and restoratives close at hand.

Andre is new to this group. I always love bringing someone new to into the mix. Either they bring their A-game and get a key to the executive restroom or they flounder and drown in the Deep Waters. Regardless, it always makes for a good story and we all work harder.

It could go either way with Andre.

By the time we get to the dungeon, he has consumed two oranges, an apple, a banana, and a turkey and avocado sandwich. His impressive gut is distended as he struts towards the platform. Big Jon is there with his daughter Tayler and world class CrossFitter Danny Nichols. Danny is another athlete that I have been working with for years. He jumps at any opportunity to train with us because he knows he will be pushed into Deep Waters. Danny holds the CrossFit world record in the thruster lift at 335 pounds. He has also snatched 320 pounds and clean and jerked 412 pounds weighing about 235 pounds. He looks like a super hero and brings intensity and resolve to every workout. Guys like Danny know the value of good training partners and a positive attitude.

Jon is moving slow. I see that his Adidas weightlifting shoes are untied. This can mean only one thing.

“Sore back?” I venture.

“No. Hamstring.”

DEEP WATER He knows our only chance to beat him in this workout is if he is hobbled. Even though I have cleaned 440 pounds, I am almost certain we won’t be going after heavy singles. That is never the purpose of Jon’s workouts. The purpose is to skate the line between total physical breakdown and adaptation in order to push yourself into deep, dark waters.

I strap on my shoes and start warming up, afraid to ask what’s on the docket. My last workout with Jon left me legless for days and almost killed some other guy. I was just now bouncing back.

I have never known an athlete more comfortable with pain than Jon Andersen. It’s astonishing. Danny isn’t scared. “What’s the plan, Jon?”

We all freeze and lean in as Jon says, “Well I figure we take advantage of all of our strengths and work on our various weaknesses at the same time.”

Sounds great. A perfect workout. The problem is I can’t think of a single weakness between Jon and Danny. I am at defcon four on the fear scale.

The workout is as follows: a barbell is loaded with 275 pounds. Ten reps, ground to overhead, any style. The only rest you get is when the others are lifting. Go to failure. Last man standing wins.

Jon lays down some ground rules. “Be ready when it’s your turn. There are too many of us to be wasting time. Get water and chalk before you’re up. Let’s set a good pace and keep it as long as we can. Don’t anyone leave the rest of us hanging.” He looks everyone in the eyes, “Understood?” After we’ve all nodded in agreement, he turns around and gets after it.

Right away, I see the severity of his hamstring injury. He is pulling off one leg and loading up the back instead of the hips. But he is moving fast and the bar is flying. His first set looks like he’s holding a broomstick.


DEEP WATER Danny is eager to go next, so we give him room. He’s an extremely athletic and powerful man who also happens to be ultra competitive. He grabs the bar and absolutely molests his first set.

Now it’s me. I have the most experience in the Olympic lifts but the least amount of gas in the tank. Let’s just say I am a one-rep monster. Sets of ten are not in my wheelhouse. This was going to be a long one. By the 5th rep, I’m on fire. I’m relying heavily on technique. My hands feel like they are going to tear apart, but I’m fired up and the boys are letting me hear it. I lock out the tenth rep and Andre is chomping at the bit to start.

After his set he is jumping around, hooting and hollering as Big Jon starts into the second round. He’s so strong, yet so inflexible that his “cleans” never actually touch his shoulders. Instead, they float around chin level before he push jerks it overhead. Rep after rep, he never slows down. Consistent. Aggressive.

“Pain makes some men break,” he says to himself, “and causes others to break records.” Danny is up next and the pace is heating up. He’s such a gamer. He knows when to strike. He wants to put it on us early so we can’t keep up and fade fast. He’s increasing his pace and each rep somehow looks better than the last. The bar is moving up and down so fast that it looks like he’s jumping rope.

I chalk up and dig in for a plateful of pain. On the very first rep, I tear a quartersized callus on my hand. No turning back. By the third rep, the bar is too slick with blood to hold onto. Jon walks over and grabs my wrist to have a closer look.

After a moment’s reflection, he crushes a large piece of chalk into the meaty hole in my hand, shrugs and smirks, “Let’s go brother, time to step it up.”

I grip the bar, drop my hips and bang out three more reps. Four to go. My lungs are on fire. I hear my old coach, Steve Gough, in my head: “Pull hard and move fast!”

DEEP WATER Two more down. Get set. Get aggressive. On your heals. Squeeze. Big finish. Rack and stand. Hips through. On your heels. Big chest. Drive hard and reach.

One more. Time to turn up the heat. I can’t slow down this early. “You ready boy?” I taunt Andre.

“Oh I’m ready,” he says as I drop the bar. But this round came pretty quickly. He’s belching and breathing hard and sweating like a whore in church. He breezes through this set easier than the last. “How many sets are we doing, anyway?”

“You can stow that shit right now, brother. You’re doing as many as it takes.” Jon says as he limps past the big Russian.

He is hurting. Bad. I may be the only one here who notices. His demeanor hasn’t changed. His attitude and aggression remain constant. He has none of the usual pre-emptive excuse bullshit you hear from most people. He just charges forward. I have never known an athlete more comfortable with pain than Jon Andersen. It’s astonishing. He would rather die than show one shred of mental weakness, because to him that’s all pain is: your mind convincing you to stop before it’s in any real danger. When you reach out for something hot, the nerve endings in your fingers tell your brain that it’s hot long before you are in any real danger of being burned. That’s how Jon looks at pain, like his body is warning him that it’s going to get burned if he keeps this pace up.

“Pain makes some men break,” he says to himself, “and causes others to break records.”

This set is just as easy as the last. Danny is pacing back and forth like a jungle cat waiting to pounce. He’s fired up. He has what my coach would call “linebacker eyes.” Focused. This set is even faster than the last. He only stops once when Jon tosses him a block of chalk around the fifth rep. His hands are bothering him, too.


DEEP WATER My turn again. My hand is taped and I’m chalked up. The first rep feels like its glued to the floor. Just crush this first one and the rest will follow, I tell myself. It feels like a max deadlift with a pull and a prayer, then an eyes-on-the-cheeks front squat and an uncharacteristically easy jerk! I follow that with two more touch and go reps. Three down. I take a deep breath, ad-just my bloody hand tape and reach down for number four. Success. Six more. Five more. Everyone is screaming at me, including my erectors and hamstrings. “Let’s go, Jasha!” cries Tayler. Her words are inspirational and her voice pushes me through the rest of the set. To be fair, it was more like ten singles than a set of ten continuous reps. I could tell Jon and Danny were getting antsy.

“C’mon Jash, we don’t want to get cold,” says Jon, “Andre is ready for round 3! Wait… where the hell is Andre?” We quickly search the area and find him outside, behind the facility. “You’re up, boy! Quit wasting time!” shouts Danny.

“Already?” He’s green. His swagger seems to have swaggered out of the building. He apprehensively approaches the bar, mumbling stuff like “...last set...let’s just do some abs… I squatted heavy yesterday…”

“Andre, focus on your technique,” I say encouragingly, “you’re going to be fine. Just crush this set so we can move on.”

This seems to motivate Andre. His next ten reps are better than the first set. This time, there is no hooting and hollering afterwards No chest slapping. Andre is in Deep Water. He is disoriented and in pain. Jon is already four reps into his forth round when Andre bolts for the back door and barfs over the railing behind the facility. It’s hot out and the smell instantly wafts inside. Jon is on his sixth rep when he looks up with a smile on his face.

DEEP WATER “What did he eat? Smells like pineapples. It’s making me kind of hungry.” But really, Jon smells blood. He’s going to try and pick us off one by one. Andre is already fading and making excuses. The barf is a signal to a predator like Jon, like blood in the water. He smells it. “You had better pull yourself together, boy. I’m taking you into Deep Waters today. I hope you’re ready to get wet!” With that he hammers out six more reps.

That was twelve,” Danny points out as he approaches the bar.

“I know. I figure I owed you a couple since I stopped to smell the roses.”

“Fair enough,” laughs Danny as he hammers out another flawless set. This time he is shaking his hands out between lifts and actually glances at his palm around the seventh rep. He may be running into trouble too, but he’ll do his best to disguise it.

I’m sitting down and stretching my hamstrings (which feel like piano wires) when I realize everyone is looking at me expectantly.

“Your turn, coach.”

I get up and walk towards the bar. I know any kind of hesitation or complaint will be met with heavy opposition. The first rep goes up relatively easily. Same with the next. I have reached that part of the workout where the body starts to adapt to the load, when the pain feels a little distant and not quite so intense. Only when I am dragged into Deep Waters do I really get to this point. It’s also where I make my biggest gains.

I have found a rhythm. Endorphins are managing my pains. This is my best set yet. My lungs are on fire but I finish strong.

“Andre, you’re up!” Shouts Jon at the back door. Andre is outside, leaning back with his shirt off and arms spread wide against the railing. His eyes are closed and he has a gentle smile on his face. He’s sunbathing. “I said you’re up!” Andre snaps his eyes open. “What are you talking about? I thought Jasha said we were moving on.”


DEEP WATER “Yeah!” snapped Danny, “Moving on to the next set! We’re just getting warmed up and by the looks of that last set, you are nowhere near done” Andre starts to say something but he can tell from looks on our faces that almost nothing he says will make a difference. “Did you do another one, Big Jash’?” he asks sadly.

I still can’t talk, but I nod yes. This has been the longest break yet and the natives are very restless.

It’s about time that Andre had his big breakthrough. He grits his teeth. His mind was made up; maybe we made it up for him, but at that moment there was no backing down. He made a choice to silence the thousands of voices saying, “You can’t.” He made a choice to go all in. He was going to give everything he had.

The next set and the one after go very smoothly. Same for Jon and Danny. Jon’s face is a mask of pain, but he never slows down. Danny knows Jon is hurting, so he pushes even harder. As for me, the next two sets are the beginning of the end. My hand is a bloody mess and both hamstrings are seizing up. My technique is breaking down horribly. If I don’t get my shit together, I’ll get hurt.

I make it through seven and part of an eighth set before I pull out. Seventy-four reps. Happy to be rid of the dead weight, the guys don’t object much.

It goes on like this, set after set, everyone pulling for each other, Tayler looking up from her coloring book to cheer us on. Andre pukes twice, just to be drug back in and crush his sets. His mind is telling him he’s done, but his body isn’t even close. At the beginning of his ninth set, well into the Deep Waters, he says flat-out that he can’t go on. He is completely shot.

Somehow, we manage to motivate him through two more sets. He even saddles up for set number eleven, but he’s got nothing left.

DEEP WATER

“At least I didn’t lose to the old guy,” he says, pointing his thumb at me. Like I said, everyone loves Andre.

By the end of the workout, I did seventy-four reps; Andre broke triple digits with exactly 100. By the time Jon had finished, he had done 152, counting the two extra he did early on. Danny did 150 before I stopped them. Neither of them was going to back down, but both looked close to the edge that I suggested they call it. I don’t know if things would have been any different if Jon had not been injured, but I doubt it. I believe he got the most out of himself that he possibly could that day. So did everyone else; we all ventured into Deep Water. It looked a little different for everyone, but we all got there. Some of us went kicking and screaming. Others charged forward despite their handicaps. But we all made big gains because we were able to step outside of our comfort zones.

Afterward, we all sat around in the sun, drinking protein and eating Andre’s homemade Russian food.

“Good job brother,” Jon says to Andre. “You really brought it today.”

“Thanks for having me,” replies Andre. “You guys are beasts. I knew this would be tough but I had no idea it would be that bad.”

“Well I’d love to have you back next week. I have some local kids who are right where you were a few years ago. I think it’d be good for them to train with someone like you and vice versa. What do you say?”


DEEP WATER Andre thinks hard for a moment. You can see him doing the math. He is weighing the potential pain of another Deep Water session with us versus the potential gains they represent. “That sounds great,” he says, ”same time next week?”

“Yes Sir! Just make sure you bring more of that beef your mom made!” Jon exclaims.

“Uh. That’s not beef,” says Andre. “Well what the hell is it?” asks Jon.

“I don’t know. Not beef.”

“Well whatever it is, bring more.”

DEEP WATER

Chapter 7

Deep Water Training Partners For years, Jon searched for this element. He looked for like-minded people. Sometimes he drove hours because he heard a few guys were doing big things in a warehouse somewhere. He learned from every experience, but he realized he had to create his own environment.

A friend who had some land in Petaluma, California told Jon he could leave some gear out in the field to train. Jon found the most level spot he could and -like a freaky 300lb reapercut the grass down with a scythe. He bought a tire sight-unseen on the internet and had it delivered to the field.

“The thing weighed 2400 pounds!” Jon laughs. “I had zero experience and had no idea that the thing was too big to flip.” Never missing an opportunity to salvage a situation, Jon drilled some holes in it, shoved in some re-bar, and made a car deadlift implement out of it.

“I know that Jon is going through this with me, alongside me, and that he has gone through it hundreds of times before and survived,” he says. “I know I’m going to get through it one way or another.” He knew he had to surround himself with other athletes who were willing to push at least as far as he was and hopefully further. How could he ever make progress if he was always setting the standard?


DEEP WATER They used to ship live codfish from Alaska all the way to China. They’d keep them in giant vats in the belly of the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mushy and tasteless because the fish had become inactive and listless. So they came up with the idea to put some catfish in the tank with them. Just one or two catfish in the vat would keep the cod agile and active.

The same goes for training partners. You may have the best training partners in the world, but eventually you’ll learn all of their tricks and excuses. Training becomes stale and listless. That’s why bringing in new blood –catfish- is necessary from time to time. They keep you on your toes and keep you fresh. Without them nipping at your fins, you’d just swim along, doing business as usual.

We need catfish in our lives. Hell, sometimes you have to be the catfish. I never want to get mushy or tasteless, so I surround myself with people who keep my on my toes. My wife, my kids, my business partners, my coaches, my training partners… I‘m surrounded by positive, proactive people who help me perform at my best.

Now, there are catfish and there are cod. There are all types. At the top of the food chain, you find the great whites. They are a valuable asset if you know how to avoid getting eaten.

Jon Andersen is a great white, patrolling the Deep Waters, waiting for the next victim.

In Jon’s search for the right training partner, he doesn’t discriminate. He’s aware that true gamers come in all shapes, size, and ages. You never know when someone will surprise you.

In a way, he’s like Forrest Gump running across the country. Everyone admires and respects what he does but most people think he’s crazy. A few people see the genius in the madness and are just crazy enough to join him. Some stick around, most making it across a state or two and falling off. But Forrest just keeps on running. You’ll always find Big Jon working out. People will always stand back and admire what he does and most will call him crazy.

DEEP WATER But some, a special few, seek him out like religious zealots.

Eventually Jon had a corral of quality training partners. They were spread out around Northern and Central California, and in some cases, the world.

Getting them all together at the same time in one location was nearly impossible. At this point in his career, Jon was a professional athlete. A professional who had to drive up and down the coast to find quality training partners. It was no surprise to me when I showed up for one of Jon’s infamous Olympic weightlifting workouts and found two eager teenage boys.

I recognized one of them as Anthony “Kaz” Kosinski. Anthony was a graduating senior at Marin Catholic High School in Larkspur, California. I had worked in the preseason with Anthony on his strength and speed. He’s a California Sectional Champion wrestler and is currently attending Cal Berkeley and playing for their rugby team. With him is his sixteen-year-old kid

brother,

Alex,

an

All-League

lineman at Redwood High School in Corte Madera, California. Together, they weigh over 500lbs and yet neither shaves.


DEEP WATER Today’s workout: 10x10 power clean and push jerk. While Jon does his set, the boys have to hold a power squat position. When he finishes, the boys immediately start their set while Jon holds the squat position. This means you are doing nearly twenty minutes of continuous work. The only rest you get is from the time the bar leaves your hands until the moment it hits the floor. For Jon, the bar is loaded to 255 pounds. The boys have 135 pounds. This workout is a tricky one. It may seem like the cleans are going to get you, but it’s really the squat holds that do you in. You get to the point where the clean and jerks feel more like rest than the actual “rest” time.

The boys, however, have never ventured this far into the abyss. They each deal with their agony differently. Anthony suffers in silence while his brother shouts and groans as the waves of pain wash over them. But both of them deal with it.

They are working hard in Deep Waters. Alex’s eyes are closed. He has a look of disbelief on his face. But there is no sign of quitting. Anthony is stoic. His face is placid as the sweat pours into his eyes. Wrestlers are always tough.

Jon has found a rhythm. His sets are gaining momentum. He seems to be getting stronger as he gets into deeper waters. The boys are hanging on for dear life, drawing inspiration from Jon. They’ve never seen anything like this.

Around the seventh set, Jon runs into trouble when he strains his pectoral muscle on the jerk. He is in pain and a little shocked. Confused and unsure, the boys start their set. By the time they are done, Jon has set his resolve and decided to proceed without the jerks. Suddenly the tables are turned. What was a fairly routine workout for Jon -designed to lure these kids off the beach and into Deep Waters- is now a test of his willpower.

Jon calls this the challenge of being a leader. It means that no matter what the situation, he has to lead by example. He can’t expect a training partner to push past their limits if he isn’t willing to do the same, even when he’s hurt.

Even young Alex recognizes the power of Jon’s leadership. “I know that Jon is going through

DEEP WATER Even young Alex recognizes the power of Jon’s leadership. “I know that Jon is going through this with me, alongside me, and that he has gone through it hundreds of times before and survived,” he says. “I know I’m going to get through it one way or another.”

Anthony experienced firsthand what this type of training will do for your game. At his State Sectionals, he was in the best shape of his life thanks to Deep Water. “I just had to go out there and wrestle. I never had to worry about being tired.” He loves Jon’s training philosophy. “That’s when you get better, when you’re stretching the limits. That’s how every workout is with Jon.”

Afterwards, Jon takes me aside and admits that he was in Deep Waters towards the end, deeper than he can remember being in a long time. “After my pec went I wasn’t sure I could finish. If those kids weren’t here, I might not have taken the risk.”

It’s hard to know when you’re going to get a Deep Water workout in. For the boys, it was a forgone conclusion: we were going to drag them into the sharkinfested waters whether they liked it or not. But for someone who operates at that level, it becomes necessary to recognize opportunities and seize them when they present themselves. Some of the most legendary Deep Water workouts started off as technique days. Everyone says, “Today I am going to train harder than I ever have. Today I am going to break through my existing pain barriers. Today I am leaving it all out there.” But it almost never goes down like that.

When the opportunity to shine presents itself, you have to seize it. Life presents us with choices every day. There are thousands of reasons, thousands of voices in your head telling you to quit, but you have to create the voice that will silence the others. Seize your moments and move forward without hesitation. Get uncomfortable.

Anthony and Alex are stretching. “Its a good thing I ate that giant bowl of pastalast night. I needed the extra energy today!” “That’s crazy talk, brother!” Jon says as he gulps down a protein shake, “carbs are for the weak!” “How do you get energy for this kind of workout? Don’t you need carbs?” “I haven’t eaten a carb in over a decade,” laughs Jon. And you believe it when you see him.


DEEP WATER

Chapter 8

Deep Water Rehab & Recovery For professional athletes, injuries are inevitable. There isn’t an elite athlete who hasn’t experienced the frustration of being injured. For Jon, injuries are a way of life and just a different kind of barge to out-swim.

Deep Water has helped Jon recover from injuries big and small. His capacity for dealing with pain and discomfort helps when it’s time for rehabilitation. After a particularly rough season as an international strongman competitor, Jon needed knee surgery. He had complete tears in the ACL and MCL, as well as a meniscus tear. Jon’s doctor told him he could go back to training in six months. But Jon has a superior mindset and can deal with high levels of pain thanks to his swims into the abyss. During one of Jon’s post surgery appointments, the doc cleared him for walking stairs and encouraged him to push it. The doctor had no idea who he was talking to. Jon went straight to the Larkspur stairs. 3000 stairs later, he was ready for an ice pack, a meal, and a nap. As painful as it was, he continued this regimentwice a week until his next appointment. The doc was blown away by Jon’s progress. Jon told the doctor what he had been doing and the doctor’s jaw dropped. He had never heard of a more aggressive rehab program. He also had to admit that he had never seen progress like it. Jon continued using Deep Water to absolutely crush the rehab and was competing again in 5 months, a full month before the doctor said he could even train again.

DEEP WATER

Chapter 9

Deep Water Philosophy Most people are fine on the beach, gazing across the river. Avoiding the Deep Waters, hoping they don’t get run over by life’s barges or eaten by sharks. It takes a special individual to head off the beach and swim straight into the deepest water they can find and stay there longer than they ever believed possible, moving forward in spite of their fears.

Every day, we are faced with uncomfortable situations. Typically we navigate around potential pain, hoping we don’t run into it down the road, but true growth only occurs when we are forced to adapt to extreme levels of stress. Every day, people do amazing things. Mothers lift burning cars off of their infants, millions of dollars are won and lost in the business world, elite athletes perform feats that amaze us. Records continue to be broken. For every record broken on the field of play there are hundreds attempted in training, millions of torn calluses, and just as many broken dreams.

There’s no magic pill or secret weapon. The only thing the people we all admire have in common is that they are willing to be very uncomfortable to be the best.

Be brave! Without courage there is no Deep Water, only talk of it. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing is. They are willing to work longer and harder than most people can fathom just to score one more point, make one more film, earn one more dollar, or lift one more kilo.


DEEP WATER Whatever stands in your way, whatever obstacle that scares you the most and keeps you from your dreams, dealing with that should be your first order of business. Identify your problem, make a game plan, and attack. Don’t worry about the outcome. Be willing to fail. Failure is the only way to succeed. Learn from your mistakes and press on.

Surround yourself with positive people who push you in the areas you want to see improvement. Create an environment that forces you to engage in battles as often as possible. The more you can put yourself under fire in training, the easier things will feel when you are in the furnace. Whether it’s on the field, on the track, in the courtroom, or at home, Deep Water will prepare you for the worst-case scenario. You will learn to remain calm when others around you are falling apart. Your body and mind will be so used to stressful situations that the obstacles that used to paralyze you will now be welcome challenges. You will learn to recognize when to attack, when to withdraw, when to conserve, and when to pour it on. When before you would be disoriented and confused, now you will remain calm while your body is in chaos. Your most significant and meaningful gains will be those made under the greatest levels of stress.

Jon Andersen learned early on that life is full of terrifying challenges, some internal and some staring you down like a 200-ton barge. Nearly being killed by that barge was the inception of Deep Water and the best thing to ever happened to Jon Andersen. It taught him that if you faced your fears with a positive attitude and a willingness to work, you could overcome that fear and accomplish anything. Now he can’t wait for the barges in his river of life. Every challenge represents a possibility for growth.

Deep Water isn’t for everyone. Take pride in doing something others cannot. Take comfort in knowing you can endure more than most people. Deep Water will get you there. Not everyone will see results like Big Jon. Everyone’s Deep Water will look and feel different. Your goals may be different than Big Jon’s. Either way, the results depend on your level of commitment. If you are “all in, every day” your results will show it. Deep Water isn’t for whiners or quitters. Deep Water is for people who want to maximize their physical, emotional, and spiritual potential.

DEEP WATER Deep Water will raise your pain thresholds to a level that force most men to break while you are breaking records. Deep Water is for people who have what it takes to push through their existing pain barriers to make gains. It’s for people who are comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s ok to be afraid. Fear is natural. Deep Water is about facing your fears and attacking them head on. Be brave! Without courage there is no Deep Water, only talk of it. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing is. Choose the more difficult path. Don’t take short cuts. Push yourself into Deep Water and save nothing for the swim back. Leave it all out there because you may never have another opportunity like you do today. Grab it! Seize it! Jump through your portals headfirst and get wet!


DEEP WATER

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAT IN THE DIET To the general public, fats are synonymous with sickness and disease and are only slightly less evil than the “carb”. The belief is that if I eat fat then I will get fat, so fat must be minimized or eliminated. The other stigma around fat has been that fat is unhealthy for the heart and too much of it leads to heart attacks stroke, high blood pressure, etc. But are of these beliefs true? The truth is fats are simply misunderstood and consumed improperly. They are a necessary nutrient for cell membrane structure, as signaling molecules, and as a source of concentrated energy, to name a few. To get a full understanding of fats and their impact on our health and performance you should first understand what fats are.

Chemically fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. There are five major kinds of fats; triglycerides, free fatty acids, sterols, phospholipids and terpenes. The most commonly spoken of ones are the triglycerides and the major sterol, cholesterol. Free fatty acids are part of the structure of the triglycerides. They are made up of a glycerol backbone with three fatty acid side chains. It is these fatty acids that are most commonly associated with “fat”. These fatty acids are made up of carbon chains. Each carbon in the chain has four potential bonds. If the carbons have the maximum amount of hydrogen atoms possible bound to them, then they are call saturated fats, if they do not they are called unsaturated. The saturated fats can be divided into three main classes, those that are two to three carbons in length are very-short chain fatty acids, or VSCFA, those that are four to six carbons long are called short chain fatty acids, or SCFA, those that are eight to fourteen carbons long are medium chain fatty acids, or MCFA, and those that are sixteen carbons and longer are called long chain fatty acids, or LCFA. The unsaturated fats can be further divided into monounsaturated or

polyunsaturated, depending upon how many double bonds are

present in the fatty acid chain. The polyunsaturated fats can be subdivided another way based upon where the first double bond is in the carbon chain. If it comes on the third carbon from the methyl end it is called an omega-3 fatty acid, if it is at the sixth it is called an omega-6 fatty acid and if it is at the ninth it is an omega-9 fatty acid. Each of these fats has different characteristics and health benefits or disease risks. Most fats can be built by the body as needed from the fats that are consumed.

DEEP WATER There are some fats that must be consumed through the diet and these are called essential fatty acids. There are two major ones; linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, and alpha linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid.

The sterols are another commonly known fat, in the form of cholesterol. We have been led to believe that cholesterol is a dangerous substance and that it should be avoided at all costs. We should avoid consuming it in any form and we should take medication to get it as low as possible. Cholesterol is a major contributor to cell membrane structure and as cellular signals. The most commonly known one amongst strength athletes is testosterone, a cholesterol derivative. In fact the hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as cortisol, and the hormone intermediates dehydroepiandrostendione, or DHEA, and pregnenolone are all cholesterol derivatives. It is also the structural component of Vitamin D. It is an absolutely critical substance for a strength athlete or anyone who works out in general. We are told to avoid it in our food, but seventy percent of the cholesterol in our bodies comes from our own bodies, as we manufacture it ourselves. Cholesterol is transported around the body in Lipoproteins. There are two commonly talked about lipoproteins, high-density lipoprotein and lowdensity lipoprotein, or HDL and LDL respectively. There are other ones such as intermediate density and very-low density lipoproteins that have health impacts as well. HDL is commonly termed “good” cholesterol and LDL is “bad” cholesterol, and of course we are led to believe that a lot of HDL and little to no LDL is best.

The question that now comes up is how much fat you should have in your diet to be healthy and ultimately improve performance. This is up to much debate. Studies have been done that show as little as five to ten percent of your macros benefits health and reduces some disease risks. Then there are studies that show higher levels of fat, some as high as eightyfive percent. Another aspect of fat consumption that has been shown to be important is the quality of fats. Regardless of the total amount that is consumed, it is the distribution of the kinds of fats that impact health. Roughly two-thirds of the fat consumed should be monounsaturated fats. These fats are commonly found in olive oil, avocados, and almonds. The remaining one third should be divided again into thirds with one third being saturated fats, one third being omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, and the final one third being omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.


DEEP WATER Saturated fats are present in red meat, dairy, egg yolk, shellfish and coconut oil. The fats that are saturated form series two eicosanoids which are inflammatory in nature. Saturated fats are the ones that are most typically associated with cardiovascular disease. It is known that saturated fats raise plasma cholesterol and decrease the LDL receptor activity. It is generally recommended that saturated fat levels be 10% of daily caloric consumption. Recently coconut oil has become a popular health product with health promoting properties. Coconut oil can be up to ninety-two percent saturated fat. Coconut oil has a unique property in that it has high levels of medium chain fatty acids, or MCFA’s. These MCFA’s do not undergo degradation and re-esterfication like other saturated fats do, and actually are absorbed across the intestinal lining differently than regular fatty acids. They are absorbed and used for fuel very efficiently. Only a few studies have been published on potential health risks of these saturated fats, they appear to be less atherogenic.

Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils such as safflower, soy, corn and sunflower oils. The fatty acids from the omega-6 fats form series 1 eicosanoids, which tend to be anti-inflammatory in nature. The omega-6 fatty acids provide the essential fatty acid linoleic acid which is converted to gammalinolenic acid and then to dihomogammalinolenic acid, or DGLA. This fatty acid metabolite can do one of two things, in the presence of a glycemic controlled diet the DGLA will tend to go towards the anti-inflammatory eicosanoids, however in an uncontrolled glycemic state the enzyme delta-5-desaturase converts this DGLA into arachidonic acid, a precursor to pro-inflamatory eicosanoids. Sesame oil can inhibit this process. Another inhibitor of the delta- 5-desaturase enzyme is trans-fatty acids. These fats are often called “fake” fats, since a majority of them in the human diet come from hydrogenated vegetable oils, primarily the omega-6’s. In reality trans fats occur naturally in meat and dairy products, although at very minimal amount, especially relative to the amount consumed by the average American in the standard highly processed diet. Trans fats have also been shown to raise LDL levels and suppress HDL levels leading to increased risk of inflammatory conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

DEEP WATER The Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are found in cold water fish, flaxseed, walnuts and beans. The fatty acids in the omega-3 fats become series 3 eicosanoids, which are anti-inflammatory. The primary essential omega-3 fatty acid is alpha-linolenic acid, ALA. The series 3 eicosanoid precursor that has anti-inflammatory characteristics is eicosapentanoic acid, or EPA. The body does not efficiently convert ALA to EPA. The reason is this is so is because ALA inhibits an enzyme called delta-6-desaturase. This D-6-D is necessary in the conversion of ALA to docasahexanoic acid, DHA to EPA. DHA is primarily associated with brain and retinal health, whereas EPA is primarily associated with overall health, and specifically cardiovascular health. This is why it isnecessary to consume cold water fish or supplement with fish oil. The amount of EPA/DHA that is necessary has been shown to be a minimum of 3 grams. One study on rheumatoid arthritis showed that an amount of 130 mg/kg/day was effective in reducing disease flares and discontinuation of NSAIDs. DHA is also a potent inhibitor of lipogenic enzymes, which are responsible for fatty acid formation and storage. One thing that is agreed upon by most researchers and physicians, is that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be as close to 1:1 as possible to benefit health.

Do fats make you fat? The answer is, NO. In studies of isocaloric diets it has been found that diets with a higher fat percentage do not increase the chances of gaining weight. What is also interesting is that if a diet that has excess calories is consumed the diet higher in carbohydrate percentage has a tendency to increase weight gain than a diet that has a higher fat percentage. This primarily has to do with the stimulation of insulin and subsequent anabolic effect on converting excess blood glucose to stored triglycerides. Studies also show that omega-3’s prevent fat gain, whereas diets high in omega-6’s tend to promote fat gain. This may have more to do with the association of omega-6’s and processed foods which tend to contain more refined carbohydrates. Diets high in monounsaturated fats tend to promote fat loss as well.

When it comes to cooking with fats, the kind of fat is an important factor. Some fats become rancid, or oxidize more easily than others. This oxidization is what generates free radicals and causes health issues. Fats that can be used for high heat cooking are coconut, peanut, and high oleic safflower oils. Medium heat cooking can use olive, corn, and hazelnut. Low heat or no heat, are almond and sesame oils. Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the single best oils.


DEEP WATER It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and phytonutrients such as polyphenols, and can be used to make dressings.

As you can see the stigma around fats in the diet are almost completely unwarranted and fats have been completely misunderstood by the general public. Eating a diet high in fat is to be encouraged when done properly. In fact it is even necessary for anyone serious about working out to ensure that fat makes up a large part of the diet, even if fat loss is the goal. Balancing saturated fats with omega 3’s is part of the key in the whole equation. So it’s time stop limiting yourself from eating fat, and begin to see the difference in how you feel, look and perform.

For more information from Josh Thigpen and Zach McVey check out the Performance Nutrition Encyclopedia.


Deep Water

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