by Bodybuilding Supplements Articles
The Paleo Diet has become one of the most popular eating plans over the last decade or so as people everywhere try to move away from eating processed foods.
Paleo focuses on lean meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, making it attractive to people with conditions like gluten insensitivity or those who just want to eat “healthier.”
Fitness enthusiasts have also embraced Paleo since its emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods works well with their lifestyle.
But if you’re a hardcore lifter, should you be exercising in a certain way when following Paleo?
While there may not be a one-size-fits-all routine, it turns out that many Paleo eaters DO gravitate to one training program more often than others.
How Did Paleolithic Man Exercise?
Humans have only been farming for a few thousand years, and, during that time, we have introduced new foods to our diets: grain, grain-fed meat, dairy products, and heavily processed foods.
The idea behind the Paleo Diet is that our digestive systems have not had enough time to adapt to those relatively recent changes and that we should, instead, be eating like our cavemen ancestors. While there is plenty of debate over just how ancient man ate, most opinions position them as hunters and gatherers. That’s why Paleo has you eating primarily meats and plants.
In order to secure the food they needed, our ancestors would perform a variety of physical activities in a given week, from running to climbing to lifting rocks to paddling crude boats.
To truly live a Paleo lifestyle, then, your own exercise program would need to be varied, too.
And that’s why CrossFit is the exercise program of choice for many Paleo eaters.
In case you’re not familiar with CrossFit, it’s a training protocol that combines weight training and traditional aerobics with much less mainstream activities such as olympic lifting, rope climbing, jumping rope, and tossing the medicine ball.
CrossFit is so varied, though, that it’s nearly impossible to describe a typical training day, and many adherents take advantage of randomized workouts of the day to keep it interesting.
No two days are ever the same, just like the cavemen.
Do You Have to Use CrossFit with Paleo?
Even though CrossFit probably comes the closest of any modern training program to matching the activity of our ancestors, there nothing to say you must follow CrossFit when eating a Paleo diet.
In fact, Paleo can be used with just about any training routine, and the one you choose should be tailored to your goals.
If you are a bodybuilder, for example, then CrossFit is probably not your best bet. Rather, you will need a program that focuses on classic progressive resistance training and muscle hypertrophy. For most, that means an emphasis on a several key exercises without excessive variety.
The good news is that all the protein and fresh produce you eat while following the Paleo Diet can help you reach your physical objectives, no matter what they may include.