Eat less, move more.

Eat less real food, move more at R.A.W

What is ‘Real Food’? Single origin coffee, red meat, ocean fish, brown eggs, ground vegetables, nuts, fruits, rice and potatoes.

What is ‘R.A.W’? Rigorous Anaerobic Workouts: Fitness which controls your blood glucose in the most efficient and effective way.

#quote

The Randle Cycle, discovered by Sir Philip John Randle in 1963, explains how glucose and fatty acids are used as energy sources in the body. It emphasizes the importance of not mixing carbohydrates and fats in high proportions to prevent metabolic issues such as obesity and diabetes. This article explores the workings of the Randle Cycle, its effects on the liver, adipose tissue, and muscles, and how specific dietary habits can either disrupt or support it.

The Randle Cycle is a fundamental metabolic process that regulates the use of glucose and fatty acids as fuel sources in the body. It was first described by Sir Philip John Randle, a British medical researcher, in 1963. The cycle is particularly important in the liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle, which are all involved in the regulation of energy metabolism. It also has implications for our understanding of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.

The basic gist of the Randle Cycle theory is that we shouldn’t mix carbohydrates and fats in higher proportions (like a 70:30, 50:50, or 40:60 ratio, and vice versa) in our diet. However, using it in a ratio of 90:10 or vice versa may not affect normal physiology. Combining the two leads to obesity and causes metabolic disorders because it confuses the body’s priorities for burning these two fuel sources.

However, a large number of people now consume foods that mix fatty acids and carbohydrates together (e.g., pizza, whose crust is high in carbohydrates and cheese toppings are high in fats) or the classic examples of biryani and curd rice. Eating foods that are rich in carbs and fats can activate the “reward centers” of our brains and cause a dopamine surge. Over a period of time, this causes an increased craving for more and more of the same thing, thus pushing us towards overeating. This food addiction is real! However, it also means that consistently consuming food items that are rich in carbohydrates or fats separately can also cause health problems.

How the Randle Cycle Works

Just for the purpose of understanding the Randle cycle theory, think of glucose as sunlight and fatty acids as an electrical light source or a bulb. According to the Randle cycle theory, when glucose (sunlight) is high, it is preferentially utilized as the main energy source, leading to less use of fatty acids (the bulb). Conversely, when glucose (sunlight) is low, fatty acids (the bulb) become the primary source of energy or fuel. Also, imagine the pressure on your eyes if both light sources were on at the same time. There would be too much brightness, wouldn’t it? Similarly

The Randle Cycle being constantly on is harmful for your health. Your cells will be overexerted and will preserve themselves by blocking the proper use of glucose and fatty acids. This reciprocal inhibition leads to stagnation of energy in the blood circulation, potentially causing postprandial hyperlipidemia. It also causes ectopic deposits of fat in the liver, muscles, heart, and viscera. The most common consequence of this unique, unnatural combination of high carbs and high fats at the same time is high insulin secretion, which favors carb-burning. Most of the fats ingested typically get deposited in the adipose tissue and also in ectopic sites without being used up as an energy source and get locked up in the phase of hyperinsulinemia. This then gives rise to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. When the energy from carbohydrates does not get used up in the body, it is stored as fat. Just like in any competition, there are referees; the competition between glucose molecules and fatty acids has referees too. It is thought to be regulated by various hormones and enzymes in the body, including insulin and glucagon.

How the Randle Cycle Affects Our Body

Here’s how the Randle cycle works on different parts of our body:

Liver In the liver, the Randle cycle helps regulate the levels of glucose and fatty acids in the blood. When glucose levels are high, the liver will preferentially use glucose as a fuel source and store any excess glucose as glycogen. Conversely, when glucose levels are low, the liver will switch to using fatty acids as a fuel source and release glucose into the bloodstream through a process known as gluconeogenesis. This extra glucose that is released due to gluconeogenesis helps in blood sugar regulation and keeps the sugar level within normal limits to be used preferentially by the nerves, brain, red blood cells, and part of the kidney, which obligates glucose utilization during periods of fasting.

Adipose Tissue In adipose tissue, the Randle cycle helps regulate the storage and release of fatty acids. When glucose levels are high, insulin is released, which promotes the storage of fatty acids in adipose tissue as triglycerides (the most common fat in our body). When glucose levels are low, glucagon is released, which promotes the release of fatty acids from adipose tissue into the bloodstream to be used as a fuel source. Excess concentrations of glucagon occur when insulin resistance develops in the alpha cells of the pancreas, which can lead to high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which can further lead to diabetes.

The Randle cycle is in synergy with the levels of insulin. When insulin levels are low, like during periods of fasting, the body is naturally in fat-burning mode. And when there is insulin secretion during eating mainly carbs (of course insulin secretion does occur with ingestion of protein and fats but at a lower propensity), and for a few hours in the postprandial period, the body becomes a predominant sugar burner. But in the last five decades, because of the drastic change in our way of eating, high carbs and high fats in refined form have been found together in most fast foods, restaurants, and packaged foods. This disrupts the normal synchrony of hormonal regulation with respect to macronutrient consumption.

In obesity, the adipose tissue becomes dysfunctional, and the Randle cycle is disrupted. This leads to insulin resistance, and there is an imbalance in the use of glucose and fatty acids as fuel sources for an obese individual. This can further lead to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Skeletal Muscle When exercising, the skeletal muscles are affected by the Randle cycle. When the exercises are of low intensity, the muscles prefer fatty acids, but during high-intensity exercises, the muscles go for glucose, preferably from the muscle glycogen. This is a normal phenomenon.

Foods that are Bad for the Randle Cycle

Here are some foods and dietary habits that may affect the Randle cycle negatively:

● High-fat High-carb Combo Diets: Consuming a diet high in fat and carbs can impair insulin sensitivity and increase the uptake of fatty acids into cells.

● Processed Foods: Highly processed foods that are high in refined carbohydrates, sugars, and unhealthy fats can lead to insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism.

 ● Sugary Drinks: Sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks that have added sugar cause hyperinsulinemia which can ultimately lead to insulin resistance and impair the ability of cells to utilize glucose for energy.

● Excessive Alcohol Intake: Alcohol of any kind is metabolized only by the liver and is mostly transformed into fat. Alcohol tends to get deposited in the liver, producing a fatty liver, and the spillover of excess fat happens in the form of triglycerides. This leads to ectopic fat deposition and can interfere with glucose metabolism and contribute to insulin resistance.

● Large Meals: Consuming large meals, especially those high in fat and carbohydrates, can lead to insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism.

Foods That are Good for the Randle Cycle

Given below are some types of foods that may keep the Randle cycle thriving: 

● Complex Carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates provide a steady supply of glucose for energy. Examples of complex carbohydrates are whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits.

● Healthy Fats: Unsaturated fats that are found in foods like avocado, nuts, and seeds are good. So are saturated fats that are found in most of the non-vegetarian sources of food, including red meat and fatty fish.

● Lean Proteins: High-quality proteins like chicken, fish, lean meat, tofu, and beans.

● Fruits and Vegetables: These provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in abundance, which are good for the Randle cycle.

● Water: Staying hydrated is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism and energy production. Drinking enough water can help to support the Randle cycle and prevent dehydration.

Conclusion

The Randle Cycle is a process that controls the interaction between glucose and fatty acids, which are used as the main energy source for the body. It is specifically important in the liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle and helps us understand and treat metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity better.

A well-balanced diet that is packed with nutrient-dense foods is key to the optimal functioning of the Randle cycle and, thus, our overall health.

#faith

AMRAP 25 minutes in teams of 2/3 42 Lunges 38 Burpee 38 Ground-to-Overhead 400m Run Lunges and Run Together, Share Burpees and Ground to Overhead

McCoy ‘Topsy’ Turner’ who sadly died by suicide on Saturday 8th March 2025 after returning back to Bali following a long term battle with complex PTSD. An L4 CrossFit Seminar Staff ‘Red Shirt’, McCoy taught a staggering 256 L1 & L2 seminars globally across Europe and Asia. A Flow Master, and Coaching Mentor he truly was a master of his craft.

He was a beacon of light that filled every room he entered. He had an incredible Warmth, Kindness and a Cheeky Smile that would instantly make you feel at ease. He has impacted the lives of so many people and will continue to inspire thousands with his legacy. A wonderful Father, Friend, Mentor and Coach he will be sorely missed. To provide some form of financial stability easing a small burden for his two Sons, Brodie, 17 and Tommy,13 and to provide a little assistance as they begin to navigate this extremely difficult chapter of their lives without their father.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities are evidence of God's work in our lives.

‘Aerobic Capacity’ doesn’t build over night. You need to work on it consistently. We work on it every single day. We recommend you to choose a distance on any Concept2 machine and start adding meters every now or than. We don’t want you to follow anyone. Just focus on your own fitness level. For example, this is what we did in past one week.

Let us know, if you need more examples like that or need help in customising above fitness according to your own fitness level.

My Workouts Felt Like Work!

• Train Skills Without Fatigue Your brain does not learn new motor patterns well when tired. Strength and conditioning researchers have known this for decades: “The body does not have the capacity to learn movement patterns when highly stressed/fatigued... To learn skilled movement patterns that are to be executed under fatigued conditions, that learning has to occur in non-fatigued states” Williams, L. R., et al. “Motor learning and performance and physical fatigue and the specificity principle.” 1979.

Learn new skills at the beginning of your sessions and in isolation. Once you become proficient with the skill, you can add complexity. Here is an example of how you could progress cleans:

Phase 1 = Clean technique work on its own

Phase 2 = Cleans paired with a monostructural movement (i.e., EMOM of cleans and biking)

Phase 3 = Cleans paired with an antagonist movement (i.e., cleans and push-ups)

Phase 4 = Cleans paired with an agonist movement (i.e., cleans and wall balls)

Phase 5 = Cleans in a traditional CrossFit metcon (i.e., cleans with muscle-ups and rowing)

• Use Low Reps and High Sets To avoid fatigue, train your skills at low loads with no more than two to three reps. You can still get plenty of touches on the skill. You will just have to add a lot more sets.

Here is one of my favorite ways to set this up in training:

A. Every 60s x 20 sets: 1 Slow Pull Clean @ 60-65% With this setup, you accumulate 20 cleans at a low load and fully recover between reps. To make the session even more effective, film your first and last set and try to make them look the same before progressing in load or complexity.

• Only Train Up to Two or Three Skills at a Time CrossFit can be daunting. There are always so many things to get better at. But, as famous strength coach Dan John says, fitness goals are like chasing rabbits. You won't catch any if you try to chase all the rabbits simultaneously.

Let's say you wanted to be audacious and improve your snatch, bar muscle-up, and double under tech. The best way to train a couple of skills simultaneously is to place them on separate training days. Here is how I would recommend structuring it over a three-week cycle:

Monday: snatch tech

Tuesday: bar muscle-ups

Wednesday: double unders

Friday: snatch

Saturday: bar muscle-ups

Monday: double unders

… and so on

Over three weeks, you will get five touches on each skill. On the other hand, if you only chose to attack two skills at a time, you would get about eight touches on each in three weeks.

Ideally, you should chase one or maybe two rabbits, catch them, and then move on to the next.

Skill development is different from the rest of CrossFit training. You can't constantly vary it or learn it with high intensity. First, train it in isolation, without fatigue, and without competing inputs.

It’s a not a coffee shop, it’s a bank.

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Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm. The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.

#faith

For time: 10Km Bike Goal is to complete this fitness under 30 minutes.

#fitness

Homo Sapiens We should be moving everyday like our ancestors. It’s very hard though to be like them in the world we’re living in. Nonetheless, doing fitness two to three times a week won’t harm anyone.

There is no better test you can get for your health than fasting insulin…

And I just cannot wrap my head around why more physicians do not order this test for their patients.

If more people ordered fasting insulin or if more physicians ordered fasting insulin, I believe it would literally change the face of medicine.

Doctors are taught to think about fasting insulin only in the setting of type 1 diabetes, but fasting insulin is incredibly valuable for everyone.

Why? Insulin sensitivity is one of the greatest metrics to understanding your metabolic health…

Fasting insulin is like an early warning system for your body. It can catch problems way before they show up on ANY other tests…

If your fasting insulin is low, it means your body is handling glucose as it should, and you’re probably in pretty good shape metabolically.​

But if it’s high, that’s a big red flag…

High fasting insulin means your body could be in the early stages of INSULIN RESISTANCE, which is the first step down a slippery slope leading to all kinds of metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.

You see fasting insulin levels reflect the health of your fat cells (adipocytes) and their ability to respond to insulin…

If you have elevated fasting insulin, that could indicate that your fat cells are broken and inflamed, which is a precursor to metabolic dysfunction.

In reality, it's an indicator of how everything in your body is responding to insulin.

And what’s interesting is, even if your blood sugar looks totally normal, you could STILL have high fasting insulin… which means your body is working overtime to keep your blood sugar in check 😬

So clearly, fasting insulin is a far better metric to spot subclinical insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome … Catch it early enough and you can counter it through dietary and lifestyle interventions (like ditching seed oils and eating an animal-based diet!)

​ Now when it comes to interpreting your fasting insulin levels, it’s important to understand one thing…

In America, the average fasting insulin level for men is around 8.8 micro IU per ml, and for women, it’s about 8.4 micro IU per ml.

If you look at the lab reports, the reference range for fasting insulin is often set WAY too high, sometimes going up to 15 or even 20 micro IU per ml before it’s flagged as a concern.

To me, that’s just abysmal…

And I believe this oversight in the reference range is a big reason why we’re missing so many cases of pre-diabetes and insulin resistance.

I mean, if the average American fasting insulin is 8.6 micro IU per ml, and we know that some 87% of Americans have at least one marker of metabolic syndrome, it’s pretty clear that an insulin level of 8.6 micro IU per ml is way too high for most people.

That’s why we’re seeing so many health issues related to poor metabolic health…

Every time I’ve checked my fasting insulin, my fasting insulin is always around 3 micro IU per ml or lower (despite eating 2-300g of carbohydrates a day might I add!).

This is what I consider to be a healthy range.

So, when it comes to fasting insulin, it’s crucial to aim for those lower numbers (no higher than 5) to truly understand your metabolic health and avoid getting caught in the trap of these outdated reference ranges. ​

So, bottom line, if you’re looking to get your bloodwork done make sure it includes fasting insulin too.

And if your blood work looks a little funny the first time round you might want to repeat – I’ve had odd results where my fasting insulin was as high as 5.8!

Remember, the body is complex and we can't always go based on one snapshot… things like how you slept the night before can affect your results so keep this in mind!

And lastly, you don't have to wait for a doctor to check your fasting insulin. Many self-service places offer fasting insulin testing for an affordable price.

Welcome to the Remembering 🏹

Paul Saladino

R.A.W Pump also known as functional pumps are intended to give you a great “pump” for the day. They are a mix of bodybuilding type movements, some CrossFit style structure or movements, and aerobic work. The intensity is designed to just be MODERATE! It is so you can come and do a workout to get a “pump”, sweat some and get out of breath. Ideally you can hit these with friends as well!

You can come and do them on a day when you aren't feeling like doing as much intensity with our TWR sessions.

Have fun with them!

Sample R.A.W Pump Block 1 10 Sets of: 200m Run 4 Strict Pull-ups Rest As Needed

Block 2 Sets x Reps 10 x 10 Barbell Curl 10 x 10 Tricep Extension 10 x 10 Seated Row 10 x 10 Tricep Push Downs