A Simple Flexibility Routine for Fixing Your Deep Squat

The deep, flat-footed squat is one of the top three movements we all don't get enough of in our culture.It's one of the first diagnostic movements I have my students do in my private sessions and group classes.It tells me a lot about their limitations and what injuries they might be susceptible to.Why is this movement so important?Getting comfortable in the deep resting squat can help you:

• Gain more flexibility in your hips, ankles and spine
• Relieve lower back pain from chronic sitting posture
• Learn to move with control on the ground
• Look like a weirdo squatting in public

Just kidding. The people just sitting there are the real weirdos.The best part is once you own this position, it can help you move more freely on the ground, with less pain and discomfort.Access the Free Squat Mobility Routine

Here's an example of how mastering the squat can open more movement freedom:

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 I didn't start here though! I used to fall over when squatting, and my legs burned like crazy. It's been hard work, but the time I've put in mastering this position has paid off.I no longer have lower back pain, and I feel much more comfortable sitting on the ground than I used to. I feel much more comfortable working in the garden, and crawling around on the ground. It's even helped my tree and rock climbing.

The squat is more than a static position, it can open many movement doors

Mastering the deep squat has many applications, it can help open doors with:

• Crawling and ground based locomotion patterns
• Comfort foraging plants or working in the garden
• Getting up and down from the ground with ease
• Playing with your kids or dog
• And a whole lot more

"But Jonathan, I can't squat without feeling like my legs are going to fall off"

Or maybe when you try to squat you have pain, or just fall backwards.I totally get it! That's why I created a simple mobility routine you can do anywhere in 10 minutes or less.It's not enough to just "squat more" or "try harder." You need doable progressions that will guide you back to restoring the squat pattern you naturally learned as a baby.All you need is a little determination, and a bit of space on the floor.Access it totally free. Just click the button and tell me where to send your routine.Access the Squat Flexibility Routine

Why I Did a Three Day Bone Broth Fast and What Happened

I recently completed a three day bone broth fast to repair my gut.

I've been on a journey to heal my gut for at least the last five years, actively working to recover from a lifetime of processed foods and a poor diet.And as fast back as I can remember, it seems that I've always struggled with bloating, gas and poor digestion. At it's worst point it had me laying in bed with horrible knots in my stomach.The culprit of my gut breakdown, unfortunately reads like a very typical story.I grew up on the Standard American Diet (called SAD for short, how ironic and disturbing). Frozen burritos, fish sticks, hamburger helper, sloppy joes, those were the staples in my house. Regularly finish a 2 liter bottle of pepsi all by myself was not a rare occurrence as a kid. In fact, most nights we had soda with dinner. It practically flowed like water in my house. As you can see, I wasn't exactly set up for success.As an adult, my diet improved, but not much. My caffeine of choice switched from soda to coffee (not sure which is worse, to be honest). I became vegetarian and started eating lots of faux meat, beans, rice, and grains instead. I tried to make smoothies and green juices to make up for the processed crap I ate, but at the time, I had no idea just how much omega 6 I was eating. No wonder I had so much gut inflammation.Unfortunately, it wouldn't be until a full decade later that I woke up and found the ancestral (paleo) diet.And along the way, boy have I experimented with some weird shit. I've tried everything from guzzling wheatgrass to juice cleanse cults (master cleanse, anyone?). I tried probiotics, prebiotics, raw vegan diets, sugar-free, dairy-free, and everything in between.But the most powerful thing I found was broth.Around two years ago, like a lot of paleo geeks, I jumped feet first onto the bone broth bandwagon. I heard about the laundry list of benefits, from glowing skin, to healthy joints, to digestive healing. It made perfect sense to me. What was once a traditional diet staple (for thousands of years), had somehow become lost in the search for food convenience. The lack of collagen in our modern diet (the stuff gut lining, healthy skin, and connective tissue is made of), was showing up in the form of more gut issues than ever.I was hooked. I immediately started buying bones (and chicken feet to thicken up broth, which I kept in a container in the freezer, much to my wife's dismay) and making big batches of fatty broth in my crockpot. And lo and behold, steadily but surely, my gut has gotten better.That was until, I reached a plateau of just feeling "OK," but not great.Then I decided to make 2017 year the year I would reclaim my health, and heal my gut, fully. I got serious about eating clean once again (no little cheating here and there that quickly becomes a problem), and making bone broth a staple.But I still needed something to kickstart my gut to heal at a deeper level. Intuitively I felt that my digestive system needed a break, badly. If I could give it simple, liquid nutrition it could take energy away from digestion, and toward deep healing.I went to my butcher, picked up some knuckle bones and brewed up close to three gallons of broth. Here's what happened and how things went...

A necessary, but unfortunate disclaimer

Fasts are not for everyone, and everyone has different dietary needs. Before you start on a fast of any kind, you should absolute consult your health care provider. I'm not a doctor, nor do I claim to give medical advice of any kind. As always, consult your own body and decide what is best for you.

Preparations for the fast

The first step was to decide how long I would fast for. Most guides I looked at recommended between 48-72 hours. I decided I needed as much relief as I could get, so I went with 72.Because I've done fasts before (though never a broth fast), I knew I needed to prepare myself mentally. Not getting psychology prepared I think is the biggest mistake you can make before starting a fast. If you want to set yourself up for success, you need to be prepared to deal with cravings, be irritable, and have lots of space and time to set aside for self care. Starting a fast before a big trip or work project is not the right time. I suggest doing it on a weekend, or taking time off of work if possible.The first thing I did was made sure that my fast fell on the weekend, and that I didn't have any major events planned. I also spent time reading up on the benefits of fasting to get myself emotionally anchored to what I was about to do. I visualized myself feeling good, persevering through any challenges that came up, and resisting temptations to eat.

My bone broth recipe and daily regimen

Since talking about my fast on Facebook, a lot of you have been asking for my bone broth recipe. I actually did a whole post on my love for bone broth, including my recipe. You can find it here.Here's my exact daily routine, including everything I ingested:

• Hydration elixir. The first thing I drank every day was 12oz of spring water with 1tsp of sole (himalayan sea salt soaked in water), 1tbsp of bentonite clay, and lemon. It's a super hydrating exlixir, and the bentonite helps with detox.
• Morning herbal tea. In this I put chaga, lion's mane, astragulus, ginger and a bit of yerba mate'. Since I was going off coffee, I decided to give myself a smaller dose of caffeine to help with withdrawal, but in a more gut friendly way. The chaga and lion's mane were for immune boosting properties, astragalus for its gut optimization properties and ginger for it's gut healing properties.
• Bone broth. I let myself have as much as I wanted. In it I often added several tablespoons of collagen from Great Lakes.
• Fermented veggies. I ate a good amount of these for the beneficial probiotics they contain. I made about 4 quarts of kimchi that I devoured. Because they're predigested, they're super easy on the gut.
• Supplements. I kept with my normal supplement routine of Vitamin D, MSM, Glucosamine, Fish Oil, and Colostrum.

The good and the not so pleasant: my daily fast journal

Day 1: Determined and readyWoke up with a slight headache. A bit nervous, but I'm feeling determined and excited about the results that I'll be getting. Ready to follow through with this and see how much this can help me with my gut.Today I just started with skipping dinner and replacing with bone broth. It felt pretty easy and just like I was having soup for dinner (an empty soup, but still had that feeling).Went to bed feeling better than when I woke up.Day 2: Riding the struggle busWoke up with headache again, ugh. I didn't sleep the best and think I was in a weird position that created some neck tension. Feeling more groggy and tired than usual.Plan is to spend some time outside, take it easy and go sauna.Update: I went for a walk, did a little light climbing in the trees, and went to the sauna. Felt a lot better after being outside, even though it was cold and overcast. The sauna tired me out though, so I ended up taking a nap.Was pretty exhausted today, honestly. Lots of cravings for burgers, fries, comfort food. Hoping that tomorrow will be better.Day 3: The sun is shining againWoke up feeling a lot better today. The best way I can describe it is just feeling clear and clean.Got my broth and tea in, then hit the park for a walk. It was a beautiful sunny day, so I couldn't resist getting out.Climbed at the gym, but kept it pretty light and short, nothing too strenuous. Went to sauna after climbing with Ev'Yan and picked up a green juice from the store.Got a bit sleepy after the sauna (as to be expected), but overall feeling good.Day 4: Give me all of the food (and a surprise)!Woke up irritable, slightly groggy and hungry. I knew that it was time to eat today, and I absolutely could not wait.Then, after my morning water and bone broth, it hit me... I needed to go to the bathroom, now!I felt sick, bloated and gross, and I couldn't figure out why. I had just been on days of amazing bone broth, after all.And that's when I remembered... I haven't had a bowel movement in three days! Oh, maybe that's why. I also recalled that I might have put way too much salt in my water. On an empty stomach, salt water can act as a laxative. Oops!I'll spare you the details, but it definitely felt like I released some clogged up junk in my system.I broke my fast with some veggies, an egg, and a slice of bacon. My original plan was broth with some vegetables cooked in it, but my body was saying "GIVE ME FOOD. NOW." and I decided to listen. I trusted it knew what was up, and that it was time.

How I'm feeling now and what I think about how it went

Several days after the fast, I'm feeling great. This feels like exactly what my body needed in order to heal and reset. The level of gas/bloating and digestive discomfort I was experiencing has decreased dramatically and is now almost unnoticeable.I do think that there's likely still more healing to be done, so I plan on repeating the fast again in the future when it feels like the right time.

My plan moving forward

A lot of people say that the fast is the easy part, but it's after the fast that is the real test. I think that's true.It's pretty easy when you're on the fast after a while to stick with it and keep it going. After all, it's only 72 hours, and anyone can stick with something for at least that long. It's staying away from your trouble foods long term, and managing stress that is the real test.These are the big gut irritants for me, and what I plan to stay away from:

• Any glutenous grains
• Sugar
• Peanuts
• Beans and legumes
• Soy
• Industrial vegetable oils (canola, safflower, etc.)
• Too much coffee
• Too many nuts and seeds

I also have to be careful not to overdo it on dairy, nightshades, and overly complex meals with lots of ingredients. Yay, my life is fun, right? Yeah, yeah, I know it could be worse.Sticking to meat, veggies and healthy fats, while drinking lots of broth and fermented foods seems to be what works best for me.Another thing I plan on incorporating more is intermittent fasting, where I skip breakfast and allow my digestive system to rest from 7pm-12pm. Check out the benefits here.I also think once or twice a month having 24 hours of only broth would be a good addition to add my strategy.Going forward I'll be staying on a 90/10 diet of strict paleo, with some slight room for deviation. I've tried super strict diets before, and they always backfire with me binging on unhealthy foods. Staying disciplined, but having room to breathe and live a little is what works best for me.

So, would I do it again?

Having done fasts like the Master Cleanse in the past, I like how this approach focuses on giving your gut a break, but also fuels you with much needed gut-healing nutrients.Based on the results I got (despite the difficulties), I would absolutely do a bone broth fast again. Incorporating a fast like this every 3-6 months makes a lot of sense to me, along with more frequent, shorter digestive breaks.It's also a great way to kick start a healthier, cleaner diet.Know someone that could benefit from better gut health? Share this post with them and help revive this ancestral wisdom we've forgotten.

The Greatest Protein the World Forgot

Somewhere along the world forget about one of the greatest superfoods.And this whole time, it's been right in front of us.It became all about the steak, burgers and chicken wings. It's easy to understand the rationale if you're trying to build muscle, you just eat more muscle meats, right?That's what I always thought. In between wrestling practice and weightlifting, I'd shovel cans of tuna and turkey slices into my face.It never even occurred to me that there was more to an animal I should be eating. Probably because aside from a roasted chicken from the market, I never really even thought about meat as an animal. It was just presliced, prepackaged pieces of food.After being vegetarian for 10 years (like mormonism, I'm glad I survived that one), I went back to eating meat with a fresh perspective. I started looking at the way tribal cultures ate meat, and how they used the whole animal.This of course, led me to the densely nutritious organ meats that most people throw away, and then, to the bones. Of course, these are just another form of dog food for modern humans.But our ancestors knew better. Organ meats and bone marrow were often saved for royalty or pregnant women, coveted for their dense life-fortifying power.Returning to a more primal way of eating, the first thing I realized was that, wow, eating grass-fed, pastured meat is not cheap.But, there are all sorts of ways to get cheap, high-quality, incredibly nutrient dense animal food if you're willing to eat the organs and bones.So, I started buying local, grass-fed bones and made my own bone broth at home. I could easily score them for $1.99/lb from my local butcher. This was amazing, when you compare to $8.99/lb price I usually paid for ground beef.I found that not only was I getting cheaper nutrition, but I was also getting nutrients I simply couldn't find from the muscle meats.

The surprising benefits of bone broth

Good broth will resurrect the dead. -South American Proverb

Bone broth was helping me heal my long-standing gut issues from being raised on soda and microwaved foods. It was healing my chronic elbow tendonitis. My skin was even getting clearer.I went from making a batch every now and then, to drinking multiple cups a day. It's now a rarity that my freezer isn't full of delicious, nutritious broth.The nutritional data on broth is hard to pin down, mostly because it varies so much based on how many bones are used, density of the bones, the diet the animal was fed and a number of other factors. However, the broth is filled with 50% connective tissue proteins, like chondroitin and glucosamine, vital components for healthy connective tissue (source).Glycine keeps stomach acid in balance, and glutamine prevents "leaky gut" by keeping the walls of your digestive tract healthy (source).Marrow in the bones helps keep your immune system healthy, while essential minerals like calcium and magnesium play a vital role in over a hundred critical functions of the body (source).The old saying goes "eat what ails you." If you want healthy bones, joints and and better digestion, consider adding pasture-raised bone broth to your daily diet. Since doing this, I've cut out many of the supplements I was taking before, and now am getting these nutrients straight from the source.This means I'm saving even more money, because I'm getting the "supplements" I was missing from my diet with actual food, and calories.

How to make bone broth at home, the easy way

I was intimidated at the prospect of making broth at home at first. But luckily I gave it a go and was glad I did.I found that making your own delicious batches of broth is surprisingly easier than you might think.Here's everything you'll need:

• High quality grass-fed beef bones (I like the knuckle bones for extra gelatin) or pasture-raised chicken backs or carcasses -- shoot for around 2 pounds of bones for every gallon of broth
• One yellow onion
• 4 celery stalks
• 4 carrots
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• Crockpot or large stock pot

Step 1: Start by submerging your bones in the stockpot and cover with cold water. Leave about 1 inch from the top so you have room for the veggies.Step 2: Add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, cover and let sit for about an hour.Step 3: Chop the veggies and add them to your stock. You're welcome to add anything else you might like. I often save veggie scraps in the freezer to add to my stock. Carrot tops, kale stems, and broccoli stalks are all fair game.Step 4: Turn your heat up to high until you get a nice boil going.Step 5: Once the pot is boiling, turn down to a simmer and let cook for 12-24 hours.For chicken bones: shoot for about 12 hoursBeef bones: these usually need a bit more time, so I lean toward 24 hours with them.Step 6: Once your broth is done you can strain the bones and fill containers up to throw in the freezer. I usually drink about two cups a day, so I will take out a quart container once every couple of days from the freezer to defrost.Pro tip from your grandma: For extra fatty, gelatinous goodness, add two or three chicken feet to your broth. It will increase the thickness, and add even more joint-supporting nutrition.

How to drink your broth like a man

Broth is great just drinking it straight up, but if you want an added boost, you can make it even more manly with ginger, turmeric and pepper. It will add a nice anti-inflammatory boost to it.I just grate the ginger and turmeric with fine side of a cheese grater, throw it in a teaball and drop it in my mug. Fresh ground pepper helps make the anti-inflammatory properties of the herbs even more absorbable (source).Of course, broth is great in stews, soups, curries, gravies or whatever else you can think of. For instance, I just made some Thai yellow curry with coconut milk and chicken broth. It was thoroughly enjoyed (just ask my wife).

Reclaim your inner beast with bone broth

If you want to reclaim your primal strength, start eating the whole animal. Focus on grass-fed and pasture raised animals. And if you can, incorporate more wild animal protein into your diet.For the modern wild man, bone broth is a cheap, convenient and easy way to start.If you want to train and perform at the highest level, give yourself the fuel you need to become the strongest version of yourself.

Too busy or don't want to deal with the mess of making bone broth at home? Try bone broth protein powder

I personally tested this protein from Surthrival and have to say, I was impressed. The flavor is undetectable in a smoothie and it blends in very well, without any gloopiness or mess.If you want to get bone broth in your diet, but don't want to deal with the bones, mess, or are just too busy to make it happen, I believe this is the way to go.Check out Surthrival's Bone Broth ProteinLearn More about Bone Broth Protein Powder

How Orlando Reclaimed His Primal Strength By Focusing on the Foundations

"Sit still and pay attention."From an early age we're taught to reign in our wildness.Climbing, crawling and jumping around is seen as something kids do, that is until we train it out of them.Orlando's story might seem familiar to you.As a kid he loved being active and was always exploring, climbing on stuff, jumping off of things. Then he had to grow up, get serious and figure out this whole "life" thing.But in all that seriousness he realized that he lost a part of who he was. He stopped doing the things that made him come alive.

I realized that I lost a bit of who I was, what I enjoyed, and that freedom that I had in not caring about what people think.

So, of course, when Orlando said he wanted to work with me, I was beyond stoked. I saw how hungry and passionate he was about movement and reclaiming that inner hero he lost as a kid.It's easy when you work with someone that is motivated and ready to take action.Orlando absolutely put in the work, week after week. By focusing on the foundations of primal movement he's been able to gain some impressive results and skills. The coolest part is that he's just getting started.

I haven't been happier than in probably the last 10 years. Everything is falling into place in my life and this is another thing I can add to that list.

How Orlando beat the couch (and you can too)

Orlando struggled with getting off the couch and just getting started. He would play video games, feel guilty, and then not do anything about it. He let his fears and shame rule him.Then one day he said "enough" and used those feelings to do something, to fuel him to break the cycle.

I was just sitting on the couch doing nothing, feeling guilty about doing nothing. But I just let that guilt rule me. Since working with Jonathan my confidence has shot up and I'm more motivated than ever.

If you think you're too old, too big, too small, too young, too uncoordinated, or whatever it is, I get it. It's hard to get moving again, especially when limiting thoughts make you wake up feeling defeated.Orlando struggled with these mental loops for years, and then he finally decided to just start from where he is.

How to Press the Reset Button on Your Training

Unfortunately, though I've been searching quite diligently, there seems to be no "reset" button for your body. However, you can press the reset button on your training at any time.It's always there, you just have to get up and take action.Making a regular practice and focusing on the basics is how you get there. Sometimes this means humbling yourself a little bit, sometimes it means remembering that sense of play you had as a kid.After all, we all first did the basics when we learned to move for the first time. That was our original education in primal movement, we just stopped doing it.No matter how far you've gotten off track, it's all there, right underneath the surface. Reawakening that sense of confidence in your body, that curiosity and adventure is always there for you. All it takes is one decision to get back on track.

You have to get back up. You can't let yourself fall and stay down.

The Power of Focusing on the Foundations (it's all about the base)

The foundations are easy to overlook and ignore. After all, they're not very sexy, and they don't lead you to straight to those badass, impressive skills everyone covets.But as the saying goes, if you build on a weak foundation, your house will fall.By focusing on the core fundamentals, Orlando is putting in the work that will unlock more advanced skills later down the road. By taking care of the base, he's setting himself up for success.

When Jonathan told me about the program he had in mind I was super excited. I couldn't help myself, I just wanted to do it. I just wanted to be like yeah 'let's go to the park tomorrow.'

Want to reconnect with your naturally strong, capable body?

I work with people all over the world through online coaching, and locally here in Portland, OR. If you'd like some help building a strong foundation of mobility and strength, schedule a free discovery session with me.Everyone needs some help from time to time and you don't have to do it alone.Explore what working with me looks like.

Primal Foundations Workout

Don't be fooled by this workout.It might seem simple at first, but it is deceptively powerful. If you practice these movements enough, you'll begin creating a strong foundation for more advanced primal movements.If the exercises become too easy, you can increase the difficult by speeding them up, or by adding more time or reps.Here is the workout:

• Deep squat hold - 30 seconds
• Step vault (or box jump) - 10 each side
• Squat to fall - 10 each side
• Jab - 20 each side
• Passive hang - 30 seconds
• Two minutes grounding meditation

Complete for three to five rounds.For more in-depth instruction on each of these movements, check out the post on six movements every man should master.

Want to win a free membership to the upcoming Uncaged Body Program?

Entering is simple. Just complete this workout and post a video on Facebook or Instagram with the #uncagedman hashtag.Click here to enter the challenge.Join the Challenge