The Vertical Diet

[GlasgowJock]

Anyone heard of this?

Saw something on FB from WSM Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson about his nutrition and how he follows this "Vertical Diet" compiled by Stan Efferding. Basically the bulk of his diet is composed of "nutrient dense" foods such as steak and white rice and other "easily digestable" foods (eggs, sweet potatoes etc) so as to "lessen inflammation/ time in the gut" and allowing you to "train" your ability to easily scale up your caloric intake as you acquire #gainzZz.

It sounds like a bunch of boll... broscience but what the heck do I know.

Thoughts?

[Murelli]

If you are trying to eat 10k+ calories a day, you can quickly justify biasing your diet on density (caloric/nutrient) and speed (entry-exit).

[BenM]

Yeah - basically the idea is that your body gets really efficient at digesting certain foods so you just stick to a really small range of (good quality) foods. I don’t really think it has much grounding in science (the ‘efficiency’ part) but the quality and nutrient content of the foods themselves is high so in that respect it’s a lot better than some other nutrition methodologies. And for some people compliance is easier with less choice (though normally that applies to people trying to lose weight, not sure letting the strongmen types normally want to do).

Also I noticed in his latest video Alsruhe says he’s engaged Efferding for nutrition advice too to try and fix his vomiting and so far it’s going well. So I’ll be interested to see how that goes for him.

[Skid]

I watched Rhino's rant on this topic. It seems to have worked well for Thor considering he recently won the Arnolds and dropped body fat too. Others like Jordan were skeptical or said there is no science to it, but it seems to have worked for Thor.

[mouse]

Meh... I (kind of) inadvertently do this but for different reasons. For me it's just easier to eat basically the same meals 80% of my week, namely for consistency and ease. I'll eat the same three meals throughout the day and then only have to worry about dinner when I get home. For the most part weekends are the same unless we're out with the kids or something.

The key reason being I don't track my macros anymore. I eat consistently enough to know the ballpark of what I'm getting and how to adjust. If I was to change it up all the time I'd have to probably go back to tracking, and I just don't want to.

All of the rest I chalk up to broscience. I'm not gonna guage what I should do based on what "works" for an elite level guy like Thor or even Alsruhe. Those dudes have genetics on their side that I will never be able to attain no matter what crazy feeding plan I follow. Nor do I think it's making a HUGE difference for them, outside of maybe being consistent, but again when you're Hafthor it's pretty much your day job to be consistent and train.

[perman]

I watched Rhino's rant on this topic. It seems to have worked well for Thor considering he recently won the Arnolds and dropped body fat too. Others like Jordan were skeptical or said there is no science to it, but it seems to have worked for Thor.

Why would there be science for an insanely expensive, repetitive, time-consuming diet made for top strength athletes? There not being science on this is not a reason to believe it's wrong, there's a reason to withhold your judgement perhaps, though I think this is something perfect to study more.

I think the diet sounds legit, though Mouse may be on point in saying that it works for different reasons than making the body more efficient at processing a certain kind of food.

That being said though, if Stan is right in that you manage to increase how much and how easily you can consume a staple meal over time, that definitely sounds like some sort of adaptation. Indicating he might be right.

[cwd]

Imagine trying to eat 10,000 calories a day, using a high-fiber diet!

Step 1: eat a 2000 kCal meal of oats, beans, and broccoli.
Step 2: poop
Repeat 5 times every day, be sure to pack your wet-wipes...

[MattimusMaximus]

I think @JordanFeigenbaum mentioned that anything coming out of Super Training/Mark Bell/and most of the "guests" would be considered bro science. I believe Bell has said that most, if not all, of his nutrition knowledge comes from the Rhino...

Here's the link where Jordan is asked about the "Vertical Diet" if interested https://startingstrength.com/resources/ ... eting.html

[Skid]

Here is a link to Stan's vertical diet. Interesting reading backed up with a few links...
Edit - Ben has a better link below...

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

I think @JordanFeigenbaum mentioned that anything coming out of Super Training/Mark Bell/and most of the "guests" would be considered bro science. I believe Bell has said that most, if not all, of his nutrition knowledge comes from the Rhino...

Here's the link where Jordan is asked about the "Vertical Diet" if interested https://startingstrength.com/resources/ ... eting.html

Does he answer the question with any more depth anywhere else? Because otherwise that sounds like "BroScience because I can't be bothered to answer the question" rather than anything else...

[DirtyRed]

I watched Rhino's rant on this topic. It seems to have worked well for Thor considering he recently won the Arnolds and dropped body fat too. Others like Jordan were skeptical or said there is no science to it, but it seems to have worked for Thor.

I'm not sure we need SCIENCE to tell us that "nutrient dense" (I'm assuming this to mean foods high in useful things like protein and fats and low in less useful things like corn syrup, "empty" carbs, and the like) foods are beneficial to strength when used in conjunction with rigorous training.

The "eating the same stuff helps me digest it faster" seems like a load of shit, but as long as the same stuff is all quality food, I can imagine it would be detrimental.

[Skid]

I watched Rhino's rant on this topic. It seems to have worked well for Thor considering he recently won the Arnolds and dropped body fat too. Others like Jordan were skeptical or said there is no science to it, but it seems to have worked for Thor.

I'm not sure we need SCIENCE to tell us that "nutrient dense" (I'm assuming this to mean foods high in useful things like protein and fats and low in less useful things like corn syrup, "empty" carbs, and the like) foods are beneficial to strength when used in conjunction with rigorous training.

The "eating the same stuff helps me digest it faster" seems like a load of shit, but as long as the same stuff is all quality food, I can imagine it would be detrimental.

Did you read the article I linked further down?

[Viola]

@Skid your link in comment #9 gives me a threatening message on my phone

"you have a virus and have 5min to download this app to remove it"

I just closed the tab on my browser and still have full control of my phone 5 min later. Haha. But maybe you should remove the link? Has anyone else tried reading it?

[BenM]

Yeah, it's not the best link, but the file is indeed there.

I've uploaded to another file sharing service - https://ufile.io/gbtit

[Viola]

Thanks @BenM that link worked for me.

[Skid]

@Skid your link in comment #9 gives me a threatening message on my phone

"you have a virus and have 5min to download this app to remove it"

I just closed the tab on my browser and still have full control of my phone 5 min later. Haha. But maybe you should remove the link? Has anyone else tried reading it?

My son sent me the link and it worked for me on my computer. Maybe my anti virus intercepted the virus? I'll delete the link since Ben has a better one.

[cwd]

The "eating the same stuff helps me digest it faster" seems like a load of shit, but as long as the same stuff is all quality food, I can imagine it would be detrimental.

I've noticed that if I eat beans regularly, they don't cause much gas. Eating beans for the first time in a few weeks is quite gassy.

My theory is that the gut biome adapts to diet. If you eat the same kinds of fiber habitually, you get the right populations of bacteria and yeasts to break them down efficiently.

[hector]

I didn't follow the Vertical Diet exactly. Didn't do the stupid parts, like eating one baby carrot a day and drinking 3oz raw cranberry juice in the morning.
Instead I followed some of the broader strokes (more animal protein, higher protein, more frequent meals, chicken broth, lots of steak) and it was a huge improvement for me.
The foods really do seem easier to digest. The Monster Mash, even if you use a lot of ground beed (like 3/4lb or 1lb), will leave you hungry a few hours later so you'll be able to eat more.
For a lot of people the Vertical Diet will be a huge step up. Was for me.