Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders edged out rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s Oklahoma primary — a wild turnaround from eight years ago, when the state went to Clinton over Barack Obama by more than 20 percentage points.

Sanders, whose populist campaign harkened back to Oklahoma’s more radical roots, was projected the winner.

Headed into Super Tuesday, polls were entirely unclear as to who would win the state. Voter turnout was also low: Oklahoma did little to encourage early voting, allotting just three days for people to vote at county election board offices.

Independents voting in Tuesday’s primary gave Sanders a helpful boost. Over the past several decades, Oklahoma Democrats have left the party in droves to become independents or Republicans. Support for Sanders has also been strongest among white voters, who constitute the majority of the state’s shrinking Democratic electorate. 

Meanwhile, Clinton’s loss comes despite former President Bill Clinton’s rallies in the state to drum up support for his wife. Clinton’s strategy of yoking herself to Obama also did not appear to pay any dividends.

“Reagan Democrats have left the party, so that leaves a more urban, younger universe,” said Andrew Rice, a Democrat and former Oklahoma state senator who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008. He endorsed Clinton, but told The Huffington Post on Monday that he thought Sanders would eke out a win. “He’s a Democratic Tom Coburn, a protest voice,” Rice said.

Oklahoma’s economy largely weathered the 2008 financial crisis thanks to surging energy prices. Now that oil prices are collapsing, however, the state’s economy has followed suit.

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, Bernie Sanders Beats Hillary Clinton In Oklahoma,

 

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won Oklahoma’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, giving his campaign a much-needed victory.

The win, projected by The Associated Press in one of the nation’s most conservative states, may help Cruz’ campaign continue to justify its existence, but businessman Donald Trump still looks like the candidate most likely to get the GOP’s nomination, especially given his wins in a number of other Super Tuesday primaries.

Though there hadn’t been that much polling done in the state, HuffPost Pollster had Trump leading Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) by more than 10 points before Tuesday’s contest.

Cruz had vastly outspent his rivals for the nomination in the state, pouring more than $800,000 into its race; Rubio, meanwhile, spent more than $250,000.

Oklahoma was seen as a state where the GOP candidates could demonstrate their appeal among Republicans and Republicans alone. The state is one of the first to hold a so-called “closed” primary, meaning only those voters who were registered as Republicans weeks before the contest could cast a ballot.

Trump, Cruz and Rubio had all made recent visits to the state. Rubio called Trump “a con man” on Friday in Oklahoma City, and Cruz told the state’s voters during a Tulsa stop on Tuesday that it was “a battleground.” Trump, meanwhile, spoke in Oklahoma City on Friday, claiming that Rubio had “defrauded” his home state of Florida.

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, Ted Cruz Wins Oklahoma's Deep-Red Republican Presidential Primary,

After years of depressing declines in sales, the beer industry could really use some good news. And today, just in time for Oktoberfest and football s…

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, American Beer Industry Breaks Historic Record,

Real estate mogul Donald Trump spoke inaccurately about battlefield conditions Monday when he told an Iowa audience that soldiers traveling in armored Humvees are safe from improvised explosive devices. 

“The best in the world, armor-plated, top, bottom, all over. If a bomb goes off, our wounded warriors, instead of losing their legs, their arms, worse, they’re okay. They go for a little ride upward, and they come down,” Trump said at a rally in Cedar Rapids. 

Hear Trump’s comment in the video above. 

If only the GOP presidential candidate’s ill-informed idea of warfare reflected the reality described by veterans, there would have been fewer American casualties in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Veterans and their supporters quickly ridiculed Trump for not knowing that roadside bombs can rip through armored Humvees and inflict grave injuries.

Others said it demonstrated that Trump isn’t serious about the concerns of active and former members of the armed services. 

“Donald Trump doesn’t seem to recall the times that armor-piercing IEDs destroyed vehicles and sent many of our troops on a ‘little ride’ to their deaths, Vets Vote Chairman and Iraq War veteran Jon Soltz said in a statement. “Donald Trump doesn’t know what we face, and he doesn’t care about what we face. He just likes to use us for political props to hide behind to avoid debates.”

Trump made the comments while telling an anecdote about a friend’s son who served two tours of duty and complained about enemy forces seizing superior American military equipment. Trump said that 2,300 brand-new armored plated Humvees landed in enemy control.  

But actually, the Pentagon abandoned Humvees in 2007 in favor of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, known as MRAPs, according to The Washington Post, which took apart Trump’s comments. Though an up-armored Humvee might survive a bombing intact, passengers can still suffer brain injuries or blown eardrums, or be thrown from the vehicle.

The Post also reported that insurgents in Iraq adapted and found ways to successfully attack the Humvess despite heavy defense plates. MRAPs were specifically designed for exploding roadside bombs, but even the newer vehicles are imperfect, the Post reported. 

Trump has tried ingratiating himself with veterans, an influential voting bloc. He skipped the Republican debate on Thursday to instead hold an event for veterans. 

Note to our readers: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist, birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

Also on HuffPost:

 

 

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, Donald Trump Says Soldiers 'Go For A Little Ride' When Roadside Bombs Hit,

What do you do when you’re trying to start a new workout routine?

Maybe you’ve been training your entire life and just want a new exercise to keep things fresh. Or maybe you’re getting started with exercise for the first time and don’t know how to start working out. Either way, starting a new training routine is something we all deal with from time to time.

For example, I recently added sprint training to my workout routine. There’s just one problem: I’ve never done sprint training before.

In this post, I’ll outline the strategies I used to get started with a new workout routine and how you can use them to kickstart your own training.

How to Start Working Out

Step one: Decide what you want to be good at doing.

I’ve written previously about how important a sense of purpose can be, and that holds true for exercise and training as well.

The more specific you are about what you want to become good at doing, the easier it is for you to train for success. In my case, I want to become good at 400m sprints. That’s a clear goal and it helps provide direction to me in the process.

If you’re confused about how to start working out, then make a decision. It doesn’t even have to be the “best” decision. Just choose something that you want to become good at doing and start moving in that direction. There will be plenty of time for adjustments and optimization later.

Ask someone who has been there.

In the beginning, I had no idea what a typical sprint workout even looked like.

How did I find out? I asked people who did know. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions. Everybody is a beginner at some point. The people around you are your greatest asset.

I went to my strength and conditioning coach from college, my old teammates who had done sprint training, and a friend who ran track competitively. I asked each of them for suggestions and programs for 400m sprint training and for general sprinting tips.

My hope was that by asking five different people instead of just one, I would get a more well-rounded view. As expected, everyone pointed me towards different programs and routines.

While all of this different information might seem conflicting and confusing at first, it’s important for the next step.

Get the main idea, skip the details.

This is where most people give up and never get going with their new routine. (Don’t worry. It’s happened to me as well.)

Fitness is one of the worst industries if you’re looking for clear advice. It seems like everyone has a different way of doing things and they are all convinced that their way is the only way.

As a result, it’s easy to stress out over the details of a new workout routine. Should I do 5 sets or 6 sets? Program A says I should rest for 90 seconds, but Program B says I should rest for 60 seconds. This website says to workout on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but my friend did it on Tuesday and Thursday. Which one is right?

Let’s all take a deep breath.

Here’s a little knowledge bomb for you: The details don’t matter in the beginning.

You’ll have plenty of time to figure out technique, rest periods, volume, training schedules, yada yada yada. When you’re starting a new workout routine, the only thing that matters is getting started. Get the main idea, stick to the schedule, and the details will begin to fall into place.

Here’s how I did it with my sprint training…

I read each of the resources and workout programs that my friends sent me. Then, I wrote down the common ideas from each program.

Here’s what they looked like…

• run sprints that range from 200m to 500m
• rest for 2 or 3 minutes between sets
• run between 3 to 6 sprints per workout
• do sprint workouts 2 or 3 times per week

Did I leave out a lot of details? Yes. But with the main ideas above, I could go to the track and get my first sprint workout done.

And in the beginning that’s the real goal: make it as simple as possible to get started.

Go slow.

Most of the time, when we decide to start a new workout routine it’s because we’re motivated to do it. It’s great to have motivation, but as I’ve mentioned before, it can be a double-edged sword.

Why? First, because motivation fluctuates. This means you can’t rely on it. That’s why you want to build good habits instead of getting motivated.

But secondly, motivation can fool you into biting off more than you can chew. (I wrote about why this is an issue, and how to avoid it, here.)

In the beginning, you want to start slow. Remember, the goal is to get in the habit of doing the workouts, not to do intense workouts.

Here’s how I started with my sprints…

The first workout, I did 3 sprints of 200m at 50 percent intensity. It was easy and slow. I was simply trying to get my body used to running again.

The second workout, I did 2 sprints of 400m with 3 minutes rest in between. Again, this wasn’t a particularly taxing workout.

In the beginning, you want the workouts to be easy. This is true for the first 3 or 4 weeks. Your only goal is to stick to the schedule and build the capacity to do the workout. Performance doesn’t matter.

It seems like this is the exact opposite of what most people do. The typical approach is to go from sitting on your couch to doing P90X for six days every week. With a switch like that, it’s no wonder that most people give up after a week.

Don’t miss workouts.

If I could summarize everything I’ve learned in 10 years of strength training it would come down to these three words: Don’t miss workouts.

If we’re being honest with ourselves, here’s what our workout calendar usually looks like:

• Workout consistently for a month or two.
• Get sick. Miss multiple workouts. Spend the next month getting back in shape.
• Workout consistently for a month or two.
• Schedule changes. Life gets crazy. Miss multiple workouts. Spend the next month getting back in shape.
• Workout consistently for a month or two.
• Travel. Vacation. Time off. Miss multiple workouts. Spend the next month getting back in shape.

And on and on.

Now there’s nothing wrong with your schedule changing or taking vacation, but you need to have a system to make it as easy as possible to get back on track. This is especially true when you’re just getting started with a new workout routine.

When I started my pushup routine, I managed to get 17 consecutive workouts in before I missed a day. And I got right back on track after that one day off. In total, I did 93 pushup workouts over the course of 8 months.

The individual impact of each workout has been very small, but the cumulative impact of sticking to that schedule has been huge. (I’ve doubled the amount of pushups that I can do.) And it all comes down to not missing workouts.

I’m planning on applying this same strategy to my sprint workouts and I suggest you do the same.

Pick an Exercise and Get Started

There are more exercises in the world than I care to count, but I think you can list the important ones on two hands.

• Clean and Jerk
• Snatch
• Squat
• Deadlift
• Bench Press
• Pushups
• Pullups
• Sprints

Pick one that you would like to be good at and get started.

Remember, you don’t need to worry about the details in the beginning. Just get the main idea, start slow, and don’t miss workouts.

And now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to hit the track.

James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he shares science-based ideas for living a better life and building habits that stick. To get strategies for boosting your mental and physical performance by 10x, join his free newsletter.

This article was originally published on JamesClear.com.

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, How to Start Working Out When You Don't Know What You're Doing,

The first U.S. voters are making their voices heard Monday at the 2016 Iowa caucuses.

The process is not like a primary, where voters cast ballots for their presidential pick in a voting booth. Participation in the caucuses involves attending a public meeting. Republicans cast their votes in a secret ballot, while Democrats physically gather in different parts of a room dedicated to each candidate; the candidate’s coalition needs to reach a certain threshold of voters in order for the candidate to get their votes.

See some of the best photos from the Iowa caucuses below:

Also on HuffPost:

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, These Are The Most Exciting Photos From The 2016 Iowa Caucuses,