Any CrossFitters ???
Does anyone out there do a bit of Xfit ??
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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My Book Shelf . .
I was just grabbing a book down earlier and thought it may interest you guys to see what i read besides Mills and Boon novels.
I am a big fan of Eric C. He has a great writing style and seems to be living the dream working out of his own place in the states. Although I have only skimmed through his maximum strength book I did get a better read at his thoughts on unstable training (ebook). Def one to read.
Check out his blog and main site.
Although I do not own this book I do have the Charles Poliquin Manual for a course and again love his stuff. CP can often be controversial but always brilliant. Here are a list of his answers to the popular Question of strength series which appears on t nation. You can also check his main site here.
Granted, my copy of this looks as worn out as Gordon Brown but it's still the book that all of you weight lifting junkies should own. Arnie is the godfather of muscle, the king of guns, the chief of chest etc etc. Great book.
Mark Rippetoe is the man. There is nothing this guy does not know about lifting big weights. Starting strength is great for new and old to the sport for double checking technique and getting an insight into coaching. His youtube videos are also worth a nosey.
I own a few nutrition books. Actually lots of nutrition books. These tend to be opened the most.
Outside of the gym stuff my other two favs have to be my Dawkins books. You may also need a few dictionaries with you to decipher the lingo.
I've read this one twice (this summer and last) and I reckon next summer I will have another bash at it to get to grips with the whole idea of altruism and the selfish gene.
If anyone wants to recommend a book or ask question then please fire away in the comemnts box. Cheers!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Deadlift
Just stumbled across another great article on strong lifts showing the dead lift.
When dead lifting you need to be this shape . .
Head not looking at toes
Flat back
Hips up
Arms straight
The problem with modern gym chains is the lack of knowledge with these big moves resulting in serious back injury. If you get injured it will bite you in the bum for years to come. Get A PT or someone who knows how to do this bad boy move to help you out.
For those who can't quite workout where they go wrong then check out this article from Eric Cressey over at T nation.
The reason the dead lift is so important is because it is the basis of many other exercises. If you want to perform barbell rows, power cleans or even just lift the bar from the floor to put it back on the squat rack then it is essential that you learn how to lift a dead bar.
I lost two pounds . . .
The next time a runner tells you they went for a run and lost 'such and such' pounds you may need to ask them how exactly. You would assume that it was weight or fat related but in reality they may have just got caught short a few miles down the road.
Paula Radcliffe - dehydrating herself in the street.
Inside the mind of a runner
. . . "Ok , your doing fine, just a few more miles . . I doubt anyone has noticed . . this is my one chance at fame. . if I could just hold on another 2 hours I'm laughing. I just hope this doesn't end up on the internet . . my mum will go bonkers . . "
To the long distance runners out there I am only jesting. I admire anyone who competes and performs well in their sport. Here are a few tips to prevent you from being front page news.
1 - Nappies - Paula, a thong just won't cut it. A good set of nappies could shave minutes off your time.
2 - EPOC - excess post oxygen consumption is the real key to fat loss. Basically a harder and more intense workout over a shorter period of time can lead to better results due to calories being used up even when you finish exercising. So if a chart says jogging for an hour = 500 calories used and sprinting in blocks for half that time uses say 200 the sprinting can still result in greater fat loss - Check this wiki entry which can explain it a bit better than me. To steal a point from Alwyn cosgrove - to look at the calories burned per exercise per hour and ignore how the exercise affects the body after exercise is short sighted. If you look at weight training for just the hour and ignore the after effects you could say that weight training simply breaks down muscle and therefore should not be used - we all know that muscle is broken down and the good stuff only happens over time.
3 - Tabata training - First we had steady state aerobics, then fartlek and interval type stuff and now tabata training. Basically we discovered EPOC and realised that short = sweet. Tabata training can be applied to both sprint work or free weights and does require a level of conditioning so really not recommended on your first day down the gym.
Tabata protocol = 20 secs exercise / 10 secs recovery x 8 sets (4 mins total)
So you could sprint flat out for 20 secs and recover for 10 before shooting off again OR you could perform front squats in the exact same manner. The goal is not to focus on reps as such but in completing the full four minutes and if you do then next week make it harder. The sprints could be done on a hill or the front squats could have more weights added.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Forum Regulars
As a fitness forum junkie I come across loads of guys that could well fit into these boxes - fingers crossed the picture works !
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Carlsberg don't do gyms . . .
. . .but if they did I reckon it would be pretty similar to this beauty. Core Cambridge is basically my ideal gym. Flip tires, swing on stuff, sprinting, carrying, jumping and pumping - they have it all.
Check it out
Pretty cool video too, this looks hard -
Monday, October 06, 2008
When I finish bulking . .
. . .I might just have to try this and laugh my way to better abs. (thanks Colin)
Check out the main site for more info . . .who's with me??
Trying something new . .
Last Tuesday I decided to try the Anabolic diet which I plan to use while bulking up before returning to my own plan. There are a couple of reasons I am trying this -
1) So I can form an opinion on its effectiveness. I find it much easier to advise guys on diets and workouts if I have actually done them.
2) I wasn't going to bulk this year but what the heck, its the neil mct tradition.
3) My plan is very sensible and sometimes its good to dive into the more hardcore end of nutrition. Having trained for so long the odd spurt of madness should do me good.
The plan basically has me eating like an Atkins diet for 5 days then a low fat/ low protein carb up day or two. I started the plan last wed and so far -
1) Feeling good and holding the same weight (surprisingly). Even though I am bulking and should expect to be moving up weight a dose of carb depletion can result in water loss and a reduced body weight. I reckon the scales will jump big time when I carb up.
2) Workouts are hard. With my own plan I always had pre and post workout carbs where as this plan sees me just eating meat and fats around gym times. I am really suprised that I can get a good upper body pump and train ok but the legs sessions are a killer.
Since starting I have arsed about a bit in the gym but have drew up a plan to work along side the bulking diet. My carb up days are going to maybe vary over time just with work / training etc but will never me closer than 5 days apart. I started last wed and will carb up this tue and wed so that I have the energy to train MMA on thur night.
Speaking of MMA I tweaked my chest the other week which then give me jip for a fortnight there so my upper body workout will be starting with shoulders. Chest and back have been brought in later and super setted which works much better than heavy benching to start.
Will keep you all posted.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Your thoughts ?
Source
FAST food fan Natalie Jackson was hit with a £150 fine at KFC — for staying too long gorging on a monster-sized “family bucket”.
The trainee nurse and a pal plumped for FOURTEEN chicken pieces, SIX bags of fries and large COKES after driving to their local branch.
They spent an hour and a half scoffing the 5,456-calorie feast. Days later regular customer Natalie got the fine in the post for breaking the restaurant car park’s 75-minute limit.
Feast ... family bucket
The 24-year-old fumed yesterday: “It’s disgusting. I spend a lot of money in there. Now I’m never going back.”
Hungry
Natalie — who eats at KFC three times a week — complained to restaurant bosses that she was unaware of signs warning of the time limit in Huddersfield, West Yorks.
The mega bucket, which busts the Health Department’s recommended 1,940-a-day calorie count for women, cost her £13.16p.
Natalie vowed there was fat chance of her paying the £150 — insisting: “It didn’t feel like I was in there all that long. We were hungry.”
Last night KFC said restaurant parking was contracted to private firm Civil Enforcement Ltd — but promised to review Natalie’s case.
A spokesman said: “A parking restriction was introduced to prevent non-KFC customers using the car park.
“The 75-minute time limit is designed to accommodate our customers who generally eat for about 30 minutes.”
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Stronglifts.com
I have browsed this site a few times and receive their emails every so often with a few nice bits of info - check this recent article I found in my inbox. . .
Source- stronglifts newsletter
The videos are class - even if you are not a big power lifting fan the response from the spotters and anyone else close by just shows how important it is too have a good audience to help with big lifts :-)
The 10 Most Impressive Squats of All Times
Posted: 03 Jul 2008 09:00 AM CDT
Image: Kirk “Captain Kirk” Karwoski
The Squat is the toughest weight lifting exercise, both physically and mentally. You’ll sometimes lack motivation to go to the gym because you know a heavy Squat session is waiting for you there.
Time to cut the crap. What you Squat is ridiculous compared with what others lift. “Somewhere out there, a little Chinese girl is warming up with your max”. These are the 10 most impressive Squats of all time.
1. 1000lbs. Lee Moran was the 1st man to Squat 1000lbs. On his 1st attempt the bar flipped over his head and knocked him out. On the 2nd attempt 1 collar came off and the bar flipped over again. This was his 3rd attempt: 1003lbs.
Why impressive? His 2 failed attempts didn’t affect him.
2. 1000lbs x 2. Kirk Karwoski did raw Squats with 755lbs for 7 reps. 10 years after quiting competition he could still do 845lbs raw. He built this physique through powerlifting. Here’s “Captain Kirk” squatting 1000lbs for 2 reps.
Why impressive? “I want to hold it”
3. 1000lbs at 45. Dr. Fred Hatfield, aka Dr. Squat, won the World Powerlifting Championships 3 times. At age 45 he did a competitive Squat with 1014lbs at 255lbs body-weight. Video:
Why impressive? He did this age 45.
4. 1000lbs from Pins. Expect to Squat less weight when doing a Pin or Box Squat. You can’t use the stretch reflex when you start from a dead stop. Bud Jeffries doesn’t mind it: 1000lbs Squat from pins.
Why impressive? It’s a pin Squat.
5. No-No-No Squats. In 1993, 3 days before winning the World Weightlifting Championship, Ivan Chakarov was spotted in the training halls doing high bar, ass to grass Squats with 265kg for 2 reps at 91kg body-weight.
Why impressive? No wraps, no belts, no spotters.
6. 400lbs x 20. Take your 10 rep max Squat and do 20 reps with it. Breathe between reps until you got all 20 reps, no matter what. Breathing Squats will test your mental endurance. Jesse Marunde:
Why impressive? He did these after heavy Power Cleans and Pull-ups.
7. 920lbs at 50. Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell club is the only man over 50 years old who can Squat 920lbs. He’s the proof that whatever your age is, you can Squat if you want to.
Why impressive? 920lbs at age 50.
8. 310 kg x 2. I first put Idalberto Arranda here with his 290kg high bar, ass to grass Squat for a double. But then I remembered Eduardo Guadamud doing Squats with 310kg for 2 reps. Video:
Why impressive? Beyoncé playing in the background doesn’t affect him.
9. 815lbs at 181lbs BW. Wade Hooper took the 1st place in the 2008 USAPL Men’s Nationals with a 370kg Squat at 82,5kg body-weight. All using a single ply, walking out and squatting below parallel.
Why impressive? 4.5x body-weight Squat.
10. Female 843Lbs Squats. Becca Swanson is often referred to as the world’s strongest woman. She holds world records in the Squat & Deadlift. This video shows Swanson Squatting 843lbs.
Why impressive? I bet she Squats more than you do.
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