The Fit Blog

I try not to let things that bother me get to me.  In fact, for the most part I try to keep completely ambivalent about what other people are doing when those things would otherwise fire me up.  But at the gym, it’s a different story.  I’m not sure if it’s due to a chemical change around my brain from heavy weight lifting or if it’s maybe the confined spaces that the gym often presents, but I get my gitch all in a knot when I see someone exercising in a way that, IMHO, is a waste of time.

I am aware of the consequences, of course, for expressing my frustration to another individual – that he or she is spending their time at the gym wastefully.  Not everyone who does this is a skinny, off the bus freshman.  There are times when I watch an obviously serious muscle-head doing something that baffles my mind.  But let’s just say that I know how to pick my battles.

And I don’t only see in-gym time wasting by members.  Amazingly enough, these things happen quite often with an assumingly well equipped and experienced trainer at their side.  Good grief!  It’s no wonder why so many people get discouraged by their efforts. Yes, ladies and gents – it’s likely because what they are doing at the gym is simply wasting their time.

So which exercises cause my stomach to turn inside out?  Here are three exercises that I commonly see at the gym that are more or less completely worthless.

1. Wrist Curls.  For the overwhelming majority of people, wrist curls are worthless.  Are you a professional arm wrestler?  Do you need to hold a dozen full beer steins in one hand?  Yes?  I’d first argue that you’d be better off with another exercise anyway, but it’s likely not the case, If you’re focus is in gaining overall mass, losing weight, getting ripped, etc… then spending 10 minutes of your precious hour at the gym on this is foolish.  Pullups, presses, cleans, kettle bell exercises – these are all things that provide a far more effective workout for a larger number of muscles, have significant;y more movement involved and also effect the same muscle groups,   I have never done a wrist curl in my life and when I setup in a false grip for a muscle-up, my forearms explode.
2. Behind the back… anything.  I see people occasionally doing behind the back wrist curls or what I could possibly compare to deadlifts.  And I’m dumbfounded.  The same reasoning applies as in #1 above, but with the addition of even more criticism.  When holding a barbell behind the back, your body will get into an entirely funkified position – poor posture, inappropriate stress on some joints, and the amount of possible movement for a behind the back exercise is significantly diffused.  For those of you thinking you’re stepping it up a notch by performing your <insert exercise here> behind the back, just a heads up that there are probably some other people at the gym watching you and thinking, WTF?  Is there a substitute for a behind the back exercise?  Yes – and that is virtually anything else, including drinking beer.
3. Shoulder shrugs.  Again – we’re looking at a very isolated, muscle specific exercise here.  If you’re doing shoulder shrugs, then I’m assuming you are a professional body builder, have completed every other exercise out there, it’s been a solid 4 hour workout and you have some extra time to kill.  If that category does not apply to you then here are some suggested substitutes: high pulls and cleans.  Those two exercises not only work the same muscles as the shoulder shrug, they require huge movement which works your entire body and provide some excellent cardiovascular stress at the same time.

The three above mentioned exercises all have the same thing in common – they are localized exercises and target very specific muscle groups.  The movement involved is minimal and the same muscle groups can be as effectively worked out during more compound exercises.

My take is simple – if an exercise involves a limited movement, constrained by body position or lack of leverage, it likely isn’t an exercise worth your time.  Concentrate on more compound exercises.  Not only will you see better results, but you will cut down the time it requires to get in a good workout.

14 Comments | In: exercise | tags: behing the back wrist curls, curls, exercise, wrist curls. | #

For those who don’t know, I have a thing for break dancing.  It’s just an incredible display of strength.  This video of Guy Junior is no exception.  Watch and be amazed.

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Here’s my new fav workout.  Hit the exercises one after another any work with a medium to high intensity and not only with you feel great, you will be in and out of the gym in no time (barring waiting for the equipment – something that I had to do this evening).

The description:

1. warmup: 1 mile run medium to high intensity
2. combo: skipping (20 double unders) then 20 situps for 3 rounds.  Or could sub in 40 situps + 20 du’s then 30 situps + 40 du’s, then 20 situps + 60 du’s
3. combo: a take on a Crossfit oldie – body weight bench presses (as many reps as possible for a set – AMRAP) followed by Pullups (dead hangs or kipping, also as many reps as possible for a set – AMRAP) times 5 rounds.
4. Done.

No Comments | In: stick man workout | tags: stick man workout. | #

Going for a 5 or 10 km run is a fantastic aerobic exercise that will burn lots of calories. However, the normal run is generally a moderate intensity exercise.

Long bouts of moderate intensity exercise may actually preferentially burn more muscle tissue than one would like [1]. The goal, after all, is usually to burn calories from carbohydrate storage and maintain muscle.

Some studies have found that brief intervals of high intensity training are more effective at maintaining muscle and building their capacity for lactic acid oxidation [2].

Lactic acid builds up as muscles undergo intense strain. You may recognize this as the burning sensation you might sometimes feel as you’re trying to lift that last rep or trying to sprint the last 100m of a good jog. During the recovery from bout of the high intensity, lactic acid is broken down. This process uses energy from carbohydrate storage or fat [3]. Translation – interval training may be better than a moderate intensity run for losing fat and getting lean.

So next time you’re heading out for your weekly (or monthly or whenever you can get yourself off the couch) run, perhaps head down to the track instead and run 5 or 6 400m sprints, each followed by 2 minutes of rest. It may take less time than a 10k jog, but it may be just as effective.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | tags: cardio, hiit, interval training, training, vo2. | #

Canadian Thanksgiving just passed and along with it, many people likely passed out due to the infamous turkey coma – the indulgence of food to the point of requiring the pants unbuttoned. In the process, I’m also sure that most of us who are keen on keeping our diets fairly well in check likely through it all out the window and took part in the indulgence, joining in quite willingly to the feeding frenzy. Personally there were a couple of times over the course of the long weekend that I let out the sigh – the pre turkey coma sigh – the universal language for “oh my god I’m stuffed”.

But for the lucky few who survive to tell the story, turkey leftovers are dealt around and for days on end, the smell of turkey fills the air at offices around the country as employees microwave tupper wares filled with Thanksgiving’s bird.

Fortunately, Turkey is a great source of protein and skip the bread and mashed potatoes and substitute with veggies to have a great and cheap paleo meal! Even the gravy, assuming no added sugar, is completely paleo friendly.

Remember – meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar, which unfortunately doesn’t include pumpkin pie… although Thanksgiving exceptions are generally overlooked.

No Comments | In: diet, paleo | tags: diet, paleo, turkey. | #

Finding the right running surface may be as important as finding the right shoes. But of course, it is a finding that can only be acknowledged subsequently to trying multiple options. However, there are a few key points to keep in mind when determining the best running surface for you.

If you have an urban lifestyle and you cannot go trail running every weekend, you may want to consider the city’s offerings, which includes a generous range of concrete surfaces. This is a plus as you can find them everywhere and you have full access wherever you are. Concrete surfaces are also generally smooth, which is a total plus as even surfaces are the least damaging.

Of course, concrete is not all milk and honey, as it can affect your lower body muscles and joints. Concrete is s hard material. Running on concrete impacts your bones, muscles, tendons and tissue, more than most other surfaces. You may want to take a deep breath before submitting yourself to runs on concrete.

Treadmills are the easiest choice you can make. They are in every gym, and contemporarily speaking, they can be in every home. They are always smooth and cushioned and relatively harmless. They offer you a great variation of speeds and levels and ways of permanent self checking during the running session. The designated programs of treadmills are meant to keep you energetic and willing to reach your daily aims. And of course, running on treadmills will keep you away from the capricious weather, and that is a major advantage. But a disadvantage of treadmills is that they do not keep you competitive with yourself. It can become quite boring as you may get the feeling you are always at the start point. Plus, a gym cannot offer the beauties of nature. It offers straight white clinic walls and no freedom, but what it does offer, and le’s be fair, is the opportunity to keep your body moving even when the cold winter seems to never stop or when it has been pouring for five days.

If you are looking for the lowest impact, then you are looking for a dirt or grass surface. Being natural, it is not a surface that respects lines and measures and angles. It has the infallible capacity of absorption, so the impact will almost not be felt. Trail running also provides the possibility of scenic views and interesting landscapes – terrain that would be very difficult to replicate on a treadmill and can provide a run that is imensley more enjoyable.

But with the varied terrain, you have to keep in your mind that you will likely face an uneven surface, which is usually the culprit for sprained ankles and tendons twisting. Open your eyes widely for what may be hidden under fallen leaves. Do not stumble into an emerging hidden tree root or other little obstacles hard to spot. Yes, you may have to sacrifice your attention so that you do not take any regrettable steps.

This being said, be careful with making the right choice. Experience all the alternatives, but make sure you rapidly decide on the right running surface for you.

This article is a guest post by Miki, writer for runreviews.com, a site where you can read professional treadmills reviews

2 Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

I have’t had a lot of time lately, but I have been trying to squeeze in a few moments here and there to work on my latest project, WOD Timer. This, of course, came about due to my CrossFitting (it is so a word). How does one time their own Tabata? Not easy. Hopefully, the WOD Timer will assist slightly with that once it is releases to the App Store. In the mean time, here’s a sneak peak of what’s to come.

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Saw this on youtube by way of twitter. Crazy guys doing some crazy ring work sometime in the 60′s. Really insane stuff, given the lack of protection and arguably technique.

3 Comments | In: rings | tags: rings gymnastics. | #

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Science Daily: Research points to exercise being the most effective prevention of low-back problems. Strong and consistent evidence finds many popular prevention methods fail to be effective at preventing lower back problems, while exercise has been found to have a significant impact, both in terms of preventing symptoms and reducing back pain-related work loss.

The New York Times: What’s Eating Our Kids? Fears About ‘Bad’ Foods. While legions of parents are vigilant about their children’s consumption of sugar, processed foods and trans fats, many doctors, dietitians and eating disorder specialists worry that some parents are becoming overzealous, even obsessive, in efforts to engender good eating habits in children. With the best of intentions, these parents may be creating an unhealthy aura around food, causing anxiety for their children.

CNN Health: Does exercise help prediabetes or control blood sugar?

WebMD: Study Shows People Feel Exhausted More Quickly After a Taxing Mental Task. New study shows that people feel exhausted sooner during exercise if they have performed a mentally taxing task beforehand. While the mental fatigue doesn’t affect cardiovascular capacity, it has an impact on the exerciser’s perceived level of exhaustion.

Twittercize: a combo of micro-blogging (a.k.a. Twitter) and tiny, minute-long workouts.

The Road Forager: Robb Wolf putting healthy meals together while on the road.

A Philosophy of Strength and Health: What does it mean to have active shoulders?

T-Nation: Fats – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. You know fats are good for you, but what does that really mean?

MSN: Caffeine may reduce skin cancer risk. A US study has found caffeine plays a protective role for damaged skin by boosting the body’s natural process called apoptosis, or synchronised cell suicide.

Do you have a great link to share? Post a comment with a link and we’ll feature it in our next links round-up!

No Comments | In: links | tags: fitness links, links round-up. | #

I’ve been experimenting with making “acceptably Paleo” food.  Yesterday I made a batch of almond and flax seed “bread”.  The recipe needs some tweaking, but here’s the details:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups Ground Almond
• 3/4 cups Ground Flax Seed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp natural honey
• 4 oz unsweetened apple sauce

1. Combine all ingredients into a bowl
2. Mix “dough” well with hands
3. Grease a shallow baking tray
4. Spread out the “dough” no the baking tray.  I just used my hands, but you could probably use a rolling pin too.  I spread it out until it was about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch high.
5. Place in oven on 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
6. Done.  Cut into sizes about 3 inches by 3 inches.

As I said, the recipe needs some tweaking.  Please let me know if you have any ideas!

3 Comments | In: diet, recipe | tags: homemade paleo bread, low carb bread, low carb bread recipe, low carb recipe, paleo, paleo bread, Paleo diet, paleo recipe, recipe. | #

Just came across this video on YouTube of someone doing pistols with 40kg (88lbs) of extra weight! That’s some serious leg strength.

No Comments | In: squats, Uncategorized | tags: one legged squats, pistols, weighted one legged squats, weighted pistols. | #

1. Crossfit.com

Crossfit popularity has exploded over the last year.  Dozens of affiliates seem to be opening on a monthly basis and the community is expanding faster than a sub 2 minute Fran.  But it’s no surprise – Crossfit runs under an “open source” mantra and provides a seriously massive wealth of information.  Every day, along with a new WOD (or workout of the day), some sort of video is also provided, usually detailing specifics of various movements or exercises.  Dig beyond the daily WODs and into the message boards and find more exercise and nutrition information directly from the community of trainers and subject matter experts.

Additionally, Crossfit offers a subscription based membership to access their archive of journals.  For a mere $25 yearly fee, you have access to all the back issues and all new articles and videos, in their entirety.  The information in the journals is extremely rich and often worthy of  scientific publication.

Even if you’re not interested in Crossfit or have issues with the program, the content of the Crossfit.com website is truly unmatched and is definitely a place to frequent on a regular basis.

2. Exrx.net

Forget what the target and synergist muscles are in a squat?  Need a target weight calculator or need to learn about fitness assessments?  What about a sample cycling mesocycle or information on glycogen?  Fortunately there exists a comprehensive exercise and nutrition website to help answer these questions – Exrx.net.  Exrx, of course, stands for “exercise prescription” and the site clearly is capable of offering one.

Exrx.net is absolutely packed with information about exercises, anatomy, nutrition, supplements, tools and calculators, and the list goes on and on… A most useful part of the website is the weight training section, which covers the anatomical and kinetic elements of practically every exercise out there and variations thereof.

While the site is maybe low on the glitz and glam side of things, it’s truly an indispensable resource, especially for trainers or other fitness professionals.

3. Bodybuilding.com

If one of your goals with regards to fitness is body composition changes, then bodybuilding.com may be an invaluable resource for you.  The site features loads of diet and muscle building information.  At first glance, it’s easy to pick off bodybuilding.com as a site for meatheads, but the underlying content in the “Super Site” area is incredibly comprehensive and full of great info.

Bodybuilding.com also offers a very popular social networking sub-site, called BodySpace.  With over 280,000 members (at the time of this writing), BodySpace dominates other sites that offer similar material and networking features.

4. NutritionData.com

For determining how many grams of protein and carbs are in a particular food item, or trying to analyze a recipe for the number of calories, there really isn’t a better (or easier) way than using NutritionData.com.

5. SparkPeople.com

Fitness really begins to meet social networking on SparkPeople.com.  Sure, there are other sites that offer similar features, but SparkPeople is 100% free and has a significantly larger membership than most of the others.

SparkPeople features nutrition, fitness and goal tracking abilities as well as a massive library of fitness and nutrition information.

6. TricksTutorials.com

I have yet to find another resource online that is as complete as TricksTutorials.com for flexibility training.  Launched by Jon Call in 2002, TricksTutorials was built to showcase and provide lessons for individuals interested in the art of “tricking” – a sport consisting primarily of acrobatics (think back tucks and spinning roundhouses).

A large portion of the site is devoted to Flexibility.  In this portion of the site, Jon lays out foundational information and training methods for increasing flexibility – an often overlooked part of a well rounded fitness program.  He includes information on both dynamic and static stretching for practically every muscle out there.  Definitely a great resource to bookmark.

7. RossTraining.com

Founded by Ross Enamait, RossTraining.com is dedicated to innovations in high performance conditioning and functional strength training.  The website contains loads of bodyweight movements and exercises, designed to help athletes or individuals in whatever they do.

Ross has collected numerous articles and video clips over the years and has made them available on his site.  He also regularly contributes to his blog, discussing various aspects of fitness and athletics.

8. Stumptuous.com

Machines should be used by beginners and Women should not lift weights – two huge myths that Mistress Krista beats to a pulp as she discusses how lifting weights are so extremely beneficial to all and should not be feared.

The blog posts on Stumptuous.com are top notch and filled with fantastic information.  Although the site is great for both sexes, many of the articles on Stumptuous.com are geared towards women and exercise.  From working out while pregnant to the “truth about breasts and exercise”, if you’re a woman and looking to lift some weight, Stumptuous.com is a great resource.

9. Straight to the Bar

Predominatly showcasing videos of huge lifts or crazy exercises and feats of strength, there is likely no other Fitness related blog on the interweb with more articles posted per day than on Straight to the Bar.  But among all the freakish strength, Straight to the Bar also features some great articles.

10. StrengthMill.com

Think “Fitness YouTube”.  StrengthMill.com provides a huge library of fitness related videos.  If you’re a personal trainer looking to mix things up for a client or you’re interested in finding a new exercise to try out to change things up for yourself, you’re likely to find something here.

12. Crossfit BrandX Forums

There’s a reason why Crossfit appears numerous times on this list. It’s efficient, it works, and so many people just can’t get enough of it. However, for every one person who works the WOD daily, there’s at least one more who would like to get into Crossfit, but is hesitant to jump right in full bore. Enter Crossfit Brand X.

Crossfit Brand X was a streetfighting school, turned krav maga school, turned Crossfit affiliate. Somehow, along the way, they also adopted a forum on their website where they religiously began posting scaled Crossfit workouts.

In the Crossfit WOD section of the forum, a member (usually Garddawd) posts several versions of the main Crossfit.com website workout, each with less weight, less distance and less required fitness. This is done to help introduce new Crossfitters to the game, or to simply allow a greater range of people to take part in the workout. This, of course, attracts a large group of people and as such, gives rise to loads of other posts asking questions or showcasing some new skills.

13. T-Nation.com

It’s hard to look past the giant muscle-heads and bikini clad fitness models on T-Nation (Testosterone Nation), but it has become a very popular bodybuilding website and deservedly so. While it’s hard to scroll down on any page on the site without seeing something PG and NSFW, the site does have its share of good tips and articles.

Important to note, many of the writers on T-Nation are particularly critical of some methods of training like Crossfit. However, one should make sure to get a balance of all sides of the fitness World and T-Nation manages to fit in well there.

Diet, supplements, strength training, body transformation – it’s all there… and then some.

14. DragonDoor.com

When first visiting DragonDoor.com, it’s obvious that they love the kettlebell. In fact, DragonDoor sponsors kettlebell certifications. But there’s no crime in that. Kettlebells have become super hot in the last year or so as they provide an endless amount of exercises and movements and have helped so many people acquire strength, rehabilitate injuries and lose weight.

Beyond the kettlebell action of DragonDoor.com, you’ll also find a large number of articles about body weight training, conditioning and martial arts.

15. ShapeFit.com

Last, but not least, is ShapeFit.com. I first came across ShapeFit.com several years ago. Since then, the site has accumulated a wealth of articles about all areas of health and fitness.

Of the more interesting and useful parts of the site are the forum and social networking area. Within these pages you can find virtually any fitness or exercise information you’re looking for.

9 Comments | In: crossfit, exercise, exercise tools, fitness, kettle bells, nutrition | tags: fitness, fitness links, Fitness Websites, online exercise sites, online fitness, online fitness resources, top fitness sites, websites. | #