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This Week’s List of Stuff to Read While You’re At Work, And Not on Facebook

Defending the Bench Press– by Mike Robertson

I didn’t even know the bench press needed to be defended. I mean, it’s not like guys don’t already bench press every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (and every other Thursday) as it is. This is tantamount to Tiger Woods writing an article called Defending Chlamydia: GET SOME.

*swish, count it*

All kidding aside, here, the ass-master himself discusses the ins and outs surrounding why so many people often get jacked up bench pressing (and not in a good way). Furthermore, he also discusses what can be done to alleviate the problem(s).

Some key points that I liked:

  • Dissing the bench press in lieu of overhead pressing isn’t necessarily the answer. In fact, it’s “probably” worse.
  • Technique, technique, technique. In other words, stop benching like a bodybuilder for the love of god.
  • You need to do more dedicated work for the scapular stabilizers. It’s not what you want to hear, but then again, I don’t care. Do it anyways.
  • There isn’t such a thing as a bad exercise*, just bad exercise performance.

Meat Grown in Laboratory is World’s First– by Dumbest Idea, Ever.

Researchers in the Netherlands created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it

I’m gonna say it right now, I’d rather eat cancer garnished with ebola.

Can Exercise Help Ward off Swine Flu– by Jacqueline Stenson

Can exercise prevent someone from getting the Swine Flu? Doubtful. However it certainly won’t hurt, and may in fact slow down the degree at which it affects you. Yes, even if you do feel that yoga and pilates is actually a form of exercise. Just kidding. PS: I’m not.

Thanks to Chuck C. for sending me this article, and for summarizing the above article so succinctly:

“Ask your doctor if getting your ass off the couch is right for you.”

Sodas and Obesity: Here’s the Proof– by Dr. Jonny Bowden

Ditch the soda, fatty.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA

Normally, I go out of my way not to talk about politics here. However, I saw this posted over at Jason Harris’ Evidence Based Rehab blog, and thought everyone else might enjoy it as well.

 

 

alanaragonblog.com– by Alan Aragon

I’m a big fan of Alan’s work. If you haven’t checked out his monthly Research Review, you’re really missing out on some of the most practical, in depth, not to mention entertaining nutrition and fitness information available on the net. I’d go so far as to say that if you’re a fitness professional (or anyone who’s remotely interested in their own health and well-being), you’re doing yourself a disservice by not subscribing to it. For the same price it would cost you to go see a movie ($10), you could you know, actually get smarter. It’s a no-brainer in my opinion.

To that end, Alan is now officially a blogger. Go show him some love.

* Unless we’re talking about leg curls, leg extensions, upright rows, leg presses, squatting in a Smith Machine, and pretty much anything done on a BOSU ball. Other than that, we’re cool.
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More Un-Cut and Uncencored Footage of the 2nd Annual Cressey Performance Thanksgiving Morning Lift

Okay, I gotta be honest and say that I wasn’t really planning on posting anything today. After getting up early to train the ladies this morning, and then putting in a full days worth of coaching athletes, the last thing on my mind when I walked into my apartment tonight was writing a blog. Truth be told, I was just going to take a mulligan and spend the rest of my evening catching up on programs I need to write, possibly boil some eggs, maybe listen to a Mandy Moore cd, and then veg out and read a few more chapters of the book I’m currently reading- Eating Animals.

SPOILER ALERT: While this is quite possibly the most kickass title of any book ever written (sorry Everyone Poops), I’m sad to report that there is nothing remotely ass-kickery about it. Matter of fact, it’s about as un-kickass as it gets once you realize the entire premise of the book is that we shouldn’t eat animals. Hahahahaha. That’s hilarious. Except, you know, it isn’t. Shame on you guy I’m never going to buy a book from again Jonathan Safran Foer. Shame. On. You.*

In any case, while I had every intention of not posting anything tonight, that was put on back burner when I noticed Eric Cressey posted some more footage from the 2nd Annual Cressey Performance Thanksgiving Morning Lift over on his blog not too long ago:

SPOILER ALERT #2: 0:32 second mark= I’m pretty sure my bicep could fight an aircraft carrier and win 9 times out of 10.

* All kidding aside, it’s actually a really interesting read. And while I’d make out with a blender before I give up eating meat, the author definitely sheds some light on just how “unpalatable” animal factory farming is. Pretty eye opening to say the least.
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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday (It’s My Birthday So You Better Write Me a Message on Facebook)

1. I hope everyone had a safe and delicious Thanksgiving last week. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need at least a week to detox my body from all the pie I ate over the weekend. What can I say, whenever I go home, I just can’t resist my mom’s homemade cooking.

Along similar lines, today is my birthday (33), and last night I decided I would finally go to Pizzeria Uno and have their Deep Dish Sundae to celebrate. I’ve been talking about this sumbitch for like a year now, and last night, as we were walking past an Uno on the way to visit friends, I told my girlfriend that it was time.

It was glorious.

However, today I’m back on point with my eating. Brian St. Pierre and I are actually in the process of planning a pseudo get shredded plan this month. I’ll be sure to update everyone once I know what the hell we’re actually going to be doing. Needless to say, you can pretty much guarantee that I’ll hate life for the next few weeks, but it will all be worth it when I flex my pecs and they turn into diamonds. I love magic.

2. I know people have been waiting with abated breath, so without any further ado, here are some videos from the Thanksgiving morning lift at Cressey Performance:

To say that it was complete madness is an understatement. I think we had roughly 25 people show up at 8AM to get their lift on:

Here’s Dan T hitting a personal best of 360 with the bench press:

Here’s my girlfriend, Lisa, pushing the Prowler, and loving every second of it (note sarcasm):

And here’s me deadlifting (big surprise) with my Cobra Commander shirt on. This is 505 for three reps. I then followed that with 15 reps at 405. Not surprisingly, I received the following text message afterwards:

Tony, WTF. Don’t ever do that again

-Your Spine

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a video of KevLar (Kevin Larrabee) doing bicep curls vs. bands while screaming THIS IS SPARTA at the top of his lungs. All in all, it was an awesome time and we’re definitely looking forward to next year!

3. Speaking of Kevin, he’s holding a Black Friday sale on The Fitcast Insider up until Tuesday at Midnight. It’s a pretty sweet deal consisting of 19 interviews featuring the likes of John Berardi, Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Robertson, Mike Boyle, Bill Hartman, and some guy named Gentilcore (to name a few). Not to mention a high resolution Dan John squat video to boot. Check it out HERE.

4. My birthday actually got me out of a speeding ticket yesterday. I was caught doing 40 in a 25 MPH zone, but when the officer returned to my car all he said was “you’re lucky it’s your birthday tomorrow,” and just gave me a warning. So this pretty much means I can get way with doing anything today. I’m totally turning right on red. What can I say? I like to live life dangerously.

5. Holy Krystal Forscutt, this is the best b-day present I have received so far. Thanks James!!!!!!

 

UPDATE: Resident fashionista and CP’s longest tenured client, Steph HB took some candid shots from the Thanksgiving lift, and as luck would have it, totally caught KevLar mid rep during his gun-show performance. He’s single……ladies?

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Guest Blog: John Brooks

I’m switching gears a little bit today, and doing something completely different. Today I have a guest blog from John Brooks. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest (and undoubtedly a Pearl Jam fan), John’s a fellow colleague/muscle nerd who not only trains rowers and rugby players, but a handful of MMA fighters as well.

John’s always been supportive of my stuff (articles, blog, etc), and I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging numerous e-mails with him over the past two years or so. What’s more, he actually made a cameo appearance at CP last year when his wife competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta here in Boston.

Long story short, John sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago after the release of Functional Strength Coach 3.0, and the subsequent video that followed asking me why so many people were getting their panties all up in a bunch over the fact that Mike Boyle was not only “dissing” the squat, but hinting that he may very well eliminate them from his programming all together.

John made a rather convincing argument in his original e-mail:

“……..those guys seem wrong, but their arguments are damn compelling (regarding Boyle). However, what if they’re right for the general population? Or, more accurately, why is it that we tell every unfit woman with screwed up movement patterns who wants to look like (American triathlete) Lokelani McMichael that she needs to get fit before she can go run 20 miles a week, yet most muscle heads who want to look like Thiago Alves, we have no issues telling them to squat without similar caveats?”

First and foremost, this is Lokelani McMichael:

Lokelani McMichael

Secondly, how in the hell have I gone this long without including a picture of her in my blog?

Third, and most importantly, that was a damn good question raised by John. To that end, I asked John if he’d be interested in writing down some of thoughts on the matter. And this is what he came up with:

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the squat. Mike Boyle, one of the most respected coaches in the country, caused an uproar with a video (linked above) that says he almost never squats his athletes (note: he did say almost). Testosterone Magazine recently published a few articles proposing hip extension exercises to strengthen the posterior chain, ostensibly to replace the squat.

On the other side of the fence is Mark Rippetoe who so eloquently declared: “you have to squat or you’re a pussy.” Or, a bit less extreme would be Coach Dan John: “Squats can do more for total mass and body strength than probably all other lifts combined.” Can heavy barbell squats turn one into a life-taker and heart-breaker, or are they dumb, dangerous, and unnecessary?

What Coach Boyle says in the video makes a lot of sense; I have a bum SI joint that agrees with him: squatting incorrectly hurts, but never squat? It just feels… wrong. Every hypertrophied fiber in my body says that you have to squat to get strong. So what’s the truth?

The truth is they’re all right, and they’re all wrong. They’re all guilty of the fallacy of accident (ignoring exceptions to a generalization). The problem with the training world is that there are always exceptions. If done correctly the heavy back squat really is the muscle building panacea that Coach John and Rip say it is. However, most people lack the mobility and fundamental body awareness to squat correctly, and thus for them, it is dangerous and should be avoided.

Some guy from the internet once wrote: “most (read: not all) people shouldn’t be running,” and summarized:

“you need to be in shape to run. In doing so, your body will be able to handle the stress MUCH more efficiently and you will be less prone to all of those nagging injuries that come with being a runner.”

If we keep this logic in mind; if every unfit woman with screwed up movement patterns who wants to look like Lokelani McMichael needs to get fit before she can go run 20 miles a week, then don’t most muscleheads who want to look like Ivan Stoitsov need to follow similar caveats before they put a heavy barbell on their back and squat?

Without proper movement patterns and the stability to move under load you will end up squatting for a while, getting hurt, taking time off, healing, squatting some more… over and over…so on and so forth; just like runners who do the same thing. Everyone thinks for some reason, “this time is going to be different. This time I’m going to runsquat and I won’t get hurt.”

To make this more difficult, a good many trainers have never dealt with these issues themselves. They see it as a ‘technique issue.’ Their response to people who can’t safely reach full depth is to say “go lower, keep your arch,” and continually keep trying to jam square pegs into round holes because they dogmatically believe everyone has to squat.

So what do we do? We have to assess and progress athletes from where they are to the point where they can get the muscle building benefits without injury. Depending on injury history some trainees may never be able to free squat at all. Some will always have to squat to a box. Some may never get past unilateral loading and pull-throughs.

The key is to look, find out what is causing their “bad form” and fix it. Get their hips open and glutes active (since you’re reading this blog you probably have a few good ideas about how to do this). What’s more, you should also emphasize core endurance (which is key in preventing back injuries), as well as strengthen the posterior chain, etc.

Get the athlete in shape. Then squat. The key is that no exercise is for everyone, and few exercises are for no one. These fundamental arguments are meaningless until we apply them to individual trainees.

NOTE: to contact John, you can visit his website HERE, or e-mail him at [email protected]

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Happy Thanksgiving. Even Though 25% Of My Readership Doesn’t Even Celebrate It.

Tomorrow marks the Second Annual Cressey Performance Thanksgiving Morning Lift. All of last year’s inaugural cast will be in attendance, along with several other new people who have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. All in all, we’re expecting upwards of 20-25 people to arrive at 8AM for the sole purpose of lifting heavy things off the ground and stealing the lunch money from all the Turkey Trotters running past the facility. Or, if your name happens to be Tony Gentilcore, perform every bicep curl variation known to man until your arms are the size of Kansas. True story.

In any case, I’m headed back home to New York for the rest of the week to spend time with family. As such, I won’t be updating the blog for the rest of the week, but hope to be back Monday firing on all cylinders. I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and to please try not to kill one another on Black Friday. It’s just a dvd player for crying out loud.

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday (Exploding Glass Edition)

It was my girlfriend’s birthday last week. And when I say “it was my girlfriend’s birthday last week,” I literally mean it was her birthday for the entire week. It was her 30th, so understandably it was kind of a big deal. Many of her friends came in from out of town to celebrate, so it really wasn’t at all shocking that the week was jam packed with girl’s night out, margaritas, Sex and the City references, and naked pillow fights. You know, the status quo whenever a bunch of chicks get together.

Since we’ve only been dating for four months, I wanted to try to do something unique and memorable for her birthday. Given that she loves cooking (and I love eating what she cooks), I thought it would be a cool idea to sign us up for a Cooking Couples class at the local School of Culinary Arts.

NOTE: and for all the guys who just thought to themselves, “Oh snap, Tony is so pussy whipped,” all I have to say is that I’m not the one who went to go see New Moon this weekend. Just sayin.

For those who aren’t familiar, the premise is pretty self explanatory. Essentially you sign up for a class, whereupon you and three to four other couples cook your own meal under the supervision of a professional chef. It’s actually a pretty cool idea, except the only downfall is that you’re not allowed to kill your own animal beforehand. Be that as it may, I was able to let bygones be bygones, and signed is up anyways.

Cooking Couples

In looking at the class schedule a week or so prior, I was a little perplexed because the class schedule wasn’t really what I was expecting. I mean, you would think that any high class institution recognized for their culinary expertise and tradition would offer classes like:

Cooking Couples: Omletes

Cooking Couples: It’s Meat, and It’s In a Loaf. What’s Not to Love?

Cooking Couples: Lets Be Honest, I Don’t Even Know How To Pre-Set the Oven. How Bout You Just Make Me a Ham Sandwich, and We Call It a Night?

But that’s just me I guess. Nope, instead there were classes like, Cooking Couples Cook French, Cooking Couples Cook Tapas, and Cooking Couples Cook Italian. Unfortunately, most of the classes had waiting lists or just weren’t feasible due to scheduling, so I went with Cooking Couples: Twas the Night Before Christmas.

We were the first couple to arrive, and were greeted by the chef, Eliana. Elise took our names and mentioned that there were going to be a total of five couples for the class, and that we would get started once everyone arrived. In the meantime, however, she handed us our pamphlets which had all the cooking instructions of the things we were going to make.

For those interested, the menu included stuff like buttery seared scallops with a Beurre Blanc sauce and caviar with white truffle oil; as well as pan-seared roasted veal chops on a bed of creamy fennel puree with luscious Port Wine fig sauce, to name a few.

Honestly it could have said blah blah blahbiddy blah sauteed in worscestershire sauce with a bloop bleep bloopy bleep bloop creme brulee, and I would have been like “that sounds fantastic!!!”

Nevertheless, all the couples arrived, and Eliana gave everyone the option to choose what they wanted to make. Because we like to challenge ourselves, Lisa and I chose the veal chops and some sweet potato/apple thingamabob that called for like 22 gallons of heavy cream. We were given a quick tour of the kitchen, and we started cooking the shit out of our food.

To her credit, Lisa knows her way around the kitchen, and I just took orders from her. Grab the salt? Done. Stir ingredients? Gotcha. Put your shirt back on! Check. Everything was going swimmingly. We were talking with the other couples, Eliana was walking around making sure no fingers were being severed, and everyone was looking forward to a wonderful meal of whatever it was we were making.

That is, of course, until Lisa and I made a small boo-boo. While we were following the directions to a “t”, we had a minor brain-fart and placed the 8×8 pyrex dish we were using for our fennel and figs on top of the burner. Two minutes later, there was a massive noise as glass exploded all over the place. And when I say all over the place, that’s an understatement. Not only did Eliana shriek at the top of her lungs, “is everyone alright?” but glass even shot into the chocolate fondue the couple next to us were making for dessert.

Eliana was more than understanding, and while she had every right to go Full Metal Jacket on us, she didn’t. Instead she mentioned that in hindsight, the directions weren’t written that clearly. Well that, and I forgot to tell her that I couldn’t read. Opps. It’s a miracle I didn’t mistake confectioners sugar for rat poison!

In any case, while dinner was delayed an hour because we had to start over; all the other couples laughed it off, chipped in to help, and we had an awesome time nonetheless. Granted I think we may be blacklisted from ever going back, but at least we’ll have a funny story to tell during Thanksgiving dinner.

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Grass Fed Beef, Kids Don’t Eat Veggies (shocker), and a Little Old School Flavor

Here are my weekly picks of stuff you should read:

Why Grass Fed? A Little History– themeatmarketgb.com

A client of mine sent this my way this morning, and it definitely provides a strong case for why grass fed beef is far superior to the crap we usually eat (literally).

9 in 10 Guys Will Inevitably Breakup With Their Girlfriends This Weekend For Dragging Them To See Twilight: New Moon Teens Fall Short On Fruits and Vegetables– Mike Reinold posted this article in his weekly newsletter, and I thought I’d pass it along. If nothing else, it just goes to show that we have no one to blame but ourselves.

“This is a call for states, communities, schools and families to support increased fruit and vegetable consumption,” said Heidi Blanck, a CDC senior scientist who worked on the report.

Okay, cool. Then how bout we start with telling people what an actual serving constitutes? Sorry, but a vast majority of people still think that the one leaf of baby spinach they place on their Whopper counts. Or, I don’t know, here’s a novel idea- replace the vending machines in schools with healthier options. Easier said than done, I know.

Heck, even something as simple as placing the fresh fruit on the top shelf in the cafeteria (as opposed to the end of the line) has been shown to increase consumption. Jesus, I should just run the country. I’d get shit done. Namely making it National policy that Alessandra Ambrosio should change her name to Alessandra Gentilcore.

Exotic Juice Health Claims Pulp Fiction?– Bryan Smith

Yet another article I stole from Mike Reinold, which sheds some light on the phenomena of acai juice. Lets put it this way, most people can’t pronounce acai (ah-sigh-EE) the right way, let alone understand that it’s drastically overrated.

Pendulum Training– Christian Thibaudeau

Here’s an old school article that Thib’s wrote a few years back that I still think is fantastic.

NOTE: A crew of roughly 30 people from CP are headed to Twin River Casino in Rhode Island tonight for the Autumn Classic to cheer on fellow CP client Danny O’Connor as he tries to run his professional boxing record to 10-0. Good luck Danny!

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I Can Read!

I’m blatantly stealing this idea from Eric, and decided I would hop on the “hey, I’m reading some cool stuff.,….you should read it too” bandwagon.

Do You Know Your Shit Part I– Elliott Hulse

Literally, do you know your shit? Listen, I like discussing the finer points of droppin it like it’s hot as much as anyone, but this article takes it to a whole new level. After reading this Nobel Prize worthy article, I guarantee you’ll never look at your poo the same way again

Side Note: unfortunately I can’t find parts II and III to this series. What’s the dealo Elliott?

Gut Health: More Important Than Ever– Brian St. Pierre

Keeping with the above theme, Brian and I have been on a kick lately discussing the benefits of probiotics, and how most people could benefit from including them in their diet. In this blog post, Brian discusses why.

Solving the Patellofemoral Mystery– Mike Reinold

This is just an outstaning series (seven parts!) dealing with anything and everything related to patellofemoral pain/anterior knee pain/my knee has an ouchie/whatever you want to call it. A little forewarning, it’s a bit geeky, but well worth the read for anyone who works with athletes or clients with chronic knee pain.

Pregnancy: Two Eggs a Day Will Keep the NTD’s Away– Cassandra Forsythe

I’m not a pregnant woman or anything, but this post by Cassandra on the benefits of whole eggs during pregnancy is the shiznit. On an aside, as far as organic eggs are concerned, I have found that The Country Hen (found at Whole Foods Market as well) to be one of tbe best brands out there. Not only does one egg contain 300 mg of omega’3’s, but each egg also contains 160 mg of choline to boot.

The Vitamin D Cure– James E. Dowd, M.D.

Given my infatuation with vitamin D, it only made sense that I would buy this book as I was perusing the bookstore a few weeks ago. Outside of fish oil, I would place Vitamin D as the next most important supplement that the vast majority of people should consider taking. Ask yourself this:

Do you currently have any of the following symptoms?

  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain and/or swelling
  • Muscle pain, cramping, and/or weakness
  • Chronic pain
  • Uncontrolled weight gain
  • HIgh blood pressure
  • Restless sleep
  • Poor concentration or memory
  • Headaches
  • Bowel problems
  • Bladder problems
  • Uncontrollable urge to throw your television set out the window

If so, the likelihood you’re vitamin D deficient is fairly high. Accept for the last one- that’s just related to the current nightmare that is health care reform. LOL. Just kidding. No but seriously, I swear to god I’m going to jump into a live volcano.

Furthermore, other diseases such as depression (including seasonal affective disorder), fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, as well as various autoimmune disease (multiple sclerosis for example) can all be linked to Vitamin D deficiency.

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Ever Wonder What New Food I’ve Been Eating? Yeah, I Thought So. Well, I’m Posting It Anyways. It’s My Blog, Deal With It.

Like everyone else out there, I’m a creature of habit. As it is, I wake up the same time every day, have a rotation of the same three t-shirts I wear every week (much to my girlfriend’s dismay), like to eat at the same restaurants, and always put my right sock on before my left. Heck, I even listen to the same music every day at CP. But that’s mainly because Eric is like the Energy Bunny of playing the same playlist over and over and over again. I swear to god I’m going to go fall on a knife if I hear Linkin Park one more time.

Above all, nothing defines our “habits” more than the food we eat. We all have our likes and dislikes as far as what we put down out pie holes. As such, I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to eat the same food day in and day out. However, recently, I’ve been a little more creative (for lack of a better term) with the foods I’ve been eating and would like to share my new favorite foods (new to me anyways).

1. Cacao Nibs– there’s been a ton of research recently expounding the many health benefits of chocolate. Now, before you jump the gun and reach for that Hershey bar, you should know that I AM NOT referring to milk chocolate. Instead, I’m referring to dark chocolate. Specifically 100% dark chocolate, which unfortunately, compared to milk chocolate, taste like wet fart (but that’s just my opinion).

Loaded with tons of antioxidants, as well as fiber (one serving contains 9 grams), it goes without saying the benefits far outweigh the bitter taste. Besides, throw it in a protein shake, and you won’t even notice it. In fact, it’s quite tasty.

2. Lamb’s Lettuce– as Michael Pollan noted in his phenomenal book, In Defense of Food:

Two of the most nutritious plants in the world are weeds- lamb’s quarters (lamb’s lettuce) and purslane- and some of the healthiest tradtional diets, sush as Mediterranean, make frequent use of wild greens.

It’s often hard to find, but if you live near a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, you should be able to get your hands on some. I buy a brand called Mache, and it’s definitely a step up from your traditional baby spinach.

3. Chia Seeds– Brian St. Pierre actually recommended these to me not too long ago. Yes, these are the same chia seeds found in the lamest Christmas present ever-the Chia Pet. Actually, scratch that. The lamest Christmas present ever is socks. Or a John Tesh Christmas album. But the Chia Pet is reaaaaly close. And while I’d like to sit here and tell you that by eating chia seeds you’ll grow chest hair like Tom Selleck, it ain’t gonna happen.

However, what you will get is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber (6 grams per serving). Additionally, they’ll also provide a nice nutty texture to your salads/cottage cheese/yogurt. I know it comes across as a bit “hippy” to recommend these, but for those who are growing tired of ground flax seeds, chia seeds are a nice substitute.

4. Ginger– While I’m sure I could go on Wikipedia and look up the health benefits, I don’t care. All I know is that ginger looks like this:

Ginger

Okay, not really. it actually looks like this:

……and I can’t get enough of it since my girlfriend introduced it to me. Ginger definitely provides a little “kick” to foods such as mashed sweet potatoes, kale, or whatever else she wants to feed me on Sunday nights. Pssssst, meatloaf. Psssssst, STAT!

5. Speaking of which, in case you missed it, here is Lisa’s bean dip recipe that I told everyone I’d post last week:

1 can of organic black beans

1 quarter of a white onion

a few (5 or 6 if you love it) roasted garlic cloves (or one small raw clove)

2-3 tbsp of sundried tomatoes (in olive oil is better)

a little salt and pepper

some veggie broth to make sure it is moist enough to blend

I’ve been using this as my salad dressing as of late, and I love it. Definitely a healthier option compared to most salad dressings, and tastes great to boot.

So, there you have it. Those are some of the new foods I’ve been eating as of late. Feel free to include some of your new foods below. I’m always game for trying new stuff. Accept for seafood. And brussel sprouts. Other than that, we’re good to go.

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: Spiderman Push-Ups

We do a lot of push-ups at Cressey Performance. As far as “bang for your training buck” exercises, I’d place push-ups right up there with squats, deadlifts, and chin-ups (to name a few). Unfortunately, and not at all surprising, push-ups typically get ignored all together because they’re deemed “too wimpy” compared to what else- the bench press.

Which is ironic, because I’d say that roughly 90% of the people who come in for their initial evaluation can’t perform a proper push-up; let alone do them for multiple repetitions.

Without getting too off track, why do I like push-ups? Well, for starters, it goes without saying that they’re a great exercise for developing upper body strength. Additionally, unlike the bench press, push-ups are a closed chain exercise, which among other things, is advantageous for scapular kinematics as well as shoulder health in general. Lastly, as I mentioned in this article, push-ups are great for teaching people how to “engage” their core musculature in a more functional manner. Believe it or not, if I can get someone more proficient with their push-ups, more often than not, I also see an improvement in their squats and/or deadlifts as well.

Needless to say, we’re always trying to come up with new and inventive ways to “progress” push-ups. We obviously have toys available to us that most gyms don’t have which allow us to load the push-up in a variety of ways. Including but not limited to bands, chains, weight vests, or just your average 16 year old client:

Granted, for many of you reading this, you may be asking yourself, “how can I make push-ups more challenging if I don’t have access to all the stuff listed above?” Here’s one simple variation that I like to use from time to time:

What Is It: Spiderman Push-Up

What Does It Do: See above. But also provides a little more of a stability challenge since you’ll only have three point of contact throughout the movement.

Key Coaching Cues: The same principle apply as with any push-up:

1. Elbows tucked in.

2. Lower yourself to you chest, and don’t “reach” with your neck.

3. Squeeze the glutes, brace the abdominals—–doing so will prevent your hips from “dipping.”

4. Don’t suck.

That’s pretty much it. From there, you’re just going alternate bringing your right knee to your right elbow (and vice versa for the left side) for the required repetitions. You can either do this for time, or for reps- I prefer the latter. On an aside, you could also make these more challenging by adding chains or a weight vest, but I think you’ll be surprised at how hard these are to begin with.