If you’re a gym junkie, and unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past five days, you’ve undoubtedly come across the Tweet which has circulated the intertubes of Wolverine, Jean Valjean, Van Helsing  Hugh Jackman deadifting his ass off with the caption that reads, “if the bar ain’t bendin, then you’re just pretendin.”

< —– For visual reference, here it is.

My man-crush on Hugh just hit Matt Damon status.  Hugh, if you read this:  If you’re ever in Boston, come train at my gym.  We’ll deadlift, quote Shakespeare, give each other high fives.  It will be awesome.

Predictably, many a internet hater chimed in and had nothing but negativity to throw Hugh’s way, making derogatory remarks about his “chicken legs,” and saying that what he was lifting was no big deal.

Fact is many people UNDERestimated the amount he was lifting, not realizing that the plates he was using were in kilograms and not lbs.  That’s 465 lbs people!

While not all that impressive in powerlifting circles, he’s not a freakin powerlifter! He’s an actor who’s paid to look badass

And, dare I say, I can almost guarantee a vast majority of the people who scoffed at the picture would be doing cartwheels down Main St. if they could sniff that much on their pull.  Let alone for reps.

Defending Hugh Jackman:  Don’t be a Fitness Snob – Bret Contreras

In the article above Bret hits the nail on the head.  I’m always amazed at how snobby people can be, and even more amazed as to how so many people will take time out of their day for the sole purpose of being an a-hole.

Kudos to you, Bret, for writing this.  Thank you!

One Mom’s Journey to Real Food – Kelly Jordan

Okay I’ll admit it:  I’m a little biased when it comes to this particular post because Kelly is my cousin.  Nevertheless it’s still an awesome article with a worthwhile message:  Yes, supermom’s are busy.  But with a little effort it’s not all that difficult to implement healthier food strategies.

Nice work Kelly!  Woo-hoo!

Explosive Days for Muscle and Strength – Lee Boyce

There’s a lot to be said by implementing more “explosive” type training into your weekly workouts.  In this article Lee breaks down a few ways one can go about doing so in a safe and effective manner.  And, it includes one of THE BEST post clean and jerk dances of all time.  Trust me, watch it!