CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Women CAN Do Pull-Ups, Make a Difference, and Programming Order

Okay before we get to this week’s list of stuff you should be reading, I have a few minor house cleaning tasks to take care of.

First: for those who missed it, yesterday I challenged everyone and their mom to a deadlifting battle, and so far the turn out has been awesome.  My goal was to get at least 100 people signed up, and as of the writing of this blog post (9:13 AM) there are a total of 45.  Sooooo, we’re almost half way there.  Not bad considering it’s only been one day – but I feel we can do better.

Much, much better.

Come on people this is for bragging rights, not to mention FREE swag and delicious dead animal flesh.  Or, to put it more succinctly……….

STEAKS!!!!

If nothing else, you can look at it as a new challenge or as something different to do for a week.  Or, for some, at least temporarily, just another way to make your spine flip you the bird.

Whatever the case may be, it’s going to be a epic.  For more info (including rules, etc) go HERE.  Pretty please, with dark chocolate covered (organic) cherries on top???????

Secondly:  who else is pumped to go see Flight this weekend????? I for one, cannot wait. Denzel’s the man, and I’m really excited to finally see director, Robert Zemeckis, make his way back to live action film.  After directing hits like Forrest Gump and Cast Away, he ventured into live-action animation  – The Polar Express, Beowulf, A Christmal Carol – and while they were all stellar in their own right (except maybe for The Polar Express – the animation was kind of creepy) I’m still excited to see what the end result will be from him and Denzel teaming up.

Anyways, I’ll be sure to give a quick review on Monday.

Make a Difference – Dan John

I’d argue that no one in the fitness industry – or anywhere, for that matter – has a way with words and can make any topic a “life lesson” more so than Dan John.

This was an absolutely phenomenal article and I encourage EVERYONE to read it.

If you don’t a kitten will die.

Can Women Pull Their Own Weight – Pete McCall

Last week an article written by worst reporter ever Tara Parker-Pope in the NY Times titled Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups (link to the original article appears in the link above) made huge tidal waves in the fitness community for its woefully generalistic, chastising, and downright faulty conclusive remarks concerning a recent research study looking into women’s ability to perform pull-ups.

My boy Dean Somerset also wrote a “Tara Parker-Pope just got PWNED” recant HERE, but I thought this piece also hit the nail on the head.

Strength and Aerobic Training in the Same Session – Does the Order Matter – Patrick Ward

Which comes first:  the chicken or the egg?  Me vomiting a little bit in my mouth or listening to anything Tracy Anderson has to say?  Lifting heavy things or performing conditioning or aerobic work?

With regards to the latter, as is the case most of the time, it’s going to depend. But if you’re going to do both in one session, Patrick Ward has some interesting (and enlightening) things to say.