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If anyone wants to see some old school footage of Polish lifters… here ya go!

Here is a great video of Charles Poliquin demonstrating Active Release Therapy on one of his clients. I am getting this done for the first time, so I will give you my own opinion after the session is complete.

I feel like we are beating a dead horse with this one… that is ‘to stretch or not before athletic movements?’   I think it’s pretty obvious to most people who understand their bodies know that dynamic stretching before sports performance excites the nervous system and static stretching after performance promotes flexibility. Now, for those old school thinkers, who don’t further educate themselves, I think recent studies need to be presented to them!   Is it just me or are you just as frustrated with coaches who have their kids doing static stretches before practice?

If you are one of those coaches then refer to this great description of stretching HERE!

Quick note… if static stretching relaxes a muscle, then what static stretch would actual help in the performance of the vertical jump?   This was not addressed in “The Acute Effects of Different Stretching Exercises on Jump Performance” study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21993032

Answer: Hip Flexors! As you fully erect the body in the vertical jump the Hip flexors are stretched and their reaction is to contract (shorten) to protect the core from hyperextension.   However, if you stretch them prior to the jump there is a greater lag time in the reaction to the dynamic stretch of the jump.  This translates to fuller extension and greater jumping result.  This fat kid didn’t jump a 36.5 inch on ability alone!  There is science to this madness

There is not excuse not to workout, even if you have Al Qaeda  is sitting in the mountains waiting to pounce on you!  This is Brian who is in the military.  He sent me a few pics a year ago but I never got to post them. Stationed in Afghanistan, they have developed a make shift gym in their ammo dump. They use 55 caliber bullets in their cases as dumbbells for concentration curls, stiff leg dead lifts, lunges, squats etc.

The best part about being in a mountainous region is ROCKS!  They drag and throw them.  Staying in shape may seem like the last thing one would think about when being in a hostile environment, but Brian and his troops realize the correlation between staying fit and living another day.  There is no excuse to not workout! You can’t use “I have no time,” or “I couldn’t get to the gym,” you can’t even use your kids as an excuse! Brian could have a hand full of excuses to use, but he doesn’t…. neither should you!

I just came across some sick workout videos…check them out here at BarStarzz Here is a glimpse into their workouts:

I think most of us athletes have seen this… A huge number he put up in the Olympic Snatch… I wonder what he has been eating?

It’s that time of year where it begins to get a bit chillier and the body craves those calorie rich foods to be stored as fat for the survival of the winter months.  What’s better to have this time of year than a home cooked nutrient dense food like beef stew?  Beef stew can be what ever your body’s desire!  Just go to the store and grab everything  you can and throw it in  your crock-pot and let it cook on low for 8 hours!!! Here is my own recipe:

• Stew Meat
• Sweat Potatoes
• Half an onion
• Mixed vegetables (frozen bag)
• Baby carrots
• Wild rice with seasoning (adds flavor to the whole pot)
• Black beans (drain out the syrup)
• Garlic (fresh or seasoning)
• Parsley
• Steak Seasoning
• 2oz of Apple Cider Vinegar
• Can of Tuna Fish (added protein)

Lets talk about his… Myostatin disorder?

Today on the Dr. Oz show (I am a big fan), he had Gary Taubes on as a guest. It was a healthy debate over what is a good diet.  Dr. Oz believes in the use of carbohydrates to keep a healthy lifestyle and prevent disease. Mr. Taubes believes that carbohydrates are the leading cause of disease and fat is the way to go. What they didn’t go into depth was that what type of lifestyles should consume these products. Dane Miller of Garage Strength and I are true believers in the benefit of fats. They are the best fuel source for exercise and a must for hormone production.

Dane being an athlete, full-time trainer and owner of a 10 acre farm and I being an athlete, we find that more fattening foods provide the best energy. Why? Cause when we consume them we train harder, recovery is quicker, mental energy and motivation is greater, and the ultimate inticator… Performance is greater. Our Cholesterol is great and I feel like we never get sick. Now, Dr. Oz said that he has to go into these people’s chests and he sees what is causing the problems. Well, maybe it’s genetics? Maybe they are not active? I am completely against eating fattening foods if  you don’t live an active lifestyle. Now, I am not saying that you should eat french fries… absolutely not. Fattening foods should be from nature and not tampered with. Food is fuel…. it’s meant to be used to keep you active. If one chooses to be inactive then disease will set in. If one chooses to eat fried foods… then either way (active or inactive) you are a gonner.

I find that combinding Dr. Oz’s philosophies and Gary Taube’s philosphies will make for a better body system. That is… eat what earth made for you. So do not have bread… bread was made by man. Eat meat… grass fed if possible. Eat the fat on the meat… it’s there for a reason. Eat berries! Berries live in the sun.. they produce cancer resistant nutrients. So, common sense says.. eat them! Eat Vegetables…. The greener the more natural (organic or self grown) the more nutrient dense. No pasta… why cause man made it. Butter, yes… butter is good… not margerine. Margerine can survive a nuclear blast. You don’t want that.

If we get in line with nature, by eating what the earth has provided for us, then nature will look out for us. The earth intended us to be hunters and gatherers… not fat obese lazy humans. If we take Gary Taubes and Dr. Oz’s thoughts and combined them, we would become healthy lean mean fighting machines.

Nutrition Tip: How can you decide what nature finds to be more healthy for  you? Take it and place it on the ground… what flies and ants are attracted to first is the winner!

Here is a video of Gary Taubes speaking with Dane Miller of Garage Strength