Random Thoughts

Well, it's finals week and i figured I would just shoot off a few random thoughts; try to clear the head out a little bit.

I love being in the gym and seeing all of the guys who think they are bigger than they really are and throw on a big amount of weight then perform the exercise through about 1/8 the range of motion that they should be doing it in. OK guy, you put a lot of weight on yet, no one is impressed because your squat looked like a fucking curtsy. Lower the weight and do the exercise properly with a full range of motion...you will get more out of it and no one will think less of you so don't worry.

I love crunch brunch...free food and a lot of it.

Finals week always brings out the ridiculousness in everyone..well almost everyone. People stay up all night cramming, worry to death about tests and paper deadlines, and tend to feel they failed everything they attempted. Everyone just needs to calm down and realize it's just school...take it down a notch and relax...I guarantee that you will get more out of your studying if you are calm and not worried plus you won't have to chug 10 express double cappuccinos just to stay awake since you haven't experienced sleep in 3 days. It's not the end of the world if you do bad on one test so keep that in mind and I bet you do just fine.

The library is like a bar right now. I went the other night and saw more people and more attractive girls than I ever have at any bar I have been to. Plus they were all in sweats and glasses and that's sexy.

I want a magic bullet blender.

Next semester my lifting partner and I are starting to box squat. I can't wait. Box squatting makes you get deep into your squat plus it incorporates and strengthens the hips a lot more. It is also known to effectively increase your squat max.

I hope Santa Claus thinks I was good this year...

I am going to be having guest articles posted as soon as my guest columnists write something for me to post so look out for those...they should be good and very thought provoking.

An interpolated twitch is when an impulse is given to a maximally contracted muscle to determine if the subject is in fact maximally contracting.

I'm gonna go back to that new bar tonight and see if I can pick up a girl...

Stability

This is what you call having stability and core strength...

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

It's finals time again and the stress levels are up (well, not for this guy). It's time to pull all nighters and make the library home for the next week. Sleep is pushed to the back burner and 4 hours becomes a "good" night. Most students don't think twice about this and figure the massive amounts of studying will help them get good grades. Well, the truth is it's just not worth it.

Sleep is important for the body and even though you may be cramming hours of knowledge into your brain when people like me are in the middle of a great dream, (a dream where I reach a PR lift while being watched by all the girlies and then laugh at the scrawny, frat boy posing in the mirror) you're probably not retaining as much as you possibly could. Sleep is important for the physical as well as the mental aspects of the body. Let's take a break from your late night rendezvous with chemistry and look at the effects of sleep on the body.

Growth and Restoration
The secretion of growth hormone reaches its peak in deep sleep
Blood supply to the muscles increases
Metabolic activity is at its lowest, which is optimal for tissue repair

Immune Function:
Sleep deprivation makes you more acceptable to colds and infections

Memory Storage and Retention
It is during REM sleep that the growth phase of specialized neural connections to physical memories takes place in the brain
If your sleep is disturbed, then you are less likely to preserve newly obtained knowledge in your long- term memory

The effects of a lack of sleep are both detrimental to the physical body as well as the mental body, so even though you may have a week of impossible exams, make sure that your sleep is not being sacrificed because honestly, your cram sessions could just be a waste (not to mention your physical goals will be placed out of reach).

Why Do I Have a Blog?

I was talking with a friend today and was telling her about SwonkDiesel and she said to me, "Why do you have a blog?" I gave her some reasons about connections and whatnot and as I finished my walk across campus I thought more about her question. Why do I have a blog? Is it to fill the empty slots of boredom I have throughout the week? Do I blog because other people do it? After really looking at the question I came up with reasons why I do what I do...

In today's world success is not measured by what you know but who you know. Don't get me wrong, knowledge is important and is a must in whatever your field may be but it's much harder to get somewhere if you don't know someone. I created this blog with intentions to make a few connections. This is not something that will happen over night and truthfully, I may never meet anyone through this. However, I am putting myself and my thoughts onto a screen for the rest of the world to see. There is always the possibility that the right person might come across my site and contact me and that connection could set me up for something great. Connections are the key. All my life I have been the shy kid that no one really knew so my connections were limited. Since I have hit college however, my networking ability has improved greatly. During my undergrad years I became close with everyone in my area of study. I basically owned the gym and even today I still get hooked up there. Now at UK for my graduate program I know people all around my field once again. I have connections in areas that help me and later in life these connections will definitely come in handy. In an article by Robb Rogers he explains, "Be a friend and build relationships and success will inevitably follow."

Another reason I have started this site is to have a journal for my thoughts. Those who really know me know that my mind is a jumbled pile of shit and random thoughts are constantly streaming in and out of my thought process. This site supplies me with a space to record some of these thoughts and put them in writing. I will always be able to look back at this and recall certain thoughts I had on various topics. It's almost like an electronical journal.

The final reason I started this blog is to share my thoughts with the world. I became a trainer because I wanted to help impose change on those who wanted some type of change. I want to share my knowledge to help better someone. That's what I am doing on here. I am sharing my knowledge so that maybe someone out there will read it and what they read will help them reach a goal in their life. I want to spread my metaphorical seed. Put my knowledge out there for others to learn. I also put my knowledge out there in hopes that people will provide feedback and maybe correct me in my errors. I want to help better others while they help better me. I want to change the world.

These are the reasons I post and I hope that my goals can be achieved and somewhere out there others are achieving their goals with some help from me.


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Bigger Stronger Faster

I got to watch the documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster" last night; a film taking a look into the world of steroids. Similar to the style of "Supersize Me", the film interviews a number of people from doctors, to users; getting aspects and arguments from both sides. Here is a synopsis of the film.

The documentary examines the steroid use of the director Christopher Bell and his two brothers who all grew up idolizing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone, and also features professional athletes, medical experts, fitness center members, and US Congressman talking about the issue of anabolic steroids. Beyond the basic issue of anabolic steroid use, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* examines the lack of consistency in how America views drugs, cheating, and the lengths people go to achieve success.This includes looking beyond the steroid issue to such topics as Tiger Woods laser eye correction to 20/15 vision, professional musicians use of anxiety reducing drugs, or athletes' dependence on cortisone shots, which are a legal steroid.The film also takes a skeptical examination on claims to the health risks of steroids and is highly critical of the legal health supplement industry.

The documentary makes you think about all of the arguments you can hear against the use of steroids. I myself would not take steroids but I think the bias against the use of steroids is ridiculous. I believe that if someone wants to spend the money to supplement with steroids then they should have that opportunity without everyone looking down upon them and banning them from every sport possible. People say it is unfair but I feel that there are many other things that are unfair that are not considered cheating. Many people have the money to get a top of the line trainer at a top of a top of the line facility. That is an advantage that some people cannot afford and don't have the access to. Yet this is not considered cheating by any means. Yes, you can say that steroids have negative side effects that can hurt a person however, as the movie explains, almost everything has side effects. One of my favorite quotes from the movie came while this topic was discussed. Talking about the effects that peanuts can have on certain individuals where death has occurred a man said, "People can die from eating peanuts so does that mean we ban peanuts and sue God for making them?"

Everyone is going to have an opinion so arguing about it is worthless, I just don't think there should be so much negative spotlight on steroids when there are so many other things that are worse. The documentary makes people who are against steroids look like idiots, which made smile. They just had no data to back up their arguments even though they were so quick to blame steroids on every problem.

Whether you are against steroids, for steroids, or not really on either side I suggest you check this film out. It is very well put together and makes a lot of valid points, not just on steroids, but on the American Society as well.

No More Excuses

I found this video this morning and for everyone who makes lame excuses to not reach your goals in life, whatever they may be, you need to watch this.

Nutrition Bite

Caffeine

Caffeine has been used in athletics and endurance events for many years now as a way to improve concentration and endurance. There is a large amount of research done on the effects of caffeine on exercise and to date there are no adverse health effects when taken in moderation.
Claims of caffeine include:

Improved athletic performance
Increased energy
Delayed fatigue
Sparing of muscle glycogen

The research shows that caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, increasing alertness. It also delays fatigue and may slightly spare muscle glycogen. However, research shows that caffeine, although many claims include this, does not promote fat loss.

Recommendations on caffeine use say to use 3-6mg per kg of body weight one hour prior to exercise. Most energy drinks contain around 80-150mg caffeine while a cup of coffee contains around 80mg. Overconsumption of caffeine can lead to restlessness as well as headaches and nausea. One thing to keep in mind is that caffeine is a diuretic so adequate fluid intake must be maintained during exercise.

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Throw Back Jam of the Day

Just thought I'd take you back to some old school bay area.

Real Core

For my job I was required to write up, with a partner, a small article for our monthly fitness newsletter. For this article we were able to choose a topic of interest and I decided that I would address something that I see ALL OF THE TIME in the gyms we run. This topic I am speaking of is core work. I always get approached by participants asking for a new exercise to do to help make their abs look better. My response is always something similar to: "Well, to make your abs actually show you have to eat well and focus on burning fat ." Most poeple nod, continue to do thier cardio at a conversasional pace on the treadmill and end thier workout with 10 minutes of crunches. I can't stand crunches and have stopped using them with my clients, for my own workouts, and am constantly working to offer my opinion of crunches to gym members and fellow trainers. I have been reading recent literature, explaining the down sides of crunches and sit-ups, as well as articles explaining other methods of core work that are more appropraite and much more beneficial. In the article that my co-worker and I composed we explained the reasoning behind avoiding crunches and sit-ups as well as provided some substitute exercises for members to try out. We explained that crunches activate the hip-flexors to draw the lower limbs towards the chest while the abdominal muscles are activated at a much lower rate. Another problem with crunches is the effect that they have on the back. One day of crunches is not going to do much damage but over years of performing the same crunches every workout there is going to be a dramatic effect on the lower back. The spine is not meant to be stressed over and over in that manner. Substituting crunches with other exercises such as planks and stabilizing movements allows the abdominals to get more activation as well as causing the rest of the core muscles to activate along with them. The purpose of the core is to transfer force from the ground and lower limbs to the upper body and the resistance on the body. The core is also important in stabalizing the center of the body while the limbs are moving and being effected by external forces. Therefore training the core should encompass these attributes. Yet, people still feel that crunching is the best way to get "chissled abs" and will continue to think this even though they are told differently. I will just stick to training my clients with more functional core exercises and avoid "abs" all together and watch them get stronger and healthier through this type of training.

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Breeding

I was at the gym with my buddy tonight and the often talked about concept of breeding came up again. We saw the girl that we have dubbed "Perfect"; a girl standing 5'11'', with a muscular build, and is constantly in the gym. Now I have always been a fan of thick girls (and for those who don't know, thick is a good thing and does not mean fat), but it has become more of a thing of genetics that interests me. I am trying to find a girl who has a powerful stature and could probably give me a fight. Now don't get me wrong, I still look for attractiveness in a girl, but I also pay a lot of attention to a girl's build and potential. It wasn't until about a year or so ago that I noticed that I actually did have a "type" and previous claims of not having one were false. I looked back at all of the girls that I have ever been highly attracted to and 90% were athletic girls who had a sort of genetic advantage. It was then that I found my type and decided that not only am I looking for a partner but also a "breeder", one whose genetics will mix with mine and create something amazing. I found that I have been ingrained with primal instincts and search for something deeper than a "hot face" or a model-type that society would deem as cream of the crop. I will one day find this godess and create a legacy to follow in my name.