Posted March 12, 2013

Stuff You Should Check Out: March edition

It’s been a while since I wrote one of these posts, but there’s been some pretty cool stuff coming down the pipe lately so I wanted to showcase some of the awesomeness for everyone to check out.

1: PaleoFantasy: Stone Age Delusions

While everyone and their dog seem to be jumping on the Paleo bandwagon, stating how it makes evolutionary sense, even though it completely doesn’t (humans really didn’t eat grains until they could grow them on their own? How did they know they could eat them before growing them on their own? We’re evolutionarily stuck and haven’t evolved, unlike the rest of the world?), this article sheds a very interesting counter-argument based on the teachings of an evolutionary biologist.

The author points out real world examples of how we have evolved in a relatively short period of time, including such concepts as our ability to digest cows milk, blue eyes, and even the habits of crickets to attract mates and avoid predators.

The author, Marlene Zuk, even has a full book dedicated to the topic. Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet and How We Live will definitely be on my reading list.

paleofantasy

 

2: 7 Operational Principles for Masters Lifters – Charles Staley

One of the big complaints I hear that drives me nuts as to why someone can’t do something is to say “I’m old.” Really?

Are you older than my 70 year old client who can do a 40 inch box jump, and then goes heli skiing on the weekends?

Are you older than my 59 year old client who runs marathons and is setting PR’s now after running for 30 years? Read that again: She’s faster NOW than she was when she was 29.

Are you older than my 63 year old client who just did her first chin up. EVER?

Either you’re fit or you’re not. Age is only a method of measuring the quantity of time you’ve had to get fit and to stay fit. It’s NOT a determinant of depreciating health, and should be fought against with as much energy as anything else that’s of meaning in your life. Charles does a great job showing some considerations for older lifters, of which none involve not pushing yourself.

3: Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha – Adam Bornstein & John Romaniello

man 2.0

 

The book is slated for release on April 16th, but you can pre-order a copy by clicking the link. Considering Adam and John’s reputation for bringing the best in fitness and health to the public, their first joint venture in publishing should be fantastic.

Considering that in the build-up to the actual publishing, they auctioned their publishing rights between a bunch of different publishing houses, and wound up settling on the one that gave them the second biggest advance in the fitness book genre history (second only to Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Body on the heels of the success of The Four Hour Workweek). The fact that publishers were literally lining up to throw money behind this book shows how much impact they feel it will have.

4. Some Thoughts On Crossfit – Patrick Ward

THis was based in response to an article published ahead of print in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research titled Crossfit-based high intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition by Smith et al. The study measured the outcome of a significant gain in VO2 max over a 10 week program overseen by qualified trainers/coaches who would typically have a greater level of understanding and experience in teaching and coaching than the average trainer or coach would, regardless of whether it were Crossfit or not. The aspect that a lot of fitness professionals glommed on to was the very high drop out rate due to overuse injuries (16% of subjects). The authors of the study also noted that irrespective of Crossfit, there is a growing body of research showing similar features of any high intensity training program.

Patrick laid out a great retort to the concept of training in a program with arbitrary loads and program details (as many reps as possible in a given time) irrespective of quality of those reps, and gives some solid insight into the good and bad points of most typical Crossfit programs, and a couple ways that could easily be implemented to help reduce injury rates and drop out.

5. Motivation – Derick Carver on Schwarzenegger.com

This

Was

AWESOME.

A former Ranger in the armed forces who lost a leg during active combat, Derick was recently a competitor in the Arnold Open Crossfit competition, pushing most of the guys who came in with their original parts. The message is simple: You have a choice. Give up or persevere. What you choose is what will eventually define you.

2 Responses to Stuff You Should Check Out: March edition