THe Linkz -19th \june 2011

Hi, another week in the books, another bunch of great articles for you to catch up on!

Without further ado -

Mike Boyle gets us off to a single legged start

Alli McKee with 25 values and lessons learned, I agree with nos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... well, you get the picture!

Jackson Yee has some words on mental toughness.

Dax Moy with the 1st link in the kinetic chain,

Charles Poliquin shows you how to build strong legs, this time 2 legs at a time!

Charles Poliquin again, this time on getting your drink on, part 1 and part 2.

Mark Young breaks down your ideal into actions

Eric Cressey gets all binary with 11 years, 11 lessons and 100lbs

Jason Ferruggia gets all basic on your abs

Some delicious flaxseed recipes from the N.Y. Times

Great new design on Nia Shanks website, Lift like a girl. Awesome.And she can definitely deadlift more than 300lbs...

Chad Waterbury punch proofs your mid-section

Over on Elite FTS, John Gaglione is feeling a little eccentric...

Jen Comas lifting heavy stuff and pushing a prowler like it was nuthin!

Tony Gentilcore thinks outside the box, must be cause he's moving...

Jason Ferruggia is quite happy with his new sneaks...

Jen Grasso with an awesome recipe...

13, unlucky for some, not for those reading on Red Point Fitness' blog for looking better nakey!

Bret Contreras doesn't want you to be afraid to abandon your strength goals. Just don't go all Diesel Weasel...

Zach Moore can spot a faulty bird-dog a mile away, now you could too, maybe...

Harold Gibbons knows your cardio ain't cutting it

Precision Nutritions Jay Bonns profile, shyness is something I need to get better at overcoming, it can be done.

A nice 2 parter from Chris Beardsley on Testosterone and Health. Part 1 and part 2.

Don't want to bench? Nick Tumminello has 5 other options for you...

Alwyn Cosgrove randomly thinking,

Dean Somerset is a smart guy, so when he tells you to grab your toes, squat and rotate, you should do it.

10 reasons to ditch the sodas on livestrong

Read, enjoy and learn...

You can find me on Twitter and on Facebook

The Linkz -June 12th 2011

It's that time again! The best of the past weeks links to my favourite articles. I didn't manage to get my last of the 5 posts last week up. Unfortunately other things got in the way and needed to be taken care of ahead of getting another post up! I will be more consistent though, making myself take time every day was good, it's proven to me that I can (usually) find the necessary time!

But without any further ado, here we go...

Mike Robertson has started a new forum over at Robertson training systems. Check it out...

Tony Gentilcore gets a little pissed off on T-nation

Todd Bumgardner challenges your pull up ability

Great post from Jason Ferruggia on bodyweight training

Dean Somerset with a great view on when the rule book can be thrown out.

Rachel Cosgrove gets a hotel workout in.

Bret Contreras has 52 glute myths to share...

Martin Rooney with a recipe for discipline

Eric Cressey with why medicine ball workouts aren't just for athletes

Mark Young on exercise as medicine

An explosive workout from Jen Grasso

J.C. Deen with the effects of fitness marketing to women

As if you need any more reason to eat breakfast, Charles Poliquin with 10 good ones

Lou Schuler on the future of the fitness industry

Jason Shea with some low back stretches for law enforcements officers (not to mention everybody else!)

If Todd Durkin can't motivate you...

Doug Balzarini on nutrition

An old podcast from Mike Robertson with Jen Comas and Molly Galbraith

Want bigger arms? Clay Hyght tells you how to get 'em.

Charlotte Loa - Do something!

Thats it for now, hope you enjoy and learn something new!

Food, glorious food!

So, food. We all like it, (some, a little too much!) We all need it. But, how much do we need? What kinds? What proportions? When should we eat it? So many questions! No wonder that when it comes to food, people are confused.

There are a few things to think about when it comes to food.

1. Be honest with yourself. If you are keeping a food journal, (and if you are trying to change weight, up or down, you really should be) be honest. No point in keeping a log of what you eat, if that bag of mini doughnuts is forgotten about, or the second helping of apple pie and ice-cream  is ignored.
If you aren't honest, you won't see the results you want and you will get dis-heartened. If you are working with a trainer, they won't be able to help you get the body of your dreams if your food intake is a nightmare.

2. Ask yourself if you are really hungry? Or are you actually thirsty? They can have amazingly similar signals. Most times I would guess you are probably thirsty, you probably aren't drinking anywhere near enough water. You should be aiming for a minimum of 2 litres every day, if you are training, you can add 1 -1.5 litres on top of that.

3. Eat your vegetables. Lots of them. Calorically low, nutrient high. What more could you ask for? Leave the salad dressing.

4. Eat protein, ideally with every meal.  Eggs at breakfast, protein shakes, chicken, fish, beef, nuts, quinoa, beans and even, if you really really have to, tofu! You need protein for muscle repair, but also for hormones, enzymes and various other bio-bits that you need to survive.

5. You need fat. That's right, need. We need fat to store fat soluble vitamins, to make hormones, vital for cell development, to keep your skin health. The key is to keep saturated fats to an absolute minimum, and to increase your omega 3 intake (found in oily fish and fish oil capsules).

6. Dump the processed crap you like to call food. A good basic rule for buying food is this, if you can't pronounce something that's listed as an ingredient, don't buy it. If the ingredient has more syllables than an Eastern European surname, its probably not a "real" food. You can live without all the chemical crap.

7. Have a cheat day. This isn't a free pass to go nuts and eat whatever you like without consequence. It is however a chance to calm those cravings a little and stay sane if you are living in a calorie deficit. Just be smart about it. Read this! And this!

If you think about these when you are preparing food, or doing your food shopping for the week, you will probably make some decent choices. Check out Leigh Peele, John Romaniello, and Precision Nutrition for some awesome food info.

I plan on doing a more in depth series on nutrition in the very near future, so keep an eye out for more nutritional info coming to a computer screen near you very soon!

moh-tuh-vey-shuhn

mo·ti·va·tion   /ˌmoʊtəˈveɪʃən/ Show Spelle[moh-tuh-vey-shuhn–noun

1.  the act or an instance of motivating.

2.  the state or condition of being motivated.

3.  something that motivates;  inducement; incentive.

 

What motivates you? What is it that makes you get out to the gym or into the park and train? 

 

 

 

Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. In other words, it can come from within, or it can come from an external source. Intrinsic motivation comes from an interest or enjoyment of whatever task is being done. Extrinsic motivation is from an external source. the offer of money, prizes or even the threat of punishment provides the driving force to complete a task.

For me, it's because I like the way I feel after a good, hard training session. I like that I can go through my day knowing that any physical effort I need to undertake in my day to day life is easily manageable. I like the feeling of being able to help my friends and family take steps towards being healthier and fitter. I am making this my career. So I get up early, I read, I study, I train. This is my motivation. 

Whats yours?

But if I lift more than 3kg won't I get all big and bulky?

Er, no. No you won't. Its just not gonna happen, guys spend years lifting heavy trying to get big and struggle to do it, and they have the hormonal (and occasionally chemical) advantage. You ladies don't.

If you want to get that long, lean look that the celeb magazines are always banging on about, 3 hours a day of cardio, and tricep kickbacks with 3kg weights aren't gonna give you it!

You are gonna have to lift heavier than you currently do, ideally with free weights, strip your excess body fat and put in some damn work! What you'll notice the next time in the gym is this, those people (guys and girls) with that "toned" look that you want, are lifting heavy stuff with good technique and have a plan. The folks who have a lot of weight to lose are on those damned cardio machines pounding away. They'll still be there in 6 months looking frighteningly similar to how they do now.

Now, I am not saying that you cant lose weight with cardio alone. You can, but lets face it, who wants to spend 2 hours a day being a cardio bunny to lose a pound a week?  Lift, squat, get your heart rate up, recover, repeat with whatever movements you can. Squats as deep as possible with good form, pushups elevated as necessary. inverted rows on a steep incline (so there is lower weight on your movement), dynamic movements such as farmer carries, med ball slams, some bike high intensity intervals. In other words, get a sweat on, get your heart rate up.

Now, I'm not saying losing body fat is easy. It isn't. If it was, most of the western world wouldn't be as overweight as it is. It takes effort, motivation and a willingness to become uncomfortable for a while in order to achieve your goals. You need support, direction and guidance. No doubt, it is tough. But it is doable. You can do it!

If you want to lose some weight and tone up ( I hate that phrase!) take a look at the following video clips. See if you can figure out what the common links are...

Molly Galbraith

Jen Comas Keck

Nia Shanks

Jen Grasso

Now tell me you will get bulky by lifting heavy!

The Linkz - 7th June 2011

Its June already! The year is flying in and I have a confession. I've been slacking on this here blog. Should have been posting at least twice a week but I just haven't made sure I found the time to do so, so I promise I'll do better from here on!

While I haven't made the time to write on here, I have been reading a lot, so here is the picks for my top articles from last week...

An interview with Nick Tumminello on Ultimate strength and Conditioning.

Alli McKees day at the track

Matt Kroc keeps you motivated

Dan John gets you pushing

Mike Robertson on T-nation with a great basic strength building program

If there are any ladies out there thinking lifting heavy makes you "bulky" check out Bret Contreras post

Mike Robertson again, this time about training with little sleep.

Tony Gentilcore rants against chicken legs

Tim Henriques on how to build your own sled (gonna be making a tyre one!)

Jsoh Henkin listens when Alwyn Cosgrove speaks! and so should you!

Mark Young on leptin, refeeds and metabolism

Which followed his post last week...

One of my favourite articles of the last (at least) 6 months by Roger Lawson

It wouldn't be a Linkz day without a treat from Jen Comas

Thats the selection for this week, I will be attempting 5 posts in 5 days this week. Its an attempt at getting into a better habit of posting regularly. I'm not a great writer by any means, but, hopefully practice makes perfect, eventually!

I am as always, on Twitter and Facebook. Ya know, if you want to get in touch!