Nice work by Jen Comas Keck today

Now THIS is how a woman needs to train!

Interesting Picture

Brian Regan- Funny Stuff!

Fat Loss Through Hill Sprints

Jen Comas Keck wrote an article on Fat Loss last fall that I thoroughly enjoyed. Check it out here: http://www.jencomaskeck.com/2010/10/fat-loss-through-hill-sprints.html

Girls Gone Strong

While I don't "specialize" in any particular area of fitness, strength & conditioning, etc..., I do admittedly have the most passion for getting more females into strength training. Finally, more and more of them are grasping the ideology that women can be strong AND sexy. We're at a point in time where muscle tone is a beautiful thing. While some women still fear they will "look like a bodybuilder" if they strength train, they're now understanding this isn't the case.

There's a group of women whose work I've been following for a while online. They call themselves "Girls Gone Strong," and they epitomize what happens when you combine beauty, brains, and intelligence. Check out their videos above. And yes, I'll admit I have a big crush on a few of them (Alli McKee, Marianne Kane, & Jen Comas Keck).

Holiday Food Coma

Fantastic article from the Wall Street Journal last week discussing the theories behind why we get sleepy after a big meal. Check it out here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204517204577046772508688922.html

Classic Video!

Dietary Strategies to Kick a Cold of Flu: Dr. Mercola

Raw, grass-fed organic milk, and/or high-quality whey protein	Fermented foods such as raw kefir, kimchee, miso, pickles, sauerkraut	Raw, organic eggs from pastured chickens	Grass-fed beef	Coconuts and coconut oil
	Organic vegetables	Garlic. Ideally consumed raw and crushed just before eating	Turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, cloves	Mushrooms, especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake

More Advice for Achieving Great Glutes

After working with hundreds of women over the years, I've received a lot of questions about how to achieve the "perfect butt." Whether it's looking good on the beach or simply looking great in your favorite pair of jeans, it's interesting (sad) to see so many people (men and women) choose the wrong exercises to perfect the backside. Enough with the excessive cardio already! The answer is STRENGTH TRAINING.

I was reading an article over the weekend where various female strength and conditioning experts were interviewed and asked to name their top choices for glute exercises. Check out what they had to say here: http://bretcontreras.com/2011/11/favorite-glute-exercises-from-the-fittest-females/

My Favorite Unilateral Lower Body Strength Training Exercise

"Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats (RFESS)" remain my favorite lower body single-leg exercise. They can be performed in a variety of ways. They improve single leg strength, balance, and power. My colleague Ben Bruno wrote a fantastic article for T-Nation I want to share with you: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/bulgarian_split_squats

The 50 Commandments of Commercial Gym Etiquette

Bret Contreras wrote a really good piece recently titled "The 50 Commendments of Gym Etiquette." Check them out here:

1. Thou shalt re-rack dumbbells and plates and return equipment to where it belongs
2. Thou shalt not eat, talk on cell phones, text, or read while in the weight room
3. Thou shalt respect other individuals’ space and maintain adequate distance from other lifters while they’re lifting
4. Thou shalt not bump into a lifter or their barbell while they’re exercising
5. Thou shalt maintain adequate distance from the dumbbell rack when using the dumbbells to allow others to obtain or re-rack their dumbbells
6. Thou shalt not drop thy weights
7. Thou shalt attempt to a reasonable degree to not hog equipment during busier times when others are waiting for it
8. Thou shalt not claim the platform, squat rack, or both sides of the cable column for more than 20 minutes during peak gym hours
9. Thou shalt not use in-demand equipment such as squat racks, platforms, and bench presses for performing isolation exercises that can be performed elsewhere
10. Thou shalt not claim multiple units of equipment for supersets, tri-sets, or giant sets during peak gym hours if equipment is limited
11. Thou shalt offer individuals waiting for equipment to work in whenever convenient and appropriate
12. Thou shalt return weights and adjustments to previous settings when another lifter allows thou to work in with them
13. Thou shalt not talk excessively to others in between sets when others are waiting for the equipment
14. Thou shalt not utilize busy walkways to engage in exercises such as walking barbell lunges or farmer’s walks during peak business hours
15. Thou shalt maintain adequate personal hygiene; taking showers regularly, washing thy clothes, and wearing deodorant
16. Thou shalt wipe away thy sweat off of equipment
17. Thou shalt be reasonable and wait for equipment if it’s in use; refraining from appearing overly impatient and intimidating while the lifter is exercising
18. Thou shalt not engage in complex/contrast training methods during peak gym hours if space does not permit
19. Thou shalt not grunt excessively or scream while training
20. Thou shalt wear appropriate clothing while training and ensure that shorts are long enough to conceal private parts
21. Thou shalt not talk to others in the middle of their sets of heavy exercise
22. Thou shalt never tell a joke or attempt to make a lifter laugh immediately prior to or during a set of exercise
23. Thou shalt maintain an appropriate level of seriousness while training while avoiding either extremes of the “seriousness-continuum”
24. Thou shalt attempt to learn the basics of spotting technique in a myriad of exercises and do thy best to provide a proper spot to individuals when asked
25. Thou shalt not abuse your spotting privileges and shalt not require a spot for a majority of thy sets, nor shalt thou attempt a lift that is way too heavy for thy capabilities and over-rely on thy spotter, nor shalt thou ask an individual for a spot if they don’t appear well-versed in spotting techniques
26. Thou shalt inform your spotter how thy like to be spotted; letting them know if thou want a lift-off, how many repetitions thy hope to perform, whether thou want help with forced repetitions, and/or whether thou want them to barely assist you with one extra rep
27. Thou shalt not shadow-box or throw air-strikes in between sets
28. Thou shalt not stand in the mirror-path or walk through a lifter’s mirror-path when the lifter is in the middle of a heavy set and is using the mirror to watch their form
29. Though shalt ask around to confirm if equipment is not in use when arriving at a piece of equipment that is abandoned yet loaded with weights
30. Thou shalt avoid performing crazy exercises during peak hours that require excessive space or the use of many pieces of equipment and shalt try to the best of thy abilities to find a suitable alternatives
31. Thou shalt not flex thy muscles excessively or pose in front of the mirror
32. Thou shalt ask experienced lifters for advice during opportune moments but shalt not abuse this privilege
33. Thou shalt not traverse the gym ponying-up unsolicited advice to other lifters
34. Thou shalt not lie to others about how much weight thy hoisted back in the day and attempt to “one-up” other lifters
35. Thou shalt not flirt excessively with other lifters regardless of gender
36. Thou shalt control thy temper and attempt to maintain a positive demeanor
37. Thou shalt not crank thy neck laterally to watch form in the mirror from the side view while lifting
38. Thou shalt understand how to position thyself symmetrically while using a barbell and shalt use the bar spacings to assist with such symmetry
39. Thou shalt use chalk if necessary but shalt take precautions to avoid making a mess
40. Thou shalt not fill up your entire water bottle when others are waiting for the drinking fountain
41. Thou shalt not place a giant gym bag where gym-goers traverse during peak gym hours
42. Thou shalt not hog cardio equipment and should attempt to complete thy session within 30 minutes during peak gym hours
43. Thou shalt not believe that thy method of training is far superior to everyone else’s , nor shalt thou shun all other methods simply because they don’t coincide with your goals and preferences
44. Thou shalt place plates onto barbells with the smooth sides facing outwards and the carved part facing inwards; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to our iron hoisting ancestors
45. Thou shalt attempt to use the same brand, color, and size of plates if possible on each side of the barbell and try to maintain symmetry; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to our iron hoisting ancestors
46. Thou shalt attempt to work together and cooperate with other lifters; using common sense, having common courtesy, and respecting others
47. Thou shalt be reliable, punctual, encouraging, and supportive to thy training partner if thy choose to obtain one
48. Thou shalt attempt to train during non-peak hours if thou find thyself frustrated with the commandments listed above or are following a “needy” program such as GVT
49. Thou shalt attempt to learn proper exercise form and should avoid going too heavy for thy abilities, and shalt know common form mistakes such as turning lateral raises into shoulder external rotation movements, rolling the shoulders while shrugging, heaving excessively during curls, doing quarter squats, round back deadlifts, bouncing the bar off the chest when benching, half range benching, and upright bent over rows
50. Thou shalt understand the basics of program design; and if attempting to be athletic thou must perform mostly compound free-weight movements, maintain a balance between pushing and pulling for the upper and lower bodies, and refraining from ignoring work for the posterior chain, single leg stability, and rotary core

Dr. Mercola Video

Beautiful Video

1. Nothing like a good cry
2. Zdeno Chara is HUUUUUUGE!!!!!

Cool Video!

Happy Veteran's Day

Healthy Snack Option

I was reviewing some recipes I had in my archives and found one I got online a few months ago. I tweaked it a bit and after I made it, took the time to post a pic (see left). Give it a try and let me know what you think:


-1/3 cup canned Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix….PLAIN pumpkin)
-1/2 cup cottage cheese (for those who don’t like the lumpy texture, you can use a hand mixer to puree the cottage cheese)
-1/2-1 scoop of Vanilla Jay Robb brand protein powder
-1 oz (handful) of crushed walnuts
-2-4 shakes of ground cinnamon

-pinch of Stevia (to taste)

Stir up in a bowl, let sit in freezer for 5 minutes, and enjoy. You’ll swear you’re eating pumpkin pie. So yummy!

But I Don't Have Time to Workout

I was crunched for time today and got thinking about how everyone always says they don't have time to work out. I used the "K.I.S.S. Principle" and kept things super basic. I simply did what I learned from a Yvonne Ward quote: "Push, Pull, and Do Something for Legs." Here's what that consisted of this afternoon:

• DB Renegade Rows (see above pic #1): 4 x 5ea
• Decline Push-ups (see above pic # 2): 4 x 10
• DB Goblet Squats (see above pic #3): 4 x 10

I followed this with some conditioning work on the Air Dyne Bike

Basketball Never Stops

Being a "hoops junkie," I really liked this video from Nike titled "Basketball Never Stops."