Results matching “Bird”

Live in NYC? Enjoy the occasional run? Head over to the NYC Running Blog. Be sure to check out another great use of Google Maps.

From Kerry's site :

Inner Grrr™ moments are those when you surprise yourself with what you can do. It is connecting with an inner primal place where you feel invincible and empowered, if even for a moment. Please share your challenges, successes, and achievements as you work toward finding your Inner Grrr™!

Plenty of kettlebell fun.

This is the fourth part [see parts 1,2 and 3] of this month's collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore on workout audio; looking at just a few of the options available for listening to music whilst working out.

Whether you're lifting weights, dragging a sled or simply going for a run; working out in silence just doesn't seem right. Here's a look at some of the gear that will help you avoid those peaceful times.

Sport or in-ear headphones

When you're moving around the last thing you want to think about is constantly readjusting your headphones. There are a few varieties of earbuds on the market that are designed for sports or workout use; snug fitting, water resistant and tough enough to take a bit of abuse.

I tend to use the earbuds that came with the iPod, but I've been gazing longly at the Sennheiser PMX 70s. Very nice.

Rave headband

A little over a year ago I tested out the a Rave headband mp3 player (the Rave19, a 256mb model). Since then there have been many improvements in sporting headphone technology (including the storage capacity, which almost seems laughable now) which have nearly rendered this obsolete. In my case, the Rave headband sits quietly in the corner whilst an iPod Shuffle gets all of the attention during workouts. Larger capacity, better sound. Case closed.

I am, however, interested to hear from anyone who's tried the later models of these headbands. The idea itself is fine.

Armbands

I can remember the first time I saw someone out running whilst carrying a Walkman in one hand. My first thought was 'Why don't you put that thing in your pocket?', and as mp3 players took over the role I found myself asking the same question.

An armband fulfils that role nicely. Not only does it give you somewhere to put your mp3 player / mobile phone whilst out running / working out, it provides basic controls (or gives you easy access to the player's own) allowing you to switch between songs and adjust the volume. Very nice.

Nike shoes

I'm yet to be convinced by this one. The underlying idea is good - moving the music source to a private, unobtrusive location - but it does have 'Nike marketing exercise' written all over it. Once the technology is used by a few other vendors I may be a little more enthusiastic.

Mp3 player

As I mentioned above, I use an iPod Shuffle for my workout music. This isn't due to any great benefits of this particular player; I just happen to have one.

Its role is simple. A playlist of appropriate, aggressive music is copied onto it prior to working out (I don't leave it on there as its a bit of a shock to hear Motörhead in between two TWiT podcasts) and the player put into random mode.

If I'm doing exercises which have the bar at or below waist height (most rowing, shrugs, pulls etc), then I wear the Shuffle. The player itself hangs from its lanyard at about chest height (it's a 1st gen, so there's no clip).

If the bar is going to be above waist height, I plug the player into a stereo and fill the house with noise. Good fun.

Incidentally, if you haven't tried hooking your mp3 player up to a hi-fi, there really isn't much to it. Although there are a few dedicated connectors on the market, these are incredibly expensive (the first one I looked at was £80). All you need, however, is a cable which has two RCA plugs on one end (for the line-out on your amp) and a 3.5mm / 1/8" plug on the other (for the headphone jack of the mp3 player). That's it - you're now looking at only a few dollars.

Qigong master Alex Lim in a brief strength demonstration [streaming, 3.4mb .flv download] at a recent Chinese New Year concert. Extreme perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless.

A few snippets from this week’s health news :

• Tom Furman points to an interesting snippet on toe stretching by fitness author Dr Jolie Bookspan.
  When you take your shoes off and stand up, do your toes turn upward by themselves?
• Discovery could increase shelf life of blood
  Melbourne scientists have discovered two molecules in humans that can increase the lifespan of blood cells.
• Dark Chocolate May Lower Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease
  f you eat some dark chocolate now-and-again you could well be lowering your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, say researchers at Yale Prevention Research Center, Connecticut, USA.
• Exercising With Peers Has Added Appeal
  A new study in the April issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine has found if given a choice of exercising alone, with people younger or older or with people their same age, most adults would rather exercise with others in their own age group.
• Doctors Day 2007 Promotes Importance Of Quitting Smoking Before Surgery
  Smokers require special consideration when undergoing anesthesia for a surgical procedure.

Joe DeFranco briefly discusses the importance of isometric holds for MMA athletes. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, these essentially involve holding a weight still at a point during an exercise - usually when the target muscle is already partially contracted. These are often done with rows and shrugs.

Although slightly controversial, isometric training has a long and interesting history. For more information on this great training methodology, try the following resources :

Charles Atlas : part of his Dynamic Tension training system consisted of simple isometric exercises.

John Little and Pete Sisco : the bulk of their 'Static Contraction Training' system comprised isometric exercises.

Bob Hoffman : it was Bob Hoffman's writing that first encouraged Bruce Lee to incorporate isometric exercises in his training. Hoffman's works are worth tracking down, as is Bruce Lee's The art of Expressing the Human Body (review); which also discusses isometric training at length.

Max Misch (aka DieselWeasel) is a very interesting guy. Whilst you may already be vaguely familiar with his progress over the last few years, his blog takes a great look into the world of Strongman training.

Incidentally, if you're looking for even more DW video action, head over to his YouTube site.

No, I'm not quite there yet. Just bookmarking it ready. Fitness after fifty.

Straight to the Bar is growing. In order to keep everyone up to speed with the numerous happenings in the fascinating world of strength sports, several new writers will be joining the team. Whilst I'm sure many of you are already familiar with them, here's a brief rundown :

Jason Kirby (All around strength) : Commonly known as Carpediemcat, Jason is poised to bring some wonderful creativity to the land of Personal Training. Whereas most people will glance around the gym and see plates, bars, and benches; Jason sees a collection of tools ready to get you moving in cruel and unusual ways.

Max Misch (Diesel Weasel) : Chances are you've seen Max make an incredible transformation from an enthusiastic lifter to amateur Strongman. If you're considering a similar move, keep your eyes open. He's got a lot of great information to share.

Mich Cahlon (Maspik Teruzim) : Mich is a superb writer, as well as a great proponent of strength training for women. If you're sick of hearing things such as 'girls can't do push-ups', stay tuned.

Jedd Johnson (Diesel Crew) : There's a brutal honesty about grip training, and it's something that Jedd clearly enjoys. Not only is he particularly inventive when it comes to working the hands and forearms, a glance at his competition history is enough to confirm that he's also incredibly effective. There's some fantastic reading there.

Mike Amos (Anvil or Hammer) : Mike has a great 'just get out there and do it' mentality, partnered with competition experience and knowledge of many different training methodologies. When Mike speaks, it's time to listen.

If you'd like to join the Straight to the Bar writing team, let me know.

Via Grip Training Obsession : a brief look at a near miss in an 815lb 3 board bench press attempt [streaming, 672kb .flv download]. Definitely one to think about.