Results matching “Bird”

Despite being more than 20 years old, this book was well worth the money. In fact, my first thought was 'if this amount was known 20 years ago, why isn't it common knowledge now?'.

Columbu has certainly 'walked the walk', and for that reason I was more than keen to find out what he had to say on the subject of nutrition (I realise he's written a fair bit over the years, but up until now it's managed to elude me) . The book goes into a good level of detail on the basis for his diets, the many things he's tried over the years - some more successful than others - as well as some basic diet plans for anyone lifting weights.

Yes, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who loves the iron - not just bodybuilders. Without being swayed by more recent debates such as the benefits of creatine, it's an excellent work on the fundamentals of good nutrition.

Matt Furey, perhaps best known for taking ancient bodyweight exercises and making money from them, has switched from sending regular emails to blogging. The questions from his 'followers' are often more informative than the answers - the site's worth checking out for entertainment value alone.

The first cab off the rank is Gedpage, a simple GEDCOM to HTML converter. Nothing at all fancy here (apart from the ability to provide custom headers and footers) - it just takes the gedcom and creates a directory filled with html files for you to upload.

You'll find the test tree here.

The first cab off the rank is Gedpage, a simple GEDCOM to HTML converter. Nothing at all fancy here (apart from the ability to provide custom headers and footers) - it just takes the gedcom and creates a directory filled with html files for you to upload.

You'll find the test tree here.

Finally had a chance to put the tree back on the site. Currently I'm testing several of the GEDCOM -> HTML and GEDCOM -> PHP software packages, and you'll find a few of these linked from the tree page. Rest assured, the data is identical throughout.

Finally had a chance to put the tree back on the site. Currently I'm testing several of the GEDCOM -> HTML and GEDCOM -> PHP software packages, and you'll find a few of these linked from the tree page. Rest assured, the data is identical throughout.

This is just a quick look at several of the popular - as well as a couple of the less well-known - rowing exercises for the back. Naturally, there are many other ways to work the same muscles (particularly the lats), including the many varieties of pull-ups and pull-downs.

Bent-over row
For a long time, the Bent-over row was a bodybuilding staple. Despite being seen a little less these days, it's an excellent exercise. As with many on this list, there are several ways to do them.

Standard
Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width (I realise Arnold's using a narrow stance here), with the loaded bar on the ground in front of you. Bend at the waist, bend legs slightly, flatten the lower back, grab the bar with a wide overhand grip and pull it to your chest. The plates should be just off the ground at the lowest point, and the bar is pulled to mid pecs.

Pendlay row
This is really just a very strict bent-over row, with the bar pulled to the abdomen. It is often performed using an underhand grip.

Yates Row
Dorian Yates famously used a modified bent-over row with great success. The differences from the standard variety are: standing more upright (torso at about 70°), use of an underhand grip (so as to allow more bicep involvement) and pulling the bar to the navel.

Dumbell row
With one knee and one hand (left knee and left hand if working right side) on a bench, and a dumbell on the ground at its side, grab the dumbell and lift it straight up by contracting your lat and bending your arm. Slowly lower it, and repeat.

Dumbell row (tripod)
Rather than placing one knee on the bench, stand behind the bench and only use a hand for support. The front leg should be slightly bent, the other one a little further back (but straight). Lift the dumbell as usual, but add a slight twist at the top to increase the ROM.

Lying row
This is essentially a bent-over row done whilst lying face-down on a bench. The bar is pulled to the chest (or as close as the bench allows).

T-bar row
I first saw Arnold doing this many years ago - a very impressive looking exercise. With the weight on one end of a bar (and something else holding down the other end), straddle the bar, grab it a little below the plates (with both hands) and pull it to your chest. Note - if the other end of the bar isn't weighed down enough, you won't be having kids anytime soon.

Chest supported row
Somewhere between a T-bar row and a Lying Row, only using an incline instead of a flat bench.

Seated Cable row
Grab the handle, lean back slightly with legs bent and pull handle to waist. Pull shoulders back, push chest forward and straighten back during contraction. Return until arms are extended, shoulders pulled forward, and back flexed.

I first saw this some time ago (on T-nation from memory) and promptly forgot about it. Bud Jeffries mentioned its effectiveness in a recent piece, and I decided to try it out.

The walking squat is exactly what you'd expect. Walk a couple of steps, squat, walk a couple more, squat etc. This is actually far more tiring that it sounds (particularly if your endurance is anything like mine) and it isn't a bad idea to start with dumbells, kettlebells or anything else that you can just drop when you get tired. Besides, walking around a commercial gym with a loaded bar on your back is definitely going to attract a bit of attention.

Think of it as a Farmers' Walk with attitude.

Over the past couple of years I've gradually been eating more and more fish (actually, seafood in general). If you're getting sick of tinned tuna and on the verge of wandering over to the fish counter in your supermarket, here are a couple of things to bear in mind *.

Firstly, you will often have a choice of a wet fish slab, and a selection of shrink-wrapped fish in much the same way as beef, pork and lamb is sold. The area with the slab is usually no better than an indifferent fishmonger; you may actually be better off buying the shrink-wrapped stuff.

The reason for this is simple. Unlike the fish on the slab, anything pre-packaged must display a 'best before' date. With Health Department regulations the way they are, most of the large supermarkets favour a 4 day maximum from the time they receive delivery of the fish to the time it should be consumed. What's more, the pre-packaged fish will usually be cleaned and filleted in order to retain a reasonable appearance for the full 4 days.

Because of the regulations, there are stringent procedures governing the pre-packaged fish; which is often given precedence over the fish on the slab. If you buy the pre-packaged fish within 24 hours of it being placed in the chill cabinet, there is a very good chance that it will be in better condition than the stuff on the slab.

When to buy? Shortly after it's delivered is obviously best, and keep in mind that there is still a big 'fish on friday' mentality in the UK. With Saturday being a busy shopping day in any case, many of the larger supermarkets have a major delivery on Friday mornings.

Having said all this, you may be wondering why I don't simply go to a fishmonger or a seafood market. Well, a good fishmonger is a rare thing and if you live near one, you're extremely lucky. Luckier still are those living within reach of a good seafood market. As for my current location, it's been known for centuries for its shipbuilding, not fishing. So it's the local supermarket for the time being.

• this applies to UK supermarkets, but practises are probably similar elsewhere in the world.

It's been a long road. For years I’ve been surrounded by coffee drinkers (they're not exactly hard to find), have worked in cafés, held meetings in large bookstores accompanied by several cups of espresso, and sampled delights from around the world at various coffee festivals. Enough is enough.

From a daily 8-10 cups a couple of years ago, I managed to work things down to a cup every few weeks. That was a few months back, and within a fortnight I was creeping back up to a routine hit every morning. I could feel the wide eyes and maniacal smile coming on.

Two weeks ago I decided to ditch the coffee - at least temporarily - in favour of green tea. Whilst this is certainly lower in caffeine, I quickly started to drink enough of it to really feel the effect.

Now, finally, I think it's time to disentangle myself from the strange world of caffeine once and for all. I don't drink caffeinated drinks for the 'buzz', but only because I like the taste of them. In a way this makes it easier; rather than categorically state 'this is my last coffee' (which tends to make me want another one). I'll simply stop drinking it.

Unless it smells really, really good.