An unusual combination. Dumbbells, bands and a bar.

A simple way to add some plyo fun to barbell curls - drop and catch the bar. Repeatedly.

Looking for a simple way to add weight to your handstand push-ups? How about a loaded backpack.

How much can you learn in 9 minutes? Zach Even-Esh finds out.

Hungry yet?

But then I saw it. I saw an "l" meaning low. What was this? I looked at the number 39, then googled TRIG and came across triglycerides. I did not know what these were at the time, but I could tell that 39 was a good number for your TRIG's to be at.

Then I opened up my father's blood test. He had a few things that were high including cholesterol. Right underneath the cholesterol figures was his TRIG number: 416. The range given beside that number was 50-200, meaning that my fathers TRIG levels were twice as high as average!

When we talked to the doctor, the doctor said that my father had nothing to worry about. But, you know what, I don't trust doctors. Doctors today wait for a problem to happen before giving you a solution. And even that solution is a band aid solution such as increased medication. I don't want my dad to be taking any sort of medication ten years from now.

I did not know what triglycerides were exactly and what health risks they posed to you if they were high. So I decided to go and do my own research.

What are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food and the body. They are found in plasma and are derived from fats that we eat, or from food made from other energy sources such as carbohydrates. You've all heard that any calorie that we do not burn off we store as fat. Well, before this fat can be stored, the calories are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored.

Extremely high triglycerides (500mg/dl or higher) in plasma is known as hypertriglyceridemia and is often linked to coronary artery disease. According to The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, my father's TRIG levels are high (200 - 499 mg/dl). Once he breaks the 500 mark, he officially has hypertiglyceridemia.

I personally believe that my low TRIG levels come from my style of exercise and diet. According to my research, in order to lower your TRIG levels, you need to change your lifestyle habits and substitute them for healthier ones.

I once trained my father with my brand of exercise: heavy weight training performed at a high intensity with a fast pace. He lost 7 pounds in two weeks, and has kept the weight off. However, one day his only employee at his convenience store quit, leaving him to work 6 days a week. I have been trying to get him back under the weights ever since, but he just does not seem motivated to get back to working out. He claims that heavy weights are not good for him and he just needs to diet. Well, we can see how the diet only protocol is working out for him.

Since diet is a very important aspect of the problem, lets go over what I believe is the best way of lowering your TRIG levels. Many resources tell you to first cut your calories. However, I think it is more important to learn how to eat healthy. If I tell my father to cut calories, he'll just end up eating 1500 calories worth of junk food. That is not the solution to the problem. Instead, learn to eat the right foods first.

What are the right foods? Surprisingly the right foods are the same type of foods you would be eating if you want to lose weight. Start eating more fruits and veggies and make these your primary source of carbs. In addition, replace all your saturated and trans fat with healthy fats and Omega 3's.

Via Jen's Gym : what's the best way to get weight overhead? Patrick Cummings takes a look. Good stuff.

Via Virgil Aponte : video from the first Stair Exercises Clinic. Some very interesting exercises in there.