Jeffrey.bramhall

Run Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!

Mike Tuchscherer is undoubtedly one of the most prolific coaches, lifters and minds in strength today. His innovative system of Perceived Rate of Exertion he utilizes to Auto-Regulate the weights used in his and his athlete’s training is a valuable tool to make sure you are working at or near your daily limits.

Check out this preview of Mike’s presentation from Become Unstoppable Seminar 1 and register for BUS3 on October 4th and 5th at CrossFit Tustin by clicking here!

Check out the full 61 minute version…

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The post Auto-Regulating Strength Training appeared first on Juggernaut Training Systems.

So here in this video we have Mr. W performing an exercise chain of squat-to-presses with a 4lb. Sandbell to a Dynamax med ball, followed by three low hurdle jumps. Autism Fitness Squat to Press + Hurdle Jumps To get to this point in skill

Introducing new Hyland’s Homeopathic Shark Teething Tablets, Pontoon flavored. 

Nom nom nom, the most delicious of all the sandwiches 🍔

The unnamed punk band formed by the intrepid 13-year-old protagonists of Lukas Moodysson’s We Are the Best!—a wonderful Swedish comedy I foolishly missed when it opened in theaters earlier this summer, but that’s now available streaming on Amazon and through iTunes—is more of an idea, really, than a band. Only one of the three girls, Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne), knows how to play a single note of music—a devout Christian, she’s an accomplished classical guitarist and the most straitlaced, un-punk-rock kid you could hope to meet. But her bandmates, drummer Bobo (Mira Barkhammer) and bassist Klara (Mira Grosin), make up in attitude what they lack in musical talent. They’re defiantly ungirly girls with baggy clothes and androgynous chopped haircuts (Klara’s is a Mohawk) who’ve already figured out they don’t stand a chance of fitting into the rigid social and gender hierarchies of their middle school (the film is set in Stockholm in 1982.)

Olson Kundig Architects have designed a new work environment for employees at Microsoft’s Cybercrime Center located in Seattle, Washington.

The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is a center of excellence for advancing the global fight against cybercrime. The Cybercrime Center, combining Microsoft’s legal and technical expertise as well as cutting-edge tools and technology, was designed to be a functional showcase for the innovative work and a collaborative meeting space

The project scope included interior architecture, environmental brand and interior furnishings. Located on the ground floor, the design opens itself up to the daylight—dropped ceilings along the exterior window wall were raised to allow maximum natural daylight to enter into the space and blur the line between the exterior and interior.

The design challenge was to create a work environment where Cybercrime staff can meet with global partners to collectively fight cybercrime while simultaneously building an environmental brand that interprets the work for visitors who come to learn more about the Center. The space is organized around a central space, or great room, with views to large landscaped gardens. The great room is surrounded by a set of work rooms and conferences spaces—boxes within boxes—all designed with changing abilities for transparency. Visitors can view the digital forensics, digital crime fighting tools, and ongoing cases without disturbing the work in progress.

Color and materiality were selected to support the types of work happening within the boxes. At the Forensics and Malware Labs, blackened-steel sheet panels cover the exterior shell, while silver brushed aluminum panels line the interior to achieve the CSI-like atmosphere where forensic investigation work is performed.  In the Conference Room boxes, a dark-stained MDF panel exterior surrounds the warmer, reclaimed red elm paneled interior.

The goal of the project was to create a center of excellence for Microsoft’s team of legal and technical experts, as well as for customers, academics, law enforcement and industry partners. As such, a new entry off the main building lobby was created, replacing a circuitous route that did not sufficiently convey the important nature of the Center. Supergraphics announce the mission long before people enter the space. Once inside, graphic interpretation explaining the scale and impact of malware, piracy and child exploitation are explained along a corridor called “the canal.” Glazed-wall laboratories are meant to be viewed into by visitors, but when privacy is needed, the windows can be turned opaque through the use of Switchlite Privacy Glass.

Interior furnishings were designed to respond to the particular mood and setting of each space.  Within the conference rooms, a large custom table with integrated A/V connections was designed to complement the reclaimed red elm wall panels, while in the second conference room, the contract furniture was customized to coordinate with the interior finishes.

Architect: Olson Kundig Architects
Project Team: Alan Maskin, design lead; Stephen Yamada-Heidner, AIA, LEED AP, principal; Marlene Chen, AIA, LEED AP, project manager; Michael Picard, LEED AP, project architect; Charlie Fairchild, interior design; Naomi Mason, IIDA, LEED AP, interior design
General Contractor: Schuchart Construction
Photography: Benjamin Benschneider/Otto

The post Inside Microsoft’s Cybercrime Center / Olson Kundig Architects appeared first on Office Snapshots.

Nicole Carroll, Director of Certification and Training, explains the evolution of CrossFit’s trainer credentials.

CrossFit’s growth has been organic and infectious: There were no marketing strategies and no projections for the now more than 10,000 affiliates and 90,000 trainers. It started with one trainer, then one more and then a few more. The only “strategy” was to have fun, get into ridiculous shape and help anyone else do the same. Our numbers grew rapidly, and suddenly there were a lot of us.

The Level 1 Trainer Courses were, and still are, the primary gateway to the CrossFit community. The Level 1s are the place to learn more about the timeless underpinnings of the CrossFit methodology, and they are the essential experience to becoming a CrossFit trainer and CrossFit affiliate. Successful completion of the Level 1 grants attendees a basic understanding of the fundamentals necessary to train others responsibly. CrossFit Founder Greg Glassman would always close the Level 1 with an appeal to take what you have learned and go out and help others: “Grab a broomstick and go train your neighbor.” This is the spirit that has enabled the fitness revolution called CrossFit.

Early on, we recognized the demand from the community for more—particularly from trainers wanting to apply the principle of virtuosity to their craft. An educated trainer possesses a solid knowledge of movement mechanics, programming, nutrition and the surrounding disciplines relevant to physical well-being and performance. A more advanced trainer applies this knowledge to program design, discerns sound from unsound movement mechanics, and displays the ability to correct the unsound to maximize safety, efficiency and efficacy.

A great trainer, or coach, builds upon this skill set and approaches each client with a genuine desire to get the best results. A coach, in the relentless pursuit of excellence, tailors an approach to meet individual goals, needs and motivations. A coach inspires clients to be better than they would be by themselves.

With this in mind, we are proud to announce a new structure to our continuum of education and qualifications: the Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. To understand the value of and rationale for the new programs, a review of their evolution is useful.

Listen to Episode No. 17 of the WeigelCast using the player below:

Rest Day

Bubba and Josh, CrossFit Zeus.

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Building Burgess: Part 1 - CrossFit Journal - [video]

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Inside the libertarian version of Burning Man: Guns, booze and bitcoin by Ben Terris, The Washington Post.

WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE

The IronPigs are named after pig iron, the raw material for the region’s steel mills, but most of the team’s marketing revolves around pork, like the bacon strip behind home plate. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

My quest for Minor League Baseball pork products began in March.  I was in the studio as Bill Littlefield interviewed Matt Provence, Media Relations Director for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Bill’s interview focused on the team’s new bacon-themed uniforms, which sported bacon strip piping and bacon caps. But, as Matt spoke, I found myself salivating for more than the other white meat.

Matt promised an entertaining sports experience, regardless of the score.

Matt promised urinal-based gaming systems.

Matt promised pork races.

Meet our marketing team… RT @blayfligham: Whoever does marketing for the @IronPigs is a genius. #bacon pic.twitter.com/umgB6u4jk3

— IronPigs (@IronPigs) February 25, 2014

As a woman, I wasn’t too impressed by those urinal-based gaming systems. But the rest sounded really cool. So, tickets were obtained, a room at the Holiday Inn was secured, and the car was gassed up and prepped for a road trip.

 

First stop, the “On The Border” Will Call window.

Absolutely everything at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, is branded. You pick up your tickets at the On The Border Will Call windows, buy a German adult beverage at the Dietz & Watson Beer and Brats Platz, and sit in the Red Robin Tiki Terrace or the PPL Picnic Patio. All that sponsorship money has paid off. This is only the seventh year this team has called Allentown, Pa. its home, but it is the third most valuable franchise in Minor League Baseball, according to Forbes’ most recent rankings.

 

FeRROUS, a truly ugly bipedal pig, is the “Head Swinertainer” during the IronPigs pre-game celebrations. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

The IronPigs first pitch was repeated more than a dozen times as fans, young and old, stood patiently in a line following direction from FeRROUS and FeFe, the friendly but somewhat disturbing team mascots. In case you don’t get the joke, FeRROUS refers to the Latin name for iron, and FeFe derives her name from the Periodic Table of Elements.

 

Of the two mascots, FeFe is definitely better looking. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

Originally the team had wanted to name their mascot PorkChop, which seems like a cruel name for a pig. But, they quickly changed their minds when a few fans pointed out that name could be interpreted as being derogatory toward Hispanics.

From the start, the focus of the crowd wasn’t entirely on the game of baseball. The couple sitting next to us explained that the team has been hovering around .500 for most of the season. But the stands were still full and the fans cheered as if the Pigs were winning. Luckily, the crowd didn’t have to wait very long until a real winner emerged — among the kids competing in the funnel cake eating contest.

 

Adorable faces covered in whipped cream are displayed larger than life on the jumbotron. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

Fans patiently waited 2 1/2 more innings for the pork races, and they weren’t disappointed. On this night, Diggity, the hot dog, fell down early. But, he got back up and was the first over the finish line first after Crisp P. Bacon and Hambone were “distracted” by the German beer girls. The newest racer, Barbie Q., came in second.

 

You can’t really blame Hambone for getting distracted. The German beer at the ballpark is delicious. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

But, I know what you’re thinking. What about the food?

 

Show up to Coca-Cola Park with an appetite, even if hot dogs aren’t your thing. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

For a ballpark dedicated to all-things-pork, the stadium smelled sweetly of cinnamon-roasted nuts and funnel cakes. But there were plenty of pork options.

A colorful booth near the entrance invites fans to make their own “Boar-ritos.” The Big Porker is described as the “largest BBQ pork sandwich allowed by law.” A barbecue stand high above left field offers pork kabobs, and vendors sell all manner of sausages, from German wurst to “Gluten Free” hot dogs.

All of these can be enjoyed while sitting along the Bacon Strip, a lovely row of cafe-style seats overlooking right field.

 

You might want to bring your darkest pair of sunglasses if you choose to sit here. The setting sun can be brutal. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

Try as I might, I couldn’t find an actual piece of bacon, unless you count the bacon strip decorating the field behind home plate. Our neighbors sent me to find chocolate-covered bacon at a nearby concession stand, but that turned out to be a mirage. I heard a rumor about bacon wrapped hot dogs, but didn’t manage to spot one personally. Finally, I tried to satisfy my urge for pork products with a couple of deep-fried Oreos, only to discover later that Nabisco converted their recipe to Kosher way back in 1997.

As we left the ballpark, we spotted this sad sign.

 

The most difficult to find food item at the ballpark is also the most controversial. (Karen Given/Only A Game)

Maybe it’s good I didn’t find any bacon? I sure hope the Bacon “Smell” t-shirt I sampled in the gift shop isn’t also a potential carcinogen.

 

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On an unassuming industrial street in Long Island, New York, a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist does deadlifts. His name: Wyclef Jean.

“So a friend was like, ‘Yo, you need to try CrossFit.’ I was like, ‘OK, I’ll give it a try.’ But I was like, ‘I hope I’m not gonna get the celebrity treatment,’ you feel me?”

Jean adds: “That celebrity treatment—it lasted probably 3.1 seconds.”

His coach: Jennifer Hunter-Marshall. The CrossFit Garden City trainer is a six-year member of CrossFit’s Level 1 Seminar Staff, has competed at the North East Regional multiple times and finished in the top 20 worldwide in the 40-44 Division of the CrossFit Games Masters Qualifier.

She’s put Jean through Fran and Nasty Girls and saw him achieve a 300-lb. deadlift earlier this year.

“I like the intensity of the workouts, meaning the way they all push you different,” Jean says. “It’s not boring, and it can adjust to your character.”

As part of the coaching relationship, Hunter-Marshall got to spend some time with Jean inside the studio.

“How he creates is pretty amazing. I knew he was talented, and I knew that people call him a genius, but to see him work and in four-and-a-half hours see him put together a finished product, not many people get to experience that. I felt really privileged to be a part of it.”

Video by Torin Simpson.

11min 6sec

Additional reading: The New Good Old Days of CrossFit by Darrell “Bingo” White, published Oct. 18, 2012.

C’mon Benny, it’s your time to FLYYYYY…SHIT!

A very proud mother

If you follow Colombian cycling, and perhaps this blog, you probably know about Rigoberto Uran's life story. His is an amazing tale of overcoming heartbreak and hardship, one that is remarkable even by Colombian standards. With his stage victory, Uran—despite his country's spectacular success in the sport—becomes the first Colombian rider to ever wear pink at the Giro, and only the fourth Colombian to ever lead a grand tour (the others being Herrera and Botero at the Vuelta and Victor Hugo Peña at the Tour). To say that this is an exciting and emotional time for Colombian cycling would be an understatement. Some of you, even if you're not Colombian, may very well feel the same way today.

Riders from the Rigoberto Uran Cycling Club in Urrao

If you do, I urge you to support Uran, but to also remember his struggle getting where he is today. And to remember that many kids in Colombia (including many in his native town of Urrao) are struggling today just as he did years ago. They are unable to buy a proper bike, much less cycling shoes, helmets or proper kit. Let's not simply support men like Uran when they win, but also when they most need our help, which is when they are much younger. Before people around the world known their name.

Riders from the Rigoberto Uran Cycling Club in Urrao receiving donations

If you have any bike parts, shoes, frames, helmets or other parts that are in good working condition, donate them to Dreams To Wheels, and assist young riders in Colombia who need help just as Rigo* did years ago. Or if you know me personally, feel free to give me your donations directly, as I get ready to send another box to Urrao.

Let's enjoy the here and now, but let's never forget how far men like Rigoberto Uran have had to travel to make such a thing happen. .


*During the last stage of the Giro last year, I met Rigoberto's girlfriend and spent some time with her and Sergio Henao's significant other. In speaking with them, I quickly learned that Rigoberto's girlfriend does not like him to be called "Rigo". In fact, she corrected me a couple of times. I still can't help myself.  

I’ll be taking these, gents. Cheers!

Photo: Jamis/Hagens Berman

2011 Vuelta a Chile

Your interest in athletics started with track and cross-country. What prompted the change to mountain biking, and eventually to road cycling?
Running was my first endurance sport passion. I lived and breathed for track and cross-country when I was in high school in the late nineties, often waking up at 5 a.m. to get in workouts before school. I raced and rode mountain bikes over the summer breaks to complement my running training regime, and also to spend time with my father. Eventually my body couldn't keep up with my enthusiasm and I developed knee and shin issues.

So I bought a road bike to stay in shape while I was injured during the summer before my freshman year in college. I ended up joining the collegiate cycling club instead of the track team like I had originally planned, and I fell in love with road cycling very quickly. The qualities of the bike riding and bike racing—the speed, the distances one can cover, the tactics, the differing race distances and parcours, the technology, the history—all ruined running for me.

Racing with Princeton Team Captain and Mentor Patrick Zahn at Williams University Criterium 2001

You're a graduate from Princeton University, and hold a degree in Economics. It's rare that a pro cyclist at your level holds a degree, let alone one from an Ivy League school. What drew you to economics, and to Princeton in particular?
My four years at Princeton University was an exciting time in my life. I wanted to attend an elite school, and it was Princeton's engineering program that initially attracted me. When I enrolled, I didn't envision an eventual career in professional sport. During my time there, I took classes from some of their all-star professors like economist Paul Krugman, but the people on campus who had the most lasting impact on my life were my fellow cycling team members. Student-athletes like Patrick Zahn, the cycling team captain and president when I arrived, and Alistair Sponsel, a graduate student star-recruit during my senior year, taught me the valuable life lessons that come from learning the sport of cycling.

Through my experiences with them and the rest of the Princeton Cycling Team members, I came to understand teamwork, steadily working towards long-term goals, motivating and supporting others to achieve collective goals, and above all the value of hard work. This is the Ivy League pedagogy that I carry with me.

With Patrick Zahn at Princeton in 2001

You signed your first pro contract as a senior at Princeton—a school whose cycling team's motto is "Study to pass, race to win"—and finished your thesis in a hotel room during a weekend of racing. Was it difficult to make the decision to pursue being a professional, instead of working in your field of study?
Upon graduation, many of my peers at Princeton pursued financially rewarding careers at companies in the financial industry like investment banks, and consulting and private equity firms. My choice to instead move into my Mom's basement and pursue a career in professional cycling was so easy that I didn't really consider it a choice at all. I didn't attend a single career fair or career services appointment because my determination by my junior year to become a professional cyclist was so unwavering.

My salary on the Colavita—Bolla Professional Cycling Team in 2003, my first year as a true professional, consisted of a paltry monetary component, and a nearly unlimited set of gift cards from team sponsor Olive Garden. So that year I was eating at the Olive Garden two or three times per week, training and racing as much as I could, and thinking that my old classmates living the high finance life in New York City were the fools.

Racing mountain bikes for Princeton University

With your academic background in mind, what do you make of the economic model that pro cycling presents to sponsors, riders and race promoters? As an outsider (and one with no education in economics) there would appear to be numerous flaws in how the sport operates (both in the US and abroad). What do you think could be done to make the sport more stable in financial terms, and thus more equitable to riders?
I'll preface my response here by saying that the real-world applicability of my academic background is modest and that my professional experience is limited to riding at the Continental level of professional cycling. But I have often thought about this question as I have seen teams and events come and go during my career. If you ask enough riders, team managers, and race promoters about his or her prospects for the coming year, it will soon be clear that the economic model of our sport is not overly secure.

My understanding is that marketing departments at big corporations care a lot about the return on their marketing investment (ROMI). That is, when marketers consider potential advertising methods, like print ads, television ads, NASCAR sponsorship, professional cycling sponsorship, etc., they try to understand their effectiveness and bang-for-the-buck. They spend money to track and analyze their promotional investments, and it is difficult and expensive for cycling teams and events to do this. How many people saw the logos on the team's jersey as it passed through a town for a race? How many fans came to the side of the road to cheer on the riders in a race? How much are those impressions worth? These are important questions for the sustainability of our current model that are difficult and expensive to accurately answer. I believe in my heart that professional cycling has a relatively high ROMI, but I haven't seen this clearly and consistently demonstrated. This is a challenging problem, and I am glad that we have some smart people in the industry trying new models and floating new ideas.

Winning Collegiate National Road Race Division-2 in 2001

During your time as a professional, you've had several Latino teammates, including Colombians like Janier Acevedo and now Daniel Jaramillo. Have you noticed interesting cultural quirks or differences among your teammates, Latin Americans in particular?
I have a strong fascination with foreign cultures, so having Latino teammates during my time on Jamis – Hagens Berman has been personally very enjoyable. The Latinos have nicknames for all the riders on the team, including me and the other Gringos. I have frequently been called “Rubio” (blond guy), “Flaco” (skinny guy), and “Garrafa,” which, according to the Latinos, literally means propane tank, and refers to my ability always keep suffering in the races. I'm not entirely sure that this name is complimentary however, as some of the nicknames can be slightly pejorative, like my latest one “Viejo” (old guy).

I took a Spanish class at a community college one fall, and since then I've learned the language and the subtle differences in use between South American countries, like the strong Argentine “Y” and double “L” accent, and the Colombians' strong preference for the polite “usted” over the informal “tu,” even among friends.

My Argentine teammates have shared yerba mate and asados with me. My Cuban teammates have shown me how to make an authentic mojito. The Colombian teammates have certainly shown me how to climb at a world-class level, but that is one trick I haven't been able to emulate. The familial South American culture makes them all so warm and welcoming. Nearly all of my Latino teammates have invited me to visit them in their homes abroad. Janier Acevedo offered to put my wife and I up in Colombia for a vacation nearly every time I saw him last year.

Traversing a stream in training before the Tour de San Luis 2009

Similarly, what are some interesting or amusing differences that you've encountered racing in South America in cultural terms, or simply due to things being done differently there?
Well racing in South America means racing on South American roads, which I love. The Tour de San Luis, which is attended by multiple World Tour teams, contains multiple stream crossings. One can expect dangerous road furniture there and stray dogs sauntering onto the course. Riders down there tend to flap their arms like a chicken flapping its wings to point out obstacles instead of the US custom of pointing them out. We frequently race on the highways in South America, because smaller roads are unpaved or in poor condition. It's always an adventure racing down there, and I am grateful to have had the chance to compete multiple times in each Argetina, Chile, and Brazil.

With Janier Acevedo, Guido Palma and Guido's parents San Luis 2013

Jonathan Vaughters said that when Garmin-Sharp had Acevedo tested at a lab in Denver, his numbers were simply the best that they had ever seen, of any athlete ever. Was that obvious to you in racing and training with someone like Janier?
Janier Acevedo's immense talent was plainly obvious to me. Nearly every climb in training he would leave us all behind. My Jamis – Hagens Berman teammates and the rest of the domestic peloton were on a bell curve of climbing ability, and Janier was a clear outlier. My team director Sebastian Alexandre was at the lab in Denver when they did the test, which was the day after the final stage of the USA Pro Challenge in August, 2013, and he said that the astonishment and excitement in the room was palpable.

With a young JJ Haedo and Gustavo Artacho in 2005

Professional cyclists often have trouble planning for life after retirement. Is this something you put much thought into, and is your coaching business part of that plan?
I have seen many of my friends and former teammates struggle with life after racing. I know that I am much closer to the end of my professional cycling career now than the beginning, so I am thinking a lot about my future. Coaching has been something that I have enjoyed while I have been racing, but expanding that into a proper business is not something that excites me. However, I would love to stay in the industry somehow. Right now I am attending the University at Albany School of Business part-time and doing some freelance communications work for Jamis Bicycles, among a few other projects.



Another project you are pursuing is the Rensselaerville Cycling Festival, which includes a Gran Fondo. How did the project come about, and what else will it include?
I am putting a lot of my time and energy into organizing this event in Rensselaerville, New York, on September 28, 2014, which includes the Team Jamis – Hagens Berman Gran Fondo. This is the first cycling event that I have organized since a small circuit race on the Princeton University campus in 2002, and I am using this event and my studies at the business school to decide if the cycling event organization industry is somewhere I want to be.

The Rensselaerville Cycling Festival is going to be a lot of fun. We're going to have some of my current and former Jamis – Hagens Berman teammates there to lead out the Fondo rides, and most of the team sponsors are involved with prizes and sponsored aid stations. We are trying to celebrate the bicycle by throwing a big party around a thrilling ride with the goal of showcasing the beautiful rural area in Upstate New York and getting more people on bikes. Live music, a gourmet barbecue, cool t-shirts, kids' activities, and lots of activities and vendors will all be a part of the event in addition to the challenging and fun rides. More information can be found on the event website here. I hope that some of your readers can join us!

Photo: John Ferguson

___________________________________________________________
Marginalia

Do you enjoy the Giro? Do you like awesome prizes? Then you should join Gage and DeSoto's Velogames Giro League, for a chance to win a set of Le Rouleur Lent posters.

"Stop trying to make fetch happen." - Dan2525

I see them.  Every day I see them.  They are on the stepmill, or the treadmill, or the elliptical.  They are slaving away through 40-60 minutes of sweat dripping cardio in order to make weight for their next meet.  Some of them are concerned about muscle & strength loss, so they really dial down the intensity and go for longer but with less intensity.

Both of these approaches SUCK.  That’s right, you are doing it wrong.  Let’s get one thing straight, cardio is NEVER beneficial for optimal strength.  There is almost a linear interference with cardio on strength & hypertrophy (1).  This interference is also proportional to the duration of the cardio exercise (yes I’m looking at you Mr. Low Intensity for an hour).  So what’s optimal for cardio?  Well quite frankly… NONE.

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT LAYNE!!!!! I have to drop 20 lbs for my next meet!  I can hear you saying it already.  Well as we discussed in my previous article, perhaps that weight class isn’t for you.  That said, some people are very close to a weight class, and might have to do some cardio in order to get that last little bit of fat/weight off.  So if you are ok with a small amount of strength impairment in order to get that last little bit of fat off, we can talk about what cardio might be better for powerlifting.

First, the modality of cardio matters.  Meaning treadmill vs. stepmill vs. bike, etc makes a difference.  Research has shown that walking or jogging was significantly worse than cycling on a bike for maintaining strength  & hypertrophy when combined with weight training (1).  This is also in line with data that compared cycling with incline walking on a treadmill (a very common cardio practice in bodybuilding community) and found that cycling was significantly better for achieving hypertrophy when combined with resistance training compared to incline treadmill walking (2).  The researchers concluded that the differences observed here were likely due to the fact cycling requires more hip flexion and multi-joint activation of muscles involved in exercises like squats and leg presses compared to endurance running and walking which are not similar movements to any leg exercises that produce muscular hypertrophy.  Indeed, the analysis concluded that the effects of cardio on strength and hypertrophy are body part specific.  That is, lower body cardio did not have negative effects on hypertrophy and strength development of upper body parts.  Additionally, it has been demonstrated that rowers who added high intensity resistance training (with rows) to their protocol had similar strength and hypertrophy gains compared to a group of non-rowers who followed the same resistance training protocol (3).  Therefore, in terms of the best types of cardio, it appears that one should use cardio equipment that most closely mimics movements performed during resistance training.  Therefore, one might conclude that optimal cardio for powerlifting might simply involve doing a light weight on squats or bench press for speed and short rest periods, but there isn’t much research on that topic just yet.

Intensity and duration of cardio are also important for reducing strength loss with cardio.  demonstrated that the longer the bout of cardio was, the greater the impairment of strength and hypertrophy.  Interestingly, they found that short, high intensity bouts of cardio like repeated sprinting actually had no negative impact on strength and hypertrophy development.  This is most likely due to the increased hip flexion as discussed above and because high intensity sprinting or cycling causes your muscles to make high velocity contractions, activating fast twitch muscle fibers compared to endurance cardio work which most likely will not activate the large fast twitch muscle fibers. Perhaps even more interesting was that further analysis of the literature on cardio demonstrated that not only was short duration, high intensity cardio better for strength and hypertrophy, it was also superior for fat loss (1).  In fact, research has previously shown that 4-6 30 second sprints were superior for fat loss than an hour of incline treadmill walking (4)!  Talk about fat loss bang for your cardio buck!

Now I know some of the ‘bros’ out there will scoff at me and say ‘whatever nerd, I don’t care what any research says.’  Maybe you don’t, but go down and watch the next track meet that is close to you.  Tell me, who has bigger legs, the endurance runners or the sprinters?

So to break it down:

Best case: No cardio

Slightly worse: high intensity cardio using fast lifting or sprints/cycling or possible weighted cardio like sled drags

Worst case: Long, slow cardio with no hip flexion.

If you are doing the latter, you need to realize that while you may be strong, you could be much STRONGER by optimizing your cardio regiment.

Dr. Layne Norton is a professional drug free bodybuilder and powerlifter who’s best lifts in competition are a raw 617 lb squat, 391 lb bench, and 700 lb deadlift.  His best ever total is 1681 lbs raw (no wraps).  He can be contacted through his website at www.biolayne.com for consulting services.

References

1)         Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC.  Concurrent training: A           Meta-Analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises.  J Strength Cond Res.          2011.

2)         Gergley JC.  Comparison of two lower-body modes of endurance training on lower-body strength            development while concurrently training.  J Strength Cond Res.  2009 (3):979-87.

3)         Bell, GJ, Petersen, SR, Wessel, J, Bagnall, K, and Quinney, HA.  Physiological adaptations to      concurrent endurance training and low velocity resistance training. Int J Sports Med 12: 384–390,    1991

4)         Macpherson RE, Hazell TJ, Olver TD, Paterson DH, Lemon PW.  Run Sprint Interval                Training Improves Aerobic Performance but Not Max Cardiac Output. Med     Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 May 13.

The post Fat Loss for Powerlifting-Part 2, Cardio appeared first on Juggernaut Training Systems.

Make it pretty folks, impress the Shibe!

#crossfit #squat #weightlifting

Who Cares About Baseball Stirrups?

I do, for one. So does Paul Lukas, of the amazing sports uniform blog Uni-Watch. So we enlisted the help of the brilliant Roman Mars, who runs the design and architecture podcast 99% Invisible, and told the story of the stirrup, and why it matters.

I just listened to the finished piece, and it’s a wonderful deep dive into a strange subject about which baseball fans have incredibly strong opinions. You can read, listen and learn more here.

Seriously: I can’t recommend 99% Invisible or Uni-Watch more highly. I’m honored to have worked with them on this.

Hey, who ordered the fish to go?

Polygamous members of Utah CrossFit affiliate explain their controversial views on plural marriages.

One man’s sin is another man’s commandment.

Though illegal, polygamy is still practiced in Utah, Arizona and other small pockets of the United States. Driven from the public eye, plural marriages are often the subject of scorn and always under legal suspicion.

Though most polygamous groups are Mormon, they’ve been disavowed by their own church and call themselves Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) or other names. They still follow the teachings of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, including his most infamous revelation: recommended marrying of multiple wives. But not all polygamous groups are the same.

“When we get publicity, it’s always negative, and everyone always thinks that it’s basically the same religion,” said Lorin Zitting of the Works of Jesus Christ Church. “Everyone thinks that there’s child abuse or underage marriage in polygamy. That’s not a part of polygamy. It may be a part of some extreme versions of polygamy.”

In addition to polygamy, Smith also instructed Mormons to take care of their bodies, as well as their souls. Polygamous families in Southern Utah have followed his instructions, they believe, in the best possible way, and the desire to care for the body as a vessel for the soul has led Lorin and his two brothers, Roy and Allen, to CrossFit.

Why Are My Sneakers Fuzzy?

Following yesterday’s post on sneakers, I thought I’d share this great find by GazEtc. If you look at the bottom of your Chuck Taylor All Stars, you’ll notice that certain parts of the sole are fuzzy. The hairs are hard to notice at first, especially if you’ve already worn your shoes, ‘cause your soles will just look like they’ve collected gunk off the street. If you look closer, however, you’ll notice that little hairs are embedded into the rubber.  

Why? GazEtc investigated the patent for Chuck Taylors and found that they’re actually classified as house slippers with fabric bottoms, rather than sneakers with rubber soles. As he explains: 

Since my shoes were made in China, they were subject to an import tariff when they were shipped to the United States. And the import tariff is much lower for shoes with fuzzy fabric soles (like house slippers) than it is for shoes with rubber soles (like sneakers). According to the inventors, changing the shoe material can lower the duty from 37.5% down to just 3%. 

To benefit from a lower tariff, it isn’t necessary to cover the entire sole with fabric. According to the inventors, “a classification may be based on the type of material that is present on 50% or more of the bottom surface.” This explains why the “fabric” fuzz extends mostly around the edges of my shoes, where it can take up a lot of area without interfering too much with the traction of the bare-rubber centers.

So the invention embodied in my shoes is not a technological advancement. It actually seems to be a small step backward in quality. Instead, my shoes embody an advancement in “tariff engineering.” But perhaps, by putting up with a bit of fuzz, I can pay just a bit less for each new pair of sneakers.

You can see the original patent for Chuck Taylors here. The Smithsonian also has an interesting clip about how Marvel went to court to argue that the the X-Men weren’t human in order to get lower tariff rates.