The Best Health and Fitness Articles of the Week #110 – Sleep Hacking Technology, How to Do Sumo Deadlifts and Why You Shouldn’t Static Stretch Before Workouts

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Sleep Deprived? There’s an App for That

This isn’t just a post about sleep hacking apps, but sleep hacking technology in general. There are some really cool devices here that I’ve never heard about, like earthing sheets or outfitting your mattress with sensors that can track breathing rate, heart rate, presence and motion. Very cool!



12 Lessons For The Weightlifter

I don’t plan on ever competing in any kind of weightlifting competition but I watch a lot of lifters videos on YouTube and Olympic lifting just seems like so much fun. Even if the routine here isn’t Kendrick Farris’, it looks solid enough to me. I’d like to try it for one week to see if I can handle it.



Are Back Squats REALLY Necessary? The Legs, Hips, and Ass Issue

This is an awesome article and provides some alternate exercises you can do if back squats are not an option for you. I actually do back squats regularly along with all of the exercises mentioned in this post, except for the front squat. I’m thinking about switching out the back squat for the front squat for a while though.



The Three “Longevity” Tests

Dan John performs these to determine where you are in life as it relates to your health in addition to where your form is at and if you should be regressing to simpler exercises and working your way back up. These are some great tests.



How to Do Sumo Deadlifts

Great demonstration of the sumo deadlift from Bret Contreras. Looks like I’m doing it right!



Muscle in a Bottle

A friend sent this to me and asked if I’ve heard anything about either of these supplements. I haven’t heard of these and to be honest after reading this article, I feel like it’s an advertisement disguised as a report. I don’t trust it, but I hope my friend tries it out so that I can see his results 😉



Effects of Static Stretching on 1 Mile Uphill Run Performance

Because of it’s huge reach and popularity, P90X is one of the first places people learn about the the negatives of static stretching before a workout, but it’s a fitness program and Tony obviously doesn’t have the time to go into the science of why. Here’s a study showing how detrimental pre-workout static stretching can be, at least pertaining to short endurance bouts.



Joint Mechanics: The Hip

This video goes into joint mechanics of the hip, self-diagnosing typical issues, and simple exercises you can do to fix those issues.



Stop Doing Corrective Exercises!

This post makes the great point that instead of doing corrective exercises, you should be doing exercises with proper form, which will often fix the pain issues that cause people to start doing corrective exercises in the first place. There are some great tips here on getting into proper squat form too.



Cheap Deadlift Bar Jack Alternative: 2 Ton Jack Stands!

I love this idea! I already have some jack stands that I use when I work on my Jeep, so I might give them a try. My stands are heavier duty than 2 ton, so they might be too tall. If I see a deal at Harbor Freight on 2 ton stands, I might pick them up, along with some jack stand rubber pads to protect the bar.

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