Here’s a recap of the best health and fitness articles I’ve read over the past week.
Science-Based Medicine: 5-hour Energy
I’m always cautious about taking energy drinks. I’ve had maybe 10-15 energy drinks in my entire life because I’ve never felt comfortable drinking them. It looks like there’s really nothing to worry about in 5-Hour Energy drinks, but their claims seem unfounded and the mix of ingredients hasn’t been properly tested for safety. I think I’ll probably continue to avoid it.
Top 4 Spotting Tips for the Squat
We’re not always under the bar, right? If you’re spotting someone doing squats, you should know what you’re doing.
Are you familiar with Crossfit WOD’s? If not, WOD stands for Workout of the Day. Mobility WOD is the same concept, except these 10-15 min. workouts focus on fixing tissue damage and bad joint mobility. Be careful doing these exercises, because you can seriously injure yourself if you push further than you should.
Kettlebell Form Check – Kettlebell Swing Breath Right Hip Snap
If you want to learn pretty much all there is to know about proper form when doing the kettlebell swing, watch this video. Troy, the owner of this blog, showed his kettlebell swing to two experts who then diagnosed issues with his form and helped him correct it. Very helpful stuff.
Rotating Your Lifts for New Levels of Strength
If you find yourself stalling on your lifts, it might be time to consider rotating new lifts into your routine. Here are a whole heap of variations you can do to get your training back on track.
Once winter comes back around, I’m gonna see if any of my local stores sell a metal sled like this one. I haven’t seen one since I was just a little kid. I only see the plastic ones these days. Cool idea though!
Who couldn’t use a brain upgrade? There are lots of awesome tips here on how you can you increase cognitive function, both short-term and permanently. Check out the short mention of MSG too. I never knew that MSG could have a negative effect on your brain.
Why Do They Do Studies Like This?
This article goes into the flaws that published studies can have. When reviewing studies, you should always look at the minor things that could make a study less credible. I would also add that you should consider what other factors the researchers did not take into consideration.
DURIAN healthy Custard Dessert pudding recipe (raw vegan) – YouTube
I’ve read a lot about the durian fruit and I’ve watched many videos of people eating them for the first time. Most videos do not end well. I’ve heard people say that the durian smells like old gym socks and tastes like mushy old onions. Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” doesn’t even like it and he likes everything! I think I’m going to finally try it anyway though. I want to try to talk a few of my friends into trying it with me. 😉
Troubleshooting the Unrack on the Bench Press
I don’t typically do much of a warmup before benching, but when I start to see my progress slow down, I really should do exercises such as the one mentioned in this post.
Are Low-Carb Diets Killing Sweden? (Also: New Interviews and Raw Vegan Immortality)
This is an enormous and interesting article. I also really like the section at the end about vegan mortality. There are specific examples of vegans, even raw vegans, who have died due to various causes such as heart attack and cancer. Many vegan evangelists, especially raw foodists, claim that their diet is the cure for cancer and other diseases, but it just isn’t true.
Hardgainer Workout: Ready, Set, Grow!
This is my kind of workout! I love compound lifts and I wish everyone else did too. This routine doesn’t differ all that much from my own routine, but there are some tweaks, especially in the crazy amount of sets and reps. I would definitely like to switch to this one if I get tired of the one I’m doing now.
This sounds like a really fun idea. I feel like I would be constantly worried about it breaking though. I would only feel comfortable using this outdoors, at least until I’ve used one enough to trust it.
How Many Hours You Should Limit Your Sitting To, To Avoid an Early Death
Three!! I sit way more hours than that because I’m at a computer all day at work and then again at home. I really should look into a standing desk already.
The Minimalist Guide to Mobility: Moving Like a Ninja in 5 Minutes or Less
I really like this one. I’m gonna plan this into my routine for a while to see how I like it.
I hear about the dangers of fluoride all the time, but I’ve never actually done the research. It’s on my list of things to do. This article is a good primer before digging in to negative claims.
Rich Roll seems to be hitting the interview circuit because he just did a similar interview with Tim Ferris, which you may remember me mentioning in my fitness articles of the week #61 update. This one’s an audio interview and there’s some different info too. Rich Roll is awesome.
The Great “Fat is Bad” Myth Debunked
I really dislike the idea behind low fat diets. Eating healthy fats is good for the body and it’s good for the brain. Lots of studies are proving this.