The Best Health and Fitness Articles of the Week #86 – Chocolate is Natures Viagra, a Lesson in Kipping Pull-Ups and Dumb-Ass Vaccine Myths


Harvard Scientists Compare Blood Flow from Chocolate to Viagra!

I don’t eat chocolate that often but this research has me thinking that I should. I just went to see my physician yesterday and oddly I seem to have an elevated blood pressure. I’m going back in for some tests on Monday, but for now I’m thinking that I should start eating at least 45g of chocolate a day to help keep my blood pressure normal. 45g actually seems like a lot though. For example 45g of the Lindt chocolate bar in the photo above is about half of the bar, or 275 calories and 27.5g of fat. I suppose it’s not too bad if you’re in good health.


The Squat 4 Times Per Week Experiment

I love that this guy did his experiment, tracked results and posted it, even though he didn’t end up improving his deadlift, which was the goal of experiment. Still something to be learned from it though. He had fun by changing his routine and he saw an increase in muscle mass over his entire body. Still sounds like a success to me.


A Kipping Pull-Up Instructional by Cherie Chan

Watch the video here to see how a woman struggling with kipping pull-ups learns how to do them using progressional instructions from a CrossFit coach.


Lift Big Eat Big: You Need Olympic Weightlifting Shoes

Powerlifters, CrossFitters and lifting coaches always seem to slip in a quick mention about using olympic lifting shoes, but I’ve never seen one person actually say why someone should use them. This article has all of the “whys” covered. Great article!


Hone Your Chops: The Chef’s Guide to Knives

Being healthy usually means spending a good amount of time preparing food, which I don’t mind at all. I love cooking. But despite all of the hours I’ve spent in the kitchen, I’ve never learned how to properly use a knife. Or at least that’s what I thought. After looking over this infographic, I realize that a lot of the individual knife tips I’ve read over the years has stuck with me. This is a really handy infographic though. I still learned some things.


50 Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

This is a perfect go-to list of exercises for those times when you can’t get to a gym, for example if you’re traveling or on vacation. When I went to Vegas a few years ago, I did many of the bodyweight exercises in my hotel room every morning.


New ways of eating fruit

I really like the idea of consuming the nutrients of an entire grapefruit in a glass of water.


Sitting for protracted periods increases risk of diabetes, heart disease and death

More evidence that sitting for long periods throughout the day is bad for your health, despite the amount of physical activity you partake in.


Dumb Weightlifting Questions

All of these legitimate questions were answered with smart-ass responses, but I thought it was really funny.


Reader Request- About Wraps, Belts, And Straps by Matt Foreman

If you have questions about using wraps, belts or straps to aid in lifting weights, read this. I personally don’t like to use anything, but I would be interested in using a weight belt for heavy squats and deadlifts.


Basketball Star’s Insane Workout Will Make You Feel Weak [VIDEO]

Patric Young is a six-foot-nine, 249-lb. athlete that does more in a 3-minute routine than most people do in 30 minutes. I feel Patric’s fatigue just watching this short workout.


Plant-based diets can remedy chronic diseases

This is some great news for vegans and people who eat lots of fruits and veggies.


Mark Crislip’s Dumb Asses and Vaccines

This is a list of 14 common excuses people give for not getting vaccines. I work with several people who have told me many of the things in this list. I never flu vaccines either, but not really because of any reason on the list. I just don’t go because I’m lazy. After reading this I feel like I should start though.

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