Today I said something I've never said before!

Today I said something I've never said before:"No Mum, I don't want any Yorkshire puddings.". Of course, that was an outright lie. I wanted Yorkshire puddings - my fave British flour-based comfort food - so badly that I was trembling when I said no! I just had to remind myself that I've been saying "oh, a little of this food won't hurt." an awful lot lately. When we have repetitive breakdowns in willpower, the behavior becomes a habit. When a good diet becomes watered down by multiple dietary indiscretions, it's not a good diet anymore, is it?

Food impulses can be strong and carry hidden emotional attachments. I wanted Yorkshire puddings because it's my comfort food, not because I was actually hungry. Before eating a food you might regret later, remember to ask yourself if you need it, or if you just want it. I try to think about how I'm going to feel right after I eat the last bite. Usually that's enough to slowly put the dessert menu down and immediately ask for the check, before the cravings come back.

For anyone that has goals of weight loss or improved body composition (reduced body fat, increased lean muscle mass) it's important to remember how your diet affects the amount of fat you carry. It is very possible to be a strong, well-conditioned fat guy because you train religiously at the gym and then follow it up with pizza on the way home. Exercise alone is not enough! Simply put, you can't outrun a cheeseburger.

I'm far from a dietitian, but I am very successful at setting up a sustainable lifestyle versus a diet that won't last. My next posts are going to deal with staying consistent and setting yourself up for success. Stayed tuned and thank you for tuning in today.

GB

Martin Rooney on the Importance of Barefoot Training.

Sometimes this blog will be original content, and other times I will point you in the direction of someone else's post that I found interesting or informative. The following is Martin Rooney writing about a topic near and dear to my heart: Barefoot Training.

Martin Rooney is an internationally recognized athletic performance specialist, author and physical therapist. He has a very well-rounded approach to training and his views on training and the human body often make a whole lotta sense. His book Training For Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout is on my wish/shopping list.


The Importance of Barefoot Training, By Martin Rooney

Enjoy.

GB

What I've been up to.

It's been a couple of lunar cycles since I last posted and that's just no good. There is no excuse for it I know, but shifting my focus to finding consistent hardworking clients while writing an album with my band, The Hint, has taken its toll on my extra-curricular biz.

In my world of health and fitness I have been stretching regularly with a focus on mobility (props to www.mobilitywod.blogspot.com) and strength. My strength program is Jim Wendlers 5/3/1, and although I am only in week 2, I am very optimistic to meet my goals with the program.

Hope everyone out there is busy living and loving life while accomplishing their goals. Looking forward to posting again soon!

GB

Product Review: Vibram FiveFingers KSO

Ello Ello!

It has been waaaaaay too long since you've heard from me about fitness, sustainable lifestyles, diet, and exercise equipment.

Today I am going to talk about a piece of gear, bought last year, that I have used almost daily ever since. I'm referring to Vibram FiveFingers! They can be found here at http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/. At the time I was enjoying the wonderful results of my conversion to a 'Primal' lifestyle and if Mark Sisson told me to chop my toes off to live a happier, healthier life, then I probably would have. When he posted http://www.marksdailyapple.com/vibram-fivefingers/ it was the tipping point and I went out to my local Hudson Trail Outfitters in search of a pair to try on myself. They had a pair of KSO's with my name on it as soon as I walked in. The following is what Vibram has to say about their shoes followed by my thoughts as well.


Vibram FiveFingers KSO
$85

They say

"In just over a year, the KSO has become our most popular model for men. Featuring a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch nylon and breathable mesh upper that wraps your entire forefoot to "Keep Stuff Out." A single hook-and-loop closure helps secure the fit. A non-marking 3.5mm Vibram TC1 performance rubber sole is razor-siped for a sure grip, and a 2mm EVA insole enhances plating protection and comfort.


KSO IS BEST FOR: Running, Light Trekking, Climbing/Bouldering, Fitness, After Sport, Water Sports, Yoga/Pilates & Travel"

I say

These shoes are awesome! Probably the best fitness, nay, life purchase made in 2009. I lift in them, I hike in them, I lounge in them, and I sprint on grass in them. I am not much of a runner, distance or otherwise, so pavement running is still a bit rough on my flat feet. However, the kettlebell, barbell and body weight exercises that I do feel very grounded and solid in my FiveFingers and I have a hard time wearing anything else when I workout.

Depending on your personality you may or may not enjoy the extra attention you get from wearing these in public. I am not one to be bothered by what other people think and most times find myself engaged in some really great conversations with complete strangers about my 'gorilla feet'. This eventually leads to a nice talk about training and a healthy lifestyle in general. However be warned, if you aren't ready to explain why you don't like cushy cross trainers with 1" heels, then public outings might not be your thing.

I do find that I have to put them through a weekly washing to avoid long term funkiness, otherwise they are a must have. I would recommend these to anyone looking to strengthen their feet, ankles, lower legs, and most importantly their lives. I will definitely be purchasing another pair in the near future. I have my eye on the KSO Trek's.

Please share if you have any experience with FiveFingers or other 'alternative' footwear.

GB

Let's find those Lats!

Assuming that you have been practicing your Negatives you might have 1 or 2 Pull-ups under your belt. If this is the case I have a super simple coaching cue that might get you to 2 or 3 by simply changing the way you think about getting your chin over the bar.

To a beginner watching someone rep out Pull-ups, it may appear that the 'puller upper' is using just their arms to get their chin over the bar. The muscles of the back, especially the lats or latissimus dorsi, play a bigger role than one might think.

Watch this video to find your lats and feel them at work.



Next time you hop up and grab the bar remember to focus on pulling your elbows down to the ground instead of just focusing on pulling your body up.

Let me know how this affects your Pull-up performance and stay tuned for more goodies.

Geoff Blake

Accountability...........and Gordon

Sometimes we have to be held accountable for things (i.e. working out, business goals, honey-do lists, home improvements, or dietary indiscretions...bacon-flavored ice-cream!). Sometimes the best way to hold true to doing what you said you were going to do is to have a friend that will hold you to your word. Gordon is my friend that does this for me. We meet every week and make lists of tasks we want to complete. In order to hold each other to those tasks we create a list of repercussions as well. For example, If I did't publish a particular article on pull-ups by this past Sunday, then I would have had to write an article about Gordon........See where this is going?

Well I didn't make my deadline and this is my repercussion. I decided to spin it with an accountability theme, but here comes the Gordo section.

I met Gordon whilst training/working at Krav Maga MD. He was one of my first "lab rats" in the gym to get my chops up as a trainer and to this day he remains injury free and beastly strong. I don't really have a nickname for him but if I try to drum one up, "Donkey Quads" is my first thought. Sorry Ladies, Gordon is married to the beautiful Molly who makes the best Ooey Gooey Funcake (not paleo or primal!) If you also want to be friends with Gordo I suggest walking up to him and in a near shouting voice say "Rollllllllllll TIDE!"

I would highly urge everyone to find their own "Gordon" and create the life they want to live!

Keep coming back, second pull-up article is coming up soon.

Geoff Blake

Pull-ups: The final frontier

After reading the title to this post, I can almost guarantee that you want to do a Pull-up. I can coach you through that. If you can already do several, I am willing to bet that you want to do more. It might be as simple as having your training partner touch you. (Minds out of the gutter!) If you are bangin' out Pull-up after Pull-up with little effort then you might want to hear how I teach my athletes to progress to the muscle-up. Not easy, but if they were, everyone would do them, right? I can’t wait to make you Elite!

In the first segment you will learn the Negative. There isn’t a negative thing about this lovely exercise because it's going to start a beautiful relationship between you and your friend, the Pull-up bar. With this exercise you will get used to bearing your body's weight with your hands, as well as acclimate the body to the path it will be traveling in a bodyweight Pull-up.

To do your first negative you are going to need a bar that is low enough to grab with both feet on the ground and a bend in your knees. The idea behind this is that you will be using a larger, stronger muscle group, the legs, to jump yourself up to the top of the Pull-up position. The top being your chin above bar level. Grab the bar with a grip approximately the width of your shoulders and bend your knees so your arms are straight. Now that you are in the starting position you are ready to go. You are going to jump off the ground and simultaneously pull up with your arms fast. That should have gotten your chin at or above bar level so now you are ready to put those arm and back muscles through the ringer. You now know the way up so let's talk about how you are going to control yourself back down in order to get stronger.

The way you are going to develop your Pull-up strength from here on out is going to be a hard pull as you jump and a controlled trip back down with your arms. You will be explosively jumping your chin just above bar level and then controlling yourself down for a count of 3. On every rep you will start with arms straight, jump/pull to the top, then slowly control yourself back down until your arms are straight.

To become comfortable with the movement I am going have you do 5 sets of 5 Negative Pull-ups 3 times a week. I would like to see every rep be a quality rep. Remember quality over quantity!

Please stay tuned in for your next progression to bodyweight Pull-ups.