Protein: Why? How Much? When?
Pic: Yogi
Why? Because I said so.
How Much? Lots.
When? All the time.
OK enough of that. In all honesty though, protein is an important macro nutrient. It’s found everywhere in your body from your muscle tissue, to enzymes that digest your food, to your skin cells and even in your blood. If you are a body builder or a power lifter, you understand the importance of protein in your diet. The problem I see now amongst the general population of exercisers is the medias push on low fat and low carb stuff. Admittedly, we are becoming more and more knowledgeable in relation to food choices, and the low fat push is definitely diminishing. Optimal protein consumption is a key component of muscle building and a healthy lifestyle, and it’s not just for the big boys.
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Fascia Part 1: An Important Piece Of The Pain Puzzle
Pic: cgines
Things hurt sometimes. You get pains and aches. It’s ok, because generally you can fix it. However, sometimes the issue may not be so simple. Got hamstring problems? How about tight calves? Get constant pain in your arches? Back get sore occasionally? All these problems can be, and often are related to fascia. What in the world is Fascia? Read on…this 3 part series will tell you all you need to know about this important piece of the pain puzzle. Part 1 is going to cover what fascia is, how it becomes tight and why it causes you pain. Problems and solutions come in the next two parts. I am a firm believer in understanding a concept makes it easier to apply.
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Push-Ups: Don’t Miss Out
Pic: voteprime
The push up is one of the oldest exercises in the book, and for good reason. It works. People have used it throughout time to build strength, get a better physique and prove their manliness! The thing is, this exercise is simply one of the best you can do for your shoulder health. You are too advanced for push-ups? Take a step back, read this post and rethink your stance on the old push-up.
Why Push Ups?
Push-ups are one of my favourite exercises, here why:
- Good compound exercise that targets the chest, shoulders and triceps.
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Tennis Ball Part 3: Upper Body
Pic: Robyn Gallagher
Your lower body should be loose as a goose right now. It’s time to move onto the upper body. If you haven’t done so already read Part 1 and Part 2, to find out all you need to know about trigger points and how to work them in your lower body. Part 2 also gives you some information on what to do before and after each trigger point session.
Read them? Good, now we can move onto some tight and painful areas in the upper body.
1. The Psoas
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Tennis Ball Part 2: Lower Body
Pic: doobybrain
As a general rule, when working, lifting and exercising we are stressing the same muscles and movements. This repeat stress can lead to overworked muscles and consequently tightness and trigger points. I don’t need to go through this again though, it’s all covered in Part 1. The lower body has many common trigger points. Most of us sit all day long, and then go to the gym and do the same things day in day out. We are going to look at some of the more common places where almost everyone is tight.
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Tennis Ball Part 1: A Tool You Never Knew You Had
Pic: Lord Biro
Feeling sore, tight and fatigued? You’ve stretched until the cows came home but you really don’t fee any better. You’ve deloaded, done your recovery session, even taken a hot bath. You know what you need is some deep, hard, painful soft tissue work. Oh how nice a massage would be right now. The problem is not all of us have the time or the money to invest in some good soft tissue work. Want a cheap yet extremely effective way to get rid of your aches and pains? Go out to your backyard and steal your dogs tennis ball…with a little understanding and application, this little baby is going to become your new best friend.
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Wide Grip Bench: Do You Need It?
Pic: Usodesita
Shoulder problems are common in the weightlifting circle. A lot of shoulder complaints come after Bench Pressing. Most injuries from weightlifting come from incorrect lifting. If you are having shoulder issues, check your grip, it might be too wide.
What Is A Wide Grip?
Wide grip bench press is classed for research reasons as anything over 1.5 times your biacromial width. The biacromial width is basically the length between both tips of your shoulders (the acromioclavicular joint is the little point your feel at the top of your shoulder). Any wider than that is classified as a wide grip bench press. Mehdi over at Strong Lifts suggests grip width is usually 55-65cm between thumbs depending on your build. A good cue is that forearms should be about perpendicular to the floor from all angles.
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The Psoas: Is It Killing Your Back?
If you don’t already read this fantastic blog and haven’t seen the recent guest post I did titled The Psoas: Is It Killing Your Back, head on over to Strong Lifts and check it out.
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Injury Prevention: The Ultimate Checklist
Avoid unnecessary injuries… Pic:worldinslandinfo.com
Nobody wants injuries. Whether you are an athlete, a weight lifter, a runner or someone trying to get fit, injuries suck. The good news is you can do a lot to prevent them. See how many of these points you can check off. Are you being safe in the gym?
1. Warm Up
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, you need to warm up. I am going to start sounding like a broken record, mainly in the hope that if you read some of this stuff enough times, the importance may sink in. Even if you feel like you can jump straight into it, one day you won’t, and when that day comes, it will be painful. A good warm up will
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Carbs: The Truth Behind The Hatred
Pic: clairity
Low carb eating is in fashion. It’s not necessarily a bad fashion. Generally speaking the population is becoming more knowledgeable about good food choices, what is healthy and what is not. However, most of the time the knowledge of why things are healthy or good habits is simply not there. Carbs are getting a bad name, but not a lot of people really get why. They help your body function and are essential to the diet. You need them…just not too many.
A Bit of Background
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