Life

“Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.” ~Arthur Rubinstein

My Wod:

tire wod is flip the tire jump in jump out run around repeat.  will do that the length of the bay doors and back for 10 trips.  add 5 burpees at each end every time. 

Doctor's kindness restores man's sight

Lack of insurance had kept patient from getting care

• By Alicia Doyle

When William Noriega of Victorville developed cataracts in both eyes at age 40 — and was unable to afford a simple operation to fix them because of a lack of insurance — he never expected an ophthalmologist in Ventura County to not only restore his sight for free but also restore his faith in humanity.
“I’m just grateful and amazed that there’s still goodness left in humanity,” said Noriega, 43, just one week after undergoing surgery on his left eye at the Pacific Surgery Center of Ventura. He had surgery on his right eye on April 13.
“This has restored my faith in humanity,” continued Noriega, who stayed with his father, Robert Mankin, in Ojai while he recuperated. “I couldn’t get help anywhere in California. I found door close after door close after door close. But I’m a firm believer in karma, so this makes me kind of think I must be doing something right.”
The operation was made possible by Dr. Bryant Lum, an ophthalmologist with Lum Eye and Vision Center, who agreed to fix Noriega’s eyes for free after reading a letter written to the editor of his local newspaper by Noriega’s father.
“My 40-year-old son has developed cataracts in both eyes. He can no longer drive or work. He has lost the ability to support his family and pay for insurance. A simple operation would restore his sight and make him a taxpayer again instead of a welfare recipient,” stated the letter written in November by Mankin.
“Although his condition is not life-threatening, how many people are there in similar situations? It is unacceptable that he needs to feel like a burden on society when he has been a productive citizen all his life. I’m sure he would gladly pay for a public-option policy if he could see to work!”
“As I read this, I thought, if that’s all this guy needs, maybe we can help him,” Lum recalled. “I do several hundred cataract surgeries a year at an ambulatory surgery center in Ventura, and one more wouldn’t be a big deal. But this cataract surgery could change this patient’s life. Even without a public option, we might be able to help him out from the private sector.”
It is rare for a person this young to develop visually significant cataracts, Lum said.
“Most cataract surgery is done in the elderly; however, cataracts can be found even in infants,” Lum said. “William is more rare because he has no family history of cataracts. He also has no predisposing factors such as trauma or high-risk medication use. We don’t know why he developed his cataracts. They have progressed to the point that he is unable to work or function normally. He is unable to drive safely or read.”
Noriega’s cataract surgery involved a lens implant.
“A cataract is a clouding of the usually clear crystalline lens of the eye,” explained Lum, who removed Noriega’s left cataract using an ultrasonic probe through an incision less than one-fourth of an inch in size. A folding lens implant was implanted through this incision. The operation took about 10 minutes. “The success rate with this type of surgery is close to 99 percent in my practice. I would expect his postoperative vision to be close to 20/20.”
The total fee for this surgery would be close to $10,000, or $5,000 per eye, Lum said.
“This includes the surgeon fee, the surgery center fee, the anesthesiologist and the intraocular lens implant,” he added. “If it were performed in a hospital, it would be substantially more expensive.”
As a shareholder of an ambulatory surgery center, Pacific Surgery Center of Ventura, Lum has the ability to perform a limited amount of uncompensated care.
“We have a great group of physicians, podiatrists and anesthesiologists who are also willing to donate their time, on a limited basis,” said Lum, further praising Keith Wintermute, the administrator of Pacific Surgery Center.
“He contacted Bausch & Lomb, the maker of the intraocular lens implant. B&L was gracious enough to donate their best premium lens implant for the surgery,” Lum said. “Unlike standard lens implants, this implant should allow William good distance- and near-vision at the same time.”
It goes without saying that Lum is a saint, Mankin said.
“We can’t believe that he just read an article in the paper and was motivated to help a total stranger,” Mankin said. “This happened around Christmastime and Dr. Lum called before Christmas; it was the best present we could ever have.”
With this surgery, “I am confident that William will regain excellent vision,” Lum said. “In my short time with him, he seems very motivated to return to the work force.”
Noriega, whose job involves the physical labor of landscaping, looks forward to getting back to work after he heals from the surgery on his right eye.
“All I have to wait is possibly two more months, and I’ll be back again with eyeballs that are kind of like bionic in that they’re never going to fail me again,” Noriega said. “For the rest of my life I’ll have perfect vision it’s miraculous.”

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FocUsed

My Wod:  12:10
10 Muscle ups
100 Du's
8 Muscle ups
80 Du's
6 Muscle ups
60 Du's
4 Muscle ups
40 Du's
2 Muscle ups
20 Du's


it use to take me 13 minutes to do 30 muscle ups...I have come a long way with these, as well as my Du's!


Wod 2: 41:00
6 rounds for time
15 Power Clean & Jerk @ 135#
20 KB Swings @ 1.5 pood (24 kg)
Run 400 meters
messed this up big time, first 4 rds I didn't jerk, last 2 rds I did.... with a extra/ final round of 25 clean jerk to make amends for not paying attention....  my right hip flexor is still pretty sore, but all in all a good days worth of work put in.

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Now Now!

what are you waiting on?!!?!?!?!?

SWOD:
Squat 10x2 @ 65% of 1 RM (45 seconds rest)
*work on moving the bar as fast as possible
Bench 5x5 @ 90% of 5 RM

DWOD:
Complete 3 rounds for time of:

8 Muscle Snatches 135 lbs (or power snatch)
10 Ring Dips
12 Toes to Bars

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Day 30

Following article was taken from http://www.socalsc.com/

Top 10 Training Myths

1. Static stretching prepares you for competition/practice.
Static stretching actually reduces power output. Athletes should prepare for practice by doing a dynamic warm up that progresses from basic, low intensity movements to faster, more explosive movements as the muscles loosen up. The goal is to simulate movements that athletes will be using in practice or a game. What happens when you try to stretch a cold rubber band? You can think about your muscles the same way.
2. Strength training makes females too bulky
Many of the female athletes we train have this popular mindset. However, look at some elite female athletes like Mia Hamm or Lisa Leslie. They certainly train with weights, but no one would accuse them of having manly physiques. Strength training will improve performance and reduce injury if done correctly.

3. You can’t train speed.
For some reason, the popular belief is that you’re born with a certain amount of “speed” and you can’t improve it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most young athletes are so physically weak and mechanically out of tune that significant improvements in speed can be made often just by working on technique and form. Athletes at any age and any level can improve speed when implementing a complete speed training program designed to improve and develop the entire athlete. {Use the link http://www.completespeedtraining.com/ for the words “speed training” in the last sentence.}
4. Training slow makes you fast.
I don’t think coaches directly think this way but their training techniques imply otherwise. This is especially true in sports that involve a higher aerobic element such as soccer, field hockey, or lacrosse. I see kids out running mileage and doing long, slow intervals of several minutes of continuous running. This will get them in shape. However, in games, I see kids jogging, jogging and then sprinting at full speed for 20–30 yards. Then they run, jog, and sprint for 20–30 more yards. If you want kids to improve their acceleration and top speed so that they can get to the ball faster or get back on defense, you have to train by running at full speed in practice.
5. You must train hard every day.
The workout itself is only a piece of the training puzzle. It’s the time between intense workouts—the recovery—where athletes make their improvements. Generally, it takes 36–48 hours to recover from high intensity training. If athletes are doing too much too often, they become overtrained. Coaches can expect to see an increase in injuries, complaints about being sore more often, decreased performance, and higher levels of fatigue earlier in games. It’s always better to under train an athlete than overtrain. Err on the side of caution to get maximal results.
6. Strength training will stunt a young athlete’s growth.
This is another myth held over from a different time. On a daily basis, kids as young as seven years old are playing organized sports year round. They’re tackling, getting tackled, sliding, and falling. These loads on the body can have a much greater physical impact than a well-designed strength training program. Though we don’t usually begin training with weights with prepubescent athletes, they can benefit from body weight exercises such as push-ups, lunges, and sit-ups. This will increase muscular efficiency, speed up recovery, and improve coordination and overall speed.
7. The harder the workout, the better the result.
Some athletes (and coaches) have this mentality that if a workout doesn’t reduce them to complete exhaustion and/or make them vomit, it wasn’t an effective workout. I can tell you that those who have this mentality probably see many injuries and frustrating performances. The purpose of a workout is to stimulate an adaptation by the body. If the body is forced to do too much work in a given time period, it will break down. The skill in coaching is to stimulate the adaptation in the body without reaching a point of diminishing returns.
8. Interval training is the same as speed training.
Repeatedly running 100s, 200s, etc. won’t improve top speeds. Even running repeat 40s with short recovery periods won’t improve acceleration and top speed. Speed work is defined as 2–8 seconds of maximal intensity running with full recovery. That means there should be at least two minutes of light dynamic movement between each effort. This goes against the experience of some coaches but is the only way to improve speed. An athlete must be able to focus on proper form and maintain intensity in order to get faster. If they don’t recover properly from each interval, they won’t be able to replicate proper mechanics with consistency and they can’t improve.
9. Flexibility won’t help you get faster.
Both coaches and athletes spend so much time on the skills of their sport, speed training, and conditioning, they often forget a fundamental component of success—flexibility. After practice or a game, the muscles are warm and loose. This is the time to work on increasing flexibility. So many athletes suffer injuries or compete below their capacity because poor flexibility inhibits their range of motion and speed. We see this in the hips and hip flexors where the stride lengths of athletes appear conspicuously short. Most often we see this in male athletes who will lift weights, train hard, and then skip out on their cool down and flexibility work.
10. Lift your knees.
When parents and coaches want their kids to run faster or when the kids are beginning to fatigue, I hear many yell at the kids, “Lift your knees. Get your knees up.” This is one of the most backward cues that we can give to athletes. The way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction so the more force that you apply to the ground, the more the ground will give back. So when we cue athletes to lift their knees, we’re doing two things incorrectly. One, we’re telling them to use their hip flexors to lift instead of their glutes and hamstrings to drive down. Just think about the size of your hip flexor versus the size of your glutes and hamstrings. Now which muscles do you think can create more force and therefore more speed?
Second, we’re cueing them to do a movement that is in opposition to what generates speed. If an athlete learns at age seven to lift his knees when he needs a burst of speed, the improper cue will be hardwired into his brain. To unlearn that as a teenager and to do the opposite and drive down will delay the athlete’s progress. He or she will have a difficult time coordinating an entirely new way of running and will potentially have to take a step or two backward. That’s why it’s critical to learn proper form early and get an advantage over those who still aren’t getting the best instruction. So cue athletes to step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground with the foot landing underneath the hip.


Patrick Beith is the co-owner of Athletes’ Acceleration, Inc. He holds his bachelor’s of science degree in exercise physiology and is recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (PES), the American College of Sports Medicine (HFI), the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), and the USA Track and Field Coaching Level II (jumps, sprints, hurdles, and relays).
 
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.

SWOD
8x2 Power Snatch worked my weight up to 145#

DWOD #1: (.Com for 4/20) 225/ 245
Clean one rep every minute on the minute for 15 minutes.
Tommy Hackenbruck 335/275lbs, Ben Crook 305/275lbs

DWOD #2:(equipment needed Rower/ barbell and weights)
Row 2000M for time, immediately after static hold 60% of 1RM DEAD LIFT for time....once the weight is dropped, 7:15/ 40seconds
Row 1500M for time, immediately after static hold 65% of 1RM DEAD LIFT for time....once the weight is dropped, 5:30/ 30seconds
Row 1000M for time, immediately after static hold 70% of 1RM DEAD LIFT for time....once the weight is dropped, 4:00/ 30 seconds
Row 500M for time, immediately after static hold 75% of 1RM DEAD LIFT for time.....once the weight is dropped, 1:45/ 30seconds

250mrow 45seconds/ 25 seconds at 80% of 1RM

SHOULD BE INTENSE!!!!

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Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

SWOD:
Overhead Squat 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 180, 180, 185, 185, 185  ass to ankles!
Press 5x1 155, 165, 170, 175 pr, 180 pr


DWOD: 6:12
3rds
4 HSPU
8 135# clean to overhead
12 burpees

10 minute rest

'Fat Helen' 45# weight vest 14:12
400m run
21 swings
12 pullups

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New Breed of Men by Zach Even-Esh

The Man of Steel 12 Week Training System is HERE.
It’s time for The NEW Breed of Men to be built.
Strong as Hell, Lean, Athletic, Explosive and Highly Conditioned.
No longer do you need to have your own garage set up or basement gym to get in an ass kicking workout.
No longer do you need to train for endless hours in the gym. 30 – 45 minutes will get the job done when you follow The MOS 12 Week Challenge.
You can follow the MOS system in a commercial or globo gym and I suggest you crank up your I Pod to avoid the shitty music being played in commercial gyms.
You’re gonna HAVE to be in the zone when you train though. NO cell phones or other distractions.
Follow these 11 Tips to Become a Man of Steel
1) Train Like an Animal – Run, Jump, Sprint, Crawl & Climb
2) Powerlift – Get Strong as Hell in the Squat, Bench & Deadlift
3) Maximize Bodyweight Training – Mixed Grip Push Ups & Pull Ups MUST be Mastered.
4) Perform Hybrid Workouts – Mix various elements & methods together: Powerlifting + Gymnastic Based Bodyweight Movements, Dumbbell Olympic Lifts + Bodybuilding Movements…..
5) Break Records EVERY Week: Every week you’ll follow The Man of Steel Challenge of the Week. These challenges will push your body into a NEW world of transformation
6) Attack Ground Based Movements: Ripping weights off the ground will develop full body strength, improve conditioning and pack muscle on your entire body. Use dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells.
7) Train for Athleticism FIRST: Train like an athlete and challenge your muscles from different angles with NEW movements. Don’t sit on your ass pumping reps on useless machines. Athletes don’t look like Greek Statues carved from stone by accident, they EARNED it, and so will YOU!
Use Kettlebells: ALL gyms carry Kettlebells, but 99% of them collect dust and people don’t know HOW to use them effectively and properly. Kettlebells allow you to combine movements for maximum effect in minimal time while also improving your athleticism.
9) Train Hard & Short: Long workouts suck, Period. They work against you by draining you of energy and valuable time. Get in the gym, warm up, train hard and get out!
10) Push the Pace: Don’t rest excessively. Short rest periods force new muscle fibers to get worked and help build muscle, ALL of which speeds up your metabolism. You wanna be a fat burning machine around the clock, so PUSH the pace.
11) Develop Abs & Hands of Steel: Work your abs intensely with direct abdominal work and indirect abdominal work using the functional movements described in the MOS Challenge. Develop powerful hands and forearms so you can throw around heavier barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and perform Bodyweight training with ease.
12) Get The Man of Steel Challenge HERE
Enough Said.
Lead from the Front!
–Z–




Skill Work:
DU's for 10 minutes (roughly 300...got of to a bad start....long weekend ; )....)


CFFB
Perform as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:  12 rds


5 One Arm DB Thrusters RT 50 lbs
5 One Arm DB Thrusters LT 50 lbs
7 Push Ups
9 Box Jumps 24" Box (15du's)

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Be At Peace with Your Decisions

Tomorrow is the Affiliate team tryouts for Crossfit Central.  Last year I was on the team that took 2nd overall at the Games '09.  It was fun but frustrating at the same time... no need to go into details about the frustrating part.  I am and always will be a competitor!  I qualified for Regional this year and will be shooting for spot as one of the 4 who will move on to the Games '10.   I know that my challenge ahead is a rather lofty goal, but one that I know I can achieve if I give it my all....   I plan on doing just that.  And you know what?  If I don't qualify, that's okay.  Because the guys that were to beat me deserve to go...

So tomorrow, I will go to and support the team that will be representing CC, one that will be a force to be reckoned with.  And I will be at peace with my decision on not trying out for the team, and instead going as a coach/ support team for my wife.  Because you know, my wife has already qualified and will be looking to take first she so could have had last year!  That to me is more important then anything else.

Peace.

 

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Don't Climb...Jump up the Ladder!

Most of you that follow my blog will know who Zach Even-Esh is, for those of you who don't you should look him up.  I get the honor to go and train with him for 3 days here in a couple of weeks up in Dirty Jerzee!  I can't tell you how excited I am to be doing this!  I'm currently a stay at home father and loving every minute of it... but this is not a permanent role for me.  I will be coaching one day, it's always been a passion of mine... and my coaching style will be that of my own, BUT with a huge influence of Big Z in it! 

Here is a DAILY email example that I get to read that is just  so simple but so profound...  That is my description of Zach, simple but profound!  it's how we all should strive to be!  

Hey Kris

I'm about to head out the door in 15 minutes to take the drive up to my gym.

The USC Cert is about to go down and this 2 day event sold
out FAST.

There is even a Strength Coach here from Switzerland!

He flew over 9 hours to get here and learn.

I think his actions and dedication alone are proof of how
successful he will be.

He made NO excuses.

NO excuses for the distance to travel, the investment, etc.

A SMART Strength Coach understands that when they invest in something
they will be taking action with their new found info
which in turn means earning back that investment 10 fold, at least.

When I started out in backyards, playgrounds and garages, I made
NO excuses for my lack of equipment or fancy set up.

In turn, I was more resourceful and I grew my business
rapidly in what many described as impossible.

Impossible? Ha!

I'm the wrong guy to tell he can't do something.

If you wanna be BIG time successful, then you also need
to be "the wrong guy" to be told you can't make it happen.

My drive up north to my gym came because I busted my
back to create an ultra successful warehouse gym,
allowing me to get out of my old town and buy
a new home in a beautiful town less than a mile
from the beach.

I'm not bragging, I'm telling you what's possible,
coming from a guy who started from the ground
up with NO cash in my pocket.

But, the reason I jumped up the ladder of success,
rather than climbing it, was because I invested
in my education through training and business
seminars by those who were ALREADY DOING what
I wanted to do.

No climbing up the ladder.....

I JUMPED up the ladder of success.

Will you?


Lead from the FRONT.

--Z--

My WoD:  (taken from crossfit.com)
Four rounds for time of:
Row 500 meters
Rest 3 minutes


David Lipson 1:19.1, 1:23.7, 1:24.3, 1:23.5.
Tommy Hackenbruck 1:29, 1:29, 1:36, 1:36
Ben Crook 1:24, 1:26, 1:32, 1:40
Rob Orlando 1:27, 1:32, 1:34, 1:41
Tanya Wagner 1:41.1, 1:44.9, 1:48.7, 1:47.7

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Pursuit of Happiness

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One man's volunteer effort to plant trees in San Francisco

As a volunteer, Charlie Starbuck has helped to plant trees by the thousands on the streets of San Francisco, a city long on charm but short on leafy green trees.

• 

For almost 30 years, Charlie Starbuck has volunteered to plant trees all over San Francisco, one street at a time, as a member of the nonprofit group Friends of the Urban Forest.

Paul Van Slambrouck

Enlarge

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By Paul Van Slambrouck, Contributor / April 5, 2010

San Francisco Charlie Starbuck has them in just about every part of this city. Walk a block or two in virtually any neighborhood, from the concrete canyons of the financial district to the windblown avenues of the Outer Sunset and Mr. Starbuck's fingerprints are there.
It might be a Brisbane box, a bronze loquat, a primrose, or a purple leaf plum. Whatever the species of tree, chances are excellent that Starbuck helped plant it.
Not as in ordered the tree or arranged for the planting. But as in actually put his fingers in the dirt and planted it.
A soft-spoken gentleman fond of berets, Starbuck has volunteered for a citywide tree-planting program since 1981, nearly without interruption. That's almost 30 years of weekly plantings, without pay, come rain or shine.
"For Charlie to be that consistent..." says Doug Wildman, program director of San Francisco's Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), his voice trailing off as he searches for the right superlative. "Well, he's our rock." FUF (www.fuf.net) is the nonprofit group for which Starbuck has volunteered all these years.
On a recent dewy winter morning, neighbors gather in front of a row of San Francisco homes. Staff members from FUF have already been busy positioning trees in 15-gallon pots in front of the homes, whose owners had signed up for the subsidized $75-per-tree planting.
This is a relatively small project – about 15 trees. Water and cable lines had been identified so they wouldn't be mistakenly cut. All that is left to do is dig the holes, plant the trees, and stake them.
Neighbors and volunteers had been asked to meet at 9 a.m. Like clockwork, a few minutes before 9, up the block chugs Starbuck, toting his little black satchel of tools, his clippers in a holster hanging from his belt. He's come from across town, courtesy of a city bus. Since moving to the city, he's never owned a car.
For all its charm, San Francisco is not particularly leafy. A 2006 study by the US Forest Service found that about 12 percent of the city is covered by trees. In contrast, trees cover nearly 29 percent of Washington D.C., 22 percent of Boston, and 21 percent of New York.
Sandy soil, salty air, lots of wind, and narrow streets are common explanations for San Francisco's low tree count.
For nearly three decades, Starbuck has been on a mission to change that.
The average tree planting is 30 trees per outing, though 60- and even 90-tree plantings occur from time to time. Starbuck acts as a guide and teacher to the home-owners and volunteers. As he works, he likes to talk about – what else, trees.
"My current favorite is the strawberry tree," he offers. Tree experts here are constantly on the look out for species that can handle the local climate. The strawberry tree, with its mock red fruit that hangs in draping clusters, is in high demand. "They're hard to find right now because of the popularity," says FUF planting manager Heidi Lakics.
Care is relatively simple. Most of San Francisco has sandy soil, so it is almost impossible to overwater the trees, Starbuck says. Just before a sapling goes in the ground, Starbuck uses a box cutter to make vertical slices down each side of the root ball so the roots don't continue to grow in a circular fashion, as they do in their container.

He's also precise about staking the tree. Three poles are driven in, then soft cloth straps are attached to each pole so that the tree can sway a bit. The ability to sway actually strengthens the trunk, like "flexing a muscle," he says.
Starbuck was born in Philadelphia. After earning a law degree, he came to San Francisco in the 1960s to visit. Like many who arrived in the '60s, he never left.
The young lawyer became more interested in neighborhood affairs than his legal career. He practiced tax law to make ends meet. In the early '70s, he became involved in efforts to limit the growth of high-rise buildings in the city center, which ultimately failed.
The San Francisco mayor at the time, George Moscone, appointed Starbuck to the city planning commission, where he served from 1976-81.
Over time, Starbuck began to notice his adopted city's dearth of trees. Looking out from his modest one-bedroom apartment with a spectacular second-story view of the Golden Gate Bridge, it is easy to see what he means. The sight of treetops is still relatively rare.
Through a friend of a friend, Starbuck heard about FUF, which opened its doors in 1981. He started volunteering.
"It was a big turn on," he says of FUF. "It's easy to be obsessed with it because of the whole transformation that occurs. You change so much [by planting trees] in one morning. It's an emotional high for me."
Michael Sullivan understands the lure of trees – and of volunteering. He wrote the 2004 book "Trees of San Francisco," regarded as an authoritative resource on the city's trees and their history. Mr. Sullivan also was a volunteer tree planter for many years.
"He's done it in such a modest way," Sullivan says of Starbuck. "Week after week. He's the Lou Gehrig of tree planting."
Last year, FUF says, more than 350 volunteers planted and cared for trees, contributing about 5,000 hours of labor.
These volunteers are not the homeowners who receive the trees, just citizens who donate time for the greater good. Homeowners do get involved in the planting, which also serves as a way for neighbors to get to know one another.
While the city may still be short on trees, nearly 1,000 new trees took root here last year thanks to FUF. It receives nearly half of its funds from the federal government and most of the rest from state and local governments, individuals, corporations, and foundations.
On a walk through his own Pacific Heights neighborhood, Starbuck tells a tree story for almost every block. His destination is a corner of Nob Hill, across the street from the landmark Mark Hopkins Hotel.
"All they used to look at was concrete and parked cars," Starbuck explains, referring to the row of town homes that face the hotel's west flank. "But now," he says with pride, gesturing to the 10 magnolia trees that run the full block, "they are going to see some green."
Starbuck was part of a team that planted those magnolias recently.
"It's the before and after," Starbuck says. "That's what it's about for me." 

SWOD:  not enough time to do this
Front Squat 5x5
Press 10x3 @ 55% of 1 RM (45 seconds rest)
*work on moving the bar as fast as you can 

DWOD:  12:20
5 rounds for time of
20 Squats @ 135#
10 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
5 Handstand Push Ups  

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Adapt? Evolve? Tolerate?

the following article was taken from http://www.marksdailyapple.com/seasonality-climate-and-diet/#more-11989

Seasonality, Climate and Diet

 

Evolution and seasonality are inextricably intertwined. This isn’t a negotiable, controversial statement, because evolution describes an organism’s response to environmental pressures, and the seasons are part of the environment. Another uncontroversial statement is that the study of human evolution can give us insight into what constitutes a healthy lifestyle for modern humans. I think it’s reasonable, then, to suggest that understanding how seasonality affected human evolution might give even more insight into best practices.
Most examinations of prehistoric climate change deal with average global temperatures, which can explain overall worldwide trends in climate, but when we’re talking about human evolution – that is, on the changes in the human organism that resulted from immediate, localized environmental pressures – knowing the mean global average doesn’t tell us much. To understand how seasonality affected our development, we need to look beyond the global trends. We need to look at specific climate conditions.

The seasons change in many ways. There’s the obvious one – winter to spring to summer to fall – but how that inter-seasonal transition plays out depends on the overall climatic conditions of the environment. That is, winter has meant different things in different regions and at different times in history. Some places, winter is cold and dry, others warm and wet. Seasonality depends heavily on climate.
Okay, so let’s take a look at our data. We’ve got a glacial period lasting 111,000 years, or half the time modern humans have been around (the last half). Throughout this glacial period, common geological features in the north included glaciers, huge sheets of continental ice, changing warm/cold seasons, and arid conditions, all of which make vegetation seasonal and life fairly difficult.
Man grew up in the tropics. Yeah, there are subtropics and neotropics and whatever other distinctions you want to make, but the bulk of our evolution took place in tropical Eastern Africa, where and when it was warm. We also came of age during a glacial period that only just (11,000 years ago) ended. That glacial period was part of a larger ice age that began around 2 to 3 million years ago. We’re still in an ice age, technically, though popular parlance gets “ice age” and “glaciation” mixed up. An ice age is composed of glacial and interglacial periods. Today, we’re in the middle of an interglacial period.
That last glacial period (what we generally refer to as “the ice age,” incorrectly so) began around 111,000 years ago and lasted 100,000 more. Modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) have been around for 200,000 years – that’s us. So, about half our time on Earth has been spent dealing with a glacial period. What’s involved in a glacial period, you might be wondering? Well, popular notions of glacial periods include barren tundra, steadily encroaching ice sheets, unstoppable glaciers (hence “glaciation”), hairy men (and women, I suppose) in animal pelts, seasonal vegetation, and wild game with massive stores of saturated back fat. For the northern latitudes, this is pretty accurate imagery. Canada and the northern United States were completely covered by ice. The Scandinavian ice sheet spanned the British Isles, Germany, Poland, Russia, and western Siberia. The Himalayas, Caucasus, and Alps experienced considerable glaciation. Glaciers reached Taiwan, the Japanese Alps, as well as the mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Ethiopia. The hominids living in the affected areas, then, probably embodied the classic “caveman” lifestyle (the ones who survived, that is).
Sixty thousand years ago, when Europe was icy and forbidding, modern humans weren’t there. Neanderthals were, though, and they were undoubtedly made for the region. Bulky, robust, heavy set, muscular, with pronounced brow ridges – these guys were your archetypal cavemen. But they were not modern humans. When we finally did head northward out of Africa into Europe, around 40,000 years ago, we actually displaced the extant Neanderthals. We mingled and interacted with them along the way, and we may have even interbred with them, but we are not Neanderthals. Those early Europeans were still Africans, genetically, as the famous Hofmeyr Skull showed.
So, what does seasonal, evolutionary eating actually mean? To whom do we look for ultimate guidance?
In the Primal community, there’s a tendency to hone in on the European hunter-gatherer experience for guidance in all things dietary. The big-game hunting, cave-painting Cro-Magnon is the first thing that comes to mind for most of us. That’s fine, to a point, but not when it means excluding from consideration of other hunter-gatherer populations living in completely different climates. We have to take it all in. It’s all relevant. They’re all humans.
If it’s human, it’s relevant, and we have to pay attention.
East Africa, the predominant site of human evolution, experienced the seasons as wet and dry, rather than hot and cold. It was always warm. There wasn’t widespread glaciation, except in the mountains. There were no African ice sheets. Glacial periods affected African climate, sure, but not by creating a winter wonderland. Glacial periods manifested as droughts and in the development of arid deserts and grasslands. Vegetation and game were available. Now, drought and desert undoubtedly altered the scope of human evolution by heavily impacting the humans (our ancestors) living there; it’s just a mistake to assume glacial periods meant fur coats and holing up in caves for the winter for everyone worldwide.
Put another way, when eating seasonally, do we eat according to the seasonal patterns experienced by our East African ancestors or our European/North American/Australian/Asian ancestors? Do we look to the past as a road map, or do we merely eat what’s in season at local farmers’ markets?
I’m not sure, but I’ll venture the safest guess I can muster.
All of the above. Everything matters. One thing is for certain, though: we’ve all got that African Homo sapiens sapiens blood running through our veins. Each of us – irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, or recent ancestry – has several hundred thousand years of tropical evolution to account for. That’s when we developed our taste for animal flesh and our big beautiful brains. But we’re adaptable creatures, us humans. We can thrive on different diets with different macronutrient ratios.
As long as you stick with the basics and avoid those foods that weren’t available, regardless of season, stuff like refined sugar, vegetable oils, grains, and legumes, everything else is just fudging with the margins. Keep one eye on the tropics and another on the Paleolithic climatic region of your choice. Could a descendent of Northern Europeans, a regular Norseman, thrive on a tropical diet of fish, coconuts, pork, and yams? I bet he could. Could a Native American grow old and strong on the modern Primal hybrid eating plan of Big Ass Salads, omelets, and crock pot recipes? Sure, why not.
Seasonality shouldn’t be limiting. The fact that our ancestors evolved with perennial warmth and were still able to thrive in regions with actual seasons means we can handle just about anything. It means we can eat according to any season as long as we remember the basic nutritional laws that bind us all together, rules that were initially written in the tropics and then expanded upon in myriad other climates, seasons, and regions.


SWOD:
Find your 5RM on Dead Lift 370# pr
Find your 1RM on OHS 215# pr

Wod 1:
10 rounds for time: 5 x Burpees, 10 x dead lift (225#), 15 x push-ups 15:50
Did a few sets of Du's this morning as well.. came of the rower 1:36(500m), and then knocked out 100du's in a little over a minute.  Then worked on snatch balance for a little bit, did 165x2 pr  Then I did one more set of 100 Du's and completed that in roughly a minute as well.  

Today was a good day!

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Back to Reality

Beach Swagger

 

 

 

S.F. to Hold the Meat on Mondays

By ClimateBiz Staff

Published April 07, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution (PDF) this week declaring each Monday "Veg Day."

The resolution will "encourage restaurants, grocery stores and schools to offer a greater variety of plant-based options to improve the health of San Francisco residents and visitors, and to increase the awareness of the impact a Green Diet would be on our planet."

The Meat-Free Mondays resolution doesn't offer much bite, however, since it is nonbinding and doesn't allow for enforcement.

In the resolution, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell pointed to other regions that have recognized the virtues of eschewing meat. In July, the city of Ghent, Belgium established a VegDay to be held every week of the year. The city of Takoma Park, Maryland, adopted a whole meat-free week in 2009 near Earth Day, a tradition that will live on again this year when Takoma Park Veg Week takes place April 24-30.

In October, the Baltimore Public School District also adopted a Meatless Monday menu for its 80,000 students.
The developments follow remarks in late 2008 from Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggesting that omitting meat from the diet for a day would allow individuals to do their part to address climate change, since livestock is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. The movement gained some star power in June when Paul McCartney threw his support behind the cause, starting a campaign to get consumers to ditch their carnivorous ways for a day and even writing a song about it.

In the U.S., the Meatless Monday initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, aims to cut meat consumption by 15 percent for health and environmental reasons. Some of those who have taken action include Simon Cowell, Gwyneth Paltrow and Martha Stewart’s body + soul magazine.

Another resolution passed this week by the S.F. supes praises local businesses that only use cage-free eggs.

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/04/07/sf-hold-meat-mondays#ixzz0kyxDBFuB

 

At The House:

500M row

150 Du

50 burpees

 

 

WOD #1: (i'm doing this as my warmup)
'Nasty Girls'
3rds
50 squats
7mu
10 HPC @ 135#


WOD #2:
'Strung-Out, Backwards, and Upside Down Fran'
1200m run
9 pullups chest to bar
9 thrusters @95#
800m run
15 pullups chest to bar
15 thrusters @ 95#
400m run
21 pullups chest to bar
21 thrusters @ 95#

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Miami

I will be out of pocket til Sunday.....The wife and I are going to Miami to celebrate her 35th birthday!  see you when we get back!

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Human Body Bounces Back

DWOD 1:  8min
For time:
Row 500 meters
150 Double-unders
50 Burpees

Savannah Grace at her Easter Party 2010

WaRmUp:  12min
50 burpees, on the min do 3 Power Cleans (135#)
100 box jumps (30" box), on the minute do 3 Dead lift(135#)
150 situps on the minute do 3 clapping push-ups
 
DWOD 2:  19:58
21 Bench press bodyweight
21 sumo high pull with 135#
18 bench bw
18 sumo high pull 135#
15 bench bw
15 sumo 135#
12 bench bw
12 sumo 135#
9 bench bw
9 sumo 135#
6 bench bw
6 sumo 135#
3 bench bw
3 sumo 135#

Blood Vessels Bounce Back Once Smokers Quit

Quickly leads to reduced risk of heart trouble, study finds

(HealthDay News) -- Blood vessel function rapidly recuperates after smokers kick the habit, leading to a reduced risk of heart disease and heart attack, new research shows.

The study included more than 1,500 people taking part in a clinical trial to help them quit smoking. Before and one year after the participants stopped smoking, doctors used ultrasound to measure the patients' flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a gauge of the health of the brachial artery, the main artery of the upper arm.

The ability of the brachial artery to relax is closely related to the ability of the heart arteries to relax, and predicts risk for future heart and blood vessel disease, explained the University of Wisconsin researchers.

They compared the FMD readings from patients who successfully quit with those who quit and then resumed smoking.

"Individuals who quit smoking had improved blood vessel function, even though they gained weight, which is a common side effect of smoking cessation," study author Dr. James Stein, an associate professor of medicine at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said in a university news release. "This confirms that quitting smoking is good for your blood vessels and reduces risk for heart attacks and cardiovascular disease."

FMD improved by as much as 1 percent among patients who had quit smoking for a full year. That's a significant improvement, according to Stein.

"It's statistically significant, but more important, it's also clinically relevant," he said. "A 1 percent change in FMD is associated with an approximately 14 percent lower rate of cardiovascular disease events. That means patients who permanently quit smoking are less likely to have a heart attack and heart disease."

The study was presented this week at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in Atlanta and published simultaneously in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Cardiovascular disease is the cause of about one-third of smoking-related premature deaths in the United States. 

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about smoking and your heart.
-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: University of Wisconsin, news release, March 15, 2010

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The Real Deal...

KFC's Bacon Sandwich On Fried Chicken "Bread" Starts Killing People Nationwide April 12

By Chris Morran on April 2, 2010 12:26 PM 0 views

Last August, we wrote about the "Double Down," a mysteriously tempting (and potentialy lethal) new food item being tested by KFC. For those coming late to the story, it's bacon and cheese sandwiched between two pieces of fried chicken. And now, many months later, I'll finally be able to get my hands on one.
KFC announced the decision to go live with the Double Down yesterday, but we weren't sure they weren't playing a April Fools gag. But no, they truly are going nationwide with the delicacy on April 12.
The sandwich will be available in two forms. The Original Recipe sandwich will set you back about 540 calories, 32g of fat and 1380mg of sodium. The not-as-bad-for-you Grilled Double Down totals 460 calories, 23g of fat and 1430mg of sodium.

Are Kidding Me!

DWOD 1:  183 reps

3 Minutes Max Box Jump (24/20 inch)
1 Minute Rest
3 Minutes Pull-ups
1 Minute Rest
3 Minutes Thrusters (M:115#, W:83#)

Score = Total reps for all 3 exercises

4hr Break

DWOD 2:  6:42?
3 Rds
4 HSPU
8 315# DL
12 Burpee Box Jump Over 24"


Rest as much time as you need...


15 Minute Amrap:  7rds -12min
5 Dead Lift 315#
10 Toes to Bar

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The Way of The Cross

I'm still feeling the effects of this WOD....  it hurts to sit down, bend over, squat, what else.....    I will not do this WOD again....  at least not until next Easter, unless JT or whomever comes up with something else worthy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Today I'm fasting on lemon water and superfoods, and reflecting on the weekend that was.  

My Wod:

Complete 10 rounds of: 2Pood KB, made it through 4rds....left shoulder started giving me issues.  5-10 used a 1.5pood.  took 7mins 40seconds  5 drops.  felt good to move the body through a workout.  should be at full strength by tomorrow.

One rounds consists of the following:

One Arm DB Power Clean Right
One Arm DB Front Squat Right
One Arm DB Push Press Right
One Arm DB Front Squat Right
One Arm DB Push Press Right
then switch hands....
One Arm DB Power Clean Left
One Arm DB Front Squat Left
One Arm DB Push Press Left
One Arm DB Front Squat Left
One Arm DB Push Press Left

*Do Not Drop The Weight. Do Not Set It Down.

*If weight is dropped, count number of drops and perform an equal amount of burpees as a penalty.

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This is No Time to Be Frail!

My Wod Today.....  ReSt!  Enjoy family time, go to the State Capital for an Easter Party for Savannah's school, and then watch the Final Four.  today will be a good day!

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Jesus WOD

  

“Yes I am with you always, until the very end of time” Jesus Christ

Jesus WOD (The Way of the Cross)

14 Rounds for time
95lbs Barbell
10 Deadlifts
10 Squat cleans
10 Push Press

50 ft of Walking Lunges with barbell on back. Walk back to start
point. At no point does the barbell touch the ground until after rounds 3, 7
and 9.

After Round Three Seven and Nine, 7 Turkish Get Ups 1.5 Pood (53-55#)
(seven is the number of completion)

The WOD represents 14 stations of the Cross with the three time Jesus
fell to the ground.

The WOD should be done Friday at three O clock for the
time Jesus passed on the Cross. 
58:38

A great job by everyone who took on the challenge of doing the Jesus WoD.  i want to say that I was impressed most by my wife...  It has been a difficult year physically for her with one injury after another, and because of the injuries she has been limited in her training.  So to take on the Jesus WOD and complete it in the time she did (sub 60minutes), all I can say is watch out!  well done babe, come Games 2010, it will be a treat to see her compete again at a high level.... yesterday was just a little glimpse to what you should expect to see in Aromas.

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Top 10 Training Myths

Skill Work and Trigger Point Therapy today.....The Way of the Cross tomorrow.

by Joe DeFranco
This article originally appeared on www.T-nation.com

Nothin' but the Truth!
During your time in the gym, you’ve probably noticed that the same training questions are discussed amongst athletes and fitness buffs day in and day out. You know the questions I’m talking about: "What exercises will shape and tone my muscles because I don’t want to get too bulky?" And let’s not forget this classic: "How do I get a better peak on my biceps?"
The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, these questions are usually answered by one of the gym’s under-certified personal trainers, or worse yet, the local gym legend. The gym legend is the guy whose arms are twice the size of his thighs, he’s been on the same routine for the past ten years, and his physique hasn’t changed since the first day he lifted a weight. Oh yeah, he still lives at home with his mommy. (Hopefully, you sense my sarcasm.)
The popular answers given to these questions by the self-proclaimed experts have created gym myths that are older than your grandmother’s wedding dress. These myths have been around for so long they’ve actually been accepted as truth. Below I've exposed ten of the most popular training myths and I’ve revealed the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
After reading my list, do yourself and your gym a favor: print out a copy of this article and discreetly leave it lying around your gym. Maybe, just maybe, one of the members or trainers will pick it up, read it and learn something. Hopefully, it'll help them to open up their minds and they'll finally learn the truth. This will make your gym a much happier (and more productive) place to train.
Let’s get to it!

The Top Ten Training Myths

Myth #10: Preacher curls work the lower biceps.
First of all, there's no such thing as a "lower" biceps. It’s impossible to contract the lower portion of your biceps without recruiting any other portions.
Still not convinced? Well, you might be thinking that whenever you complete a tough set of preacher curls, you get a pump in your biceps just above the bend in your elbow. After all, it’s your "lower" biceps which creates your biceps "peak," isn’t it?
Okay, here’s the deal. The prime movers in the preacher curl are your biceps brachii and the brachialis. The biceps brachii consists of a long and short head and it crosses over two joints (your shoulder and elbow). On the other hand, the brachialis only crosses over one joint (the elbow) and it lies underneath the biceps brachii. It originates on the middle of your humerus and inserts on the radius.
When performing a preacher curl, your upper arms are placed in front of your upper body (shoulder flexion). For a muscle to be fully activated, it must be stretched at both ends. Since the biceps brachii attaches to the shoulder, it can’t be fully activated because the angle of the preacher bench places the shoulders in flexion. This places a large portion of the load on the short head of the biceps brachii and the brachialis.
Remember that the brachialis lies underneath the biceps brachii and it originates lower on the upper arm. When the brachialis gets "pumped," it pushes the bottom of the biceps brachii forward, creating what appears to be a "lower biceps."

Myth #9: Basketball and baseball players shouldn’t lift weights because it'll make them tight. This will ruin a basketball player’s ability to shoot and a baseball player’s ability to hit and throw.
It amazes me that this myth is still around. After all, check out the success of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neil, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, just to name a few. Did the added muscle on their frames ruin their careers? I don’t think so!
First of all, we must not forget that research has shown that full range resistance training is still one of the best ways to develop functional flexibility. A properly designed strength training program, in conjunction with playing your sport, is the best way to make your strength and flexibility gains "sport-specific."
In other words, one of the reasons that Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman, can’t shoot a basketball like an NBA star is because he doesn’t play basketball as much as they do! It’s that simple.
Let’s also not forget about injury prevention. Basketball is a much more physical game than it used to be. And although baseball isn’t considered a "physical" sport, it's one of the most stressful sports on your shoulders and lumbar spine. Strength training is imperative to staying healthy and overcoming the muscular imbalances created by playing these sports.
Finally, hitting a baseball, stealing second base and jumping up for a rebound are some of the most explosive activities in all of sports. Without a strong and powerful lower body, you'll never reach your full potential in these activities.

Has lifting weights ruined Barry’s swing?

In short, baseball and basketball players can and should lift weights!

Myth #8: Activating the transverse abdominis (pulling the stomach inward) is the key to stabilizing your spine when squatting.
This is one of the most hotly debated topics among strength coaches and physical therapists. Personally, I feel that "pulling in your belly" is potentially dangerous when squatting.
When you pull your belly inward, it tends to flex the spine, a.k.a. round your back. This is the last thing you want to happen when you have a heavy weight on your back! After all, unsupported spinal flexion under a compressive load is one of the most common causes of disk herniation. Unless you want to herniate a disk while doing a nosedive onto the floor, I'd advise against pulling in your stomach while squatting.
The correct technique would be to contract your erector spinae (arch your back) and fill your stomach with air by taking a huge breath. Then, hold your breath while forcefully pushing your belly out during the most strenuous phase of the lift (Valsalva maneuver). This technique will not only stabilize your spine by increasing the intra-abdominal pressure, it'll enable you to squat more weight!
Remember that both techniques of stabilizing your spine have their place in training. For example, I feel that learning how to activate your transverse abdominis is a valid and valuable technique during the lifting of lighter loads. It’s also very important for lower-back rehabilitation.
On the other hand, if you’re participating in heavy strength training, I'd highly recommend performing the technique I described above. Remember, attempting a max squat is a lot different than teaching an abdominal crunch to someone who just had back surgery.
Note: Even after this article gets printed, I’m sure this myth won't go away. I just have one request to all of the physical therapists and rehab specialists who'll choose to debate me regarding this topic. I don’t care how many books you’ve read or how many college degrees you have, if you’ve never had a heavy weight on your back, you’re not qualified to argue this topic!
I’ve always found it funny that all of the people who preach pulling in your belly during heavy lifting can’t even squat off the toilet with a newspaper. Practice before you preach!

Is this man tucking in his tummy?

Myth #7: It’s important to build an aerobic base of conditioning before getting into more intense anaerobic work.
There's no physiological basis for this statement. Having an aerobic base doesn’t help you perform or recover from anaerobic work. Think about this, do you think a marathon runner would be able to withstand the demands of an intense football game? On the other hand, do you think that one of the NFL’s superstars would be able to complete a marathon?
Of course not! This is because the physiological demands of both sports have about as much in common as Howard Stern and Kathie Lee Gifford. Yet athletes who participate in anaerobic sports still tend to associate getting in shape with long, slow, distance training. Nothing can be further from the truth.
A more productive alternative to jogging or cycling a couple of miles would be to perform multiple anaerobic activities with short rest intervals over a prolonged period of time. For example, performing a GPP (general physical preparedness) workout that consists of bodyweight calisthenics (jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, squat thrusts, etc.), movement skills (power skipping, side shuffling, backpedaling, etc.) and mobility drills, is far superior to linear, slow, long-distance running.
By performing exercises that challenge an athlete’s relative strength, balance and coordination in a continuous fashion, we’re able to improve their endurance without the loss in muscle mass, strength and speed that’s associated with the slow distance method.

  
Why would the man on the left want to train like the man on the right?

Myth #6: Athletes shouldn’t bench press because it’s not "sport specific."
I always find it funny that the bench press is singled out as the one exercise that isn’t sport specific. I have a secret for you: No exercise is sport specific! Playing your sport makes the strength that you gain in the weightroom sport specific!
Don’t get me wrong, certain exercises are more productive than others. But, remember that it’s impossible to duplicate the speed, intensity and technique of the athletic field in the weightroom. Therefore, no exercise you perform in the weightroom can be classified as a sport specific exercise.
The bottom line is that the bench press is a great, multi-joint, free-weight exercise for developing strength in the chest, triceps and shoulders. What’s wrong with that? I’m not saying that the bench press is the most important exercise in the world, but it can be effectively incorporated into the training routine of most athletes.

Myth #5: Women should focus on performing aerobic activities because weight training will give them a "manly" appearance.
This myth just won’t go away, mainly because of bodybuilding magazines. People associate females who strength-train with the female bodybuilders pictured in bodybuilding magazines. Professional female bodybuilders usually resemble men because of the massive amount of anabolic, androgenic drugs they consume.
However, these "females" shouldn't be confused with drug-free women who incorporate resistance training into their fitness programs. The next time that this topic comes up, remember the following facts:
1) Much of the difference in muscle mass between males and females is attributed to hormones, specifically, Testosterone. On average, men produce ten times more Testosterone than females. Unless you’re a female who's taking anabolic steroids or other male hormones, lifting weights will not make you look like a man! It’s actually harder for most females to build muscle compared to their male counterparts.
2) There's also a difference in muscle mass distribution between men and women, especially in the upper body. If you do build a significant amount of muscle, you still won't look masculine.
So, it's important to remember that male hormones and muscle mass distribution are the two main reasons that men usually carry more muscle than woman. Ladies, get in the weightroom!

Do these female athletes look too manly?

Myth #4: Olympic lifts are the only way to get explosive.
Most people say they perform the Olympic lifts because they're "explosive." The truth of the matter is that any lift can be explosive! By incorporating the dynamic-effort method with sub-maximal weights into your program, you can turn any lift into an "explosive" lift.
For example, if a man who can box squat 500 pounds were to train with 275 and focus on accelerating the weight, the box squat would then become an "explosive" lift. This example can hold true for many other exercises as well. By training with weights that represent 50-60% of your 1RM in a given lift, science has proven that the weight is heavy enough to produce adequate force, yet light enough to produce adequate speed. And we should all know that speed times strength = power.
Another reason I feel the Olympic lifts are overrated is that they take a long time to teach and most athletes are horrible at them. After all, Olympic lifting is a sport in and of itself! Olympic weightlifters spend their entire lives practicing these lifts and some of these athletes still never perfect them!
The reason that most non-Olympic weightlifters aren’t great at the Olympic lifts is usually because they aren’t strong enough in the right places. After assessing an athlete’s power clean or power snatch form, I usually conclude that their technique flaws are due to a lack of hamstring, glute and low back strength. This assessment usually means that I end up prescribing more deadlift variations, reverse hyperextensions, glute-ham raises, pull-throughs, etc.
This is called the training economy. Getting stronger in the deadlift, reverse hyperextension and glute-ham raise will improve your power clean, but it doesn’t work the other way around. Basically, I choose the exercises that give my athletes the best "bang for their buck." Another benefit of my "economical" exercises is that they're much less stressful on the wrists, elbows and shoulders compared to the Olympic lifts.

Myth #3: The best indicators of a good workout are how tired you are after the workout and how sore you are the next day.
This is a myth my most dedicated athletes still have a tough time dismissing. Most hard-working individuals equate a good workout with being exhausted and sore. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had athletes say, "You didn’t even make me puke" after a workout. My response is usually, "I didn’t make you puke because I didn’t want to make you puke. Making you puke would be easy. Getting you stronger, faster and more flexible actually takes some work."
Puking is one of the most catabolic things you can do to your body. If your goals are increased muscular strength and/or muscular hypertrophy, you should do everything possible not to puke during your training!
Fatigue is another popular indicator people use to rate the productivity of their workouts. Remember that the goal of your training session should dictate how you feel after your workout. For example, if you’re going to perform a plyometric workout with the goal of improving your vertical jump, you shouldn’t be exhausted after the workout.
Actually, a properly designed plyometric workout should stimulate your neuromuscular system and you should feel better than when you started the workout. On the other hand, it’s good to be exhausted after a tough practice that was designed to get you in "game shape" for your given sport.
Finally, I’ve never read any research that links post-exercise soreness to strength gains, hypertrophy gains or improved athletic performance. Who the hell wants to be sore anyway? Think of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as an unfortunate side effect of training, not a goal of training.
Remember that it’s easy for a coach to make an athlete tired, but it takes a true professional to get an athlete stronger, faster, more flexible and better conditioned.

Myth #2: Strength training will stunt the growth of children.
It still amazes me that parents won’t hesitate to get their young children (6-7 years old) involved in sports such as football, gymnastics, basketball and soccer, yet they feel that participating in a strength-training program is damaging to their children’s bone health and will stunt their growth. Nothing can be further from the truth.
The fact of the matter is that running, jumping and tackling can create loading on a child’s body which is up to ten times greater than most strength training exercises. In other words, the physical demands on a child’s body are far greater on the athletic field compared to the weightroom. Parents who don’t let their children participate in resistance training are actually increasing their children’s risk for injury on the athletic field.
There have even been position stands by such organizations as the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that children can benefit from participation in a properly designed and supervised resistance training program. Position stands recommend that prepubescent children shouldn't lift maximal weights; they should lift weights that can be lifted for at least six repetitions with proper form.
Strength training in this manner can be the most potent exercise stimulus for bone growth and development. In fact, research has shown that young weightlifters have greater bone densities than individuals who don't lift. Thus, the positive benefits of resistance training for bone health, injury prevention and improved athletic performance are far greater than the risks.

Myth #1: Lifting light weights for high reps will "shape and tone" your muscles.
This is the grand daddy of all training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilate’s community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus!
Here are the facts. The main difference between a "lean and toned" physique and a "bulky" physique is the amount of body fat that surrounds your muscles! Basically, the "lean and toned" look that most people desire is a result of having muscle that isn’t hidden under layers of fat. And let’s not forget that the best way to build muscle is through strength training.
Generally speaking, this means challenging yourself with moderately heavy weights in the 6 to 15 rep range. It doesn’t mean using an insignificant resistance for a countless number of reps. This will do little to change your appearance. Remember, it’s the muscle on your frame which gives you your shape. Muscle also increases your metabolism which helps your body burn extra calories throughout the day.

Conclusion
There's simply no need for these myths to be perpetuated in today's information age. Do your part and help T-Nation get rid of them!

About the Author
Joe DeFranco's training techniques have become a hot topic worldwide. This didn't happen by accident. The training programs Joe develops and the athletes he produces speak for themselves. You can learn more about Joe, his athletes, and his techniques at DeFrancosTraining.com.

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