Results matching “Bird”

No more smoking in England - at least in enclosed public places - from summer 2007. That's what MPs voted for yesterday (winning by a large majority), and it seems like an 'it's about time' move. A good one, and much needed.

Naturally, the media here has uncovered several smokers who are resistant to the ban. One smoker speaking to the BBC complained :

"What? No way, they can't do that," said one woman in a smoky west London pub shortly after MPs voted for a blanket ban.

Her two friends, both with cigarettes in hand and fag ends in an ashtray, were also aghast.

"It's people's choice to smoke. What about people who just want to relax with a smoke and a drink?" said 20-year-old Freya Eden.

A smoker for five years, she said the ban would not encourage people to stop smoking.

For starters, a 20-year-old who has been smoking for 5 years (the legal minimum age here is 16, by the way) has not witnessed the change over the past few decades or so. In the 1970s it would seem normal to see people smoking on television, and in the workplace. Both are now illegal (although some US Congressmen continue to smoke in their offices) and rarely considered. In another decade it would seem decidely odd to want to smoke in a pub.

Another couple spoken to about the ban (again by the BBC) was a man 'having a swift pint with his pregnant partner'. It would seem their views on a smoking ban - for health reasons - are somewhat misguided.

Whilst doing a little research this morning I stumbled across an old (well, October 2004) post by Kris - 'The forgotten lifts'. Appropriately - though perhaps unfortunately - I'd forgotten about the sites mentioned, all of which are worthy of a look whenever you get tired of the same lifts. Plenty of 'oldies but goodies' amongst these gems.

There's a brief piece on UK Census Info (including a few links to online sources) over on the Family History Uk site.

There's a brief piece on UK Census Info (including a few links to online sources) over on the Family History Uk site.

OK, having recently given up caffeine I'm not about to rush out and try this. However, for those of you who do drink a coffee or two prior to a workout, you may well want to give this a go. If anyone does, I'm interested in any effects (good or bad) to workout performance.

Sleep researchers at Loughborough University were looking at various ways to keep motorists awake on long journeys. The winner - perhaps somewhat surprisingly - was the 'caffeine nap'. The idea is simple: drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a brief (15-20min) nap. This helps clear the body of adenosine, a chemical commonly believed to make you drowsy.

Another blog I stumbled across this afternoon is one written by none other than Brooks Kubik (think 'Dinosaur Training' if you're not sure who this is). Some great tips in there.

This afternoon I came across another site worthy of a visit or three - the online home of Iron Sport Gym. Founded by Steve and Joe Pulcinella, this gym is the very antithesis of the 'health clubs' Kris mentioned recently.

Excellent articles, meet results, regular updates. Take a look.

Just noticed a new (well, new to me) gripper over on the Ironmind site - the unusual-sounding IMTUG. This is designed to train not only crushing grip (ala the CoC ) but also pinch grip. A chart on the site compares the strengths of the two ranges.

Anyone tried one?

The bottom, or bottom-up squat (sometimes called 'dead stop squat') is simply a squat performed starting from the lowest position. This is usually done in a power rack from pins that mean your thighs are horizontal.

How does this change things? It affects the squat in a couple of ways, which may or may not be appropriate for your training. Personally I love them. The differences :

• There's no walk-out. In this way it's like having your own monolift. Of course the walk-out itself is a very worthwhile exercise, and there's nothing stopping you from doing them separately.
• Starting from the bottom eliminates the stretch relex. There's no chance to build up elastic potential energy (thanks John) for the trip up, so you're starting cold. This can make them a little tougher, and is the main reason I like them.

Remember that the stretch reflex can be very useful at times. Bottom squats are great things, but not always appropriate. If you're training to be explosive from a dead stop (as in Olympic Lifting), they might be worth giving a go. On the other hand, if your chosen sport keeps you moving around the majority of the time, the usual varieties of top-down squats may be more beneficial. Personally, as I enjoy weight training purely for fun, I employ both bottom-up and top-down methods. It's up to you.

More information, references and other fun things to try
The picture is from Bud Jeffries' 1,000lb bottom squat. His challenge for anyone to duplicate this is ongoing.

This thread on the Go Heavy forums put me onto an article in Powerlifting USA, by Kenny Croxdale and Tom Morris. Excellent reading.

If you've stopped doing pistol squats because they're no longer challenging enough, try these. John Davies has found a way to eliminate the stretch reflex in the basic pistol, and turned it into an unholy beast.

Charles Poliquin takes a quick look at Overhead Pressing and suggests a 12 week program for its use. Having only recently tried a couple of sets myself, I personally can see a bit more overhead work going on. Unfortunately the low roof means that this will be seated only, but that's still a good start.

There were a couple of ratios mentioned in the article, and after Alberto got everyone going with the Achieving Structural Balance piece, I can see a similar thing happening here. They are :

1. The ratio between seated dumbbell overhead presses and the bench press It should be that the weight done for 8 reps on each dumbbell represents 29% of the close-grip bench press measure. In other words, a man able to close-grip bench about 220 pounds for a single would use a pair of 65's for 8 reps in the seated dumbbell overhead presses.

2. The ratio between the behind-the-neck press and the bench press The weight for a 1 RM behind-the-neck press from a seated position should represent 66% of the weight used for a 1 RM in the close-grip bench press. That load is lifted from a dead-stop position with the bar resting on the traps, not from a weight handed off in the lock-out position.

Time for a quick test.

Behind-the-neck press (seated) 10@20/44, 2@30/66

Disappointing, but not unsurprising. 30kg is certainly nowhere near 66% of my close-grip 1RM. As for the DBs, based on my recent barbell work they'd be closer, but still well under target. Looks like I've got some shoulder strengthening to do.

The stretching I've been doing lately - specifically for the shoulders - doesn't seem to have helped as much as I'd hoped; perhaps a strengthening/stretching combination will produce better results. Time will tell.