Don’t go like this: the thumbless bench press
I’ve never figured out why anyone would do the lift this way, but apparently some folks think it’s a good idea to rest a heavily loaded bar on tiny rounded platforms hovering over their heads without at least some minor gesture towards preventing its escape (i.e. their thumbs). Behold, Why You Should Not Use a Thumbless Grip On The Bench Press.
Why Your Excuses Are Crap: St. Patrick’s Day
I’d like to begin an occasional series called Why Your Excuses are Crap. This series will interrogate the foundational arguments upon which your ego defenses regarding nutrition and physical activity are predicated, identifying the factual inaccuracies and logical fallacies therein. In other words, why you are often full of shit and extremely inventive when it comes to putting obstacles in your own way.
Today’s instalment of WYEAC concerns holiday eating.
Lazy link collection March 17, 2009
Too lazy to split these little tidbits up into separate posts, so here’s what’s been cluttering up my browser tabs lately.
Sweating the soft stuff
Hot on the heels of my Pathology on Parade post comes a delightful antidote: Sweating the Soft Stuff, from Rannoch Donnald across the pond…
Pathology on parade
A new essay from Exuberant Animal takes on the “physique-industrial” complex and skewers the bejeezus out of it with savage, toothsome brilliance.
Get in touch with your inner fat
Pursuant to a discussion elsewhere on the site about fitness and fatness, this article provides a useful explanation of the distinction between subcutaneous (ie. under the skin) and visceral (ie. around internal organs) fat. Are you a Tofi?
Get in mah belleh!
Fun link from Ninja M, The Belly Project. Documents women’s tummies, most after pregnancies. This one gives me a warm fuzzy. Guess what, your belly is probably pretty normal.
Female powerlifter sets record
Jennifer Thompson, a 130-lb powerlifter, set a new record with her 286 lb bench press at a recent IPF Titan Bench Bash…
Are young athletes too focused?
A recent column considers the question of early specialization among young athletes. It argues, in part: “The problem isn’t with trying to identify potential blue-chip athletes at an early age. It’s the pressure of one-sport specialization that eliminates too many kids’ multisport experiences and creates false expectations of superstardom in those who do get into the game…
NSAIDs and stomach damage
Many active folks have little ouchies from time to time. Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories is the most commonly prescribed athletic trifecta. But be cautious: NSAID, or non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are not harmless. Indeed, they often come with quite significant side effects, particularly to the gastrointestinal tract. An overview from Johns Hopkins describes some of the problems…