This is a sample of some power cleans that I was doing last week as part of my training. The first video is probably the best technique of the two, but the second one looks like it was a little easier. What's the difference between the two? Look at the shoulder position before the initiation of the lift. In the first video, my shoulders are covering the bar and my hips are in a slightly higher position. This is a good thing. You want your shoulders covering the bar and the hips slightly elevated. This allows the best transfer of energy from your legs, through your torso and your upper body and into the bar.
The power clean is all about efficiency of energy transfer. Think of the body as a complex mechanical system such as a car drive train. Compare your body to the cars drive-train. Your legs are the engine and your hands are the tires. Everything in between is the clutch, transmission, drive shaft, differential, and axles. If any link between the back of the engine (where the clutch transfers energy to the transmission, your core) and the tires are loose or slack, then the engine has to work extra hard to transfer all of its energy to the tires. The more sloppy the drive train, the more parasitic power loss. This parasitic power loss is essentially the energy lost in rotating heavy parts, loose connections, and high friction areas of energy transfer (i.e. bearings). Any inefficiencies in one of the areas and you end up with less power at the wheels than you have at the drive shaft. That's also why companies, when marketing their new super-car, tell you the engines "brake" horsepower. This is because there is usually a considerable difference between brake horsepower (at the flywheel) and wheel horsepower; up to 30% or more in shitty or older cars. This is one big difference between your honda civic and a corvette (aside from the massive engine), the corvette is a much more efficient car at transferring energy from the engine to the wheels. This also happens to be the case with superior athletes. There are plenty of people with really strong legs, most of us just can't get that strength and power to hook, if you know what I mean.
So how do you make your clean technique revved up like the corvette? Before the bar moves you must set your core, pull your head into a neutral position (this one is debatable), elbow's out and straight, wrists curled, and activate all of the muscles you can that will be moving the bar. All this has to happen BEFORE the bar moves. It comes down to the theory that muscles can produce more power, or strength, earlier in a contraction if they are pre-activated. That means that you have to think of lifting the bar off of the floor without moving it yet. Try to push the floor out from underneath you without picking up the bar yet.
Think of it this way, grab a rubber band and a moderately heavy weight that the rubber band can support. Wrap the rubber band around the weight so you can pick it up with the band. Try two different timed pick-ups of the weight. With the first one, just let the weight rest on the table or ground and pull the band taught, but not stretched. Now, time it and see how long it takes for the weight to lose contact with the floor. Now try the same thing, except this time stretch the rubber band as far as you can before the weight comes off the floor. Stop. Now time how long it takes for the weight to come up off of the floor. See the difference?
Here is what is happening. When you pre-activate your muscles, you are essentially taking up some of that slack that exists in your musculoskeletal complexes, this is sometimes referred to as "Active Tension". This makes energy transfer much more energy efficient. Not only that, but you are also pre-activating large motor-neurons that would normally take a few milliseconds to activate, costing you a great deal of efficiency. This comes back to the size principle. Your body is smarter than you are, it turns out, and it will only use as many motor-units it need to to move that weight. So if you pre-activate, you're already part of the way there. This isometric contraction that occurs just milliseconds before you move the bar also helps increase your muscle tone and motor-unit synchronization, all factors that will allow you to be more efficient at moving that bar.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Greek Yogurt Goodness for that Late-Night Craving
We all know that its tough to resist those cravings late at night when we're watching TV and seeing all those adds for all those sweets and other foods that we know we shouldn't be eating. Especially late at night right before we go to bed. The following recipe is a healthy alternative to the prepackaged ice cream that is much healthier for you and, in my opinion, much better tasting. This is a food that will be delicious and will also leave you felling better than you did before you ate it, rather than feeling fat and bloated like we do after eating a big bowl of ice cream.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (don't get the stuff that's got fruit in it already, too much sugar!)
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened fruit (blueberries are my preference)
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp ground flax seed
1 bowl
1 spoon
1 happy smile after you taste this delicious dish
Instructions
After you get all your awesome ingredients together, mix them up in the bowl while the fruit is still frozen (this is the essential part to make it an "ice cream"). Make sure you enjoy it right away because the frozen fruit won't be frozen for long. Enjoy.
Here's the best part of all this mess. The yogurt gives you all kinds of great protein, tons of healthy enzymes for digestion, and a delicious texture that's just like ice cream when you mix in the frozen fruit. The blueberries will help get you closer to your daily required serving of fruit, fiber, and antioxidants. The walnuts will get you some great omega-3 fats, and so will the flax seed adding additional fiber. Not only is this delicious, but its chock-full of great things we could all use a little more of.
Ingredients
1 bowl
1 spoon
1 happy smile after you taste this delicious dish
Instructions
After you get all your awesome ingredients together, mix them up in the bowl while the fruit is still frozen (this is the essential part to make it an "ice cream"). Make sure you enjoy it right away because the frozen fruit won't be frozen for long. Enjoy.
Here's the best part of all this mess. The yogurt gives you all kinds of great protein, tons of healthy enzymes for digestion, and a delicious texture that's just like ice cream when you mix in the frozen fruit. The blueberries will help get you closer to your daily required serving of fruit, fiber, and antioxidants. The walnuts will get you some great omega-3 fats, and so will the flax seed adding additional fiber. Not only is this delicious, but its chock-full of great things we could all use a little more of.
The New Dietary Guidlines; The "MyPlate" Guidlines and what a real diet should be.
It seems to me that its strike number 3 for the USDA's dietary guidelines for this country. You all remember the first food guide pyramid right?
How about the second one?
Now here's the third go at the dietary recommendations from our good old USDA.
What are the dietary guidelines for anyway? And why is the government telling us what we should be eating? Looking at the situation retrospectively, America is fat and lazy, for the most part. Now we can look at this from two vantage points.
Vantage point 1: Americans were lazy and fat first, then the government stepped in and said "we need to help these poor souls out and tell them how they should live 'healthier' and what they should eat."
Vantage point 2: The American government stepped in and decided that they knew better than us what we should be eating and decided to tell us about it.
Well, it all really started with a study completed by a man named Ancel Keys (who happens to have been born in the same city as myself). The study was eventually called the Seven Countries Study which looked at the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in older males aged 40-59 and the relationship to dietary cholesterol.
What this led to was a drastic widespread panic that eventually led to the first dietary guidelines from the USDA. At that time, there was already a sharp increase in the amount of cardiovascular related deaths in the U.S. and increasing rates of mortality related to obesity and Type II diabetes. In an effort to curb this, the government set those guidelines.
Although the Seven Countries Study was groundbreaking and made many crucial discoveries relating heart/vascular health to our diet and exercise habits, the over-reaction stemming from this research article led to dietary guidelines for the masses that were a drastic over-simplification of the findings.
The real issue, that has since been uncovered but with great controversy, is the correlation between the rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and the other metabolic syndrome related health problems and the increase in refined carbohydrate consumption in this country. There is plenty of research that has been done correlating the rise in sugar and refined flower with metabolic syndrome related health issues.
The true cause of the drastic increase in sugar and refined flower consumption? Well, although there are many factors involved in the increase, what it really came down to was a surplus of commodity corn coming out of the great corn belt. Something had to be done with the extremely large amounts of corn coming out of this region, and finding new ways for consumers to consume it became a lucrative game.
There are so many things that products of corn can be found in these days, its almost impossible for us to avoid them. Follow this link and you will see many, but not even all, of the ways that manufacturers have found to get us to consume this corn surplus.
If you take a look at the first dietary pyramid recommended for us by the USDA, the biggest portion of our diet (~60%) should be coming from breads, grains, and starches. This actually wouldn't be such a big deal if so many of the products that we consume in the supermarket were pure whole grains and starchy vegetables, but they aren't. They are whole grain look-a-likes that are infused with more corn products that we can really know just by looking at the ingredients list. So with all these "good grains" we're getting, we're also getting infused with tremendous amounts of corn products; basically sugar in various forms disguised as "flavor enhancing" or "freshness maintaining" ingredients. Some of the more common ones would be corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, artificial and natural sweeteners etc. The list goes on and on.
The next set of dietary guidelines does a better job than the first one, and the latest one is yet even better than that one. But the point is, is that the USDA just isn't getting it. Or maybe they do, but they know what the implications of "getting it" means the the countries agricultural system as it stands now. The explanation of that is a whole new article in itself.
What it really comes down to, is we need to stop eating processed foods that come from factories and start eating the way that our great grandparents ate. We need to stop eating according to guidelines and start eating the way that the human body was meant to eat food. For a more detailed version of what I'm getting at here, see the various books by the author Michael Pollan such as Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
What it really comes down to, is that we should eat according to cultural tradition, family tradition, and human instinct. Your body knows better than you do what you should be eating, and what you shouldn't be eating. Listen to your body and what it tells you. If you're extremely tired after eating, or you get sick, that is your body's way of telling you that what you just ate isn't the right stuff. When it comes to the average person, it isn't about calories, carbs, fat, or protein content. It's about getting whole, natural food that your body was meant to breakdown and utilize for energy. After you eat, you should be energized and feeling good, not the other way around.
Next time you go to the grocery store, try this. Everything that you put into your cart, ask yourself the following question: Would my great grandmother know that this thing is actually food? If the answer to that question is "no" or you even have to think about it for a second then you should really take a step back and ask yourself if your body was really meant to consume that food. I'm not really sure where humans got their "God Complex" from, but what in the world makes us think we can make our own food that is better for us that what God mad for us. Maybe you don't believe in God, then think of it as an evolutionary concept. Either way, humans cannot even compare to God, or millions of years of evolution.
When you shop for food follow these simple steps to a better selection of food:
1. Stay to the outsides of the supermarket and avoid the isles with a few exceptions such as cooking oils and select breads such as the Ezekiel brand breads, or salsa's and canned fish.
2. Try to shop organic for the following list of foods found here: Dirty Dozen
3. If it makes a claim to health, stay away
4. If it comes in a fancy box, stay away
5. If your great grandmother wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't either
6. If it fits into a cultural tradition, than it may be OK. Just make sure you're getting the actual traditional ingredients in your food. Supermarket frozen lasagna doesn't count as the "Italian" tradition
7. If you feel worse after you eat it, stay away.
I hope that this article is both enlightening and useful since health really is "greater than the greatest wealth".
DG
How about the second one?
Vantage point 1: Americans were lazy and fat first, then the government stepped in and said "we need to help these poor souls out and tell them how they should live 'healthier' and what they should eat."
Vantage point 2: The American government stepped in and decided that they knew better than us what we should be eating and decided to tell us about it.
Well, it all really started with a study completed by a man named Ancel Keys (who happens to have been born in the same city as myself). The study was eventually called the Seven Countries Study which looked at the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in older males aged 40-59 and the relationship to dietary cholesterol.
What this led to was a drastic widespread panic that eventually led to the first dietary guidelines from the USDA. At that time, there was already a sharp increase in the amount of cardiovascular related deaths in the U.S. and increasing rates of mortality related to obesity and Type II diabetes. In an effort to curb this, the government set those guidelines.
Although the Seven Countries Study was groundbreaking and made many crucial discoveries relating heart/vascular health to our diet and exercise habits, the over-reaction stemming from this research article led to dietary guidelines for the masses that were a drastic over-simplification of the findings.
The real issue, that has since been uncovered but with great controversy, is the correlation between the rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and the other metabolic syndrome related health problems and the increase in refined carbohydrate consumption in this country. There is plenty of research that has been done correlating the rise in sugar and refined flower with metabolic syndrome related health issues.
The true cause of the drastic increase in sugar and refined flower consumption? Well, although there are many factors involved in the increase, what it really came down to was a surplus of commodity corn coming out of the great corn belt. Something had to be done with the extremely large amounts of corn coming out of this region, and finding new ways for consumers to consume it became a lucrative game.
There are so many things that products of corn can be found in these days, its almost impossible for us to avoid them. Follow this link and you will see many, but not even all, of the ways that manufacturers have found to get us to consume this corn surplus.
If you take a look at the first dietary pyramid recommended for us by the USDA, the biggest portion of our diet (~60%) should be coming from breads, grains, and starches. This actually wouldn't be such a big deal if so many of the products that we consume in the supermarket were pure whole grains and starchy vegetables, but they aren't. They are whole grain look-a-likes that are infused with more corn products that we can really know just by looking at the ingredients list. So with all these "good grains" we're getting, we're also getting infused with tremendous amounts of corn products; basically sugar in various forms disguised as "flavor enhancing" or "freshness maintaining" ingredients. Some of the more common ones would be corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, artificial and natural sweeteners etc. The list goes on and on.
The next set of dietary guidelines does a better job than the first one, and the latest one is yet even better than that one. But the point is, is that the USDA just isn't getting it. Or maybe they do, but they know what the implications of "getting it" means the the countries agricultural system as it stands now. The explanation of that is a whole new article in itself.
What it really comes down to, is we need to stop eating processed foods that come from factories and start eating the way that our great grandparents ate. We need to stop eating according to guidelines and start eating the way that the human body was meant to eat food. For a more detailed version of what I'm getting at here, see the various books by the author Michael Pollan such as Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
What it really comes down to, is that we should eat according to cultural tradition, family tradition, and human instinct. Your body knows better than you do what you should be eating, and what you shouldn't be eating. Listen to your body and what it tells you. If you're extremely tired after eating, or you get sick, that is your body's way of telling you that what you just ate isn't the right stuff. When it comes to the average person, it isn't about calories, carbs, fat, or protein content. It's about getting whole, natural food that your body was meant to breakdown and utilize for energy. After you eat, you should be energized and feeling good, not the other way around.
Next time you go to the grocery store, try this. Everything that you put into your cart, ask yourself the following question: Would my great grandmother know that this thing is actually food? If the answer to that question is "no" or you even have to think about it for a second then you should really take a step back and ask yourself if your body was really meant to consume that food. I'm not really sure where humans got their "God Complex" from, but what in the world makes us think we can make our own food that is better for us that what God mad for us. Maybe you don't believe in God, then think of it as an evolutionary concept. Either way, humans cannot even compare to God, or millions of years of evolution.
When you shop for food follow these simple steps to a better selection of food:
1. Stay to the outsides of the supermarket and avoid the isles with a few exceptions such as cooking oils and select breads such as the Ezekiel brand breads, or salsa's and canned fish.
2. Try to shop organic for the following list of foods found here: Dirty Dozen
3. If it makes a claim to health, stay away
4. If it comes in a fancy box, stay away
5. If your great grandmother wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't either
6. If it fits into a cultural tradition, than it may be OK. Just make sure you're getting the actual traditional ingredients in your food. Supermarket frozen lasagna doesn't count as the "Italian" tradition
7. If you feel worse after you eat it, stay away.
I hope that this article is both enlightening and useful since health really is "greater than the greatest wealth".
DG
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Journey from Acumen to Acuity
I'm sure I'm not the only one that his this problem. You have this great idea. A thought that you feel is the greatest thing you have ever thought of. It sounds so good to you in your own head. Then comes the let down. You just can't seem to express yourself in the manner that best serves your thought. Everyone around you looks at you like an idiot, because what you just said was a little idiotic. But it sounded so good in my head, where did I go wrong? You walk away from the situation a little dejected and confused. Damn, I thought that was going to be good.
Well, it probably was good. If you're like me, you just struggle slightly with accurately and concisely conveying your message to those around you in such a way that they understand what you really mean. So many times words come out of peoples mouths that are close to what they want to say, but not quite.
How does this relate at all to the title? Well, if you really understand the difference between to definitions of both of the words acumen and acuity it would make some sense. This really is a journey for me. Mostly because I feel that there is so much going on in my head that is grand and wonderful, it just never seems to formulate itself on my tongue and roll off quite the way that my mind envisioned it.
The definitions of acumen and acuity from dictionary.com are as follows:
Acumen: keen insight
Acuity: sharpness, acuteness, keenness
Very similar and not much difference. But the brilliant people at thesaurus.com make this clear distinction.
"acumen suggests that keenness relates to a person's mind, whereas acuity suggests that it relates to a person's performance; acumen is something that a person has, whereas acuity is something that a person displays "
I feel that this is the chasm that separates my wisdom from my expression. I believe my mind is very good, very powerful and very keen. My acuity on the other hand, at least is regards to the spoken word, sucks.
Therefore, this blog is essentially my effort at bridging the two together. Using the writing as a tool to sharpened my ability to display that which I have.
Well, it probably was good. If you're like me, you just struggle slightly with accurately and concisely conveying your message to those around you in such a way that they understand what you really mean. So many times words come out of peoples mouths that are close to what they want to say, but not quite.
How does this relate at all to the title? Well, if you really understand the difference between to definitions of both of the words acumen and acuity it would make some sense. This really is a journey for me. Mostly because I feel that there is so much going on in my head that is grand and wonderful, it just never seems to formulate itself on my tongue and roll off quite the way that my mind envisioned it.
The definitions of acumen and acuity from dictionary.com are as follows:
Acumen: keen insight
Acuity: sharpness, acuteness, keenness
Very similar and not much difference. But the brilliant people at thesaurus.com make this clear distinction.
"acumen suggests that keenness relates to a person's mind, whereas acuity suggests that it relates to a person's performance; acumen is something that a person has, whereas acuity is something that a person displays "
I feel that this is the chasm that separates my wisdom from my expression. I believe my mind is very good, very powerful and very keen. My acuity on the other hand, at least is regards to the spoken word, sucks.
Therefore, this blog is essentially my effort at bridging the two together. Using the writing as a tool to sharpened my ability to display that which I have.
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