[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxxTpAedgpM]
BOOKS:
175 Tips to Improve Your Training & Quality of Life by Charles Poliquin
5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (2nd Edition) by Jim Wendler
8 Weeks to Optimium Health by Andrew Weil MD
91-Day Wonder Body by Frank Zane
Aaron Mattes’ Active Isolated Stretching by Aaron L. Mattes, Judy I. Mattes and Lance A. Mattes
ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant Manual: The Ultimate Resource for Fitness Professionals by American Council on Exercise
ACE Personal Trainer Manual: The Ultimate Resource for Fitness Professionals by the American Council on Exercise
ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (2010 Eighth Edition)
by American College of Sports Medicine
ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer by American College of Sports Medicine
Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes by Michael Boyle
Aerobics (1968) by Kenneth H. Cooper
Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists by Thomas W. Myers
Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
A Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition by Joseph Pilates and Judd Robbins
Applied Kinesiology, Revised Edition: A Training Manual and Reference Book of Basic Principles and Practices by Robert Frost Ph.D. and George J. Goodheart Jr. D.C.
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Art of the Deload by Eric Cressey
A Short Guide to a Long Life Hardcover by David B. Agus M.D.
Ask Coach Poliquin, Parts 1 & 2 by Charles Poliquin
ATG for Life by Ben Patrick
Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook
Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning by Vern Gambetta
Atlas of Anatomy by Anne Gilroy, Brian MacPherson, Lawrence Ross, and Michael Schuenke
Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill
Beast Tamer: How to Master the Ultimate Russian Kettlebell Strength Challenge by Andrew Read
Becoming a Supple Leopard (1st & 2nd Editions): The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance by Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza
Becoming Bulletproof by Tim Anderson
Becoming The Iceman by Wim Hof and Justin Rosales
Before We Go by Dan John
Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky
Bending the Aging Curve: The Complete Exercise Guide for Older Adults by Joseph Signorile
Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results – Jim Wendler
Beyond BodyBuilding by Pavel Tsatsouline
Beyond Stretching: Russian Flexibility Breakthroughs by Pavel Tstatsouline
Bigger Faster Stronger – 2nd Edition by Greg Shepard
Bill Bowerman’s High-Performance Training for Track and Field (Third Edition) by Bill Bowerman & Bill Freeman
Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality by William Evans
Body, Breath and Being: A New Guide to the Alexander Technique by Carolyn Nicholls
Body by Breath by Jill Miller
Body-Building & Self-Defense by Myles Callum
Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy by Bret Contreras
Boxing for Fitness: Safe and Fun Workouts to Get You Fighting Fit by Clinton McKenzie and Hilary Lissenden
Breathing, Movement, Exploration by Barbara Sellers-Young
Building the Body – Autographed November 2016 Commemorative Issue by Frank Zane
Building the Gymnastic Body: The Science of Gymnastics Strength Training by Christopher Sommer
Built for Show by Nate Green
Bullet-Proof Abs: 2nd Edition of Beyond Crunches by Pavel Tsatsouline, Andrea Du Cane, Robert Pearl and Derek Brigham
Burke’s Law: A New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male by Paul T. Burke
Can You Go? Assessments and Program Design for the Active Athlete and Everybody else… by Dan John
Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them by Randall J. Strossen, J.B. Kinney and Nathan Holle
Cardio Code (eBook) by Kenneth Jay
Cardio Strength Training: Torch Fat, Build Muscle, and Get Stronger Faster by Robert dos Remedios
Casa de Luz, Center for Integral Studies: Whole Food Plant Based Recipes by Casa De Luz
Challenge Yourself by Clarence Bass
Change Maker: Turn Your Passion for Health into a Powerful Purpose and a Wildly Successful Career by Dr. John Berardi
Charles Poliquin’s Modern Trends in Strength Training, 4th Edition by Charles Poliquin
Chek Marks Package, Vol. 1 and 2 by Paul Chek
Children and Sports Training: How your Future Champions Should Exercise to Be Healthy, Fit and Happy by Dr. Jozef Drabik
Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education by George Graham
Children’s Exercise Physiology by Thomas Rowland
Clubbell Training for Circular Strength: An Ancient Tool for the Modern Athlete by Scott Sonnon
Complete Krav Maga: The Ultimate Guide to Over 230 Self-Defense and Combative Techniques by Darren Levine and John Whitman
Complete Science of Wrestling by George Hackenschmidt
Complete Tai-Chi by Master Alfred Huang
Complete Triathlon Guide by USA Triathlon
Conscious Breathing by Gay Hendricks Phd
Convict Conditioning: How to Bust Free of All Weakness–Using the Lost Secrets of Supreme Survival Strength by Paul Wade
Core Performance Endurance: A New Training and Nutrition Program That Revolutionizes Your Workouts by Mark Verstegen
Core Performance Essentials: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Exercise Plan Adapted for Everyday Use by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams
Cross-Training For Sports by Gary Moran, George McGlynn
Deadlift Dynamite: How to Master the King of All Strength Exercises (Deadlift Dynamite) by Pavel Tsatsouline
Defying Gravity: How to Win at Weightlifting by Bill Starr
Designing Resistance Training Programs by Steven Fleck and William Kraemer
Designing Strength Training Programs & Facilities (both 1st & 2nd editions) by Michael Boyle
Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes by Shirley Sahrmann PT PhD FAPTA
Dinosaur Training – Lost Secrets of Strength and Development by Brooks Kubik
Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Better Whole-body Mobility by Katy Bowman and Joan Virginia Allen
Easy Strength by Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline
Easy Strength Omnibook (eBook/PDF) by Dan John
Eat Right for Your Type Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia by Peter J. D’Adamo
Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Encyclopedia of Physical Culture (Vol I-V; 1920 Edition) by Bernarr MacFadden
Endurance by Mark Twight/NonProphet
Enter The Kettlebell! Strength Secret of The Soviet Supermen by Pavel Tsatsouline
Essential Stretches (You’ll Actually Use) by John Gifford
Every Day Is Game Day: The Proven System of Elite Performance to Win All Day, Every Day by Mark Verstegen and Peter Williams
Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications (Feb 1984)
by George A. Brooks and Thomas D. Fahey
Exercise Testing And Program Design: A Fitness Professional’s Handbook by Cedric X. Bryant, Barry A. Franklin, and Jason M. Conviser
Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James F. Clapp
Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast, and High by Mark F. Twight
Fabulously Fit Forever by Frank Zane
Facts & Fallacies of Fitness by Mel C. Siff
Fight Night! The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Mixed Martial Arts by Lito Angeles
Fit by Lon Kilgore
Fit2Fat2Fit: The Unexpected Lessons from Gaining and Losing 75 lbs on Purpose by Drew Manning
Fitness Professionals’ Guide to Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement by Lawrence A. Golding and Scott M. Golding
Fit to Fight: An Insanely Effective Strength and Conditioning Program for the Ultimate MMAWarrior by Jason Ferruggia
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan
Free+Style: Maximize Sport and Life Performance with Four Basic Movements by Carl Paoli, Anthony Sherbondy and Kelly Starrett
Full-Body Flexibility by Jay Blahnik
Functional Foods, Part 1 & 2 by Nutrition Dimension
Functional Movement Screen and Corrective Techniques (5) POSTER SET by Gray Cook
Functional Training by Juan Carlos Santana
Functional Training Anatomy by Kevin Carr & Mary Kate Feit
Functional Training for Sports by Michael Boyle
Get on the Ball: Develop a Strong, Lean and Toned Body with an Exercise Ball by Lisa Westlake
Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Sports by Bill Pearl
Golf Digest September 2011 Single Issue Magazine by Golf Digest (Gray Cook article on Golf Movement Screening, etc)
Health Fitness Instructor’s Handbook by Edward T. Howley and B. Don Franks/NCSF
Heavyhands: The Ultimate Exercise by Leonard Schwartz
High Def Body by Frank Zane
High Frequency Training (HFT)-The Fastest Solution to Slow Muscle Growth by Chad Waterbury
High-Performance Sports Conditioning by Bill Foran
HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) 2017 Instructor Manual
How Not to Die by Dr . Michael Greger
How Not To Die Cookbook by Dr . Michael Greger
How Not to Diet by Dr . Michael Greger
How the Body Works by Dr. Peter Abrahams
How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! by Paul Chek
Illustrated Essentials of Musculoskeletal Anatomy by Kay W. Sieg, Sandra P. Adams and Anna Deane Scott
Infinite Intensity: The Ultimate Low-Tech / High-Effect Program for Maximum Speed, Endurance, and Strength by Ross Enamait
In Fitness and in Health by Philip B Maffetone
Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete & Trainer by Dan John
Jim Stoppani’s Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength-2nd Edition by Jim Stopanni
Jumping into Plyometrics: 100 Exercises For Power & Strength by Donald A. Chu
Jump Rope Training by Buddy Lee
Keys to the Inner Universe by Bill Pearl
Kettlebell Muscle: The Secrets of Compound Kettlebell Lifting by Geoff Neupert
Kettlebell Rx: The Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches (eBook and hardcopy book) by Jeff Martone
Kettlebell Simple & Sinister by Pavel Psatsouline
Kinesiology of Exercise by Michael Yessis
Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber by Mark Twight
Lean & Lovely eBook(s) by Neghar Fonooni
Legends of the Iron Game – Slipcase Set, Perfect Bound Edition One (3-Volume Set) by Bill Pearl, George Coates, Tuesday Coates and Richard Thornley Jr.
Let’s Grow by Frank Zane
Life is Movement: The Physical Reconstruction and Regeneration of the People (A Diseaseless World) by Eugen Sandow
Lifestyle Fitness Coaching by James Gavin
Live Young Forever: 12 Steps to Optimum Health, Fitness and Longevity by Jack LaLanne
LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout by LL Cool J
Low Back Disorders, Second Edition by Stuart McGill
Manual of Structural Kinesiology by Clem W. Thompson
Mass Made Simple: A Six-Week Journey to Bulking by Dan John
Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield
Maximum Functional Mass by Bud Jeffries
Maximum Strength: Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program by M.A. Eric Cressey
Mean Ol’ Mr. Gravity: Conversations On Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe
Men’s Health Huge in a Hurry: Get Bigger, Stronger, and Leaner in Record Time with the New Science of Strength Training by Chad Waterbury
Men’s Health Muscle Chow: More Than 150 Meals to Feed Your Muscles and Fuel Your Workouts by Gregg Avedon
Men’s Health Natural Bodybuilding Bible: A Complete 24-Week Program For Sculpting Muscles That Show by Tyler English
Men’s Health Power Training: Build Bigger, Stronger Muscles with through Performance-based Conditioning by Robert dos Remedios
Men’s Health: The Book of Muscle : The World’s Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body by Ian King and Lou Schuler
Michael Boyle’s Functional Coaching Reader: The StrengthCoach.com Files by Michael Boyle
Mighty Men Of Old: (Original Version, Restored) by Bob Hoffman
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (2nd Edition) by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick
Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement Expanded Edition by Katy Bowman
Movement: Functional Movement Systems: Screening, Assessment, Corrective Strategies by Gray Cook, Lee Burton, Kyle Kiesel, and Greg Rose
Movement That Matters by Paul Chek
Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of Movement by Katy Bowman
Muscle Logic : Escalating Density Training by Charles Staley
Muscles: Testing and Function, with Posture and Pain: Includes a Bonus Primal Anatomy CD-ROM by Florence Peterson Kendall
Muscletown USA: Bob Hoffman and the Manly Culture of York Barbell by John D. Fair
Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark
Natural Bodybuilding by John Hansen
Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health by Andrew Weil
Never Gymless : An Excuse-free System for Total Fitness by Ross Enamait
Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning by Dan John
NEW Functional Training for Sports by Michael Boyle (2016)
New York City Ballet Workout by Peter Martins and Howard Kaplan
Now What? by Dan John
Knee Ability Zero by Ben Patrick
NSCA’s Guide to Program Design (Science of Strength and Conditioning)
by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association
Nutrition for Professionals by Jane A Pentz
Optimum Performance Training for the Health and Fitness Professional by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Michael A. Clark, Scott Lucett, Rodney Corn
Original Strength by Tim Anderson and Geoff Neupert
Original Strength Restoration: Returning to the Original You by Tim Anderson
Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia MD
Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength by
Steven Low and Valentin Uzunov
Paleo Workouts For Dummies by Patrick Flynn and Kellyann Petrucci
Path to Athletic Power: The Model Conditioning Program for Championship Performance by Boyd Epley
Periodization Training for Sports by Tudor Bompa
Poison, Sermons on Suffering + The Workouts (book/”zine”)+ Rejects (book/”zine”) by Mark Twight/NonProphet
Poliquin Principles by Charles Poliquin
Power Conditioning Handbook by Robb Rogers
Power Speed ENDURANCE: A Skill-Based Approach to Endurance Training by Brian MacKenzie
Power to the People Professional – Pavel Tsatsouline
Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American by Pavel Tsatsouline
Practical Nutrition for Fitness Professionals by Nutrition Dimension
Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe, Lon Kilgore
Primal Endurance by Mark Sisson & Brad Kearns
Principles and Practice of Resistance Training by Michael H. Stone, Meg Stone and William A. Sands
Progressive Resistance Exercise by Dr. Thomas DeLorme and Arthur Watkins MD
Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding by Charles Gaines and George Butler
Pushing the Limits! Total Body Strength with No Equipment by Al Kavadlo
Quantum Strength Fitness II (Gaining the Winning Edge) by Pat O’Shea
Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged by
Suzy Banks & Richard Heinichen
Raising the Bar The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics
by Al Kavadlo
Regaining the Power of Youth at Any Age by Kenneth H. Cooper
Relax into Stretch : Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension by Pavel Tsatsouline
Results Fitness by The Nation’s Leading Fitness Pros, Alwyn Cosgrove and Rachel Cosgrove
Return of the Kettlebell: Explosive Kettlebell Training for Explosive Muscle Gains by Pavel Tsatsouline
Ripped by Clarence Bass
Ripped 2 by Clarence Bass
Ripped 3 by Clarence Bass
Run Strong (eBook) by Andrew Read
SAS and Elite Forces Guide: Extreme Fitness: Military Workouts and Fitness Challenges for Maximising Performance by Chris McNab
Science of Martial Arts Training by Charles I. Staley
Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way by Michael Mejia and John Berardi
Show And Go by Eric Cressey
Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief by Katy Bowman
Special Strength Development For All Sports by Louie Simmons
Speed is What We Need Paperback by Henk Kraaijenhof
Sports health: The complete book of athletic injuries by William Southmayd and Marshall Hoffman
Sports Injury Handbook: Professional Advice for Amateur Athletes by Allan M. Levy and Mark L. Fuerst
Sports Massage for Peak Performance by Greg Pike
Stability, Sport and Performance Movement: Practical Biomechanics and Systematic Training for Movement Efficacy and Injury Prevention by Joanne Elphinston
Starting Strength (2nd edition) by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore
Steve Cotter: The Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting by Paul Viele
Strength by Mark Twight/NonProphet
Strength and Conditioning: A Biomechanical Approach by Gavin Moir and Chris Connaboy
Strength Ball Training-2nd Edition by Lorne Goldenberg and Peter Twist
Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier
Strength Training for Young Athletes by William J. Kraemer & Steven J. Fleck
Stretching Your Boundaries: Flexibility Training for Extreme Calisthenic Strength by Al Kavadlo and Elliott Hulse
Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body by Bret Contreras & Kellie Davis
Strong Enough? Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe
Strong Medicine: How to Conquer Chronic Disease—And Achieve Your Full Genetic Potential by Dr. Chris Hardy and Marty Gallagher
Super Joints: Russian Longevity Secrets for Pain-Free Movement, Maximum Mobility & Flexible Strength by Pavel Tsatsouline
Super-Strength by Alan Calvert
Supertraining by Yuri Verkhoshansky and Mel Siff
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Symmetry by Frank Zane
Take Charge: Fitness at the Edge of Science by Clarence Bass
Teaching Children Physical Education – 3rd Edition: Becoming a Master Teacher by George Graham
The 30 Day Body Hack by Elaine DiRico
The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Maintenance and Repair by Steve Vickery and Marilyn Moffat
The Art of Expressing the Human Body by Bruce Lee and John Little
The Big Book of Health and Fitness: A Practical Guide to Diet, Exercise, Healthy Aging, Illness Prevention, and Sexual Well-Being by Philip Maffetone
The Black Prince: My Life in Bodybuilding: Muscle vs. Hustle (Volume 1) by Robby Robinson
The Breathing Book: Vitality & Good Health Through Essential Breath Work by Donna Farhi
The Bodybuilder’s Nutrition Book by Franco Columbo
The Cancer Prevention Diet by Michi Kushi
The Cardio Code – Limitless Cardio-Vascular Health and Performance (eBook) by Kenneth Jay
The Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams
The Complete Guide to Joseph H. Pilates’ Techniques of Physical Conditioning
by Allen Menezes
The Definitive Guide to Battling Ropes: Techniques to Muscle Stabilization and Power Domination by Brad Longazel
The Development of Physical Power by Arthur Saxon
The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning: How to Get Stronger and Tougher–In the Gym and in Life–Using the Training Secrets of the Athletic Elite by Zach Even-Esh
The Endurance Handbook: How to Achieve Athletic Potential, Stay Healthy, and Get the Most Out of Your Body by Philip Maffetone
The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want by Rachel Cosgrove
The Food Combining/Blood Type Diet Solution: A Personalized Diet Plan and Cookbook for Each Blood Type by Dina Khader
The Frozen Shoulder Workbook: Trigger Point Therapy for Overcoming Pain and Regaining Range of Motion by Clair Davies
The IMPACT! Body Plan: Build New Muscle, Flatten Your Belly & Get Your Mind Right! by Todd Durkin
The Key to Might and Muscle by George F. Jowett
The Kettlebell Conditioning System Book (eBook) by Steve Maxwell
The Lean Advantage by Clarence Bass
The Lean Advantage 2 by Clarence Bass
The Lean Advantage 3 by Clarence Bass
The Lean Body Promise: Burn Away Fat and Release the Leaner, Stronger Body Inside You by Lee Labrada
The Little Capoeira Book by Nestor Capoeira
The M.A.X. Muscle Plan by Brad Schoenfeld
The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU! by Adam Campbell
The Metabolism Advantage: An 8-Week Program to Rev Up Your Body’s Fat-Burning Machine-At Any Age by John Berardi
The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry by
William Linz Wolcott & Trish Fahey
The Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline
The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide by Patricia Duester
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove
The New Rules of Lifting Supercharged: Ten All-New Muscle-Building Programs for Men and Women by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove
The Outdoor Athlete by Courtenay Schurman and Doug Schurman
The Outdoor Athlete: Total Training for Outdoor Performance by Steve Ilg
The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf, Loren Cordain
The Perfect Man: The Muscular Life and Times of Eugen Sandow, Victorian Strongman by David Waller
The Power of Champions by Phil Kaplan
The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy by Mark Sisson
The Purposeful Primitive: Using the Primordial Laws of Fitness to Trigger Inevitable, Lasting and Dramatic Physical Change by Marty Gallagher
The Super-Athletes by David P. Willoughby
Therapeutic Exercise: Foundations and Techniques by Carol Kisner, Lynn Allen Colby
The Results Fitness Ultimate Fat Loss Programming and Coaching System by Alwyn & Rachel Cosgrove
The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning: 45 Powerful Kettlebell Workouts and Training Programs to Inspire You in Your Quest for Athletic Excellence by The RKC Community, Geoff Neupert & Josh Hillis
The Roll Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility, and Live Better in Your Body by Jill Miller and Kelly Starrett
The Russian Kettlebell Challenge by Pavel Tsatsouline
The Steel Tip Newsletter Collection by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football by Bill Starr
The Text Book of Weightlifting by Arthur Saxon
The Tools by Phil Stutz
The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition by Clair Davies
The Warrior Diet: Switch on Your Biological Powerhouse For High Energy, Explosive Strength, and a Leaner, Harder Body by Ori Hofmekler
The Way To Live: In Health and Physical Fitness (Original Version, Restored) by George Hackenschmidt
The Way to Vibrant Health by Alexander Lowen & Leslie Lowen
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Total Body Trans-Formation by Steve Ilg
Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor by Joe Friel
Track & Field Omnibook by John Kenneth Doherty PhD.
Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness: Special Book/DVD Package by Lee E. Brown, Vance A. Ferrigno
Training for Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout by Martin Rooney
Training Soccer Champions by Anson Dorrance
Training Young Athletes – The Grasso Method by Brian J. Grasso
Ultimate Athleticism & Program Design Guide by Max Shank (eBook and hardcopy)
Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill
Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson
Ultimate Warrior Workouts (Training for Warriors): Fitness Secrets of the Martial Arts by Martin Rooney
Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life by Mark Hyman and Mark Liponis
Untapped Strength: Unlocking the Treasure Chest of Strength Below the Elbow (eBook) by Ross Enamait
Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness by Robert Cheeke and Julia Abbott
Warrior Cardio: The Revolutionary Metabolic Training System for Burning Fat, Building Muscle, and Getting Fit by Martin Rooney
Yoga For Athletes by Ryanne Cunningham
Yoga For Dummies by Larry Payne & Georg Feuerstein
YOU: The Owner’s Manual by Mehmet C. Oz, Michael F. Roizen
Your Personal Paleo Code: The 3-Step Plan to Lose Weight, Reverse Disease, and Stay Fit and Healthy for Life by Chris Kresser
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky
Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia by John Jesse
Xtreme Training: The Fighter’s Ultimate Fitness Manual by Randy Couture, Lance Freimuth, and Erich Krauss
Zane Nutrition by Frank Zane
Videos/DVDs:
Beyond Stretching: The Seminar by Pavel Tsatsouline
Complete Sports Conditioning (5 DVD set) by Michael Boyle
Conditioning Blueprint by Joel Jamieson
Controlled Fatigue Training (CFT) by Defense Nutrition (Ori Hofmekler)
Daily Yoga (5 Practices) by Rodney Yee
Encyclopedia Of Joint Mobility DVD Series for Total Joint, Muscle and Body Fitness, Flexibility and Strength by Steve Maxwell
Enter the Kettlebell! Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen by Pavel Tsatsouline
Fast & Loose: Secrets of the Russian Champions: Dynamic Relaxation Techniques for Elite Performance by Pavel Tsatsouline
Full Throttle Conditioning by Ross Enamait
Functional Strength Coach 6 (2016) by Michael Boyle
General Physical Preparedness-(G.P.P) by Louie Simmons
Hardstyle Abs: Hit Hard. Lift Heavy. Look the Part. by Pavel Tsatsouline
H2H: Kettlebell Circuits by Jeff Martone
Jump Rope Conditioning For Athletes by Ross Enamait
Kettlebell Conditioning for Boxers (2003) by Jeff Martone and Steve Baccarri
Loaded Stretching: The Russian Technique for Instant Extra Strength by Pavel Tsatsouline
Low-Tech High-Effect Sandbag Training by Ross Enamait
Low-Tech High-Effect Core Training by Ross Enamait
More Russian Kettlebell Challenges by Pavel Tsatsouline
Power To The People! Russian Strength Training Secrets For Every American by Pavel Tsatsouline
Relax Into Stretch – Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension by Pavel Tsatsouline
Resilient: Advanced Kettlebell Drills and Insider Secrets for Playing Harder & Hurting Less by Pavel Tsatsouline
Return of the Kettlebell: Explosive Kettlebell Training for Explosive Muscle Gains by Pavel Tsatsouline
Ripped the DVD, The Second Ripped Video & The Third Ripped DVD-Motivation (total of 3 DVDs) by Clarence Bass
StrongFirst: Foundation of Strength by StrongFirst
Super Joints: Russian longevity Secrets for Pain-Free Movement, Maximum Strength & Flexible Strength by Pavel Tsatsouline
The Naked Warrior, Master the Secrets of the Super-Strong–Using Bodyweight Exercises Only with Pavel by Pavel Tsatsouline
The Russian Kettlebell Challenge by Pavel Tsatsouline
Train with Zane
Audio (CD or Downloads):
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (*Highly Recommend this one!)
Anthony Robbins Power Talk (Achieving Your Ultimate Goal) by Anthony Robbins
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWy222igxEc]
Pearls of Wisdom From Gray Cook
by Patrick on April 21, 2010
“This weekend I attended the Perform Better Clinic here in Phoenix, Arizona. All of the speakers were excellent. Gray Cook was a real treat. I have seen Gray speak numerous time…s at various clinics over the past few years. However, this was the first opportunity I actually had to speak directly with Gray. He was incredibly generous with his time and spent about 20 or 30 minutes talking with us after the clinic had ended. We talked about a variety of topics such as breathing patterns, corrective exercise, dry needling trigger points, and manual therapy.
I thought I would share some of the pearls of wisdom Gray dropped on us that day:
* Tightness in a muscle covers up instability somewhere else.
* Durability and performance are not measured the same way.
* Assessing flexibility as a risk factor for injury is inconclusive, because flexibility is not movement oriented, and is intent on discussing the remedy (stretch the tight muscle), without discussing the problem (why is the muscle tight in the first place?). We must take other factors into consideration – movement, nervous system, fascia, etc…
* Working on any link in the chain other than the weakest link will not fix the chain.
* If you can’t do a proficient deadlift or single leg deadlift, you have no business doing a kettlebell swing.
* Once your client can do a perfect segmental roll, immediately get them up into quadraped and then 1/2 kneeling so that they can “own” it. Don’t waste time doing more rolling.
* If a client has a problem rolling that centers around poor neck mobility, you may want to check their eye function.
* The brain is 2% of our body weight and 20% of our total energy consumption.
* Corrective work needs to be done in a proprioceptive rich environment and challenge the client to “work it out”. This was an important one for me to see firsthand, as I am obsessive about exercise technique, and Gray was really specific about putting someone into a position that he wanted them to be in, and then challenging them to maintain that position. The second they got out of that position, he stopped them, let them re-group, and then continue to try and “work out” the problem.
* The transverse abdominus is always firing to some extent, whether we are moving or not. Clients with poor transverse abdominus firing will use a “high threshold strategy” to create stability, by contracting their outer core muscles to a greater extent, as the inner unit (transverse abdominus, diaphragm, lumbar multifidi, pelvic floor muscles) are not doing their job.
* One of the best ways to improve transverse abdominus and inner unit function is to teach diaphragmatic breathing.
* During exercise, if the client goes into a high threshold strategy and alters their breathing to an upper chest breathing pattern, stop the exercise, and regress down to an exercise that they can perform with proper breathing.
Acesulfame K
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-sweeteners.html
Acesulfame Potassium (K) was approved for use by the FDA as a safe artificial sweetener in July, l988. It is a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Unfortunately, several potential problems associated with the use of acesulfame have been raised. They are based largely on animal studies since testing on humans remains limited. The findings showed the following:
Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating reactive hypoglycemia (“low blood sugar attacks”).
Acesulfame K apparently produced lung tumors, breast tumors, rare types of tumors of other organs (such as the thymus gland), several forms of leukemia and chronic respiratory disease in several rodent studies, even when less than maximum doses were given. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it was petitioned on August 29, l988 for a stay of approval by the FDA because of “significant doubt” about its safety.
Dr. H.J. Roberts, Aspartame (NutraSweet) Is It Safe?, Charles Press, page 283/84.
Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K (K being the symbol for potassium), and marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. In the European Union, it is known under the E number (additive code) E950.[1] It was discovered accidentally in 1967 by German chemist Karl Clauss at Hoechst AG (now Nutrinova).[2] In chemical structure, acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide. It is a white crystalline powder with molecular formula C4H4KNO4S and a molecular weight of 201.24.[3]
Acesulfame K is 180-200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), as sweet as aspartame, about half as sweet as saccharin, and one-quarter as sweet as sucralose. Like saccharin, it has a slightly bitter aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Kraft Foods has patented the use of sodium ferulate to mask acesulfame’s aftertaste.[4] Acesulfame K is often blended with other sweeteners (usually sucralose or aspartame). These blends are reputed to give a more sugar-like taste whereby each sweetener masks the other’s aftertaste, and/or exhibits a synergistic effect by which the blend is sweeter than its components.
Unlike aspartame, acesulfame K is stable under heat, even under moderately acidic or basic conditions, allowing it to be used in baking, or in products that require a long shelf life. In carbonated drinks, it is almost always used in conjunction with another sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose. It is also used as a sweetener in protein shakes and pharmaceutical products,[5] especially chewable and liquid medications, where it can make the active ingredients more palatable.
[edit] Safety concerns
As with other artificial sweeteners, there is concern over the safety of acesulfame potassium. Although studies of these sweeteners show varying and controversial degrees of dietary safety, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has approved their general use. Critics say acesulfame potassium has not been studied adequately and may be carcinogenic, although these claims have been dismissed by the US FDA[6] and by equivalent authorities in the European Union.[7]
Some potential effects associated with acesulfame have appeared in animal studies. Acesulfame K has been shown to stimulate dose-dependent insulin secretion in rats, though no hypoglycemia was observed.[8]
One rodent study showed no increased incidence of tumors in response to administration of acesulfame K.[9] In this study, conducted by the National Toxicology Program, 60 rats were acesulfame K for 40 weeks, making up as much as 3% of their total diet (which would be equivalent to a human consuming 1,343 12-oz cans of artificially sweetened soda every day). There was no sign that these (or lower) levels of acesulfame K increased the rats’ risk of cancer or other neoplasms.[10] Further research in terms of food safety has been recommended.[11][12]
What is the difference between artificial and natural flavors?
July 29, 2002
Gary Reineccius, a professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, explains.
Natural and artificial flavors are defined for the consumer in the Code of Federal Regulations. A key line from this definition is the following: “� a natural flavor is the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” Artificial flavors are those that are made from components that do not meet this definition.
The question at hand, however, appears to be less a matter of legal definition than the “real” or practical difference between these two types of flavorings. There is little substantive difference in the chemical compositions of natural and artificial flavorings. They are both made in a laboratory by a trained professional, a “flavorist,” who blends appropriate chemicals together in the right proportions. The flavorist uses “natural” chemicals to make natural flavorings and “synthetic” chemicals to make artificial flavorings. The flavorist creating an artificial flavoring must use the same chemicals in his formulation as would be used to make a natural flavoring, however. Otherwise, the flavoring will not have the desired flavor. The distinction in flavorings–natural versus artificial–comes from the source of these identical chemicals and may be likened to saying that an apple sold in a gas station is artificial and one sold from a fruit stand is natural.
This issue is somewhat confusing to the average consumer in part because of other seeming parallels in the world. One can, for example, make a blue dye out of blueberry extract or synthetic pigments. These dyes are very different in chemical composition yet both yield a blue color. Similarly, consider one shirt made from wool and another from nylon. Both are shirts, but they have very different chemical compositions. This diversity of building blocks is not possible in flavorings–one makes a given flavor only by using specific chemicals. Thus, if a consumer purchases an apple beverage that contains an artificial flavor, she will ingest the same primary chemicals that she would take in if she had chosen a naturally flavored apple beverage.
When making a flavor, the flavorist always begins by going to the scientific literature and researching what chemicals nature uses to make the desired flavor. He then selects from the list of flavor components found in, say, real apples, generally simplifying nature�s list to eliminate those chemicals that make little contribution to taste or are not permitted owing to toxicity. (Nature has no restrictions on using toxic chemicals, whereas the flavorist does.) The flavorist then either chooses chemicals that are natural (isolated from nature as described above) or synthetic chemicals (made by people) to make the flavor.
So is there truly a difference between natural and artificial flavorings? Yes. Artificial flavorings are simpler in composition and potentially safer because only safety-tested components are utilized. Another difference between natural and artificial flavorings is cost. The search for “natural” sources of chemicals often requires that a manufacturer go to great lengths to obtain a given chemical. Natural coconut flavorings, for example, depend on a chemical called massoya lactone. Massoya lactone comes from the bark of the Massoya tree, which grows in Malaysia. Collecting this natural chemical kills the tree because harvesters must remove the bark and extract it to obtain the lactone. Furthermore, the process is costly. This pure natural chemical is identical to the version made in an organic chemist�s laboratory, yet it is much more expensive than the synthetic alternative. Consumers pay a lot for natural flavorings. But these are in fact no better in quality, nor are they safer, than their cost-effective artificial counterparts.
November 2010
Pay to Play: City and local fitness community wrangle over park use fee
by Kelsey Menzel, Editorial Assistant
Few who visit Austin in the fall—or any season for that matter—are likely to overlook the vibrant fitness culture our residents enjoy. Unlike almost any other city in the country, health and fitness is literally interwoven into the cultural fabric of where we live.
Just take a casual stroll across the Lamar pedestrian bridge or an afternoon jog around the hike and bike trail and you’ll see it all playing out in front of you. Group running, Tai Chi workouts, outdoor boot camps and stand up paddling are just a few of the recreational activities thousands of Austinites enjoy on a weekly basis.
Yet many members of the fitness community are concerned by a new proposal by Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) that could affect our uniquely active atmosphere. The changes would impact trainers who provide classes (free and for-profit) in Austin’s city parks, potentially limit options and perhaps raise prices on clientele. In the broader sense, some fear that new policy could disrupt much of what makes Austin such an attractive locale.
The proposed changes are more or less two-fold. The first would require fitness instructors to apply for a temporary concession permit (for a bi-annual fee) in exchange for access to public green space; the second would designate certain areas of city parks as “fitness zones,” which could ostensibly be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parks not included on the city’s approved list (which presently does not include Auditorium Shores, Butler or Pease Parks) would simply be off-limits for any commercial group workouts.
PARD cites complaints from area neighborhoods and general park-users as the impetus for this new proposal. It also suggests that fees and enforcement are the best ways to ensure safety and reduce wear and tear on city property.
Meanwhile, many in the fitness community see the current proposal as a heavy-handed, out-of-touch approach. What’s more, there seems to be growing concern that by charging a fee, the city would be imposing a tax on health and fitness.
In writing this feature, we’ve done our best to get perspective from all sides. We’ve met with more than a dozen local trainers, solicited responses from public officials and attended a city-sponsored community meeting where a wide array of concerns and potential compromises were made public. We’ve also spent a considerable amount of time polling you – our readers – to find out what you think should be done about all of this. So, we’ll start by touching on the broader points of the current proposal, while revealing what many of you, in the fitness community, seem to think about the whole thing.
The Model
Due to the boom in outdoor fitness business over the last five years, there has been a noticeable uptick in recreational park use. As a result, PARD has become more mindful of the condition of public green space, overall park accessibility and overuse, as well as political pressures to regulate fitness businesses operating on city property.
While the concept of charging local fitness companies to operate in the parks is not a new one – legislation was first proposed years ago (including a fee structure to mitigate excessive wear and tear) – the public’s reception to a fee-based model has been tepid.
However, in mid-September, PARD proposed a temporary concession permit as the preliminary model for regulating commercial fitness use.
“We know that this is probably not the most effective approach but it seemed like the best place to start,” says PARD Director Sara Hensley. “We realize that it’s already in the fee structure and not just applicable to food concessionaires. In our park rules, it states very clearly that no commercial use of parks can be authorized without permission from PARD. People need to understand we’re just trying to look at this from the park use perspective.”
While supporters cite this type of permit as the closest analogue currently being used by the city to regulate business on park property, there is wide disagreement about which types of businesses actually fall under the “temporary concession” category.
To begin, many reject the notion of comparing a stationary, money-exchanging retail business (like a snow-cone stand), to that of a free-ranging, service-oriented fitness group. The former has a static footprint, operates exclusively on public space and depends upon public traffic to generate most, if not all its revenue. The latter is fundamentally dynamic in nature, is not resident on public space and does not garner its business from park traffic. As the current ordinance is written, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.
While there’s a precedent for fitness companies (such as the Texas Rowing Center and Rowing Dock) to pay for use of park land, these businesses do differ from boot camps, personal trainers and martial arts instructors. They have permanent structures, have exclusivity at their locations and depend almost entirely on occupation of public green space for their business. In the case of Texas Rowing Center, it could be argued that they’re paying for their fixture on public property, not every time their customers take a kayak out on Town Lake.
And so the logic follows that a fitness class or personal trainer might only be charged a similar fee if their business is a permanent, exclusive fixture in the parks, not simply because their clientele uses the space to work out.
David Braswell, certified personal trainer and owner of Outright Fitness, makes the point another way.
“To reserve park space, you currently have to pay a fee,” he says. “And the Austin Public Library is no different. To reserve a conference room in the library you also have to pay a fee. But if I’m a paid private tutor and there’s space available in the library, I can teach a group of students at no charge.”
Others claim that while the library may not charge a fee, it has the right to ask a paid tutor and his group to leave at any time.
Next, the temporary concession permit is targeted at entities soliciting business from park users, rather than those using parks to conduct their business. Unlike food vendors or boat rental companies, fitness groups attract customers independently from their presence in the park; they simply use park land as a venue for their workouts. If the park is the reason a business is able to generate its revenue, then the temporary concession permit would apply. However, the argument that this model fits fitness groups is tenuous at best.
Cody Butler, personal trainer and owner of HEAT Boot Camp in Austin, points out that PARD’s proposal aligns closely with approaches being implemented in three of the nation’s fattest cities — Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
“In putting together their proposal, PARD has taken information from these other Texas cities. Austin is a unique place and what we have works well for us,” he says. “In my opinion, we shouldn’t be deferring to these cities, but rather creating our own model, so they look to us. It’s clear regulations in these cities restrain health and fitness; we need to be the place where an active culture flourishes.”
Hensley is largely in agreement. While she says there needs to be oversight on commercial park use, she claims Austin is ripe to become the primer for other cities, rather than adopt a “me-too” model. In her opinion, Austin has a chance to be the fittest city in the country.
“We’re not Dallas, and that’s not what we want,” she says. “Instead, we’re actually going to partner with these fitness groups — small, medium and large. We want to link them to our Web site, work with them and really collaborate. In my mind, this is an opportunity to do it right — to benefit Austin citizens, the entrepreneurial spirit and fully realize what our parks should be.”
The Fee
As the current proposal is written, the city would charge fitness groups anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 a year for their use of park space.
Or more specifically, $500 every six months for local district parks and $1,500 every six months for metropolitan parks. And as it stands now, this fee would be assessed on a per park basis. So, a typical Austin boot camp which currently conducts classes at five different public locations could be required to pay as much as $15,000 a year to keep its operations going.
This fee structure is identical to the one used in the “temporary concession” permit and includes parks okayed on a city-approved list; a list which currently (and some say conveniently) omits Austin’s more visible, convenient and popular locations, such as Auditorium Shores and Pease Park.
“As a certified personal trainer who runs an intentionally small-scale outdoor circuit training class, I’m not at all in favor of this fee,” says fitness entrepreneur Karen Shopoff Rooff. “I keep my classes small so clients get personal attention, and there’s no way I can pass this onto them, particularly in a way that won’t also seriously affect my income. I just won’t be able to run my class anymore.”
Fitness business owners are largely in agreement. Most see the proposed fee as arbitrary and punitive, rather than scalable and facilitative. And others see it as a slippery slope; a precedent in which the city would have its hand in how private business is run. Most fitness entrepreneurs contend they would not be able to absorb the charge, but would be forced to pass it onto their clientele, resulting in higher prices for the same service.
Supporters of the fee, however, claim that unregulated use of the parks presents a slippery slope in the other direction — one in which taxpayers bear the brunt of park upkeep while fitness businesses maximize their profit margins.
“I think it’s a very good idea to charge a license fee to those operating a business on city-owned land,” says Austin resident Paul Gosselin. “The park is their place of business and there should be a cost of overhead attached to that. The people of Austin have to pay for the upkeep of the parks and those who are using it for their financial gain should have to pay a little extra since they are making money off of the park use.”
If a fee is enacted, there seems to be broad agreement on at least one thing: the money should be directed back to the parks. As a result, some have suggested involvement of a third party, such as the Austin Parks Foundation, for stewardship of discretionary funds.
“Generally, we’d been advocating that any fees be put into funds that pay for improvements or maintenance and operations of heavily used parks,” says Charlie McCabe, executive director for Austin Parks Foundation. “But the way the city budget works, unless you’re an enterprise fund (sports fields and golf courses in parks, Austin Energy, Convention Center, etc.), it all goes to the general fund. We’re pleased to offer the ability to take and hold donations for specific parks, like we do with over 64 community groups who have adopted and work to improve specific parks.”
However, Hensley contends that PARD can actually track revenue back to a particular park and make sure it’s used for specific items like re-seeding, signage, benches or even outdoor exercise equipment.
“The proposed fee structure is probably not going to be applicable; in fact, I don’t see the final fee being a lot of money,” she explains. “More importantly, I think we can come up with a solution where the money raised from fees can go directly back to the park from which it was raised. We have the mechanism to be able to handle this, above and beyond our normal revenue obligations.”
While wear and tear created by fitness groups is widely disputed and even more difficult to track, trainers we spoke with seemed to agree with the idea of giving back to the parks, provided their money goes where’s it’s supposed to.
“I’m not opposed to a fee imposed on for-profit groups based on a per user fee,” says local resident Cathy Kyle. “However, this should not be one more way for the city to make money off its citizens. The money raised should go directly back into maintaining and improving the parks. Without these limitations, the fee is a terrible idea and a significant impediment to our access to public spaces.”
Fitness Zones
The other major piece of the proposal is the establishment of “activity zones” in public parks. This would require fitness businesses to reserve specific parks or designated areas of green space to carry out their operations.
Hensley explains that the idea of “fitness zones” was first brought to the table by PARD as a deterrent for overuse — not just of parkland, but also parking spaces, pedestrian bridges and common areas. For instance, she says her department has fielded complaints from regular park users who can’t find a place to park, due to the influx of boot camps and running groups that are already there.
“People need to understand that we already have conflicts of use,” Hensley says. “There are so many people out there and it’s become so entrepreneurial. In fact, general park users have been run-off by these fitness groups and we have evidence of it. The fitness groups aren’t being rude in any way, but they’re telling people they’ll have to wait to use certain areas because they’re teaching a class.”
While the concept of designating “fitness zones” may seem simple enough, many in the fitness community claim it’s a complicated restriction rife with potential problems.
For example, how would these zones be set up, how much space would they occupy, which parks would have them, how many would be allocated per park and how restrictive would they be? Furthermore, a “zone” implies that the type of activities many of these fitness groups are engaged in are confined to specific areas, which is often not the case.
“There are still so many unanswered questions with this proposal that I doubt the city has thought through,” says Austinite Lisa Barden. “If the goal is to ‘efficiently and effectively manage growing demand,’ then restricting the space that can be used will not meet that objective. Charging a fair annual fee for commercial use of the parks is one thing, but restricting when and where parks are used is going too far, in my opinion. Where do you draw the line? If running groups then decide to move their runs to the streets, do you force them to get permits to run on public roads?”
Ally Davidson, who heads up Camp Gladiator in Austin says she fears the idea of fitness zones more than a permit fee. This is partly because the current list of designated parks excludes Auditorium Shores, but also because she sees the restriction seeping into the city’s broader culture of health and fitness.
“Right now, we have a wonderful atmosphere that Dallas doesn’t have. It’s Austin,” she says.
Another resident, Sara Brown, recognizes that some change is necessary, but disputes the viability of establishing “fitness zones.”
“I’m not particularly opposed to a fee for ‘for-profit’ fitness camps, but I am opposed to the idea of ‘fitness zones,’” she says. “I think this will have an adverse impact on the quality of the workouts and eventually on the number of people that work out.”
While quarantining fitness activity is one way to address conflicts of use, Hensley cautions that the PARD proposal is still in its early stages and will no doubt be revised. In fact, she acknowledges that the “fitness zone” model may not work well in Austin.
“The concept of ‘fitness zones’ may not be acceptable and may end up having lots of holes in it,” she says. “We’re just trying to optimize public park access and use. At the end of the day, we really want to capitalize on a partnership, a collaborative approach with these fitness groups…and find a model of how to make it work for everyone.”
Enforcement
A final concern about PARD’s proposal is the controversial issue of enforcement; specifically, how the city will carry out its rules, the degree of vigilance it will apply and how successful it will be in establishing a fair and equal playing field for all commerce on parkland.
Enforcement seems to be a particularly dicey issue for PARD, not only because of the breadth and scope of its more than 250-park system, but because existing rules and regulations are not well imposed today. Some in the fitness community say this is evidence that the proposed changes would not be an effective way to mend wear and tear resulting from park use.
Davidson sees enforcement as an Achilles heel for PARD, since it’s tied both to commercial use fees and “activity zones.” Her concerns lie not only with PARD’s ability to enforce the city’s rules, but to do so with the proper amount of fairness and consistency. In her mind, larger boot camps could easily be singled out, while smaller, more casual fitness businesses would likely fall through the cracks.
“The city will have no trouble enforcing these changes on larger, more visible groups like ours,” she says. “And with no official body for enforcement, we might receive a penalty that a smaller fitness group would be able to escape.”
However, Hensley sees the issue of enforcement as a distraction from the broader point. Since many Austin businesses are already paying to occupy public space, she believes there has to be some level of accountability for fitness groups, too. Besides the liability of not knowing which entities are insured or qualified to give instruction, PARD says it simply can’t ignore a double standard that undermines rules and regulations already in place. All that said, Hensley admits the practical challenges of what’s currently being proposed.
“It would be a lie to say we could strictly enforce this,” she says. “In my mind, we’ll end up with an honor system so to speak, where a park ranger might randomly ask groups to show their proof of permit. We’re certainly not going to be heavy-handed in enforcement. I look at this as a win-win opportunity for everyone. We can work with these groups so we know when they’re out there, and they can help us get more support for our parks.”
What Next?
Can Austin’s fitness community meet PARD in the middle? It may be possible, as most in the fitness community recognize the importance of requiring those who turn a profit to carry a permit. Also, tightening down on responsible park use to reduce wear and tear would be beneficial to all park goers.
Perhaps PARD will implement a standard permitting or licensing program? Something that would legitimize trainers as well as increase responsible park use with minimal cost to fitness businesses. And the fees associated with obtaining a permit could be more nominal — perhaps akin to those charged for a fishing or driver’s license.
Many in the Austin fitness community, however, see the implications of PARD’s proposal as broader than simply mandating a fee-based permit to use public space. For many, the changes could endanger the very essence of what makes Austin such a great place for fitness. And it begs the question: Will Austin still lead the nation as a fit city? Davidson — and others to be sure — fear the current proposal will make it more difficult.
“If you can’t work out at Auditorium Shores, the what kind of culture of fitness do we really have,” she says. “I know I wouldn’t vote for us for fittest city.”
Nevertheless, Hensley is optimistic that PARD can work with fitness groups to develop a superior model than what’s currently being proposed — one unique to Austin that sets a new standard for other cities. In fact, she says she’s committed to guiding the discussion there.
“I really believe this can be a win-win for everybody,” she explains. “We’re not going to cram this down anyone’s throat. We want to cooperate with the fitness community so we can say we’re able to work together in providing wellness to everybody. Let’s work together to protect our parks and build allies for our parks. And what better way than to use these fitness groups?”
A couple city officials get the last word
In putting together this piece, we contacted Mayor Leffingwell, Austin’s six city council members as well as the city manager for comment.
Here’s who we heard from and what they had to say:
“We’ve been working closely with our Parks Department and stakeholders on this issue. I believe we’ll find a solution that promotes fitness in Austin while respecting those who use our parks for other activities.” – Mayor Lee Leffingwell
“We have a public interest in promoting healthy activities, and in keeping our parks active. Any fees need to be tailored carefully with those interests in mind.” – Councilmember Chris Riley
things i try to live by – Carlton Cullins 2008
1. Don’t sweat the small sh*t. Being overly sensitive to too many things is not good for survival.
2. Find humor in EVERYTHING, particularly the small things. Laugh everyday. Then when that’s done, do it again.
3. In life, try to find some kind of balance with it all…between the many peaks and valleys… everything in moderation.
4. Try to have purpose for the things you do. Don’t just do to do. Anyone can do that. Find good reason. And always keep your eyes on the prize, whatever that may be. Stay focused.
5. Think before you open your mouth. While at the same time, speak up when you really have something to say. But understand that not everyone is going to want to hear what’s on your mind.
6. Don’t be so wasteful. Americans waste too much as it is. What we call poor is rich to most of the rest of the world. Don’t take more than you need of anything and give back what you don’t use whenever possible.
7. Don’t expect anything from anyone. Ever. Learn to be self-reliant. But when you really need help, don’t be afraid to ask. And if someone does help you, then pay them back or pay it forward.
8. Take care of your business. When you play, play hard. When you work, don’t play. Earn your keep.
9. Realize your importance and also your insignificance. One person can truly make a difference but also know that we are all just little organisms on one small planet in one small universe. Again, try to find some kind of balance. Good luck with that.
10. Help people that need help. Any help is better than no help. A world without help is a world without hope.
11. Be kind to others, particularly strangers. And if they’re rude, make sure they know they are or they’ll never see the need to change.
12. However extravagant or humble, be thankful for everything that you have. Every day. In every way. For one day it may all be gone.
13. Power is nothing without passion.
14. Appreciate the things you don’t understand or don’t believe in. Don’t be so quick to judge everything and everyone.
15. Try to think outside the box. Imagination is very powerful and very important. Possibly most important.
16. Always try to go for the Win/Win situation. It doesn’t always have to involve compromise. The best ideas usually come when both parties work together towards an even better idea.
17. Take care of your body. Take care of your mind. Take care of your heart, as well as your emotions. Take care of you spirit. Every day, in every way.
18. When someone helps you, tell them thank you.
19. Don’t let the people you care most about never hear you say that you love them.
20. People make mistakes. We all do. Learn from them. Try to fogive others for their mistakes. Try to forgive yourself for your own.
21. Always shoot for the stars because anything is possible. But also understand that sometimes there really are limitations.
22. There are many roads to the same destination. If one doesn’t work, simply pick another.
23. Learn to have self-control. Do this by getting out in the world. Because life is full of temptation. Every day. In every way. Without self-control, no one stands a chance in hell for the long run.
24. Stay away from negative thoughts and negative people. We are all a product of our environments.
25. Understand that somewhere, within us all, is an unlimited amount of love in our hearts. Everyone will experience pain and suffering. And nothing feels better than true happiness.
26. Understand that if you’re not truly happy in your own life, that no drug, relationship, amount of money, material possession or ANYTHING is ever going to change that. Only you can make that change. But first you have to believe that you can.
27. You can’t please all the people all the time. But you can’t just please yourself all the time either. Again, there has to be balance. And F*ck the haters 🙂
28. If you’re not doing anything about the things you don’t like in the world (or in you own life), then consider yourself part of the problem. Try to be more pro-active.
29. Mind your own damn business. But also never let anyone mind your business better than you.
30. Pride is important. So is confidence. But too much pride and too much self-confidence/ego just makes you another f*cking asshole. Don’t be an asshole. We have entirely too many as it is.
31. Might isn’t necessarily right. But when push comes to shove, you do have to fight. Because chances are, that no one will fight for you if you don’t fight for yourself.
32. Focus on the things that make us all the same, our commonality, rather than the things that make us all different. Respect diversity. When it comes to things such as religion and politics, try to focus on the BIG picture rather than little snapshots. And just agree to disagree. Because one thing is for sure, most will almost always disagree.
33. Take responsibilty for your own actions. Every day, in every way. Cuz chances are, it’s our own fault.
34. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Admit it and move on.
35. Don’t live in the past. Don’t obsess over the future. But do consider it and plan accordingly. Try to live for the moment because nothing beyond this moment is for certain. Try to find some kind of balance.
36. Humility is important. But i can’t tell you how or why… some things you just have to learn for yourself.
37. There isn’t much certainty in the world. And religion, in my opinion, is about as far from certainty as one can get. There are many religions, many beliefs. And for the most part, each one uniquely thinks they’re the one that’s right. Some people do good with religion in their lives. Some don’t. But just do what’s best for you, in your own heart, in your own life. Even if it’s not what all the others around you are doing. Besides, chances are, we’re all wrong anyway…unless we’re truly humble.
38. We all have our good sides and our bad sides. Learn to make friends with both. They may be one in the same.
39. Maybe life really isn’t fair. Maybe only the strong really do survive. For the most part, i think both statements are probably true but maybe not in the same way others do. Sometimes things such as this, have many interpretations by many different people. Rarely assume anything… because you might make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”.
40. in my mind, truly “smart people” aren’t the one’s with high IQ’s, but the ones that, despite what obstacles they might have to overcome, continuously and deliberately utilize their own abilities to enjoy happiness in their own lives while simultaneously encouraging happiness in others. and do so while doing as little harm as possible. in other words, strive to be happy. the rest will hopefully sort itself out.
41. Honesty is most imortant. But ironically, like Jack said, most people can’t handle the truth. Particularly when it’s something they really don’t want to hear. But in time, the truth always wins. Just hope it’s not after you’re dead and gone. Speak the truth and the truth shall set you free.
42. In life, even fools are right sometimes. I didn’t actually come up with this one. Sir Winston Churchill did. Smart man he was.
43. Regardless of the many differences we have as a species, eventually we ALL must learn to tolerate each other. Eventually, we ALL must learn to live together and get along. All one can do is try. Start today.
44. Pick your battles wisely. Everybody is passionate about something. But always remember as with anything, what goes up must come down. Likewise, with everything, there’s always a price to be paid in the end.
45. Don’t take yourself too serious. Be careful taking anything too serious.
46. Laugh some more. Then laugh again…
Using Foam Rollers
by Michael Boyle, MS, ATC
A decade ago, strength coaches and athletic trainers would have looked quizzically at a 36-inch long cylindrical piece of foam and wondered, “What is that for?” Today, nearly every athletic training room and most strength and conditioning facilities contain an array of foam rollers of different lengths and consistencies.
What happened to bring foam rollers into prominence? The change has been in our attitude toward massage therapy. We have been slowly moving away from an injury care mode of isokinetics and electronics to more European-inspired processes that focus on hands-on soft tissue care. We now realize that techniques like massage, Muscle Activation (MAT), and Active Release Therapy (ART) can work wonders for sore or injured athlete.
In addition, the understanding at the elite athlete level is: If you want to stay healthy, get a good manual therapist in your corner. Thus, athletes at all levels are starting to ask for some form of soft tissue care.
What does all this have to do with foam rollers? As coaches and athletic trainers watched elite-level athletes experience success from various soft tissue techniques, the obvious question arose: How can I make massage available to large groups of athletes at a reasonable cost? Enter the foam roller.
National Academy of Sports Medicine President Michael Clark, DPT, MS, PT, NASM-PES, is credited by many-this author included-with exposing the sports medicine community to the foam roller. In one of Clarke’s early manuals, he included a few photos of self-myofascial release using a foam roller. The technique illustrated was simple and self-explanatory: Get a foam roller and use your bodyweight to apply pressure to sore spots.
Since then, many of us have discovered more uses for foam rollers, including injury prevention and performance enhancement. We’ve also moved away from the accupressure concept and now use them more for self-massage. And we’ve come up with specific protocols for different situations.
Essentially, foam rollers are the poor man’s massage therapist. They provide soft tissue work to the masses in any setting. But you need to know their nuances to get the most out of them.
What, How & When
A foam roller is simply a cylindrical piece of extruded hard-celled foam. Think swimming pool noodles, but a little more dense and larger in diameter. They usually come in one-foot or three-foot lengths. I find the three-foot model works better, but it obviously takes up more space.
They are also now available in a number of densities from relatively soft foam (slightly harder than a pool noodle), to newer high-density rollers that feel much more solid. The denser the athlete, the more dense the roller should be. Large, heavily-muscled athletes will do better with a very high density roller whereas a smaller, younger athlete should begin with a less dense product.
The application techniques are simple. Clarke’s initial recommendation was based on an accupressure concept, in which pressure is placed on specific surfaces of the body. Athletes were instructed to use the roller to apply pressure to sensitive areas in their muscles-sometimes called trigger points, knots, or areas of increased muscle density. The idea was to allow athletes to apply pressure to injury-prone areas themselves.
The use of foam rollers has progressed in many circles from an accupressure approach to self-massage, which I’ve found to be more effective. The roller is now usually used to apply longer more sweeping strokes to the long muscle groups like the calves, adductors, and quadriceps, and small directed force to areas like the TFL, hip rotators, and glute medius.
Athletes are instructed to use the roller to search for tender areas or trigger points and to roll these areas to decrease density and over-activity of the muscle. With a little direction on where to look, most athletes easily find the tender spots on their own. However, they may need some instruction on the positioning of the roller, such as parallel, perpendicular, or 45 degrees, depending on the muscle.
The feel of the roller and intensity of the self-massage should be properly geared to the age, comfort, and fitness level of the athlete. This is one of the plusses of having the athlete roll themselves-they can control the intensity with their own body weight.
There is no universal agreement on when to roll, how often to roll, or how long to roll, but generally, techniques are used both before and after a workout. Foam rolling prior to a workout can help decrease muscle density and promote a better warmup. Rolling after a workout may help muscles recover from strenuous exercise.
My preference is to have athletes use the rollers before every workout. We also use them after a workout if athletes are sore.
One of the nice things about using the foam roller is that it can be done on a daily basis. In fact, in their book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Clair Davies and Amber Davies recommend trigger point work up to 12 times a day in situations of acute pain.
How long an athlete rolls is also determined on a case-by-case basis. I usually allow five to 10 minutes for soft tissue activation work at the beginning of the session prior to warmup. If my athletes roll after their workout, it is done for the same length of time.
Some Specifics
While the foam roller can be used on almost any area of the body, I have found it works best on the lower extremities. There is not as much dense tissue in the upper body and our athletes are not prone to the same frequency of upper body strains as lower. The hamstrings and hip flexors seem to experience the most muscle strains, so we concentrate on those areas.
Here are some protocols I use:
Gluteus max and hip rotators: The athlete sits on the roller with a slight tilt and moves from the iliac crest to the hip joint to address the glute max. To address the hip rotators, the affected leg is crossed to place the hip rotator group in an elongated position. As a general rule of thumb, 10 slow rolls are done in each position (although there are no hard and fast rules for reps). Often athletes are simply encouraged to roll until the pain disappears.
TFL and Gluteus Medius: The tensor fasciae latae and gluteus medius, though small in size, are significant factors in anterior knee pain. To address the TFL, the athlete begins with the body prone and the edge of the roller placed over the TFL, just below the iliac crest
After working the TFL, the athlete turns 90 degrees to a side position (see Figure Three on page XX) and rolls from the hip joint to the iliac crest to address the gluteus medius.
Adductors: The adductors are probably the most neglected area of the lower body. A great deal of time and energy is focused on the quadriceps and hamstring groups and very little attention is paid to the adductors. There are two methods to roll the adductors. The first is a floor-based technique that works well for beginners. The user abducts the leg over the roller and places the roller at about a 60-degree angle to the leg. The rolling action begins just above the knee in the area of the vastus medialis and pes anserine, and should be done in three portions. To start, 10 short rolls are done covering about one third the length of the femur. Next, the roller is moved to the mid-point of the adductor group and again rolled 10 times in the middle third of the muscle. Last, the roller is positioned high into the groin almost to the pubic symphysis for a final set of 10 rolls.
The second technique for the adductors should be used after the athlete is comfortable with the first one. This exercise requires the athlete to sit on a training room table or the top of a plyometric box, which allows him or her to shift significantly more weight onto the roller and work deeper into the large adductor triangle. The athlete then performs the same rolling movements mentioned above.
Although I primarily use the rollers for athletes’ legs, they can also be used with upper extremities. The same techniques can be used for pecs, lats, and rotator cuffs, although with a much smaller amplitude-making the movements closer to accupressure.
Assessing Effectiveness
Foam rolling is hard work that can even border on being painful. Good massage work, and correspondingly good self-massage work, may be uncomfortable, much like stretching. Therefore, it is important that athletes learn to distinguish between a moderate level of discomfort related to working a trigger point and a discomfort that can lead to injury.
When an athlete has completed foam rolling, he or she should feel better, not worse. And the rollers should never cause bruising. Ask the athlete how his or her muscles feel after each session to assess if the techniques are working.
I also judge whether foam rolling is working by monitoring compliance. If I don’t have to tell athletes to get out the foam roller before a workout, I know the techniques are working. Most do it without prompting as they see the benefits.
Rolling vs. Massage
The question often arises: “Which is better, massage therapy or a foam roller?” To me the answer is obvious: Hands-on work is better than foam. Hands are directly connected to the brain and can feel. A foam roller cannot feel. If cost was not an issue I would have a team of massage therapists on call for my athletes at all times.
However, having an abundance of massage therapists on staff is not in most of our budgets. Therein lies the beauty of the foam rollers: They provide unlimited self-massage for under $20. Sounds like a solution to me.
World famous strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle is Director of Elite Conditioning in Boston, MA. He is author of numerous videos and books and a featured speaker at seminars throughout the U.S, including Perform Better “Learn By Doing” Functional Training Seminars!