Thursday, May 17, 2012

What I'm Reading: Blog/Website Edition


Mark’s Daily Apple- Written by Mark Sisson, Mark’s Daily Apple is all about living a vibrant and healthy life in the face of the modern Western lifestyle.  Mark subscribes to a brand of Paleo living he calls Primal and has written several books on the subject.  If you don’t know anything about Paleo it is a style of eating that attempts to mimic what our ancient ancestors ate.  So that means a lot of lean meats, healthy fats, fruits, veggies, and some approved starchy carbs mostly in the form of rice and potatoes.  Mark’s Daily Apple is also rich in information on being healthy through diet and exercise as well as lifestyle changes.  Reading Mr. Sisson’s writing also gives you the sense that he may be one of the nicest people you’ve never met.

Science Daily- Science Daily is basically the CNN of research.  They take recent research and write articles and insights on what the research might mean for the lay person, often quoting the authors of the study themselves.  Science Daily has easily searchable sub-categories on everything from different diseases to fat loss.

Conditioning Research- This blog is kept up by a Scot by the name of Chris Highcock.  Chris is more of a hill climber (hailing from Scotland you’d expect nothing less) than a hardcore fitness buff.  He trains to be able to climb the Scottish highlands whenever he pleases but still posts many interesting studies and articles.  What I like most about Conditioning Research is that Mr. Highcock doesn’t comment much on what he posts, instead letting the reader investigate and draw his own conclusions.

Mobility WOD- If you are familiar with CrossFit you’ll recognize the WOD (workout of the day) part of the title.  Mobility WOD is done by Kelly Starrett who works and trains at San Francisco CrossFit.  Feelings on CrossFit aside, Mr. Starrett might just be a genius when it comes to helping people perform at their best.  If you have any types of limitations in range of motion in any joint there is probably a Mobility WOD to help you.  The best part about the WODs is that they are all able to be done by everyone as long as you have a few pieces of basic equipment (a few lacrosse balls and a few bands).

Lean Gains- Written by Martin Berkhan, Lean Gains has been quiet as of late but is a relative treasure trove of information on Intermittent Fasting for those who train for strength and physique enhancement.  Mr. Berkhan is very thorough in his research on the subject and even provides examples of the successes of his past clients.  If you are considering trying IF definitely start here.

Chaos and Pain- If you are easily offended DO NOT visit Chaos and Pain.  Jamie Lewis is vulgar to the max, usually funny, and most often very astute on matters that pertain to strength training.  Jamie is a no bullshit type of trainee and writer who is not afraid to force his body to do things others would consider impossible.  Jamie’s style of training is definitely not for everyone, but it has yielded awesome results for him.  Jamie doesn’t really consider himself a powerlifter yet holds raw records for his weight class.
His style of writing is also not for everyone.  Like I said it’s extremely vulgar but often times funny as hell.  He also occasionally posts pictures of naked ladies just for the hell of it.  So I’d stay off it at work.

Lift-Run-Bang- This website is written by Paul Carter who has been training for over 25 years and has gained some insight on what it takes to train to be big and strong.  His posts attempt to leverage that knowledge into getting young guys to cut out the extraneous stuff that isn’t needed to gain size and strength.  Paul has tried just about every size and strength protocol, training and nutrition alike, and has yet to find a magic bullet.  This is evident in just about everything he writes and is valuable advice for those just getting into the game.  Train hard, eat smart, and give it time is his mantra.

Twitter- I never thought I would say this, but I love Twitter.  It is an amazing resource for the fitness, nutrition, and strength and conditioning industries.  Personalities abound that all have their own way of doing things but still have the goal of educating and motivating.  For the most part you won’t find small-minded coaches who attack those that disagree with them either.  Some of my favorite follows are Adam Bornstein (@bornfitness), Jason Ferruggia (@JasonFerruggia), Jim Wendler (@JWendler), Chris Shugart (@ChrisShugart), 70s Big (@70sBig), Jonny Bowden (@JonnyBowden), and Jonathan Goodman (Jon_PTDC) among many others.  There are also some very funny comedians if you’re into that sort of thing.


PragueStepchild-
Prague Stepchild is written by an expat by the name of xxxxx.  He blogs mostly on Paleo lifestyle, current obesity research, libertarianism, and a host of topics in between.  I don’t think xxx would label himself as super smart, just well-read and possessing a bit more common sense than most people, especially from this country.  His blog is always fresh, always brings about thought on whatever subject, and is never just a regurgitation of the status quo.

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