I didn’t understand what a neutral spine was my first 2 years of lifting. When I took a weight training class in high school and learned to squat, the teacher would say “keep your back straight”. I thought that meant to keep it perpendicular to the floor.
Luckily I was taught proper form by a trainer in a commercial gym a couple of years later. Here’s a video that does a solid job demonstrating a “neutral spine”.

These guys also have a detailed post on how different people have different ranges of neutral they can train within. The best post I’ve seen so far on this subject.
Link: The Myth of Neutral Spine | Robertson Training Systems.
The post Lift With a “Neutral Spine”? What That Looks Like (video) appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

I visited a hospital with one of my friends, who I thought was acting paranoid. The guy was opening doors and touching elevator buttons with his elbows. When I questioned him about it he said, “hospitals are filled with germs and disease”. At the time I shrugged it off, but it turns out that my friend was right.

ABC News ran a story explaining that viruses can spread quickly in hospitals.
Some points from the article:

Check Your Hospital’s History
Demand Clean Hands
Call for Housekeeping
Don’t Touch Elevator Buttons
Beware Your Doctor’s Tie

Link:  How Hospitals Can Make You Sick — ABC News.
The post How Hospitals Can Make You Sick appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

The more I read about Omega-3 Fish Oils, the more confused I get. Some studies show great benefits, others show no benefits. Well, here a study that analyzes numerous previous fish oil studies.

Their findings?
The review concludes that both fish consumption and dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplements may still help prevent heart disease; that some fatty acids, from certain sources, are more effective than others; that these compounds may have enormous value for serious health problems other than heart disease; and that the very effectiveness of modern drug therapies for heart disease may be one explanation for the conflicting findings on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

Link: Fish Oil Studies Analyzed, Confirm That Omega-3 Fatty Acids Still Matter.
The post New Study Shows Fish Oils Still Good for Heart Health appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

It can take years to truly master the bench press. Although the exercise looks simple there is more to it than meets the eye. I found an article today which covers some of the more common problems that may be causing your bench press to get stuck.

[The picture below is obviously not the bench press. Looks like some sort of special forces training. Whatever it is…it looks rough!]
The 7 mistakes listed from the article:

Crazy Legs
Bent Forearms
Shrugged Shoulders
Sagging Wrists
Partial Reps
The Chest Trampoline
Too Much Weight

Link: Pressing Charges: 7 Bench-Press Crimes, Solved.
The post 7 Common Bench Press Mistakes appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

I’m completely guilty of exercising hard, then spending the rest of my day sitting. The problem is that even if you are fit and train regularly, you are still at risk for several chronic diseases. A recent study showed that women who exercise regularly are still spending too much time sitting.

Quote from article:
Yancey said society doesn’t force people to move. “We commute for long periods, sitting,” she said. “Even at the workplace, we use email instead of getting up to talk with a person. We don’t shop; we order things over the Internet.”
Craft recommends that people grab every opportunity to stand up, walk and move during the day. “Set a timer so once an hour you’ll get up,” she suggested. “Stand up when you’re on the phone. Get up during commercial breaks when you’re watching television. Stand while you’re folding the laundry.”

Link: Even Women Who Exercise Sit Too Much — […]

Original post by admin

div class=”breakout”
pIt’s Friday, everyone! And that means another a title=”Success Stories” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/success-story-summaries/”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story/a from a Mark#8217;s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me a title=”Contact Me!” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-book/share-success-story/” target=”_self”here/a. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!/p
/div
pimg class=”alignright” title=”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA2009/real_life_stories_stories-1-2.jpg” alt=”real life stories stories 1 2″ width=”320″ height=”240″ /Dear Mark,/p
pI am writing to add myself to your list of PB success stories. The pictures I#8217;ve attached above pretty much tell it. The first three were from the last few years, and they show me at my heaviest. The one in the pink gown was taken at about three months into the PB plan, and the last one, of me with the kettlebells, was taken […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

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Zombie Apocalypse Survival Workout Review by John Romaniello's …

Besides fitness, beer is a pretty major interest of mine. For some reason, the first beer after work on a Friday is almost magical. Do our taste buds peak on Friday around Happy Hour? Who knows. Anyway…Men’s Journal released a list of what they consider to be the best beers in America.

I like it that they included quite a few beers that I haven’t tried. The downside is that they are missing an entry from Ninkasi.

They are also missing Dogfish Head.

These are two American beer companies that put out nothing but gold. Besides that, the list look like a good representation of some solid American Beers.
Link: The 24 Best Beers in America — Expert Advice — MensJournal.com.
The post A List of the 24 Best Beers in America appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

Dr. Oz has been more of a marketer these days and less of a doctor. In 2012 he recommended 6 “miracle diets”. My guess is that this moves a lot of product, but does it really help people?

The list of 6 diets he promoted in 2012:

Raspberry Ketones
Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE)
Qnexa/Qsymia
Moringa Oleifera Extract
Korean Pine Nuts
Two Day Diet

Link: Dr. Oz’s Miracle Diets of 2012: Raspberry Ketone, Green Coffee Bean Extract, Qnexa.
The post Dr. Oz’s 6 Miracle Diets of 2012 Under Scrutiny appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin

The cool thing about slow cookers is that they can give flavor to dishes with minimal ingredients. When eating low-cal to drop weight, it is nice when the food actually tastes great. We own a slow cooker and I need to plan ahead and put it to use again.

The challenge with slow cookers is finding good recipes. Kitty Broihier, co-author of Everyday Gluten-Free Slow Cooking, has an article with some tips as well as a few good recipes.
Link: Slow Cook Your Way To Slim.
The post Slow Cookers Are a Good Tool to Help You When Dieting appeared first on Fitness Black Book.

Original post by admin