Things I Like

Some of things that I give my stamp of approval to:

1. Nike Free's. Picked up my first pair of Nike Free's a couple of weeks ago and I love them. I barely even notice them on my feet. They just slip on. The laces are aligned to the natural shape of your foot. And they allow your foot to work the way it's supposed to work.
2. Carbohydrate Timing. Carbs may not be as evil as you think they are if you just ingested them at the right times which is when your insulin sensitivity is greatest: when you wake up and postworkout. Load up on carbs at breakfast with some rolled oats and then throw in some carbs again in that one to two hours after your workout. All other times of day, try to limit your carb intake if you're looking to drop some bodyfat. Or on days that you're working out cheat a bit more with your carb intake. On days that you're not working out watch your carb intake a bit more.
3. Not so normal training. I can see part of the reason why people hate going to the gym. It gets a bit monotonous. You lift some dumbbells. You do a bodyweight exercise or two. You do three sets for tens reps on just about every exercise because that is what you were told to do. Yes, the basic stuff works and will always work. But sometimes you need to bring a bit of an edge or competitiveness or just some plain old fun to your training. This is part of the reason why strongman type training has become more popular over the last couple years. Dragging and pushing sleds. Doing farmers walks. Swinging sledge hammers. Something about this type of training brings out a bit more in people.
4. Trap Bar Deadlifts. Getting a client to do deadlifts with a trap bar is a whole lot easier than trying to get a client to do a deadlift with a barbell. Yes, you may say this is the easy way out. I don't care. They're still deadlifting. They're still moving some decent weight. And they're still getting a whole lot more out of it than using the butt blaster.
5. Foam Rolling pre-workout. Some are going to say I should be doing it post workout. Personally, I like it pre-workout. I notice a huge difference in my movement patterns when I foam roll before a workout and when I don't. Foam roll, static stretch overly tight areas and then some dynamic flexibility pre-workout. That's my preferred method.
6. The beginning of NFL training camp. I don't know what it is about the Red Sox this year, but I have absolutely no interest in them. Could be the fact that they're using a minor league roster. Or it could be that the toughness of guys like Josh Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury could seriously be questioned. I need some sports in my life. I need some passion about sports in my life. I need the Patriots. I need fantasy football. Knowing that the Pats are about to be sweating it out down in Foxboro brings a smile to my face.
7. Advances in Functional Training. This basically a compilation of strength coach Mike Boyle's works over the years. It's a great resource to have around and something to go back to now and then if you have questions about your training. The best part of his stuff is that he presents it all in pretty simple terms. You don't need a manual to read the manual, if you know what I mean. Plus this there's some pretty good program templates in there if you're looking for new ways to design your own programs.

What do you guys like?