Testing Sups

Animal Cuts
No Effect, didn't feel any different, didn't do anything it said on the tin.

Launch
Pre-workout supplement
No effect

Ripped "Juice" EX2
Unmatched Appetite Suppression - Tear Fat Away!
No Effect, taken pre-workout, no euphoria, no increased energy, ate breakfast, huge lunch, big dinner after.

Testosterone Sups

Was reading an article on the BBC about this guy Dr Jeffry Life in Los Angeles who's 74 and stays lean and keeps muscle on with weekly testosterone injections. Sounds like a treatment with no side-effects and can keep you living for longer. So with my latest iherb order I chose "T-Male" as my free sample. Took it in the morning and felt nothing. 

Afterwards I read a bit about it and it contains something called "tribulus" which does not increase testosterone. What it does is increase libido, and having sex makes your testosterone levels rise.

People on the blogosphere, Robb Wolff, bodybuilders etc are always talking about how they had low testosterone and increased it with diet or other life-tweaks. I have no idea what my "bound" testosterone and "free" testosterone is so I'll be sure to get it checked on my yearly health check. I think it's something I should monitor as I get older to make sure it's not declining. People get old, so people move less, so people get fat, and testosterone goes down. I believe what Dr Jeffry Life says when he explains that getting old is not directly related to a decline in testosterone levels. Stay active, keep eating clean and you can keep testosterone levels constant throughout life and live leaner, longer and healthier.

Book Review: Maurp Pasquale - The Metabolic Diet

312 pages:

1. Eat low carb during the week and carb load one day a week.
2. Lift weights
3. Lots of info on weight loss drugs you can take.
4. Don't trust companies that try to sell you supplements.
5. Buy my supplements.

Author promotes supplementation of folic acid instead of folate?

Knees Out!

K* recommends somewhere between 5 & 12 degrees for optimum knees out.
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/03/foot-position-test-breaking-diane.html
In this one K* says "The knee can be completely safe and effective with somewhere between 3-7 degrees of foot turn out."
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/05/episode-240-10-min-squat-test-8-athletic-acl-injury-prevention.html

Diane Fu has strong "external rotators". What are they? I need some of those.

Also, with feet straighter you have more power in the external rotators to keep the knees out. I would never have thought that would be the case, so interesting.

Notes for self: "Yes, better mobility and addressing the other factors Kelly notes will allow you to keep your feet straighter and not lose torque. Other episodes to look at are 230/365: Squatting With Turned Out Feet? Hey Duck Squatter, IR Yourself Episode 274/365: The Standing Athlete,343/365 Stop Walking Like the Duck You Aren’t"

link from 70's big on this
http://70sbig.com/blog/2012/03/hip-torque-toe-angle-and-squatting/

and Catalyst athletics article in reply to K*
http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=113

Paté du Mag

8oz/225g sausage stuffing,
4oz/113g cooked ham,
12oz/340g pigs or chicken liver,
One fairly big onion,
One large clove of garlic,
About a teaspoonful of mixed herbs,
6oz/170g of green streaky bacon (thinly sliced),
One third of a pint/190ml of dry red wine,
Bay leaves
Black pepper.

Mince the liver, ham, onion, garlic.
Mix them well, together with the sausage-meat, wine, herbs stuffing and pepper.
Put one or two bay leaves in the bottom of the bowl.
Stretch the bacon as thinly as possible with the blade of a heavy knife.
Line the dish with the bacon.
Put the mixture in the dish and cover with the bacon.
Put another bay leave or two on top.
Cover the dish with a lid or seal it well with foil.

Stand the dish in another dish half filled with water.
Cook in in a preheated oven (gas mark 4) for 1½ to 2 hours,
(depending on the depth and the shape of the dish).

If you weigh it with a brick or something it cuts better when cold.
Turn it out on to foil. Wrap it well and allow to mature for
Two or three days in the fridge. It will keep for a week to 10 days.

I use 1½ pint Pyrex dish to cook it in. make sure you wrap it well or
The house will reek of garlic!
If your feeling extravagant you can add a drop of brandy.

1st Pull Setups

I need to release the potential of the 2nd pull, it's not there because I'm out of position after the first pull.

Here's my setup:

here's another setup from this outlaw video: http://vimeo.com/51445112

Jon North

Ivan Stoistov BW:77kg - 180kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LlNW5uWBQ

and Milko Tokola

All these guys have their legs almost parallel to the floor, mine are closer to 45 degrees. This is why I'm not getting a good setup in the 2nd pull.

K-MAP

I just got back from my first session at K-MAP. I'm a total non believer when it comes to fixing things with a massage. When ever I've had a massage it's been because it feels nice, and afterwards I feel exactly the same as I did before. Lots of people I know need a massage. I've never needed a massage, but they are nice. In my office I'm surrounded by people complaining that their shoulders are tight, there's lots of implements hanging over people's desks so they can do self massage. All my colleagues seem to gradually become stiffer and stiffer until they go and see a masseuse and restart the cycle, I really don't get it.


I did a heavy squat 5x5 5kg PB last Monday and since then my hip has felt weird, so I decided to get it checked out by a professional physio. I explained the feeling to Dr. Tomo and he got me to move my leg in a few ways that hurt in my hip. He pulled out his iPad and launched an app called "3D Doc" or something. I asked him if it's free and he said no, it's really expensive. He diagnosed that my pain is in the "Pee-Go-Go-Kyuu" muscles. I was like "what? P559? muscles". So then he showed me the "Piriformis", "Superior Gamellus", "Obturator Internus" and "Inferior Gamellus" muscle set. They all hide behind the Glute and are responsible for turning the thigh out. It was a great lecture on muscles. The "Piriformis" is the big one out of the bunch and the likely culprit of the pain. He said it's good news because he knows the problem and he can fix it in 4 sessions, during which time I can go ahead and squat heavy. Awesome.

Then we checked out how balanced I am. He asked me to resist while he pushed my shoulder from behind on the right side. I didn't move Then he pushed my left side shoulder and I stumbled forwards. He said there's an obvious imbalance there from my weakness in the hip. I immediately assumed I'd been duped by some holistic healer's party trick. He pushed harder on my left shoulder? The floor is slightly unbalanced to amaze all first time clients? I asked Dr. Tomo to do it again  and the same thing happened. I hopped on the table and he stuck his thumbs in while I moved my legs and arms about, this was the painful "A.R.T." treatment I'd read about in Tim Ferris's 4 hour body. Tim Ferris said he was writhing around in pain, so I think Dr. Tomo has a lighter version of it? A few thumb pushes felt deep and it was the best massage I've ever had, but on a scale of poolside massage, stubbing your toe, punch in the face/football to nose, and dentist it was closest to a tough poolside massage. Maybe he was just testing the water this time and he'll really open up on me in the next 3 sessions. We tested again and I was rock solid on both sides, a 100% improvement. I was amazed, still a bit sceptical but something was definitely better. I did a few air-squats, got on my back like an upturned cockroach and moved my left leg about and my hip pain was unchanged.

"Much better?" asked Dr. Tomo.
"No, same pain".
"50% better?"
I felt the need for acknowledgement of Dr. Tomo's hard work building up inside me.
"Yeah, bit bitter actually"
I lied; the pain was exactly the same.

I want to be flexible like K-Starr

My hip is feeling better day by day and I can squat painless again now, lateral stuff hurts. Also the diagnosis that my bones are correctly aligned, and my problem is musculature, and the lecture on which muscles are affected is good for my peace of mind. I can google these muscles to my heart's content now and read about ways to self massage and balance myself out. The rebalancing trick was really interesting and worth the money in itself. I also now know my main muscles I should be rolling out before working out. And Dr. Tomo said I can go ahead and ass to grass heavy, that's great news. I'm a total miser for anything apart from flight tickets, and I think this visit to Dr. Tomo's physiotherapy clinic was worth it. Thank you Dr. Tomo, my hip might have healed in time anyway, but I'll keep going back until my hip is painless. I'm also interested to see if I've reverted to being "Off balance" again next Thursday.