Got a new guest article for you today. This comes from Mike Fitch an up and comer here online with his new site Global Bodyweight Training. Mike is a student of mine, ex-model, avid bodyweight trainer, and can do some amazing stuff. He also has great quality videos that make me jealous. This article and the video focuses on keeping the shoulders healthy and strong.
No matter what the style of training that you prefer, I think it’s pretty safe to say that both increased strength and power can significantly improve your efforts. Whether it is strong man training, bodyweight training or good ole fashion body building, a nagging injury or pain can throw a serious wrench in the progress. So why are these common aches or pains so often overlooked or worked around?
I’d venture to say that most athletes simply don’t know what to do about it, and most doctors aren’t invested enough to lay out a solid pre or post rehab program without referring out. Usually it’s not until your arm’s ripped from its socket that there is significant attention paid to the area. It’s more of an afterthought than a priority.
But what if I told you that your potential strength and power is seriously hindered if there is an injury that is constantly overlooked. Think of it this way, the body is always more interested in self-preservation than any thing else. So if you’re nervous system sees a dysfunction at a joint, it will actually “turn down” the amount of power going through that joint, as an effort to protect it, even if your ego thinks otherwise. So if you have some sort of pain in your shoulder, you’ll never really reach your full potential when attempting to bench press that compact car.
From my experience, unless you actually have an “impact’ related injury like a car accident or a bone crushing tackle, the majority of injuries that I see are simply imbalance issues that are made worse by repeatedly pushing resistance through an unstable joint. Without correcting the imbalance.
Just by spending a fourth of the time you would be spending on your normal resistance training, you can make an enormous difference. I’ve seen chronic pains totally disappear in less than six weeks or last a life time when ignored. Your choice.
This video is a sample of a shoulder health program that is geared towards an A/C joint impingement or front shoulder pain (which happens to be one of the most common cases I see with my clients).
All of the exercises, stretches and activations in the video with exception of one, use only body weight as resistance. (A 8-12 lb Kettlebell, Dumbbell or jug can be used for the pendulum swing)
A couple of tips to add the video suggestions into your program:
1. Start doing a 2:1 ratio of Pull exercises to Push exercises. A lot of times impingement issues are caused by an overdevelopment of anterior muscles and underdevelopment of posterior muscles.
2. Stand up straight! Forward shoulder roll not only makes you look like an ape, but also closes down the A/C joint as well shortens the internal rotators at the shoulder joint.
3. Start performing this shoulder health program as a warm up before any Pushing or Pressing workout.
Mike Fitch is the creator of the Global Bodyweight Training system. You can get a taste of it by signing up on his site where you’ll receive a free video on 25 Pushup Variations for Total Chest Development. Also be sure to check out the World is Our Playground section to see bodyweight training and more in Miami, Costa Rica and many more locations around the world.
Filed under Bodyweight Exercise, Flexibility/Mobility, Health, Recovery, Videos by on Dec 29th, 2010. 2 Comments.
Not really.
But after last night I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider it.
You see, last night I finally watched the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster which is all about steroids. I’d heard about it for sometime but I didn’t get around to watching it until now.
If you haven’t seen it here is a brief synopsis from Wikipedia:
The documentary examines the steroid use of the director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, Mark and Mike Bell, who all grew up idolizing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone, and also features professional athletes, medical experts, fitness center members, and US Congressmen talking about the issue of anabolic steroids.
Beyond the basic issue of anabolic steroid use, Bigger, Stronger, Faster examines the lack of consistency in how America views drugs, cheating, and the lengths people go to achieve success.
The film looks beyond the steroid issue to such topics as Tiger Woods’ laser eye correction to 20/15 vision, professional musicians use of anxiety reducing drugs, or athletes’ dependence on cortisone shots, which are a legal steroid. It takes a skeptical view of the health risks of steroids and is critical of the legal health supplement industry.
Some very interesting points were viewed in the film.
The Dangers of Drug Use
Steroids aren’t as dangerous as they’re made out to be and with them being mostly illegal no long term studies will be conducted. ‘Roid rage is pretty much just a myth. Not that there isn’t any side effects. As with all drugs, pharmaceutical, recreational, and otherwise, too much, too often is always dangerous.
As the one fitness model said there are no side effects. Except, wait a sec, he got a case of bitch tits and had to have his nipple removed and put back on! To him a minor surgery (as if any surgery is minor) and no big deal. To me that alone makes me hands down never want to do them.
In our pill popping culture why wouldn’t someone who wants to get bigger take drugs to do it. After all, they take drugs to sleep better, when they get a headache, for heart troubles and to get an erection. But because steroids are illegal many won’t do it.
The Healthful Side of Steroids
Except they’re not completely illegal. You can get hormone replacement therapy done with doctor. Much of anti-aging medicine is about restoring the hormones to regular if not optimal levels. Sometimes this is done more naturally, sometimes not so much.
Where is the line between someone who is taking testosterone for their health and someone who is taking it to get the edge?
For me personally I’ve gotten big into natural Chinese tonic herbs. Many of these are used to get the hormones running right. One of the precepts for the superior class of herbs is that they can do no harm even if you are one them long term. That they have an overall healthful effects not harmful even taken all the time and in large doses.
Contrast this to drugs with their list of side effects. And as was pointed out to me by George Lamoureux of Jing Herbs all those potential side effects aren’t side effects. They are effects. They simply manifest themselves in some people but stay on an unnoticeable level in others, still wreaking havoc inside the body, yet not making symptoms occur.
By doing the proper training and eating correctly you’ll naturally optimize your hormones, get lean muscle mass and the youthful effects that brings. However no matter how well you do it, it won’t give you the same effects as injecting testosterone into yourself. It simply can’t be done.
The Drive to Win
So if you need to become bigger, stronger and more injury resistant what do you do? In order to be the best you have to beat the best. If all the others are on performance enhancing drugs what chance will you have unless you join them?
As is commonly known about bodybuilders all the guys at the top are on steroids. But so are the majority of powerlifters, strongmen, and Olympic athletes in just about every field. Louie Simmons makes it pretty clear in his gym Westside Barbell it’s almost a prerequisite to train there.
And you know what? It’s understandable.
I suppose it’s not fair if you pit a “natural” athlete against one on steroids. But what about when you pit a bunch of juiced athletes against each other? Doesn’t the win and title go to the person who still worked the hardest, has the commitment and does the best?
In a drive to get to the top it’s no wonder its so prevalent. While steroids may be a shortcut there is no real shortcut when you spend every single day and years of effort to become the best. For many sports you cannot go as far as you could if you don’t take steroids.
Why I Still Say No
Yet, I’m still not going to do them. Ever. Should I give up on my plans to become one of the strongest people out there? Not at all.
Look at the oldtime strongmen. Many had the greatest physiques ever. And certainly I believe most men would rather look like John Grimek than Jay Cutler. While most records have fallen time and time again some of the oldtime strongmen still hold world records not likely to be broken.
Even with all the pharmaceutical enhancement I haven’t seen anyone come close to Arthur Saxon’s bent press.
While I may not be able to compete with powerlifters I can do the things I do and become the best in them. Would steroids help? I’m sure they would in that I could train harder and recover faster. But do I need them? No.
Just look at my friend and business partner Bud Jeffries. Drug free his whole life. Squatted 1000 lbs. without a squats suit and even from the bottom of the rack. Many steroid users couldn’t even come close to that.
(By the way Bud is having a 25% off sale on everything at his site. It’s only for a few days longer so sprint on over there and check it out.)
I’m still looking for the edge in my training. Whether that comes from the best method of training, taking natural supplements, and using mental tactics.
For me I draw the line on steroid use.
Yet that line is hazy. As is shown in the film the Tour de France winner Floyd Landis and his atmospheric chamber. By sleeping in it he is able to produce more red blood cells which aid in endurance. The same thing goes on at the Olympic training center in Colorado with the high altitude. These are legal to do.
But blood doping (which is drawing out your own blood then reinjecting it the day before the event) or taking a drug which causes you to produce more red blood cells are not legal.
To me that makes sense. But I suppose each person will have to decide for themselves where that line is at. For some the legality is the only issue. For others their own morals don’t necessarily coincide with the law. The fact that steroids are illegal or not doesn’t effect my decision.
For me the funniest part of the film was the performance enhancing drugs used by musicians to calm themselves down. Legal and generally excepted by the whole group.
Each person will have to draw their own line on what is acceptable.
If you haven’t seen it I encourage you to check out the documentary. It’ll open your eyes to the brainwashing that most people have regarding the issue. From there you can make up your own mind.
If you have seen it I’d love to get your input below.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition, Oldtime Strongmen, Recovery by on Nov 17th, 2010. 4 Comments.
Over the weekend I did a fast. In total it lasted about 3 days.
Fasting is something I’ve been doing on and off for years. Recently, though I haven’t done all that much.

No food for three days
If you’re unfamiliar with fasting the basics of it are to go completely without food for a period of time. This can be as short as 24 hours (anything less I wouldn’t call a real fast). Or it can go on for longer than a month (this is generally not recommended for most people).
The Benefits of Fasting
There are several reasons why you’d want to fast. It gives the body a break. Did you know that digestion is one of the most energy intensive processes in the human body? Especially when you eat, eat, and eat never giving it a break it has no time to play catch-up.
But with a fast, and the digestion freed up, the body can begin to fortify itself. It can use the extra time and energy to detox the body. Especially in this day and age, even with the healthiest diet (and how many people really are on all the time?) you still need to detox.
Fasting is also a great way to build willpower as you will at times be hungry. The funny thing is after a period of time, the hunger goes away. As I write this food doesn’t even sound all that appetizing to me. I wouldn’t even be thinking about it except that I’m writing about it.
Want to lose weight? Regularly fasting, for instance one day per week, can certainly help. I’ve dropped down to below 180 now. Of course, I know that my weight will come back fast as I begin eating again, and then some.
I also believe that fasting could help you gain weight, done on a limited basis. It sounds counter-intuitive but fasting can better prepare your body to eat and assimilate food when you are eating, which you’ll also likely do more of. I haven’t fully tested this yet, but may at some point in the future.
What does this all have to do with strength and performance? I believe that the better you body runs, the cleaner it is, the better it will allow you to build and express your strength.
While Paul Bragg was a big advocate of water fasting, and that is what I always use to do, I took a different approach this time.
That is a Nutritional Fast.
A nutritional fast involves taking in nutrition while fasting. But that doesn’t make sense…I just said you can’t eat while fasting. To put it in a broad idea, macronutrients are not nutrition. Yes you need them and certain kinds are way better then others.
However, nutrition is pretty much all in the micronutrients. That is vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, probiotics, herbs and the like. You could also stick some fats and amino acids here. These are not only necessary for your body to function, but necessary to make it thrive. The key difference is most macronutrients are used for fuel, while micronutrients are used for everything else.
When you take these in while fasting you do a number of things.
1. You make the fast easier. With nutrition coming in (often what your body is actually craving when it signals you for food) you don’t get as hungry. In fact, this time I’ve loaded up so much that I sometimes feel the sense of fullness. Having tea throughout the day certainly helps. Load that tea up with tonic herbs, even better.
2. You give the body what it needs to do its job better. I mentioned detoxing and freeing up the body’s energies. By providing nutrition your body can better do the job. If vitamins and minerals are necessary pieces in cleansing the body, through various enzymatic functions and what not, then you can basically accelerate your fast by doing so.
3. It may be a little healthier to do so. Unless you get consistent blood work done you don’t necessarily know of things you could be chronically deficient in. While having some form of nutrition, you better mitigate the risks of fasting not to say there is much risk in fasting, especially shorter versions, but it is not the right choice in all cases. Just ask Bernarr McFadden whose intense fasting protocols may have hastened his death!
I wanted to give you some ideas about fasting. For more, fasting is listed as several of the points in 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health (with different ideas about fasting in each point).
Here’s a recent review I got in for the book:
“First of all I want to say that your 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health! is a SICK book (In a good way!).
“The simplicity of it makes it a Awesome book about health, without all the scientific BS of MOST health books these days. Just straight to the point no fluff, NO BS, legit stuff! I consulted it & keep on consulting it day by day as a reminder of how IMPORTANT health is to strength & vice versa!
“I also started incorporating Almost ALL of the Steps that you mentioned in the book & have been noticing some amazing effects, especially with sleeping WITHOUT a pillow, which is a blessing to say the least. I never had any neck cramps or pain in the first place ( I Train my Neck like you do, with Wrestler Bridge/Front Bridge etc.). But still it made me fall in sleep faster & easier & it also improved my quality of sleep! so thanks for that bro! That one tip changed the way I sleep forever! Never going to go back to those damn pillows EVER again!
“I could go on & on & on about How much I like the book & how much I’ve learned from it, But I think you get the point!
“Bottom Line: It’s a Awesome Straight-to-the-point book Which every Health fanatic should have!”
Matti Marzel – The Netherlands
If you haven’t already I suggest you check out the book today.
And then if you’re new to it, try fasting. Just go from dinner to dinner the following day and see how it feels.
But if you do have experience fasting, nutritional, water, even without food and water, tell me about it below.
In health,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition, Recovery by on Oct 18th, 2010. 1 Comment.
What are the many causes of muscle soreness? Should you seek to get sore from your workouts? Or should you seek to avoid it? And when you have it, how do you get rid of it?
Find our all the above and more in the new article: On Muscle Soreness
Filed under Recovery by on Aug 3rd, 2010. Comment.
Supplements are evil! Supplements are good! Find out the truth in this video…
The contest continues (and a winner will be announced tomorrow). Leave your comments below to enter.
Filed under Health, Recovery, Videos by on Jun 28th, 2010. 8 Comments.
Join me as I discuss my interest in health and how it’ll lead to the best performance in all areas of your life.
To enter the contest described in the video simply comment below. In a few days I’ll pick one commenter at random and announce the winner.
In health,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Recovery, Videos by on Jun 24th, 2010. 17 Comments.
Recently I told you that in addition to strength training and feats of strength I’d start to talk more on the subject of health.
Health is important. It seems to me that the majority of trainees these days don’t pay enough attention to it. If you workout then scarf down a couple Big Macs you’re really not doing much for your health.
But everyone knows what healthy eating is, right? Whether they do it or not, so I won’t be addressing that area much.
Instead I want to focus on the other things you need to be doing for your health.
Things that you may not realize you should be doing.
Things that can make a dramatic impact on your life and vitality with a simple change.
Today I reveal a breakthru discovery and all that it can do for you health.
This report details a ‘non-technology’ you can start using today…at no cost…and how this will result in improved sleep and circulation with reduced soreness.
(Sounds to me like that means better recovery from your workouts. That couldn’t possibly help you, could it???)
Get all the details, including the scientific research, in my new report.
Sign up to get the report and start putting it into action today.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Recovery by on Jun 22nd, 2010. 2 Comments.

Not world record status but if I keep up this pace how long would it take?








