For example, if I’m looking for running shoes, allow me to “cross out” Puma and leave Nike, Adidas, and Asics. It’s really that simple. Sometimes when I search for things, I know exactly what I don’t want and not necessarily what I do want. If I had only selected Nike, I may very well miss that new Asics shoe that works better for me.

Edit: Here’s a different example that might be better. Say I’m looking for music. Let’s take Jazz for example, and I’m interested in the record label Impulse. So I search “impulse records” on Amazon and out pops a bunch of albums under a ton a different genres. Wouldn’t it be nice to eliminate the categories for which I have no interest, allowing me the opportunity to explore the rest? Obviously, I could go category by category, but that’s way more tedious and takes away from the buying and exploration experience.

On two separate occasions, the person in front of me at Chipotle has done something that really makes me scratch my head. While these people didn’t do anything wrong per se, their actions defy common sense. At least my version of it.

The first thing that happened was a fellow who asked for his tacos to be remade. The story goes something like this. Guy orders tacos, asks for salsa, hot sauce, etc. After everything is put together and the lady is about to wrap them up, he asks for sour cream. She obliges. Unhappy that she just put it on top, the customer mumbles about having his tacos remade but is wishy-washy about it. They end up being remade while everyone else just waits.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for the tacos to be remade, but two things irked me. First, this guy could have avoided this problem by asking for sour cream after the salsa was added to his tacos. Waiting until your tacos are about to be wrapped before asking, what did you expect her to do? Second. If you’re going to ask for tacos to be remade, be definitive about it. Tell them exactly what you didn’t like and how you would like them made. Is that so hard?

On to the other occasion. Simple. Who uses a $100 bill to pay for Chipotle?! It’s $7 and change. First of all, I can see the credit cards in your wallet. Second, you have not only annoyed everyone behind you, you have annoyed the cashier with that sheepish grin and chuckling about it with your buddy. I’m sorry. It’s really not that funny.

Well, I promised you more, so here are six more fantastic ones you probably aren’t doing, and why you probably should.

At its core, the Turkish Get-Up is extremely deceptive (and humbling) because it looks so simple, but it kicks your ass.

Why You Should Do It:

The Get-Up (uh, Turkish) is a phenomenal and functional exercise that promotes core strength, shoulder stability, balance, coordination, and burns calories. In addition, because it utilizes almost every muscle in your body, it can expose glaring weaknesses or asymmetries. After attempting the Turkish Get-Up, you might find yourself adjusting your current workout routine to improve on what is lacking.

Much like any exercise, technique is key. Start light and work your way up. Go Turkish or go home!


Roll-outs

I see quite a few people do Prone Bridges, or “Planks”, at the gym. Kudos because it’s a fantastic exercise to develop your core stability. But let’s kick it up a notch… with roll-outs.

It’s very important to brace your core throughout the movement. You don’t want to compensate by over-arching your lower back.

Why You Should Do It:

Your abdominal muscles were designed for stability, not flexion or rotation. Otherwise,

“…it would look like a hamstring because that would be a flexion type of muscle – a single-joint muscle. But they don’t look like that. They have lines running both vertically and horizontally across them, because they’re there to stabilize you in all planes of movement, to prevent rotation and to really stabilize your spine and your fragile low back.”

- Chris Lopez, CTT, CSCS

Roll-outs are a fantastic way to improve that stability.


Overhead Squats

Many fitness coaches employ the Overhead Squat as an important assessment tool for new clients. But, as good as it is, I’ve only seen it performed once or twice in my commercial gym. It’s unfortunate because the Overhead Squat is a tremendous exercise that strengthens your lower body, while improving mobility in several important areas.

Why You Should Do It:

“You can send your athletes to all the yoga classes in the world, but the overhead squat develops athletic flexibility. As for leg strength, that is the only way to get out of the whole in this exercise. You can’t lean forward, twist, bounce or cheat in anyway. The bar will come off the top and you will have to start again.”

- Dan John, “The Overhead Squat Article“

A properly executed Overhead Squat requires great mobility in the hip, shoulder, thoracic spine (upper-to-mid back), and ankles. It also necessitates good core and lower back strength, coordination, and balance.

And that’s exactly why you should do it. Assuming you have no injuries, I highly recommend incorporating it into your workout program – at least as a warm-up or something.


Lunges

I say “lunges”, but really, any sort of unilateral (single leg) work would suffice. Lunges are a phenomenal way to strengthen your legs and improve your balance.

The video above is of a Barbell Reverse Lunge, but Forward Lunges, Bulgarian Split-Squats, Step-ups, Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts, and Pistols are all great exercises, too. There’s plenty of unilateral love to go around!

Why You Should Do It:

Now, I love bilateral leg work – heavy squats and deadlifts are my personal M.O. – but unilateral exercises are phenomenal because they correct imbalances (right leg stronger than left, or vice versa); simulate the movement pattern of sprinting, crucial in many sports; keep the lower back in a neutral position; and often boost your bilateral leg lifts! Not bad for just one leg…


Face Pulls

Face pulls concentrate on several, important movers in your upper back and shoulders: the scapula, the lower and middle traps, and rear deltoid muscles.

Why You Should Do It:

It’s a fantastic exercise to reduce shoulder problems and improve your posture. Because we spend so much time hunched over a computer, driving, and/or focusing primarily on our chest muscles, we begin to develop kyphosis, a condition characterized by slouched shoulders and a rounded upper-back. Face Pulls combat that dysfunction and reteach the proper movement of the scapula.


Behind-the-Neck Band Pull-Aparts

This exercise focuses on the lower trapezius and increases the range of motion of your shoulders and thoracic spine (mid-back).

If you don’t have resistance bands, try Scapular Wall Slides:

Why You Should Do It:

The lower traps are more challenging to target while training, compared to the upper and middle traps. As a result, the lower traps become more problematic and weaker.

Behind-the-Neck Band Pull-Aparts and Scapular Wall Slides strengthen your lower traps, reversing your kyphosis. In addition, it enhances your thoracic mobility, which not only in betters your shoulder girdle, but sharpens your technique in lifts such as the Overhead Squat.

But if you’ve never seen these before, I highly encourage you to give them a try. Your body will thank you.

How have these exercises worked for you? Do you perform other lesser-known ones as well? Leave a comment, hit me up on Twitter, or add me on Facebook.

The most important exercises are the ones we haven’t done yet.

Most trainees are familiar with the bench press, bicep curl, sit-up, push up, etc. Although plenty of those are beneficial, there are many others – which you may not have tried – that correct muscle imbalances, prevent injury, and build even more strength.

With that said, I’ve assembled two articles, each with six amazing exercises that you probably aren’t doing, and why you probably should.

Here are the first six:

Hip Thrusts are one of the best ways to develop your glutes and hamstrings, muscles essential in optimal movement and strength. In fact, research supports their effectiveness (and therefore, awesomeness): the hip thrust leads to 119% glute activation, compared to a kneeling squat or conventional deadlift, which only garners 67% and 55% activation, respectively.

Why You Should Do It:

“From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn’t enjoy a good sit?”

-C. Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons

Chances are you sit a lot: at work, in your car, while you eat, while you watch television… hell, I’m sitting right now while writing this.

Unfortunately, too much sitting shortens your hip flexors – the muscles located at the front of your hip – which leads to weak glutes. Here’s the worst part: your glutes are some of your most important muscles. Ineffective glutes force other muscles in your body to compensate during kicking, sprinting, extending or flexing the hip, and many other movements, resulting in a higher possibility of injury in the back, groin, hip, hamstrings, and more.

Moreover, the glutes are critical in weight-training – consider the force they generate during squats and deadlifts; strengthening your glutes translates to more power and can also improve your technique in many lifts.


Cable External Rotations

Cable External Rotations develop the externally rotating muscles of your shoulders (obviously) – specifically, the infraspinatus and teres minor – which aids in realignment and reducing impingements.

Keep your upper-arm close to your sides and don’t compensate by raising your shoulder. You can also try a different angle:

Why You Should Do It:

We spend time an significant amount of time with our arms in front of us and internally rotated; for example, typing on your computer and driving. Then, to add insult to (potential) injury, we hammer out bench presses and dumbbell flies ’til the cows come home, further internally rotating our arms and pulling our shoulders forward.

That’s an injury waiting to happen.

We need to reverse the damage and build the muscles that support the opposing movements. Your shoulders will thank you.


Scapular Pushups

Scapular Pushups – also known as a Pushup Plus – boost the strength and stability of the serratus anterior muscle of the shoulder blades.

Why You Should Do It:

In the Building The Efficient Athlete DVD series, Mike Roberston and Eric Cressey explain that the serratus anterior muscle constitutes “the root of a lot of problems” and shuts down in 95% of people with shoulder issues. This dysfunction hinders the upward rotation of your arms causing impingement.

We don’t want that.

Scapular pushups help activate those muscles, restoring proper protraction and rotation of the scapula.

That we want.


Pullups

Interestingly, people rarely attempt pullups at my commercial gym – it’s unfortunate because, when performed correctly, pullups are a superb way to strengthen your upper-body.

Why You Should Do It:

Pullups create powerful lats, shoulders, traps, and forarms; is a great measure of upper-body strength; and can subsequently improve your performance in plenty of other exercises. In addition, they train your scapula to retract and depress correctly.

In addition:

“…lifters should be able to do pull-ups with as much weight (including bodyweight) as they can bench press, meaning that a 200-pound guy that bench presses 300 pounds should be able to do a pull-up with 100 pounds added. In my opinion, a 1:1 pull-up to bench press ratio should be the minimum. I’d much rather see the scale tipped towards pull-ups.”

- Ben Bruno quoting Mike Boyle, T-Nation.com

I would venture to guess that most people are far from this level.

And avoid Squirrel Pullups!!


Reverse Crunches

This movement focuses on your external obliques, the largest muscle in your anterior core, as well as your six-pack muscles.

Notice that his lower back pushes toward the ground at the beginning of every rep, the thighs don’t pass perpendicular to the floor, and the knees are tightly flexed.

Why You Should Do It:

Remember I said we sit too much? Often, that leads to lordosis, an exaggerated curve in your lower back because of those tight hip flexors. The Reverse Crunch helps to correct that because it begins with a posterior pelvic tilt – the opposite of lordosis – and strengthens your abs. Moreover, it doesn’t have the same problems as sit-ups: neck strain, back strain, and hunched shoulders.

In the video above, the person is holding a dumbbell. An aspect I really enjoy about this exercise is that it’s easy to increase its difficulty: for example, start with a 45lbs dumbbell and, as it gets easier, use increasingly lighter dumbbells until you’re doing it with your hands behind your head.


Inverted Rows

Also known as Horizontal Pullups and Fatman Pullups, the inverted row targets the musculature in your upper back.

Make sure you touch your chest on the bar after every rep. For something less intense, keep your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent. As you get stronger, you can try feet-elevated inverted rows:

Why You Should Do It:

Consider this: how many pushups can you do? Cool. Now, how many inverted rows can do? If those numbers aren’t close, your chest-to-back strength ratio may be out-of-whack.

“If you’re not rowing, you’re muscles aren’t growing.”

With all those chest exercises and time we spend with our arms in front of us, our chest muscles become overworked and tight, pulling our shoulder blades forward and weakening the upper back. Inverted rows help mitigate that problem by strengthening those inhibited muscles and realigning your shoulders. Plus, it’s a good substitute for trainees who lack the hamstring flexibility and hip mobility to perform Barbell Rows.

Stay tuned for the next part!

Let me know how these exercises work for you! Leave a comment, hit me up on Twitter, or add me on Facebook.

Guard: Russell Westbrook (USG: 31.6% | Win Shares: 9.4)

• His usage rate puts a number on how heavily involved he is in the Thunder offense, and win shares prove that he’s an impact player. He has been heavily criticized lately for his decision-making and taking possessions away from super star Kevin Durant. Watching him play, it’s hard to disagree. Just one example: On fast breaks, Westbrook puts his head down and gets called for offensive fouls even when there is clearly a second option.

Guard: Kobe Bryant (USG: 35.1% | WS: 10.3)

• The Lakers need Bryant; there’s no doubt about it. His usage rate and win shares help illustrate how integral he is to the Lakers on the offensive end. He does, however, make a ridiculous amount of money. Part of what makes him overrated is the fact that from time to time, he’ll shoot the Lakers out of games. He also isn’t as good defensively as he’s been in the past, which also affects his “value”.

Guard: Joe Johnson (USG: 26.3% | WS: 4.2)

• This is a case where the “quiet superstar” is overpaid. His 2010-2011 stat line looks something like 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists per game. With a win share of 4.2, his contributions to his team’s success do no warrant the max contract he just signed. I’d say he’s an average defender and an average 3-point shooter.

Forward: Carmelo Anthony (USG: 32.5% w/Nuggets & w/31.0% Knicks | WS: 4.7 w/Nuggets & 3.2 w/Knicks)

• Clearly excels in a system where he can dominate the ball, but he hasn’t shown that he can be the primary playmaker. He’s one of the best scorers in the NBA who passes the ball as a last result. Over 8 games this year, his usage rate is even higher at 34.4%, which has undoubtedly affected Stoudemire. Looking at win shares, don’t contribute to enough wins.

Center: Andrea Bargnani (USG: 28.1% | WS: 2.6)

• Pretty much a guard stuck in a center’s body. A 7-footer should not be averaging 5 rebounds and less than a block a game for his career. His solid points per game on the stat sheet mask his weakness as a defender. Looking at his win shares number shows how little he contributes to his team’s wins.

Stats from Basketball-Reference.com & ESPN
Usage Rate | Win Shares

Guard: Stephen Curry (2010 PER: 19.4 | EFF: 19.3)

• Known more for his shooting, Curry has proved he can play point and has some solid assist numbers (almost 6 per game) to back that up. Most people probably remember him as the guard from Davidson with unlimited range, pre-Jimmer.

Guard: Arron Afflalo (2010 PER: 13.6 | EFF: 13.6)

• Plays good defense and usually guards the opposing team’s best perimeter player. His low PER does not reflect his defensive contributions. He also knocks down 3’s in a high scoring Nuggets offense.

Forward: Al Horford (2010 PER: 20.7 | EFF: 22.5)

• Sometimes gets lost in the Hawks offense because he’s not the first option. Even when other players dominate the ball, he’s been able to average nearly a double-double every year.

Forward: Luis Scola (2010 PER: 18.4 | EFF: 19.6)

• Crafty big man with an array of post moves. He’s been a consistent player who may be overlooked because his team is mediocre and has had a rough string of bad luck.

Center: LaMarcus Aldridge (2010 PER: 21.5 | EFF: 23.1)

• Aldridge’s game has developed a post game to go with his jump shooting. He was All Star snubbed last year and easily forgotten playing on a small market team out in Portland.

6^th Man:

Guard: James Harden (2010 PER: 16.4 | EFF: 12.2)

• High expectations for the Thunder have put them under the microscope this year, and people are starting to notice how much Harden does for them. He’s got a game that lets him score in a variety of ways and is a solid defender. Might not stay underrated for long.

2010 stats are listed instead of 2011 because few games have been played and thus a small sample size. 2010’s highest PER: 27.3 and EFF: 28.6 both posted by LeBron James.

PER: Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating where a score of 15 is considered average. Largely measures offensive performance and does not always reflect the impact of defensively oriented players.
EFF: Also favors offensively minded players and is calculated with the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – FG missed – FT missed – TO)

Walk into any gym across America – right now – and I almost guarantee someone will be doing the bench press.

The bench press the most widely-used barometer of upper-body strength, hands down. In addition to bragging rights, bench press performance is an important measurement in both the National Football League and National Basketball Association for testing of new athletes. Functionally, the bench press is also a great lift to strengthen and build muscles in the chest and upper arms.

“This is the United States of America. Like it or not, the bench press will always be the most popular exercise. Too bad everyone sucks at it.”

- Dave Tate, founder and CEO of Elite Fitness Systems with a 610lbs Bench Press

“What do you bench?”

Have you been spinning your wheels? Are you benching as much as you want? Or do you think your technique needs work?

Well, here are the nine tips to help you bench a bigger weight, divided simply into three sections: the set-up, the lowering phase, and the lifting phase.

The Set-Up

1. Tighten Your Upper Back

When I stay tighten, I mean to fully retract your shoulder blades back and down.

Too many people bench with the their backs relaxed; the bench press is much more complex than just lying down and pushing a weight. A cue I like to use is to put my finger on the athlete’s upper spine and have them try to squeeze the hell out of my finger. That’s how your upper back should feel throughout your bench press.

2. Use Those Legs

Set up with your legs wide and resting on your toes. Often times, people bench with their legs dangling, bouncing, or – worse – resting on the bench. Don’t be that guy. Wide legs give you a firm and stable base to bench off of. And resting on your toes allows you to drive those legs during the lift.

More on that later.

3. Get A Liftoff

Get someone to help you lift the bar off the rack and into position. Not only is it a waste of energy, but pulling the bar off the rack can be quite difficult at heavier weights. Plus, in my experience, too many racks have a high lip, which means you have to lift the bar first and then pull the bar to a ready position, which can reduce the tightness in your upper back.

Decide on a cue beforehand: “I’m going to count to three and then lift off” or something like that. Remember, you’re not asking for a spot, just a liftoff.

The Lowering Phase (Eccentric Portion)

1. Pause At The Top

Once you get your liftoff, pause at the top for two or three seconds. This allows your body to sink lower into the bench, creating a firmer base to push off of. It also helps you to focus on staying tight. Only do this to start – for every other repetition, a momentary pause at the top will suffice.

2. Keep Your Chest Up

Raise your chest to meet the barbell as it descends. Don’t let your chest sink down or your shoulders round forward as you bench. In addition to being safer, it is mechanically efficient because it helps you maintain the arch that supports your press. Keeping your chest up also reduces the distance the bar has to travel allowing you to bench more weight.

3. Maintain Upper Back Tightness

Keep that upper back tight as the bar descends. If it helps, try to imagine pulling the bar apart as you lower it.

The Lifting Phase (Concentric Portion)

1. Squeeze The Bar

Squeeze hard and make those knuckles turn white. Squeezing the bar incorporates more muscles, which allows you to lift more weight. It also adds to your stability. Just another reason to bench press with your thumb wrapped around the barbell instead of the “suicide grip”.

2. Drive Your Legs

Contrary to popular belief, the bench press is a full-body lift. If you aren’t using your legs, you are significantly limiting the amount of weight you can lift and compromising your safety. Imagine driving your heels into the ground – it will be impossible since you are on your toes, but you must drive those legs as hard as you can. This also helps transition the weight to your upper trapezius muscles, which more-effectively supports the lift.

3. Push Fast

The emphasis must be on speed. I want you to push so fast, you might bench the barbell into orbit. Now, I’m sure you’re not actively trying to bench slowly, but by pushing quickly, you activate your nervous system to utilize more motor units. If you have difficulty with this part, try plyometric exercises similar to the bench press motion (e.g. clapping push-ups).

Try these tips the next time you bench and see what happens! Hopefully, you’ll have a much better bench press experience, push more weight, and develop more muscles.

Happy lifting!

Jump to the newest post immediately after your last read article? Right now all it does is send me to the most recent. And if there are too many unread, I get lazy and end up not catching all the way up. Would be nice to be able to pick up where I left off. Additionally, what happens if I read 50 of 150 new articles, leave and come back? I would then have say 50 read articles sandwiched between the new articles and no easy way to get to the older unread material.

Update 1: Remember where I was? Similar to the previous point, I wish Reader would remember the last article I read so that if I click on another folder and come back, I’ll be taken to the last article I was reading.

To be continued…

One of the big knocks against Duke is that while they are a good college team, they don’t put out great NBA players. On the other hand, UNC in recent memory has been stocked with NBA talent. They key being talent.

Surprising at least to me, since 2004, both Duke and UNC have put a similar number a players into the NBA. While UNC has put out better players, the disparity is not as great as I had anticipated. I would say there are a similar number of good players with no real great players from both sides.

Duke:

• Luol Deng (2004) – Bulls
• Chris Duhon (2004) – Magic
• Shelden Williams (2006) – Nets
• J.J. Redick (2006) – Magic
• Josh McRoberts (2007) – Lakers
• Gerald Henderson (2009) – Bobcats
• Lance Thomas (2010) – Hornets
• Nolan Smith (2011) – Trail Blazers
• Kyrie Irving (2011) – Cavaliers

UNC:

• Marvin Williams (2005) – Hawks
• Raymond Felton (2005) – Trail Blazers
• Brandan Wright (2007) – Mavericks
• Tyler Hansbrough (2009) – Pacers
• Ty Lawson (2009) – Nuggets
• Wayne Ellington (2009) – Timberwolves
• Danny Green (2009) – Spurs
• Ed Davis (2010) – Raptors

Going further back, active Duke alumni include Shane Battier, Grant Hill, Carlos Boozer, and Elton Brand. UNC alumni include Brendan Haywood, Vince Carter, and Antawn Jamison. Considering this list, Duke arguably has more impact players while Haywood is the only one on this list with an NBA championship.

Source: Wikipedia (Duke | UNC)

There’s no arguing that there’s a definite market for micro four-thirds cameras, with nearly every major manufacturer releasing an enthusiast “mirrorless” camera. Yet every time I look at them, I wonder where they fit in the digital camera landscape.

One major consideration is price. With a more advanced feature set than compact digital cameras, they are justifiably more expensive. Many also sport interchangeable lenses—a plus for the budding photographer. Investing in these lenses, however, quickly pushes the price of a micro four-thirds system into the realm of a dSLR system.

Some may be okay with paying the premium over say a Canon S100 in order to take advantage of having additional lenses. But at the same time, the selection of lenses available is limited at best. There are a few lenses made specifically for mirrorless cameras, yet the segment is young and many manufacturers aside from Nikon, Canon, and possibly Sony do not have established lens systems for micro four-thirds users to take advantage of.

For maximum flexibility, an adaptor is required to access the powerful lenses meant for dSLRs; this adds to bulk and ultimately affects portability. At this point, wouldn’t it just be better to get a dSLR? The frame of a mirrorless camera may be lighter and more compact, but by investing heavily in a lens system, the size and weight advantage once held over a dSLR has largely been negated. I also happen to enjoy using the viewfinder on my dSLR, which many mirrorless cameras lack—a compromise to preserve size.

A camera like the Canon S100 scales back on the flexibility of having interchangeable lenses and is more compact as a result. It also maintains most if not all of the advanced features that enthusiast photographers desire.

As someone who already owns a dSLR, I’d much rather have a camera like the Canon S100 for the times when I don’t want to carry my dSLR. It’s hard to imagine spending a similar amount of money on a micro four-thirds camera when it can’t quite replace my dSLR. I am curious how other current dSLR users would reconcile adapting their existing lenses for use on a micro four-thirds system.

Ultimately, it’s up to the photographer to choose what suits their needs and how much they are comfortable spending. And this came out from The Verge as I was writing: Camera Buyers Guide