Nourritures sacrées et autres aphrodisiaques

L'idée de base est simple : pour un désir puissant, il faut une nourriture puissante, et ce n'est pas un hasard si la plupart des langues utilisent le mot « appétit » pour parler à la fois de la nourriture et du désir sexuel. 

Qu'est-ce qu'une nourriture « puissante » ? C'est en général ce que votre diététicien essayera de vous interdire, les nourritures riches en graisses et en cholestérol, comme les œufs, le beurre, la crème, la viande rouge, les morceaux gras de la volaille, les poissons, les crustacés. 

Ces aliments sont appréciés par les cultures traditionnelles du monde entier comme favorisant la force, le désir et la fertilité, ce qui semble logique puisqu'une libido active est nécessaire aux personnes qui souhaitent procréer.

Malheureusement, les membres en blouse blanche de la police de la santé répandent des horreurs sur ces aliments, et font une propagande pour les régimes pauvres en graisse et riches en céréales complètes et en soja. Les résultats parlent d'eux-mêmes : une épidémie de fatigue, d'anxiété, d'infertilité, de malaise et de baisse de la libido. Et ce n'est pas étonnant. Ces recommandations anti-graisses défient le bon sens : si les graisses sont si mauvaises, pourquoi la plupart des aliments qui nous attirent en contiennent-ils tellement ? Dame-Nature se serait-elle trompée ? A-t-elle décidé de nous faire tous mourir de maladies cardiovasculaires ? Et nos ancêtres, partout dans le monde, se trompaient-ils tous lorsqu'ils festoyaient de nourritures riches et grasses ? Cela paraît peu probable, et je vais vous dire pourquoi : 

Le cholestérol, c'est bon

Commençons par le cholestérol : la grande presse s'est enfin fait écho de ce que nous répétons depuis des années. Le cholestérol n'est pas un ennemi pour notre corps, c'est au contraire notre meilleur allié pour la santé. 

Le Professeur Philippe Even explique dans Le Nouvel Observateur du 14 février 2013 : 

« Le cholestérol est la plus noble, peut-être la plus belle et la plus indispensable de nos molécules. Elle a joué et joue encore un rôle essentiel dans l'évolution de la vie sur terre et dans la protection de nos cellules contre l'oxygène, qui tend à les brûler. Aujourd'hui, elle assure la robustesse des membranes de nos milliers de milliards de cellules. En particulier musculaires, cardiaques et nerveuses. Elle permet la stabilité des récepteurs hormonaux, immunologiques et neurologiques.

Sans cholestérol pas de récepteurs, pas de signaux, pas de communication entre les cellules. Le cholestérol est aussi un transporteur de graisses, mais il n'est pas une graisse. Il est aussi à la source de la cortisone, l'hormone du stress, de toutes les hormones sexuelles mâles et femelles, de la vitamine D, qui protège notre squelette. En outre, c'est la plus difficile à fabriquer des molécules, 36 étapes chimiques successives, de l'orfèvrerie. »

Et en effet, le cholestérol est à la racine de l'arbre dont les branches sont nos hormones. Sans cholestérol, pas d'hormones sexuelles. Et même si l'image est frappante, n'oubliez pas que le cholestérol ne pousse pas dans les arbres ni dans les plantes ; on ne le trouve que dans les nourritures d'origine animale. Il abonde dans les aliments traditionnels comme le caviar, les huîtres, la viande rouge, le foie et les autres abats, la crème et le beurre, et c'est la raison pour laquelle ces aliments sont réputés rendre puissant et fertile. 

N'ayez pas peur des graisses saturées

Les graisses saturées vous font peur ? La science dit que vous en avez aussi besoin. Les membranes des cellules dépendent des graisses saturées pour leur structure, plus les acides gras essentiels oméga-3 et oméga-6 pour la flexibilité membranaire. Les deux sont nécessaires pour que la membrane puisse faire pénétrer les nutriments mais bloquer les toxines. Les acides gras trans qu'on trouve dans certains aliments industriels rendent la membrane rigide, et les acides gras polyinsaturés des huiles liquides la rendent molle. 

Lorsque vous ne mangez pas les quantités adéquates de graisses saturées, votre corps force le cholestérol à pénétrer dans la membrane pour sauver la vie de la cellule, diminuant ainsi le taux de cholestérol total. Loin d'être bénéfique, cela provoque un état d'urgence : lorsque le cholestérol est utilisé à maintenir l'intégrité des cellules, il n'est plus disponible pour produire des hormones. 

Les graisses saturées favorisent la production d'hormones, de prostaglandine et le fonctionnement du système immunitaire et du cerveau. Dans la mesure où le cerveau contient plus de 60 % de graisse et de cholestérol, comment se portera-t-il s'il est engorgé d'huiles végétales rances et d'acides gras trans ? Ou réduit à la famine par un régime pauvre en graisse ? Woody Allen appelait son cerveau son « second organe préféré ». Et moi, je vous dis : « Aimez-le, et nourrissez-le ». 

Les bonnes graisses et le cholestérol sont aussi l'arme fatale contre les dépendances en tout genre, dont la dépendance au sucre et au grignotage. Elles aident à équilibrer le taux de sucre dans le sang et vous apportent énergie mentale et physique toute la journée. Parce que les graisses restent bien plus longtemps dans votre estomac que les glucides et les protéines, elles seules vous donnent le sentiment de satiété et de plénitude nécessaires pour vous sentir bien après un repas, et penser à autre chose qu'à la nourriture, pour vous consacrer à des activités productives. Elles sont donc essentielles pour maintenir un poids idéal. 

Fuyez les produits allégés

Malheureusement, beaucoup de personnes préoccupées par leur santé craignent la bonne nourriture traditionnelle à cause du marketing généralisé en faveur des produits allégés, abusivement présentés comme meilleurs pour la santé. Des images de femmes sveltes sont utilisées pour en faire la promotion, bien que ce ne soit pas en consommant ces produits qu'elles aient atteint ce résultat. Comble de la mauvaise foi, ces produits sont souvent présentés comme augmentant la capacité de séduire. La réalité, c'est que beaucoup de nos aliments industriels « bons pour la santé » ont en fait été créés dans le but inverse !

Sylvester Graham au 19e siècle et John Harvey Kellogg, inventeur des Corn Flakes au début du 20e siècle, appelaient à la consommation de céréales riches en fibre pour tuer la libido et mettaient en garde contre la viande en associant le régime carnivore à des pensées et un comportement bestial !

Réciproquement la consommation de maïs conduit à un mode de vie bovin. Je n'invente rien. En Asie, les moines zen utilisent depuis longtemps le soja pour mieux respecter leurs vœux de célibat. La consommation de tofu semble en effet diminuer les « mauvaises » tendances. Les femmes japonaises ont aussi appris que leur meilleure revanche contre les maris volages est de les bourrer de tofu. Quoi de mieux pour tuer le désir ?

Que reste-t-il à savoir sur les nourritures sacrées pour la fertilité ? Abandonnez le pain, et les aliments faits à base de blé raffiné. Oubliez le sucre et tous les aliments contenant du sirop de glucose. Tous les aliments allégés sont à laisser de côté, surtout lorsqu'ils contiennent de l'aspartame. Et en ce qui concerne le chocolat, il est certain qu'il peut donner du plaisir mais choisissez plutôt pour vos moment d'intimité un homme ou une femme en chair et en os.

Et pour conclure, votre maman avait raison : mangez vos légumes. Ajoutez du beurre ou un bon assaisonnement d'huiles crues (olive et colza), du vinaigre de cidre, et évitez les assaisonnements tout fait. Et si vous avez toujours peur du beurre, utilisez de la crème.

A votre santé,

Jean-Marc Dupuis (D'après Kaayla Daniel, Sacred Foods and Other Aphrodisiacs.) 

4 Stronger Squat Exercises

by Todd Bumgardner – 3/7/2013 

I'm not an incredible squatter. On a spectrum of squatting proficiency, I'd fall somewhere at the far end of average, just before the transition into good.
However, lest you're wondering if there's even any point in reading this article, consider that I used to be a horrible squatter. For an extended portion of my training history, my squats looked more like good mornings bullied into knee flexion.
The problems never change – we all have variations of the same issues – but how we respond to a given solution is hugely variable. To practice variability and to solve training problems, we require an oversized tool box. I'm talking about one of those sumbitches that sits in the back of a jacked up diesel.
That's the goal for this article – building your squat assistance toolbox so it rivals the Sears and Roebuck special. To do that though, we have to know what problems we're dealing with, as well as objectively examine your deficiencies.
Before we go on, one more note: sometimes the best exercise to improve your squat is the squat, whichever variation you happen to fancy. While having a creative approach is at times necessary and certainly more fun, make sure that you're building tension in the right places and squatting well before you worry about fixing problems.
These solutions are to be used in concert with great, submaximal squatting. They won't fix anything unless you're training yourself to squat well.
Let's first identify the problems, though. After that, I'll introduce specific tools you can use to fix them.

Identifying the Problems

Eccentric Strength

It's disconcerting how often eccentric strength is disregarded while squatting. Everyone seems to forget that we have to sit down with the weight before we stand up with it.
Unless you've become the ultimate master of reciprocal inhibition and turned yourself into super-elastic-bounce-man, some strength and tension during descent will serve you well. You need to learn to pull into the bottom position – it's a precursor to bottoms up strength.
Here's how to know if you're doing it well enough:

• You feel tension across the front of your hips and in your abs as you descend.
• Your spine stays neutral with a relatively upright torso. (I know powerlifters lean a bit.)
• There's no butt tuck at parallel. (Sure, this could be the place where we suggest an amazing corrective exercise to fix your anterior core instability, but it can be much simpler than that.)

If you've mastered these three criteria, you're light years ahead of most. But if you've failed on any of the above, you're doing it wrong.

Bottoms up Strength

I know what you're thinking. "Bottoms up" strength sounds like beer muscles, but for our current purpose let's skip the barley and hops and talk about strength out of the squatting hole.
Bottoms-up strength has several prerequisites. Is there air in the belly? Tension in the feet and hands? Are the lats tight? Strength out of the hole has a lot more to do with stability than anything else, provided you've chosen an appropriate load.
If you're loose at the bottom – feet aren't screwed in, shoulders aren't torqued, and air is non-existent – then your strength out of the hole is piss poor. Like eccentric strength – which, by the way, prepares us for bottoms up strength – the fix is simple.

Full-Body Tension

Irradiation, super stiffness, and co-contraction are analogous. The only difference is which coach's mouth, or pen, that those words came from. And it's important for all big lifts.
The first two problems I've mentioned cover irradiation for specific parts of the squatting task – the down and the bottom reversal. We'd be a yard short of a touchdown, though, if we didn't talk about full body tension throughout the squat.
The differential diagnosis is the same as in the first two examples – are you tight on the way down and tight at the bottom? Yes? Good for you, but we have to carry that tension through to the finish. We need to make sure you're tight in all phases.

Posterior Chain Involvement

Most lifters are inundated with developing their quads while squatting and forget how important the glutes and hamstrings are, but without good use of the posterior chain the hips are disproportionately loaded – quad development plays second fiddle to knee and low-back pain.
Every squat, be it front, box, side, or in the wilderness during a bowel-exiting endeavor, should begin with the hips travelling back in a hinge. If they don't, you're once again doing it wrong, and you may well end up with funky smelling feet.
For some folks this is a technique flaw, quickly remedied with instruction and coaching cues, but many times a forward jetting of the knees is indicative of lackluster posterior chain strength. In that case, it's time to load the glutes and hams while educating the hips on the finer points of posterior movement.

The Remedies

Eccentric Strength: Squat Pull-downs

This drill teaches you to access the eccentric squat strength you already have. That's right, Chill Rob G, you have the power. It's good, however, to pull against tension before learning to pull down with weight on your shoulders.
Sink the band deep into the armpits, stay tall, and use the abs and hip flexors to pull into the bottom position. Did you notice how during the first two reps I still display the blasphemous butt tuck, but by the third rep it's gone? It'll take a few reps and someone else's eyes to get you on the right track.
Also, keep in mind that I'm starting the tension by creating torque at my hips. I accomplished this task of major minutia by "screwing" my feet into the ground. Do this on every squat set and drill.
After you master the band in the armpits version of the squat pull down, use an unloaded bar with a reverse bands set up. To quote Coach Michael Ranfone, "It's easier to pull with the right patterning and sequence." This drill transitions nicely from the initial pull down lesson into the loaded bar pull down.

Josh, the guy in the video, moves seamlessly, but don't be fooled – this drill takes mammoth lat tension and a colossal pull from the hip flexors and abs.

Bottoms Up Strength: Squat with Chains

It's simple. Learning to stay tight in the bottom position requires a stimulus that forces you to stay tight. Send your appreciation to CaptainObvious.com.
Sometimes, however, it's the obvious that catches us off guard, like when you're looking for your hat and it's on your head. There's little difference between absent minded hat placement and what we need for bottom position squat tension. The obvious cues the light bulb.
Why the chains? Well, I dare you to squat loosely to the bottom position and stay there with minimal tension. You'll get rag dolled, brah. The real test, however, comes when owning the bottom position transitions into ascension. You best have your air low and strong, your feet must be torqued, and those elbows better be worked under the bar.
To start, take ten percent of your bar weight and replace it with chain weight. As an example, if your squat sets are planned at 275 pounds, cut the weight to 245 and add 30 pounds of chains.
You'll find that you'll quickly be able to up the percentage of chain and decrease bar weight, but if you've never squatted with chains before, it's best to be a tad conservative until you squash the learning curve.
Here's a quick tutorial on how to set up chains to squat:

Full-Body Tension: Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Squats

Sure, the chains are going to train you to keep tight under load, but we can fine tune that tension by adding another stimulus. Besides, just because the chains work for me doesn't mean they'll work for you. Remember the tool box.
One of the first things that novice and mediocre squatters dismiss is upper-body tension. It starts in the grip. I haven't found anything that challenges the grip while squatting more than holding a kettlebell upside down, as shown in the video below:

A strong grip on the kettlebell will transfer up the arms, into the shoulders, and end up in the torso. Combine that with a strong torque of the feet and properly placed air and you've built impressive full-body tension.

Posterior Chain Involvement: Good Mornings

To squat well your posterior chain must be strong. Deadlifts, glute-ham raises, and Romanian deadlifts must have seats reserved at your training table.
However, something magical happens when the hips have to move with a bar on the shoulders. I'll even humbly posit that the good morning has greater carry-over to the squat than it does the deadlift, mainly because it teaches bar placement and a tight upper-back with good posterior hip movement. This all takes place as the posterior chain adapts and becomes a monster – a pillar that a humungous squat rests upon.
A good morning, however, is not a quarter squat. The knees unlock and the hips travel back – that's it. There's no butt drop.
Here's a quick clue that you're doing it right – your hamstrings scream the whole time. As you sit back and your chest lowers, your hamstrings should continually build tension until you reach end range.

Great! Now When Do We Use Them?

A big toolbox with a lot of tools that we don't know how to use is, well, useless. Variation for variations sake is great for bored children and for info-marketers theorizing about neuromuscular confusion. Our tools, however, are applicable. Here's how to use the four stronger squat exercises.
Squat Pull-downs: These are great for pre-squat warm-up as a gentle reminder for intermediate and seasoned squatters. Contrast them with your warm-up sets, hitting 5-8 reps if you're using the single band variation and 3-5 reps if you've chosen the bar variation.
New squatters can implement these in a general prep circuit along with beginner squat variations such as goblet squats or dumbbell sumo squats. The same rep schemes apply, but new squatters beware the lat and back strength necessary for the bar pull-down.
Squat with Chains: It isn't rocket surgery – remove some bar weight and replace it with chain weight. Sure, there are specific training waves during which lifters use chains to prepare for competition and boost their acceleration, but we aren't worried about that.
If you've diagnosed yourself with poor bottom and transition squat tension, put some chains on the bar for a few weeks and then check yourself with straight bar weight. If you've done them right you'll have remedied your deficiency.
Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Squats: The first prerequisite is a set of kettlebells. They don't have to be heavy as this exercise is humbling. (The athlete in the video is using two 35-pound bells.)
Liken it to the senior girl that "showed you the ropes" during your sophomore year. You learned, your toolbox grew, and you realized that studying internet videos was no trade for real-world experience.
Be sure to squeeze the kettlebell like crazy while gripping the handle at the proximal bend. Bottoms-up kettlebell squats are a great warm-up exercise and fit nicely into a de-load plan. Since they're high-tension low-load, they also keep the nervous system ramped up during off-day recovery work.
Good Mornings: If you've realized that a severe posterior chain deficit is killing your squats, back off using squats as a main exercise and replace them with good mornings. You'll keep the upper-back and lat tension specific while teaching the hips to travel posteriorly. All the while, you'll be building a monster.
At this point, you'll also want to keep your posterior chain assistance work heavy, but be sure to keep a squat variation in the mix. My favorite combo is a ton of posterior chain work with front squats as an assistance exercise. When you return to sitting down with a bar on your back the pendulum will balance nicely and you'll have built a solid, strong squat.

Conclusion

If you want size, strength, and improved athletic performance, you must be able to squat well. If you're like I was five years ago, you have work to do. Throw these tools in your tool box and get to the grind.

Du venin d’abeille pour détruire le virus du Sida

Voilà une nouvelle bonne nouvelle dans la lutte contre le virus du sida. Une équipe de chercheurs américains a mis au point des nanoparticules chargées d’une toxine provenant du venin d’abeille, capable de détruire le virus du sida.

À terme, cette découverte pourrait aboutir à la production d’un gel vaginal qui limiterait le risque de contamination par le VIH.

« Nous espérons que dans les zones où le taux de prévalence du VIH est important, les gens pourront utiliser ce gel comme un moyen de prévention pour empêcher l’infection initiale, » explique Joshua L. Hood de la Washington University de Saint Louis.

Comment ? Grâce à cette toxine, la mellitine, un poison capable de percer l’enveloppe protectrice de plusieurs virus dont le VIH.

Véhiculée dans l’organisme grâce à ces nanoparticules, la mellitine aurait un effet dévastateur sur le virus. Le principal auteur de l’étude avait déjà montré qu’en addition aux traitements anti-rétroviraux que nous connaissons aujourd’hui, Samuel Wickline, cette toxine était capable de tuer les cellules tumorales infectées par le virus. Restait à trouver le moyen de permettre à la mellitine de s’attaquer au virus sans détruire les cellules saines. C’est désormais chose faite.

Des pare-chocs pour mieux cibler le VIH

Pour y parvenir, Joshua Hood a équipé les nanoparticules de pare-chocs moléculaires de sorte à ce qu’elle rebondisse sur les cellules normales, qui sont bien plus grandes. En revanche, le VIH étant bien plus petit que ces nanoparticules, le virus passe entre ces pare-chocs, se retrouvant alors en contact avec la mellitine.

Cette technique offre plusieurs avantages.

• Alors que les traitements antirétroviraux empêchent le virus de se multiplier, ces nanoparticules ont l’avantage de le détruire. Elles peuvent donc prévenir l’infection là où les traitements classiques n’opèrent de manière générale qu’a posteriori.

• Second avantage de cette nouvelle technique, en s’attaquant à la structure physique du virus on élimine le risque que celui-ci mute comme cela peut être le cas face à certains traitements.

D’autres applications possibles

« La particule que nous utilisons a été développée il y a plusieurs années en tant que sang artificiel » explique Hood, « Elle n’était pas particulièrement efficace pour apporter de l’oxygène dans l’organisme, en revanche elle y circule sans danger et constitue une bonne base pour travailler contre différentes infections. »

Ces nanoparticules pourraient aussi être utilisées pour lutter contre les hépatites B et C dont les enveloppes protectrices sont elles aussi vulnérables à la mellitine.

Selon Joshua Hood, il serait aussi possible de produire un gel qui s’attaque à la fois au sperme qu’au virus du sida. Alors que ces nanoparticules n’ont pour l’instant été mise à l’épreuve qu’en laboratoire, les chercheurs estiment qu’il serait facile de les produire en grandes quantités. De l’utilité de sauver les abeilles.

Sources : HuffingtonPost / Le Journal du Siècle

The Mantathlon

Train Like A Man 9

by Martin Rooney – 2/26/2013
I'm always on the hunt for ways to take the body and mind to a higher level. While researching the London Olympics, I discovered the ancient Pentathlon and couldn't figure out why it was no longer contested.
In this ultimate test of physical power and mental fortitude, athletes competed in five different events.
First, they'd sprint down a runway and leap into the sky to see who had the best long jump. Then in a footrace, they'd sprint across a stadium amid the roar of the power-appreciative crowd. Next up were tests of full body explosiveness with the javelin and discus throw.
If these four events weren't enough to drive the collective Testosterone level of the crowd into orbit, the competitors finished with wrestling to demonstrate dominance and supremacy.
Sprinting, throwing, jumping, and competing mono a mono with muscle and bone. A high measure of explosiveness, strength, technique, and guts.
Awesome.
So last summer, as I sat watching synchronized swimming, the badminton scandal, and a 70 year-old man competing in Olympic Horse Dressage, I wondered why the original Pentathlon was no longer on the docket.
The individual events were all popular in the current Olympic games and surely spectator-friendly. Hell, the only way it could get closer to Gladiators in the arena would be having the wrestling end with a fight to the death.
As I looked deeper into the history of the Pentathlon, I discovered that the original version was replaced with a more "modern" one, without the power events.
Modern Pentathlon? Can you even name the events? How about naming a famous competitor in the event since its inception in 1912?
Don't feel bad, I couldn't either.
Perhaps that should be the first lesson. Just to let you know, the current events are swimming, air pistol shooting, horse jumping, epee fencing, and a 3-kilometer run.
Modern? With fencing, pellet guns, and horse jumping? Not exactly. Looks like the Greek Warrior standing among his adoring fans on top of his battered foes has been replaced with a decidedly more foppish competitor.
But who would do such a thing? What kind of man would replace the aggressive white fibers of the sprinter with the calculating red fibers of a swimmer and distance runner?
If you've read Train Like a Man: Part 4, then you won't be surprised to find that once again the libido of the sprint has been castrated by Baron de Coubertin – yes, the same man that arbitrarily read a poem and brought the world the marathon (and chapped nipples and shin splints) also sacked the ancient pentathlon, replacing it with its more mild and "modern" cousin.
Notice how these two events seem designed to drive Testosterone into the toilet? (Hugh Hefner has made a career trying to offset the repercussions of these events. )
I know the Baron brought us back the Games and I thank him for that, but we must also question some events. If we research deep enough, we may also find he had the first prototype for Uggs boots for men, along with skinny jeans for men.
Pistols and horses, hrummphh! Sounds like there needs to be an update! How often does "modern man" spend Monday evening at the horse stables sharpening his epee while worrying about his 3K time? Forget that! He's benching and doing dips.
On Tuesdays, he isn't making sure his pistol and swim stroke are clean – he's hitting back and biceps. Horse jumping and fencing? What percentage of the world participates in that? It sounds so elitist.
Instead of running cross country, most men would love to see beasts bench head to head and then settle it all with who has the best biceps.
Let me offer something even more modern. Let me remove the steel epee and add some iron.
So here's my solution: at the next IOC meeting, before they add mixed synchronized swimming and new rules concerning cheating in ping pong, let's look at this event to fire up the world – the Mantathlon.

Rules of the Mantathlon

The Events

There are five events performed:

• Bodyweight Bench Press for Reps
• Bodyweight Chin-ups for Reps
• Half-Bodyweight Overhead Press for Reps
• 1.25 Bodyweight Dips for Reps
• Half-Bodyweight Barbell Curl for Reps

You get one attempt for maximal reps during the competition.

Stop Watch

Once you start your bench press test the clock begins. You have 20 minutes to complete all the tests. Any repetitions completed after 20 minutes have elapsed won't count toward your point total.
You must perform the tests in order, but the rest you take between tests is up to you. I suggest 3-4 minutes between each test, but keep an eye on the clock so you don't run out of time for curls.

Weigh In

Start by weighing yourself on a scale. Guessing won't cut it, as most people seem to magically lose 10 pounds before the Mantathlon begins. Since the entire event is based on bodyweight, you'll be reminded that the spare tire you promised to lose on January 1 still needs a change.

Warm Up

Get a good warm-up before testing the bench press. Since each event is different, I'd also suggest doing a few light reps of each exercise during your rest period to alert your body to the next movement. For instance, do 2 single chin-ups and a 4-rep set of overhead presses and dips before going for the real total.

Form

Each test has form requirements for the test to count.
Bench Press: You must touch the bar to the chest and lock out each rep. You can pause at the top, but failing to get a rep or racking the weight ends the exercise.

Chin-up: Use a shoulder width grip or less. You must get the chin over the bar and lower to a complete hang for one second. You can hang longer if you want, but failure to get over the bar or letting go ends the exercise.

Overhead Press: You must lock out the elbows at the top and come to a quick pause at the bottom. Racking the bar or missing a rep ends the exercise.

Dips: You must begin in the top extended position and lower until the elbow has a 90 degree angle or greater. You can pause at the top but touching the feet, releasing the grip, or failure to execute a rep ends the exercise.

Curl: You must raise the barbell to the height of the chin and lower to full extension for 1 second. No swaying or leaning back is allowed at the upper body. Releasing the bar or failure to execute a rep ends the exercise.

Scoring

A very important point: if you reach 20 repetitions on any exercise, that's the maximum score. Even if you can do more, 20 signifies the end.
Once you've performed all five events or run out of time, add up your total number of reps. A total score of 100 is the ultimate goal for this test.
Below is a rating scale:
0-10 – Low Man on totem pole10-20 – Skinny Man or Man Boobs20-30 – Average Man30-40 – Wing Man40-50 – Door Man50-60 – Athletic Man60-70 – He Man70-80 – Super Man80-90 – Mega Man90-100 – Man of War

So What Does It Mean?

Is this the be-all, end-all of fitness? Hardly. Is it a measure of fitness that's rarely tested during some of the classic strength and or power tests? You bet.
Before you knock it, try it – after performing the Manathlon, I guarantee you'll not only be enlightened, but also inspired to improve your score.
You can argue success in this event requires strength endurance, but to rep out with your bodyweight on the bench press, you first have to be really strong.
Speaking of strong, by adding the element of time, my Mantathlon also tests another area of manliness not often challenged during a classic one-rep max test: mental toughness.
You'll find the ticking clock will create a point during the event where you might mentally give in. There will be reps you don't get the first time, not because they're impossible, but because you're not yet able to access the mental stamina to dig them out.
As your scores improve due to familiarity with the test, so will your mental toughness, which is an added benefit to the strength gains you'll see as you train to increase your score.

The New Olympics?

Maybe the Baron was misinterpreted? Perhaps he wanted people to carry the horse and the swordfight to the death? We'll never know. But know this: when you perform the Mantathlon, it will leave you hungry for more!

Cleanse the liver to improve health

by Derrell Jones 

(NaturalNews) Cleansing is important. It is so important that there are several organs that are responsible for keeping the body cleansed. Chief among these organs is the liver. Responsible for the regulation of our metabolism and purifying our blood, the liver plays a key role in our overall health. It is for this reason that we must strive to keep our livers in proper working order. Some of the ways to accomplish this is through drinking plenty of fresh, clean water, abstaining or moderating alcohol consumption, abstain from consuming products that slow liver function (e.g. artificial sweeteners) and cleansing the liver at least twice a year.

How to cleanse

Master herbalist and acupuncturist Dr. Christopher Hobbs provides additional insight into the liver cleansing process. Dr. Hobbs states that flushing the liver allows for the elimination of waste while stimulating the production of bile. Cleansing also has a cooling effect on the liver which increases high functioning and necessary repairs. Follow these instructions from Dr. Hobbs for a homemade cleanse:

Ingredients

• Lemons or limes
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Olive oil

Directions

Squeeze one cup of fresh citrus juice (lemon and/or lime; grapefruit juice can be blended to help with taste). Mix the juice of one or two cloves of garlic and raw ginger juice into the citrus juice. Add one tablespoon of high quality, organic olive oil. A small amount of spring water can be added but the more sour the mix, the more helpful it will be for your liver. Do this for 10 days followed by three days off and then another 10 days for two cycles (will total 20 days of cleansing total). This cleanse should be completed twice a year once in the spring and once in the fall.

Consuming three to eight ounces of the juice for each serving should prove very beneficial. In addition, drink a cup of a cleansing tea such as Polari tea or any other high quality organic liver detoxification tea one hour after consuming the juice. No food should be consumed in the hour between consuming the juice and drinking the tea.

Whether you make your own liver detoxifying juices or follow a different preparation, make sure it is of the highest quality possible to assist in proper assimilation of the nutrients so you can achieve the desired results. If you have any questions about quality preparations or if you are currently experiencing chronic liver dysfunction please consult with a trusted professional healthcare provider with knowledge of holistic practices and be sure to ask all the questions you desire.

Reduce your cancer risk - especially colorectal - by eating more ginger

by PF Louis 

(NaturalNews) Ginger is one of Ayurveda's favorite medicinal and tonic herbs, and it has emerged also as a culinary favorite lately. There has been considerable clinical testing by modern Western medicine that shows ginger's anti-inflammatory effects.

Now, there's been a small trial that points to ginger's capacity for inhibiting and preventing cancer. The trial was performed on 20 subjects who were considered high risk for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum. It is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, and it is the second most lethal. The cancer industry asserts that early detection leads to possibly thwarting the death sentence.

They insist on screening often from age 50. Screening may include removed polyp biopsies or colonoscopies and CT Scans. Then comes the cut (surgery) and poison (chemotherapy). Chris Wark of Memphis, Tennessee was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer at the young age of 26.

He underwent surgery, but refused chemotherapy. A book literally laid on his doorstep led him into a strict raw vegan and juicing diet with supplements and herbs, which was modified a few months later by a local naturopath.

He's in his mid-30s now, married with two kids, and still cancer free. He loves to post alternative cancer cure stories on his website - Chris beat cancer. (http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/)

That ginger cancer prevention trial

The pilot trial was conducted at Atlanta, Georgia's Emory University. It was published in the National Institute of Health's (NIH)PubMed as "Effects of Ginger Supplementation on Cell Cycle Biomarkers in the Normal-Appearing Colonic Mucosa: Results from a Pilot, Randomized, Controlled Trial."

The usual division of placebo and test subjects divided the group of 20 individuals considered high risk for colorectal cancer into two groups of 10 each. This double blind study approach is a rather cruel hoax for the placebo subjects while using non-toxic medicines.

But they insist on this protocol and others that torture animals so they can accept it as evidence based research.

The 10 lucky subjects were given two grams of ginger a day for 28 days. State of the art diagnostic testing was utilized to observe various markers on all 20 subjects detrimental to cancer forming. They examined biopsies of rectal mucosa and epithelium (thin tissue layer) crypts (tiny pockets) from both groups.

After the 28 days, biopsy markers for those who were taking two grams of ginger daily were markedly better than the placebo group.

The researchers concluded: "... ginger may reduce proliferation in the normal-appearing colorectal epithelium and increase apoptosis [cancer cell death] and differentiation relative to proliferation ... [to] support a larger study to further investigate these results."

In other words, you can use ginger to help keep cancer away, especially colorectal cancer.

Suggestions for consuming ginger

You can purchase ginger capsules, or use ginger powder to make your own and/or sprinkle onto foods. Two grams doesn't amount to much, especially if you use it for teas, beverages, or with food.

You can purchase ginger root from most health food stores. Ginger root is not among the top "dirty dozen" of most pesticide sprayed foods. So don't worry if organic ginger root is not within your budget.

Peel the skin off ginger roots just before using them. If you juice with a masticating juicer, you can drop a couple inches of the root into your juicer along with other veggies and apples. It spices things up and supplies a large dose of cancer preventing ginger.

For ginger tea, it's best to use the traditional method of covering the bottom of a pan with thin slices of peeled ginger root, bringing it to a boil then letting it simmer for a half-hour. Whatever you don't drink can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

How to get fit in just 90 minutes per week

by David Gutierrez, staff writer 

(NaturalNews) A workout technique known as interval training can help you get in shape in a fraction of the weekly time investment required by more conventional workout techniques, according to a study conducted by researchers from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), the University of Birmingham and published in the Journal of Physiology.

According to World Health Organization recommendations, all people should engage in between three and five hours of endurance training every single week in order to be fit and healthy and to reduce their risk of chronic diseases and early death. Yet, it can be a major challenge for many city dwellers to make that much time for exercise. Indeed, the majority of U.S. adults do not meet exercise recommendations, and lack of time is considered the main cause.

The study compared two separate forms of workout known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIT). HIT consists of alternating between a vigorous activity (such as running or cycling) and a less vigorous activity (such as walking) - which activities are used and for how long varies depending upon the needs of the individual. HIT programs are popular because they provide comprehensive fitness workouts in a short period of time. For example, a typical HIT workout might consist of 90 seconds cycling on an exercise bike as fast as possible, followed by 60 seconds of slow cycling, repeated five times for a total of a 15-minute workout.

Fitness in just 90 minutes per week

In the current study, researchers evaluated several health markers of people who had taken part in HIT or Sprint Interval Training (SIT) workouts.

"SIT involves four to six repeated 30-second 'all out' sprints on special laboratory bikes interspersed with 4.5 minutes of very low intensity cycling," researcher Sam Shepherd said.

"Due to the very high workload of the sprints, this method is more suitable for young and healthy individuals. However, anyone of any age or level of fitness can follow one of the alternative HIT programs."

The researchers found that just three half-hour SIT sessions per week improved insulin sensitivity (a marker of health and fitness) as effectively as five one-hour traditional endurance sessions. SIT was also effective at improving delivery of glucose and insulin to skeletal muscle and burning of fat stored in skeletal muscle.

"Additionally, we found a reduced stiffness of large arteries which is important in reducing the risk of vascular disease." researcher Matthew Cocks said.

The findings suggest that HIT and SIT should be effective at reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and many other conditions associated with aging.

Shepherd further noted that according to the preliminary results of an ongoing pilot study at the University of Birmingham, people between the ages of 25 and 60 rank HIT (performed on exercise bikes) as more enjoyable than traditional endurance training. The study participants also appear to experience greater improvements in mood from HIT than from endurance training.

"This could imply that HIT is more suitable to achieve sustainable changes in exercise behavior," Shepherd said.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130201090405.htm
http://www.emaxhealth.com

A Power Clean Primer For Beginners

by Charles Staley – 1/29/2013

This article is an encapsulation of a teaching progression that I developed over the course of 3 years while teaching the "Olympic lifts" to over 65 Crossfit facilities in the US and Canada.
It's designed for people who are new to the Olympic lifts, and/or for those who do have some experience but still find themselves struggling.
Note: Before we go further, let me state that this is designed to be a "learn by doing" article – it won't have much real value unless you watch the videos and actually try the drills I've provided in them.
With that out of the way, the goal of the following sequence of drills is rapid competence. Not mastery, not perfection, but competence.
How rapid? One session. Honestly, I'm not very patient, and I assume you aren't either. So my goal here is to get you up and running, doing decent power cleans in the very first session, so that you have a chance to taste the fun and unique satisfaction of this lift.
And trust me, it really is fun. Once you get that initial taste, my bet is that you'll then do the hard work it takes to go from competence to mastery, which, admittedly, takes a lot longer.
Since my approach is all about expedience, please excuse my choice to omit specific recommendations about breathing, grip, stance, and the "double knee bend" (whatever that is). You can worry about those details later, and/or we can hash them out in the LiveSpill.
Remember, we're after rapid competence here – like speed-reading, my job here is to help you get the gist of the story very quickly. After that, should you so choose, you can go back with an eye for more detail.

Let's Get Started

The following series of 8 drills is designed to be learned in the order presented. But before we get to the first drill, a quick word about the weights you should be using for each drill.
I obviously can't recommend specific weights, since all of you will have different strength levels. The key for each drill is that you want to select a weight heavy enough to get the proprioceptive feedback you need to facilitate learning, but not so heavy that you're forced to do "whatever it takes" to complete the drill. If you're not sure, err on the side of going too light, at least at the beginning.
Most people can successfully work their way through all 8 drills in a single session, while others may require a few sessions to digest the skills. Further, the earlier drills can usually be ditched very quickly – within a few weeks in most cases.
Wherever you happen to fall on the skill continuum, what's most important is that you learn these drills in the order they appear below, and don't be afraid to drop back a level or two if necessary.

The 8 Progressions

Drill #1: Learning The Shelf Position

The "shelf" refers to the position the bar ends up in on your shoulders at the completion of a power clean. If you're not familiar and comfortable with this position, your pull will be inhibited. So in this series of progressions, we start at "Point A" and only later will we tackle "Point B." I want you to be very comfortable with the destination before you go any further.

As you watch this video of me, you might notice some asymmetry – I have restricted flexion in my left elbow, which puts my elbows in different positions on the catch. That's okay. The main thing is that you have a pain-free, comfortable, stable position for the bar on your deltoids – not your collarbones.
Typically, most lifters will need to catch the bar with high elbows to achieve this position. Go ahead and test it for yourself: first shelve the bar with high elbows, noticing where the bar sits. Then, slowly lower your elbows – at some point, you'll feel the bar contact your collarbones, and at the same time, you'll notice (especially if you're using significant weight) the bar starting to slip off of its perch. When this happens, obviously your elbows are too low.
Be forewarned that many people will experience a significant stretch on their wrists as they practice the shelf position. Usually this fades over time, but sometimes it never does. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, taping your wrists and/or modifying the width of your grip can help a lot. Another very helpful trick is to protract your shoulders (push your elbows forward) as you receive the bar. Doing so creates a "shelf" for the bar to rest on.
Finally, keep in mind, during an actual clean, the bar only needs to be there for a moment. After that, you can drop it.
One last point on this drill: at this stage anyway, don't be concerned about having a full handgrip around the bar as it lands on your shoulders, In truth, you're better off allowing your hands to open up at this point (like mine are in the video). In the power clean, the hands become dormant once the pull has been completed (more on this later).
Okay, on to the next drill...

Drill #2: Clean Pull From Above The Knees

(By the way, even if you had trouble with the shelf, you can still move on to this next drill, since learning it doesn't depend on your ability to properly rack the bar on your shoulders.)
This drill is perhaps the most pivotal of the bunch. If you can shelve the bar properly, and if you can do this drill, you're capable of doing a great clean. It's as simple as that. Watch this video first – I'll meet you on the backside:

As you just saw, this drill very much resembles what some people call a "Romanian Deadlift," or a stiff-leg deadlift. Keeping the bar against your thighs at all times, simply sit back, allowing the bar to slide down your legs, and then, once the bar approaches your kneecaps, reverse the motion, acceleratively "jump-shrugging" the bar.
There are three main points I need to make about this drill.
First, as you sit back, get your shoulders out in front of the bar as it approaches your knees, not directly over top of it. In other words, the main body action as you lower the bar to your knees is hip flexion, not knee flexion (although it's natural and appropriate for the knees to "unlock.")
Second, it's not really a shrug. Yes, the shoulders elevate, but it's a passive elevation, not active – they elevate because your straight arms are being pushed up by the bar's upward momentum, which causes the shoulders to rise.
Third, the bar must become weightless for a split second at the top of your pull. This is one of the most significant differences between cleans and any other lift you've probably done before.
In fact, you'll notice that in the video, I have metal 5-pound plates on the bar. The only reason they're there is to provide me with auditory feedback – if you've done the pull properly, you'll hear that distinctive "ka-chink" sound on each rep. If you don't hear it, keep practicing until you do.
Before we go on to the next drill, watch this quick demonstration that I learned from coach Mike Burgener. It's something that all beginners to the clean should be shown before they start practicing the lift. The first "rep" simulates the energetics of a deadlift, and the second "rep" simulates what happens during a clean (i.e., the bar becomes weightless).

Drill #3: Clean Pull / Power Clean Complex From Above The Knees

Once you've got a consistent, relaxed clean pull going for you, the next step is to integrate it with an actual power clean. Do two clean pulls from above the knee, and on each rep, notice how the bar "wants" to travel up to your shoulders, but for now at least, you're not letting it.
On the third rep, do exactly the same thing, but this time simply allow the bar to coast up to your shoulders, and then shelve the bar once it's arrived.

The idea here is that you use the two clean pulls as a rehearsal to "groove" your power clean technique. You should understand that the pull is the active phase of the clean, and everything after the pull is the passive phase.
Here's me performing a clean with no arm contribution after the pull just to get the point across:

Drill #4: Clean Lift-Off From Floor

At this point it's time to graduate to starting your drills from the floor, which is more difficult than the above the knees position because you've got to navigate around your knees with the bar.
The first step is to learn how to start the pull in a hip-dominant manner, which is demonstrated in the video below. While this movement will look similar to a partial deadlift, the thing to notice is that the angle of my back (relative to the floor) stays constant as the bar moves from the starting position to knee height.

Most novices, however, do something different: they raise the shoulders faster than the hips, which leaves the knees flexed, which in turn reduces the power you'd otherwise have in your posterior chain.
Here's a drill to help you understand and master the idea of a hip dominant pull. Using an easy weight, do 6 reps, where the odd-numbered reps are "incorrect" (knee dominant) and the even-numbered reps are "correct" (hip dominant). Here's what that looks like:

There are three main ways to tell if you're doing this drill correctly. First, on the "correct" reps, you'll feel a lot of tension accumulate in your hamstrings. Second, you'll arrive at a position where your shoulders are in front of, not over top of the barbell as it reaches the bottom of your kneecaps. And finally, as the barbell reaches knee level, it'll want to drift forward, away from your legs, requiring you to pull it back to yourself.
On the "incorrect" reps, you won't feel much hamstring tension, and as the bar reaches your knees, your shoulders will be directly on top of the bar, not in front of it. Once this drill feels comfortable, move on to Drill #5.

Drill #5: Clean Lift-Off/Clean Pull Complex From Floor

Just like we did earlier, we're now going to use the clean pull to groove your technique for the clean. The only difference is that now we're starting from the floor as opposed to above the knees.
The only "new" technical element to absorb here is tempo – most novices will tend to quickly rip the bar right from the floor, which hurts your efficiency in a number of ways. The better approach is to pull the bar slowly until it reaches your kneecaps, and then increase the speed.

Think of it like a golf swing – club speed is important, but only at the point where it contacts the ball. Good golfers use the entire swing path to accumulate speed, and good lifters do the same thing with the bar.
Think of the tempo of a simple baseball throw: it starts slow, almost lazily slow, but then accelerates and finally snaps at the end. That's a good representation of proper bar speed on the power clean.
If this drill is coming along well, it's time to move on to the next step. If not, go back a step and brush up your technique before moving on.

Drill #6: Clean Lift-Off/Clean Pull / Power Clean Complex From Floor

This is a 3-rep drill, where each rep is a rehearsal for the next. Everything else should be self-explanatory at this point, but stay on top of the tempo issue – all 3 reps are slow from the floor to the knee. You're not strong down there anyway, so wait until you reach the "power position" before you pull the trigger!

Everything feeling good? If so, time for the next step. If not, well I guess you know the story by now.

Drill #7: Clean Pull / Power Clean Complex From Floor

All we're doing here is removing the first set of training wheels – the lift-off. If doing so doesn't seem to hurt anything, move on to the eighth and final step. If not, back down a level for now.

Drill #8: Power Clean From Floor

Congratulations! You've arrived at the final step – a power clean from the floor. I have no new technical concerns to alert you to here, since we're not really doing anything new at this point. The real trick at this stage is to spend the majority of your practice time on the level or levels that are appropriate for your current level of skill.

For most people this means clean pulls, either from above the knee (if you think you're really struggling) or from the floor (if you feel pretty good but just want to clean things up a bit).

Problem Solving

Now that we've gone through all 8 steps, let's address a handful of common issues/problems and how to solve them.

The Scoop: Complete vs. Incomplete Hip Extension

You might've noticed in the last video that my thighs make significant contact with the bar. In fact, all competent weightlifters demonstrate this maneuver. Less skilled lifters, by comparison, do not.
Most coaches think it best to not teach this maneuver, as it should simply be the byproduct of good technique (i.e., complete hip extension). I'm on the fence on that issue, but I want you to do a little test to help convince yourself of how important complete hip extension is, and then I'll share a few tips to help you fully extend your hips on the power clean.
Here's the test: Perform a vertical jump (it doesn't have to be maximum effort) without fully extending your hips. (Don't do this while anyone is watching because you're going to look completely incompetent.)
Feels like shit doesn't it? I'm betting you found it difficult to pull off at all – that's how important full hip extension is on a vertical jump.
It's just as important on the power clean – not fully extending your hips hurts your clean just as much as it hurt your jump.
Now, a few tips if you're struggling with this.
First, go sloooow until the bar passes your knees. If you go too fast here, it'll be difficult to time the proper extension because by the time you push your hips forward, the bar will already be too high.
Second, get those shoulders out in front of the bar as it reaches your knees – you can't extend your hips unless you first flex them right?
Finally, it's okay if the bar isn't touching your shins (although it should still be very close to them), but by the time the bar passes your kneecaps, keep it pinned to your thighs as you pull. This helps you feel where the bar is, which in turns helps you figure out your timing for the scoop.
Here's a video I did on this maneuver a few years ago:

The Finish: The Clean Pull From Supports

Many novice lifters have trouble understanding how to "finish the pull." The drill below works absolute miracles right from the first rep. I'm really not sure why, but I think it helps the lifter feel safe enough to fully commit, since he won't be racking the bar on the shoulders, nor does he need to worry about getting it back down to the floor.
You'd think you could just do clean pulls from above the knees, but it doesn't work nearly as well.
Incidentally, in no time at all you can go really heavy with this – I routinely used to do 405 for triples when I was competing in Master's weightlifting.

The Catch: Learning How To Avoid Grinding And Crashing

Lots of new lifters struggle when it comes to racking the bar on their shoulders during power cleans. Often, they don't trust their precision and fear slamming the bar into their throat, chin, or face. The result is that they use excessive hand contribution to "guide" the bar to its proper finish position. Only problem is, you can't do this with real weight, and it also punishes your wrists and elbows.
Other lifters simply fail to properly estimate the amount of pull they need to get the bar to their shoulders – they'll get the bar almost high enough, and then painfully grind it the rest of the way. Ouch. Don't do this either.
Here's me grinding 225 – you'll notice that I didn't pull the bar high enough to catch it with high elbows (I rotated the elbows up afterward, but by then, its too late):

The remaining issue is when lifters overestimate the amount of pull they need. The bar sails up past the face, and then crashes down onto the shoulders. That's an owie, too – power cleans should never hurt, no matter how heavy they are.
It's just a matter of putting your time in to correct these problems, should you experience them. Keep practicing.

Practice vs. Training: Appropriate Load Selection

One frustrating reality for power clean novices is the necessity to keep loads manageable until technique becomes stable. During this time of course, cleans can't be used to develop strength or power because the loads will be, by necessity, too light.
When this is the case, simply use clean pulls (from above the knees or the floor, or even better, from the rack, depending on your skill level) for power development – they're 95% as good as cleans for this purpose.
Another strategy is to use the various drills as part of your dynamic warm-up routine. Why use non-skill movements for this purpose when using these drills kills two birds with one stone?

I Want Your Feedback!

I hope you found this article useful, and I'd love to hear from you in the LiveSpill area below.

8 Blast Strap Exercises for Serious Upper Body Muscle

by Ben Bruno – 2/5/2013


Every year, shortly after Thanksgiving, my Mom starts asking me what I want for Christmas. When I was younger I'd rattle off a list a mile long, but as I've grown older, I've gotten progressively quieter because I'm not much of a "stuff" guy.
So that leaves her to guess, which means I usually get a new pair of winter boots that I end up returning, or 12 pairs of socks. Sound familiar?
One Christmas, though, about six years ago, she asked me what I wanted just as I was perusing the Elitefts Christmas sale. As I scanned the various goodies, a pair of blast straps caught my eye. Mind you, this was before suspension training was all the rage and well before you could sign up for full-body "TRX classes" in commercial gyms.
At the time I didn't know much about suspension training and thought it looked pretty lame, but I figured it'd at least be a good way to supercharge push-ups, so I asked for them.
Had it been my own money I definitely would've passed but hey, kick-ass push-ups beats getting another ugly sweater.
It proved to be a good investment because I still have those blast straps today and have since expanded my suspension training arsenal well beyond just push-ups. I don't see them as a "be all end all" by any means, but I definitely like them a lot for certain exercises, particularly for the upper body.
Just to be clear, when I say blast straps, I'm referring to all suspension training systems: blast straps, rings, TRX, jungle gym, etc.
With that in mind, here are my favorite blast strap exercises to build the upper body.

1. Chest

Push-ups

I'll start with push-ups because it's the first exercise I ever used the blast straps for and they've been a staple exercise in my program ever since.
It was really a love-at-first-try type of thing. I always love a good challenge, and the blast straps definitely provide that. The first few times I tried them I was shaking and could only muster a few reps, but after a little bit of practice, my stability improved rapidly to where I could start to crank them out more easily. Once I got better at them, it quickly became one of my favorite upper body exercises, and still is today.
The one problem I've continually had, though, with both push-ups and dips on the blast straps is that when the blast straps are set up at just outside shoulder width (i.e., the way most people do them), they tend to chafe my triceps. Wearing long sleeves helps, but who wants to wear long sleeves when it's hot in the gym?
As I got stronger and started to load the exercises more, the chafing got worse, to the point that after every time I did the exercise I'd have people asking me, "What happened to your arms?" because there were massive red marks, similar to a rug burn.
A little chafing certainly isn't enough to stop doing a good exercise though, just like you wouldn't stop deadlifting because it can bruise your shins or stop front squatting because it can hurt to hold the bar – at least I hope you wouldn't.
I guess when you're in love, you're willing to put up with a little pain and bullshit.
The chafing started to bug me though, so as a way to eliminate it, I started hanging the blast straps wider. I do all my blast strap work in a power rack, so rather than hang them straight down from the pull-up bar on the front just outside the shoulders, I hung them from the sides of the rack.
What a difference that small tweak makes! Not only did that eliminate the chafing, it also enhanced the exercise significantly from a chest-building perspective because it forces you to actively squeeze your pecs like crazy throughout the set to keep your hands in tight to your body.
The key is not to allow the wider ring position to alter your arm position, so you still want to keep your elbows tucked in close to your body.
Keep in mind though that the wider the blast straps are, the harder the exercise becomes, so start at shoulder width and move out gradually over time as you feel more comfortable.
You may want to elevate your feet slightly as well to account for the straps being raised off the floor. Other than that, perform them just as you would a normal push-up.
I alternate between doing them weighted in the beginning of a workout and unweighted at the end for a massive pump that also doubles as a good core exercise, killing two birds with one stone.

Wide Flyes

If you've got push-ups down and are one of the masochistic types looking for a way to punish your pecs even more, flyes might be something to consider. They're not for everyone – especially people with shoulder issues – but if your shoulders can handle them, you'd be hard pressed to find an exercise that fries the pecs like ring flyes do.
Just like with push-ups, you can make them harder by setting the blast straps wider.
Be warned though, regular ring flyes with the blast straps at shoulder-width are tough enough as it is, but setting the blast straps wider makes them downright brutal. As a point of reference, several months ago I could do regular flyes with my feet elevated and a 50-pound weighted vest for sets of 8-10, but couldn't even do one full rep with the blast straps wider unless I did them from my knees – and even that was a struggle.
With practice I can now do 6-8 unweighted wide flyes with my feet on the floor when I'm fresh, but if it's at the end of the workout, I can't even do one. So if I do them at the end, I'll do them on my knees, which is still an awesome finisher.

Wide Dips

Like blast strap flyes, dips are one of those "off-limits" exercises for people with shoulder issues, but if you can handle regular dips okay, using the blast straps makes them that much better. And in fact, a lot people that have problems with parallel bar dips find they can do them on the blast straps pain-free.
However, prepare to be humbled the first time you try them because it's a whole different ballgame than regular dips. When I first tried them I could do regular dips with four plates for reps so I'd figured it'd be a breeze.
Wrong.
I made a complete fool of myself and couldn't even do one rep. After about an hour of practice I could knock out a whooping 3 reps while shaking so badly it probably looked like I was being electrocuted. And that's with no weight. Talk about embarrassing.
Looking back, though, I don't feel too badly because every one of my buddies that tries to work in when I'm doing them now goes through the same humiliating experience, so I think it's just part of the process.
Swallow your pride and stick with it because after a few times of getting acclimated to the blast straps, it gets much easier and your performance will shoot right back up. At this point, my weighted blast strap dips are almost as strong as my bar dips, and when I rep out I'm within 4-5 reps. Not only that, but they just feel much better on the blast straps, meaning they feel safer and seem to work the chest more.
Just as with blast strap push-ups, start with the blast straps set just outside shoulder-width so your triceps can press against them for support. As you improve, try moving the blast straps wider to increase the difficulty (and chest stimulation) and eliminate chafing of the upper arms.
To keep constant tension on the chest, stop an inch or two short of locking your arms out at the top. This may seem like it's cheating, but with the blast straps set wide it actually makes it quite a bit harder.

2. Back

Wide Grip Chins

I've allows loved the way wide grip chin-ups (or pull-ups) feel in my lats, but when I do them on the bar they usually really piss off my shoulders and wrists. I know many people have had a similar experience, and I've also heard complaints that using a wide grip really bugs some peoples' elbows.
So usually I just avoid them and use a shoulder-width grip – that is, until I started using the blast straps.
Using the blast straps allows for a more natural rotation of the arms, so it feels much cleaner. I just wish I'd started doing these sooner.
Here's what they look like:
Beyond being more joint-friendly, setting the blast straps up wider than your wingspan makes it a lot harder – the blast straps will want to go out so you have to squeeze hard to counteract that force and keep them on the right path, which makes for a huge contraction in the lats.
The set-up is really easy. If you have blast straps, just set them up on either side of a power rack. If you have a TRX, just throw it over the top of the rack.
You'll probably need to bend your legs, but that's no big deal.
Keep in mind that they're a lot harder than regular chins – especially if you're strict on the form – so don't expect to hit your usual numbers, but expect your lats to be fried more than normal.
You've been warned.

Inverted Rows

I may've bought the blast straps primarily for push-ups, but I've gotten the most use out of them for inverted rows, which has become my favorite rowing exercise – meaning I like them more than barbell rows, dumbbell rows, t-bar rows, cable rows, etc.
I like them so much because it's an awesome way to overload the upper back without stressing the lower back. This is obviously appealing for people like me with lower back issues, but it's also valuable even for healthy folks because it allows you to keep your lower back fresh for your heavy lower body exercises like deadlifts and squats.
Even a healthy lower back can only handle so much abuse, so why not save it for the exercises that are inherently lower back intensive rather than use it up on upper body exercises? Especially since you can overload the upper back just as much in an inverted row as you can in a free weight row.
If you think that last sentence is malarkey, you probably haven't done inverted rows the way I do them. I've done more than my fair of heavy-ass free weight rows (and still do) and I'll say unequivocally that inverted rows can be made every bit as hard as anything else I've ever tried.
My favorite variations include:
Weighted: either with weighted vests or putting plates on your abs
1.5 reps: row up, come halfway down, row back up again, and come all the way down
Wide inverted rows: set the blast straps wider, as I've described for the chest exercises
Decline rows: elevate the feet higher than the head
Row/reverse fly combo: one arm performs a row while the other arm extends straight out the side
One-arm inverted rows: using one ring only
I have video demonstrations of all these variations on my You Tube page.
So as you can see, there are tons of effective ways to do this exercise. I usually do some variation of inverted rows twice a week, which alone has made buying the blast straps worth it.

3. Shoulders

3-Way Shoulder Finisher

All the chest and back exercises I've shared also work the shoulders quite a bit so you really don't needanything else – but if you want something to work them more directly, here's a quick three exercise finisher that I like to use at the end of upper body workouts when I'm looking to fry my shoulders, particularly the posterior delts.
The three exercises are reverse flyes, external rotations, and face pulls, done in that order. They're ordered from hardest to easiest and are done in succession as a mechanical drop-set, so don't rest in between exercises.
Here's what it looks like in action. I usually do 6-10 reps of each exercise, but I'll just show three reps of each for the sake of brevity:
While this is a high rep finisher, it's still important to keep good form and do each rep deliberately as opposed to just pumping them out. Trust me, you'll still get a huge pump.
1-2 sets (meaning 1-2 drop-sets) is all you'll need.

4. Arms

Bodyweight Curls

I don't do curls often (as evidenced by my puny arms), but when I do, these are on my short list of go-to's.
Set-up just as you would for an inverted row with a pronated or neutral grip and your feet on the floor, but rather than row to your sides, curl your hands to your forehead while supinating your wrists. Be sure to keep your body straight by squeezing your glutes and bracing your abs.
I could pull something out of my you-know-what and say I like them because they also double as a good core exercise to give you more bang for your buck and make them more "functional," whatever that means.
But that's not why I like them. I don't do curls to be "functional" in the athletic sense – I do curls to get bigger biceps. And if bigger biceps is the goal, it doesn't get more functional than curls.
Barbell curls tend to piss off my wrists and forearms, but using the blast straps allows for a more natural range of motion, much like dumbbells, which is not only more joint-friendly but also lends itself to a hell of a contraction.
Most importantly though, it's an excuse to do curls in the squat rack.

Bodyweight Triceps Extensions

Bodyweight triceps extensions are a great exercise no matter how you do them, however, doing them on the blast straps is better than using a bar in a power rack or Smith machine because it increases the range of motion. It does so by allowing you to extend your arms further out in front of your body (since you don't have to worry about your head hitting the bar), thereby increasing the stretch on the long head of the triceps.
The blast straps also allow you to rotate your hands naturally through the rep, taking stress off the elbows and makes for a stronger contraction in the triceps.
The lower you are to the floor, the harder it is. Start as low as you can go for 6-8 reps and then walk your feet up gradually and keep knocking the reps out for a brutal extended set, similar to the idea of a drop-set but not exactly (you're actually going upwards).
Keep your body as straight as possible and it doubles as a core exercise, or you can pike your butt up a bit towards the end of the set to get a few more reps in to really smoke the triceps.

Closing Thoughts

This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything you can use the blast straps for, but it's certainly enough to get you started and give you a great upper body workout.
I wouldn't recommend using blast straps-only for upper body, but I think you could probably build a great physique doing so if you were so inclined and got really good at using them, as evidenced by gymnasts with their rings.
To me though, they're just a tool in the toolbox that I sprinkle in here and there with my other strength training.
But when you consider they cost my mom around 50-60 bucks six years ago, I'd say they've been well worth the small investment. Thanks Mom!