Supplements: Vitamin D

Check out the video above for a great explanation of Vitamin D. Basically, you want to get a good amount of natural sunlight everyday (20-40 minutes at least, but without burning) and if you cannot (especially during the winter months on the East Coast) then supplement with Vitamin D from a store. Eating meat will also provide a small amount of Vitamin D, but the best source hands down is the sun. Supplements are super cheap and depending on skin color, diet, etc. you could take anywhere from 4000-10,000 IU per day. By doing so, you bolster your immune system, retains calcium, reduces inflammation, and help a host of other processes in the body, including defenses against cancer and infections.

How much sun do you get per day? Do you notice your physical or mental health vary with the amount of sunlight you are exposed to? 

Big Isn't Strong, Strong is Strong

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Big isn't strong, strong is strong. Do you agree or disagree?  When I went to my USAW certification and saw a 26-year old guy clean and jerk 225# at 5'2" and 120 lbs. it really humbled me. (and that was his daily practice, not even an PR) Now to be clear, he had been oly lifting for 8 years and had amazing technique, but it was fun to watch him work. 
"Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy" occurs when fluid in the muscle increases due to muscle fatigue. The guys who want to get huge should train for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. "Myofibrillar hypertrophy" occurs when the actual muscle tissue increases in size due to muscle tension. This results in a dense muscular look. The small olympic lifter would train mostly singles and triples (reps) under maximal tension, therefore resulting in mostly myofibrillar hypertrophy. 
So, what are your thoughts on perception of strength and reality? Have you encountered people who you think are strong, but they don't live up to expectations? Or vice versa: have you encountered people who are "normal" sized or even small and are stronger than you ever expected? Is there a difference between technical lifts such as the the clean and jerk and "real world" strength such as lifting a box? Which would you rather be?

Shorter, More Frequent Posts

The title pretty much says it all. I find it challenging to sit down and write long posts that require a few hours of research/writing. So I'm going to change over to more frequent posts, but much shorter length. Every so often I will throw in a longer post when it's necessary. I hope this is ok with everyone! Of course you can always throw me anonymous feedback with the box in the upper right corner.

On the Road with Chris P.

Sometimes we go away for a weekend for a vacation or a work-related event, but the food that is offered is less than ideal. With a little preparation, you can do pretty well in a pinch. Check out the video for what I did on a recent trip to Pittsburgh.

-What do you do in a pinch?

-Any tips or tricks for those on the road?

What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear?

CrossFit is all about going back to the basics: eat real food such as meat and veggies, and do functional exercises such as squatting and deadlifting. By going back to our roots, we are letting our bodies function and thrive on what our ancestors and genetics have been used to. In this day and age of marketing and consumerism though, it's easy to make misinformed decisions, especially when it comes to your health. So as much as you might think the Shake Weight and Slim Fast will lead to a strong, healthy body, sadly they do not.  The same thought can be applied to running shoes, specifically those used in CrossFit style workouts. Here I will examine several types of shoes and give my take on each type.