Archive for Miscellaneous

What Eddie Hall’s Deadlift Record Equals in Everyday Items

This July (2015) in Leed’s England, Eddie Hall broke his own deadlift record of 462 kilograms, by lifting 463 kilos! You can watch the incredible feat here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLP7AFm8Qs

What does this crazy pull mean in different everyday life??

Record Breaking Deadlift: unit
463 kilograms
1,021 pounds
73 stone
What this means in everyday items: unit
119 gallons of milk
2,722 hockey pucks
20,130 alkaline AA battery
81,658 U.S. quarters
2,692 iPhone 6 plus
3,107 MLB baseballs
10,081 golf balls
2,144 Big Macs
23 # of 45lb weight plates
1.4 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail

Kg to Lb Conversion Tip

Brian Dick

Do you know the quick kg to lb conversion tip that you can do in your head?

After a purchasing a few kettlebells and looking at the results of various Olympic events, I quickly grew frustrated having to type in the kg amounts into Google to get a conversion to lbs. I figured there must be a quick and dirty way to estimate this conversion in my head. After doing a little research, I found just that — an easy way to get a very close estimate of a kg to lb’s conversion. The added bonus? It works the same way in reverse (i.e., kgs to lbs).

Want to know the easy lb to kg conversion?

kgs –> lbs

  1. Take the amount in kg and double it. Ex: 30kg kettlebell * 2 = 60
  2. Then, take your new number and take 10% of that number. Not a math whiz? Simply take the decimal point and move it to the left once. Ex: 60.0 * 10% = 6.00.
  3. Add this 10% figure to the doubled number. Ex: 30kg kettlebell * 2 = 6060 * 10% = 660 6 = 66lbs (give or take a tiny sum.)

lbs –> kgs

  1. Take the amount in lbs and divide by 2. 
  2. Find 10% of the new number.
  3. Take the 10% figure and subtract it from the doubled amount. Ex: 66lb kettlebell *(1/2) = 33 … 33 * 10% = 3.3 … 33 – 3.3 = 29.7kgs (or close to it)

Squat Variations for Functional Strength

Brian Dick

While I’m a huge fan of the behind the back squat for developing useful athletic functional strength, I’ve recently heard an interesting perspective on squats from an older bodybuilding.com forum comment.

(FYI – Bodybuilding.com has a tremendous amount of interesting information including a lot of information on things completely unrelated to fitness.)

A person on the forum mentioned his preference towards front squats and zercher squats (where the weight is held in the crook of your elbow) for developing functional strength. His reasoning was that whenever he picks up anything in his everyday life, it is always with the weight in front of his body. Rarely if ever do we lift up weights with it behind our backs, let alone with it sitting on top of our shoulders. I felt that this contributor made an excellent point and I believe a stronger focus should be put on these workouts for this very reason.

Obviously I believe there are benefits to squatting with more weight — as the behind the back squat allows for — but very few people ever engage in front squats, and even fewer with zerchers. I believe there are huge functional gains to be had by incorporating these lifts into your routine more regularly.

In case you are unaware of what zercher squats are (sometimes referred to as scissor squats), I have listed an unaffiliated YouTube clip of the lift – this dude is doing crazy weight:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2OKweR-N-g

 

Ringworm, Jock Itch, & Athlete’s Foot – Workout Side Effects

Ringworm on Calf

Ringworm on Calf

by: Brian Dick

An unfortunate side effect of working out and showering at the gym (or even working out outside) is the potential to get athletes foot, jock itch, or ringworm. Many people do not know, but all three of these afflictions are actually fungi of the same genus. There are numerous creams, sprays, and powders designed to fight off their itchiness and spread. While these options typically work well if the fungus is caught early enough I’ve found two very effective home remedies. I actually learned about these options  from wrestlers who combat these fungi more regularly than likely any other family of athletes.

While both of these options work by themselves, I find they work best in tandem.
1. Bleach – I used straight bleach, but a lot of sites recommend diluting it. I simply dipped a Kleenex in the bleach and rubbed it on the affected spot. This definitely stung sharply so beware. Also, you should probably check with your doctor on this option, especially if you have sensitive skin. The bleach does a great job of eliminating any oily film buildup that the fungus sometimes excretes. The bleach will work on its own usually over time, but it also helps improve the efficacy of the secret weapon…
2. Grapeseed Oil – I have no idea how or why, but grapeseed oil worked incredibly well and quickly for me. I learned about this remedy from a wrestler one night by chance while playing cards. I googled it right when I got home and confirmed that some people do use this oil to kill various fungus and bacteria. pne site I found mentioned that some people actually ingest it to keep candida gut flora in check as well (this is a whole other topic all together.) I of course was trying to cover all my bases so I took a swig of the oil also. I would not recommend this….I got nauseous almost immediately (which turns out to be a very common side effect.)
3. (Just in Case) Traditional store bought creams – don’t forget that once your skin returns to flesh tone and the raised skin returns flat, it is advised to continue applying standard creams for an additional week. Evidently it can still spread during this time. For whatever reasons I find it easier to remember to apply traditional creams during this phase than the home remedies.
(I’ve also read that taking acidophilus regularly helps to decrease your likelihood of catching ringworm, jock itch, and athletes foot to begin with. I cannot confirm this because I didn’t discover this until I already had it. I’ll post again if I contract anything while on acidophilus.)

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