Don’t miss these great links!

Last week was the first week of links and I said at the time that it had been difficult wading through all of the “Happy New Year” posts and New Year’s Resolutions to find something worth linking to.   Well, this week has been a struggle too.

• Post of the week goes to this excellent post by Geoff Neupert describing his 30-day experience with a minimalist programme comprising mainly swings and get-ups.  There is a lot here to digest that I am not qualifed to do justice to here but a couple of things jumped out at me: firstly, that extensive mobility work isn’t necessarily going to cure all that ails you as a lifter; secondly, that there is a continuum that runs from stability to mobility and you need to be at the right point along it; and thirdly, that I need to do more swings and get-ups.
• A close runner-up is Craig Pfisterer’s strongman meet report from Clash of the Titans II Strongman Battle.  Craig is obeying Dan John‘s golden rule and actually competing.  In this post, he describes the highs and lows of a strenuous day that included axle clean and press, yoke walk, odd-object carrying/dragging medley, Conan’s wheel and (of course) atlas stones.
• This two-part article by Bill Starr on training the lower back has been featured before on this blog but here it is again and this time both parts are in the same place.  Bargain.
• I apologise for the poor taste of this Star Wars link but I made a commitment to find at least one Star Wars post for you every week.  So here is Luke Skywalker temporarily suffering from OCD.  Please don’t flame me.  Happily, this great twist on a great quote by the space-faring squid, Admiral Ackbar, is much more palatable.  This picture of Olivia Munn dressed as Princess Leia is probably somewhere between the two.
• I liked the sign outside of this diner.  I know quite a few shops and restaurants that should have this sign on the door.
• This is an older post that somehow slipped through the net.  If you are looking for training insights from one of the most talented strength athletes of his generation, then look no further than this post from climber Dave MacLeod about dealing with injury.  One of the key insights for me here is that specificity leads to strength but also overuse injury and balancing these two poles is the key to success.
• WannaBeBig is not a site I find myself on frequently but this great interview with Shelby Starnes (a member of the Elite FTS team) was definitely worth venturing into unfamiliar territory for.  Shelby discusses the key factors in preparing for bodybuilding contests and what you need to do to build serious muscle.
• Mike Robertson is doing a series of his most evocative training stories at the moment and number 2 is about his visit to Westside Barbell.  Mike talks about how a brief visit put 27lbs on his squat in a matter of weeks, from 380lbs to 407lbs and how effort is what separates the good from the best.
• If you had any excuses about why you don’t do pull-ups, prepare to have them trampled as you watch this video of a 44-year old woman perform 39 consecutive pull-ups during a training session, courtesy of RossTraining.
• If you don’t know who Mike Reinold is, then this round-up of his 2009 blog posts is a great place to start learning about physical therapy.
• Pull up a chair, take a load off and watch this great old-school parkour motion reel video.  It’s not the most modern technology for creating moving graphics but the skill and dedication required to create it are apparent.
• The one-man marketing machine, Zach Even-Esh, shows us how to kick ass in a one-car garage.
• There is always one irritating person in a group who warns you about muscle turning to fat in your old age.  This interesting article on the Journal of Physiology explores this modern myth.
• Whatever your stance on steroids, Anthony Roberts is the source of much relevant news in that arena.  Here is his analysis on the coverage of steroids in 2009.
• I really enjoyed this review of the documentary “Tyson” by James Toback on Male Pattern Fitness.  If you’re interested in boxing or you grew up in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s watching Mike Tyson completely dominate the sport, then you’ll enjoy it too.
• And don’t miss this great deadlift tip from Adam T Glass on Extreme Human Performance: how to balance your leg strength if you have a dominant leg.
• Take heart from this remarkable interview with Dave Goodin, who gained his IFBB pro card at 50 years old after 27 years of training.  That’s a lot of perseverance and dedication, not to mention positive thinking…
• This week’s animal feature is care of this BBC2 video of a fox hunting in the snow (I hope the BBC don’t remove the video before you have a chance to see it).  It’s amazing how this animal can pad along the surface of the snow one minute and swim through it like a fish in water the next.
• This plot comparison of the blockbuster film Avatar with the Disney classic Pocahontas will make you think that there really are only a certain number of story-lines to go around.

That’s it for this week.  More links next Thursday!

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