Chris Beardsley's Garage Gym

Wow, it’s been a great week for links.  I’m probably going to save a few for next week…

• Geoff Neupert has written a great post about what really matters when it comes to movement: focus on getting the correct movement at the hip and shoulder joints.  He makes the point that mastering the basics is what makes elite athletes.  That sexy new training technique isn’t going to do it. 
• Eric Cressey has written a very personal post about the history of Cressey Performance, what makes it tick and why he did it his way… Seriously, it’s a great read and a marvellous insight into one of our generations great strength coaches.
• Mike Robertson has put some serious time in behind his camera and done a full photoshoot of the individual steps in a Turkish Get Up.  All the way up and all the way down.  Thanks, Mike.  This will go into my resources to return to from time to time.
• Many of you will have picked up on one of my few remaining diet vices, the daily coffee dose.  I often post snippets here and there about recent research that I see on various healthy-eating blogs.  However, I’ve never seen the definitive guide to what caffeine actually does to your brain, chemically speaking.  Fortunately, Lifehacker has the full details. 
• Carson Boddicker weighs in on the subject of corrective exercise.  Do we call it corrective exercise?  Many strength coaches and personal trainers are uncomfortable with the idea of correcting something as this implies that a diagnosis has been made of a problem and that this encroaches on the medically trained professions.
• Another post from Carson is an interview with Mark Young.  In this interview, Mark explains why he gets wound up about fitness products being launched that focus on different types of “metabolic training” and which are aimed at producing weight loss, when actually diet is the overriding factor involved in losing weight.
• If you’re looking for a little inspiration to keep going paleo, try reading this little speech by Modern Paleo.  It should get you up and running again.
• Gym Junkies writes about his favourite books for fitness, health, nutrition and life.  I guess you’ll have read most of them but there may be a wild card lurking in there somewhere that surprises you. 
• Apparently, sitting for extended periods of time is bad for you.  The damage is not reversed by exercise.  You simply have to spend less time sitting.  And yes, that means your job is actually killing you.  No joke.
• Don’t miss Bret’s random stuff post this week.  I really enjoy reading Bret’s work.  He has a perspective that I relate to quite easily.  I get the impression that we have had some similar real-world training experiences and like me he doesn’t buy into some of the fluff that’s out there.  This week, he gives us a couple of things about knowledge, including a BS-detector, the concept of a framework in which knowledge sits and a quote from the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, who stated that: “All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed.  Second it is violently opposed.  Third it is accepted as being self-evident.”   Way to go, Bret.  Philosophy and strength training!
• Dan Cosgrove at Hapless Lad talks male hair issues.  If you’re like me (and him, apparently) and have thinning hair on top, then he suggests that you check out the headblade.  It looks rather frighteningly like a miniture earth-mover and I’ve yet to see them here in the UK but I’ll keep looking…
• Aaron Schwenzfeier explains why he rides his bike to work.  I wish I could do the same but there is a motorway in the way…
• And this is the best thing I’ve seen on YouTube for a while.  I like how the cameraman is more interested in the subway audience’s reactions that the action unfolding (which we can all quote anyway).

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