Welcome to a new edition of the offical Body-Solid blog the "Built for Life & Times".
We have some great content this time around including a short documentary about an undersized athlete who made unbelievable strides with his vertical leap, two pumpkin recipes, tips of reliving your sore muscles, our Body-Solid product of the day and of course, your daily motivation.
#Solidology
FIVE/FIVE Documentary
Brandon Todd stands at a mere 5'5''. Unlike most people his height, Todd strived to be a great basketball player with one specific goal in mind — dunk the ball.
He never believed his height to be a limitation, doubters told him it was not only impossible at 5’5” to be a great basketball player but dunking a basketball was completely out of the realm of possibility.
Todd saw this as an opportunity to change how people view all athletes of his size.
After watching a video of a Russian powerlifting team and seeing how high they jumped in their competition celebration, Todd became obsessed with mimicking their workouts. Everything they did, he wanted to do. If it worked for them, why wouldn’t it work for him?
Well, it worked.
Within a year, Todd added 18” to his vertical leap. Over the course of a few years, Todd gained over 80 lbs of muscle and increased his total vertical leap to an incredible 45”.
Todd’s story is an amazing example on why you shouldn’t let someone else’s opinion stand in the way of your dreams. If there is something you want to achieve, it’s up to you to find out how far you can go.
Todd currently offers free tips on vertical and athletic training at http://www.brandontodd.tv/.
#SolidEats
Pumpkin Protein Fudge
The Fall season is in full swing and you know that means numerous pumpkin related foods — Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin Beers, Pumpkin Pies, but how about a no shame pumpkin dessert that’s packed with protein?
Start off by making the following mix:
- 1 pack protein powder (33g)
- 4 tablespoons dry ingredients (almond meal, coconut, oat flour, or a mix)
- 2 tablespoons nut butter
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- Liquid stevia or sweetener as needed
- Cinnamon (1/4-1/2 teaspoon), pinch of nutmeg, pinch of dried ginger
Press the mix into a container, add chocolate drizzle for “garnish” and place in the fridge to harden slightly and take a piece whenever you want a little treat with protein power.
View the full recipe with pictures at http://fitnessista.com/2013/10/pumpkin-protein-fudge/comment-page-1/.
How about a bonus pumpkin recipe from Fitnessista? Pumpkin Amazeballs!
Pumpkin Amazeballs
Start by getting all the following ingredients ready:
- 4 T of dry ingredients (with protein powder, oats, coconut, almond meal or any combo of those.)
- 2 T nut butter
- 2 T pumpkin puree
- 1/4 t cinnamon
- 1/8 t nutmeg
- 1/8 t cloves
- pinch of dried ginger
- pinch of sea salt
- splash of vanilla extract
- Sweetener of choice
- Pulse the dry ingredients in the food processor until you have a powder.
- Add in the reminding ingredients and pulse to combine.
- Taste a little bit for spice and sweetness- adjust as needed. (If you use maple syrup or honey as your sweetener, you may have to add more dry ingredients)
- The mixture will be very wet. Do not be afraid- just roll into balls using your hands or melon scooper and store in the fridge to harden slightly. In the fridge overnight allows the flavors to mingle and they taste even better.
View the full recipe at http://fitnessista.com/2012/10/pumpkin-amazeballs/
#SolidScience
What’s the best way to relieve sore muscles?
via AskWell http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/ask-well-relieving-sore-muscles/?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
You’re working out every day, your starting to see a transformation happening and you’re making huge strides every day… then the pain sets in and derails the whole thing. Whether you’re an athlete, an avid lifter or just into casual fitness you’ve dealt with sore muscles. So what is the best way to relieve these sore muscles?
AskWell blogger Gretchen Reynolds offers her thoughts on the subject:
- The painkiller ibuprofen has little effect on exercise-related pain, studies show, and may actually reduce the ability of muscles to repair themselves.
- Post-exercise ice baths cool muscles, but do not, most studies show, make them less tender.
- Sports massage reduces soreness but the overall effect is “too small to be clinically relevant,” a systematic review of massage-related studies concluded in 2012.
- Foam rollers may also be effective. In a small study published in July, young men who vigorously rolled their muscles like bread dough for 20 minutes after strength training were less sore later than a control group.
- But my favorite method of combating sore muscles is watermelon juice — according to an experiment published in July in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, contains a hefty dose of l-citrulline, a substance that seems to protect muscles against pain.
#SolidChoice
PUB30 Mountless Pull-Up/Push-Up Bar
Today’s Body-Solid Product of the Day is the PUB30 Mountless Pull-Up/Push-Up Bar. The PUB30 installs in seconds without any hardware. Merely lace the top bar above your trim on the inside of your doorway and begin pull-ups.
Do push-ups simply by placing bar on floor or do sit-ups by placing bar on floor inside doorway. A cantilever design uses your own body weight to keep it in place.
It also has two protruding close-grip handles that let you work out with your palms facing each other, a good position for isolating the muscles in the center of your back that control posture.
Find out more about the PUB30 at http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/PUB30/Mountless_Pull_Up_Push_Up_Bar
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Your biggest hurdle isn't your opponent. It's yourself.
