I AM A CELLAR DWELLER

I am a cellar dweller. And while some people may take that to mean I am a hideous looking troll that stalks billy goats with a club, really all it means is that normally, I don’t go to the gym to work out – I train in my basement and garage.

That’s right I do almost all my training right on my own property. If I didn’t post videos on the internet, almost nobody in the world would know I train because I pay no memberships and don’t go into town to get my workout in.

To me, this is the way to go. I can use all the chalk I want, turn up the music as loud as I want, drop the weights if I want, and shoot snot rockets whenever I want. (I actually go outside to shoot the snot rockets)

I love training in solitude so much that I built a two car garage onto my house and have never had my vehicle in the garage on my side. As soon as the garage was ready, I built a platform out of plywood with my dad, put rubber stall mats down and moved my equipment out the first chance I could.

But occasionally, I must admit I do like to go train at other places and lift with other friends. In fact, just this weekend, I traveled up to Coach Joe Hashey’s new gym, Strength and Performance Headquarters in Endwell, NY.

Here’s the footage that I got from the session (I missed the squats). We trained for a couple hours but I just wasn’t able to get everything I wanted to because we were jumping back and forth and moving all around.

Joe unleashed a new product last week. The sale price went up Friday, but during the workout he said he would hook the Diesel Readers up with a deal. When I hear back from him, I will let you know.

You might be wondering why I would want to travel somewhere just to work out, since I love training alone so much. Well, there’s a ton of reasons to go elsewhere from time to time to get a workout in and if you train in your own home gym, here’s a few of those reasons to consider training somewhere else from time to time.

1. Access to New Equipment

Sometimes due to space and financial limitations, you might not be able to have all the equipment you’d like to have in your gym. If you travel to a buddy’s place, they may in fact have this equipment. For example, if you don’t have a squat cage or squat stands at home, try to line up a workout with a friend who does have those on your lower body day. That way you’ll maximize your time investment in traveling.

2. Raise the Bar

When lifting alone, some people get somewhat complacent and end up holding their development and progress back because they aren’t pushing themselves. By training with someone every now and again, especially somebody who is stronger than you, it can light that fire in you again. If you schedule routine visits with that person, you can also set goals in your training to push yourself so that when you meet up with that person every 4 to 6 weeks, or whatever the case may be, you will be ready to go head to head.

A prime example of this is training for the Axle Deadlift with Eli. Eli doesn’t dedicate a lot of time to Grip training, but he does very well on the Double-Overhand (both hands pronated) Axle Deadlift. Getting my ass handed to me by Eli keeps me focused on my thick bar work. The same can be said for Log Press. The dude is an animal and knowing how strong he has gotten over the years keeps me pushing hard on my overhead work days.

3. Spotters / Form Coaching

I have a bad habit of losing my arch in the squat and deadlift and sometimes I forget to set up the camera to watch my form on the squat and deadlift so I can view my technique later on . Also, having extra people around provides me with a spotter. For instance, when training alone at my garage, I have to make sure I have pins set up and I usually stick with sets of 3 instead of going for a monster PR in the Bench, because without a spotter, if I don’t get the weight, I’m gonna be trapped under the bar. I stay a bit on the lighter side when training alone, but I don’t shy too far away from my PR, so that I am ready to push hard when I meet up for a group training session.

4. Meet New People

One of the great things about getting together with other Gripsters and Strongmen is that I get to meet new people. This weekend when I trained with Joe, Tim Mosolino was also there. Tim is a strength coach from the Boston area who works with NFL athletes prepping for the combine and just got into strongman in the last few months. This dude was huge and it really pushed me to keep my squat form tight and keep chugging away on the Yoke Walk. Tim actually is the 4th or 5th person I have ever met with bigger hands than me! I’d love to see what he could do with the Inch Dumbbell!

5. Share Your Knowledge

After training for many years, hopefully you’ve learned a lot about training and can help other people with their form and technique when you meet up with them. This can be very beneficial for that other person, so make sure you take the opportunity to help them out if you can. Tim and I talked a lot about Strongman competitions, technique, and strategy. I won a lot of the contests I took part in when I was still competing not necessarily because I was stronger than the other dudes, but because I could strategize better. Tim’s not only strong, but he’s also willing to ask questions and learn, so it was nice to talk to him and help him out. I think he’s going to be very good once he gets some more experience under his belt and more time in competitions.

6. Two (or Three or Four) Heads Are Better Than One

Some lifts, like the Squat, are very technical and you can’t always figure out what to do in order to dial in your technique. Sure, you can take video of yourself training, post it on the net, and get suggestions on how to improve your form. While that works out great (it’s helping me out tremendously in my Muscle-Up training) sometimes the best option is to have someone there with you in real time going through the cues as you go through the movement.

7. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Stronger

Sometimes, traveling to another gym makes you enjoy your gym even more. I know when I was still training in my basement back before the garage was built, I would feel somewhat claustrophobic with the low ceilings and limited space. It was always cool to be able to go to a gym where I could actually do log press. But when you come back from those trips, it’s also nice to get back into familiar surroundings where you know where everything is and where you only have to walk a few steps to get to the next station.

8. Knock the Mental Rust Off

If you never interact with people and talk about training, you get rusty, mentally! If you are never challenged, your “training mentality” can turn to mush. By getting out every so often, it keeps your mind fresh and keeps you thinking and developing mentally as well as physically.

9. Hours of Awesome Footage

I know that when I go and train with other people, it is going to be several hours long. You want to make the most of the trip so you want to try out all the equipment that is there that you don’t have. You jump from one lift to another and before you know it, 3 or 4 hours has gone by! Good stuff.

10. Bigger Space = More Room to Play

If you’re training in the cellar or in the garage, you may be limited on space. Now for me, I am able to take some of my equipment outside and train. I can load my farmer’s walk handles up, carry them outside the garage, and go up and down the driveway with them or out through the lawn. But if it’s cold out or if you live in a city right next to another house, you may not have that option, so the next best choice may be to hook up with a group and train with them. That’s what we did this weekend at Joe’s. We were able to load the yoke up and take it for a hike inside his building without having to worry about neighbors, space limitations, mud, or cold weather.

11. Get a Break from the Routine

You may not realize it but training in the same spot all the time can cause you to stagnate as well. It’s never a dull moment when I get together with Smitty, Brad, Eli,and Brian. When we’re not lifting our asses off, then we’re talking training or busting on Eli’s weird neck rash. If anybody is reading this that lives in the rain forest, if you know of any naturally occurring antidotes to a bumpy neck rash that looks like snow-capped pencil erasers, please let us know.

12. Awesome Memories

If you take your camera with you, you can come away from these traveling training sessions with some great footage that you’ll be able to go back and look at for years down the road. After a while, you might forget some of the big numbers and feats you hit on these sessions, so it’s nice to be able to pop an old tape in the camera or open up some old files on your computer and see what you were doing a few months or even a few years ago. Maybe it was the time you lifted your first Atlas stone, or when you hit a big PR with a bunch of friends cheering you on. My buddy, Brad Martin is the best at getting behind you and getting you pumped up. Sometimes it doesn’t register when I am pumping up for a lift, but when I go back through the footage later on, I do hear it and it makes me want to go work out again!

Hey, there you go. If you’re a cellar dweller like I am, there’s 12 of the reasons I like to bust the hell out of my garage and lift somewhere else for a change.

I’ll let everyone know when I hear back from Joe on the special Diesel price for his newly released product.Similar Posts:

• Home Made Strength
• 3 Ways to Use Towels for a Monster Grip
• Awesome Day Here at the Gym Yesterday
• 5 Important Lessons for New Steel Benders by Chris Smith
• Live UStream Grip Workout This Week

Bookmark and Share

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

I ran across this video of Lou Ferrigno competing at the Mr Olympia in 1992 after a long layoff. He looks incredible – yet he finished 12th! Dorian Yates began his phenomenal run that year, winning 6 times in a row.

We barely got settled back in from our Vegas trip, and it was already time to head out for another trip to Myrtle Beach.

It was much easier to eat healthier in Vegas with all the organic options and restaurants, since there's barely even an organic or natural food store here in Myrtle Beach.

We also forgot the camera, so the measurements below are updated, but they are still last week's progress pictures.

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements…

Alley

Weight: 137.8 pounds (+1.8lb from last week)
Waist: 28.7 inches (+0.8" from last week)

I know the Myrtle Beach area very well, so I have a lot of favorite restaurants, and I've sampled a little too much.

I did manage to forgo all the meat options, even at my favorite Japanese steakhouse, but I clearly indulged more than I thought, as I gained almost 2 pounds.

I'll enjoy the rest of my time here, but I'm ready to get home and get the numbers moving back in the right direction.

Brandon

Weight: 185.6 pounds (+2.2lb from last week)
Waist: 32.4 inches (-0.6" from last week)

I've had the opposite experience from Alley. I was finally figuring out what and how much I needed to be eating and was up to 191-192 before we left for Myrtle Beach.

Then, once we got here, I've been a lot more strict on sticking to the organic food, so I've been eating almost exclusively from the big cooler of food we brought with us.

Apparently, I wasn't eating quite enough of the food from the cooler though, since I dropped another 2 pounds.

I'm definitely ready to get home and get back to our regularly scheduled eating!

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 138 (1)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 131 (1)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 120 (4)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 137 (0)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 136 (1)

I think it’s fair to say the majority of beginners pay more attention, time and money on supplements than they do diet. Supplements, after all, are more exciting than food! You do not see “packed full of muscle building amino acids”, in capitalised font, on the label of your supermarket chicken. Yet as trainers become more knowledgeable they begin to realise the thing which makes the real difference to long term gains is sound nutritional intake, not supplements (although they can play an important supplementary role). This article aims to delivery five basic but fundamental nutritional tips which beginners should find helpful.

1. Eat enough protein

You may have gathered protein is important from looking at the vast array of protein powders available to purchase. Your staple protein source is not going to come from a supplement tub however, instead you should focus on consuming high protein wholesome foods such as chicken, red meats, oily fish, nuts, and eggs. Protein is important because it plays a vital role in the muscle repair process, providing the building blocks for muscle growth.

It’s not really possible to put an accurate figure on how many grams of protein you should aim for in a given day. Many sources talk about 1-2g per 1lb of bodyweight.

2. But don’t neglect the other macros

Much emphasis can be placed on the importance of protein, yet little is mentioned about the requirement for carbohydrates and dietary fats. A well balanced diet should include a spectrum of foods, including fruit and vegetables to ensure sufficient micronutrients are being consumed. Generally you would be in search of wholesome carbohydrates such as potatoes, granary bread, wholemeal pasta, sweet potatoes, rice, and so on. Oily fish, linseeds, olive oil spread, nuts etc can also be consumed to ensure sufficient fat intake, which is vital.

3. Eat enough, full stop!

To gain muscle mass you will generally have to consume a greater number of calories than you expel. This can come as a shock to many beginners who try to gain muscle mass whilst still eating the same quantity of food as they did before beginning bodybuilding. Eating plenty of wholesome foods (and varying your food sources) will ensure your body has the correct nutrients to sustain high intensity training and growth.

4. Post workout shake

The window immediately after a workout is the time when it may be wise to promote the use of supplements over food. If you can eat a meal directly after your workout then this would be equally wise, yet many people train at gyms where post workout time is sparse and there is no real means of eating a meal. In such a situation a post workout shake containing 40g of whey protein and 50g of maltodextrin mixed in water would be ideal for most people. This can be a quick and easy way of consuming fast acting protein and carbohydrates.

5. Forget wonder pills and powders, spend your cash on wholesome foods

The only supplements you may want to spend your cash on are whey protein, maltodextrin and creatine. These can be purchased relatively cheaply, so avoid the glossy supplement catalogues and advertising (who do you think ultimately pays for the advertising?), spend you cash on quality wholesome foods and your time reading quality web sites for free! Always consult your GP before you begin an exercise program and/or supplementary regime.

<< Bodybuilding & Fitness Articles & Resources  << Bodybuilding & Fitness Nutrition Articles

Introduction
Until a few days ago, if one told me that gluten and autism were connected, I would say, “Yes, as tightly knit as a fish and a bicycle need each other.”
Honestly, this is because my brother is autistic, yet I have never heard a thing about gluten (or casein) and their relationship with autism over the last fifteen years while watching my brother grow up. Anyways, now that we are done with the surprise bit – this relationship was first discovered by Kalle Reichelt when in his notes he made a mention of finding links between malabsorption and autism while similarly noticing that celiac children had psychiatric issues. However, evidence to suggest that going on a gluten-free and casein-free diet causes a relief from the symptoms of autism as well as improves social and cognitive behavior and speech is far from complete despite the ever-increasing popularity of this diet.

With all this in mind, one cannot help but ask the questions: Is there a relationship between autism and gluten? If so, how does the GFCF diet help in improving conditions in an autistic child?

The Relationship between Autism and Gluten
Some sources (such as several parents of autistic children) cite that the GFCF diet shows results whereas skeptics say that sufficient proof to indicate these improvements have not yet been proven. Yet despite the fact that there is no proof to substantiate these facts, several recipes that follow this diet have been published in newsletter, cookbooks and over the Internet.

However, there still is no proof that the relationship exists, other than a theory that autistic children process peptides and protein differently (while also showing higher levels of these peptides in their systems), which lead up to the symptoms of autism. However, despite conducting several randomized clinical trials, conclusive proof has not been found to substantiate the benefits of following a GFCF diet nor have they been able to establish the link between the two.

The GFCF Diet
In a nutshell the GFCF diet eliminates all forms of gluten (food containing wheat, barley, oats and rye) and casein (milk, yoghurt and butter) from the autistic child’s diet, which according to skeptics, involves eliminating almost every food available for consumption making it difficult for the subject to follow. In short, they say that the restrictions are impractical despite the fact that parents are finding changes in the social and cognitive behavior of their kids.

Conclusion
In a recent study conducted in 2007, there was no link to be found between autism and celiac disease. The results of these clinical trials has led experts to conclude that perhaps some autistic children suffer from gluten intolerance just as much as some normal children are, and the link between the doesn’t really exist.

On a personal note though, it would be interesting to see what my younger brother’s family doctor has to say about this at the next checkup, since we’re on a mission to help him further improve his skills that have improved so strongly over the last few years.

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 131 (1)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 130 (2)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 128 (0)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 120 (4)
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 91 (9)