amazingelf's Hand-picked Best Fitness Resources

[amazingelf]

Ok guys! I've decided to do a little something to give back to the community here, since it's really helped me, and since I have a good deal of knowledge about fitness, diet, and staying in shape, I thought I'd put together a list of resources to help y'all with your fitness goals, whatever they may be. I've organized this into sections so that you can easily find some links to websites on whatever topic you're after. Enough talk, on with the links!

For Beginners:

Starting Strength Wiki: www.startingstrength.wikia.com This is one of the best beginner weight programs out there that you can do. There is also an excellent book, off which the website is based, which I would highly recommend picking up. You can grab it from amazon right here: www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-3rd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0982522738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375403125&sr=8-1&keywords=starting+strength

EatMoveImprove: www.eatmoveimprove.com This website has loads of useful info on a variety of topics, and is especially good if you're interested in training with minimal equipment.

Gymnastic Bodies: www.gymnasticbodies.com Excellent if you want to train like a gymnast, and get really functional strength (and of course get really ripped at the same time!) Has a great forum where you can find answers to many common questions, as well as some useful training programs you can buy if you're after that type of thing.

Roman Fitness Systems: www.romanfitnesssystems.com Check out this guy's blog for lots of articles on a variety of topics

Eric Cressey: www.ericcressey.com This guy trains pro baseball players but really knows his stuff when it comes to any type of resistance training. Lots of information on his blog, also sells a fantastic book called Maximum Strength.

Nutrition/Supplementation

Robb Wolf: www.robbwolf.com This guy is the leading expert on the only diet that you should care about - The Paleo Diet. Paleo eating has done wonders for me, and isn't so much a diet as it is a quality-based, whole-foods approach to eating. Lots of info on his blog, and Robb Wolf's book, The Paleo Solution, is also excellent.

Mark's Daily Apple: www.marksdailyapple.com  Another great blog with lots of info on diet and nutrition.

Examine:  www.examine.com  Analyzes and compiles the data from loads of studies on various supplements so you can find out what works and what is just wasting your money.  Very useful.

Miscellaneous

Mobility WOD:  www.mobilitywod.com  Want to know how to fix that nagging pain in your shoulder?  Or that constant ache in your knee?  Head over to this site and get to work!

Recommended Books

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
Maximum Strength by Eric Cressey
Practical Programming 2nd Edition by Rippetoe and Kilgore (advanced/intermediate reading)
Starting Strength by Rippetoe and Kilgore
Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low (for bodyweight training)
Super Joints by Pavel Tsatsouline (for keeping your joints healthy!)


Ok, well I think that does for now, off the top of my head!  I hope y'all enjoy these, be sure to let me know if anything helped you and feel free to post any questions you may have below.  Cheers.

[derekk]

Cool! Thanks a lot. I'll def be checking out a lot of these links, but I'm a bodyweight/calisthenics kind of guy so I try to stay away from the weights.

Anywho, I recommend to everyone the book: "Convict Conditioning" It teaches you how to do 6 vital, pure bodyweight movements from the ground up, including the training and techniques needed to the the one armed pushup(Legs together, no twisting of the body), one armed handstand pushup, hanging leg raise, bridge, one armed chin-up, and the one legged squat. It's very in depth... you can read the reviews
www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness--Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375411718&sr=8-1&keywords=convict+conditioning

[amazingelf]

I don't personally own convict conditioning, however, I have researched it, and Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low is the true bible for bodyweight fitness. It's literally a huge book, and not exactly easy reading, but the level of knowledge contained therein is unbelievable. It covers the 6 movements you've mentioned above, and a TON of other stuff too. That said, for getting started quickly Convict Conditioning is a good buy. It's just that it can only take you so far.

Personally I'm entirely a bodyweight guy, with the exception of deadlifts and squats for lower body, cause it's hard to effectively train that with just your bodyweight (Yes, one-legged squats, I know, but eventually you have to pick up some barbells... no way around it). Also I am already past the level of some of the movements in convict conditioning... Case in point I can perform full ROM hanging leg raises with completely straight legs, and I'm very close to getting my stand to stand bridge. One legged squats are also no problem for me.

Just for reference, here's a chart that shows all the movements covered in Overcoming Gravity: docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArzTY8Rx2z1DdDZlaUVxa1NISlQ0RVpMYVlRaklJelE#gid=0 A lot of this won't mean much without actually owning the book, but you can definitely see the clear difference in sheer volume of content.

So I guess my main point here derekk is that if you're wanting more information or to move beyond the limited information in convict conditioning you owe it to yourself to pick up Overcoming Gravity. It's pricey ($50) but if you're going to read/make use of the information it pays off quickly

Cheers man, keep training hard!

[derekk]

Wow! I can't believe I haven't seen that before. I think I'm definitely going to be getting that book. Luckily, I understand most, if not all the exercises on the spreadsheet so I definitely think I'll be incorporating some of those exercises. I never heard of jumping dips/pullups though. I think I'll try those out, after my shoulder injury heals. I think I got a shoulder impingement a few months ago while trying to do the flag before I could completely handle it, and yesterday I think I reinjured it doing backlevers.

Oh well, you live and you learn. At least this will give me time to work on my bridge, which I find so boring. Hopefully I can at least do pullups/pushups/and headstands.

By the way, I'm kind of mad at myself because I found a ton of free DL links for Convict Conditioning, so, if you're ever interested, I recommend you look for free DLs first.

[amazingelf]

Hmmm, sounds like you need to do some mobility work to take care of those injuries. That's another great thing about overcoming gravity, you learn to perform each exercise properly so that you don't get injured. It also has lots of info on rehabilitating yourself should you get injured. And yeah, bridge work isn't my favourite either... But it's important so.... yeah, haha

Also if you're not already taking it I'd recommend you get on some good quality fish oil. It's a good anti-inflammatory and will help you heal faster

[DanZy]

I've done the bodyweight shit and it's only effective to a point as far as muscle building is concerned. I just don't enjoy it anywhere near as much. Lifting heavy-ass weights is where it's at.

Layne Norton's Video Logs: www.biolayne.com/videos/ These are fantastic for both bodybuilding and strength training
Chaos and Pain: chaosandpain.blogspot.com/ NSFW at all. This dude is a fucking psycho but he knows his shit. Great articles and inspiration

Rippetoe's stuff is good for beginners and that's about it. It hits a point where the intensity just isn't enough
The Paleo Solution is fantastic as you said
Convict Conditioning is okay, a little hit and miss to be honest

Books-wise I'd add:
Eat Stop Eat - Brad Pilon, this is the intermittent fasting bible released before Men's Health and the rest of the bullshit commercial fitness industry ripped off the concept
Anything by Lyle McDonald, his books are fantastic

I've never had any joint issues having played rugby for at least 6 years and I'd put it down to lifting heavy, it conditions them fantastically

[amazingelf]

Um, DanZy, have you looked at professional gymnasts? They're pretty much the most well conditioned people around, and they DON"T use weights. So I don't think your statement there is correct. It's fine if you don't enjoy it as much, but you can get just as ripped from doing proper bodyweight workouts as from weights.

Brad Pilon's stuff is good I forgot about him when I was making the post.

[DanZy]

Aug 4, 2013 15:35:51 GMT -5 amazingelf said:

Um, DanZy, have you looked at professional gymnasts? They're pretty much the most well conditioned people around, and they DON"T use weights. So I don't think your statement there is correct. It's fine if you don't enjoy it as much, but you can get just as ripped from doing proper bodyweight workouts as from weights.

Brad Pilon's stuff is good I forgot about him when I was making the post.

They're conditioned, not big. The whole point of training like a gymnast is to be as strong as possible while as light as possible.
Without weights you're simply not going to get that big because you're so limited unless you add some extra weight. They're strong as fuck but generally only with regards to their body, still I respect them a ton. It's very different goals. You clearly misread me.
The average guy will look far better training with weights than bodyweight as he could bulk up a little.

[amazingelf]

Yes, but they still have really nice bodies. It all comes down to what your goals are. Some people prefer one way of training, others prefer another. Weights may give you faster results. But you can still get ripped from bodyweight only exercises.

[DanZy]

Aug 6, 2013 20:35:30 GMT -5 amazingelf said:

Yes, but they still have really nice bodies. It all comes down to what your goals are. Some people prefer one way of training, others prefer another. Weights may give you faster results. But you can still get ripped from bodyweight only exercises.

They also train roughly 6 hours everyday for years and are typically very small guys (especially height-wise). Bodyweight gives you fantastic muscle tone but does little to increase the size of them. Getting ripped with pure bodyweight requires a monstrous amount of time. A combo of both is best, people who lift but ignore pullups and dips (both with added weight) are idiots.

[amazingelf]

Most of that 6 hours is spent on skill work actually. Does little to increase the size of the muscles? I have to disagree with you their... Any sufficiently strenuous strength exercise is going to make your muscles bigger.

[DanZy]

It may make them bigger but not substantially. Gymnasts don't want to get big or heavy, that would kill their career, thus they train like they do. Tons of that skill work is very strenuous, look at the guys doing rings etc.