stumptuous.com: all the news that's fit to blog http://www.stumptuous.com/stumptuousblog.php (c) 2006 Krista Scott-Dixon From The Grass Ceiling: For a few years, women who umpire baseball all over North America have discussed, from time to time, creating a way to make it easier for us to network and communicate. I hope this site is the very humble beginning of a strong and lasting virtual place for us to come together and share ideas and stories, ask questions, find mentors, and have fun. Also, in case you were wondering, Slate.com takes on the subject of Why Doesn't Baseball Have More Female Umpires? http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1034 Sun, 11 May 2008 07:13:25 EDT Big Farmboy O-Lifter Ron reminded me about this incredible photo set showing the mad skillz and buff bodz of the Chinese Olympic weightlifters. Among them are some impressive photos of women lifters. 48 kg (106 lb) Yang Lian snatches 98 kg (216 lbs) and jerks 119 kg (262 lbs), both world records. She has said, 'There is no end for me to smash world records, but what I want most is the gold medal in the Beijing olympic games.' For the non-O-lifters in the crowd, if you're a woman and you can clean your bodyweight, you're pretty strong. If you can snatch 2 x your bodyweight, you are a complete freakshow (and I mean that in the most admiring way). http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1033 Sat, 10 May 2008 06:23:41 EDT Ryan Andrews over at Precision Nutrition splains the difference between high and low intensity exercise (not to be confused with the one-set-to-failure High Intensity Training method popularized by Mike Mentzer in the 80s). A great intro article to the subject. More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1032 Thu, 08 May 2008 08:50:34 EDT The number of fat cells in your body remains constant throughout your adult life, a new study has found. The discovery suggests that the process of weight gain may be fundamentally different in adults and in children. More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1031 Thu, 08 May 2008 08:41:58 EDT The very impressive story of Melanie Roach, an Olympic weightlifting hopeful for the US team. NYT article Video http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1030 Thu, 08 May 2008 05:39:12 EDT Funny travel stories from Marshall of Full Blast Personal Training, how to eat right even while wandering the Himalayas, and the discovery that someone else loves that gross beef jerky as much as me. It's so wrong but I don't wanna be right. I even hit up Buck Thornton's World O' Jerky when I was in Sedona TWICE IN ONE WEEK! (Yes, there is truly a BTWOJ. Like me, the guy who owns it is also following his dreams. Except his dreams involve jerky somewhat more than mine, although the contribution of jerky to my dreams is not insignificant.) http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1029 Mon, 05 May 2008 19:36:55 EDT Pursuant to my earlier post about Kids These Days, an article from Neil Down Under reinforces my contention that kids' lives are overstructured. (On the other hand, now parents who don't have anywhere to put their kids while they go to the gym have some options.) Sydney's Treadmill Tots http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1028 Sun, 04 May 2008 06:31:48 EDT Consumers by now are used to seeing a range of organic fruits and vegetables for sale in their local grocery store, but the most common certified organic product reported by Canadian farmers is probably not what they think. In fact, the most commonly reported certified organic class consists of field crops and hay, according to a new study that analyzed the evolution in the organic farming sector in Canada between 2001 and 2006. More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1027 Sun, 04 May 2008 06:12:59 EDT From a recent study: Among patients with spinal injury, more favorable [blood] lipid profiles were seen in people with a higher physical capacity after correction for personal and lesion characteristics. Therefore, improving the physical capacity by being active during daily life or in sport may further improve the lipid profile and thus reduce the risk for coronary heart disease. Abstract Lesson: no matter what you can move, keep it moving as much as possible. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1026 Fri, 02 May 2008 05:33:05 EDT Too fat? Too skinny? Too many zits? Dated clothes? Because we incorporate the message that "image" equals "rank in the pecking order," we have become a body-image-obsessed society, seeking a perfection that generally remains just out of reach... So how can parents help their children establish and maintain a positive self and body image? Research is sadly lacking. However, my advice is to begin early in childhood, to inoculate your child with positive memes, so that by the time adolescence arrives, he or she is armed and ready. More... Some useful advice here, though occasionally trite, but the commentary on sports for children illustrates how divorced we currently are from physical activity in our daily lives: Selection of a sport should be individualized by parents. It is important to start early, say by four or five years of age, to try lots of different sports, and to let your child's successes and inclinations guide you as to whether any one particular sport is right for him. Don't push! Let your child find his or her own way. Notice just how difficult this process is for children of low-income families. Sport participation is increasingly expensive, and there just isn't that much help out there. WTF? What happened to stuff like "throw the ball/frisbee in the backyard" or "climb trees" or "kick a soccer ball" or "ride bikes" or "walk to school" or "play with the dog"? Now kids have to select (and parents have to pay for) an organized sport by halfway through their first decade? And instead of joining in, parents stand around watching them and hearing the cha-ching of dollars leaking out of wallets, as well as the kersplat of their own arterial plaque accumulating 'cause hey, they're too busy driving the little tots to soccer and baseball and square dance or whatever to take care of themselves? http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1025 Fri, 02 May 2008 05:28:19 EDT The most recent Experience Life has an article by me on how to learn to do a pullup. Check it out -- their pictures are much nicer than mine! Clear the Bar By the way, if you're interested in more EL articles by that Krista person, check out Put the Weight Down (eccentric training) Time to Eat (nutrition timing) (But don't follow my macronutrient suggestions too closely as I have revised them based on current evidence -- now I'd recommend higher fat and lower carb) Weak in the Knees (knee injuries and how to avoid them) http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1024 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:59:26 EDT From my travels down south in the last few years it's not hard to see why life expectancy is dropping in the US. In many cities I've visited, people don't walk at all. The best moment occurred in suburban California a few weeks ago when I witnessed a woman parking, getting out of her SUV, seeing a friend across the parking lot perhaps 50 metres away, then getting back in her SUV to DRIVE to chat with the friend. The friend was close enough for them to have a conversation that concluded with "Wait a minute, I'll drive over there." And the food... oy. With the way that portion sizes are going, Americans are going to be eating out of troughs soon, and all the meals will be some kind of sugar-encrusted deep fried cheese log stuffed with reconstituted pork fat. Seems like EVERYTHING has sugar in it. I went through about 20 salad dressings in the grocery store before I could find one with sugar as the fourth ingredient, rather than the second or third. People, please -- what happened to a nice olive oil vinaigrette? Anyway... All y'all are in trouble if you don't smarten up http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1023 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:42:52 EDT A new study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests that women underestimate how much weight they can lift. 46 women with experience in weight training were carefully instructed to select a weight they used in their own resistance training workouts. Most of the women tested selected resistance training intensities that were considered relatively low, for example, less than 60% of max, especially for lower-body exercises. The intensities selected were, on average, lower than what is recommended for progression in muscular fitness by major health organizations. Although women who worked with personal trainers fared somewhat better, overall they still tended towards loads that were much too light. Abstract and link to full text In other words, most women sell themselves short and underestimate their capabilities -- they also choose weights that are too light to result in meaningful progress. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1022 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:32:43 EDT The newly forming Toronto Accessible Sports Council (TASC), is offering 12 new accessible sports. All programs are offered free of charge in eight-week sessions with bonus 'Try-It' sessions in sailing and gliding. Sessions will be led by experienced sports facilitators supported by staff and volunteers. The vision of TASC is to unite disability organizations across the city that provide sport and active living opportunities for people with physical disabilities to share resources, collaborate in program planning and delivery, and create a stronger unified voice for athletes with a disability in Toronto. Get out there, folks! I wanna see some Murderball! http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1021 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:54:48 EDT People often look for the magic recovery supplement. We would probably all be much better off getting another hour of sleep. A recent study confirms that people in general are sleep deprived, but who sleeps how much and how well is also determined by gender and income. Although women get more sleep than men, they find it harder to get to sleep and stay asleep. Other things that will put a dent in your Zs include commuting, living with a partner, and having children (that'll be a big duh for every parent, I'm sure). High-income Canadians tend to dedicate more time to their paid work, spend less time with their children and less time engaged in leisure activities. The more we work, the less we sleep -- and it sounds like the less we enjoy life in general. This is why I quit my job! Bring on the snoring! More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1020 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:04:51 EDT Perhaps the GI tract, rather than the heart, is the true site of our selves. A new study examines the "gut print" or "metabolomes" of our internal micro-organisisms and how they relate to our metabolisms overall. Apparently our tummies are like snowflakes. "What our study really shows is how incredibly metabolically diverse people are around the world," says one author. "British and American [metabolomes] are nearly identical. Japanese and Chinese people are totally different metabolically even though they are nearly identical genetically." People who lived in Hawaii had metabolomes equally similar to those of people on the mainland United States and in Japan. Interestingly, the biggest difference between the 17 groups was between people from South China and everyone else. "They have a very different and much broader range of diet," he says. "Very broadly speaking, the southern Chinese are the healthiest and the people in southern Texas are least healthy." More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1019 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:39:04 EDT This week I'm at Ninja Camp, aka Big John McCarthy's Ultimate Training Academy, to train with Felicia Oh, with a quick stop at Legends in North Hollywood for a training stint with Eddie Bravo, and Results Fitness to have my butt kicked by Alwyn Cosgrove. I've posted some training porn to Facebook. Look at all those hot sexy kettlebells! Hooyeah! To entertain yourself in my absence, check out the latest additions to the Stumptuous Fitness Model blog! BTW I googled "Ninja Camp" and apparently there actually are some. Good times. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1018 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:24:47 EDT Plato, Galen, Freakonomics and running, together at last! Running and the soul http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1017 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:35:05 EDT Ummm... uh oh. Vitamin supplements taken by millions of people do not increase life expectancy and may raise the risk of a premature death , according to a review of 67 studies with more than 230,000 subjects. The review, by the Cochrane Collaboration which regularly pools data from trials to evaluate drugs and treatments, found supplements vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene are detrimental to health. You might think that seems like a puzzling and inconsistent finding. Aren't vitamins, like, good and stuff? I would suspect the difference here is the format in which these substances are taken. "Vitamins" are often complex and varied molecules that usually have many forms, and work synergistically with other compounds in food. For example, an orange may have hundreds of chemical compounds in it, whereas a tablet of vitamin C may just be one -- ascorbic acid. We still do not know much about the complex interactions of these substances. What does seem to be the case is that our bodies prefer these substances in their original format: food. We evolved over milennia to get nutrients from food. This doesn't mean that we can always absorb the nutrients perfectly. For example, some foods are better cooked than raw; we can't eat grass; and the calcium in some green leafy vegetables is in an oxalate form that we can't easily absorb. Nevertheless, the evidence seems to show that once again, Mother Nature is the best delivery system. More... Full review http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1016 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:11:35 EDT Folks within driving distance of Toronto, consider joining us May 10 and 11 as kimonogirl and OpenMat host women's BJJ superstar Felicia Oh for seminars at our studio at Yonge and Bloor. The open seminar will run from 12:00-4:00 pm on Saturday, May 10th, with a 30 minute break. Men and women of all experience levels are welcome. The women's seminar will run from 12:00-3:30 pm on Sunday, May 11th, with a 30 minute break. This is an awesome and rare chance for grappling grrls to train with a group of like-minded women, from a female pro. Each seminar is $65 per person. Felicia is an accomplished competitor and outstanding instructor who currently teaches at Big John McCarthy's Ultimate Training Academy in Valencia, CA. She was awarded her black belt by BJJ legend Jean Jaques Machado after only 4.5 years, and has dominated many national and international competitions. In 2007, Felicia became the first woman to win both the Pan American Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Gi and No-Gi divisions. After winning the ADCC North American Trials and securing her spot to represent the United States at the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship, she had convincing victories over a multi-time BJJ World Champion and a Japanese superstar which put her in the finals of the most prestigious grappling event in the world. To register for the seminars, or to see more information, please go to: http://www.kimonogirl.ca/FeliciaOhSeminarMay2008.php And I'm not just excited about this because as I type this entry I am sitting in the Toronto airport, waiting for a flight to LA to FREAKING TRAIN WITH FELICIA OH WEEEEEEE!!!! I am so jazzed about this I could plotz. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1015 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:08:42 EDT For folks in the Georgetown, Ontario area looking for excitement this weekend, check out the Boreland's Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness Center meet 'n' greet April 19th, from 1 to 3 pm. Kicking! Punching! Pro MMA fighters! Women's self defense demonstration by site reader Stephanie! Smashing concrete! What's not to love? More info... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1014 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:58:57 EDT With 95 years of living under her belt, Symie Sermay is gearing up for a whole new challenge — competitive power lifting. Sermay will take on all comers in the Natural Athlete Strength Association's New Mexico State Powerlifting and Power Sports competition in Rio Rancho on April 26. It will make her the oldest contestant ever to compete. More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1013 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:48:40 EDT A thief made the mistake of a lifetime recently. He broke into professional female boxer Derdre Rodriguez's house and tried to steal her PS3, PSP and videogames as she lay sleeping. She woke up, saw the robber climbing out of her window, chased him down, smashed his head in with an ice chipper, then, in the most awesome coupe-de-grace ever, the former pugilist forced the thief to pick up the stolen electronics he'd dropped during the chase (A PlayStation 3, a PSP, cell phones and videogames). She then made him wait in the house for the cops to show up and arrest him. Full story and video Oh man, is that ever sweet. Worth all the trips to the gym, that's for sure. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1012 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:39:25 EDT Great video from a woman who gave herself the gift of butching up for her birthday. Makes ya wanna head downstairs to the hardware store doorway pullup bar and knock out a few. Video http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1011 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:51:41 EDT In the last five years, the number of men and women in their 60’s and 70’s competing in United States Bodybuilding Federation shows has doubled to 16, said Brian Washington, the commissioner of the federation, another drug-free group. Those figures will not put senior softball leagues out of business any time soon, but in an age in which athletes are publicly flogged for using steroids and human growth hormones, it is heartening to find a cohort of older Americans hellbent on getting cut the old-fashioned way. More... http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/blogentry.php?entryid=1010 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:49:04 EDT