Where is the love? David Beckham didn't get any at his first return match home in L.A., USA. Jeering L.A. Galaxy fans in the boo-bird section held up a banner reading "Go Home, Fraud".

When Beckham arrived in the United States, he was hailed as the saviour of American Soccer (the game known as football to the rest of the world). Right or Wrong, Beckham was expected to get the American public to passionately embrace the world's most loved sport, and for a moment they did. Beckham was on the cover of every major magazine, his jersey was selling like hotcakes and his debut season with the L.A. Galaxy completely sold out. So what has gone wrong? The problem is that Beckham has not had a single great performance since joining the Galaxy. His stats are average at best and his team's over-all performance is a long way from getting them to the top. The American soccer fans wanted great; Beckham has given them luke-warm. Now they want Beckham benched for the rest of the season and promptly deported afterwards.

The Contender: What's in a name?

The 16 original fighters casted for the NBC reality show, 'The Contender'

Boxing has traditionally used the term 'contender' to refer to an up-and-coming fighter that shows a lot of promise, but needs a big bout to distinguish themselves. The American version of The Contender characterized this definition by pitting 16 relatively unknown boxers against one another in the ring and showcased the fighter's athleticism in team contests. The final episode of the show would conclude in dramatic fashion, when the top two contenders faced-off in The Contender grand finale match for the right to be lifted from the obscure shadows of the nameless to the light of recognition and notoriety. Thus the title of the show truly reflected its content and purpose.

The success and world-wide interest that The Contender generated has recently spawned 'The Contender' Asia which debuted last year. The Contender, Asia basically operates on the same premise as its American predecessor, with the exception of Mauy Thai being substituted for boxing. However, no brownie points were lost by the change in fighting style. The Mauy Thai matches proved to be as satisfactorily entertaining as boxing. Yet I was disappointed by the fact that The Contender, Asia casted several fighters with way too much experience and heavy-duty credentials to be considered contenders, which diminished the original theme of the show to discover the best unknown fighter. If a fighter is already in the lime light, then he has successfully contended. Calling the show 'The Best of The Best' would have been more appropriate. It will be interesting to see if The Contender, Asia producers use less accomplished fighters in the upcoming season. I want to see the Mauy Thai fighters that are earnestly struggling and overlooked by circumstance, as the show's title suggests.

Look Who's Back

Michael Vick was reinstated into the NFL by Commissioner Roger Goodell with conditions this past Monday, after having served an 18 month prison sentence for cruel and inhuman treatment to dogs. Anyone who thinks sentencing a former NFL superstar quarterback to a year and half in jail for hosting & participating in dog fights is an excessive use of the law, clearly does not understand American culture. There are 3 sanctities that the American public at large upholds: the right to bare arms, freedom of speech and dog’s place as man’s best friend. Michael Vick violated the later, and so he had to be punished.

"Michael Vick needs to be seen bed nursing premature puppies and volunteering at the SPCA, before America will forgive him for his sins against nature’s best".

Presumably he has paid his debt to society, although some would beg to differ. Never the less, he is desperately standing on the auction block as a free-agent waiting to be picked-up by an NFL team. But there are two questions. Can he still play after being away from the game so long, and what team wants Michael Vick? I believe Vick could be a productive back-up quarterback with a year of physical training and an adjustment to his attitude. Any team that attempts to hire Vick before he takes some positive steps towards changing his image is asking for a PR nightmare. If you don’t believe me, just check the chatter on Twitter where Vick is getting ripped to shreds by many NFL fans tired of the athletic thug persona. However, If Vick can weather the storm and be patient I think playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars could renew his tarnished career. Jacksonville is a quiet city where Vick can stay off the media’s radar. Also the Jaguar’s dwindling fan base won’t put up much of a fuss, especially if his presence on the field leads to some victories.

Vibration Machines: Plastic vs. Steel

As the saying goes, "you get what you paid for." This notion is very much true if you are in the market to purchase a vibration machine, and trying to choose between the various brands and models.

Better machines, especially commercial models, cost more because they are manufactured with high-grade components like steel. Thus, one can expect the machine to perform better and longer between servicing, than compared to home models which tend to be flimsy in construction due to the over-use of clumsy and easily broken plastic parts.

While a majority constructed plastic vibration machine may be significantly lower in price compared to one made of steel construction, the consumer is hardly getting a bargain. Plastic is often used in products such as automobiles to deaden vibrations. So it doesn't make common sense to produce a machine that is suppose create vibrations out of plastic which characteristically absorbs vibrations. Secondly, it can be very difficult to find replacement parts and service for low-grade exercise equipment in general. Chances are you will have to resort to holding irreplaceable broken parts of the machine together with duct tape and bubble gum. Third, cheap model vibration machines rarely produce the varying accurate platform speeds and vibration strengths equal to more adapted models.

So before you spend your money on a vibration machine thoroughly check the construction and design, manufacturer's track record, availability of parts and services and the warranty.

Take notice that I have offered no suggestions on which machine you should buy, because quite frankly I have no personal interest in promoting any of the companies that produce vibration machines. I'm simply educating you on how to make a smart decision. No more, no less.

I just started taking Pilate's classes this week. But my right side needs more work.

Ab Sense

Fighting the battle of the bulge particularly around the abdominal region requires a reduced calorie, nutrient rich, low fat diet, as well as an increased expenditure of calories by performing routine bouts of cardiovascular exercise. Also, one should perform 2-3 strength training sessions to increase the body's metabolism rate and counteract sarcopenia (reduced muscle size and strength). The combination of these activities will greatly improve the body's over-all body fat percentage and lower the risks of developing metabolic diseases.

In regard to performing ab exercises to reduce fat around the the torso; it is not possible. First, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Your body genetically dictates where fat will dissipate. Second, ab exercises can increase abdominal strength and size, but will not reduce fat that prevails on and around the core. So one can perform crunches until they are exhausted and blue in the face, and the effort will do little to reduce the size of their stomach. Rarely is there a single reason why someone has gained excessive fat weight, therefore a single approach to reversing the situation hardly works.

A managed process of incorporating sensible eating practices with regular bouts of cardiovascular exercise and strength training is the only practical and effective means to reduce fat lumps and firm muscle humps. Since it is not possible to pick and choose where fat reduction occurs, steps should be taken to lower the body's over-all body fat percentage, which will inevitably include fat around the abdominal region.


Training Tip: The two best ab exercises for the Rectus Abdominal & Oblique Muscles



















Captain's Chair












Bicycle Maneuver