There is Nothing Sporty About Curling

Dictionary.com - curl⋅ing

–noun
a game played on ice in which two teams of four players each compete in sliding large stones toward a mark in the center of a circle.

There have been a number of occasions that I have questioned the IOC's (International Olympic Committee) judgment in deciding what events should be included in the summer/winter Olympic Games. In my opinion a game that does not include a significant element of athleticism (strength, speed, agility and coordination) is not a sport. Curling is a game of skill, but it requires nothing more than an average level of fitness to excel in.

If the Olympics are suppose to represent the echelon of athletic achievement, than only events that require both physical and cognitive exertion should be included. The art of pushing a stone across ice while 3 people sweep the way towards a target are not actions I consider worthy of an Olympic gold medal. If they are, then I would appreciate the IOC awarding me with 5 gold medals for the number of times I've won the coin toss game at the amusement park.

God Bless The NFL

I have just spent the better part of an hour watching all of the Super Bowl XLIV commercials I missed. There are many positive aspects to living in Malaysia; however sports coverage is not one of them.

The average person passes gas about 14 or more times per day. Yes you do; denial won’t change this fact. The unpleasant odor of flatulence comes from the abundance of bacteria in the large intestine that release gases containing sulfur.

Most foods containing carbohydrates can cause gas, in comparison proteins and fats cause less gas. Foods that notoriously produce the most pungent odor contain one of the following sugars: raffinose, lactose, fructose, and sorbitol.

• Raffinose - beans, cabbage, brussels sprouts, asparagus, other vegetables, and whole grains.


• Lactose - milk, milk products such as cheese and icecream, and also processed foods like bread, cereal, and salad dressings.


• Fructose - onions, artichokes, pears, wheat, and fruit drinks.


• Sorbitol - used as a bulk sweetener in bakery goods, sugar-free chewing gum, and diabetic products.

Each person's digestive system is unique, so the amount of gas produced from ingesting certain foods differs from one individual to another. It's a matter of trial an error discovering what particular foods, and in what quantities creates the greatest social ill.

Sweat It Out

Working out after a heavy night of drinking alcohol is not a particularly good idea. Alcohol is a diuretic which causes the body to lose more water than it retains. This is one of the primary reasons for hangover symptoms such as dry mouth, headache, and vomiting.

Strenuous training while recovering from a hangover will only make you feel worst. I suggest that you skip the gym on these occasions, and instead spend your time recovering by drinking plenty of water, eating nutritious foods, and resting.

Dulled coordination and concentration, coupled with the considerable amount of increased stress on the neuromuscular system due to working out while under the heavy influence of alcohol derives no worthwhile benefits, compared to the increased risks for injury.

When I have a client that shows up for training in the morning with the smell of tequila emanating from their sweat pores, I send them home. But not without charging them my full hourly rate, and giving them a stern lecture about wasting both my time and theirs.

Done Deal

Both Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Al Haymon, a Mayweather adviser, have reportedly given their word that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has signed the contract to fight the welterweight title holder Sugar Shane Mosely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight takes place on May 1, 2010. Also reported is a plan for the fighters to head to Miami to kick of promotions during the Super Bowl weekend to boost pay-per-view sales.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, should have been paired together a long time ago. This bout promises to out stage the lopsided dual between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey on March 13 at the Dallas Cowboy's stadium, in which Pacquiao is the clear favorite to win.

Blood testing will not be an issue. Mosely, who was connected to the infamous BALCO steroid case, has agreed to the blood testing process that Mayweather demanded during the failed negotiations with Pacquaio.

This past Wednesday Mayweather and Mosely released the following statements after the signing of the contract:

"This one is definitely for the fans as I wasn't going to waste anyone's time with a meaningless tune-up bout and asked to fight Shane immediately. I have said ever since I came back to the sport that I only wanted to fight the best. I think Shane is one of the best, but come May 1, he still won't be great enough to beat me."

-- Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I have always wanted to fight Floyd and now it is finally coming true. I am already in great shape and ready to show everyone on May 1 that I am stronger, faster and better than he is. I will have no problem beating him."

-- Shane Mosley

Time 2 Rest

How much time should you rest between sets and different exercises? Generally the intensity of the exercise dictates the length of the rest periods between sets and various exercises.

For example performing a bench press with a load that is 50% of your 1 rep maximum for 10 repetitions requires 30 - 60 seconds to recover. Performing the same exercise with a load near 100% of your 1 rep maximum will require about 5 minutes of rest, before repeating the same movement.

Generally 60 - 90 seconds is the space of time individuals should give themselves between different exercises.

However intensity is not the only variable that drives how much time should be taken to rest between episodes of work. A person's physical condition is also a factor. A previously sedentary individual just starting a fitness program takes much longer to recover between sets and exercises, than persons who are in generally good condition.

An additional factor is based on the training objective(s). Various classifications of strength require more or less rest between periods of work depending on the physiological response an individual is trying to elicit. For example, a desire to improve muscular endurance calls for taking minimal rest periods of 30 seconds, while trying to improve maximal strength requires resting 90 - 150 seconds.

To clear the confusion below is a list of general guidelines:

• Unconditioned - 1 set, 12 - 16 repetitions, 90 - 120 seconds recovery

• General Condition - 1 - 2 sets, 12 - 16 repetitions, 60 - 90 seconds recovery

• Athlete (Strength Endurance: triathlete, marathon, soccer, etc.) - 1 - 2 sets, 14 - 18 repetitions, 30 seconds recovery

• Athlete (Functional Strength: basketball, baseball, racquetball) - 1 - 3 sets, 8 - 12 repetitions, 60 - 90 seconds recovery

• Athlete (Maximal Strength: football lineman, sprinters) - 2 -3 sets, 6 - 10 repetitions, 90 - 150 seconds recovery

Remember these guidelines are not absolute. The recommendations should be tailored to meet your individual needs.

KL Dragons: Just Short of a Win

I just returned from MABA Stadium where I watched the KL Dragons suffer a season ending loss to the top seeded Philippine Patriots in the ABL (ASEAN Basketball League). Although the Dragons have been effectively eliminated from the playoffs, they scored a moral victory and secured the hearts of basketball fans in KL. Only four days prior to tonight’s contest the Patriots ran the Dragons off the court with a 30-point victory in the Philippines.

This evening in front of a sellout home crowd, a pumped up and gutsy Dragon’s team lost by just 5 points. In fact the Dragons lead the Patriots for most of the game, and only lost their advantage late inside of the fourth period.

Chris Kuete had a standout performance finishing the game with a double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds). While Jamal Brown did an excellent job of defending against the Patriot’s big man and leading scorer, Jason Dixon, until Jamal fouled out of the game with about 2 minutes left in the fourth period.

The Dragons took a 10-point lead going into half time. But it should have been by a lot more, if not for a number of erred passes and ill advised shots taken near the end of the second period. However, the Dragons maintained the lead until about the 3:23 mark in the fourth period. That’s when the wheels fell off the wagon. The Dragon’s inexperience as a first year team including their coaching staff showed by their inability to effectively manage the clock and run a 2-minute drill to be able to close-out the game with a win. It’s the primary reason why the Dragon’s lead over the Patriots wasn’t greater at half time, and why they lost the lead completely and never gained it back in the final period.

With that said, Congratulations to the KL Dragons for an exciting finish to their 2009/2010 debut season. I look forward to seeing what Dragon’s coach, Goh Chen Huat, has in store for fans, myself included, next season.

Shooting the breeze with Jamal Brown after the game.

Like other movie theaters around the world, Malaysian cinemas run a series of commercial ads and public notices right before the feature presentation. Without fail there always seems to be an ad for KFC. The latest series of advertisements has a little girl attempting to cook dinner for her mom and dad on several occasions, but each time she fails miserably. Then mom comes to the rescue by whisking the family off to KFC for a bucket of fried chicken.

At some point the announcer chimes in with “do something good for your family by taking them to KFC”. So let’s examine how much ‘good’ there is in a typical KFC meal to see if we should reward the actress who plays mom with a mother-of-the-year plaque, or report her to Richard Simmons for aiding and abetting a heart attack.

1. Two pieces of original recipe fried chicken (1 breast + 1 wing) adds up to roughly 500 calories, which includes 25 grams of fat and about 200 mg of cholesterol. This is almost half the daily recommended allowance of fat for the entire day. But the chicken is a source of protein and iron.



2. A side of coleslaw is around 200 calories, because of its sugary added content, and approximately 10 grams of fat. However, it's a source of vitamin A & C.



3. Mash potatoes with gravy adds another 125 - 150 calories to the meal and a few more additional fat grams.



4. Now wash all this down your throat with a medium soda containing 175 calories, all from sugar, with no nutritional value.

The grand total for this single meal is a 1000+ calories. It's also high in fat (the bad kind), and sugar as well.

Ooh my gawd, what kind of mother feeds her family that crap, and doesn't have the decency to save me not even one piece of chicken!

Mass Comunication

If building substantial muscle mass and strength is one of your primary fitness goals, then compound movements should comprise 70% of your workout. Single jointed exercises such as bicep curls hardly contribute to developing over-all muscular strength and size.

You don’t have to be a fitness guru to understand the tremendous advantage performing a deadlift has over doing a bicep curl. A simple comparison of the muscles worked during each exercise pretty much drives the point home.

Muscles exercised during a deadlift:

1. Splenius cervicis
2. Levator anguli oris
3. Serratus
4. Teres major
5. Illiocostalis
6. Intertranvesarii laterales lumborum
7. Longissimus
8. Serratus posterior inferior
9. Quadratus lumborum
10. Piriformis
11. Superior gemellus
12. Bicep femoris long head
13. Semitendinosus
14. Trapezius
15. Rhomboideus major
16. Teres major
17. Latissimus dorsi
18. Gluteus maximus
19. Bicep femoris, long head
20. Quadratus, vastus lateralis

Muscles execised during a bicep curl:

1. Biceps brachii
2. Brachialis

Need I Say More