There Will Be Sweat

Review: The Very Finest Fish Oil (Lemon Flavor), from Carlson Laboratories

Since fish oil is “the most important supplement ever,” I bit the bullet and started taking Triple Strength Fish Oil pills from GNC. Eight pills per day. After about a year of that, I got sick of taking eight pills every day and decided to give the liquid fish oil a try. I’m still shooting for 9.5 grams of EPA/DHA per day based on Robb Wolf’s suggested dosage of 1/2g per 10 lbs of bodyweight (19 * .5 = 9.5). With some help from my calculator and Google conversions, I figured out that 7.3 teaspoons a day will get me the prescribed amount of the good stuff (there’s 1.3g of EPA + DHA in every teaspoon). As it turns out, a shot glass of oil goes down a hell of a lot quicker than eight horse pills.

The only reason I originally went for the pills is because I thought that fish oil would taste terrible. Even though it’s listed as “lemon flavored,” I was skeptical that this stuff would end up tasting like mackerel juice and either make me gag or give me awful sardine burps. Although the oiliness of it is a bit off-putting, the taste is pure lemon and sunshine and I haven’t had any problems so far.

These bottles hold 16.9 oz and cost about $22 on the Vitamin Shoppe’s web site (the cheapest place I’ve found). Since I’m taking 1.2 oz/day, a bottle ends up lasting me about 2 weeks, which means that I’m paying about $45 for a one month supply. Compares pretty well to the $40 per month I was spending on the GNC pills (and I was short-changing myself on the dose a bit there). Highly recommended.

Buy it from the Vitamin Shoppe »

Review: Raw Milk

I first heard about raw milk (or REAL milk as it’s sometimes called) through Ross Enamait and I’ve been trying to get my lips on it ever since. Apparently, the distribution of raw milk varies by state (because it’s so dangerous) and New York state law limits the sale of raw milk to the farm where it’s produced. I’ve never seen a dairy farm in NYC, but I still checked every farmer’s market in town without success.

Little did I know that my good friend precious Zach had been secretly drinking raw milk in his Connecticut hobbit hole for years. Raw milk is so readily available in CT that kids set up raw milk stands around the neighborhood every weekend. 25 cents for a little plastic cup. Well, after running the Komen 5k in June, Zach took me to a farmer’s market in New Haven and we bought two jugs of raw milk from Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm.

I’d been searching and anticipating it for so long that I was sort of let down by the initial taste. It IS really tasty and creamy, but it wasn’t love at first sip like I was hoping. It’s better than any milk you can buy in the supermarket and I buy in to all of the health benefits, so I’m definitely a fan. The fact that I can only get it when I’m visiting Zach in Connecticut (or when he’s nice enough to bring me some) also makes it a rare treat, which only adds to the allure.

Review: AST Multi-Pro 32X

My man Ross Enamait recommends these as a good overall multivitamin/multimineral for strength athletes, so who am I to argue? I started taking these in 2005 (about the same time I started Ross’s Infinite Intensity program) and have been feeling strong like bull since then. I haven’t gotten sick or dealt with any lasting muscle soreness in that time, but I’m not sure how much credit is due to these pills and how much is just my general invincibilty. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to take one pill every night (with my fish oil supplement) and they’re only about $14.95 for 100 pills - that’s like 15 cents a day!

Buy these from Netrition »

Review: Ironmind’s De Rigueur Dipping Belt

This is a great belt for training heavy weighted dips, chinups, and pullups. It’s rated to hold 1,000lbs (I haven’t tested that yet), but is small and portable enough to fit inside my gym bag, much more so than a leather and chain belt. The way the belt loads took some getting used to for me, but it’s definitely well-designed. I keep the belt looped and locked (never thread it through the plates) and hang a dumbbell from the blue webbing. Luckily the Fifth Ave Gym has dumbbells up to 150lbs, so I can go pretty heavy. I may have to look into some sort of loading pin and clip device once I want to go heavier than that though.

Buy the belt from Ironmind »

Review: Metropolitan Pool & Fitness Center - Williamsburg, Brooklyn

This is the second nicest pool I’ve come across in the NYC rec centers, after Chelsea. There are only three lanes, but if you can find a time during the day when the pool isn’t crowded and the sunlight is streaming through the skylights, the Metropolitan Pool is beautiful place to swim. When it’s crowded (which is most of the time, as far as I can tell), it turns into a real shitshow.

I’ll be damned if I can figure out the proper lane etiquette here, but it feels like “every man for himself.” There will usually be a combination of slow and fast swimmers in the fast lane (most likely because the slower swimmers don’t want to deal with the abominably slow swimmers in the medium lane), making it difficult to keep a steady pace. The medium lane moves so slow that it’s tough not to pass people when I’m doing kick drills. Just forget about the beginner/slow lane - it’s clogged with so-slow-I-can’t-believe-they’re-afloat swimmers, so there’s no point in even going over there.

The weight room is small and usually crowded, like the pool. It’s got pretty much the same equipment you’ll find at any city rec center - dumbbells, benches, and some machines. While the pool is better, the weight room isn’t as good as the Tony Dapolito Rec Center, which was my home base for a few years. It’s worth noting that they’re really strict here - they won’t let you into the weight room without a towel and they won’t let you into the pool without a swim cap, so plan accordingly.

The showers and locker room are pretty terrible, which is par for the cours with city rec centers. I’m still always wary of catching bedbugs or footfoot from the dirty hipsters here.

Metropolitan Pool & Fitness Center
261 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Review: Netrition.com

Hideous, hard to use, poorly organized site with great prices for all sorts of supplements and nutritional products. So why do I keep ordering from them when interface is such an affront to taste and decency? Aside from the unbeatable prices, shipping is reliable, fast, and well packaged and I haven’t had a single problem with an order over the four years that I’ve been a customer. Of course, they haven’t made a single improvement to the web site in that time either (which is why they only get three stars).

II’ve bought all sorts of junk from them (larabars, Myoplex shakes and bars, multivitamins, etc) and haven’t seen comparable prices anywhere else. I also generally buy in bulk to save money and they usually throw in some free goodies if your order is over $100 - I have a few free t-shirts and shaker cups.

Buy some stuff from Netrition.com »

Review: MartialArtsMart.com

Martial Arts Mart is one of the biggest online martial arts suppliers. Their weapons are shite and their return policies are even worse. I ordered a bunch of poles for the school once and they were terrible quality - one was already broken in transit and the others wouldn’t have lasted one training session with Hung Ga men. I returned them all and had to pay for shipping both ways.

They also sell Feiyue shoes on the site, but knowing their awful return policy and the fact that Feiyues are not sized consistently, I would not recommend buying them either. In fact, don’t buy anything from them.

Review: Feiyue Kung Fu Shoes by Tiger Claw

Feiyue Kung Fu Shoes by Tiger Claw These shoes are everything you could want in a kung fu shoe - lightweight, flat-soled, grippy, cheap, and pretty durable. I’ve owned several pairs of these over the course of my Hung Ga training, in both white and black. I’ve had my current pair for about 2 years and they’re just starting to wear out. I always resist getting a new pair as long as possible because breaking in a new pair is a pain in the ass. Sometimes the rubber soles of a new pair is sort of rounded and requires some wearing down/breaking in.

You can buy these online, but I wouldn’t recommend it (especially not from martialartsmart.com). I head over to one of the martial arts supply stores in Chinatown when I need a new pair because the sizing is very inconsistent. I always have to try on a few pairs before I find one that fits (if there IS a pair that even fits). Still, a great value for about $15.

Review: Everlast Leather Jump Rope

This is a good leather speed rope for a good price - I paid about $15 for mine at my local sporting goods store. It comes in two sizes: 8 feet (for the shorties) or 9.5 feet (if you’re over 6 ft tall) and weighted and unweighted versions. I use the longer unweighted rope (for speed) and tie a knot near each handle to shorten it a tad. The rope seems durable and never gets out of whack. Even though I leave it rolled up in my closet when I’m not using it, a quick stretch on the rope and it’s good to go.

But it online at everlast.com »

Review: Stronglifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Program

It’s hard to nitpick an amazing, free resource like the Stronglifts.com program and web site, so I’ll just share my thoughts. All 5x5 strength programs (even Rippetoe’s 3x5 program) are all derived from Bill Starr’s original work and they all use the same basic principles. I personally don’t think there’s anything revolutionary in the program itself, but the Stronglifts presentation stands out for its comprehensiveness, depth, and organization. Medhi not only provides a thoughtful writeup on the program, but provides a free Excel spreadsheet of the program which lets you map out your entire 10 week cycle and keeps you on task. He also provides instructional videos, online articles, and helpful FAQs covering every possible question that could possibly arise. You also have access to a huge community of users of all skill levels on the Stronglifts forum who have either gone through the program or are going through the program. Hey, did I mention that this is all free?

My personal experience with the Stronglifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Program is probably not typical because I had a few years of strength training under my belt and was also keeping up with an intense workload of kung fu classes and other conditioning workouts. I didn’t start the program with just the bar, I had some decent loads so it got heavy pretty quickly. I also made some adjustments to the plan - swapped power cleans for barbell rows and did weighted pullups and dips instead of the unweighted versions.

I did see some strength gains, but my main goal in using the program was to build a solid foundation and to improve my form on the basic lifts. My squats and deadlifts feel really solid these days and no doubt the amount of time I spent under the bar made that happen. I wasn’t able to finish the program because in the later days the load just wore me out and I wasn’t recovering enough between sessions. I stalled pretty hard on the presses and hit the wall on the weighted pulls. I just couldn’t handle the volume at that point. They say progressive loading only works for so long and now I see first-hand what they mean.

Up next for me is the Texas Method, which is supposed to allow intermediate lifters to make steady progress

Review: Crossfit NYC - The Black Box

I went through the elements workshop at Crossfit NYC’s original location (Black Box 1.0) in August of 2007. The facility wasn’t ideal, (they’ve since moved to a bigger, better location) but the instruction was top-notch. It’s hard to explain to the appeal of a gym where the workouts leave you lying on the floor gasping for air like a guppy, but the the truth is that it’s just not for everyone. Crossfit is for people who want to increase their strength, athleticism, and make real physical gains. It’s low-tech, high-intensity, and effective. Crossfitters who make it through the initial awkward stage, learn the exercises and techniques, and stick with the programming get results. Serious results. The good news is that offer a free in troductory class so you can find out if it’s right for you.

The main drawback to Crossfit NYC (and Crossfit affiliates in general) is that it’s prohibitively expensive for most people. Of course, the level of coaching members receive is well worth the cost and for those who need motivation, you can’t beat the atmosphere here. But the reason I’m not a member is because I just can’t justify the expense for myself.

Update: there have been some personnel changes at Crossfit NYC since I was there. Most of the great coaching I received was from Keith Wittenstein, who has since opened his own affiliate, Crossfit Virtuosity. I can’t personally vouch for the other coaches.

Review: McCarren Park Track - Willamsburg, Brooklyn

This track almost makes me envious of people who live in Williamsburg. Almost. Then I remember how much Williamsburg sucks. Great track though. There’s even a bunch of pullup bars next to the track so you can cook up some marvelous interval-based workouts here. I plan on using this track much more once the weather warms up. You know, now that I’m a Brooklyn resident and all.

Warning: the track gets very crowded on nice days.

Review: Ab Wheel by Champion

A solid ab wheel that costs $7.49 on Amazon. I’ve used other ab wheels and haven’t noticed any major difference between any of them, so I went for the cheapest option I could find. It’s held up just fine, thanks.

Buy the ab wheel on Amazon »

Review: Infinite Intensity

by Ross Enamait

This book is my fitness bible. Infinite Intensity is a 250 page training manual that covers dumbbell training, bodyweight exercises, sandbag training, and a whole lot more to create a comprehensive strength and conditioning program for martial artists and combat athletes. The information is well-organized, easy to understand, and presented in a durable spiral-bound format. I’ve worn this thing out over the past 4 years and it’s still holding up fine.

From long-term programming templates, to sample strength training and conditioning workouts, to specific exercise demos and explanations, Infinite Intensity has it all. The book taught me about the importance of core training, general physical preparedness, Tabata intervals, integrated circuit training, explosive strength training, and the all-mighty burpee, and how to put it all together in an intelligent way. As a result of what I’ve learned from II, I’ve become stronger, faster, and a better martial artist.

In addition to drawing on his experience as a boxer and a trainer, Ross distills a tremendous amount of scientific research to back up his methods. He never gets bogged down in the science though, keeping the tone conversational and easy to understand. There’s also a comprehensive list of references at the end of the book, so if you’re interested in learning more about the science behind the training, there’s your road map.

The refreshing thing about Infinite Intensity (and all of Ross’s products for that matter) is that Ross avoids the typical “fitness guru” product positioning and marketing buzzwords (“top secret exercises to get a six pack!”) and takes a sober, levelheaded approach. He makes it clear that there is no magic bullet that will give you amazing results without hard work. As the title suggests, Ross advocates high intensity, smart programming, and consistency. The book alone gives you all the tools you need to get results, but his web site, rosstraining.com is also filled with helpful articles and video demonstrations (so you can see what “infinite intensity” really looks like). Ross trains hard and practices what he preaches. I give this product my highest endorsement.

It’s also worth noting that Ross offers an outstanding level of customer service. He ships orders quickly and is approachable and responsive when it comes to answering questions and to providing support for his products.

Buy the book from Ross Enamait for only $24.95 »

Review: Tony Dapolito Rec Center - West Village, NYC

Decent weight room, serviceable pool, terrible staff.

The weight room here was my main gym for about 3 years and I made it work. It’s theoretically open year-round…except for the days when it’s inexplicably closed without warning, which gets very frustrating. There’s a decent amount of space, dumbbells from 5lb all the way up to 100lb, benches, and a place to do pullups. However, there’s no place to squat, no rack to allow for overhead lifting, and no good place to even set up a bar for deadlifting or any floor lifts. There are also some basketball courts, a tiny little indoor track that’s usually dotted with buckets to catch the water from the leaking roof, and a “dance room” with a mirrored wall which is great for kung fu practice, jumping rope, burpees, and all sorts of bodyweight stuff. The gym gets a bit crowded during peak hours (weekday evenings) but I was always able to find enough space to get my workout in. Then again, people tend to give me space when I’m doing turkish get ups, dumbbell snatches, burpees, and sweating like a maniac.

The indoor lap pool is open for most of the year. It’s a short pool (23 meters?) which throws off distances when doing a distance-based swim workout, but it’s generally clean and not too crowded. The lifeguards here don’t enforce the swim cap requirement, which warms my heart because I sweat like a horse when I wear a swim cap. Yes, even in the pool. They do like to close the pool early sometimes and if there’s a class going on before adult lap swim, they usually end late. I usually padded the adult swim hours by 15 minutes or so and tried to plan my swims accordingly. In the summer, they drain the indoor pool and force the lap swimmers outside to the neighborhood pool that all the little kiddies piss in. They still maintain adult lap swimming hours in the summer months (morning and evening), but the distance is even shorter (20m?) and it gets so crowded that it’s impossible to swim at times.

The shower situation here is also worth mentioning because it sucks. I used to swim in the mornings before work and apparently a lot of homeless people also use these showers in the morning. Let’s just say that it’s not the most hygienic showering situation (I’ve never even seen anyone cleaning the showers or locker room) so I would usually go home to shower. Hey, I only lived a couple of blocks away.

Despite its shortcomings, I would have given the facility four stars if not for the horrible staff. They close all the time without warning, which in all fairness is not up to the staff, but I got the distinct impression that they enjoyed turning people away when the gym was closed. Maybe that’s why they never posted signs ahead of time? I guess you can’t really complain too much considering the yearly membership costs only $75. That membership also gives you access to ALL city rec centers. I’ve also been to the ones in Williamsburg and Chelsea.

Tony Dapolito Rec Center
7 Carmine St
New York, NY 10014