Scooby's Live Chest Workout Take 2

Another workout! Today Scooby, a popular Youtuber who gives fitness, bodybuilding, and nutritional advice, is having a live broadcast on Youtube. He has over 148 million upload views and thousands of subscribers. The best thing about Scooby is that he has been bodybuilding for 30 years, yet he helps thousands of people for free! Yes, he is not a licensed professional but chances are he is even better than one based on his decades of experience, sound advice, success stories, and vast knowledge. You can see more of Scooby at his website and Youtube channel.

Opportunity to Give Away Books-World Book Night USA

Greetings all. I wanted to share a fantastic community service opportunity. Right now you can apply to be a part of World Book Night (April 23rd) if you reside in the United States of America. The deadline has been pushed back to February 6, 2012. Applicants who are accepted get 20 copies of a book to give out. (In your application, you indicate a first, second, and third choice. Based on availability, you will usually get one of those three.) The idea is to hand out books to people who are light or non-readers. Share the wonders of literature!
I personally applied and was accepted. I'm really excited!

Image credit to WBN

For more info visit http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/about-world-book-night/register-as-a-2012-giver

Michelle Obama's Pushup form on the Ellen Show!

I believe yesterday the First Lady of the United States was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about various things from her husband, President Obama, to her "Let's Move" initiative. In the midst of the interview, Ellen challenged Michelle Obama to a pushup contest. Now unlike the writer at the Huffington Post, I'll have to say that her pushups weren't very good. That she completed "25 push ups with perfect form," and had "the stamina to keep going" is quite an exaggeration! I can be very picky with these things; nothing against the lady herself. I appreciate her efforts to promote healthy eating and exercise. However, I don't want people to get the wrong idea about pushups. The contest starts @1:30 in the video.




We can see in the video that the First Lady takes a rather wide position, with her elbows slightly angled out from the start. In such a position, it is difficult to actually do a proper pushup. She does not go far down in the pushup either, never nearly getting her chest close to the floor. This poor form results in a very limited range of motion. Fewer muscle groups are engaged fully, if at all, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise, and more stress is placed on the bones involved. With everything in mind, Ellen had better form and probably could have won if she used Obama's form.

A pushup is a excellent full body exercise. It engages muscles from the legs to the shoulders and works the chest and triceps especially. For maximum strength gain and bone protection, do pushups with proper and consistent form. There's no shame in not being able to do a single pushup! Don't compromise by doing pushups with bad form. Do pushups on your knees or against a chair, railing, or table to build up your strength. Although Michelle Obama didn't do the pushups with the best form, many men and women cannot either.

Brilliant Talk and Animate on Changing Public Education

This video was presented in my college English class. Quite a fantastic talk on the public education paradigm- what has led to the formation of this model, what determines it, it's downfalls, and why it needs to be significantly modified. Although it does not delve deep into the complexities of the system, Sir Robinson expertly weaves together an overview of the paradigm (with a video to match it, credit to the RSA!). The speaker, Sir Ken Robinson, "is an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation.  He is also one of the world’s leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences everywhere." Robinson has delivered speeches, worked with governments and organizations, taught at esteemed universities, and received numerous awards. You can see more of Sir Ken Robinson and his work on his website.
The video is about public education but the messages that are sent go far beyond the single topic. Conformity, economics, individuality, mindsets, and more!

My Preliminary Thoughts/Findings on SixPackShortcuts (Mike Chang)

 Lately, I've been seeing more and more of the Youtube channel sixpackshortcuts. Their channel is being promoted to great extents. I've seen it placed side by side with everything from football highlights to music videos. There are even advertisements on other websites, urging web surfers to see the fastest way to get six pack abs. So just what is the big deal with sixpackshortcuts and it's creator, Mike Chang?
Let's start off with the website itself, http://sixpackshortcuts.com/

Just what is sixpackshortcuts? Who is Mike Chang?

On the homepage, a video plays immediately with Mike Chang delivering a presentation of the sixpackshortcuts program. Mike claims to be a ISAA certified personal trainer. The basis of his invention is the after-burn effect. After-burn: The amount calories burned up to 48 hours after your workout. According to Chang, the program is designed to maximize after burn effect through weight training, high intensity cardio, and nutrition. (He claims to have learned how to get ripped abs from his personal trainer, "Zach", and personal research. He says that he has clients that pay him thousands of dollars for what he is giving you for free. He even goes on to say that he'll have to take down the video! Absolutely absurd.)

The 4 key variables he outlines are Resistance, Rest, Repetition, Intensity.

Sixpackshortcuts is split into 4 stages:

1. Making your metabolism more active and ready to make lean muscle.

2. Burn your belly fat.

3. Build up your core muscles.

4. Maintain physique.

Interestingly enough, the first testimonial in the sixpackshortcuts presentation is Dan Rose, who happens to work with sixpackshorts in at least one video, seen here. In that same video, Chang explains the "Top 3 Fat Loss SHORTCUTS". Before starting though, Rose opens by saying there are shortcuts to getting abs: working out, eating right, and "doing things in a smarter way to get results faster". However, ridiculously enough, the first "shortcut" Chang tells viewers is to "look leaner without actually being leaner". Obviously, that is not a fat loss shortcut. The second tip he gives us is "when you're doing your cardio, use your entire body instead of just half your body". This makes sense because you will burn more energy and lose fat. It's still a bit of a stretch to call it a shortcut. Some might call it common sense. The last fat loss "shortcut" Chang explains is to have back up plans, for both workouts and meals. Yes, having back up plans can certainly help you stay on track but frankly, it's a bit silly to call this one a shortcut.
A shortcut is:
n.

1. A more direct route than the customary one.

2. A means of saving time or effort.

The sixpackshortcuts system comes with his workout plans, eating system, and 30-day membership to Mike's Advanced Fitness Coaching Program (After the first month, there will be a recurring charge of $67 for five months if not cancelled within the trial period. Chang says members will get extra videos and the ability to email trainers/consultants.). The system is priced at a retail value of $491(I am not sure how this is calculated) but offered for $97 dollars. See it for yourself here: https://sixpackshortcuts.com/cart/

Conclusion:

In all honesty, what the sixpackshortcuts program gives you is decent. It appears to teach you how to lose fat without diet pills and ineffective training. However, a lot of the information they provide you is a bit common place if you are willing to do a little research yourself. It seems as though they use the term "shortcuts" as a marketing tool..although some of the advice they give are arguably shortcuts. The price tag of $97 is steep for me, especially when there are many free sources of information, such as Scooby's Workshop and arthlete.com. Also, high intensity workouts are not for everyone. Mike Chang stresses that the program consists of 30 minute workouts, 4 times a week, and that it is scientifically proven. It should be duly noted that his program is not scientifically proven, but the fact that high intensity workouts are proven to burn calories post-workout. Despite this, there are many ads that are displayed on Youtube that imply otherwise.

Note: The ad does not depict Mike Chang. Additionally, this ad says "Cambridge scientists"

Incredibly misleading, photoshopped without a doubt! Here it says "Scientists in China"!

Major discrepancy in the two bodies.

Follow up on Scooby's Workout

Hi everyone. There was a big hoopla yesterday when Scooby had technical difficulties with his Youtube stream. He said that he forgot to press "start broadcasting" but it's still odd considering many people were able to view it through embedded video. Not sure, I just hope it works out. I might think about putting future streams on my blog. Also, Scooby said that it will be at the same timeslot (starting 1pm EST, GMT -5:00) 2/4/11 for a chest workout again.
I was very much impressed by the number of people who did try to attend the live workout. There were thousands of people, from around 10 different countries. Definitely awesome. Go Scooby!
An aside: It was kind of fun for Scooby to call Synergy Complex the slime of the world or something like that. xD 

Source: http://scoobysworkshop.com/2012/01/28/problem-during-live-workout/