Bullet Points and a Brew 12/7/16

Here comes a mid-week version of BPB! The Jiu-Jitsu tournament this past weekend went well. I lost in the first round, but the match was a great learning experience. I rolled well and felt fairly even with my opponent until he caught me in a sneaky calf-slicer submission. And by sneaky, I mean I didn’t even know I was in trouble until I started tapping out. Watching the rest of the tournament play out, the skill gap was evident and I’m excited to put in the work to narrow that gap! No more tournaments on the horizon at the moment, and I’m stoked to focus a bit more on climbing for the remainder of the season.

It’s been a good week so far. Yesterday, I was lucky to spend a couple hours diving into an FMS screen and some kettlebell work with a Power Company Climbing athlete. I’m always grateful to have the opportunity to meet new people and work with them help them improve at a sport that I love.

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The aftermath of quality movement and getting strong.

I’m hoping to get out and boulder this weekend and take advantage of the conditions! Let’s get into the bullet points.

The Bullet Points

I’ve made it no secret that I’m a fan of the Turkish Get Up. This single movement addresses so many different movement qualities and has a positive transfer for so many different athletic goals. I truly believe it’s one of the most effective movements someone can do. The term “calisthenics” comes from the Greek term “Kalos Sthenos.” It means “beautiful strength.” To me, the Turkish Get Up is Kalos Sthenos embodied.

I’m a huge fan of this series. Every single one of these videos has been informative and a little different than what one usually hears in the training community. Dr. Henoch dives into  a common “issue” for a good deal of people when squatting.

Grain’s good for you OR Grain is the worst thing ever, will give you cancer, and kill you. Surely it’s one or the other, right? There’s no way there could be a reasonable, middle ground depending on a person’s individual biological makeup and food sensitivities, right?  Precision Nutrition’s article includes some history, some science, and some reasonable steps to take concerning adding proper carbohydrates to your diet. Give it a read.

The Brew

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Brettanomyces Pinstripe, Blue Pants Brewery

A lot of Pinstripe variations have surfaced in the past. Pinstripe, an imperial stout by Blue Pants has nice notes of roasted malts and some chocolate. It’s an above average imperial stout. I’ve enjoyed their “Candy Bar” Pinstripe, which had some caramel notes added. This iteration of their stout was bottled with live Brettanomyces. The interesting thing about Brettanomyces is that the flavor profile of a brett beer will change over time. I may have opened this one too soon. The beer was almost completely overpowered by the Brett character. Funky, band-aidish (new word?) notes were extremely prominent. It was hard to find the roasted malts and chocolate to balance out the aggressive Brett characteristics. It could be good in a year or two, so if you find one, sit on it for a bit to let the Brett mellow out a bit.

That’s it for this week’s BPB.


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I’m teaching two kettlebell classes at Scenic City Strength and Fitness.

An entry-level class that emphasizes the foundations of safe and effective kettlebell training is held Tuesdays at 6 pm. It’s only 10 bucks and spots will be limited to ensure a great experience. If you are in the Chattanooga area and have always been curious about trying out kettlebells, it’ll be tough to find a better opportunity.

I also teach a class for folks who are more familiar with kettlebells on Thursdays. We will dive into some more advanced kettlebell movements and concepts, and push the intensity up a bit more than Tuesday.

You can check out the calendar and register online for any of these classes here. Each class is 10$. Hurry, because the spots fill up fast.