Bullet Points and a Brew 12/13/16

Second rest day in a row, and I still have no skin. You know what? That’s a good problem to have. I was lucky enough to take advantage of 3 perfect days of climbing with great crews this weekend all over the southeast. It was a great feeling to come home Sunday night with tired muscles and shredded fingertips. The season is here! I hope everyone’s weekend was as enjoyable as mine was.

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Seriously, how perfect is this?!
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Corey enjoying southern slopers

Let’s get into the bullet points.

The Bullet Points

“Your first rep is not your first rep. Your set up is your first rep.”

A short, but critical article for safe and effective swings. Setting your swing up properly ensures you can generate proper tension, protect your spine, and get the most out of the following swings. Don’t get sloppy with it.

A lot of us get off track nutritionally during the holidays. And honestly, that’s ok. I believe the holidays are a period of time where we should worry about things other than a rigid nutrition plan. Another winner from Precision Nutrition, this piece breaks down a way to manage calorie load without counting calories. I use quite a few elements of this system in my nutritional coaching. Check it out!

I don’t like to label exercises as “dumb” very often. There’s often some form of benefit, and as long as it’s performed safely, I won’t go on a tirade of ranting and raving about the shittiness of the so-called exercise. I’ve seen this one from time to time though, and it’s pretty terrible. I don’t really get the whole “unstable surface training” method, especially since it’s been scientifically proven to have ZERO benefit for performance, and only marginal benefit from a rehab standpoint. Not a whole lot of useful information in this article, but it’s good to read some snark from time to time, right?

The Brew

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Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break, Eviltwin/Westbrook Brewing

Westbrook’s Mexican Cake is in my top 5 beers of all time. Imperial Biscotti Break by Evil Twin is probably in my top 10. You can imagine my excitement when I saw the two breweries collaborated and blended the two. This beer is an imperial stout with cocoa nibs, coffee, almonds, cinnamon, habanero peppers, and vanilla. As you can see, there’s quite of bit of ingredients, and quite a bit of flavor. The beer pours black with a tan head. Aromas of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate are present. The flavor is more of the same, with some roasted malts making their presence known. You can feel some subtle heat on the very back end of the flavor from the habaneros. As the beer warms, the heat gets more intense, but it’s never too much. The blend is not quite as good as each of the base beers, but it’s still fantastic.


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Nutrition, Performance, and Strength Coaching

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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.