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Hi everyone,

I’m starting a new feature that I’m going to run every Friday of cool stuff that I’ve discovered in my travels through the interwebs.  Most will have some tie in to CrossFit, fitness or health and wellness.  Some won’t, but will be included strictly out of my desire to share cool things with you!

As I started to compile this week’s list, the stars aligned and all of the content seemed to fit into neat little categories which I think will be the guiding principles for all future posts.

They are:

• Nutrition
• Training/Instructional
• Mindset
• Mobility
• Technology/Gadgets

So, without further adieu, here is this week’s Friday Five!

Nutrition:

This is one of the better articles I have read on macro-nutrients.  Not a lot of scientific language, just straight up info on what they are, what they do and some guidance on how, when and why to incorporate them into your diet.

https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-fats-carbs-protein-and-your-goals/

Mindset:

I’ve been really into mindset lately (as anyone I’ve spoken to can tell you).  I really believe it is the key to unlocking whatever you want/need in fitness and life in general.  This one isn’t strictly about mindset per se, but it is a technique to help control your mind in times of stress, so I’m counting it.  Plus it’s used by Navy Seals and we all know they are [email protected]!

https://www.wakingtimes.com/2018/11/03/how-to-stay-calm-like-a-navy-seal/

Mobility:

This article is from one of my favourite strength and conditioning coaches, even though he isn’t much of a CrossFit guy.  He is super smart, a former competitive powerlifter and an extremely successful guy.  This addresses one of the main mobility culprits when dealing with overhead movements, the thoracic spine.  Poor thoracic mobility can cause a multitude of problems upstream and downstream from the restriction which result in shoulder, neck, low back and even hip problems.  Check out this novel approach to making sure you aren’t cheating the mobilization.

https://ericcressey.com/exercise-of-the-week-bent-over-t-spine-rotation-with-hip-hinge

Training/Instructional:

Since we just picked up a couple of trap bars, I wanted to share this article to let you know what a trap bar is, why you might want to use it and how to use it.  I found this one to be pretty comprehensive and even comes with a few demo videos.   If you have a history of low back pain, limited mobility, or are just looking for a new exercise to add to your arsenal, the trap bar is for you!

https://www.t-nation.com/training/trap-bar-deadlift

Gadgets/Technology

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a big kid at heart and I love me some gadgets.  This one checks all of the boxes for me.  Let’s me relive the childhood thrill of skateboarding without all the risks.  Check.  Gets me outside and makes me feel somewhat athletic.  Check.  Scratches that adrenaline itch.  Check.  Is an extremely cool piece of technology!  CHECK!  How I would actually justify a purchase like this…TBD.

https://onewheel.com/products/onewheel-xr

And that’s it!  The Friday Five for this week.  I really enjoyed compiling this list and I’m already looking forward to next week.   Till then, have fun, be safe and I’ll see you at the box!