Dumbbell Dumbledore (or What I’ve Learned This Week)

Friends, today I’d like to pass on some really cool things that I’ve learned in the last week that I think you’ll love.  I’ll include a few articles, videos, a book, and even a tweet.  Let’s share some knowledge bombs, shall we?

First, let’s start with some neuroscience.  Easy-peasy, right?  American neuroscientist Heather Berlin is here to talk to you about brain-behavior relationships.  Specifically, the novel connections that make a “genius,” what happens in your brain when you’re being creative, and how a flow state works.  Transient hypofrontality for everyone!

After you’ve filled up your brain on brain info (so meta) check this training article on Details.com.  Brad Schoenfeld is a exercise scientist who specializes in hypertrophy, and he’s one of the greatest in the world. He discusses the competing interests of Muscles vs. Cardio, and how there may be a way to improve both.  If you feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle, read the article HERE.

After you’ve read Brad’s info, let’s listen to wise words of workout wisdom from Gray Cook.  This is an audio only chat about choosing exercises that I think everyone will enjoy.  If you’re a trainer, let this drive how you approach and program exercises.  If you’re workout out with a trainer, share this with them so they can get “it.”  If you’re working out on your own, this philosophy can drive you towards the most meaningful movement experiences possible.

Now let’s switch gears, and get back in your head.  Specifically, think about habits.  Habits are the key to making sustainable changes.  Think about it:  Most of us know which foods lead to better health, which exercise is most effective, and which actions can limit our longevity.  However, that doesn’t always change if we do them or not.

This article from 99u.com explains “Why Self-Awareness Is The Secret Weapon for Habit Change.” In it author Paul Jun discusses building self-awareness, pausing for self-reflection, and having a base to return to.  We need to develop wisdom. He had me with these three references:

“If you look at any story where the hero is aided by a wise teacher—Luke Skywalker and Yoda; Frodo and Gandalf; Harry Potter and Dumbledore; the grandmaster and the novice; the general and the soldier—what we’re seeing is the teaching of practical wisdom from teacher to student.”

Read the full piece on 99u HERE.

That article was a great read for me this morning, especially after reading the book “Crucial Conversations” over the weekend.  The book is our latest reading project at MFF, and this afternoon we’re having the MFF Team Book Club.  (I just made that name up, but it sounds cute, right?)

I’ve been working towards more personal vulnerability and polishing my communication skills this year, and this book is awesome.  I don’t necessarily feel a strong connection to the feelsy, emotional, connect-with-your-inner-koala style books, so I loved this direct approach to communication and, as the title implies, crucial conversations.  It’s a great follow-up to Thanks For the Feedback, which I can’t recommend enough.

If you’re reading Crucial Conversations or Thanks For the Feedback, you have a few hours of reading time in front of you.  Balance it out with a few seconds.  Check out this little drop that Kyle Langworthy dropped into the waters of wisdom yesterday:

Damn, isn’t that good?  We were talking about the biomechanical and neurological need for pushing and pulling action based on our understanding of the teachings of the Postural Restoration Institute, and then he dropped that.  Good stuff!

Take some time reading these articles, watching the videos, and reading a book or two.  As you learn, share it with your friends.  If you’re not sharing it, it’s not knowledge, it’s just information.  Let’s pass it on and learn together.

If you’re a trainer, we’ll practice just that at MFF’s Motivation and Movement LAB, in NYC on April 25th.  It’s our first education event for trainers, and we’re sharing new ideas with a new system.  You’ll practice your approach before you even leave.  Early bird registration ends on Monday, and I hope to see you there.  Enroll HERE.