Wholefoods, Mike Boyle's Gaff and Street Acrobatics

Wholefoods Market

There is a sight possibility I may have an obsession with this place:

Yes, I did take a photo of a supermarket.

Since I’ve been in the USA my nutritional habits have been less than stellar. To be honest, they've been downright abysmal. Eating was always going to be a challenge when constantly moving around hotels, motels, hostels and the occasional sofa. 

However, as luck would have it, the hostel I was staying at is less than a 5 minute walk to the nearest Wholefoods Market – the only place I’ve been able to eat reasonably well, and as a result I was making 1-2 vists a day during my time in Boston. 

It’s not exactly the cheapest of supermarkets, but on the flipside – you're paying for quality. Of course, not every product they sell is healthy (like some of the extremely tasty desserts), but you won’t find any nasties as part of long list of ingredients that would look more appropriate on the side of a brightly coloured plastic bottle that says ‘keep away from children’ written on the label.

Furthermore, nearly all the fruits and vegetables are organic and the ‘wild’ and ‘grass-fed’ animal products are clearly labelled and readily available. All the toiletries are natural and appeared to be void of the word ‘paraben’. I didn't check every single one (I wasn't that odd - and I had more important things to do - like finding a 'healthy' cheesecake to go with my dinner), but you could generally tell from the labels of most and I recognised one of the English brands (Bulldog), which is definitely pukka.

I am fairly convinced that if you did all your weekly shopping at a Wholefoods Market, your health markers would make a significant increase and you'd have an improved quality of life as a result.

As an even bigger bonus, it contained only about 10% hippies at any one time so regular people don’t feel too uncomfortable (I believe it's policy). 

Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning

My purpose of my visit to Boston this time round was to visit Mike Boyles Strength and Conditioning. Through a mutual friend, I had been put into contact with Brendon Rearick – one of the strength coaches at the facility.

Like all other good strength and conditioning facilities, it is located on an industrial site in the middle of nowhere and unreachable by anything other than magic carpet. As it happened, on the same day I went to visit, the east coast decided that it had had enough of summer turned its freeze on, with some added rain. Unfortunately, no one told me and I rocked up in shorts and t-shirt, shivering and soaking.

I would have been less shivering and soaking if I’d properly listened to the directions given to me by kind girl in a dry cleaners and not missed my turning and walked for a good mile in the wrong direction.  I should also add that she even showed me on a map where to go and, for no particular reason, concluded that both she, and the map, were wrong. 

Big whoops.

Anyway, Mike Boyle’s Strength and Conditioning was voted as the #1 gym in the USA by Men’s Health, which as far as gym awards go, is like winning an Oscar or the Nobel Prize or being Knighted by the queen – or all 3 on the same day.

The MBSC is pretty massive – about 12,500 square feet. It contained zero machines, 5 squat racks, 4 lifting platforms (put into the floor), cables, a huge astroturf, a room dedicated to warm-ups, an outdoor astroturf and a gigantic wall for medicine ball throwing. In addition, it also contained every single accessory that you can find in the Perform Better catalogue.

When I arrived, it was pretty quiet – just a few people doing their own thing. Then after lunch, BOOM the place erupted and there was a steady stream of about 40 or so athletes training at once. Apparently, in the peak of summer - it can reach 150 and the place is heaving. 

Each coach was assigned a group of athletes and took them through their sessions: Warm-up, lateral and linear speed, plyos, O-lifts, strength work then core work.

I saw a lot of sledge work as well, but instead of using it to induce spaced-out vision and vomiting, it was being used to promote correct acceleration mechanics - 45 degree angle, application of large ground forces and explosive triple extension. Smart. 

I picked up a few coaching points for some of the lifts and learnt a few new speed drills – all which I expect to come handy in the near future!

Big thanks to Brendon for letting me come watch for the day!

Street Acrobatics

In Boston, there is this thing called the ‘Freedom Trail’. Essentially, it’s a red line that you follow round the city that takes you to various historic hot-spots to give you a real insight in the Bostonian past.

Last week, when the weather was hot, I decided to tackle expedition around the city and learn a thing or 2 about Boston. 

About 15 minutes into it (roughly coinciding with the time I was getting a bit bored) I happened to see a large crowd gathering around some rapidly moving bodies. So I head over, and it’s a group of street performers doing a bunch of things like this:

And this:

Then they build up to the grand finale and I witness one of the most incredible athletic acts I’m ever likely to see by a street performer:

As a big fan of risk and a bigger fan of back flips, I was very lucky to have been able to watch an extremely talented guy put the two together. 

It reminds me that I am actually owed a back flip tutorial. Lucy - if you read this (you had better be) - we'll just start with just 2 people first yea?

This minute…

As of present, I’ve just pulled up in Rhode Island. I arrived in Providence earlier today, which has just won the award of ‘the city I feel least likely to get stabbed in’ and loses the award for 'most descriptive bus stop.'

No times, numbers, shelter or direction and easily missable if you were walking the other way.

I'll be crashing here for the night before heading over to the Poliquin Strength Institute in the morning for a 3 day seminar with Mark Schauss on ‘Lab Analysis’. My preparation for this seminar has been to read his book 'Achieving Victory Over a Toxic World' and that's it. Assuming that everyone else has done a lot more than that, and regularly takes Biosignature readings of their clients AND has them regularly do blood work, providing them with an infinite number of questions already – I am going to be well out of my depth.

My plan is to pull a total blag-job so that by the end of the day people will think I work in a lab. Failing that, I'll just crawl into a small space in the corner if it get's too intense. 

After reading his book (which was quality), I'm expecting to learn a few gems, which may help to accelerate fat loss - particularly for those that are REALLY struggling to get it going - and make massive improvements in health and well-being. 

I will be taking a ton of notes and as long as I understood at least 50% of what was going on, I'll do a nice big write up on Sunday :-)