Lifestyle – Men's Clb

Natural Supplements that Actually Work

September 24, 2015 by faster

During the never ending search for health in a pill America generally comes up short. Usually I ignore this type of thing and simply try to eat a reasonably healthy diet. Mostly whole foods, minimize sugar and processed, not too much beer and so on.

So when a colleague was enthusiastically touting these mainstream medically endorsed supplements I was not that interested. But he explained that his diet was TERRIBLE and that was why he supplemented with some of them.

So for those of you with a good diet – don’t feel too much need to consider them. But if your diet sucks as well, you may want to think about it. Here are the deals…

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Survival during uncertain times.

September 17, 2015 by faster

While I’m not a full fledged ‘prepper’ I do believe in being ready for catastrophic events. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that necessity ruthlessly to the population of New Orleans.

It was the most expensive natural disaster in US history, as well as accounting for almost 2,000 lives.

It demonstrated that the Government (Federal , State and Local) are unable to help you in these situations and that you need to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

To that end I’m in the process of stocking up my cabin with supplies. I shopped around a little and in terms of taste, quality, convenience and price The Ready Store was my preferred source.

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The Eternal Question: Are Sandals Ever Manly?

September 10, 2015 by faster

Sandals. Basically everyone owns a pair, but only a select few wear them on the reg’. So the question is: are sandals manly or not?

They are manly: Would you question the manliness of this Roman warrior group — Praetorian. Guards? It would not be wise.

These warriors were amongst the most elite soldiers of their time. What did they wear on their feet? Sandals. What’s more manly than feeling blood, earth, wind, and rain on your feet? Wearing sandals is not only practical for maintaining cool feet in the summer, but it’s a timeless style of shoe that historically predates any sneakers, boots, or whatever else you crazy kids are wearing these days. Sandals allow the feet to callous up and get tougher, rather than stay soft and pretty in those nice Italian leather shoes. Be a real man and get some sandals on.

Absolutely not manly: While it’s true that some manly guys have rocked sandals in the distant past, there’s something truly effeminate about showing off your feet. If you want to some callouses – walk around barefoot. There’s no need for sandals. I’m not advising you need to go Nixon-on-the-beach, but at the very minimum please limit the sandal use. Going to the beach – use Sandals. Going anywhere else and need some real shoes? No sandals. The utilitarian use of sandals is necessary – fair enough. But the world doesn’t need to see your nasty man feet.

How to Create Your Own Style

August 2, 2015 by faster

So you finally made it. You got a date with a woman who doesn’t spend her spare time in the bottom of a Wine bottle or shout “Wooooooo!!” when one of her friends arrives. You’re on your way to being a big boy now.

However now is the time to take hard look at your wardrobe. While most guys have a go-to date outfit, she’s not the type who’ll stick around a guy who always dresses like the homeless. And I’m not even mentioning backwards baseball caps and cargo shorts at dinner. Plus you can add pleated khaki pants and anything by Ed Hardy to the list.

Problem is, we don’t usually have a fashion role model to follow. So we tend to dress like our friends. This can be unwise.

The issue with this lack of direction we get when it comes to clothes is: Dressing well is almost as important to impressing a woman as being well educated and knowing what to order while dining.

Good and Bad Fashion Role Models

Have you ever really taken a look at how they style those poor bastard male models in fashion magazines? High style suits the average guy would never wear, or can afford, and layers and layers of clothes and accessories that are out of place in most social situations. It’s a rare sight to see someone dressed in a bold plaid suit, bow tie, and a scarf at a grocery store.

The tip here is to use what you see as concepts and style them to your own personal taste. See what cut of pants are in style (hint: lose the pleats and wide bottoms), what patterns are popular on dress shirts (checks and stripes still rule, but dots and tight patterns are moving up), and adopt what works for you.

Mirror A Celebrity

Many celebrities have a far more natural style. (movie star, not rock star.) Clooney always looks good whether he’s at a premier or just out grabbing a bite. If Goerge’s style is a little overly mature, check out Justin Timberlake. JT makes an impression even in a tshirt and jeans. You can also search Google images or visit celebrity blogs to get an idea of how top male celebrities dress.

Stick to Big Brands

There’s another solution to keeping it classy, and that’s to find an brand you like, that fits your day to day life, and stick with it. When it comes to quality apparel brands, there’s no end to the choices available: Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister are all really popular, and give you choice at both ends of the price spectrum. Lately, preppy brands are back, with a “dash” of California or West Coast style (aka, West Coast Prep), that could also really help a guy who wants to dress to impress but still wants to keep a sense of kicked back, west coast lifestyle. You can impress without looking too uptight.

Putting it Together

It really isn’t that hard to dress better, with a sense of style. The trick to putting it all together is to have a look in mind, borrowed from your favorite celeb or adopted from magazines, make it feel authentic to you, and wear the hell out of it.

How to Smoke a Cigar

August 2, 2015 by faster

Cigar smoking is definitely cool. It does have its basis solidly in tradition, but it’s far from old-fashioned. You know what’s not cool? Doing it wrong.

Cigar smoking can contribute style, sophistication and enjoyment to your life, but if you don’t smoke your first one correctly you may leave with the wrong impression. Choosing the wrong cigar will taint your perception of quality, and trying to cut a cigar without correct equipment and technique is just asking for failure. And if you carry out the error of inhaling..bad move.

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Real World Strength Training

July 22, 2015 by faster

What you need to know.

The term “functional training” has been abused. Training with a purpose is what we are after;
Trap bar deadlifts give all of the benefit of the deadlift plus add the ability to alter levers and improve form to generally be safer for the lower back;
Bear crawls recruit motor patterns we use when sprinting plus also challenging our core, shoulders, plus hips;
Single-leg training gives greater muscle development and better muscle strength as it works more muscle; and
The farmer’s walk is now a staple exercise for core training to deal with real force in motion.

Purposeful Training, Not Functional

1. Trap Bar Deadlifts

The basic deadlift is a common favorite, but often physical restrictions stop people from carrying it out effectively.

The trap bar deadlift provides all of the benefits of the deadlift along with the ability to change levers and alter form to utilize the lift effectively, without the associated risks and issued of the regular deadlift.

The trap bar deadlift is a key part of training with purpose, permitting us the maximum benefit of the deadlift without the risk.

This isn’t weak and doesn’t slow you down. It extends your training ability and longevity.
2. Bear Crawls

Bear crawls permit us to practice motor patterns we use while sprinting plus also challenging the core, shoulders and hips to stabilize our body.

Try doing 3 x 20 yards. Try them with dumbbells in both hands. it goes without saying – increase the weight as you can.

3. Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat

Single-leg training fosters more muscle-growth and greater muscle strength as it works more muscles. It doesn’t just work prime movers, but stabilizers and neutralizers, as well.
Regardless of all that, if you run, play sports, or move recreationally, then it’s important that you jump on one leg and start getting improving.

4. Press-Ups

If you want to maintain your shoulder health in the long term, it makes no sense to focus only on the barbell. A barbell is harsher on the joints than press-ups, regardless of the weight.

Like chin-ups, press-ups done with weight permit for normal movement of your shoulder joint and scapula while still challenging your chest. As an added extra you’re working your core to get stronger at the same time.

Prior to barbells there were press-ups. It’s the exercise that has stood the test of time. Stick it into the routine and reap the benefits.
Do 3 sets of 12, using a weighted vest, weights on your back or resitance bands.

5. Farmer’s Walk

The farmer’s walk is now a staple exercise for core training to deal with real force in motion

An exercise with huge bang for buck, farmer’s walks give an overload to the traps, core, hips, and grip strength, as well as the cardio system.

See how much you can carry for max distance… x2.

The Assertive Man – How to

July 21, 2015 by faster

When the majority of people hear that a person is “assertive,” their first thought is to equate this with being ‘bossy’ or ‘pushy’. But assertive behavior is a fine way to not only get what you want, but determine mutually-beneficial solutions.

The Story:

So I’m am a regular around my college rec center basketball courts as a way to work out. In the area I usually play, there are 3 basketball courts dedicated to full-court play. Often, I walk in to find a game on a court, and about 20 other guys just waiting to play with their team of 5, despite the fact that there are 2 open courts to play on. This is mostly because most guys are not assertive enough to start a game on one of the other courts. As I’m attempting to live assertively, I often organize a game by locating 9 other people who are also waiting to play. Not only does this benefit me, it benefits the others as soon after there’s a waiting line to play on my court.

This story suggests a number of few pieces of advice for how to become more assertive:

1. Start small

If you’re not used to being assertive, you probably won’t find much profit from taking on your bank to eliminate your monthly service charges for your account alone. Start with individuals before institutions. Learn to deal with individual, free-thinking people, before you start trying to change the bureaucracies of institutions. This approach will also start you on the right foot because you will learn how your position appeals to the individual interests of the person, which leads to the second point.

2. How will getting what you want benefit the other person.

Humans often act in their own interest. If you can determine how to tell a person that what you want is also what they want, you will find success. In the previous example, I want a game of basketball, and my starting a game will stop the other 9 men from waiting for the current game to end. This is mutually-beneficial and is often accomplished as I explain that what I want is in the interest of the others. This can be extrapolated further -“If you drop the price for this item, I’ll get something else as well.” Use human nature in your advantage, and figure out a way to explain how what you want is what the other person(s) want.

3. Consistency

The first time you try to carry this out, you might fail, that’s OK. But, if you aren’t consistent in your attempts, you probably are unlikely to find success in abandoning your passivity. Figure out why your assertive approach did not succeed, and next time alter your approach. After a time, your assertive qualities will become routine, making you a better leader and overall more successful man.

The ‘Dad Bod’ Trend Is Giving Normal Men Some Hope

May 22, 2015 by faster

A short time ago I had no absolutely idea what a ‘dad bod’ was. The ‘dad bod’ is a new infatuation with bodies that state, “I workout in the gym fromtime to time, but I also drink a lot and like to eat ten pieces of pizza at a time.”

It all began with Clemson University’s The Odyssey, via Mackenzie Pearson‘s piece “Why Girls Love The Dad Bod.” The basic premise is a “physique characterized by undefined muscles beneath a light layer of flab, usually topped off with a beer belly.” That effectively means anyone who played sport in school then started eating pizzas for lunch – within reason – and has some chance with girls who like this kind of thing.

The reasons Pearson provided for her attraction to the dad bod were:

It doesn’t intimidate us.
This is always positive, and we’ll take what we can get .

We like being the pretty one.
I haven’t been called pretty…ever. And we’re OK if that don’t change.

“Better cuddling.”

Well Yep…

You know what you’re getting.

Well ok – BUT – guy with dad bods will pack weight on down the line and maybe hit the morbidly obese benchmark. It’s all relative.
It’s interesting to see this online and see a bunch of females (and a large percentage of the net) appreciating this reality of life.

Improve Your Gin and Tonic

February 13, 2015 by faster

A Simple, Easy (but not necessarily cheap) Trick to Improve the humble Gin and Tonic

For many years, I didn’t think I liked the humble gin and tonic. For quite a while, I thought it was the gin that I detested, but some smarter friends helped me with some really amazing gin-focused cocktails, and I very quickly moved away from the staple of vodka in favor of gin’s truly special aromatic qualities. At that point I figured I just didn’t care for standard tonic water.

The results of this investigation? One, I really like gin. Two, I like tonic. And three, I do like them together. So what was the issue with all those early drinks that sent me into disgust?

It wasn’t the brand of gin, but actually…the type of tonic water. The syrup-sweetened (and commonly available) Schweppe’s just doesn’t hit it for me. It’s far too sweet, almost like lemonade.

So, if you wish to instantly improve the gin and tonics, invest in superior tonic water. Or at the very least, try a few brands to determine which you prefer, rather than just go with what you can find at the store. Some tonics to look for: Q Tonic and Fever Tree. Or, if you’re feeling specially ambitious, you could make your own tonic syrup and mix it with plain soda. There are recipes online.

Make Your Own Tonic Water

The point being, a gin and tonic is a truly basic drink with two distinctive elements, So, don’t skimp on the tonic.

To finish the article….I do still find most tonics overly sweet, even the better brands. Try my trick of cutting the tonic with soda water. I like to do equal club soda and tonic and bulk up the aromatics with two dashes of orange or lemon bitters.

Favorite Summertime Gin and Tonic:

2 oz. London dry gin
2 oz. Fever Tree Mediterranean-style tonic water
2 oz. club soda
2 dashes Fee Brothers orange bitters
Garnish: lime wedge or cucumber slice

New Wave Barbershops

February 13, 2015 by faster

I found this video covering the “new wave” of barbershops that are growing across America at a pretty steady rate. Modern day men are increasingly becoming tired of going to the sterile salons. Sometimes men just want a place to get away from neutrality and get immersed with the scent of warm lather and the sensation of the straight razor on the back of their neck–things that would be tough to find in the sterile unisex salon.

This is precisely where the new barbershop revival comes into it’s own. Some barber shops, supply awesome beer, shuffleboard , and vintage chairs, all designed specifically to make men feel comfortable. Of course some women may enjoy it as well, and it’s unlikely that they would refuse women service, but these barbershops target men. In most ways, the unisex salon targets women, and men just go along. In this case, men decided to target men, but would let women attend. It’s essentially an identical business model, but approached from the opposite direction.

Men are increasingly appreciating a good shave and cut, and it’s great to see these new barbershops appearing. As a man who feels confident and happy right after a shave and haircut, I salute the efforts of these men and hope to see this trend go on.