500 miles...

Throughout this blog, I've discussed many of the off the wall jobs i've taken in my life.  Like most, I would do just about anything in order to get by.

One i have not mentioned yet was a gig I was able to get back in college, setting up concerts at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Pavilion (aka the First Niagra Pavillion) out in Burgettstown, Pa.

As a simple laborer, I moved all the equipment off of the truck, set up the stage, and put all of the equipment where the band's director wanted it.  (Yeah, I was basically a band roadie). It was pretty grueling, but it was cool to see all of the behind the scenes of what happens before/after a big show.

One day, I helped out with a Toby Keith concert.  Unloading instruments, speakers, cables and staging.  It took at least 4 hours just to unload the backup singer's glass stage off the truck and making sure it was all as clean as possible.

But, there was something that kinda caught me off guard during the sound check.

Ok, so we are setting a country concert, where most people are driving big red pickups, wearing flannel, and all have a can of copenhagen in their sleeves.  Its hours before the show and the band's director begins the equipment sound check.  The song that he plays over and over as loud as the speakers will go was the Proclaimer's "I would walk 500 miles".  Yes, over and over the song played.

To the rest of the crew it seemed very normal.  To me, it was something that reminded of an old high school party where the attendees would become angered by the fact 80s music was on loop.

I asked another stagehand what was the deal with the music.

He responded with "They just love to test things in unorthodox ways around here."

I told myself, "Damn, that quote is going in the book someday."






 
Here is a new article from one of our writers on the Health and Fitness division (seen in October...yes, October is near!)

Hard Core

By Alexandra Assaf

 

What the big deal about core strength? Take it from someone who learned the hard way- having a strong core is vital. Senior year of high school I blew out my back because I had focused way too much on strengthening my arms, legs, and agility and completely neglected my core. When you think about it, our core is what holds our body together!

The common misconception of core strengthening is that it’s all about getting a six pack. However, our core is a combination of our upper abdominals, lower abdominals, hips, glutes, and lower back. What core training does is help you look more sculpted and gain more support for your spine. Not only are you getting a flatter stomach, but you are also getting a stronger stomach. You’re targeting the front and backside of your body. Any movement that works your core is going to work multiple muscle groups, helping you see results quickly.

I’m not saying go cut out all crunches from your workout, just make sure you do some exercises that engage in your deeper core. Crunches are a great way to start out and build upon getting where you want to be. When you master the crunch on the matt, then you can try doing them on a Bosu. Pretty much any exercise you do on a Bosu will engage your core.

Here is a list of other core engaging exercises:

·         Russian Twists

·         Mountain climbers

·         Planks (both frontal, side, and back)

·         Squats

·         Scissor kicks

·         V-ups

·         Reverse crunches

Do each exercise twice for 1 minute, rest, and then repeat. Once you master them on the matt, try them on the Bosu!