Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Mo’ Muscles, Mo’ Problems

Style advice for the athletic man.

Stylist Catherine Bachelier Smith has a message for men over 35: Your clothes are too big.

“Most men over 35 wear their clothes a size or two too big,” she said. “Fitted clothes make you look thinner and younger.”

Even the young and perfectly sculpted walk around in ill-fitting clothes because most off-the-rack garments are not designed to fit the traps, lats, quads and glutes of CrossFit athletes.

“Good style equals good fit,” Bachelier Smith said.

The best way to ensure a perfect fit—and to look younger and trimmer without diets or plastic surgery—is to have a piece of clothing custom made. Custom, or bespoke, clothing is not just an option for the fabulously wealthy. You’ll pay slightly more than what you’d pay in a department store, but the end result is a perfectly fitted, well-crafted, one-of-a-kind piece.

And fit, according to Bachelier Smith, is everything.

To help bring some style into the lives of CrossFit men, we gathered three athletes and a professional stylist at Crow Thief, a bespoke men’s clothing store in San Diego, California, to talk about custom and off-the-rack clothes, vests, pocket squares, and the manly art of the perfectly cuffed jean.

What Is Yoga, Really? An Interview With Arvind Chittumalla

Billions of dollars are spent on yoga-related merchandise each year. But do we know what it really is?

Will the real yoga please stand up? This is a question many are asking today as yoga continues to expand as a commercial venture in the United States. According to statistics, $10.3 billion was spent on yoga and yoga-related products in 2012.

 

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SS Weekly Report October 20, 2014

The Starting Strength Weekly Report 2014-10-20: Topics from the Forums: “Protein Powder and Vegetarianism?”  and “The Assault Continues: PJ Media.”. This week Under the Bar: Four Nations Championships – Empty Bar. View report in browser View report archive var addthis_config = {"data_track_addressbar":true};

10 Signs You’re Getting Serious About Jiu Jitsu

That first class BJJ is an explosion. Before you know it, you can’t live without it. How did you end up there?

Exercising can be like dating. You know you’d like to get involved in something, but you’re not sure what.

 

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10 Signs You’re Getting Serious About Jiu Jitsu

That first class BJJ is an explosion. Before you know it, you can’t live without it. How did you end up there?

Exercising can be like dating. You know you’d like to get involved in something, but you’re not sure what.

 

read more

What Can I Do?

The difference between someone who will be successful in CrossFit and someone who will fail is the difference between ... READ MORE »

Signs of a Strong Community

Old City CrossFit in Washington, D.C., is located near Gallaudet University, a federally chartered private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing.

“We knew there was a chance that we’d get some deaf members,” says Old City coach Erin Losie. “We had some ideas as to what we would do.”

Shortly after opening, Old City indeed became home to many deaf members. Coaches began to learn sign language, and a community developed.

“The first day I got to class, I was shocked at the motivation, at how excited (the coaches) were to learn sign language,” says member John Castrese. “They wanted me to teach them sign. They were teaching me CrossFit.”

Instructing a class with deaf members requires coaches to use less words and more visual instruction, but a good coach is always prepared to integrate visual and tactile cues as needed in any situation. Old City coaches have learned to adapt to teaching CrossFit to mixed classes much the same way CrossFit Seminar Staff members find ways to quickly communicate with those who might speak another language.

“What deaf people tend to do is watch and follow,” says member Myra Yanke. “So we’ll watch someone do the movement and follow them.”

Castrese says deaf people and hearing people can be like oil and water, but at Old City CrossFit, coaches shake things up and ensure the two communities are integrated.

Video by Mike Koslap.

6min 26sec

Additional reading: Hear and Now by Lon Wagner, published Feb. 1, 2012.