Book Review - Zen Mind, Strong Body By Al Kavadlo

I recently got an email from fellow coach, and good friend, Al Kavadlo about his new book 'Zen Mind, Strong Body'. Long term followers of the blog probably know some of Al's work, he's typically known for bodyweight callisthenics but this new book goes deeper than that. Rather than a focus on technical coaching and specific exercises it covers the mindset, preparation and daily practice needed to be successful over the long term.

I think that technical coaching and programming has it's place in health and fitness but the ultimate goal of any coach should be to encourage people to become empowered to develop their own approach. If you're looking for a new addition to your fitness library then I recommend picking up a copy. It's also currently on sale at just $7.99!

Click here to check it out on the Dragon Door site

Product review - Icelandic Glacial Water

The nice folks at Icelandic Glacial Water recently sent me a whole case of their product to try out. While I don't often review things on the blog here at Sandbag Fitness, I make an exception for products that I like and I'm happy to recommend to you guys.

Firstly, this is really nice water. I mean really nice. If you're used to drinking regular tap water (which is what I normally have) then you'll notice a difference straight away. This tastes very clean and pure.

After checking out their site in a little more detail I read a number of other cool things about this stuff, including:

• It comes from the 5000 year old �lfus Spring in Iceland.
• The area in which it comes from is protected and there are no buildings or farming within the 128,000 acre region. 
• The water is bottled in a clean room environment, so it isn't exposed to the air until you take the cap off. 
• It's a Carbon-Neutral product.

Besides, drinking water from Iceland makes me feel like a Viking...and that's no bad thing. 

If you see this in your local store then I can highly recommend trying it. You can find out more about the product by clicking here.

Book Review - Stretching Your Boundaries By Al Kavadlo

I recently got an email from fellow coach, and good friend, Al Kavadlo about his new book 'Stretching Your Boundaries' - a title devoted to helping you improve your flexibility, mobility and, ultimately, make you perform better with less pain. If you're like the vast majority of people out there then you probably don't do enough work on your flexibility so you should check out this book.

At over 200 pages, the book covers the practice of stretching in good detail. But, where the book really shines is in its practical description of a large number of stretches. Not only does Al describe the stretches well but he explains Common Mistakes, Muscles Used, the exercise counterpart (i.e. do this stretch to get better at that exercise) and also breathing patterns. Few people understand the importance of correct breathing in flexibility training so this was a really nice addition.

What I most enjoyed about 'Stretching Your Boundaries' was the exercise selection itself. I choose my exercises based on their function rather than what muscles they 'work' and the book approaches stretching in a similar fashion. What this ultimately means is that you have a stretching program that works rather than just spinning your wheels - and I'm all for that.

If you're looking for a way to make some serious improvements to your flexibility and performance then I can highly recommend picking up a copy. Click here to check it out on the Dragon Door site