Nitro's Friday Favorite 5

Dan "Nitro" Clark here.  Time for another dose of "Nitro's Friday 5!"  A short list of tips that I'm digging, loving and using in my life for peak performance, motivation and inspiration.

I hope you'll find something useful here too!

* Recovery - There is a crucial difference between "rest" and "active recovery."  Rest is generally referred to as sleep and time spent not exercising.  Recovery, on the other hand, refers to techniques and actions taken to help the body repair.  Here is a good, short article on the subject.
 
* Book I'm reading - I'm greatly intrigued by the book Unbreakable Runner by Brian Mackenzie.  The book examines long-held beliefs about how to train to run.  It tears down those traditions to reveal new principles to CRUSH every race from a 5k to an Ultra.

* Supplement -  I'm loving SunWarrior Protein.  It's the best vegan protein on the market. It's gluten free, raw, with an exceptional amino acid profile with all the good stuff you need.  I love the chocolate and use Sunwarrior for 6 week periods to give my gut a rest from digesting whey.  Promo Code: SW15 will save 15% off your order.

* Video I'm Loving - I found this TED TALK video by Amy Cuddy fascinating.  If you haven't heard or watched Ted Talks - it's time you start.  Ted Talks are ideas that are based upon saving the world and making your life better.  Amy's video about PERSONAL POWER has over 6 million views.  It's heartwarming, touching, and has real-life applicable information that will HELP YOU.

* This weekend - I focus a lot on self improvement, and an important part of living a happy and fulfilled life is being in service of others.  To be useful.  To be honorable.  To make a difference.  I had the great pleasure last weekend of participating in a Corn Hole Tournament fundraiser for Crush Cancer with these animals at Dogtown Crossfit in Los Angeles.  Be inspired.  Do something for others!

On Saturday, Oct 10th at Dogtown Crossfit there is a CRUSH CANCER event that benefits Stand up to Cancer.  Join me there in for an awesome event and workout!

Donate and sign up and Crowdwise:
https://www.crowdrise.com/CrushCancer2015

Let me know what you liked this week by leaving a comment below.  

Dan "Nitro" Clark

P.S.  You can always send me me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instagram
@DanNitroClark.  

Nitro's Friday Favorite 5 - Tips on Peak Performance + Recovery Special Edition

Dan "Nitro" Clark here.  This weeks "Nitro's Friday 5" is all about recovery.  We smash, bash, crash and abuse our bodies - now it's time for a few quick tips on recovery.  

* Secret recovery weapon - I don't know a single person who gets enough sleep.  And sleep is the number one recovery tool.  But if you can't get a solid 8 hours the next best thing is to take NAP. It increases alertness, boosts creativity, stamina, motor skills, reduces stress, enhances your sex life, aids in weight loss and keeps you looking younger. Check out the cool book Take a Nap! Change Your Life to unleash the power of the mid-day snooze.
 
* Lacrosse Balls - These little inexpensive buggers are an essential deep tissue, trigger point recovery tool.  I keep one in my office, house, car and in my luggage.  Here is a simple video of how to use lacrosse balls for your lower back from Caroline Jordan.  Special thanks for San Antonio based Physical therapist Steve Horney for sending over 2 dozen engraved Horney balls from his Trinity Health sciences practice.

* Coldest place on earth - I'm loving cryotherapy.  I've used ice baths for years to help reduce inflammation, muscle soreness and pain.  But now, I pretty much exclusively use Cryotherapy.  World famous athletes like Lebron James & Dwayne Wade use it too.  At Cryotherapy you enter a chamber that is cooled with liquid nitrogen to a temperature of - 220 degrees for a 3 minutes to get awesome "full body" recovery benefits.  If you're in the So Cal area - try Cryotherapy here. Tell them I sent you for a FREE introductory session!    

* Ice baths - when I can't get to cryotherapy, I go with the "old school" ice bath.  It took me a while to find the best 100-gallon tub that was durable and could fit all 220 pounds of me comfortably.  I fill the tub half full with water, drop 80lbs of ice in, then hop in for 10 minutes.  I repeat this cycle depending on the how banged up I am.  It's another excellent way to reduce inflammation and joint pain.  

* The Rolls Royce of Recovery Tools -  If you don't like ice and want something portable you'll the Marc Pro Plus. I find it to be one of BEST recovery and pain management tool on the market.  I use it EVERY day on my knees and lower back, in addition to my quads if I've had a rough week of training.  It's not cheap.  But what would you pay to make the pain go away and to recover more quickly.  Use Code: "GLADIATOR" and it'll save you a few bucks plus they'll donate $100 to Wounded Warrior Project for every unit sold.   

Let me know if your favorite recovery tools are missing by leaving a comment below. Or share any tips that have helped you.

Have an awesome weekend. Stay inspired!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

P.S.  You can always send me me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instagram
@DanNitroClark.  

Nitro's Friday Favorite 5 - Tips on Peak Performance + Labor Day Weekend Special Edition

Dan "Nitro" Clark here. This weeks "Nitro's Friday 5" has a little special "Nitro Secret Sauce" on how to "prevent" those well-earned hangovers from a glorious Labor Day weekend.    

  - Purchase I'm excited about -- ASUS pocket projector - this palm-sized projector is a "movie theater" in your pocket.  Screen your favorite show or movie for your friends and family while you fire up the barbecue to cap off an awesome Labor Day weekend.

 - Supplement (Hangover cure) -- Let's face it, not a lot of us have just one drink on long holiday weekends. There is a way to drink while minimizing the harmful effects of a hangover.  Drink a glass of water with each drink.  Drink clear (white) liquors.  Stay away from beer (most toxins).  Pound the vitamin C and B-complex along with cysteine.  Mop up what's left with 4 capsules of Activated Charcoal.  Here is the science behind why this works.

- The Rolls Royce of Recovery Tools --  I've found the Marc Pro Plus to be the BEST recovery and pain management tool on the market.  I use it EVERY day on my knees and lower back, in addition to my quads if I've had a rough week of training.  I wanted to find a recover more quickly and find a way to reduce joint pain and inflammation without taking medications that are harmful to the body.  It's not cheap.  But you are worth it.  Use Code: "GLADIATOR" and it'll save you a few bucks plus they'll donate $100 to Wounded Warrior Project for every unit sold.    

* I wanted to recover more quickly and find a way to reduce joint pain and inflammation without taking medications that are harmful to the body. *
 
- Book I am reading --  59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute.  A psychologist gives myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community.

- This weekend -- A recent study showed that people got more happiness when they had a cool experience opposed to when they purchased a cool product.  Take that money you were going to spend on an object and spend it on a cool experience.  It'll make you happier.  Be sure to take a pic and share the happiness.  Here is a glimpse of me practicing what I preach last weekend on Orcas Island, Washington.

Let me know if you are enjoying "Nitro's Friday 5" in the comments section below. Is there something you want more or less of?  Is there a tip you liked best?

Have an awesome weekend. Stay inspired!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

P.S.  You can always send me me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instragram
@DanNitroClark.  

Nitro's Friday Favorite 5 - Tips on Peak Performance + Recovery + Other gems!

Dan "Nitro" Clark here.  Time for another dose of "Nitro Friday 5!"  A short list of gems -- that I'm loving, digging and using in my life for peak performance, motivation and inspiration.    

- Gear I'm excited about -- Lacrosse Balls.  These little inexpensive buggers ($9.99 2-pack) are an essential deep tissue, trigger point recovery tool.  I keep one in my office, house, car and in my luggage.  No need to buy the fancy "massage version."  Big 5 also carries them by the 5 pack ($20).  How to use these?  Start with the Mobility Wod below.

- Recovery for Destroyed legs --  The running, sprint interval training and squats - the past few weeks have left my quads DESTROYED.   If you're suffering from quad, hip issues try this awesome Mobility WOD (6 minutes) from super-performance coach Kelly Starrett.  K-Starr's Mobility WODS have saved me from the doctor's office numerous times!

- Supplement -- The MOST important supplement your not using is MAGNESIUM.  21 reasons why you need it.  It is a co-factor in over 350 enzymatic reactions in the body. It is necessary for the energy metabolism, muscular activity, heart function, detoxification, healthy bones, improving insulin sensitivity. If you're crushing your training sessions, your need is even greater!  

- Book I am reading -- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.   I'm recommending this book for a 2nd week - it's that good!  It's currently being developed into a feature film starring Matthew McConaughey and was voted book of the year by the Washington Post.

- Quote I'm pondering -- "Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn."  Winning is great but learning is just as important even if you win.  I'm convinced this is the how champions think.  Learn to love learning.  

The idea behind the Nitro's Friday Fav 5 is to help you in your journey of living a healthier, happier more fit life.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Is there something you want more or less of?  Is there a tip you liked best?

Have an awesome weekend. Stay inspired!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

P.S.  You can always send me me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instragram
@DanNitroClark. 

Nitro's Friday Favorite 5 - Tips on Peak Performance, Motivation and other Gems!

Dan "Nitro" Clark here.  Time for another dose of "Nitro Friday 5!"  A short list of gems -- that I'm loving, digging and using in my life for peak performance, motivation and inspiration.    

- Gear that I'm excited about -- Inzer Knee Sleeves -  I love how easy these knee support sleeves are to put on and that the tension is adjustable - unlike neoprene supports that become loose once you start sweating. On leg days, I don't leave home without them.

- Supplement -- If you are only going to take one supplement.  Make it fish oil. That's how important it is to your overall health and recovery.  I'm loving Stronger Faster Healthier Fish Oil.   It has no artificial ingredients and is more POTENT per teaspoon than any other brand. It comes in 5 awesome flavors - with no burpee after taste. I like the peppermint best! CODE: APL saves 10%.  

- Book I am reading -- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.  This is probably the best book about running I've ever read.  I'd be surprised if there's a better book about the sport, spirit and science of endurance running.  

- App I am using -- My Fitness Pal.  Recently, I was having trouble figuring out why I wasn't leaning out even though I was eating clean and training hard.  I've been doing this a long time and know my body pretty well.  I continued to cut calories, thinking that was the answer.   It wasn't until I began to track my total calorie, protein, fat, and carb in My Fitness Pal that I discover the culprit.  I wasn't eating enough.  I know we all wish that was our problem.  But regardless of the weight issue you're dealing with - starting tracking what you eat.  It'll make a HUGE difference in your results.

- My inspiration this week -- This video never fails to inspire me. If you've seen it before, it's time to watch it AGAIN.  We all have setbacks. We all fall. But with every setback, there is a chance to comeback and RISE.  Turn the VOLUME up when you watch this video. #INSPIRATION.

The idea behind the Nitro's Friday Fav 5 is to help you in your journey of living a healthier, happier more fit life.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.  Is there something you want more or less of?  Is there a tip you liked best?

Have an awesome weekend. Stay inspired!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

P.S.  You can always send me me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instragram
@DanNitroClark.  

Nitro's Friday Favorite 5 - Tips on Peak Performance and other Cool Stuff

Dan "Nitro" Clark here.  This email, called "Nitro's Friday Favorite 5" is a quick way of letting you know 5 things that I'm loving, digging and using in my life for peak performance.

The items will relate to health, fitness, diet, recovery and gear -- sprinkled with things that help keep me motivated, inspired -- and as healthy and fit as possible.    
Every other Friday (or something like that), I'll send you a short email with my recommendations.  Hopefully, you'll find something useful!

Here is the first set:

- Supplement -- I'm loving Lionheart Refuel. One of the most crucial times to feed your body for maximum growth and recovery is during the "30 minute post-work out window."    For maximum recovery, I take Lionheart Refuel right after I workout.  It has everything you need WITHOUT all the fillers and additives.

- Gear that I'm excited about -- WODies from JerkFit.  I don't know about you, but I hate when the palms of my hands tear from high-rep bar workouts. WODies are designed to reduce painful hand tears during those killer WODs.  Using these, I get a lot more reps... and no rips!

- Book I am reading -- I'm always interested in reading books that push the limit of what is humanly possible.  If you think an ultra Marathon or Death race is challenge then you gotta read: Into Thin Air - A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.  It's a thrilling, bone-chilling book about heroism, sacrifice and human frailty on an impossible journey.  I devoured it in a weekend.

- App I am using -- We all know sleep is critical to recovery.  If you have troubles going to sleep try the Mindifi Sleep app.  It's a guided visualization you listen to that will put your ass to sleep.  When it's night-night time, I lay in bed, slap on the headphones and listen to "Sleep like a baby" script... and off I go to la la land.  It works every time.

- My inspiration this week -- Isiah Bird, a 6 year-old wrestler who was born with no legs, inspired me with his amazing talents.  My favorite line in the video is at .53 seconds when he says, "I have no legs. But I don't need no legs. I'm a Gladiator."

Thanks for for reading.  Have a great weekend and do something f'n insane like this!

Stay INSPIRED!

Dan

P.S.  So... what do you think?  Please let me know what you're interested in hearing more or less about.  Send me a message on Facebook @DanNitroClark or on Instragram
@DanNitroClark.  Hashtag it #NitroFriday5 so I can find it.