Thanks to everyone who kindly spent so much time with me at the Arnold Classic Expo. As always, I was the proverbial "kid in a candy store" for three days. Over the course of the next few columns I'll be presenting some very cool training tools, supplements and other goodies I found. Some of ‘em need to be hammered away at in the gym for a while, though.
Last week my "Stuff I Like: The Arnold Blog" received good reaction and commentary, and I've come up with a few tidbits I wish to add.
Some of the nicest people to talk to in their booths were the busiest:
Rick Brewer at House of Pain, the wonderful clothing company and a staple of the Arnold Expo, always takes time to chat, as long as he's able to keep adjusting display materials, and I keep shopping! One of the hardest-working retailers in the business, and still a competitive powerlifter, Rick and his staff set up at more than 100 powerlifting events annually. The support they give back to the weight-training universe is real and appreciated. Rick also told me that in spite of the current state of the national economy, amid fears that crowd numbers would be down, he enjoyed greater sales than he ever has at the Arnold Classic Expo. Look for some new shirt designs in a column coming soon.
One of the supplement company head honchos who had every excuse to flip out but didn't was Charles Moser of GAT (German American Technologies). On Friday he and Derek Anthony were manning a very spacious, but empty booth while countless thousands of attendees walked by without giving the GAT space a second look. Due to some transit screw-up, he had no literature and no product for possibly their most important show of the year. Charles kept his cool, and talked with me for a while about their product line and the mess he found himself in, impressing me in the process. Happily, on Saturday, when the truckload of products arrived, the GAT booth turned into a madhouse for two days. Frontman Derek Anthony, by the way, was the professional's pro for all three days, taking time to talk with everyone who stopped by the booth. He's a patient and very cool guy. Check out his interview with Carl Lanore on Off Topic Radio and tell me you don't respect his honesty.
Troy Johnson at ALR Industries became a friend within minutes. I'd been impressed meeting Author L. Rea on Friday, but on Saturday, at the height of the craziness of the pressing crowd, Johnson took a lot of time to discuss aspects of the ALR line with me. Look for a detailed write-up on ALR products in a future column, but while you're waiting, order some Chain'D Out immediately! This BCAA powder is damn special and tastes incredible! Trust me on this one; it's like an insider stock tip (ooh, perhaps a bad analogy in today's world). Just keep a supply of Chain'D Out in your pantry and your bloodstream.
Training Day is a new supplement designed for all kinds of athletes, not just weight-trainers. Matt Hesse, president of the company, spent more time than he really had discussing the possibilities of his product for bodybuilders, Cross-Fit athletes, and others. I was impressed with his display, with the test results he used to explain Training Day, and his views on athletic performance. I've watched a female Cross-Fit / bodybuilder / powerlifter using Training Day right now for a month; you'll see a report in a future column. Kudos to Matt for impressing me right off the bat. After more than 15 Arnold Expos I'm not quickly taken in by spin and shiny things.
I know last week I pointed out that Lou Ferrigno was the hardest-working pro at the Arnold Classic, but from an industry perspective, I have to believe that Joel Goldberg, who manages Species Nutrition and ran their Arnold booth, should have won an award. He was easily running in place the most, waving his arms the most, talking the most, directing traffic, sweating the most, and thinking the hardest. All my conversations with him were on the run, his eyes moving from side to side keeping track of everything. This will sound goofy, but Friday night I dreamed about how to improve the set-up of the Species booth from a retail perspective. When I saw the booth prior to the Expo opening Saturday morning, the changes had been made. Talking to Joel, he'd had the same dream! This guy worked his ass off running the busiest booth in the show, allowing Dave and John to be themselves and not bog down in the business side.
Best quote from Heavy Muscle Radio last week: "I don't know what I'm talking about but this might make sense!" - Mr. G.
Enough about the Arnold Classic for this week; now on to some stuff I like:
Harbinger's Olympic Bar Pad
There is a long-standing macho attitude in gyms that a pad on the bar for squatting, for example, is a giant no-no. But there are many women lifters who don't have big traps and delts yet wish to squat or do good mornings. Some guys have neck issues or protruding spine issues that make a pad on the bar critical.
We've all picked up the pads lying around in the gym, some of them not much more than a piece of foam, and found them wanting when weight is added. They roll, they slide, and they come apart, not helping too much. Harbinger has come to the rescue with their Olympic Bar Pad, the best such product I've used.
Solidly built, this black pad is 16 inches long and contains 15mm of NeoTekTM foam. Featuring a suede cover, this pad is heavy and comfortable. We've been using Harbinger's pad for months and loaning it to people in the gym, and one and all proclaim it to be the best such product they've ever used. www.harbingersports.com
"Good Calories, Bad Calories - Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health" by Gary Taubes is one of the 
most fascinating nutrition books I've read in years. Perhaps part of my excitement is my agreement with author Taubes that processed carbs are killing civilization, so I tell you that upfront. We all know that for decades everyone has been told that ‘fats will kill you' and ‘grains and carbs are healthy,' yet look what has happened to society. Obesity, Type-2 diabetes and every malady associated with these conditions is killing untold tens of thousands each year, and affecting the quality of life of possibly millions of others. Processed flour, sugar and other culprits are examined in depth in this book.
Taubes goes into the history of the processed carb; he presents good arguments that the key to real health involves the type of calories we ingest, not necessarily how many (sounds a lot like Palumbo, doesn't it?). This guy is a science researcher, not a food guy or scientist who came to this research with a favorite angle. Years of research and examination brought him to the clear conclusion that processed carbs are deadly, building a case much like an attorney. This book isn't quick reading; it's serious work and takes time and concentration. But it's worth every hour. I highly recommended it; and it's now available in trade paperback.
Watch for a new column next week; send ideas, rants, and comments to me at [email protected]
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