Calisthenics Grip Training Review and National Mushroom Month!

While I’ve written a lot of posts for the PCC blog over the years, this is a simple favorite that I wanted to draw attention to again (which is to also remind me to finish writing another submission for the blog too).  Grip training is so important, anyone who has worked with weights or bar based calisthenics is keenly aware of the need for a strong grip.  Are you training for “all angles and surfaces”? I included several scaled drills from and adapted from CC2 in this article. Beginners can even start training their grip from a lower bar while self-spotting with their feet (be sure the bar is low enough that you can hang while keeping your feet on the ground, and knees bent.

Here’s an intermediate to advanced variation on pull-ups to challenge grip strength!

Read on for interesting info about medicinal mushrooms from our friends at Lost Empire Herbs for National Mushroom Month!

National Mushroom Month: Top 4 Therapeutic Mushrooms

Mushrooms are amazing. Did you know that we’re genetically closer to mushrooms than we are to plants? Some mushrooms do many things similar to humans such as produce vitamin D? In nature, symbiotically with plants, fungal mycelium provides immune system benefits to plants in exchange for food. They can do much the same for us.

Check out this list of popular medicinal mushrooms for health and performance:

• Reishi is the most highly revered mushroom (and herb overall) in Chinese medicine because of it’s many benefits. For helping the immune system, for supporting your mood, it is hard to beat.
• Chaga, the King of Mushrooms, is newer on the scene but is just as powerful…just in different ways. The key benefit of this mushroom is how it helps to support your DNA. And really there is so much more.
• Cordyceps is known as the mushroom for athletes for how it helps with lung capacity and endurance. This mushroom, and the effects of it, are what got me into herbalism in the first place! We feature the lesser known, but still highly powerful, Cordyceps militaris.
• lion's mane mushroom is delicious gently sauteed in butter... This is a real treat when you can find it at specialty stores or your farmers' market.

More performance mushrooms and details here from Lost Empire!