The holiday season has been hectic, but I definitely plan to be back soon with more updates. The site will go through another renovation, and we will be back and better than ever! In the meantime, I wanted to pass a deal along for my car aficionados:

I’ve been going through the windsheild wiper struggle for a minute, and the good folks over at SilBlade came to the rescue!

SilBlade wipers utilize patented silicone technology that set us apart. Our wiper blades are not affected by extreme weather conditions, sunlight, ozone, oil and grime from road spray. Nor are they affected by extreme temperatures – as low as -80°F and as high as 400°F.

SilBlade was created in 1993 by former GE Silicone scientists who were committed to developing the ultimate windshield wiper. The patented formula uses a unique blend of silicone rubber (for durability) and graphite (for superior surface wipe) resulting in the BEST silicone wiper on the market

For our readers here, a 20% discount with promo to code “yearsnotmonths”

Check them out at http://www.silblade.com/

Props: Chanel! @PQChanel

Streetz

You walk into the gym and now it’s time to be EFFICIENT and SAFE! If your first guess is …hmm… THE MACHINES!

Let me let you in on a little secret…NO. This may not be your best bet. Did you know, more injuries come from machines and not free weights. But why? Well for one “restricted movement patterns aren’t always safe” (but that’s another post).

Today I, Barrington B. Personal Trainer and owner of Barrington B-Fitness, LLC. based out of NYC am going to list 5 machines to steer clear from. From a safety point of view and also a workout efficiency point of view. I call it “5 machines to steer clear from at the gym” vol. 1. Enjoy.

# 5 The Smith Machine

You know the machine with the barbell attached to it to make it “safe” for you to do squats and bench presses, ALLEGEDLY.

3 Cons for you:

a. You don’t work your smaller stabilizer muscles when using a fixed bar. In other words you are not maximizing your strength and are having a less effective workout.
b. Because you are not training these smaller stabilizer muscles you have now INCREASED your risk of injury outside of the gym when doing pretty much anything physical in that motion/direction of movement.

c. This machine teaches you poor form. No movement is strictly up and down (bench press) or if you’re squatting your feet should not be in front of you with an upright back. Movement is free in nature this machine fails to adhere to that.

Be Better…use the regular POWER RACK or free weights as they are your best and SAFER bet.

#4 Adductor/Abductor Machine

The let me show my crotch machine -___-.

I mean the one that works your inner thighs and outer thighs, ALLEGEDLY.

Guess what it doesn’t work. In actuality you’re using interior hip rotators more than anything else (that’s that burn you feel) and we can’t really see those muscles from an aesthetic point of view.

Be Better…Do some Squats (and other variations of squats) and make sure your knees don’t buckle towards each other and you’ll hit the muscles you’re trying to hit.

#3 The ever famous…LEG EXTENSION MACHINE!

^^^^^ WTH is he smiling about.

Ok Ok Ok.. I know you feel it in your Quads and a lot of bodybuilders use them. But the pros vs cons scale is HEAVY on the CONS side.

Unless you are rehabbing a knee injury, have been on bed rest or not using ANY LOAD/Weight. I have two words for you… stay off.

A. Every time you lift you stretch your ACL. A vital ligament which hmmm does NOT like to be stretched!

B. Loading and moving ONLY from your knee joint puts extreme pressure on the back of your patella aka kneecap at its thinest areas —————> CRACK!

C. I have A LOT more CONS if you would like but decided those two should suffice and turn you away. Be Better.

#2 The AB Crunch Machine

OH NO and now they come in all different colors, sizes and pretty names with infomercials…NOOOO!!!!!

Every time I see someone adding load to their spine to do a crunch or doing a crunch on a machine in general I cringe. Why? B/c I just know one day I’m going to have to help that individual until the EMT’s arrive.

Seriously, IT DOESNT WORK! It puts enormous amounts of BAD pressure on your spine for nothing! Be Better… do your cardio, planks and other SAFE ab movements to get those desired abs.

#1 The AB TWIST MACHINE!!!

*SMACKS FOREHEAD AND SHAKES HEAD*

^^^ Say a prayer for his Spine.

Take a second and look at this movement… Your upper body going in two different directions while your lower body stays put/fixed.

Honestly, it looks like a machine Jigsaw would use from the SAW movie series. Your spine is screaming folks get off this machine!!!!!!!!

Does it help give you your six pack abs, NO. Ice pack for your back, YES. & maybe even a brace!!!

There you have it now don’t let me catch any of you on one of those machines or else…actually… I won’t have to do anything you’re already hurting yourself.

BE BETTER.

-Barrington B.

FOLLOW: Twitter.com/BarringtonBFit

LIKE: Facebook.com/BarringtonBFit

The text book struggle is real. If i had a dollar for every back alley deal that was made to curb the costs of a class that you’d never use in the real world, I’d be rich! I always wondered why they were so high, and this infographic highlights some of the reasons. What text book issues did you have/do you have today?

Via: OnlineEducation.net

StreetZ

Just wanted to update you on a couple of items:

1) I wrote 2 posts on SBM this week:

5 things women need to do to keep men happy: HERE

Conrad Murray: Killer or Scapegoat? => HERE

For those that missed them, be sure to check em out!

2)

The Ebook, Fly On The Wall, is still available for download if you haven’t checked it out yet. If you have, hit me up and let me know what you think. If not, click HERE and go get that!!

Enjoy the weekend and Salute to the Veterans!

StreetZ

We are all aware of cell phone use in everyday life, but how are cell phones, and smartphones, shaping student lives? You may find some interesting stats from this graphic, detailing mobile use by students. I know cell phone use just started getting heavy when I was in school (Early 2000′s). With the advent of the smartphone, the possibilities now are endless! Think about the apps you can create for study notes, flash cards, lesson plans, all that. I’m sure blackboard should have an app by now too. I’m also sure that many of you have used this tech to swindle a test or three right? *daps* Check the graph below:

Created by: HackCollege

Financial aid for higher education helps many students and families cover the costs to attend college. Believe it or not, even those who are finically capable to pay for college are eligible for financial help. Sound too good to be true? Here are 8 other myths about financial aid:

Created by: Online Graduate Programs

As someone who took out their fair share of loans, my best advice would be to use your resources. Apply to all types of financial aid and research. I don’t care if Church’s chicken is giving out scholarship money, get that! I definitely didn’t do that and I missed out on a lot of funding. Doesn’t matter if you’re straight out of High School or continuing education either. Get that $$!

Thoughts?

 StreetZ

A major issue in recent news is global food shortage. How concerning is this issue? Alarming statistics on global food shortage and the amount of food wasted are detailed in this infographic.

Created by: Public Health Degree

After about 8-9 months of writing, hard work, and pure struggle across the board, I am finally able to present to you my first e-book: “Fly on The Wall”. I finally set the hard deadline of November 2nd, after missing about 5 previous deadlines. I actually had this book done about a month ago, but wanted to put the final touches on it so that its perfect. Then I had to remind myself that if I keep trying to perfect this book, it will never be complete.This book did not become the Detox of E-Book releases (despite all the jokes from my SBM fam), and I’m happy to present it to you.

This book is a journey through my mind with me narrating. I’m doing my best Morgan Freeman impression here, as I take you through my mind and my thoughts. The type of thoughts usually reserved for those close to me, that may not be PC, but are 100% Dead Stock Authentic! I had a lot of fun writing this book, and I hope you have the same amount of fun reading! I would love to discuss the book with you, and get your honest feedback. So please drop a note on this page with any questions or comments and we can have an open discussion about #FOTW. If you are shy, you can always drop me a note on the contact page and I can answer you directly.

I’ve also added a donate button on the site. Just like freeware or the past, WordPress plugins, and any other application for the many devices of the world, I leave that option to “bless the collection plate” if you feel so inclined to support my work monetarily.The book is 100% free, and I’m glad to provide it to you that way! If you do leave a donation, please leave an email address so that I may contact you with a proper thank you!

With all that said, I present my first published work to you all. Fly on the Wall. Enjoy!

Download: Fly On The Wall - by Streetz

Facebook wasn’t around when I was in college. However, while I was in grad school, it finally came to Hofstra and the world would never be the same. The Book evolved over time (remember when it was The Facebook and only open to college students), but there’s no denying the impact it has on the college experience. You can reach out and touch other people from other campuses. You can find out about the latest events and gossip. It can bolster your academic and social life. I did grow up in the Blackplanet era, but Facebook was next level. Sheesh! Check out how Facebook augments the college experience in the infographic below. Props to Pete for the graphics!

Created by: Online PhD