Train Like Ali – 8 Reasons Why You Should Be Jumping Rope

Here’s a fun fact: Muhammed Ali never touched a single weight.  Can you believe that?  One of history’s most explosive athletes never touched the squat rack…never maxed out his bench press…..and never even slipped in “curls for the girls.”  Some of us probably haven’t picked up a Jump Rope since we were forced to participate in “Jump Rope for Heart” during fourth grade.  If you’re not supplementing a jump rope routine into your workouts, you’re making a big mistake.

For about 20 minutes, everyday, Cassius Clay trained on the jump rope.  If you’re looking to break up the monotony of your weekly routine, here are 8 reasons why you should give a jump rope a whirl.

8 Reasons Why You Need to Start Jumping Rope

1) It’s not boring-  Jumping rope is like throwing a party-for-one at the gym.  If you’re a runner, putting in a lot of miles can quickly become a huge drag.  Try supplementing a jump rope routine into your workouts twice per week.  Less than 10 minutes on the rope ultimately equates to about 20 minutes spent jogging.  You can also pop in your headphones and jump to the beat of your favorite jam.  (Try this tune for a five minute warm up (NSFW) – Kendrick Lamar)

“Sweetness” Walter Payton swore by his jump rope routine

2) Convenience-  You can store one of the greatest pieces of exercise equipment ever created in your briefcase or gym bag.  You can jump rope anywhere- your driveway, your basement, the garage, or maybe even next to that hot girl at the gym (better make sure you don’t suck at it though).  You can even take it with you on vacation.

“Hey, look at that guy jumping rope. I bet he has nice calves. Wonder if he’d go out with me?”

3) Fat Burning Pyromania-  Jumping rope is like cardio on steroids.  If you’re looking to get your heart rate up and shed calories in a hurry, it only takes about ten minutes with a jump rope.  According to research, jumping rope for ten minutes is equivalent to performing these exercises:

• Playing tennis for 90 minutes
• Jogging for 30 minutes at a moderate pace
• Swimming 720 yards in 30 minutes
• Cycling 2 miles in 6 minutes
• Playing racquetball for 20 minutes

4) CHEAPNESS–  You can find a durable, gets-the-job-done, jump rope at Wal-Mart for $2.57.  That’s right, you can completely change your body for less than cost of that Pumpkin Spice Latte you had to buy your girl at Starbucks.

5) It will turn you into Reggie Bush- Ok, maybe not, but jumping rope provides a full body workout that improves agility, speed, quickness, and muscle tone.  Jumping rope also engages your abdominal muscles, and aids in bone density development.  If you’re looking to become a more explosive athlete, the jump rope works your fast-twitch muscle fibers, and trains your nervous system to better control the muscles related to balance, coordination, and agility.  Hell, after a few weeks you might even be juking defenders for touchdowns, or doing push ups with Kim Kardashian on your back.

Reggie Bush jumps rope, too. I Swear.

6) Low Impact-  Compared to running, jumping rope significantly lessens the impact on your joints.  The impact of each jump is absorbed by both legs.

7) It quickly warms your body-  There is nothing worse than trudging through a boring warm up at the gym.  If you’re getting old, and it’s taking you more time to get your body warm, look no further than the jump rope.  A 5 minute warm up with a rope loosens your arms and legs, raises your heart rate, and burns nearly 100 calories.  Most importantly, your body becomes warm, your circulation starts to flow, and you’re ready to start beating on your muscles.

8) It will make you a better dancer- The rhythmic nature associated with jumping rope trains your muscles to react much more rapidly.  Basically, your muscles will be trained to react quicker to what your brain is asking them to do.  It’s highly unlikely that your jump rope routine will turn you into Chris Brown, but you can count on feeling more in tune with your body on the dance floor.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” – Muhammed Ali, the greatest that ever dun-it

Get the girl and the Top Play: Foul Ball Etiquette 101

It’s time for playoff baseball, and every man needs a reminder on foul ball etiquette so they don’t ruin their life like Steve Bartman.

Foul balls are an opportunity to showcase your athletic prowess or spill your popcorn.

The way you handle yourself when a baseball comes your way says a lot about you as a person. Here are some general guidelines to think about when Yasiel Puig hits one your way.

Unless you caught the ball on the fly, don’t show it off. No one cares that you grabbed it off the ground before the 67 year old next to you. Same goes for the foul ball that bounced to you. If you didn’t risk the health of your hands when attempting the catch, you don’t deserve glory.

If you have a soul and you’re over the age of 18, any foul ball you catch should go to a small child near you (unless your favorite player hit it). This action bakes some serious brownie points for those attractive Cardinals fans sitting next to you.

Never hide behind the person sitting next to you. This should really go without saying.

If you’re with this guy, you might want to evaluate your life choices up to this point. The boyfriend’s public humiliation on ESPN illustrates the importance of foul ball etiquette and the state of the Houston Astros organization.

Homerun balls change the game.

You can turn yourself into a playoff legend from the comfort of your seat. Jeffrey Maier single handedly changed the outcome of the Yankees and Orioles 1996 ALCS.

Just make sure your Top 10 play benefits your team. Always keep your head in the game.

Big bonus points if you channel your inner Henry Rowengartner and throw back any homerun ball the visitors hit.

It’s the ultimate source of team pride, and it is a bad ass move. You’re going to have an opportunity to get on ESPN, and it’s one hell of a story. If you want a free clinic, check out this one brought to you by AARP and the Texas Rangers.

Bottom line

If it’s a screaming line drive, make sure your date is safe. A catch is always preferred, but duck and cover is a reasonable option.

If you’re sitting on the edge of the bleachers, make sure you know the game situation. Always catch homeruns and foul balls when your team is hitting and avoid those same plays when your team is in the field.

And last but not least, don’t be the guy who loses his damn mind going after a foul ball.

16 HourGuys Weekend College Football Preview

16HourGuys Preview the Week Ahead in College Football

5 Quick Takes:

1) Finally, some real heavyweight bouts this weekend.  We saw one…ONE…top 25 battle last week.  Yaaaaawn.  Ohio State and Louisville combined to outscore their opponents 148-0.  I even had to watch the Kansas game for a while.  Sadly, it was the best game I saw all Saturday.

2) Mike Leach is back.  Last week I talked about my man crush for Kilff Kingsbury.  This week, it’s his apprentice Mike Leach.  The guy is back to his old ways, and I can’t wait to watch them take on Stanford.  Leach even ran it up on Idaho last week, and Vandal’s head coach Paul Petrino (Bobby’s Bro) got sad.   It appears that Coach Leach told him to go do something that rhythms with duck, and suck (aka Bo Pelini’s favorite word).

3) ESPN College Gameday on location in North Dakota was awesome.  Some of the best Gameday signs I have every witnessed.  Well played North Dakota.

4) If Tennessee football wants to get back to their winning ways, they’re going to have to start giving out a hell of a lot more tacos.

5) Oregon continues to own the nation’s top offense.  They also have the nation’s best cheerleaders.  Props.

5 Big Games, Pick ‘Em

–Last Week (3-2), Overall (6-4)–

1) (6) LSU 33 @ (9) Georgia 24- LSU is scary right now.  They are flying under the radar, big time.  Jordan Hill is really good at getting arrested, but he’s also REALLY good at scoring touchdowns.  I think he’ll score two on Georgia’s defense, and LSU will squeek out a win “between the hedges.”

2) (23) Wisconsin 23 @ (4) Ohio State 38–  Ohio State is the one anomaly in the Big Ten right now.  They are the SEC’s lost child.  It wouldn’t shock me if Wisconsin put their upset pants on, but I think the Buckeye’s talent wins out in this one.  I don’t it matters whether or not Braxton Miller or Kenny Guiton’s in charge.  Wisconsin is too one-dimensional, and I think they turn this into a Buckeye blow out in the fourth quarter.

3) (14) Oklahoma 31 @ (22) Notre Dame 24- After shutting down Michigan State’s “Pop Warner” offense last week, I don’t think they will be prepared for Blake Bell and Oklahoma’s speed on offense.  I continue to shake my head every time I think about Notre Dame making it all the way to the Big Show last season.  After this week, I see them periodically dropping out of the Top 25.  By the way, Blake Bell is a friggin tank.  He kind of reminds me of this guy:

4) (21) Ole Miss 17 @ (1) Alabama 42 – Alabama hasn’t really looked like Alabama at all this season.  They struggled at times with Colorado State last week, and haven’t really blown anyone out yet.  I think we see Alabama playing the role of Alabama this week.  Ole Miss has too much youth to go into Tuscaloosa and take down Bama.  I think Alabama comes out hot and pumps the breaks the rest of the game.

5) (10) Texas A&M 24 @ Arkansas 31– This is the first upset I’ve felt good about all season.  I think Johnny Football is caught in a love triangle right now.  I know he’s trying to steal A.J. McCarron’s girl, Katherine Webb.  I think we see the first JFF meltdown this weekend, and Arkansas pulls off the upset at home.  The Aggies can’t stop anyone right now, and I think Arkansas will be playing pissed off after their loss to Rutgers (LOL) last week.

The Love Triangle

“LOL Game of the Week”: Temple @ Idaho- Are you serious here?  Temple will travel 2100 miles to take on the Vandals in the Kibbie Dome, but I think they’ll take out IdaWHOCARES in this one.  Consider it a lock.  If you’re a fan of either of these two teams, also consider this:

What Not to Wear: Sports Edition

1. High Heels

Unless you’re sitting court side at an NBA game and you’re dating one of the players, high heels should not be seen at sporting events. Otherwise, you look lost.

Gabrielle Union is  a nice addition to Miami Heat organization. She’s Dwayne Wade’s honey, and she dated Jason Kidd in high school–she can wear heels to the game.

2. A jersey for the wrong sport.

Tim Tebow plays football, and he’s not very good. Great guy but his current roster situation is indicative of his abilities. You should not wear a football jersey to a baseball game unless it is a football Sunday and your baseball team is out of the hunt. You should never make a custom baseball jersey for a terrible football player.

3. Opposing apparel

Unless you’re Archie Manning, you cannot justify conflicting team apparel.

Pick a team and cheer for them. I don’t care if you grew up in Denver and now you live in New York. You can’t wear a Broncos jersey with a Giants hat. As a fan, there is no such thing as compromise. Go all in.

3. Proper Winter Clothing (if you look like this)

God Bless the Packers.

4. Sweatbands of Any Kind

You retired after a sub-par middle school basketball career. Don’t ever break out your old uniform. You sucked then, and you look ridiculous now.

5. Autographed Jerseys

I’m glad you had your favorite player sign your jersey. Now put it in a frame and hang it up in your man cave. If you’re over the age of ten you shouldn’t be asking for autographs, and you definitely shouldn’t be wearing jerseys with Sharpie all over them.

Weekend College Football Preview

16HourGuys Preview the Week Ahead in College Football

5 Quick Takes:

1)  Wisconsin forgot how to play football for 18 seconds last week.  What in God’s name is Joel Stave thinking?  And did I see a pulling guard? JUST…KICK IT!

2)  Kansas head coach Charlie Weis was upset at Rice last week.  That statement beams with irony.  Fat jokes aside, here’s a fresh picture to help you wash out your eye balls:

3)  I have a huge Man-Crush on new Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury.  I want to go on the rooftops and yell it.  I want the world to know. *Boop*

4) Katherine Webb is single now.  My bet’s on this guy…

Johnny Football

5)  Nebraska’s Head Ball Coach Bo Pelini gives ZERO F*&%s about Husker Fans.  Somewhere Dr. Tom Osborne is thinking…

This week’s BIG FIVE:

1) Kansas State 33 @ Texas 24 – Since 2003, Kansas State has continually curb stomped the Longhorns.   You can find this one, live, on the big, bad, Longhorn Network.  Look for the Wildcats to put up a ton of yards.  It’s time for a new football coach in Austin.

2) Tennessee 17 @ (#19) Florida 26 – For the love of Danny Wuerffel, I miss the days when this game used to mean something.  Butch Jones has the Vols sitting at the top of the recruiting rankings, but Tennessee fans need to remain patient for a couple more years.  Meanwhile, Will Muschamp sweats it out on the hot seat.  I think he gets through this one, and THIS FRIGGIN GUY remains loyal.  <—– (If you do anything today, open this link)

3) Michigan State 23 @ (#22) Notre Dame 21 – I’m picking Michigan State, for the sole reason that I absolutely hate the movie Rudy.  Call me a terrorist, but Notre Dame Golden-boy Joe Montana hates the movie too.  If MSU scores three touchdowns, they win.

4) (#23) Arizona State 20 @ (#5) Stanford 31 – The Pac-12 is deceivingly loaded this year.  I think the media’s SEC-love distracts from the football talent that the west coast still offers.  Ever since USC decided to suck, I think the talent has spread out.  There are athletes everywhere out west.  This game will be fun to watch, but ASU won’t have Joel Stave bailing them out in this one.  Stanford rolls.

5) Auburn 23 @ (#6) LSU 34 – Death Valley at night.  Ballgame, ballgame.

-Man, I love Football-

16HourGuys Weekend Football Preview

16HourGuys releases their first installment of NCAA/NFL Pick ‘Em:

NCAA Big Five:

5.  (25) Ole Miss 24 @ Texas 36  –  Everyone’s laughing at Mack Brown right now, including Texas fans.  With the departure of Manny Diaz, I think you’ll see a more inspired defense from Texas this week.  Hell, they could give up 549 yards on the ground this week and consider it an improvement.  Man, I want that DC job.  Ole Miss has some shinny new toys, but I think voters have been too quick to crown Robert Nkemdiche and the Rebs a top 25 team.

4. (19) Washington 35 @ Illinois 28  –  I expect this one to be closer than some might expect.  Nathan Scheelhasse has the Orange Guys playing with a chip on their shoulder this year.  Washington pulls this one out on the back of “Compton’s Finest” Keith Price.

3. Tennessee 23 @ (2) Oregon 49  –  Tennessee does this every year.  They come out hot, and fans start drinking the Kool Aid.  Vol’s fans will need some Busch Light after this one.  Oregon’s new OC Scott Frost, and one-time Husker wonder-boy, has the Ducks playing a lot like the Eagles did on Monday.  I like the Black Mamba racking up over 200 total yards in this one.

2. (16) UCLA  31 @ (23) Nebraska 40  –  Mannnnnn, this one’s tough.  Nebraska isn’t getting the respect they deserve right now, but letting Wyoming run up 600 yards of total offense (in Stankin’ Lincoln) in week one sure didn’t help.  But not so fast, I like Taylor Martinez, Ameer Abdullah, and Kenny Bell in this one.  Don’t forget to watch new JUCO D-end Randy Gregory (Jadeveon Clowney-Lite) chase down Brett Hundley in this one.  If the Huskers contain Hundley, I really like ’em in this one.  Note: this is basically a 9am game for UCLA.

Get a load of “RG44” (Clowney-Lite)

1. (1) Alabama 31 @ (6) Texas A&M 20  –  Where do you start with this one? I’m going to make my decision based on the number of Cranberry Vodkas that Johnny Football puts down tonight before the game.  I’m guessing not enough.  I think Alabama picks on Manziel the whole game.  The Aggies have made it through the first couple of weeks with a banged up/suspended defense, and I think AJ McCarron and the Tide will expose them this week.  You’ll be seeing a lot of THIS (eaaaaaasy Brent):

Katherine Webb

“LOL Game” – Iowa 17 @ Iowa State 21  –  If I were forced to watch this game, this picture pretty much sums it up-

Upset Watch:  Ohio State  –  Braxton Miller is beat up.  We’ve seen players out for 6-8 weeks with similar injuries (sprained knee).  The Buckeyes take on California this week.  Last year, they needed a 72 yard touchdown catch from Devin Smith to finish off the Bears.

NFL Big Five:

5. Cowboys 27 @ Chiefs 13  –  The Chiefs look a lot better this year with the addition of Alex Smith and a healthy Jamaal Charles, but while the rest of Twitter was laughing last weekend, I actually thought the Cowboys looked pretty good.  I think new OC Bill Callahan has the boys more focused on the run…that’s a good idea for them IMO…less Romo passes, and you’ll be seeing more of this:

4. Vikings 21 @ Bears 23  –  I like the Bears in this one, as I think the Soldier Field grass slows down Adrian Peterson (SAYS NO ONE EVER!!).  But seriously, I like the Bear’s defense in this one, mainly because I hate Christian Ponder.  How does a dorky, absolutely awful, quarterback land a girl like this?

3. Redskins 17 @ Packers 34  –  I like the Packers in a runaway here.  They took a lump in San Fran last week, but they still handled that environment pretty well.  I think Aaron Rogers spreads the ball out in this one, and throws at least 3 TD passes on the Redskins secondary, who’s coming off a short week.

2. Peyton’s Team 25 @ Eli’s Team 24  –   I think this will be the game of the week.  I like the Broncos in a close one.  Honestly, this was the toughest pick of the week.  I’m scared to say anything about this one, so I’ll go with the safe prediction.  *Eh humm*- Peyton Manning will not throw 7 touchdowns in this one.

1. 49ers 31 @ Seahawks 17  –  San Francisco is the best team in football right now.  They’re so unbelievably fast and physical.  Everywhere. It’s not even fair that they went out and picked up Anquan Boldin during the off-season.  I expect to see the 49ers play similarly to last week against a tough Seattle defense.

Upset Watch: Saints  –  Even though the Bucs were bested by the Jets in week one, I like them at home this weekend.  Lavonte David “peter tapped” Geno Smith late in the game last week and was fined by the NFL.  It’s too bad, because Lavonte is one of the NFL’s best young players, and this is the first time I’ve really heard his name in the news.  The fine was whack, and I think Lavonte and the Bucs will be playing mad this weekend.

“LOL Game”: Jaguars 21 @ Raiders 24  –  For the love of God.  I don’t think the weather channel would want to carry this game.  If Terrelle Pryor figures out how to tie his shoes before the game, I like the Raiders in this one.  The Jags have a long flight to Oakland, and will have an even more humbling trip home.

-Man, I love Football-

23 Million Motivated / Beyonce’s So Successful She Forgets To Eat

If you’re one of the nearly 23 million people that have watched the Youtube fireball “How Bad Do You Want It,” I’m hoping you came away from the video feeling equally as awkward as I did. Half of me wanted to run to the nearest beach and hit some agility drills, while the other half was left scratching my head. Regardless, this video has apparently been dope enough to attract the masses, and I want to talk about it…

Here’s a more in-depth look at the motivational video that’s getting the kids hyped these days (even if it is to go fire up some Madden on XBox):

1) Who is this beast? This 6 ft. 210lbs lump of muscle is Giovanni Ruffin. He is currently an NFL Free Agent, and a former running back at East Carolina University. He’s used his Youtube fame to start a t-shirt business called “Take No Days Off.” Follow him on Twitter- https://twitter.com/Giavanni_Ruffin

2) “Got on a suit, shoulda wore shorts?”– I don’t get it. What’s the difference. Did he show up in a business suit? A swim suit? Can’t you hang at the beach with shorts? Idk…

3) Where’s this music coming from? The music comes straight from the “Friday Night Lights” Soundtrack. Song one is called “Home,” and then it (albeit awkwardly) transitions to “Your Hand In Mine.” Personally, I don’t think this video would have 1M views without the music

5) So the dude tried to drown him? When the older kids used to do that to me at the pool they got a quick shot to the balls.

4) Who’s giving the speech? Eric Thomas (AKA The Hip Hop Preacher). The guy who is giving the speech is named Eric Thomas. Eric dropped out of high school and was homeless for 2 years. He went on to get his G.E.D. and later a bachelor’s which took him 12 years! He then completed a Master’s and is now working on his Ph.D. In 2005 he formed The Advantage, an Michigan State University organization designed to help students achieve their goals. His words are powerful!

5) Sand Workouts– Sand workouts are an excellent supplement to flat land speed/agility workouts. The soft sand absorbs 100% of the force applied into it, and throws back a small percentage of the force to you.

6) There’s no way Beyonce starved herself for 3 days. No way she’s maintaining those Jadeveon Clowney thighs by forgetting to sleep and eat.

7) Uphill Backpedal- Speaking of Beyonce’s thighs, backpedaling uphill fires your hamstrings and serves as an excellent speed workout. Pace is less important than maintaining good form and balance. Give it a try sometime, you’ll feel it.

8) 50 Cent sounds tough, he acts like he got shot in the face or something…

9) If I fire up this video with Pre-Workout in my system, I feel like I could kick a bowling ball through the uprights from 55 yards out.

10) While the logic in this video is awkwardly flawed, it serves as a powerful reminder about the sacrifice it takes to be successful.

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”