1. It’s going to be a quick one today, as we’re getting ready to leave for Cassandra Forsythe’s wedding in Vermont. For the record, this will likely be the last time she’s referred to as Cassandra Forsythe; she’ll be Forsythe-Pribanic by the end of the weekend!

2. One more reason to not use the abductor machine: OUCH!

3. Researchers have found that participation in a football game leads to a HEIGHT loss of almost one centimeter – likely due to compressive forces. Just imagine what happens when you put 500 pounds on your back and go for a squatting session! I haven’t seen any acute research in this regard, but there is evidence to show that retired weightlifters have reduced disc heights when compared with controls who didn’t lift. I’d be willing to bet that they also have fewer broken hips, can carry their own groceries, and pick up way more hotties in the convalescent home, so I’ll take functional capacity over a perfect MRI anyday.

4. Good points on the negative effects of flip-flops, but I don’t buy the argument that barefoot training is just as bad. The only reason it’s “bad” is that you can’t put orthotics on a bare foot…

5. My girlfriend cooked up some protein bars from John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition cookbook; awesome stuff! It’s the summer in the Northeast, so there are a lot of blueberries on-hand; they’re a great addition to the apple cinnamon bars, if you haven’t tried them already.

6. Tony Gentilcore started a training log over at T-Nation that describes a lot of the madness at Cressey Performance in our training group. It’s worth checking out – at the very least, to make sure that you make fun of Tony.

7. I mentioned it in my newsletter the other day, but if you are a fitness professional and haven’t signed up for Ryan Lee’s Bootcamp, I’d highly recommend you check it out.

8. Atta boy, Sam! Talk about clutch – and they had an 11-10 extra innings walk-off win last night. Good luck this weekend, Sudbury Legion.

I’ve got to run – but not before leaving you with a bit of nostalgic weekend motivation from the greatest motivator of all time!