Thursday, June 30, 2016

All You Need to Know About VMI for Mobile Apps

Most of the corporates have started utilizing smartphones and other different devices for business purpose. It has gone to such an extent that it has become almost necessary to consider significant risks and legal issues for a considerable number of companies.

VMI stands for Virtual Mobile Infrastructure and basically, it provides end users with a highly effective and an efficient way to have access to delicate mobile applications and information without much hassle. As a result, it offers extra security for data and devices. It has recently started growing to a considerable degree but still, it is a new technology and has managed to capture the desired attention level of various industrial sectors as well in the digital world.

It creates virtual versions of mobile applications and sends them to a vast collection of devices. These virtual mobile applications and their information are located in a highly secured data center, and end-users can view only those pictures that are displayed differently. It does not only impact the aspect of security, but it also changes functionality.

VMI-mobile

According to Information Technology’s viewpoint, VMI is a mobile-centric technology which gives access to Android virtual mobile devices running in a hybrid, public, or a private cloud. However, when it comes to end users’ perspective VMI is just another application on their operating system whether it be, iOS, Windows, or Android. It allows end users to have the organic and unadulterated mobile experience.

You can go through the application stores to download these client applications or use MAM to install these apps on your device. VMI needs a client that operates on both the sides and offers these applications and data. At the core of any virtual mobile infrastructure, product is the virtualization platform which hosts these VM applications and their information. These different platforms might exist in the cloud, but they depend on upon other technologies as well. It depends on upon different vendors as to whether the platform would run on bare metal or not.

mobile

Irrespective of the underlying VMI, all the big players in the VMI scene are utilizing Android to (or “intending to”) operating their virtual mobile applications. Although this does not limit the scope of VMI as the same space can incorporate other different operating systems.

Virtualization platforms enable organizations to deploy applications from a highly controlled and a safe environment. For testing VMI’s effectiveness, it is important to check whether it delivers virtual mobile applications as productively. VMI vendors also provide users with a precise form of gateway to enforce policies and route communications. They also use different technologies, such as video coding and compression. They use various methods to host the virtual mobile applications and their data, but in most cases almost every bit of it exists safely beyond the firewall.

The gateway operates on more than one controller nodes, and they serve as connection brokers between virtualization platform and the mobile devices. Other than that, VMI also offers applications to mobile devices through the use of remote protocol and uses numerous technologies to encrypt data for protection.

Apple introduces licensing limitations. As a result, they prevent Virtual Mobile Infrastructure vendors from being able to create virtual versions of iOS applications. For Virtual Mobile Infrastructure, Android is the best operating system due to its large customer base and open source feature.

Mobile devices that have access to VMI can run on any operating system provided it has a client application associated with it. These devices are not meant to be modified or changed by any means. The client application manages to negotiate the links with the VMI platform, which in turn, enhances processes such as 2-factor authentication and information stream decryption. Various clients can use local device features, such as cameras or GPS.

For example, Sierraware allows end users to have access to printing services and connected USB devices. Today, almost every player in the VMI scene supports Android or iOS devices.

VMI-mobile-android.jpg

Sierraware provides access to HTML5, which in turn, enhances the availability of virtual mobile applications to any device. Moreover, it is amazing to notice that virtual mobile infrastructure can integrate with mobile application management and mobile device management. These products are not supposed to replace administrative skills that have been developed into VMI services.

Most of these services provide highly centralized management tools. These products allow end users that act as an administration team to enforce password related policies. Interestingly, it also provides geofencing skills for regulating and monitoring locations where users can have access to VM applications and where they cannot.

End users also have access to individual environments and independent work from one device only. When employees leave their jobs, information technology cancels their privileges and all the additional benefits to the virtual mobile devices.

Author Bio:
Shahid Abbasi is a big time tech geek working with one of the top android app development companies, Peerbits. He has a proven efficiency over designing mobile apps for the enhanced UI/UX for websites and mobile apps. Moreover, he likes to share his knowledge over a series of technical blogs to make himself more resourceful globally. Over the weekends, he transforms himself into become an awesome cook.

The post All You Need to Know About VMI for Mobile Apps appeared first on Information Technology Blog.



from Information Technology Blog http://ift.tt/295wu9y

History of Cryptology – Encryption

Learn about history of cryptology throughout the ages!   Cryptography, the use of codes and ciphers to protect secrets, began thousands of years ago. Until recent decades, it has been the story of what might be called classic cryptography — that is, of methods of encryption that use pen and paper, or perhaps simple mechanical aids. In the early 20th century, the invention of complex mechanical and electromechanical machines, such as the Enigma rotor machine, provided more sophisticated and efficient means of encryption; and the subsequent introduction of electronics and computing has allowed elaborate schemes of still greater complexity, most of which are entirely unsuited to pen and paper.

History of Cryptology
The development of cryptography has been paralleled by the development of cryptanalysis — the “breaking” of codes and ciphers. The discovery and application, early on, of frequency analysis to the reading of encrypted communications has, on occasion, altered the course of history. Thus the Zimmermann Telegram triggered the United States’ entry into World War I; and Allied reading of Nazi Germany’s ciphers shortened World War II, in some evaluations by as much as two years.

Until the 1970s, secure cryptography was largely the preserve of governments. Two events have since brought it squarely into the public domain: the creation of a public encryption standard (DES), and the invention of public-key cryptography.

Source: Wikipedia

The-History-of-Encryption
Learn about history of cryptology events throughout the ages with the Egress History of Encryption infographic. Egress Software Technologies are providers of email encryption software and file encryption & large file transfers.

Originally posted 2015-06-08 20:48:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The post History of Cryptology – Encryption appeared first on Information Technology Blog.



from Information Technology Blog http://ift.tt/1X3noZq

Current Mortgage Rates for Thursday, June 30, 2016

Welcome to the TMS current mortgage rates blog. There’s some economic data out today, but first, your daily mortgage rate forecast/advice.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Where are mortgage rates going?

Rates are lowest since May 2013

The first Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) since the Brexit is out and it’s showing, as predicted, that rates sunk to new 2016 lows. The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is now at 3.48% (0.5 points); the average rate on a 15-year fixed rate is 2.78% (0.4 points); and the average rate on a 5-year ARM is 2.70% (0.5 points). Mortgage rates haven’t been this low since May 2013, and the 30-year fixed is only 17 basis points above the all-time low of 3.31%.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

current mortgage rates

We’re still dealing with the uncertainty brought on by last week’s Brexit vote. There’s really no telling when the tide will turn and rates will begin to climb out from their current basement. It’s going to take a string of positive data to rally the troops and give investors more faith in the equities market before any progress is made. Until then, we’re dealing with incredibly low rates.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

10-year yield yet to find its footing

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note is currently trading at 1.48%. For the first time since the Brexit, it rose above 1.50%, getting as high as 1.52% earlier this morning, but has since retreated.

Fed Fund futures

Checking in on the Fed Fund futures has taken a bit of a different tone after the Brexit. Instead of looking at the near-term meetings, like July and September, we’re now left to stare out almost into next year for any hope of a rate hike. Even then, the futures don’t present us with a very persuasive picture. December now has a 19.9% chance of the Federal Funds rate being moved 25 basis points up from its current position. It doesn’t take a seasoned gambler to understand that those are poor odds.

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.

What does this mean for me?

Mortgage rates are at new 2016 lows. That’s good news for anyone looking to refinance or purchase a home. There’s really no telling how long rates will be down at these levels, so I would recommend you get it while the getting’s good.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Today’s economic data:

Weekly Initial Jobless Claims still low

The labor market continues to provide a degree of calm in an otherwise chaotic economy. Jobless claims for the week of 6/25 came in at 268,000, which is up 10,000 from the previous week, but still a fairly low number. The 4-week moving average is unchanged. The June employment report will be released next Friday, and could potentially be a strong one. A robust monthly employment report is the type of economic event that could catalyze financial market participants back into their pre-Brexit ways.

Chicago PMI jumps

The Chicago PMI jumped up to 56.8 in June. That’s a very solid reading, and much higher than the 50.5 that was expected. It’s the type of volatility that we’ve come to expect from the Chicago PMI.

Miscellanea:

  • Boris Johnson, former London Mayor and prominent face for the Leave campaign, stated yesterday that he will not be putting himself into the mix of likely candidates for David Cameron’s successor as Prime Minister. The decision came as somewhat of a surprise.

Notable events this week:      

Monday:

  • International Trade in Goods
  • Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey

Tuesday:

  • GDP
  • S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index
  • Consumer Confidence

Wednesday:

  • Personal Income and Outlays
  • Janet Yellen speaks
  • Pending Home Sales Index
  • EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday:

  • Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
  • Chicago PMI

Friday:

  • PMI Manufacturing Index
  • ISM Manufacturing Index
  • Construction Spending

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/29cGleg

Why Raising Too Much Money Can Harm Your Startup

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

4 Tips to Intensify the Benefits of Saunas

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Saunas are used throughout the world for their health benefits. Below are some tips to intensify the benefits of saunas – read on!

2689085868_0e776fa511_z

Drink Plenty of Water
Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water before going inside the sauna room, holistic physician Lawrence Wilson recommends in “Sauna Therapy.” During the sauna bath, the body produces a therapeutic sweat that eliminates heavy metals and toxic chemicals, Wilson says. Sauna enthusiasts say that the body can lose about a pint of water during a 20-minute sauna session. Source: LiveStrong

Exercise First
Exercise prior to entering the sauna. Since the sauna promotes circulation of the flow of blood through the body, this will help you recover from joint and muscle soreness from your workout. Plan your use of the sauna on days you rest from exercise. While beneficial in conjunction with exercise, it is claimed that a session of 15-20 minutes will give you a workout equivalent to a brisk walk of 1-2 hours. This is due to an increase in your heart rate which is similar to that which occurs during a brisk walk.  Source: wikiHow

Choose the Right Temperature
The temperature you create inside the sauna is very important in achieving the most beneficial sauna session. Studies show that it’s best to heat the sauna to a temperature between 176 and 194 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, you will feel comfortable inside the sauna, you will not overwhelm your body with too much heat, and you will benefit from all the good effects of the sauna. Source: AllWomenSites

Alternate Temperatures
After about 15 minutes, you better step out of sauna room to cool down your body in air. It is better to jump into a cold pool or lake. Experts say that shocking your body with hot and cold in succession increases the effects of sauna detoxification and increase the blood circulation in your body.
You need not to get your body chilled. When you start feeling cold, you better come back to the sauna room and stay there until you start sweating again. You have to repeat this heating and cooling of your body three to four times for best results. Just be sure not to exceed 45 minutes in total in the sauna room.
When you are finished, cool yourself with fresh air, not cold water, to settle your body temperature. Take a cold bath afterwards to remove any dead skin cells. Source: StepByStep

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

The post 4 Tips to Intensify the Benefits of Saunas appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.



from Perfect Bath Canada http://ift.tt/294eGvk

Best Habs Fans Tweets About The P.K. Subban Trade

Being a Bruins fan I am not the least bit sad to see P.K. Subban traded out of the division and better even the conference. He got in the Bruins’ heads so many times especially during the 2014 playoffs and has been a B’s KILLER throughout his career. Every #nhlbruins fan after learning PK Subban [...]

The post Best Habs Fans Tweets About The P.K. Subban Trade appeared first on Boston Sports Then & Now.



from Boston Sports Then & Now http://ift.tt/293ZuhV

Daily Calisthenics Routine

It’s always tough working something new into your daily routine. Let’s face it, we’re all plenty busy as it is. Between work, family life, and scrolling through various social media feeds, where does the day go?

The thing is, fitness is something everyone should be making time for. But some people — beginners as well as seasoned athletes — just don’t know the best way to go about it. And that’s why we’ve put together a quick, simple way for you to get an effective calisthenics workout every single day, even if you have minimal time.

This simple bodyweight routine is perfect for anyone that wants to get on track with their fitness. You likely won’t find any of these maneuvers too confusing or difficult, and that’s exactly what we’re going for here. We’ve got plenty of other resources for advanced calisthenics movements, but what we’ve got here is pretty simple. So couple that with the fact that it won’t take more than a few minutes, and there’s no reason this can’t be worked into your daily routine.

It’s broken up into a series of stretches that will be beneficial for everyday movements, followed by three sets of different exercises that will target key muscle groups.

Daily stretch routine

Each of these stretches will dramatically improve your mobility, flexibility and overall body control.

Wrist Mobility

Shoulder Rolls

Cat-Camels

Leg Swings

Daily calisthenics routine

These classic bodyweight exercises can be done in a circuit or one at a time. Either way, it’s a quick way to activate most of your body’s muscles and keep your body sharp every day.

Daily Pushups

3 * 10 pushups

Daily Squats

3 * 15 squats

Daily Planks

3 * 30s plank

 

The post Daily Calisthenics Routine appeared first on Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts.



from Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts http://ift.tt/293nZeV

Current Mortgage Rates for Wednesday, June 29, 2016

“The further the pendulum swings out over woe, the further it is bound to swing back over mirth.”

-Mark Twain

Mortgage rates fell to multi-year following the referendum where the United Kingdom voted to leave the E.U. at the end of last week.  For now, at least, they remain at those levels.

People must be buying the dip, because equities have bounced back from the post-Brexit beating (somewhat).  Stocks got walloped after Britain voted to leave the E.U. on Thursday night.  Now they’ve come back (but not all the way).  Interestingly, Treasury yields have more or less held steady since last week – normally Treasury and stock prices have an inverse relationship.  10-year Treasury yields were around 1.75% pre-Brexit, and immediately plummeted to about 1.45% post-Brexit.  Part of this is a flight to safety, and part of it may be the pricing-out of the expectation of a Fed rate hike.

Honestly, what has changed since Thursday/Friday?  Nothing.  Nothing at all, other than prices.  The future of the U.K. and the E.U. is still very uncertain.  I can’t really draw any conclusions from the market movement, excepting that markets are volatile, and the herd mentality is strong. No real insight there, unfortunately.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Recent economic data:

Lots of data was issued yesterday and today.

  • The final estimate of first quarter GDP came in at 1.1%, a little higher than the consensus estimate of 1.0%, and up from the second revision of 0.8%.  The Atlanta Fed’s nowcast of second quarter GDP is currently at 2.6%.
  • The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for April showed the 20-city index rising by 0.5% from March, on a seasonally adjusted basis.  On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, prices were up 1.1% from the month prior.  Both numbers came in a little below estimates.  Housing remains strong, but growth is slowing.
  • Consumer Confidence jumped in June, coming in at a reading of 98 versus the expectation of 93.3, and up from a level of 92.6 in May. Fundamentally, I have no idea why this happened.  I question the value of these surveys, and I question whether the “consumer” is paying attention to anything whatsoever.
  • The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index for June showed a reading of -7. down from May’s reading of -1.  Manufacturing is still weak, and the sky is still blue.
  • Incomes and spending dipped in May.  Personal Income was up by 0.2% from the month prior, missing expectations.  Consumer spending was flat at 0.4%.  The core PCE Deflator was up 0.2% from April, and was up 0.9% on a year-over-year basis.  See my comment re: consumers above.
  • The EIA Petroleum Status Report showed that crude inventories fell last week.

In the near-term, I don’t know that any of this matters, really.  The markets are still digesting the Brexit, and things are going to be volatile for a while.

Some Fed discussion:

There’s not much else to discuss, so…  Later today we hear from Janet Yellen.  Yesterday we heard from Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell. Powell is generally seen as fairly neutral on the hawk-dove scale.  His speech yesterday was pretty dovish, and generally seemed to indicate that the Fed is likely to keep their powder dry until things settle down.  He said that “global risks have shifted even further to the downside” because of the Brexit.  Further, he said:

“It is far too early to judge the effects of the Brexit vote. As the global outlook evolves, it will be important to assess the implications for the U.S. economy, and for the stance of policy appropriate to foster continued progress toward our objectives of maximum employment and price stability.”

Look at the schedule of the remainder of the Fed meetings through the end of the year: July, September, November, December.  I think we can easily rule July out due to Brexit uncertainty, and the same likely goes for September unless we really start seeing some good jobs reports, rising wages, and sustainable rising inflation in the U.S. between now and then (I’d take the under on that).  The November concludes six days before the presidential election.  I think we can rule out a rate hike at that meeting.

So we’re left looking at December.  Right now the Fed Fund futures are pricing in a scant 12% probability of a hike in December, and basically the same price of a hike in February 2017.  And that seems to be as far out as the CME’s Fedwatch Tool goes.  In fact, futures are showing that there is a non-zero chance of a rate cut before the end of the year.  I wouldn’t make that bet, but some people are.

From a Bloomberg article this morning, regarding the chances of a hike based upon money market derivatives:

“Traders, who have consistently been better at projecting the path of interest rates than the Fed itself, are now pricing in a greater probability that policy makers will cut rates in upcoming meetings than raise them. They don’t assign more than a 50 percent chance of an increase until the beginning of 2018, and don’t price in a full rate hike until the final quarter of the year.”

Take it all with a grain of salt, but pay attention to the trend.  The Fed wanted to hike 3 or 4 times this year.  They’ve hiked once.  It seems unlikely they will hike again, and while I believe it to be unlikely, there is a chance they could cut rates this year.

Is this the new normal?  I have no idea, and I don’t know that anyone else does either.  One thing I can say is that if you were holding your breath waiting for inflation, you would have died sometime in 2012.

Don’t wait for rates to rise. Start your mortgage process now.

What’s the takeaway for rates this week?:

There’s not much to say here.  Rates are close to historic lows.  If you want to refinance, now is an excellent time.  If you’re looking to buy a new house, now is an excellent time.  If you have a mortgage, you pretty much owe it to yourself to call some lenders and see if you can shorten your rate or term, or otherwise put yourself in a more advantageous financial situation.

There really is no telling how long rates will stay this low.  I really doubt we’ll see a jump in rates in the near future, but I probably said the same thing before the taper tantrum.  Don’t try to time the market, it doesn’t necessarily move rationally.  I *strongly* recommend you look into refinancing now. And if you’re buying, and can lock in a rate or accelerate the process, do so.

Don’t wait for rates to rise. Start your mortgage process now.

Notable events this week:

Monday:

  • International Trade in Goods
  • Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey

Tuesday:

  • GDP
  • S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index
  • Consumer Confidence

Wednesday:

  • Personal Income and Outlays
  • Janet Yellen speaks
  • Pending Home Sales Index
  • EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday:

  • Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
  • Chicago PMI

Friday:

  • PMI Manufacturing Index
  • ISM Manufacturing Index
  • Construction Spending

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/29aM6rn

5 Home Improvement Projects that Pay Back the Most

If you’re itching to make improvements to your home with hopes of upping your resale value, you may be tempted to renovate your bathroom, kitchen or closets. Although these updates can increase buyer appeal, as well as add to your own enjoyment of your abode, the return on investment for these projects typically is low.

The home improvement projects that will pay back the most aren’t as glamorous, but you’ll recoup more of the expense when you sell your home.

Here are the five projects that offer the most value by boosting your home sale price and allowing you to recover most of the money you spent—possibly even more than you spent—according to the 2015 Remodeling Impact Report by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Association of Realtors.

1. Replacing your roof 

Although putting a new roof on your home may not feel quite as satisfying as upgrading your kitchen appliances or installing a shiny new spa tub, it’s the home improvement with the best return on investment, according to the report. Homeowners who replace their roof can expect to recoup 105% of the value, meaning they’ll actually make money on this project.

The NARI estimates you’ll spend $7,600 to tear off an old roof on a 2,450-square-foot, two-level house; install laminated, architectural asphalt shingles; place new flashing around pipes and chimneys; and install a new ridge vent. The project isn’t cheap, but you can recover $8,000 in costs for your effort.

There’s no need to replace a perfectly good roof, but if yours has wear and tear, it could be a good investment before you sell.

2. Refinishing your hardwood floors

The home renovation project with the second-highest ROI is refinishing your hardwood floors. Transforming dull, scratched wood floors into shiny, good-as-new flooring is a great deal: Homeowners typically recoup 100% of the expenses.

Freshening up scuffed wood flooring in an 18-by-20-foot family room costs approximately $2,500, the NARI estimates, which includes sanding floors to bare wood, refinishing them with polyurethane and adding new matching baseboards. Because homeowners typically are able to gain back the full value of this project when selling their home, it’s a worthwhile project.

3. Upgrading your insulation 

An insulation upgrade offers the third-best potential for recovering the value of the project, at 95%. Expect to spend about $2,100 for adding 10 inches of blown-in cellulose insulation to your attic, according to NARI estimates, but you’ll recover approximately $2,000 of that cost. And you’ll lower your energy bills by upgrading your insulation.

4. Installing wood flooring 

The NARI estimates that it costs homeowners $5,500 to replace worn carpet with new, solid oak flooring and baseboards in an 18-by-20-foot room. But the value recovered is $5,000—91% of the expense—making it the home improvement project with the fourth-highest ROI. Although you won’t regain the full value when you sell your house, new wood floors can significantly improve the look of your home, boosting buyer appeal.

5. Replacing your garage door 

Replacing a creaky, slow garage door with a new one also has relatively high value for homeowners. You won’t recover the full value of the upgrade, an estimated $2,300, but you’ll gain back 87%—that’s $2,000—when you sell your home, the NARI estimates.

Next steps 

If you’re ready to kick off some of these projects but don’t have enough cash in your bank account, a cash-out refinance is one way to fund home upgrades. Try NerdWallet’s refinance calculator to see whether that option makes sense for you.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/2940lxv

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Top 6 Plyometric Pushups

clap pushup

Push-ups are part of the foundation of calisthenics. They’re essential for building muscle in the upper body, and much safer than using a bench press. If you put a serious focus on your push-ups, you can start to see results in a short amount of time. Check out this guy, who did 200 push-ups a day for 30 days, and the results were a noticeable difference in size and definition in his upper body.

A lot of people know push-ups only for their chest benefits, but they’re also great for your triceps, deltoids, and core.

Push-ups can be a great motivator, no matter how you use them. Just last week, it was reported that the Tennessee Titans are rolling out a new discipline system for their training camp, where if one player commits a penalty, they have to watch the rest of their team do push-ups as punishment.

The problem, though, is that after a while, the standard push-up can get a little, shall we say, dull? It’s not the push-up’s fault; we just get too used to the routine. But then what should we do?

Well, if you’re serious about getting a toned, lean body that is build with solid muscle, you need to mix it up a little bit! And we’re going to do that with the classic push-up. But we have to be careful here. Sometimes adding a new twist just for the sake of keeping things fresh has terrible consequences. So we have to make this good (no pressure).

And in order to do that, we’re going to show you some awesome plyometric push-ups that are sure to kick your workouts into another gear!

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with plyometrics, or just don’t have a lot of experience with them, that’s alright! This is a great place to start. Plyometrics (or “plyos”) are known as “jump training”, in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength).

There are a lot of good reasons to utilize plyometrics, which we’ve outlined here. And one of those reasons is, as we’ve already discussed, to prevent boredom. For bodyweight training, it’s a great way to add a challenging and fun element to many different workouts. But you’re also going to increase your strength and power, boost the efficiency of your neuromuscular system, and in general become more athletic. That definitely sounds like it’s worth giving a try!

Below are six videos detailing our favorite plyometric push-ups. As you’ll see, not only are these much more interesting than a standard push-up, they’re also much tougher. Don’t be discouraged if these are exercises you don’t get on your first try. As a matter of fact, that’s a good thing! What better way to break the monotony of an exercise you’ve mastered than by adding some difficult elements?

As always, you want to practice caution with these variations. You’ll be exerting a lot more energy than with normal push-ups, so make sure you’re stretched and hydrated. And if you’ve got some plyometric push-ups you use to further your calisthenics training, be sure to let us know about them in the comments!

6) Walking Push-Up

5) Single-Clap Push-Up

4) Muy Thai Push-Up

3) Triple-Clap Push-Up

2) Flying Superman Push-Up

1) Aztec Pushup

The post Top 6 Plyometric Pushups appeared first on Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts.



from Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts http://ift.tt/29cBAi9

5 Must-Have Productivity Tools

The modern working regime has quite a few rules that we need to understand and follow. With the fast paced environment all around us, the regular working day has become more dynamic and productivity oriented. If you look just several years back, being productive meant how many calls you can make during a day. Well that changed and for the better. Being productive still implicits this fact, but it also implies sending emails, attending meetings, writing reports, updating social media and much more. It is not enough to be just productive, as you need to be a master multitasker in general. And that’s not an easy thing to accomplish.

The thing is — not everyone can be efficient. People tend to give 100% but still do not have satisfactory results. All of us can get lost in responsibilities, often struggling to finish even the smallest tasks. The day became so hectic that it feels like a roller-coaster ride sometimes. And yes, people are getting used to this, but we always seem to be lacking in time.

To master the art of scheduling the daily work and saving precious hours, we must resort to various useful tools that can be found online. While there are tons of tools that are not good enough and can be actually labeled as time-wasting, there is a significant number of those that are actually really helpful. We went looking for the MVPs of online productivity and found these 5 sturdy tools that can help you be more productive at work:

TeuxDeux

What is TeuxDeux? A simple to-do app is what they say, but it is much more than that. TeuxDeux combines graphic elements with user-friendly interface making it a productivity savior. You just set your to-do schedule and if you don’t manage to finish everything, your to-dos will be transferred to the next day. Among the rest, you can download all your to-dos at any time with a click of a button. If you fancy pen and paper, but like making to-do lists, you will love TeuxDeux.

PDF OCR Converter

A special bookmark place is needed for this productivity tool. With PDF OCR, you can convert scanned PDF documents to completely editable Word files. All that paper laying around your office can be scanned and converted in no time. The tool allows you to easily save and edit all your important papers with no limitations to the file size. Having the integrated advanced OCR technology, everything is 100% accurate. Just try it and we guarantee you’ll love it.

FREE PDF OCR Converter

FREE PDF OCR Converter

Rapportive

Simply put, Rapportive is showing everything you need to know about your LinkedIn contacts right inside your mail. It is a free Chrome extension that allows you to get LinkedIn profiles embedded inside your inbox. Pretty neat and time-saving, don’t you think? You can see your contact’s job, profile picture, company profile, and much more. Maybe this is not the most useful tool in the world, but it can be used in making your daily work way more productive.

Mozy

We all understand the importance of backing up our personal files, right? One of the biggest fears of the 21st century is realizing your hard drive has crashed and you’ve lost all you data in a matter of seconds. That is why it has become a necessity to backup your files. And here comes Mozy to take care of it all. It is an online backup service where all your files are safely stored in an online environment. More than 6 million users cannot be wrong and is the terms go, better safe than sorry.

StayFocusd

We’ve all been in a situation where we had to motivate ourselves to get productive and stop wasting time. And can you remember what usually happens after you try that strategy? Within minutes, you are doing the exact opposite — checking your Twitter, Facebook and watching YouTube videos realizing that you haven’t done any work. StayFocusd, as the name says, helps you stay focused on important work-related things. It increases your productivity by not allowing you to spend huge amount of hours on those time-wasting websites. Just block sites that are distracting you and you are good to go.

These are just some of the tools that can increase your productivity and help you in your daily work. And remember, being productive is not the same as thinking that you are. When you realize this, you are one step ahead. Just keep on walking.

The post 5 Must-Have Productivity Tools appeared first on Information Technology Blog.



from Information Technology Blog http://ift.tt/290TeD9

16 Top Project Management Methodologies

Adapts to change, capitalizes on trends, and creates a dynamic team through collaboration 4 and flexibility. Stakeholders review the project LL.at each stage so teams can make the right adjustments, creating high-quality products „ that meet customer need.
XP? CCPM? PRISM? If you’re new to Project Management. the number of different • methodologies (and acronyms( can be mind-boggling.
We’ve broken 16 common project management methodologies into bite-sized pieces to help you choose the best approach for your next project.
ADAPTIVE PROJECT FRAMEWORK (APF)
Improves the project at every stage by learning from the previous stage’s results. By defining project goals and regularly reviewing project scope, managers can deliver the highest possible business value for the customer.
ma go. •• qb

• . . . ’91FFITS REALIFP.T.
Defines success as achieving a desired benefit. If clients want to increase sales by 15% and hire you to develop new CRM software, the project isn’t complete until sales are up 15% – even if you deliver the desired CRM on time and within budget.
CRITICAL CHAIN PROJECT MANAGEMENT (CCPM)
Avoids project delays by identifying a “critical hain” of tasks, reserving resources for those tasks. Since schedules are built around resource availability the project timeline may be longer, but there’s less chance of missing important deadlines.
l’IRITICAt PATH METHOD (CP!:
Determines your project’s shortest timeline so you can adjust to shifting deadlines. By identifying the project’s most essential tasks, you can estimate completion dates, dependencies, milestones, and deliverables. And compare what should be happening with what is happening every day.
EVENT CHAIN MFTWOriM OPY OM)
Helps recognize and plan for potential risks. Monte Carlo Analysis and Event Chain Diagrams help determine the probability of certain risks and their potential impact. Visualizing the relationship between external events and project tasks helps create realistic plans.
EXTREME PROGRAMMING (XP)
Features short development cycles, frequent releases, and open communication with stakeholders. Teams focus on collaboration and efficiency, writing the simplest possible code to produce the desired feature, avoiding burnout and low-quality deliverables.
KANBAN
Produces a slow and steady stream of deliverables through continuous workflow. Managers often use a whiteboard or sticky notes to represent progress and uncover process problems. By understanding where time is wasted, teams can improve productivity.
TO DO
IN PROGRESS
DONE


a
Delivers high-value, high-quality work with less manpower, money, and time. Lean cuts waste by eliminating bottlenecks, focusing on customer value, and continually improving processes. Use Lean to cut budgets, meet quick deadlines, and get big results with a small team.
Ir—
PRINCE2 (PROJECTS IN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS)
Ensures that every project has business justification and will contribute value. Planning begins by identifying a clear need, targeted customer, realistic benefits, and accurate cost assessment.
LEAN SIX SIGMA
Comb-nes Lean’s efficiency with Six Sigma’s statistics-based process improvement. By defining how work actually gets done, teams eliminate waste and focus on delivering the highest possible value to clients.
PRISM (PROJECTS INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE METHODS)
Blends project planning with environmental sustainability measures. Want to go green? PRiSM is for you. Reduce energy, waste management, and distribution costs, all while reducing your environmental footprint
PROCESS-BASED PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Guarantees every project furthers the company’s mission. Before project kick-off, the plan is analyzed to see if it will live up to the mission statement; if not, all strategies and goals are adjusted. Every action adds value to an organization’s strategic vision.
A
Emphasizes productivity, focus and collaboration so teams can build high-quality deliverables quickly and adapt to change easily. Teams work in short sprints for maximum efficiency, plus they can test new iterations quickly and fix mistakes right away.
Improves processes and product quality by reducing defects or bugs. A rating of “six sigma” means that 99.99966% of what’s produced is defect-free. By examining the entire production process, you can find possible improvements even before defects appear.
WATERFALL
Breaks projects down into a series of sequential tasks. With clearly defined goals and a set timeline, teams work through tasks in order, completing each one before moving on to the next in line. And extensive planning means accurate timelines and budgets.
Learn more at
WRIKE.COM
Curious about the pros and cons of each approach? Go to
http://bit.ly/PMmethods
Brought to youby Werie
Award-winning project management and collaboration software
SOURCES: about.com, brighthubpm.com, intaver.com, my-project-management-expert.com, pmkb.com, projectmanagement.com, projectsmart.co.uk, sixsigmaonline.com, tutorialspoint.com, wikipedia.org

16 Top Project Management Methodologies Infographic brought to you by Wrike – Collaborate Online For Free

Originally posted 2015-07-25 02:41:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The post 16 Top Project Management Methodologies appeared first on Information Technology Blog.



from Information Technology Blog http://ift.tt/1aP1LJD

Jump Start Your Summer Vegetable Garden

Tending to a few potted flowers is one thing, but managing an entire garden of vegetables is a big to-do.

Thanks to warmer temperatures, extended sunlight hours, and a general ease to the daily grind, the summer season is often the ideal time for venturing into the world of gardening.

When deciding to turn your backyard into a veritable food factory, it is important to have a few fast facts about farming. You don’t necessarily need to have a green thumb to produce a thriving vegetable garden, but a little bit of researching and strategizing can make the difference between bloom and bust.

Placement Is Key.

Before choosing which vegetables you want to plant, you need to think about where you are planting them. Regardless of climate, it is best to find a space sequestered from any shrubbery or buildings, a space that gets direct sunlight with minimal shade. In this setting, you will have maximum control over the conditions of your garden, allowing you to tweak things such as heat, shade, and irrigation to suit whatever you plant.

Once you have chosen such a location, the next step is to create the perfect conditions for growing vegetables. It is more than just ripping out sod. Actually, most farmers recommend building raised beds for your vegetable gardens.

Traditional raised beds are no more than 4 feet above the ground and contain rows of crops that should be planted in succession to increase their total yields throughout the year. (Planting in succession is defined as rotating crops in your garden to increase its fertility.) Below the raised bed, farmers usually put a base of cardboard that prevents any underground weeds from burrowing through your topsoil.

Play to the Region.

You know your climate best. If, for instance, you live in the Northeast then direct sunlight is a must. Shade is otherwise needed for intensely hot climates that could burn or shrivel up plants.

Another handy recommendation is to use what is around you to build your raised beds. Have a rocky backyard? Take some of those rocks to frame the bed for an aesthetically pleasing garden.

Choosing Soil Depends on the Plants.

However, soil is one factor that does not depend on location, but what you put in it. Most farmers recommend a 50/50 compost mix to enrich soil. Good soil is abundant in organic matter as well as agricultural lime, rock phosphate, and greensand. You can provide your soil an additional boost by scattering it with used coffee grounds, eggshells, banana peels, and shredded leaves.

Fun fact: a sprinkling of baking soda on soil helps grow sweeter tomatoes.

Do Fence It In.

Unless you live in a detention center with mile-high walls, you probably have critters that occasionally cross through your backyard. They are the number one threat to your burgeoning vegetable garden. After identifying what kind of animals you have in your backyard, it is time to plan a defense.

Unless faced with bears and deer, you can usually go with a lower chicken wire fence anywhere from 3 to 4 feet high. The fence should be soft on the top to prevent animals from climbing up it. Likewise, the fence should have an underground apron component to prevent animals from digging into the garden from underneath.

One of the best recommendations for building the fence is to build a solid one. That way the animals don’t know what they are missing.

Special precautions should be taken if you intend on planting sugary berry fruits like blueberries and raspberries. Because birds are attracted to these fruits, they can swoop down and eat them. For prevention’s sake, cover the plants with extra chicken wire or an extremely sheer fabric to allow sunlight in without the pesky beaks of hungry birds.

Now for the Best Part: Choosing What to Plant.

Finally, once you have planned and plotted out your summer vegetable garden, it is time to plant. Timing is of the essence: it is important to plant your crops as soon as possible once into the summer season.

Actually, the best time to start planting is after the threat of frost bite disappears. For most regions of the United States, that occurs between April and May while the first frost bite usually occurs between September and October.

Here are a few of the most popular options for summer vegetables:

  • Tomatoes
  • Squash
  • Zucchini
  • Corn
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Okra
  • Peppers
  • Melons

What’s the Best?

Of these 9 choices (and all their varieties) tomatoes are the frontrunner for producing the best results. The most important trick here is to wait until night temperatures stay above 50 degrees to plant them—they are very temperamental and will otherwise freeze to death. Other than that, they are pretty tolerant plants.

If you love a small challenge from an unsuspecting vegetable, try okra! The veggie loves hot weather, and its seeds are sown directly into the ground.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/2960S3S

Current Mortgage Rates for Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Welcome to the TMS current mortgage rates blog. There’s some economic data out today, but first, your daily mortgage rate forecast/advice.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Where are mortgage rates going?

Brexit turmoil softens, but still continues

When the U.K. voted to leave the European Union last week, and global markets began to go into free-fall mode, one question on people’s minds was: how long will this last? Well, after a couple days of worrisome stock declines, there are finally some signs that investors have begun to settle down.

In the U.S., stock futures have gained back a modest amount of their massive losses, as investors start to dip their toes into risky waters once again. No one knows how the Brexit will affect the European trading bloc as we’re sort of swimming in the dark here, so the only hope investors have is to hope they get lucky with their estimated guesses. At the time of this writing, the DOW, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 are all trading in the positive.

Across the pond, the British pound, which had gotten battered down to a 31-year low yesterday, was up 0.8% against the dollar and 0.12% against the Euro. Does this mean that a Brecovery is in the works? Unlikely. Today’s gains seem to be due to investors profiting from bets that the pound would decline.

With David Cameron saying yesterday that it will be the job of the next Prime Minister to orchestrate the details of Britain leaving the European Union, the markets are forced to wait even longer to understand the full repercussions the deal. With no clear leading candidate for Cameron’s successor, analysts are dealing with a variety of politicians and their implications for Brexit negotiations.

As one market analyst put it, we are in “a period of exceptional uncertainty.” Only time will tell what comes of all of this.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was scheduled to participate in a debate on Wednesday with Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, but that event has now been canceled. Apparently, the European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who was also set to appear in the debate, has more important things to attend to in Brussels.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

10-year yield is still way-way down

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note is currently trading at a staggering 1.47%. That’s less than 10 basis points above the all-time low of 1.39%. Yesterday, it dropped as low as 1.43%. It’s hard to truly comprehend just how strange that is. Mortgage rates have a tendency to follow in the footsteps of the 10-year yield, so the low yield likely means low rates.

Fed Fund futures paint a fuzzy picture

For the majority of the year, it seemed as though there would at least be one rate hike in 2016. After the Brexit, any prior plans went out the window. We’re left with Fed Fund futures that don’t show any remote chance of a rate hike until December, but even then it’s only a 17.3% chance.

That’s not good. What’s worse is that there’s a 7.6% chance that rates will be lowered by 25 basis points. No doubt, the Fed Fund futures can be volatile, and there’s no telling what levels they will adjust to, but a rate hike seems miles and miles away at the moment.

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.

What does this mean for me?

Mortgage rates are incredibly low, and it’s a great time to get a mortgage or refinance. There’s really not much else to say. How long will they stay like this? That’s anyone’s guess. My advice: lock in a low rate while you can.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Today’s economic data:

First-quarter GDP at 1.1%

The third and final first-quarter estimate from the Commerce Department is showing that GDP rose by 1.1%. That’s a hair above the consensus for 1.0%. That’s not bad considering that personal consumption was the worst in two years.

S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index

The 20-City index jumped up 5.4% from the previous April. Home prices in some cities are even moving higher than levels reached pre-Great Recession. Hopefully, these prices aren’t artificially inflated.

Consumer Confidence spikes

Consumer confidence came in at a 98.0 for June. That’s a decent amount higher than the consensus of 93.3, and is the best reading of the year.

Miscellanea:

As if the British weren’t dealing with enough as is, their national soccer team suffered a humiliating defeat to Iceland yesterday, resulting in a swift Brexit from the 2016 Euro Cup. I guess when it rains it pours…

Notable events this week:      

Monday:

  • International Trade in Goods
  • Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey

Tuesday:

  • GDP
  • S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index
  • Consumer Confidence

Wednesday:

  • Personal Income and Outlays
  • Janet Yellen speaks
  • Pending Home Sales Index
  • EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday:

  • Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
  • Chicago PMI

Friday:

  • PMI Manufacturing Index
  • ISM Manufacturing Index
  • Construction Spending

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/295K5Or

Unboxing: The Jock’s Box “Summer Of Fun” June Edition (VIDEO)

You may have heard of pop culture boxes such as Geek Fuel, Loot Crate or Nerd Block. I am a fan of these types of boxes being a HUGE Star Wars nerd. And I also love sports so The Jock’s Box is perfect! For $49.50, you get over $75 in cool gear. Check out my [...]

The post Unboxing: The Jock’s Box “Summer Of Fun” June Edition (VIDEO) appeared first on Boston Sports Then & Now.



from Boston Sports Then & Now http://ift.tt/2912iZm

Monday, June 27, 2016

The Definite Guide To The Pistol Squat

medicin ball pistol squat 2

Lots of people seem to disregard the effectiveness of calisthenics arguing that it’s not good enough for lower body development.

However, as I have talked in another post there are lots of calisthenics exercises to challenge your lower body.

In this article, I am going to cover one of the most famous calisthenics leg exercises, the pistol squat.

Benefits Of The Pistol Squat

medicin ball pistol squat

Todd, I have access to weights and I regularly perform weighted back squats. Why should I consider learning and mastering the pistol squat?

Even if you are very advanced in heavy squats, there are still lots of benefits for you in mastering the pistol squat.

Here’s some of them…

OTHER GREAT SOA ARTICLES:

 

Benefit #1: Improve Balance & Stability

Training for the pistol squat is going to improve your stability and balance.

The pistol squat is a unilateral movement and requires more balance than a regular two-legged squat.

Benefit #2: Increase mobility

Training for the pistol squat is going to help you increase your lower body mobility.

This is going to have a positive effect in every lower body movements you are performing.

Benefit #3: Build resilient legs

Performing a pistol squat requires that you go into extreme ranges of motion and sometimes you are going to get slightly out of alignment.

As a result, training with pistol squats is going to help you build more resilient legs.

This is one of the main reasons you will have to be careful with the progressions too.

Benefit #4: Training everywhere

Like most calisthenics exercises, the pistol squat is a movement that you can perform everywhere without the need for equipment.

So, if you need to travel and don’t have access to weights, you can easily train with pistol squats.

Pistol Squat Prerequisites

group pistol squat

As stated previously, in performing pistol squats you are going to move out of alignment. As such, you shouldn’t train for the pistol squats without having the necessary foundations.

Here, you are going to find what the basics are and how to master them so that you can train for the pistol squat.

So, let’s start.

Prerequisite #1: Bodyweight squat

The bodyweight squat is the most basic leg exercise.

If you can’t perform a perfect bodyweight squat, you shouldn’t consider training for the pistol just yet.

Your first priority would be to be able to squat full depth with perfect form for at least 40 reps.

The bodyweight squat is an easy move. It doesn’t require much strength to be done, so don’t worry if you can’t perform many reps.

Most people who can’t do bodyweight squats, is because they lack mobility and not because of the lack of strength.

Here are some exercises that can help you increase your mobility for the bodyweight squat, in case you can’t achieve full range of motion:

If you lack the necessary strength to perform a full bodyweight squat, then you can work with assisted and partial reps until you are able to perform one. Then you should focus on building your reps.

You are going to find a beginner’s training plan later in this post.

Preesequire #2: Bottom Iso Hold

After you are able to perform 5 or more reps of full bodyweight squats, you should start training the bottom position of the pistol squat.

To perform the exercise, squat down with both legs, move the weight in one of them and slowly extend the other one. Stay in that position for 5-10 seconds.

In the beginning, you’ll likely not be able to perform the exercise without assistance. If you can’t, you can use as assistance the floor, the wall or a table.

Make sure to train both sides equally.

This exercise is going to help you develop the necessary mobility for the full pistol squat.

The goal is to be able to hold the bottom position for 15 seconds unassisted.

Pistol Squat Progressions & Helpful Exercises

In this section, you are going to find the different progressions that you can use to achieve the pistol squat.

You are also going to find some helpful exercises that you can add to your training plan to achieve the movement faster.

Pistol Squat Exercise #1: Partial Reps

In this exercise, you are going to need an elevated surface to practice on.

As the name suggests, you are going to perform only a part of the pistol squat by going down until you sit on the elevated surface.

You should start with a surface that is a little higher than knee height and gradually work your way until full range of motion.

This is one of the easiest progressions to use for achieving the pistol squat because you can easily make the exercise harder or easier and to measure your progress.

Your aim should be to achieve 5 reps of 5 sets in a given height before advancing to a lower one. As the height decreases, if 5×5 becomes difficult, you can use as a standard 3×5 and then 3×3.

For safety purposes, you shouldn’t decrease the height by two much, 1-2 inches are usually enough.

Pistol Squat Exercise #2: Assisted Reps

With this exercise, you are going to train with the full range of motion.

For assistance, you can use a wall, a table or a rope/band attached to a steady object.

Contrary to the partial pistol squats, assisted squats can be difficult to measure and as such it can be hard to judge your progress.

This is one of the reasons I prefer partial reps.

However, since assisted reps help you train the full range of motion, you should include them in your training plan.

Pistol Squat Exercise #3: Elevated Reps

One of the main difficulties of the pistol squat is holding the non-working leg straight in the air.

If you have a problem with this, you can train on an elevated surface. This will allow you to hold your leg at a lower height and thus make the exercise easier for you.

Similarly to the partial pistols, you can progress by decreasing the elevation of the surface.

Pistol Squat Exercise #4: Iso Holds

In this exercise, you are going to hold different positions of the pistol squat.

You should focus on 3 positions:

  • Top of the movement
  • Middle of the movement
  • Bottom of the movement

You should hold each position 5-10 seconds.

The main purpose of the iso holds is to help you get used in holding the nonworking leg straight in the air.

Furthermore, the iso-holds are going to help you develop your control and balance.

In case you can’t perform the iso holds, you can use assistance.

Helpful Exercises

These exercises can help you target your weak links in order to achieve the pistol squat faster.

Exercise #1: Sitting Leg Raises

Exercise #2: Hamstring stretches

Exercise #3: Balance exercises

You can find more balance exercises in this post:

Exercise #4: Ankle Mobility

Self Assessments

The pistol squat is a complex movement that requires a lot of different qualities to be in place in order for you to achieve the movement.

These different qualities are:

  • Strength. Mostly quad, glutes and hip flexor strength.
  • Stability, balance and control
  • Mobility. Mostly in the hips and ankles.

Knowing in which of these areas you are weak, you can make the pistol training more effective by focusing on your weak points.

For example, if you have been training with heavy squats for a while and you can already squat your bodyweight, chances are that quad, glute and hamstring strength isn’t one of the issues and you can focus your attention on the other necessary qualities of the movement.

You can easily find out what of the qualities you are missing by testing your abilities is different movements.

Testing Your Mobility

This is the first test you should perform.

If you lack the mobility to perform a pistol squat, you won’t be able to perform the other tests.

The test is pretty simple.

All you have to do is to go into the bottom position of the squat and see if you can stay in that position for 5-10 seconds.

If you can’t, see what the main issue is.

Is it because of lack of ankle mobility, or do you have a hard time holding the non-working leg straight in the air?

If you aren’t sure, you can perform the same test on an elevated surface so that your non-working leg can stay at a lower height.

If you lack mobility, the fastest way to resolve the issue is to train daily your hip flexors with leg raises and your ankle mobility with ankle dorsiflexion exercises.

Testing Your Strength & Balance

You can easily check which of these two is the limiting factor by performing an assisted pistol squat.

The assistance should be used only for balance purposes.

To perform the assisted rep, place your hard on a wall and try to perform a pistol squat while you are keeping balance with your hand.

If you can successfully perform the movement, you have the necessary strength but you are lacking balance and stability.

If you can’t, then you lack the necessary strength to achieve the movement.

If you lack balance, you can train with assisted reps trying to use less and less assistance every time.

If you lack strength, you should focus on training with partial, negative and assisted reps.

How To Train For The Pistol Squat

pistol squat jumping

In this section, you are going to find some training program samples that you can follow to achieve the pistol squat.

The programs are going to be divided into two categories:

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate

These training programs aren’t complete and focus only on the achievement of the pistol squat. Your training program should have pushing, pulling and core exercises as well.

Beginner Training Program

This training program is going to help you master the bodyweight squat and achieve the progression standard (40 reps).

If you have already mastered the bodyweight squat, you should move on to the intermediate program.

The workout program consists of two workouts. The first one is going to help you increase your reps, while the second on your mobility.

Workout #1

A: 3x(sub-max) bodyweight squats

B: 3x(sub-max) iso bottom holds

Notes

  • Sub-max means that you are going to perform as many reps as possible without going to failure.
  • Rest 2-3 minutes between sets for bodyweight squats and 60 to 90 seconds for the iso holds.
  • If you can’t perform full squats, use assisted reps or another progression.

Workout #2

A: squat clinic 1.0 or 2.0

B: 2x(5-10) cossack squats

Notes

  • Rest 1-2 minutes between exercises
  • If you can’t perform cossack squats, use assistance.
  • You can perform this workout as a warm up and cool down.

Sample Training plan

Week #1

Monday: W-1
Tuesday: W-2
Wednesday: W-1
Thursday: W-2
Friday: W-1
Saturday: W-2
Sunday: Rest

The rest of the weeks are going to have the same format.

You should follow this plan until you can complete 40 reps of bodyweight squats.

Every 4th week can be a deload week, but it’s not necessary since this program isn’t very taxing to the nervous system.

Intermediate Training Program

If you can already perform 40 bodyweight squats, then you can start training directly for the pistol squat.

There are going to be 3 workouts it this training program. Two for strength development and one for mobility, control and balance.

Workout #1

A: 5x(1-5) partial pistol squats (per leg)

Notes

  • Rest 3-5 minutes between sets.
  • When you can perform 5×5 decrease the elevation to increase the range of motion.

Workout #2

A: 5×5 assisted pistol squats

Notes

  • Rest 3-5 minutes between sets.
  • Try to use the least assistance possible.

Workout #3

A: 5-10 minutes helpful exercise of your choice

B: 5-10 minutes helpful exercise of your choice

Notes

  • The exercises you choose should focus on your weak links. Such exercises can be the iso-holds and the helpful exercises in the “Pistol Squat Progressions & Helpful Exercises” section.

Sample Training Plan

Week #1

Monday: W-1
Tuesday: W-3
Wednesday: W-2
Thursday: W-3
Friday: W-1
Saturday: W-3
Sunday: Rest

Every 4th week should be a deload week in which you decrease the intensity of the workouts.

You should alternate between W-1 and W-2 every other day.

Beyond Pistol Squats

Todd, what should I do after I master the pistol squat?

Fortunately, the pistol squat isn’t the last and only bodyweight exercise for your leg development.

After you master it, you can proceed on to master even harder calisthenics leg exercises depending on which strength quality you want to focus on.

Some of the different skills are:

For Explosiveness

If you want to focus on becoming more explosive, you can start training with jumping pistol squats.

In the beginning, you can start with by adding a jump at the top of the movement. After getting good at this, you should start jumping on the top of an object that its height is less than knee height. Gradually, you should increase the height of the box.

For even greater balance, stability and control

If you want to add a mental challenge to the pistol squat, you can start practicing on different surfaces that challenge your balance.

A great example is Al Kavadlo’s pistol squat on a bar.

For Endurance

Another thing you can do is to focus on increasing your reps in the pistol squat.

Being able to do 20 or more pistol squats is a feat in and of itself.

For Strength

If you have access to weight, you can train with weighted pistol squats.

Learning other skills

The last option is to focus your attention on learning other advanced calisthenics leg exercises.

Such exercises are:

Frequently Asked Questions

pistol squat jump

In this section, I am going to answer some of the most common questions I’ve been getting in regards to the pistol squats.

Question #1: Are pistol squats superior to back squats or is the opposite actually true?

None of these movements is superior to the other.

It all depends on your goals.

If your goal is to build lots of muscle and gain weight, then heavy squats is a better option.

If you want to build more resilient legs, balance, stability and control, then pistol squats is a better option.

If you want both and have access to weights, then nobody is stopping you from training with both exercises (which, by the way, is a great option).

Question #2: Can I get huge legs with pistol squats?

If you want to have legs that look like the ones power-lifters have, then the answer is no.

Pistol squat can’t provide the muscles with the same stimulus heavy back squats do. So, you can’t have the same results with someone who is squatting just by doing pistols.

However, if you want to build muscle in your legs, then pistol squat are certainly going to help you. To achieve that, all you have to do is train with muscle building parameters.

Keep in mind, that if you follow muscle building parameters for your progressions, it’s going to take a little longer to achieve the pistol squat, than if you follow strength training ones.

Question #3: How long is it going to take to achieve the pistol squat?

This depends on a lot of factors.

If you already have strong legs, balance and the necessary mobility, then it’s only a matter of learning the movement and it may take just a few days.

If you are a beginner, however, more time will be needed for you to develop all the necessary qualities to achieve the pistol squat.

Usually, it takes 4-8 months.

Conclusion

The pistol squat is one of the greatest calisthenics exercises for your lower body development.

If you are a beginner it might seem that it’s a hard exercise and almost impossible for your knees to handle.

However, with patience and hard work you are going to achieve the movement in no time at all.

Do you have any questions in regards to the pistol squats that were left unanswered?

Post them in the comments sections below.

I’d love to help you out.

– Bodyweight Todd

photo, photo, photo, photo, photo

The post The Definite Guide To The Pistol Squat appeared first on Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts.



from Body Weight And Calisthenics Exercises & Workouts http://ift.tt/1IyJQXW

Current Mortgage Rates for Monday, June 27, 2016

“This dust will not settle in our time.  And when it does some great roaring machine will come and whirl it all sky-high again.”

-Samuel Beckett, All That Fall

Last Thursday Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey was published.  It showed the average 30-year rate on a fixed-rate mortgage to be 3.56% with 0.6 points, up a hair from the week prior.  As per usual, we note that the survey responses are collected early in the week, and the Survey is pretty much a backward-looking measure.  Normally rates don’t change much following the publishing of the survey, unless something seismic happens.  And something seismic happened on Thursday night/Friday morning when the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.

The impact on the markets was swift and severe, with global equities selling off, and most commodity prices (excepting gold, because, you know, shiny metal!) falling immediately.  The yield on 10-year Treasuries closed Thursday around 1.74%, and sometime after midnight had fallen to 1.45%, one of the biggest one day shifts I can recall in recent history.  Treasuries sold off a bit Friday afternoon, but have since rallied again. Right now 10-year yields are at 1.48% but things are volatile.  Movement in mortgage backed securities has been roughly analogous to movement in Treasuries.

We’ll have more on the Brexit below and the possible ramifications below, but for the time being it is safe the say that the markets are rattled, and it prompted a massive flight to safety that ultimately was to the benefit of mortgage rates.  I’m not sure that anyone or anything else ultimately benefits from this.

Click here to get today’s latest mortgage rates.

Today’s economic data:

This is a data-heavy week, but I suspect that none of will really matter.  It’s all going to be about the fallout from the Brexit.  Today we get manufacturing data from the Dallas Fed and international export data.  Pretty much a non-factor at the moment.  The E.U. Summit this week is the main event this week.

The week that was:

last weekMaryland Senator Clay Davis has a catch phrase that nicely sums up the market action we saw last week that continues this morning, but this is a family blog.  There was some data last week (notably, the May Durable Goods report significantly disappointed), but none of it really matters/ed in the run-up to and aftermath of the Brexit vote.  So much so that it probably doesn’t make much sense to burn any more words discussing the non-Brexit portions of last week.

Don’t wait for rates to rise. Start your mortgage process now.

Bregrets, we have a few*:

Nothing bad ever occurred when nationalist sentiment spread across Europe, right?

In case you were unaware, the U.K. voted to leave the E.U. on Thursday night.  This means that the U.K. has two years to negotiate an exit from the E.U. To say that this injected a massive dose of uncertainty into global financial markets would be an understatement.  This is unprecedented, and anybody who tells you what will happen is probably making an educated guess at the very best.  As the voting became clear, U.S. Treasuries rallied sharply.  Global equities plunged.  The Euro, the Pound, the Yen, and the are all sharply down against the dollar. Oil, which is traded in dollars, is off as well.  This all continues this morning.

It’s worth noting that this is an advisory referendum, and not binding.  Maybe the parliament could tell the populace to pound sand down a rathole, but I don’t think that will happen.  My guess is that British politicians would like to keep their jobs.  There are some rumors that there may be another referendum, but that seems like a slippery slope to me.  Point is, there is a small but non-zero chance that this referendum will not stick.  As Kent Brockman once said: “democracy simply doesn’t work.”

In terms of U.S. monetary policy, if the UK had remained in Europe, I think it would have been a pretty good bet that the Fed hiked rates in either July or September (despite the poor Durable Goods data, and this assumes the next employment report isn’t a dud).  Those chances evaporated between Thursday and Friday.  Right now, the Fed Fund futures don’t price in a probable hike until December of 2016 or February of 2017.

Is any of this price action sustainable?  Who knows?  The Dow closed down about 600 points on Friday, and is down another 200 plus points this morning.  Bank stocks in particular are getting hammered.  Anyway, here are some things to keep an eye on in the wake of the Brexit:

  • This could be the first domino in the meltdown of the E.U.  Already, Scotland (which overwhelmingly voted to stay in E.U. is saying they should hold another referendum to break from the U.K.  Sinn Fein is calling for a vote for a united Ireland (Northern Ireland voted to stay in the E.U., and shares a border with the Republic of Ireland, an E.U. country.  There are calls for votes in Italy, France, Holland, and Denmark.  You see where this could go.  This just emboldens all the nationalists who don’t like Brussels.
  • David Cameron is stepping down, and a new Tory will be put in place in October.  Someone actually needs to negotiate the exit from the E.U., and it’s not clear who that will be.  Cameron will not invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty (the mechanism through which a country leaves the E.U.) – so we’re going to have months of uncertainty ahead.  An aside: David Cameron is likely to be listed with Neville Chamberlain on the big list of worst British PMs.  It was Cameron who authorized this vote in the first place.  Wade Boggs and Barney will debate it in a bar.
  • The U.K.’s economy will suffer (the pound is already down more than 10% since Thursday night).  I read that France and others want to make an exit painful in order to deter others.  Who knows what happens to the pro-leave politicians in the wake of whatever happens.  Right now they seem to have absolutely no plan whatsoever.  It seems clear that they did not ever actually anticipate winning.
  • That all the markets so badly missed predictions about the outcome of this vote is concerning for November’s election.  I still think the digitally-challenged one will get stomped, but I feel less confident than I did a couple days ago.  It seems like a lot of the same motivations that fueled the “leave” voters are fueling the trump voters.
  • As I mentioned above, I can’t see the Fed hiking any time soon.  We’ll see what Yellen says this week.  I don’t think “remain calm, all is well,” is going to cut it.

Where all this goes is anyone’s guess.  The only thing that is certain is uncertainty.

*I cannot take credit for this line – I read it on a message board, but cannot subsequently find it to credit the likely anonymous person who wrote it in the first place.  But I liked it enough to borrow it.

What’s the takeaway for rates this week?:

byeRates were close to three year lows before the referendum, and are now lower.  I don’t know how much lower yields can go. Ten-year yields are a few basis points above all-time lows.  Ponder that for a moment. For the longest time I’ve been saying that I thought it was more probable than not that rates would rise.  I certainly didn’t see something like this happening.  The market reaction seems to indicate that few did.

I don’t think it is worth belaboring the point – now is a great time to get a new mortgage. This week will be volatile, so it is anyone’s guess how long rates will sit at current levels.  Strike while the iron is hot.

Don’t wait for rates to rise. Start your mortgage process now.

Notable events this week:

Monday:

  • International Trade in Goods
  • Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey

Tuesday:

  • GDP
  • S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index
  • Consumer Confidence

Wednesday:

  • Personal Income and Outlays
  • Janet Yellen speaks
  • Pending Home Sales Index
  • EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday:

  • Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
  • Chicago PMI

Friday:

  • PMI Manufacturing Index
  • ISM Manufacturing Index
  • Construction Spending

Rates are still near record lows.  Contact us today to see if we can save you money on your home payments.



from Total Mortgage Underwritings Blog http://ift.tt/28YzjaG