Thanksgiving 1932

Before Tim Ferriss. Before Gary Vaynerchuk. Before Tony Robbins. Before Tom Peters. There was Dale Carnegie.

Carnegie is best known for writing the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People“, which has sold 15 million copies since it was published in 1937. Its lessons are timeless. And applicable to social media and business today.

But this post is about one of Carnegie’s stories from a lesser known booklet, one that I’d wager few people have ever heard of, let alone read. And pure awesome.

In 1989, I was given a rare copy of  “Dale Carnegie… as Others Saw Him”, put together by Rosemary Crom (the daughter of Dorothy Carnegie, Dale’s second wife). Lost for two decades since. And to my knowledge, no longer generally available.

But I recently found this gem tucked away in a box in my basement.

Here’s a short excerpt, with my favorite story in which Dale Carnegie recounts a visit to China in 1932. Reading this story, I think of today’s economy. How each of us responds. And the Thanksgiving holiday this week.

Dale Carnegie

“In the summer of 1932 I took a trip to China. Conditions were tragic in America. bread lines were a familiar sight – men roamed the streets in thousands, begging for work – unemployment stalked the land.

I, like many others, had lost most of my savings in the stock market crash of 1929. Economic conditions were so bad that I feared I might no longer be able to make a living organizing and conducting classes in New York City. However, in the three years since the crash I had saved a new though small nest egg.

Spring 1932 found me unable to organize any classes until the fall. With nothing to do for four months I refused to sit around New York stewing about the future. I knew that summer would never come again. I had always longed to see China and that nothing would ever rob me of the memories of that trip. Besides travel was cheap to the orient; so I bought a steamship ticket and headed out for the far reaches of the Pacific.

When I arrived in Shanghai I realized that America didn’t have the foggiest idea of what a depression was. But it was in the Orient that I learned one of the most rewarding lessons of my life.

For thousands of years China has never known anything but cruel grinding poverty. A hundred million people in China seldom know where tomorrow’s rice is coming from. About two million Chinese die each year from floods, pestilence and starvation. Even in the great cities, I saw coolies working fourteen hours a day for a wage of seven cents. In Peking, I saw a girl picking up and eating watermelon seeds that a man spat on the dirty sidewalk as he ate. In the harbor of Hong Kong, I saw Chinese in little boats swarming around our big ship fighting over the empty boxes that were thrown overboard and holding up nets to catch any bits of food that might be coming out of the slop that was thrown out of the ship’s kitchen.

And I thought I had troubles! “Why even if my last dollar goes,” I said to myself, “I can always manage to earn a living. I used to wash dishes for my mother back on the farm and if hunger drives me to it I can wash dishes in a restaurant. I lived in furnished rooms for fifteen years, and if I lose my home I can live in them again. Better still I can go back to my father’s farm in Missouri and raise corn and milk cows.”

When I stepped off the ship in San Francisco I felt like dancing in the streets. I could have whooped for joy! Suppose I had lost my life savings in the stock market? So what? I was alive. I was healthy. I could eat all I wanted. I didn’t have to sleep on the ground. I could take a drink of water without fear of cholera. Suppose my classes did fail and I had to go back to milking cows? It would be a veritable Vale of Kashmir in comparison to the poverty, disease and misery that four hundred million Chinese were enduring in the Orient.

Yes, that trip to China was certainly my greatest adventure in living. It taught me not to over emphasize the importance of my own troubles, to enlarge my vision and my sympathies, and to be thankful for the opportunities and benefits that were mine, before I indulged in the luxuries of self-pity and worry.”

Today, no matter the economy. The job market. So-called problems. Know that this Thanksgiving will never come again. Make the most of it.

This article was originally published November 25, 2010.

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What do YOU think? Share your Thanksgiving thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you like this story, please share the link with a friend!

More Awesomeness from Around the Web:

• “Why Dale Carnegie Would Be an Awesome Blogger…“ By Courtney Pemberton
• “What Would Dale Carnegie Think of Humanity in the 21st Century?“ By Jackie Kellso, PointMaker Communications
• “How to Use Social Media to Win Friends and Influence People“ By Paul Chaney, MarketingProfs
• “Tony Robbins – 5 Keys To Thrive (Thanksgiving Message)“ By Tony Robbins
• “Floaty Croc + Balloon Dog + Flying Pig = Best Parade Ever“ (Photos of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 1932)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1932

"Home Tweet Home" pillows in lobby at Twitter HQ. (Photo by David Eckoff, April 2010)

Updated Mar 4, 2012 (Promoted to VP: Chloe Sladden, Elad Gil and Joel Lunenfeld; added Sergei Krupenin.)

Updated: Jan 4, 2011 (Out: Avi Bryant, Tech Lead, Ad Insight)

Updated: Nov. 17, 2011 (In: Karen Wickre)

Updated: Nov. 8, 2011 (In: Mindy Finn; Out: Sean Garrett; Correction: Steve Jenson)

I’ve curated what I intend to be the definitive list of Twitter employees on G+. See which Twitter employees are on G+ and add them to your circles.

I think it’s interesting to see how they are (or are not) using G+. And what they’re saying about it.

Me? I’ve been using Twitter since early 2007. I’m finding that the more I use G+, the less I’m using Twitter.

How about you? As you spend more time on G+, are you spending less time on Twitter? Is Google+ your new home?

Find this list interesting? Please share it and comment.

Want to add me to your circles on Google Plus? I’m at: http://gplus.to/davideckoff

Who did I miss who I should add? Anything that needs to be updated? Please let me know in the comments!

List begins after the jump…

Twitter Co-Founders and management team

-Jack Dorsey (Co-Founder and Chairman): currently non-plussed?
+Dick Costello / @dickc (CEO)
+Biz Stone / @biz (Co-Founder)
+Evan Williams / @ev (Co-Founder)
-Noah Glass (Co-founder): currently non-plussed?
-Adam Bain (President, Global Revenue): currently non-plussed?
+Ali Rowghani / @ROWGHANI (CFO)
+Kevin Thau / @kevinthau (Vice President, Business & Corporate Development)
+Katie Jacobs Stanton / @KatieS (Vice President)
+Sean Garrett (VP, Communications) Updated Nov 8, 2011: Head Of Communications Sean Garrett Leaves Twitter (TechCrunch, Alexia Tsotsis)
+michael abbott / @mabb0tt (VP Engineering) Update Oct 13, 2011: Exclusive: Twitter’s VP Engineering Mike Abbott Departs (Kara Swisher)
+Mazen Rawashdeh / @mazenrawashdeh (VP Technical Operations)
+Chloe Sladden @ChloeS (Director Vice President, Media Partnerships)
+Elad Gil @eladgil (Vice President, corporate strategy)
+Joel Lunenfeld @joell (Vice President, global sales strategy)
+Kristen C (Kristen Cordle, Executive assistant)

Product
+Satya Patel / @satyap (Director of Product Management)
+Sara Mustin (Product Manager)
+Kevin Weil / @kevinweil (Product Lead, Revenue)
+Ryan Sarver / @rsarver (Platform Team/API)
+Isaac Hepworth / @isaach (Partner Product Management)
+Brian Ellin / @brianellin (Product Management)
+Cara Meverden / @caramev (Product Manager)
+Cynthia Johanson / @cynk (Product manager)
+Ed Gutman / @eddie (Manager ad operations)
+Evelyn Gee / @evygee (Ad operations)
+Ben Finkel / @finkel (Founder and CEO of Fluther; acquired by Twitter in 2010.)
+Laura I. Gómez / @lauraigomez (Manager, Internationalization/Localization, Support)
+Del Harvey / @delbius (Director, Trust and Safety)
+Ravi Narasimhan /@RaviNarasimhan (Self Service Advertising)
+Sergei Krupenin /@krupenin (Business Product Manager)

** +Britt Selvitelle (User Experience)

(Update July 20, 2011: “Jack Dorsey Cleaning House At Twitter: 4 Key Product Guys Are Out“)

+Josh Elman (Product Manager) The only person I know who has done the social media trifecta in product management, at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. And one of my fav people who I’ve worked with.
+Kevin Cheng (Product Manager, (#NewTwitter, now Trends and More)
+anamitra banerji (Product manager, monetization products)
+Jean-Paul Cozzatti (“ProductSynthesist”)

Engineering/Technology
-Abdur Chowdhury (Chief Scientist): currently non-plussed?
+michael abbott (VP Engineering)
+Mazen Rawashdeh / @mazenrawashdeh (VP Technical Operations)
+Othman Laraki / @othman (Director, Search & Geo)
+Avi Bryant / @avibryant (Tech Lead, Ad Insight. 12/2/2011: “Today is my last day at Twitter.”)
+Jonathan Reichhold / @jreichhold (Reliability Engineering Lead)
+Jake Mannix / @pbrane (Tech Lead, Relevance, User Search)
+Jason Stirman / @stirman (Engineering manager; now at Obvious Corp.)
+Sara Haider / @pandemona (Software Engineer)
+Dustin Diaz / @ded (Engineer)
+Larry Gadea / @lg (Software Engineer)
+Patrick Ewing / @hoverbird (Software Engineer)
+Chris Mitra / @chrismpls (Mobile Engineer)
+Jon Bettcher / @Pufferfish (Software Engineer)
+George Lee / @GeorgeJLee (Software Engineer)
+Marcel Molina / @noradio (Software Engineer)
+Mark Christian (Engineer)
+Alex Choi /@xc (Programmer)
+Kenneth Kufluk (Engineer)
+J.P. Cummins / @jcummins (Software developer with a taxi curse)
+Sean Cook / @theseancook (Mobile engineer)
+Ben Ward / @benward (Web developer)
+William Couch / @couch (Software engineer)
+Ben Ward / @BenWard (Web developer)
+Yoshimasa Niwa / @niw (Software engineer)
+Ning Liang / @ningliang (Data analyst, software engineer)
+Lennon Day-Reynolds / @rcoder (Software engineer)
+Ed Ceaser / @asdf (Software engineer) “google plus just gets shittier by the day”
+Glen Sanford / @9len (Software Engineer, Platform/API group)
+John Kalucki / @jkalucki (Systems architect)
+Matt Harris / @themattharris (Developer advocate)
+Nathan Agrin / @n8agrin (Webmaster)
+Arnaud Meunier / @mo (Software Engineer, partnership services / platform)
+Taylor Singletary / @episod (Platform API)
+Andrew Erickson / @ajerickson (Release engineer)
+David Chen / @chenosaurus (Frontend Software Engineer)
+Ben Cherry / @bcherry (Frontend Software Engineer)
+Rob Stenson / @blickwickle (Frontend Software Engineer)
+Jonathan Boulle (Operations engineer)
+Ed Marshall / @emarshal (Operations engineer)
+Nirav Sanghani / @iamnirav (Frontend Software Engineer)
+Justin Chen / @leftparen (Software engineer)
+Steven Liu (Software engineer)
+Andrew Lorek / @mrtall (Growth team technical lead; Frontend Software Engineer)
+Alan Liang (Software engineer)
+Argyris Zymnis (Software engineer)
+Matthew McEachen (Member of technical staff)
+john adams /@netik (Operations engineer, Twitter Security)
+P. Oscar Boykin / @posco (Data scientist)
+Steve Jenson (Software engineer) **Note: Robert Scoble’s report that Steve Jenson left Twitter was incorrect.

Business Development/Sales
+Kevin Thau (Vice President, Business & Corporate Development)
+Rita Garg / @ritagarg (Business Development, media)
+Ross Hoffman (Strategic Partnerships)
+Jessica Verrilli / @jess (Business Development)
+April Underwood / @aunder (Director of Web Business Development)
+Michael Brown / @mikeisbrown (Corporate Development)
+Jana Messerschmidt (Senior Director Business Development)
+Robin Sloan / @robinsloan (Media Partnerships)
+Doug Williams / @dougw (Business Development) Go Tar Heels!!
+Kelton Lynn / @keltonlynn (Mobile business development)
+Ali Jafari (Director, Sales Operations)
+Ginger Makela Riker / @gingerm (Account Manager)
+Karilyn Thibodeau / @karilynt (Sales support)
+ Mindy Finn @mindyfinn (Strategic Partnerships, politics, Washington, D.C.) Updated Nov 8, 2011: Twitter hires Finn in political push (Politico)

Marketing/Communications

+Karen Wickre (editorial director)
+Shane Steele (Director Sales Marketing)
+Seth Bindernagel / @binder (Product Marketing, Platform)
+Lynn Fox (Director of Communications)
+Carolyn Penner / @cpen (Communications)
+Francesca Helina (International Marketing)
+Jeremy Briggs (Video producer)
+jenna sampson (Communications Associate)

Creative/Design
+Doug Bowman / @stop (Creative Director)
+Bryan Haggerty / @bhaggs (Mobile Designer)
+Vitor Lourenço / @vl (Product Designer)
+Mark Otto / @mdo (Designer)
+Zhanna Shamis / @Zhanna (Designer)
+Coleen Baik (Designer)
+Karina van Schaardenburg (Design researcher)
+Mark Trammell / @trammell (Design researcher)
+Joshua Brewer (Designer)
+Andrei Herasimchuk / @Trenti (Designer)
+Richard Henry (Designer)
+Luke Andrews (Designer)

Legal
+Alexander Macgillivray (General Counsel)
+Chad Woodford / @chd (IP Legal Counsel)
+Bakari Brock / @Bakari (Lawyer) How ’bout them Dawgs?
+Timothy Yip (Legal Counsel)

HR/Recruiting/Communications

+Jackie Xu (Engineering recruiter)
+Olivia Watkins /@olivia (Technical sourcer)
+Ronner Cook (University Programs manager)
+nancy martinez (University Programs)
+Aaron Rothman / @rothmana (Recruiter)

Board of Directors
+Evan Williams / @ev
-Jack Dorsey
+Dick Costello / @dickc (CEO)
+Peter Fenton / @peterfenton “Google+ feels like OS/2 in a Mac and Windows world. I do care for many of the people behind, so dont hate me for saying it!” (link)
-Peter Currie
+David Rosenblatt
+Mike McCue / @mmccue

Update 9/16/2011: Fred Wilson And Bijan Sabet To Leave Twitter’s Board

+Fred Wilson / @fredwilson
+Bijan Sabet / @bijan

More news around the web:
Investors Were Kicked Off The Twitter Board “For The Good Of The Company” (TechCrunch 12/13/2011)

Who did I miss who I should add? Anything that needs to be updated? Please let me know in the comments!

** +Robert Scoble published “Big shake up at Twitter continues” August 20, 2011, showing 6 people no longer working at Twitter (two who I found on G+; Robert’s report that Steve Jenson left Twitter was incorrect and I’ve corrected that above.).

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Thanks to journalist Craig Kanalley for the inspiration for this post, with his posts “Googlers on Google+” and “List of Facebook employees on G+“.

Work at Twitter? THANK YOU for all you do! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Twitter during the past 5 years.

Updated April 2012 (originally published March 2007; updated June 2010; May 2011; and October 2011)

I get so much inbound traffic to my blog to this article about the “Best Burgers… in Atlanta”, I decided to write an update that includes my reviews of burgers in Atlanta – and my pick for for very best burger in Atlanta.

Who am I? And why should you care about my reviews? My friends would describe me as a burger aficionado. I’ve checked out quite a few restaurants in my search for burger deliciousness. And last year, I was honored to be a judge at the inaugural “Battle of the Burgers“, where I judged burgers from 17 Atlanta restaurants. Bottom line (no pun intended) I’ve eaten a lot of burgers in Atlanta. I also have a passion for customer experience. I call it like I see it.

But you didn’t come here to read about me. You came here to read about burgers. Let’s get to it. NEW! And be sure to post your pick for best burger in Atlanta, in the comments section below. (Story continued, after the jump…)

My Favorites. Best Burgers in Atlanta.

Bocado burger, with herb fries.

1 (tie). Bocado: My new favorite for burger taste. Flavorful, delicious and juicy. Winner of Creative Loafing “Best Burger” 2010.

Good: The Bocado Burger Stack is easily the most delicious burger that I’ve tried in Atlanta. Perhaps anywhere. Manager Sean Brosnan tells me that the secret to the taste is the mix of house-ground short rib, beef brisket and organic grass-fed beef. Two patties, with melted American cheese. Perfect buns from Holeman & Finch. Herb fries are fantastic. Likable atmosphere, open, brick walls. Spring 2012: Tuesday evenings after 5PM, Bocado Burger Stack and draft beer for $12. Bonus: tomato bisque soup is outrageously good.

Bad: Service uninspired and inattentive (on multiple visits). Not much parking. Room acoustics can be loud. Reservations not available for lunch.

Ugly: What, no ketchup? After our orders were brought to our table, we noticed there was no ketchup for the burgers. Nothing is more frustrating than having to flag down a server after they’ve left your table, while you’re hungry and want to eat. Sadly, we were stuck waiting 10 minutes while our burgers got cold. Here’s the deal: Bocado doesn’t have ketchup on the tables; and the restaurant doesn’t bring it on the side with their burgers. Suggestion to Bocado: bring ketchup on the side with every burger. Or at least have wait staff ask if guest wants ketchup on the side when guest orders a burger. Tip for guests: when you order your burger, ask for ketchup on the side.

Wish: A rooftop deck. A Virginia-Highland location serving up Bocado Burger Stacks. And world peace. In that order.

Location: 887 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30318

Menu: Bocado menu

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Yeah! Burger grass-fed burger

1 (tie). Yeah Burger: My neighborhood favorite. Named by Bon Appétit as one of their 10 favorite burger spots in America.

Good: Grass-fed beef burgers are wonderful. Buns are tasty. “Bacon jam” topping is awesome. Option for gluten free buns (this is popular with many of my friends). Super friendly staff. Co-owners are personable and actually care about their customers. Covered outdoor patio.

Bad: Can be a long line at the cashier. Although it moves relatively quickly.

Ugly: n/a

Wish: Larger milkshakes.

Locations: original Westside location 1168 Howell Mill Rd Ste E Atlanta, GA 30318. New second location in Virginia-Highland at 1017 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Menu: Yeah Burger menu

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Farm Burger grass-fed burger

2. Farm Burger: Grass-fed burger bliss.

Good: 100% grassfed beef that is dry-aged for two weeks and ground daily. Menu is seasonal and sourced from local farms. I like that Farm Burger has a close watch on its supply chain for the meat it sources. Grassfed beef is sourced primarily from Moonshine Meats of Athens, Georgia (a cooperative committed to ethically raised cows, started by Farm Burger partner Jason Mann and supplemented by other local ranchers). Brisket chili is really, really good, don’t miss it.

Bad: Possibly a long line to place your order.

Ugly: n/a

Wish: Milkshakes added to the menu. Abita root beer is okay, but not great – would like to see a better root beer on the menu. A Virginia Highland location.

Locations: Original location: 410b W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, Georgia 30030. New second location in Buckhead: 3365 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30305.

Menu: Farm Burger menu

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3. George’s: A neighborhood favorite, since 1961.

Good: Delicious burgers with a bun that is just-right. Un-freakin-believable onion rings (my favorite onion rings anywhere). Expanded outdoor patio seating with overhead ceiling fans. Long-time wait staff is friendly and gets the job done. Choice of 8 oz or 5 oz burger. Authentic:  hole-in-the-wall restaurant/bar not trying to be anything that it isn’t.

Bad: n/a

Ugly: n/a

Wish: More seating outside (your wish is granted!)

Location: 1041 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Menu: George’s menu

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4. Murphy’s

Good: The Murphy’s Burger (avocado mayonnaise, swiss, smoked bacon, choice of french fries or green salad; $12 dinner / $10 lunch). This is a delicious burger. Covered outdoor patio. Friendly staff. A Virginia-Highland institution.

Bad: n/a

Ugly: n/a

Wish: n/a

Location: 997 Virginia Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Menu: Murphy’s menu

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Flip burger: "Bacon & cheese"

5. Flip Burger Boutique: I have a love/hate relationship with Flip. In my 2010 ratings, I said about Flip: “By far, the best-tasting burger in Atlanta” and had them ranked # 1. I still think this is one of the best-tasting burgers in Atlanta but they’ve fallen in my ratings due to inconsistent product quality, customer service issues, and menu changes that turn me off to Flip.

Good: Unbelievably juicy and flavorful burgers with wide variety of unique burger choices (see menu). 100% grass-fed beef (according to menu). One size: 5.5 oz (not huge, but 5.5 oz of awesomeness). Some people complain that the burgers are expensive, but I disagree ($7.50 for an amazing bacon cheeseburger isn’t unreasonable). Milkshakes are quite awesome and unique – my favorite is nutella + burnt marshmallow; (other milkshakes: krispy krème, coffee + doughnut, spicy chocolate mole, pistachio + white truffle, foie gras, captain crunch, apple pie, nut n’ honey, mango & ginger. Update: shakes available may vary depending on the menu at the time.) Really liked the panko & parmesan zucchini fries with gremolata mayo (update: see below about the zucchini fries). Small jar of house-made b&b pickles are an extra $2 and were really good (update: see below about the house-made b&b pickles).

Bad: Crowded, expect to wait for a table. Menu changes as of May 2011 are bad:

- Flip doesn’t currently have a bacon cheeseburger on the menu. WTF? (Update August 2011: bacon cheeseburger back on the menu).

- The milkshakes reduced in size from 16 oz to 12 oz. The milkshakes are too small now. And the 25% reduction in size with only a 17% reduction in price is a voodoo price increase. (Flip wrote to me: “We were throwing away so many half drunk milk shakes that we decided to reduce the size; we felt the price was fair.” I’m calling bullshit on that reply. Everyone I’ve brought to Flip loved the shakes and polished them off. It wouldn’t surprise me if this has more to do with improving margins by decreasing portion size. I hate that.) Net: Milkshakes are relatively expensive. Worth it when they were 16 oz, not as good a value now that they are only 12 oz. DISLIKE!

- There previously was a $12 lunch special on the menu (basic burger, fries and shake). That is no longer listed on the menu. I asked for it the other day and the restaurant did provide it. But if you aren’t familiar with it, you’d never know it exists if it isn’t on the menu. This is customer unfriendly. Flip wrote to me: “The lunch special is still $12 during the week. We went to a different menu format so it has become a verbal special.” I don’t believe that response. My server yesterday did not mention the $12 lunch special until I asked about it. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Flip is trying to phase out the $12 lunch special to improve margins. Even if the $12 lunch special is still available (if you know to ask for it), it now includes a milkshake that’s 25% smaller – but the price is the same as it was before. This isn’t as good a value.

UPDATE August 2011: Wait staff tells me that the $12 lunch special is no longer available. As I suspected a few months ago, the restaurant has phased this out completely. DISLIKE!

- Parmesan zucchini fries not currently on the menu. Flip wrote to me: “The Zucchini fries are a seasonal item. We constantly rotate sevreral [sic] of our salads and sides. You’ll see them again.”

- House made b&b pickles not currently on the menu. Booo!

Ugly: Atmosphere (decor and music) is like a NYC or Miami club – and comes across as try-hard. Bad techno-pop is too loud.You can eat at the bar, but I’ve found the bartenders to be pretentious – they avoid eye contact with customers and seem to try to avoid being helpful. Review your check at the bar: bartender ran my card on someone else’s (much more expensive) tab, and he then had a “whatever” attitude about it. During the past year, I’ve seen inconsistent product quality over multiple visits. One visit in particular, the burger fell so far short of what I had been accustomed to at Flip, I had to wonder what changed. To say I was unhappy with it would be an understatement. I discussed the issue with the manager, and he not only comped the burger, he seemed to genuinely care (to his credit). But warning: your mileage may vary with product quality.

Wish: A burger as good as Flip (when they are good), without the techno-pop club atmosphere and too-cool-to-provide-service bartenders.

Location: original Westside location 1587 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. New second location in Buckhead: 3655 Roswell Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30342.

Menu: Flip Burger Boutique menu

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Grindhouse burger

6. Grindhouse Killer Burgers: A great choice for lunch in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. And a new second location at 1842 Piedmont Ave NE.

Good: freshly ground certified Angus chuck and brisket for these 1/4 lb burger patties (that are thinner than Flip and Farm Burger) were classic. I liked the potato bun – sourced from Martin’s in Pennsylvania, owner Alex Brounstein describes it as “the best hamburger bun in America”. Casual sit-at-the-lunch-counter atmosphere. Crinkle-cut fries just like I remember from Friendly’s in New England in the 80′s. Laid back and friendly staff. Free parking in lot with ticket validation. The price is right.

Bad: n/a

Ugly: n/a

Wish: n/a

Locations: 209 Edgewood Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30303. And a new second location at 1842 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30324.

Menu: Grindhouse Killer Burgers menu

(Photo credit: Grindhouse burger by marklarson)

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More from around the web:

Atlanta: Top 10 Burgers (BlackBook)

Best Atlanta Hamburger (CitySearch)

Looking for the Best Burger in Atlanta (Sneaky Sunday)

Flip Burger Boutique review (Creative Loafing)

Farm Burger review (Creative Loafing)

Grindhouse Killer Burgers review (Atlanta magazine)

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Original article, March 30, 2007:

As we head into the weekend…. If you’re in town for the Final Four, and looking for a great burger, the Wall Street Journal recently ran an article profiling the best burgers in the country. Not only were three Atlanta restaurants featured, one of them was selected as having the best burger in America.

In addition to WSJ’s picks below, I can suggest George’s in the Virginia Highland neighborhood (my pick for best burger in Atlanta) and Vickery’s in Midtown (update 12/4/2010: Vickery’s restaurant in Midtown is scheduled to close on Jan 1, 2011).

More: AOL City Guide “Atlanta Best Burgers”

From the Wall Street Journal article:

I think the best burgers in America are…in Atlanta.

The Vortex, a pseudo-biker joint that you enter through a human mouth, serves an estimable burger, as good as any in Tinseltown. Even better is the well-charred number with beautifully crisped thick-cut bacon at the Earl, in East Atlanta.

But the outstanding hamburger experience I found in an odyssey of several months and thousands of miles was at Ann’s Snack Bar, a justifiably renowned little diner on a broken-down industrial stretch of highway.

Miss Ann, as habitues call her, is a woman of commanding style and ready banter. She works alone at her grill, patting each ample patty lightly as she sets it down. Her masterpiece, the “ghetto burger,” is a two-patty cheeseburger tricked out with bacon that she tends closely in a fryolator.

Observing Miss Ann in action would be enough of a show, one perfected over many decades. But while she demonstrates the extreme economy of motion of a superb short-order cook, she simultaneously carries on a running dialogue of lightly sassy repartee with customers she knows.

Then Miss Ann dusts your almost-ready patties with “seasoned salt” tinged red from cayenne pepper. It looks like a mistake, too much, over the top. But when you get your ghetto burger in its handsomely toasted bun envelope, you regret doubting the lady for one second. The big burgers stand up fine to the spice. This is the next level in burgerhood. And it just barely fits in your mouth.

In August of 1994, I was an accountant in a large computer company. Despite my best efforts, I disliked the mind-numbing repetition of the job. A mismatch for my creative and entrepreneurial skill set. I came home from work each night with a headache, born of disappointment, monotony and frustration.

But I had a plan. I was one week away from publishing the first issue of “Inside Carolina“, a magazine covering UNC sports. After six months of developing the idea, my dream to launch my first business was about to become a reality!

Until I received a last minute phone call from our photographer, a student intern. He said he was taking an assignment with the school yearbook, and he’d be unable to provide photos for our magazine.

I was stunned. Our plan was to launch the first issue with preseason coverage before the first football game. We were so close to launching. But you can’t have a sports magazine without photos. And time wasn’t on our side. North Carolina would be unlikely to move the start of the football season upon our request.

In that moment, I saw my first business circling the drain. I felt incredibly discouraged. With no obvious path to getting our first issue done before the season kickoff, I even thought about scrapping the project.

In short, I reached that moment of decision all people who tackle a new endeavor reach. Confronted by an obstacle, to either give up or forge ahead.

So what did I do? I strengthened my resolve.

And jotted across the top of a notepad: “How to Make This Work”. Ideas flowed.

At the top of the list: buy a 35mm camera and get photos of practices and games that week. Which I did.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, that seemingly small decision would have a lasting impact on my life. It put me in a new direction, and led to a new destination.

We launched the first print issue of “Inside Carolina”. Soon after, we started publishing on the Web. Which led to our site becoming part of a new online sports network, Rivals.com. A year later, the sports network startup recruited me to lead its national roll out. Enabling me once and for all to leave the accounting field. Which led to me discovering that I have a passion for the intersection of media and technology, that I’ve followed to this day.

My point is, problems will happen. Don’t let them stop you.

When faced with even the greatest obstacle, the exciting thing to know is: one small change now can lead to a change in direction. Which over time can lead to a new destination.

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What do YOU think about and do when faced with a big obstacle? Share your approach with other readers in the comment section below.

Originally published November 2010

Inspired by Joe Stump’s, most excellent blog post “Your city sucks! (And so does mine)”, about tech hubs Seattle, Portland, Boulder and San Francisco, I decided to write a version for Atlanta and Seattle.

One of the things that I liked about Joe’s article: he calls it like he sees it. Unlike most recent articles I’ve read that cheerlead for cities, Joe writes about the good, the bad and the ugly. And his contrarian headline cracked me up.

So I contacted some of my favorite Atlanta entrepreneurs and business leaders to contribute to a list of pros and cons for the ATL. The only rule I gave them: keep it real.

Atlanta

Photo by blairsmith66

I moved from Seattle to Atlanta in 2006 to be an “intrapreneur” at Turner Broadcasting. Otherwise, Atlanta wasn’t on my radar.  A quick compare and contrast: Seattle has more scenic beauty. Atlanta has a lot more violent crime. Seattle has Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Atlanta has Ted Turner and Arthur Blank. Seattle is known for grunge and flannel. Atlanta is known for hip-hop and bling. The tech scene in Atlanta can sometimes be more old school – it’s not uncommon for me to see people in suits and ties at events where on the west coast I would see jeans and t-shirts. All my tech friends in Atlanta have embraced social media, but a surprising number of business people I meet are way behind the curve.  Certainly, the cost of living is far lower in Atlanta – a big advantage in starting a company. People in both cities are super nice. But it’s easier to make friends in Atlanta (Seattle is known for what has been referred to as “The Seattle Freeze“). Do I like Atlanta? Yes, a lot. But I really loved living in Seattle.

The following “pros and cons” for Atlanta, submitted by the contributors, don’t necessarily reflect my views; or the views of the contributors as a group. (But I think many of these are spot on…)

Pros:

• Atlanta is less of a city and more of a collection of neighborhoods pieced together. This is awesome for raising a family while still experiencing in-town life.
• Easy city to live in with a variety of lifestyles available (in city, suburbs, mountains).
• You get all four seasons (Spring and Fall are amazing). Just enough snow to make it fun. Palm Trees are for wimps.
• Winter ends in the first of March, and you get warm days throughout the Winter.
• Cheap housing. A family of four can live in a 4k sq. foot home in metro Atlanta for under $400k.
• Cheap commercial rents!
• Great restaurants. More good restaurants come here and stay open despite the tough economy.
• Vibrant music scene.
• The Atlanta airport is the largest and busiest in the world which means you can fly directly to most any location – no connections!
• Fantastic entertainment industry tax incentives have driven a ton of projects and companies to GA.
• Atlanta is a hotbed for Internet security companies, financial transaction services, energy and biotech startups, and a growing number of social games and digital media startups.
• Incubators like ATDC (Advanced Technology Development Center).
• World class universities. Georgia Tech and Emory are a mere 5 miles apart. There are over 250,000 college students in the metro area. GA Tech – produces many world-class, top-flight engineers.
• The city is young and growing. Many young professionals see Atlanta as a great place to begin their careers.
• There is a strong culture of collaboration and community around entrepreneurs. People lending time, expertise and contacts is the norm.
• The Atlanta social web community is very giving and caring. Lots of help, sharing, and collaboration. Easy to get ideas, feedback, and inputs when you throw out questions and ideas.
• A lot of local industry org’s, meetups, and groups.
• With diligent networking, you can gain access to almost any resource and any person in town.
• A city of transplants so there are people from all over the country in Atlanta.
• Diverse economy with 4th largest number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters in the US and many high tech firms.
• A large representations of Google, Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle business units headquartered in Atlanta.
• AT&T Wireless, Turner Broadcasting, CNN, The Weather Channel headquartered in Atlanta… with numerous spinoffs.

Cons:

• Summer heat and humidity.
• Atlanta is landlocked – a 4 hour drive to closest ocean.
• Allergies. Don’t have them? You will.
• Violent crime much higher than national average.
• Traffic can be horrendous, especially for those who live outside the city but work downtown.
• Cycle? It’s not a matter of if you get hit by a car, but when. Not bike friendly.
• Growth has led to generic looking suburbs with big box retail and chain restaurants.
• Metro Atlanta is very spread out. Sometimes the different parts of the city feel very disconnected.
• The business community is diffuse – there are no true “hot spots” to see and be seen where entrepreneurs and vc’s cluster, (except perhaps StartupLounge and StartupRiot).
• For a city of of its size, Atlanta has very little early stage venture capital.
• There is little capital. No idiot can get his stupid idea funded. Smart people with good ideas can.
• Most wealthy people focus on real estate investing rather than venture/angel investing.
• There are few if any visionary business technology leaders. No Jobs, no Ellison, no Schmidt, no Zuck. The leaders in Atlanta are all service providers.
• There is a lack of proven executive-level venture building talent.
• A lot of wantrepreneurs who talk about startups but don’t start startups.
• No critical mass of startups within one field. ISS created that somewhat with multiple security spinoffs, but there are few other examples.
• Some people are very status conscious and materialistic.
• People wearing Bluetooth earpieces 24/7 are a common sight, more so than other cities. They look like d-bags.
• Commonly seen “fashion” on men: pleated khakis, tucked in shirt, cell phone holster on hip, anchorman haircut.
• Sometimes very cliquish.
• The city is quite segregated (mexicans, white, black, asian, etc are in certain areas and don’t often mix).
• Metro Atlanta might be a melting pot of differing political views, but come election day – not feeling the melting so much.
• An abundance of narrow-minded people (as compared with San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Boulder).
• City government and city schools are not very good.
• Older (more established) community is motivated by “appropriateness.” If seeking entrance into this community, then need to toe the party line.
• Passive/aggressive is the dominate social paradigm.

Seattle

Photo by jarnott

I lived in Seattle for seven years. From the dotcom boom, to the dotcom bust and beyond. A fantastic city to live in. Walked to work every day, with Elliott Bay and snow-capped mountains in the background. The rain never bothered me. A GORE-TEX jacket is all you need. You’ll never meet more people who are more polite and well-mannered. (There’s an old joke about a car approaching a crosswalk and a pedestrian on the sidewalk at the crosswalk. The car motions to the pedestrian: “after you…” The pedestrian motions to the car: “No, after you…” The car motions to the pedestrian: “No, no, after you…” This goes on for 15 minutes, each one trying to out-polite the other.) Tech scene is vibrant, with alumni of Microsoft, Amazon, RealNetworks, and others doing cool stuff. A true pioneering spirit exists.

Pros

• Quite possibly the most beautiful city in the country, with Elliott Bay, snowcapped mountains and a magnificent skyline.
• Spectacular summer: every day average temperature is 75 degrees and sunny with low humidity. Stays light til like 9:45pm.
• Lots of very smart people. Easy to have intelligent conversations.
• Entrepreneurs who have great exits tend to re-invest in the startup ecosystem.
• Incredible hiking, kayaking, cycling and other outdoor sports.
• The rain never stops anyone. Most people deal with it. People rarely complain about the weather.
• Great restaurants. (Gotta disagree with Joe Stump on this one. I miss El Gaucho, Etta’s, Marco’s Supperclub, and many more.)
• Fantastic seafood.
• Awesome off-leash dog parks.
• Casual attitude and dress.
• There’s nothing like a summer Sunday at Safeco Field for a Mariners game.
• Rarely snows in the winter.
• For the most part, open-minded, accepting people. You can be whoever you want to be, and people will generally accept you.
• Conservation-minded.
• Great live music scene.
• Relatively easy to get to Hawaii for vacation and SF for business.

Cons

• Many people who grow up in Seattle never leave, and many know each other from the University of Washington. Can be cliquish.
• Homeless problem.
• Higher cost of living than many cities (although lower than SF and NYC).
• Traffic (if you have to commute). I lived and worked downtown, so this wasn’t a problem for me.
• Seattle lost its NBA basketball team.
• Very short summer.
• “Seattle Freeze” (Yeah, I know Seattle natives hate hearing about this, but it’s real.)
• Earthquakes.
• Long flight to east coast for business.

Additional links:

Los Angeles
Chris Lea: The City of Lost Angels

Have you written a “Your city sucks! (And so does mine)” article for cities you’ve lived in? Let us know, and we’ll link to it here.

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What do YOU think? Are these right? Are they wrong? What are the pros and cons for YOUR city? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Thank you for contributing to the “pros and cons” for Atlanta (in alphabetical order):

• Selah Abrams, managing partner of Party Republik (Selah has one of the best attitudes of anyone I’ve done business with)
• Don Addington, Executive Vice President, ORTEC (and fellow Business Launch Competition judge)
• Michael Blake, Director of Valuation Services at Habif, Arogeti & Wynne and President of StartupLounge (Michael does what he does for all the right reasons)
• Greg Foster, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Chrysalis Ventures (and fellow Turner alumnus)
• Jackie Hutter, Chief IP Strategist, The Hutter Group, LLC (savvy IP strategist with great field vision)
• Chris Klaus, CEO of Kaneva (I could white-board business ideas with Chris for days at a time. And he’s like the Bruce Wayne of Atlanta)
• Rachel Orston, Co-Founder, CoThrive (Rachel beat me in a startup pitch competition last year. I have a long memory! She’s a fantastic business person and I’ve learned a lot about customer development from her.)
• David Rudolph, CEO, PlayOn Sports (David recruited me from Seattle to Atlanta. He’s far and away the best leader I’ve worked for in my career)
• Paul Sansone, CFO, Better World Books (Paul and I started at IBM on the same day way back when. Not only a smart business person, one of the funniest people I know.)
• Todd Schnick, INTREPID business blogger, marketer + political strategist (Super cool and genuine. Hang out with Todd and you’re sure to become an even better person.)
• Lance Weatherby (Lance works tirelessly with Atlanta entrepreneurs. One of the really good guys in town.)
• And me, David Eckoff

If you’re visiting today from Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project” on Slate, welcome! We share a common interest in the science and art of happiness and fulfillment – and I’m glad to meet you.

Adding to Gretchen’s great list, one thing I’ve learned about happiness and fulfillment over the past year is from peak performance coach Tony Robbins. A simple but powerful formula:

• We’re unhappy when our Life Conditions (“LC”) are not equal our Blueprint (‘BP”, ie, our model for how we think things should be).
• When that happens, we have 3 choices: 1) we can change our LC; 2) We can change our BP; or 3) We can blame – ourselves or others for our circumstances.
• That third choice doesn’t really change anything, so our only real choice is to change our LC or change our BP! (Yet how many of us spend much of our time and energy doing the least powerful choice among those options?)

What’s YOUR take? What’s the most powerful thing you’ve learned recently about the science and art of happiness and fulfillment? Please share your thoughts and comments here on the blog.

And if you’re on Twitter, please drop me a line there, I’d love to follow you and learn together!

Just received my most recent fitness results, which I’m measuring over time via hydrostatic analysis, the gold standard and most accurate method for measuring body composition.

I’m publishing the results here, because a public commitment is a great motivational tool for staying on track to my goals.

In future posts, I’ll talk more about how I accomplished these results, with some suggestions for how YOU might achieve similar results.

Results Over The Last Four Months:

• Body fat %: reduced from 15.7% to 12.1% (now in the 95th percentile for my age; further improvements are for athletic or cosmetic purposes, not necessarily for health)
• Lean Muscle %: increased from 84.3% to 87.9%. It’s hard increasing muscle mass at the same time you’re decreasing body fat, so I’m pleased with the results, which I’ve accomplished through “Static Contraction Training“, a method of strength training that I first heard about from Tony Robbins. SCT has enabled me to get the greatest results in the least amount of time each week. To learn more about how to get started with Static Contraction Training, I recommend Pete Sisco’s excellent resource of training information on Static Contraction Training. Pete’s the best!
• Cumulative Over The Last Eleven Months: Gained 6.5 pounds of muscle; lost 12.5 pounds of fat.Net, I’m well on my way of transforming my body through fitness and nutrition.My goals for the next quarter: 1) continue to increase functional strength; and 2) keep body fat constant and add 3-5 pounds of lean muscle mass.

Charts that show my results over the past eleven months, since February 2007:

Body Fat Percent:

Lean Muscle Mass Percent:

Change in Lean Muscle and Body Fat in Pounds:

Related strength training tip: I have been using NewGrips to cushion my palms and fingers and add strength to my grip so I can lift even heavier weights. NewGrips are made of neoprene and I’m finding are much better than traditional weight lifting gloves. I bought these, use them every workout and think these are the best weight lifting grips around. If you decide to get a pair, I’m linking to NewGrips with an affiliate link, meaning I get a token commission if you click from my link and purchase a pair of NewGrips from the manufacturer. – David Eckoff

Additional links:

Strength Training: Unpacking New “Streamline SR” Fitness Equipment (August 25, 2007)

Fitness Results: Break Out Quarter! (Quarterly report, August 29, 2007: gained another 6.1 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.85 pounds of fat):

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after ten months (Quarterly report, May 17, 2007: gained another 1.2 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.95 pounds of fat )

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after four months (November 23, 2006)

I recently attended a presentation by Dan Heath, co-author of the best selling book “Made to Stick“. Here is a summary of the most interesting things I heard about why some ideas thrive while others die – and how to improve the chances of worthy ideas.

“With millions of ideas clamoring for attention, you’ve got to figure out how to get attention,” Heath said. “You don’t necessarily have to be a creative genius. There are templates for ideas that stick.”

Heath developed the book by first asking the question, “What makes naturally sticky ideas stick?” He then set out to reverse engineer that and arrived at six traits that successful ideas have in common:

UPDATE: the original article below describes my first ten months training with SCT. Here are additional links to updated results:

• Fitness Results Over One Year: Transforming My Body Through Fitness and Nutrition (January 13, 2008)
• Strength Training: Unpacking New “Streamline SR” Fitness Equipment (August 25, 2007)
• Fitness Results: Break Out Quarter! (Quarterly report, August 29, 2007: gained another 6.1 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.85 pounds of fat):
• Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after ten months (Quarterly report, May 17, 2007: gained another 1.2 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.95 pounds of fat )
• Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after four months (November 23, 2006)

I joined Turner Athletic Club in February 2006. After building a base of cardiovascular fitness, I added a type of strength training to my workout routine called “Static Contraction Training” (SCT) that has yielded outstanding results.

To learn more about how to get started with Static Contraction Training, I recommend Pete Sisco’s excellent resource of training information on Static Contraction Training.

I started the program ten months ago and I’m amazed at the increase in strength I’ve achieved:

• My SCT benchpress has increased from 380 lbs to 510 lbs in 10 months (34% gain)
• My SCT single-leg press has increased from 790 lbs to 1,100 lbs in 10 months (39% gain).Why single-leg press? I had to switch from dual-leg press to single-leg press, because there are not enough weight plates in the gym to get to 2,200+ lbs I would need for a dual leg press – no kidding!

Here are two charts show my strength gains over the past 10 months:

When you look at the trend charts, you’ll notice a dip in January due to a special cause: I was unloading 45 pound plates from the barbell without paying attention to my form, and as I was making a twisting motion from the barbell to the weight rack, I pulled a muscle in my lower back. Not only was this extremely painful for a few weeks, it temporarily took me out of the momentum I had for my strength gains. The good news is that by mid-February, I was back on track, with continued consistent strength gains.

More measurements: Twelve weeks ago I had my body composition measured by a hydrostatic test (the most accurate method, considered the gold standard measurement):

• Lean muscle mass: gained 1.2 pounds of muscle over the past 12 weeks (that’s good for my 158 lb frame)
• Fat: lost 2.95 pounds of fat over the past 12 weeks (that’s good for my frame)
• Body fat %: reduced from 19.5% to 17.8% over the past 12 weeks (considered ideal for my age; further improvements are for athletic or cosmetic purposes, not necessarily for health)If I continue at the same pace, then over the next 12 months, I will gain almost 5 pounds of muscle mass and further reduce my body fat percentage.

What is SCT?

• Read my summary here. But big picture, Static Contraction training is a method of strength training that I first heard about from Tony Robbins. SCT has enabled me to get the greatest results in the least amount of time each week. To learn more about how to get started with Static Contraction Training, I recommend Pete Sisco’s excellent resource of training information on Static Contraction Training. Pete’s the best!

What I like about SCT:

• I achieve maximum results in minimal duration workouts – a good use of time vs. results
• I know I can always find a way to get to the gym for strength training once every two weeks
• I am incredibly motivated by the results I see week by weekLessons learned:
• Get yourself into a peak state (physical and mental) just prior to each lift, and you can lift even more weight. I learned how to do this from Anthony Robbins. (Similar to what I learned to do for before I walked barefoot on 1,200 degree hot burning coals during Tony’s “Unleash the Power Within” seminar.)
• Be sure you are also doing work to stregthen your core, and as part of that, your abs. This is important for your lower back.
• Pay extra attention to your form when you load and unload 45 pound plates to and from the barbell, so you don’t pull a muscle in your lower back.Important: before attempting any of this yourself, read instructions from the experts, so you understand the safety equipment required. Stating the obvious: if you don’t use the required safety equipment, and you drop a 500 lb barbell on your chest, you could be seriously injured or worse.

Related strength training tip: I have been using NewGrips to cushion my palms and fingers and add strength to my grip so I can lift even heavier weights. NewGrips are made of neoprene and I’m finding are much better than traditional weight lifting gloves. I bought these, use them every workout and think these are the best weight lifting grips around. If you decide to get a pair, I’m linking to NewGrips with an affiliate link, meaning I get a token commission if you click from my link and purchase a pair of NewGrips from the manufacturer. – David Eckoff

Related Links:

Fitness Results Over One Year: Transforming My Body Through Fitness and Nutrition (January 13, 2008)

Strength Training: Unpacking New “Streamline SR” Fitness Equipment

Fitness Results: Break Out Quarter! (Quarterly report, August 29, 2007: gained another 6.1 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.85 pounds of fat):

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after ten months (Quarterly report, May 17, 2007: gained another 1.2 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.95 pounds of fat )

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after four months (November 23, 2006)

UPDATE: the original article below describes my first four months training with SCT. Here are additional links to updated results:

Fitness Results Over One Year: Transforming My Body Through Fitness and Nutrition (January 13, 2008)

Strength Training: Unpacking New “Streamline SR” Fitness Equipment (August 25, 2007)

Fitness Results: Break Out Quarter! (Quarterly report, August 29, 2007: gained another 6.1 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.85 pounds of fat):

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after ten months (Quarterly report, May 17, 2007: gained another 1.2 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.95 pounds of fat )

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after four months (November 23, 2006)

To learn more about how to get started with Static Contraction Training, I recommend Pete Sisco’s excellent resource of training information on Static Contraction Training.

I joined Turner Athletic Club earlier this year. After building a base of cardiovascular fitness, I’ve added a type of strength training to my workout routine called “Static Contraction Training” (SCT) that has yielded outstanding results.

I started the program about four months ago and I’m amazed at the increase in strength I’ve achieved. My SCT benchpress has increased from 380 lbs to 470 lbs (24% gain); and my SCT single leg press has increased from 790 lbs to 1020 lbs (29% gain). I’ve had to switch from dual leg press to single leg press, because there are not enough weight plates in the gym to get to 2,000+ lbs I would need for a dual leg press – no kidding!

Two charts that show my progress:

I first heard about SCT from peak performance coach Tony Robbins. Developed by Pete Sisco and John Little, SCT generates ultra high intensity in each relatively short duration workout.

If you’re looking to to learn more about how to get started with Static Contraction Training, I recommend Pete Sisco’s excellent resource of training information on Static Contraction Training. Pete is the best!

What is SCT? In summary: starting from your strongest range of motion, lift the maximum (very heavy) weight possible and hold in a stationary (but not “locked out”) position for 5-10 seconds. If you can hold the weight for more than 10 seconds, it is too light.

Unlike traditional strength training, perform a single maximum intensity “rep” within only your strongest range of motion – and do not perform multiple sets. Instead of a 3x per week routine, each session is so intense that it is necessary to get 1 to 2 weeks of rest before your next workout.

Critically important: write down the amount of weight lifted, and the next week lift an even heavier weight.

There are three underlying principles:

1. Muscles grow in response to high intensity overload.
2. The higher the intensity of muscular output, the shorter the duration must be. (For example, you can run very fast but only for about 100 yards. Or, you can run for 26+ miles, but only at a slower speed.) If you want a very high intensity workout, it must be very short.
3. To progress toward your physical goal, you need to increase the intensity of each workout. And the more intense your workouts, the more rest time you need between workouts.

Even though this workout is short in duration and only once a week, it is extremely physically and mentally demanding.

What I like about SCT:

Important: before attempting this yourself, read instructions from the experts, so you understand the safety equipment required. Stating the obvious: if you don’t use the required safety equipment, and you drop a 450 lb barbell on your chest, you could be seriously injured or worse.

Related strength training tip: I have been using NewGrips to cushion my palms and fingers and add strength to my grip so I can lift even heavier weights. NewGrips are made of neoprene and I’m finding are much better than traditional weight lifting gloves. I bought these, use them every workout and think these are the best weight lifting grips around. If you decide to get a pair, I’m linking to NewGrips with an affiliate link, meaning I get a token commission if you click from my link and purchase a pair of NewGrips from the manufacturer. – David Eckoff

UPDATE: the original article above describes my first four months training with SCT. Here are links to updated results:

Fitness Results Over One Year: Transforming My Body Through Fitness and Nutrition (January 13, 2008)

Strength Training: Unpacking New “Streamline SR” Fitness Equipment (August 25, 2007)

Fitness Results: Break Out Quarter! (Quarterly report, August 29, 2007: gained another 6.1 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.85 pounds of fat):

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after ten months (Quarterly report, May 17, 2007: gained another 1.2 pounds of muscle; lost another 2.95 pounds of fat )

Strength Training with Static Contraction Training: results after four months (November 23, 2006)