Drinking is fun. That’s undeniable. So why not have something just as clever and stylish as you to serve your beverages in this summer.

After looking high and low for a vessel that qualified I came across the Cubist Cocktail Set. A perfect way to serve that martini without the dainty glass. The set includes four cone-shaped mouth-blown glasses and an espresso stained wooden tray that holds the glass cubes in place.

Cost: $64 @ Red Envelope

Also See:
Graf-Lantz The Quiver Wine Holder | $130
Johnnie Walker Private Tasting Kit | $50

[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio | Week 3: Strength Training | Week 4: ]

With my busy life circuit training is a must. It’s fast, efficient and combines cardio and resistance training into one 30 grueling minute workout. WebMD.com describes it as:

“Circuit training is short bursts of resistance exercise using moderate weights and frequent repetitions, followed quickly by another burst of exercise targeting a different muscle group. Because the exerciser switches between muscle groups, no rest is needed between exercises. This gets the heart rate up, which usually doesn’t happen during resistance exercise. Sometimes, to up heart rate further, aerobics are sprinkled between the resistance exercises.” – WebMD.com

My intepretation? A self-punishing, yet beneficial exercise. Read on for my regimen after the jump.

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[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio | Week 3 ]

Most of us don’t use all of our available muscle fibers or more simply put our muscle’s potential. In fact we fall well short. Strength training is as much about conditioning your mind to utilize your body’s full potential as it is developing the muscles themselves. Every guy wants to be stronger, but you don’t have to spend a lifetime pumping iron to do it. Men’s Fitness has an article that looks closer at this philosophy. To build usable strength you need to force your body out of its comfort zone. Your mind will need to call on more and more muscle fibers to cope with what you’re throwing at it. If you’re into bulking up to look strong that’s your choice, but if you’d rather out lift someone much bigger than you then read on.

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[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio ]

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Not all cardio is created equal or should I say not all calories burned are from the same source. I know it’s hard to hear, but it’s true. Don’t panic; knowing this will actually help you target specific cardio routines to better achieve your workout objectives. You don’t have workout objectives do you? Ok no biggie, read this post and something will come to you. Depending on your heart rates during a cardio session your body will burn a different ratio of fat & muscle to meet the necessary caloric demand. This is how the percentage of maximum heart rate breaksdown:

• Under 70%: Calories burned from fat 85%
• 70 - 80%: Calories burned from fat 50%
• 80 - 90%: Calories burned from fat 15%

What’s my maximum heart rate? Find out after the jump.
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The 10 Day Master Cleanse - Part 1 | Part 2

The saga continues. Earlier this week I brought you days 1-5 of my 10 day Master Cleanse. You read the joys of purging (literal and figurative) and now read on to see how the remaning 5 days went. Note, as you read my lack of coherence. You can only imagine why and for that I ask a little leeway.

Day 6: Tuesday - This morning I slept in and took the saltwater again and had great results and felt really cleansed afterwards. I tired quicker and napped during the day. At night I had to work and my legs are still fatigued. It’s even tough to walk and I’m starting to get a little concerned for what this is. I noticed my tongue is getting back to normal slowly and my mouth is feeling less chalky.

I took my laxative again. (Ugh)

Wednesday through Saturday and final thoughts after the jump.

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[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio ]

With summer around the corner it’s not too late to shed the last of your winter weight and hit the beach with confidence. Every Wednesday in June Gear Patrol will bring you our take on fitness. If you’re as busy as we are then you need maximum results in minimum time.

HIIT will not only cut down the amount of time you need to dedicate to cardio each week but it will also supercharge your metabolism for the rest of the day. There are also benefits that carry over into other facets of your fitness regimen. 30 minutes of HIIT training 2-3 times a week will boost your VO2 consumption, increase your anaerobic threshold and burn nearly as many calories as your normal 45 minute routine. Simple put HIIT will condition your body to be able to work harder longer in any physical discipline.

So, try this. Fitness GP Style. After the jump.

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Part 1 | The 10 Day Master Cleanse - Part 2

It’s not a diet. It’s a cleanse. Well, fellow GP’ers: I did it. I took the plunge and did a 10-day Master Cleanse. You might not be in the know as to this celebrity-styled body makeover secret but rest assured I deprived myself of food over the past 10 days so you don’t have to. That is, unless you want to lose 14 pounds, feel lean, more aware, alive and thankful for food—your call.

Lest you believe this challenge even approached easy or convenient you should know I love food. I love all the aspects: the taste, texture and smell as well as the social aspect and rhythm of the eating experience. I have worked in a number of different restaurants, started a boutique catering company and cook for friends all the time. Why then would someone who loves something this much walk away for 10 days? Why indeed!

I decided to try this cleanse for a number of reasons: 1. I felt like if I restart my computer, flush my car’s fuel system and get my teeth cleaned every 6 months then resetting my insides every 27 years is probably a good idea too 2. I was curious how it worked and 3. I wanted to see if I was up for the challenge.

The “Master Cleanse,” created in the 1940s by Stanley Burroughs, is a diet consisting of a “Lemonade” drink consumed 6-12 times daily. That’s all. No food. Nothing else. This Lemonade concoction of 2 tbs Grade B maple syrup, 2 tbs fresh lemon juice, 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper and 10 oz of water is all you get. Additionally to aid the flushing of toxins from the system, an herbal tea laxative is to be consumed each night followed by a quart (yep) of warm (uh huh) uniodized sea-saltwater in the morning. Yum.

The following is a brief summary of my past 10 days on the world-renowned and oft celebrity-hyped detoxifier known as the Master Cleanse.

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You can have your housekeeper come every single day to clean your apartment, but she’ll never manage to get rid of pet epithelia, dust mites, danders, odors, and chemical vapors. As a matter of fact she might be contributing to the problem herself. Get an air purifier

Rabbit Air is a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed BioGS HEPA filtration system that ranks as the best in quality and efficiency amongst air purifiers. It does this by eliminating every weakness found in a conventional HEPA air purifier. Using a washable charcoal based activated carbon deodorization filter for odor, chemical and gaseous order the RabbitAir’s HEPA filter also aids with flu prevention. Coverage is about 780 square feet per unit.

What this means to you: Claritin only does so much. Get to the root of the problem and clean your air.

Cost: $400 @ RabbitAir

Keep your active lifestyle nutritionally supported. Toss a couple of the convenient vitamin packets in your gym bag, desk or car and take as needed. You don’t go cheap with your gear, so why go cheap when you’re replenishing your body?

Vitamins included in the Mega Men Sport Vitapak: Mega Men Sport premium high performance multi-vitamin, thermogenic energy enhancer, L-Glutamine muscle support and a nitric oxide booster. 30 packs per box.

Cost: $45 @ GNC

This package is pretty ingenius, not only for it’s packaging but it’s premise. It’s a 12 pack of nearly pure 500mg acetaminophen tablets. The folks at Help Remedies have avoided using dyes and coatings many companies now use to dress up their pills and market as ways to ease the ingestion process. The acetaminophen is a great treatment for headaches and doesn’t cause the stomach problems that aspiring and ibuprofen do.

Our take on that is that if you’re a guy why the hell do you need coatings? Ever thought about the food you ingest without a problem?

What this means to you: Toss a pack in your golf bag, car or desk. No doubt those are three places you’re bound to get a headache.

Cost: $6 @ Help I Need Help

Also See: Help Remedies also has a Help I’ve Cut Myself hydrofolloid bandage packet that helps you heal from wounds faster.