July 29th, 2011
5 Hood Burgers in 5 Days: Straight Outta LA
“Not Bad Meaning Bad, But Bad Meaning Good”
Hood Burger
[hood bur-ger]
-noun 1. A large hamburger consisting of multiple thick beef patties as well as the addition of highly caloric toppings, including but not limited to: cheese, bacon, pastrami, egg, hot links and chili.
All Fun No Play, Team4orce Says No Way!!!! We know we talk about how to eat healthy, how it’s a lifestyle and not a fade or a crash diet. We also would like to point out that we have always been a well rounded lifestyle brand, that’s what makes us tick and we promote balance through our real life experiences. Now this also goes for food and the all mighty and sometimes neglected (or abused) cheat meal.
Bad food (not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good, and you all know how the story goes…), or what us health conscientious folks call a cheat meal never goes out of style, especially if its limited to one day out of seven days. So when I stumbled upon this great article on The Los Angelicious Times, dated March 10, I still thought it needed to get some more run on our blog. Below is an exert from the article, enjoy!
The Business
The current LA burger dichotomy generally falls into two categories: the fast-food style burger with a thin, tightly-packed patty adorned with basic toppings; and the gourmet burger, featuring a larger, loosely ground patty featuring higher quality meat and more upscale ingredients. Somewhere between the two lies the mutant, bastardized world of the hood burger. If classics like Apple Pan and Pie n’ Burger are Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle, then perhaps these are more like Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire: beefed-up, highly divisive, and of questionable sanity. Hood burgers can be found in many parts of the U.S., but some of the best examples are found here in Los Angeles. After all, they don’t call it Burger Town for nothing. For the full article and clever descriptions please visit: http://losangelicioustimes.com/2011/03/10/5-hood-burgers-in-5-days-straight-outta-la/
Here are five of the best, sampled over five days:
Day #1: Fred’s Downhome Burgers
2524 W Slauson Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90043
(323) 298-7762
$
Located in Hyde Park — one of Los Angeles’ oldest, and most harried, African-American neighborhoods — Fred’s Downhome Burgers is a simple establishment: a small concrete building surrounded by a parking lot of idling cars waiting for food.
Day #2: Fresh & Meaty Burgers
3016 W Florence Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90043
(323) 751-2247
$
Just a few minutes south of Fred’s in Inglewood is Fresh and Meaty Burgers, which sits on a picturesque hill overlooking Central LA. The day-glo decor here is slightly less spartan that most ‘hood burgers stands, though inside the small lobby a layer of inch thick bullet-proof glass separates you from the cashier; just in case you forgot where you were.
Day #3: Mom’s Burger
336 W Alondra Blvd
Compton, CA 90220
(310) 632-6622
$
Many consider Mom’s Burgers in Compton to be not only the finest hood burger in Los Angeles, but also one of the best burgers period. They might not be far off. Compared to the heft of many other hood burgers, the creations served at Mom’s are noticeably restrained. That’s not to say the burgers are petite, but they certainly are less likely to induce labored breathing and heavy belt loosening.
Day #4: B&R’s Old Fashion Burgers
3512 W Rosecrans Ave
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 679-4774
$
In a city filled with strip mall gems, it seems odd that B&R is the only place on this list actually located in a strip mall. It also is one the few places to feature something resembling a dining area: a collection of mismatched chairs and tables that serves more as a waiting room for take-out than as a place to eat.
Day #5: Hawkin’s House of Burgers
11603 Slater St
Los Angeles, CA 90059
(323) 563-1129
$
As much an icon as the nearby Watts Towers, Hawkins House of Burgers is credited with being the originator, perfecter and paterfamilias of the hood burger subculture. Situated across the street from Watts’ oldest and largest housing project, Hawkin’s began as a small grocery store selling amenities and serving food to tenants.
Honorable Mentions:
Big Mike’s – Bellflower
Master Burger- Mid-City
JNJ Burger Shack – Mid-City
3 Bears BBQ – Lynwood
Burger Stand – Crenshaw
Source: The Los Angelicious Times
THE SCOUTING REPORT
This past Saturday morning, Team4orce took to the streets for an away-game-styled event. Coach Manny P. led the charge, and captured some great footage from the day’s festivities. Since he has started working out at the UFC GYM in Rosemead (Ca., all day!!!!), he has had nothing but great things to report. So it was by no slim chance, that Saturdays one year anniversary celebration event, hosted at the gym, was nothing less then their usual stellar class act. Rumor has it that KB Strong might have popped his big kettle bell shaped head in at some point in time, who knows, lets just review the film take closer look.
Here is the low down from Saturday’s function. In celebration of its first anniversary, UFC® GYM™ in Rosemead, Calif. partnered with the UFC® Octagon Nation Tour™ to create a can’t-miss event for fitness enthusiasts and members of the greater Rosemead community. The event, which took place this past Saturday, July 23, featured live autograph signings with UFC fighters as well as special demonstrations.
The 2nd UFC Gym, recently awarded Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, welcomed UFC Superstars Dominick Cruz and Javier Vasquez alongside the UFC Octagon Nation Tour bus, which showcased a multitude of memorabilia and merchandise from the Ultimate Fighting Championship®.
PRESS
In the past year, UFC Gym has taken the fitness industry by storm, introducing a revolutionary way to work out like the best-conditioned athletes in the world. The event on July 23, served as an opportunity to celebrate the cutting-edge training techniques that make the brand so unique, including MMA programming such as Muay Thai kickboxing, jiu jitsu, self-defense classes, team-oriented Daily Ultimate Training and UFC Kid’s Gym Fitness. By focusing on each individual’s specific needs, members experience an atmosphere unlike any other in the fitness world.
UFC Gym in Rosemead has proudly taken an active role with local youth, offering unique youth programming that brings families together in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. Parents can get the ultimate workout experience knowing that their children are getting exercise while learning the importance of health and nutrition. With a wide range of activities for youth, from MMA classes to birthday parties, UFC Gym strives to make health and fitness fun for the whole family.
“During the past 12 months the Rosemead community has embraced the unique fitness offerings that only UFC Gym can provide its members,” said UFC Gym Senior Vice President Adam Sedlack. “We look forward to helping people train like the best conditioned athletes in the world for years to come.”
Saturday marked just one of those exciting events hosted recently for member and community enjoyment, with more to come in the near future.
For more info: UFC Gym
Film Room
After doing this morning’s scouting report I thought I would share the Do’s and Don’ts of Brandon Schieppati’s gym Rise Above Fitness.
Do’s and Dont’s
DONT’S
1. Weep your shirt on tough guy! Unless you are outside with the sun on your back keep your shirt on cause guess what? We don’t care how small your cock is!
2. No trance or lame ass clubber rave bullshit! We aren’t in Europe and no one is wearing a sleeveless turtle neck sweater! OH and NO FUCKING GODSMACK!!!
3. No gym sharking. Don’t be at the gym walking around without a purpose. Don’t be the person walking around for 3 hours looking at him or her self in the mirrors.
4. No loud talking. Don’t be that person with the loudest voice in the gym. No one cares what you are talking about and you’re not that important.
5. No flip flops or sandals. I’d rather see people working out with no shoes. We aren’t in Hawaii or Jamaica. Get real!
6. No sun glasses inside the building. You are not the Terminator and if you are then fuck yeah the Terminator goes to my gym!
7. Don’t judge others and their workouts!
DO’S
1. Come to gym with respect for others and the fire to get to fucking work!
2. Listen to Slayer
3. find the boiling point. find the muse to be there and fucking giver!
4. Air drumming, air guitaring and singing along between sets fucking rules as long as you stick to the correct rest time!
5. Wear proper clothing. Sweats are bad ass and encouraged!
6 . Let the rage out as long as it’s not out on others.
7. Listen to Slayer!
Women’s Bootcamp
Film Room
Source: Rise Above Fitness
A Team4orce Segment Dedicated to Throwback Training
The Focus:
Performing conventional deadlifts, with safe and proper technique can be very advantageous to your muscle growth and overall conditioning and performance. Think of this exercise as a master key, that unlocks the three areas your body that our workout splits are based on, upper body, core, and lower body. Another key point is that you can eventually load up on the weight once you learn proper form, since all your muscles are being put to use to support this specific lift.
The Game Plan:
Always start with the bar on the floor, since pulling from the safety pins is referred to as a rack pull and dead lifting top down is a called a Romanian (roman) dead lift.
To execute a conventional dead lift, the bar must always start on the floor.
- Stand with the bar above the center of your feet - your stance should be a bit narrower than shoulder-width to give your arms room.
- Grab the bar overhand so your arms are vertical to the floor – if your hamstrings are tight, do squat to stand to boost your hip flexibility.
- Bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar, which must remain above the middle of your feet, with your shoulder blades directly over the bar.
- Unlike a squat, lift your chest but don’t squeeze your shoulder blades. Just put your shoulders back & down, head inline with rest of your spine.
- Pull - keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Do not lean back at the top.
Team4orce 4 Mistakes to erase off the chalkboard
Don’t lean back at the top of the lift.
Don’t think that dead lifts are squats, and pull instead of push.
Don’t ever round your back when lifting the weight.
Always add weight with caution, progression at a moderate rate is key to stir clear of injuries.
The Film Room
Pre Game Scoop
What do we know about organic products? Well, if you follow us on our blog, or you pay attention to the world of nutrition and healthy living, going organic has been a wide spread phenomenon/movement that is here to say.
Now, we know its not cheap to eat organic, and there are so many niche options hitting the market these days, so lets talk about some key points that might save you some coin the next time you go shopping.
Keys To The Game
An organic label indicates that a product was grown without antibiotics or growth hormones, synthetic or sewage-based fertilizer, synthetic pesticides, ionizing radiation or bioengineering, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Thick-skinned produce more then likely (meaning usually) does well in regular conditions (not under the staunch organic guidelines of growing, just plain old conventional), based on its pesticide content.
Fruits, extremely important source of calories, obviously we must take a look at a few factors; sugar and placement on the glycemic index, and quality, are a part of this thick skinned produce category that you don’t always have to buy organic.
Here is a short list of fruits least susceptible to pesticide contamination include:
Pineapples
Avocados
Honeydew melon
Grapefrui
Cantaloupe
Mangoes
Eggplant
Watermelon
Kiwi
To prevent any possible residual pesticide contamination, wash fruit well before cutting, peeling and eating and enjoy!!!!
Pest-resistant Veggies include:
Asparagus
Cabbag
Sweet Potatoes
Onions
Other varieties less likely to harbor pesticides include; Corn, Sweet Peas and Tomatoes.
Post Game Analysis
So there are a few items you can purchase at regular prices (as opposed to the higher organic prices) and save some money while continuing to eat clean and stay away from all the bad stuff (simply put).
The Team4orce research and destroy to rebuild team (RDR) encourages you to do your own research and take a look at some of our older blog content that speaks on this particular topic.
