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- Is the Hamstring to Quadriceps Strength Ratio Really Important?
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- The Deadlift is not a Deadlift and Other Infectious Aphorisms
- Dangerous Strongman Circuits for Women (or Men!)
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- Sequential and Simultaneous Lifts? What is the Difference Between Them?
- Deadlifts and Muscle Mass: Myths that Sell
- I Had a Layoff from Training and Dropped Some Reps off My Bench Press. Why Have I Lost So Much Strength?
- Baking Soda and Vinegar for Bee Stings: It Works! But not Really.
- Difficulty Breathing During Front Squats: A Simple Training Drill to Solve the Problem
- Want to Increase Strength without Adding Muscle?
- What Is Force?
- Spotting Bad Fitness Articles: A Study Said This
- Can I Squat without a Squat Rack?
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Should I Push or Pull for Deadlifts?
03 Jun 2011 16:26
I see this all the time. Should I just call this blog the "false dichotomy" blog? However, if there is one thing I hate more than people always preaching one of two extremes in strength training it's people teaching the deadlift that don't know what they are doing.
Verbal cues become mental cues. Mental cues slowly morph into mental imagery. Mental imagery becomes a visual mental schema of the lift. What am I saying in plain language here? I am saying that the words people use will eventually affect the way you "look" at an exercise with your mind's eye. It will 'become' that word. If I say "wet" to you then you visualize water. You don't think about the concept of "wetness" in some abstract way. Well, the same thing goes for most everything, whether you wish it or not….
Comments: 2
Inventing the Couch Potato: An Exercise Myth That Needs to Go Away
11 May 2011 16:32
I've talked about the athlete fallacy many times. This fallacy is related to exercise guilt and the feeling that if you are not "going all the way" you are doing something wrong, wasting your time, may as well not bother, etc. and so on.
Also related to this idea, intrinsic to it really, is the idea that you must regularly go to the gym and engage in an exercise program or training plan in order to derive any health benefits from exercise. So, in other words, it takes a few weeks to a month to see any true benefit because that benefit is always from the cumulative results of regular exercise….
Comments: 3
Metabolically-Healthy Obesity
11 May 2011 14:44
This is a each part of a 5-part series delving into the fascinating and seemingly paradoxical research on people who despite being obese, remain metabolically-healthy.
Is Metabolically Healthy Obesity an Oxymoron?
To date, countless epidemiological studies have shown that as you move from a normal weight (BMI = 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) towards overweight (BMI = 25-29.9kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) the risk of many diseases increases exponentially.
Does this imply that every individual carrying excess weight is guaranteed to develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or some other disease?…
Comments: 1
The Almighty EWAG and Some Big Old Belly Fat: How Strength Training Justifies Being Overweight
30 Apr 2011 23:19
I was just reading a review of Mark Young's new "How to Read Fitness Research" product. A few questions occurred to me. One, what in the heck is fitness research? There are so many different types of studies and different types of subjects, all of which could fall under the "fitness" umbrella. Many of these have their own specific pitfalls and unique challenges. A person would need to have a more thorough background in the sub-disciplines before simply "learning how to read a study"….
Comments: 26
Should I Lift Fast or Slow? Training to Failure, Single Sets versus Multiple Sets, Non Sequitors and False Dilemmas
19 Apr 2011 22:07
Apparently there is a debate about whether training to failure is better than doing one single set of exercise. Well, okay, no there is not really a debate about this but sometimes those who do a lot of "research" about resistance training while simultaneously not having a clue about resistance training think that these kinds of debates exist. The actual debate is about multiple versus single sets to failure. That is a bit different than training to failure versus training with single sets, is it not?…
Comments: 17
Aging and Longevity: Why Knowing the Difference Is Important to Nutrition Research
17 Apr 2011 21:32
Life expectancies after the age of 70 and the number of individuals living with age-related chronic conditions that affect daily activities continue to increase. Age-specific nutritional recommendations may help to decrease the incidence or severity of age-related debilitating chronic disorders. However, research in this area has seen limited success in identifying nutrition-related mechanisms that underlie the functional loss and chronic conditions that occur as a function of time. We believe that the limited success in establishing age-specific nutrition recommendations for the older population reflects, at least in part, research designs that fail to consider the evolutionary and biological bases of aging and longevity. Longevity has evolved as a by-product of genes selected for their contribution in helping the organism survive to the age of reproduction. As such, the principle of genetic determinism provides an appropriate underlying theory for research designs evaluating nutritional factors involved with life span. Aging is not a product of evolution and reflects stochastic and/or random events that most likely begin during the early, reproductively-active years. The genetic determinism model by which young (normal, control) are compared to old (abnormal, experimental) groups will not be effective in identifying underlying mechanisms and nutritional factors that impact aging. The purpose of this commentary is to briefly discuss the difference between aging and longevity and why knowing the difference is important to nutrition research and to establishing the most precise nutritional recommendations possible for the older population….
Comments: 0
How Metabolic Energy Systems Meet ATP Demand During Intense Exercise
16 Apr 2011 18:33
High-intensity exercise can result in up to a 1,000-fold increase in the rate of ATP demand compared to that at rest (Newsholme et al., 1983). To sustain muscle contraction, ATP needs to be regenerated at a rate complementary to ATP demand. Three energy systems function to replenish ATP in muscle: (1) Phosphagen, (2) Glycolytic, and (3) Mitochondrial Respiration. The three systems differ in the substrates used, products, maximal rate of ATP regeneration, capacity of ATP regeneration, and their associated contributions to fatigue. In this exercise context, fatigue is best defined as a decreasing force production during muscle contraction despite constant or increasing effort. The replenishment of ATP during intense exercise is the result of a coordinated metabolic response in which all energy systems contribute to different degrees based on an interaction between the intensity and duration of the exercise, and consequently the proportional contribution of the different skeletal muscle motor units. Such relative contributions also determine to a large extent the involvement of specific metabolic and central nervous system events that contribute to fatigue. The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary explanation of the muscle metabolic response to different exercise intensities and durations, with emphasis given to recent improvements in understanding and research methodology….
Comments: 0
The One Punch Hammer Fist...Or Not
14 Apr 2011 16:13
As part of my newly found passion for punching and kicking things I have begun subscribing to few websites. This morning I received an email newsletter from one of them titled; "Hammer knockout blow for street fighting!". Of course I was immediately intrigued, especially since there was a video demonstrating the technique.
Following the link in the email, I was brought to this article….
Comments: 30
Soon Ripe Soon Rotten: Newbie Gains, Detraining and Strength Maintenance for Lifts that Last
14 Apr 2011 16:00
Chances are if you are a beginner to strength training you've heard about "newbie gains". Newbie gains are what we call the easy and all but automatic results that beginners to strength training (or bodybuilding) get. When you first start out you get a period of easy strength increases. This extends to performance physiology in general. Early gains in performance come easy and there is also a period of general adaptation wherein the same general adaptations tend to occur to different exercise stimuli. So it seems that not only do strength gains come easy at first but they come "regardless".
These easy gains do not mean there are not better and worse ways to train and the phrase newbie gains should not be taken to be an excuse to train stupid! Really we just use it to shout down 15 year olds who think they have some kind of innate talent because the plates just keep piling on so fast. Lots of us started out thinking we found the magic fruit tree of strength training. But as they say in the East: Soon Ripe Soon Rotten!…
Comments: 6
Grip Strength Training Equipment: Using A Blob For Pinch Strength
07 Apr 2011 14:57
What is a blob?
A blob is a mass of steel or concrete (hence the name blob), typically weighing 10-50 lbs or more. The rough dimensions of a 50 lb blob are 5-1/2” (thickness) by 7-1/2” (diameter), with the original 50 lb York blobs simply being one of the bells of a 100 lb York dumbbell. The video below should be enough to make you realize why they don’t get much heavier than 50 lbs, unless you’re Wade Gillingham, in that case you can lift an 81.5 lb blob….
Comments: 1
Folic Acid Fortification: History, Effect, Concerns, and Future Directions
04 Apr 2011 17:25
Periconceptional intake of folic acid is known to reduce a woman’s risk of having an infant affected by a neural tube birth defect (NTD). National programs to mandate fortification of food with folic acid have reduced the prevalence of NTDs worldwide. Uncertainty surrounding possible unintended consequences has led to concerns about higher folic acid intake and food fortification programs. This uncertainty emphasizes the need to continually monitor fortification programs for accurate measures of their effect and the ability to address concerns as they arise. This review highlights the history, effect, concerns, and future directions of folic acid food fortification programs….
Comments: 0
Natural and Processed Food, Nutritionism and Pollanisms
29 Mar 2011 19:59
There has been a lot of support for Michal Pollan's books for the last few years (he was on Colbert ) and his books "In Defense of Food" as well as his earlier book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" are both very popular. I even saw Mike Boyle singing the praises of Pollan while imagining he knew more about nutrition than "nutritionists" by virtue of having read Pollan's books. Even though, strictly speaking, Pollan is not a nutritionist but a journalist. But hey, I've also seen Mike Boyle and others sing the praises of Mercola, so go figure. I would hesitate to get my nutrition information from a strength coach or a journalist. That is not to say that I would not take their advice, but only that I would hesitate to consider that advice as seriously as I would consider the advice of someone who is a nutrition specialist….
Comments: 7
Homeopathy is Not a Drug and Other Babbles
28 Mar 2011 21:42
Recently I published some information on homeopathy from the 10:23 Campaign. This is a group that has staged some public mass homeopathic drug "overdoses". Don't worry it ain't no Jim Jones thing. It's a simple demonstration of the fact that no amount of a homeopathic drug can harm you because there is simply nothing in it but water and sugar….
Comments: 9
Strength Training Concepts You've Seen Before and How to Recognize Cranks and Crackpots
21 Mar 2011 22:55
So, yes, my titles are weird and not creative. But those two things, strength training concepts and cranks, I will relate to each other. You just wait and see if I don't. I got to thinking about this when a new member came on the forum to introduce himself. He was saying that the concept of the "relative max" from the Singles Scene seemed oddly familiar and reminded him of concepts from Bulgarian weightlifting training. I don't know much about Bulgarian training but I thought, well good. After all I didn't invent it and I can't have been the only person to understand it's importance. That would not be good, you see. That would be bad. Because if I'm the ONLY person to actually think a certain concept is really important, it probably isnt. Because I ain't that smart. I'm average at best but I strive to do above average work….
Comments: 2
Muscle Roles: What is an Agonist, Antagonist, Stabilizer, Fixator or Neutralizer Muscle?
03 Mar 2011 22:58
Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding about how skeletal muscles function to produce the body's movements concerns their particular role. Most people think that a muscle performs ONE particular and very defined role and that they always perform this role. This is not how it works. Muscles must work together to produce different bodily movements and a particular muscle's role may change depending on the movement….
Comments: 3
Deltoid Muscle: Location, Actions and Trigger Points
28 Feb 2011 03:48
By Eric Troy, Ground Up Strength
The deltoid muscle is a large, triangular course and thick muscle which gives the shoulder it's shape and contour. Its name is often reported to have derived from the Greek letter Delta (Δ) but it actually derives from the Latin word deltoides which means "triangular in shape or form" and was taken from the shape of the letter delta and the word eidos (oid) meaning shape or form. The deltoid is the principal abductor of the arm at the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint and also flexes and extends the humerus. The deltoid is the largest and probably the most important muscle of the shoulder complex. Bibliography item howell not found., Bibliography item doyle not found.…
Comments: 1
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) When, How, and Why to Supplement
23 Feb 2011 01:33
By Ken Adams, M.D.
Pyridoxine (B6) Sources and Physiologic Functions Sources
Poultry, fish, liver, and eggs are good sources of this vitamin; meat and milk contain lesser amounts. Pyridoxine in animal sources is 96% bioavailable. Vitamin B6 can be made by intestinal bacteria in healthy persons. Plant foods such as legumes, peanuts, potatoes, yeast, bananas, corn, cabbage, yams, prunes, watermelon, and avocados also contain this vitamin….
Comments: 0
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