Category Fitness

Re. Built.

…one day, I noticed a protruding bump on one knuckle. A trip to the doctor and an x-ray later revealed something my friends have been telling me for year… that I had a screw loose.

Failure is Success

I know, I know… the title of this blog sounds like an Orwellian plot device or the usual self-help platitudes that drives skeptics insane. Hold tight while I explain…

The Right Whey

Protein powder varies widely in price, is often mixed with other additives including creatine, caffeine, flavoring, various carbohydrates, extracts, essences, or magic potions in super-secret-proprietary proportions. They are almost always accompanied by extraordinary claims like “Improved flavor!” (which means it tastes terrible but formerly tasted worse), “Build Muscle FAST!” (Disclaimer: intense exercise not included), “Get Ripped QUICK!” (Disclaimer: intense exercise not included AND don’t expect to eat anything else).

Why Smart Trainers Believe Stupid Things: (Part 2) The Dr. Fox Effect

Deepities not only allow leaders to slip away from criticism; they also allow them to attract more followers. In that, we gravitate towards people (leaders) who seem to have access to secrets and great insights; these leaders seem to have things figured out, and we want to figure those things out to. And, when we can’t seem to pinpoint a clear definition of what they’re saying, we feel that this person holds truths that are beyond our comprehension, and we follow them around hoping some of their mojo will eventually rub off on us. (This is one of the ways “gurus” are made.)

“Fat Burners” or Money Wasters?

Pyruvate, a ketone and an alpha-keto acid, occurs naturally in the body when glucose is converted into energy. It is part of the Krebs cycle, the complex chain of reactions in which nutrients are metabolised to provide energy. High doses of pyruvate seem to stimulate the breakdown of fat in the body. It is therefore not surprising that pyruvate is used in all sorts of slimming aids; and if the advertising for ‘fat burners’ is to be believed, pyruvate is just the ticket for the desperate slimmer.

Lessons from Mars: Barbarino vs. Albright

How much can you leg press? Those of you who frequent the gym can answer this without pause, but those who don’t generally answer “I don’t have a clue”. But that’s just wrong – you have a pretty good idea. If you are able to get out of bed in the morning, you can leg-press your body weight. That was my starting point when first attempting weight training. A healthy adult should at least be able to leg press their own weight.

Why Smart Trainers Believe Stupid Things (Part 1): Bias Toward Positive Evidence

In addition to being skeptical common claims associate with Corrective exercise, I also strongly encourage everyone (fitness pros, rehab pros and fitness enthusiasts) to be highly skeptical of the common claims associated with Complimentary and Alternative Medicine practices, as by definition “Alternative Medicine” means ” treatment interventions that have NOT been proven by (i.e. failed) scientific controlled trials.”

10 Minutes of Pain

Sometimes I hate science. Science often tells me unintuitive things backed by evidence that I simply don’t want to know. Science is truth – and unfortunately sometimes the truth hurts.