Low Back Pain Its a real mother. Over 80% of ALL people (Americans) will experience Low Back Pain (LBP) in their lifetime. LBP is the #2 cause of disability and the most common reason for work days lost. There are about a bazillion causes for low back pain. Those reasons range from genetic to catastrophic injury to many people just do consistently stupid things (myself included) that aggravates their back. The worst part is, they rarely even realize what they're doing is the root cause of their pain. Fundamentally, people with low back pain tend to share a few movement strategies, TOO MUCH low back movement. Lack of Gluteal Activation/ Reliance/ … [Read more...]
Do Movies Ever Change the Game? Part 2: Cloudy Blood, Fuel and Boners
November 20, 2019 by
"Doesn't Cloudy Blood Scare You?" The Game Changers has done an incredibly good job at capitalizing on the fact that, You Don't Know, What You Don't Know. Before we go on, we need to agree on at least one fact, We're ALL a complete ignoramous when it comes to most things. So before we start to think about why something is true, we should instead think about, How much do I actually know about this subject? What relevant information could they be leaving out? Is this claim falsifiable? Those are pretty much the basis for the scientific method. So when you see a scene like this: Immediately after hearing about vascular endothelium and vasodilation … [Read more...]
Do Movies Ever Change The Game? Part 1: “Middlemen”, Athletes and Leucine
November 13, 2019 by
"Have you Seen Game Changers?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVM Yes, I have. Its a very good MOVIE. Lets get that straight, it's not really a documentary. Much like Westside vs The World It's a MOVIE. For entertainment purposes. It's not exactly an evenhanded, scientifically accurate, look at the world of the "Plant Based Diet" And by "Plant Based", those in the movie seem to mean Vegan or Vegetarian. TheIssue with These Types of Sciency Movies. You only know, what you know. Which also means, You don't know what you don't know. So the obvious question is, How do you KNOW if the STORY you're told is TRUE? Before I get into … [Read more...]
Food is Religion Part 1: Finding Your Salvation in False Gods
August 2, 2019 by
Dr. Layne Norton says it all the time, "Food has become the new religion" I think he's right. Religious people describe themselves as: Christian Jewish Muslim Flying Spaghetti Monster When it comes to food many of us do the same: Paleo Raw food Atkins Keto How many people lately have been doing the Beyoncé or Tom Brady diet or J-Lo no sugar challenge? How often is it you hear this or that person lost weight doing this diet or such and such eats ___insert magic food___. Why? Do any of those people actually know ANYTHING about nutrition and what's going on with the body? How could people actually think they "discovered" … [Read more...]
UMBC Sports Performance Seminar: A Review
June 7, 2019 by
Most "fitness" seminars and continuing ed events are thinly veiled revenue streams junk. But the one day "Sports Performance Seminars" that colligate strength coaches put on are almost universally always good. WHY? Because the speakers at these events actually DO what they're talking about. Unlike "fitness" events, the strength coaches product is PERFORMANCE. Not a certification or gadget. Strength coaches, sports scientists and physical therapists are on the floor or in the clinic or in the lab, with athletes under the bar or on the table, 9-12 hours a day most days of the week. You're learning from people who have REAL WORLD … [Read more...]
Con-Men, Fear and Lifestyle Multilevel Marketing (MLM) ….
May 29, 2019 by
In College I took a FILM CLASS. Evidently, that qualifies as a "general elective" and makes you a liberal artist, or some BS. But the truth is, I learned a LOT. The one film that I really enjoyed was Elmer Gantry. Elmer is a traveling con-man who shows up in a small midwestern town and gets the people there to join the revivalist church. Long story short, he cons them into paying for salvation. A fire happens, burns down the church (its a giant tent), kills his lady (the purveyor of the church) and he leaves town quoting a great line from the Bible when asked what he's going to do next. What's Elmer Gantry Have to Do With Fitness? Elmer Gantry … [Read more...]
Magical Diet of the Minute: Keto!
January 28, 2019 by
New Year, New You And all that bullshit, right? Dietary New Years Resolutions usually amount to, "This is the year, I'll finally eat like an adult, quit making excuses for my craptastic food choices, (and yes, they are CHOICES), and take actual f-ing responsibility for what I, a fully functioning adult human being, put in my mouth". But, let's get real. Linda brought doughnuts this morning. Boston Crème... I'll just have one and start tomorrow. <----find tomorrow on the calendar.. Hell, its only the end of January, your resolution has probably already been "broken" and you're at the same place you were on February 1, 2018, and February 1, 2017 … [Read more...]
A Story of Fire and Ice: Act 1: Is Ice Really Nice?
November 23, 2018 by
Pulled Muscle? Sprained Ankle? Sore Elbow? "Ice it" R.I.C.E, Right? Rice: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. That's been the go-to advice for, well, since I can remember. Just watch any athletic event. Baseball pitchers with their shoulders and arms completely encapsulated in ice. NFL and NBA sidelines with feet up and ice packs plastic wrapped to ankles and knees. We Do It This Way Because It's Always Been Done This Way Is usually the worst answer ever... Yes, it might be effective. But, is that practice OPTIMAL? Shouldn't the answer be, We Do it This Way, Because We Have EVIDENCE That it Works and is BEST PRACTICE. Me thinks … [Read more...]
