A Philosophy of Strength and Health

Finally made it home after what seemed like an ETERNITY out on the trusty Cannondale. It was really just over an hour, but it rained as soon as we started and stopped only for Carla to change a flat. Rain and 40 degrees. By the end, we were all soaked. Of course, I forgot most of my dry clothes and shivered all the way home with the heat full-blast in the car. I've been colder, but never this soaked before. I'd like to send out a huge THANKS--really--to Becky, Alane, Carla, Craig, Sara and her husband, Lemon Meringue (cheeky monkey), for keeping an eye on me as I tootled along at the back along Wild Horse Creek and huffed and puffed up the Babler Beast. Yes, Carla--I'm trying to sit up tall, honey. Keep reminding me. I'll get it. I want it. I'll admit I had some fear going down Doberman. Let's practice breaking skills, in the rain, with rain-covered glasses, on great big hills. El Pollo Grande. Becky should ride in Paris-Roubaix. She looked like Georgie today wi...

Found this on a continuing education web site. The name has been disguised. Of course, this merits an entire column at a later date. I find the whole letter / credential thing rather idiotic, but this (respected) physical therapist has taken it to a new level: Zxxxx Q. Blaahh, DPT, MEd, PT, SCS, ATC, LAT, CSCS, ACSM-CET, CCI, SMAC, (REMT) What, no NASM credentials?

I have many friends and colleagues in both the strength and endurance worlds who believe and promote the myth that animal proteins are of superior quality for the athlete. I no longer subscribe to this belief. While animal protein sources might provide us with the complete amino acid profiles that most closely match our own human protein profile needs (actually human flesh would be optimal), plant protein sources can provide us with all the protein we need, WITHOUT ANY OF THE HARMFUL SIDE-EFFECTS. Yes, we CAN get every amino acid we need from plant protein sources--without all of the silly "combining" initially postulated. (Email me tfober@accessus.net if you want those references.) The latest NSCA's online Performance Training Journal contained the following juicy summary (by G. Greg Haff, PhD, CSCS) of a research study on the impact of a beef vs. soy protein-based diet on resistance training performance and lipoprotein profiles in older men: Recently, researchers from ...

Got out for a ride yesterday with some good friends. Stayed warm with my Castelli thermal jacket, despite the damp chill in the air. The bike felt great. A big thanks goes out to Dave and Corky at Ghisallo for the tune up and the installation of my new training wheels: Mavic Cosmic Elites. They cut through the air like butta'. Wow, I can't imagine what REALLY NICE wheels must feel like!

I thought I'd seen it all. Squats on physioballs. Walking lunges for 45 minutes. But, wait...there's more. Today's "Healthy & Fit" section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch carried syndicated piece from the Washington Post by author John Briley. The article reviews a "10-minute-a-day strength program called "Cave Man Medicine" promoted by a 65 year-old New York sports medicine physician named Dan Hamner. It appears this guy, literally, beats himself--slaps and pounds on his abdominals, thighs, you-name-it--to stimulate isometric contractions (a.k.a the body's self-defense mechanism from blows to the body). The author reports this type of activity is painful, but that the good doctor says injury is unlikely because "most of us have built-in mechanisms against using too much force on ourselves; people on anticoagulants could risk bruising and thus should use light taps." Well, that certainly is common sense. Apparently the good doctor a...

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Well, we have our first snow on the ground and it has been bitterly cold this week. It is always a bit of the shock to the system, but also refreshing to see the powerful changes and forces that occur in nature. I know spring is a only few weeks away. Such events remind me that change is necessary for personal and professional growth. With winter, we see our surroundings in a new light. The leaves are stripped from the trees and an entirely new landscape appears. For personal or professional growth to occur, it is necessary that our beliefs, ideas and relationships be stripped of their coverings so we can examine them from a different, maybe even challenging, viewpoint. During this process some of these old parts of us decrease in importance or die completely; others are renewed and rejuvenated. New ideas, world views and relationships form. Our landscape changes and we grow. Self-reflection is challenging; change is scary. Sometimes the process is as painful as inhaling the bitter col...

The weekly fitness section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch always has some interesting features. Many don't deal with real health; they deal with cosmetic appearance--"Teeth bleaching addicts can go to far"--and bodybuilding fitness junk. The primary bodybuilding-esque column is a weekly syndicated piece by someone named Nancy Cole. The only credential or information I can find on this person (Google) is that she is a "certified personal trainer from South Florida. If anyone knows more, please fill me in. Today's topic is walking lunges. Now, I'm a fan of walking lunges for a variety of reasons, none of which includes developing "lean, luscious legs and a tight, rounded rump." Although she does briefly mention that this bodyweight exercise requires balance, flexibility and leg strength, it is brief and she does not mention anything about torso control (core strength) or total body coordination. She recommends doing 20 "steps" to start, with...