A Philosophy of Strength and Health

The barbell is a great tool. It gets a bad rap sometimes because it is misused and abused by those who think they know what they are doing. See the picture and grimace. I took it. Scenes like this are repeated every day in weightrooms across the country. It is my opinion that many of the "coaches" in America's weight rooms, both at the college and high school,--level have nary a clue as to how to use this simple tool help create better athletes. My point is this: A tool is only as good as the idiot who uses it. The barbell allows one to use gravity and variations on movement to work on strength, mobility of the hips, ankles and shoulders (imagine that!), power and torso stability. Most weight room coaches in this country limit barbell use to 3 exercises: bench press, squat and the "hang clean." It is all about maximal upper body strength and maximal lower body strength and power. A few attempt snatches or presses, but the technical challenges of the snatch mo...

Just got the ACSM's latest Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. The first article discusses the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Macronutrient Report, which is also titled: Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids. This is a 1331 page document originally appeared via Web in 2002 and it has taken over 3 years for it to appear in paper form; it served as the basic research behind the development of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA's new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. It is the basis of the new "food pyramid." ( http://www.mypyramid.gov/ ) From the ACSM's point of view, the document is important because is advocates physical activity and exercise as a part of national health policy on nutrition. Prior to this document, physical activity and exercise were not officially considered with nutrition; now the two are unified. In fact, the report initially caused a stink...

I'm reading Cesar's Way --the book by Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. It is fascinating. His story and his understanding of nature, energy and dog vs human psychology not only make for a great read, but also a great educational experience. When working with dogs, Cesar uses this philosophy: Exercise, discipline, affection--in that order. Most Americans do the following: affection, affection, affection. Most of our canine companions are missing fundamental aspects of their physiological and psychological well-being because we do not understand their world. We anthropomorphize them into our "furry children" and do them a great disservice. No wonder they have the plethora of behavioral issues and health issues! Cesar was on The Diane Rehm show last Thursday. One caller was lamenting her dog's issue when Cesar asked how much exercise the dog got on a daily basis. The caller remarked that the dog was walked "3-4 minutes" every day. Cesar just chuckled. One ...

I was thinking about coaching yesterday, as I gave myself a dose of my own video-feedback medicine. I will never be a good weightlifter. I am fairly strong for my age and gender, but the power/speed just isn't there and the lack of ankle mobility combined with the patellar arthritic changes (12 years of volleyball) make it challenging for me to hit full squat positions. The video absolutely shouted that at me--and it was good to actually see how I moved, and see that I make many of the same mistakes I critique in my athletes and clients. Nothing like the painfully raw truth to open your eyes. That said, it made me think about the impact I have had on athletes, whether it has been in volleyball, basketball, cycling or weightlifting. Masters or school-agers. There are those that believe a great coach must have been a great athlete in that given sport. I disagree. There are many great coaches who have been great athletes; there are also those coaches who have not been good athletes. A...

I really appreciate the effort Vern Gambetta makes to educate and provide educational resources--many from other disciplines--to the people, virtual or otherwise, around him. He is very generous. Many of these resources are out of print and their value can now only be communicated by word of mouth. Other notable people in the industry tend to guard their resources as "secrets"--fearful the next guy might make a buck or two. But Vern is an educator at heart, and teachers teach and attempt to make those around them better. Cool. I wanted to share a concept I read last night from "The Omnivores Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. The book discusses food production, along with many other aspects of agriculture, ecology and biology. In a section discussion industrial "organic" versus artisianal "organic" enterprises, he makes a great point that is applicable to the current trend of something I would call "industrial" sports performance. By "ind...

The old adage "Slow and steady wins the race" has been floating around in my head lately. But I have modified it a bit. I attended the National Junior Weightlifting Championships last month in Florida and had the chance to see some very talented athletes compete. Some were vying for spots to compete internationally for Team USA at the Junior World Championships and the Junior Pan Am Championships. As in all sports, there are some physically and mentally talented athletes who compete beyond their age. These individuals break School-Age (17 under) and Junior (17-20) records; and the sport community becomes very exited to see a potential Olympic champion. And not unlike other sports--swimming and little league baseball come to mind--there are those young super studs that disappear. These wonder kids never make it to the senior ranks or the big leagues, as they break down physically or psychologically, or they just become weary of having spent a childhood pursuing a dream that mi...