A Philosophy of Strength and Health

I was listening to NPR's Science Friday yesterday and heard Ira Flatow (the host) make a very interesting comment to the guest author, Lisa Randall, PhD, a physics professor at Harvard. Ira said something like "The picture on your book is very flattering. You can really use this to your advantage." (I'd have to listen to the broadcast again for the exact quote--so please, don't quote me.) She was, needless to say, a bit perplexed by his comment and I think, made uncomfortable. Why is it that men have to comment about a woman's looks, especially when they are attractive, as something she can utilize to validate or promote herself in the marketplace or within a profession? Am I wrong in saying that no man EVER faces such a predicament--either positive or negative? Men are accepted for what they have done, not how they look. Come on! The woman is a Harvard faculty member! This is science, not fashion! It does not matter what she looks like and for someone to sug...

Recently I had the opportunity to meet and interact with many vegan and vegetarian athletes. It was absolutely fascinating to listen to both competitive strength (well, body builders, but that's another blog subject) and endurance athletes discuss their successful use of a vegan dietary regimen. And some of these people were even RAW vegan, which means they choose to not cook any food. Can anyone say fiber? Some speakers at this conference--the first annual Organic Athlete Conference--did a good job of backing up their information with research data. Others provided more of a personal, anecdotal story of their experiences. One of the most interesting topics was that of diet and recovery. Fast, complete recovery from hard training sessions is key if an athlete is to stay healthy and make progress. Athletes are now taught to consume specific types of nutrients during the "optimal window of recovery" with lasts anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes or so after a training bout. Ove...

I'm still recovering from the five-day loss of power at home. You would think we had a hurricane. I've been wanted to say this for years: I am not a personal trainer. Please do not refer to me as such. I hold no "personal trainer" credentials. I don't count reps or hand people dumbbells. I am a physical therapist, licensed in Missouri and Illinois. I hold an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Washington University. I've acquired the NSCA CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist) credential and the USA Weightlifting Club Coach certification, but those are nothing compared to the time and effort spent to get my degrees and licenses. I can rehab your newly-scoped knee and then teach you how to squat properly or do a power jerk. Now, I have many friends who are personal trainers. Some are very good at what they do and know their scope of practice. The publi...

Finally testing the blog waters. I think this is going to be fun. Does anyone know why people are so intimidated by free weights? Or why most of the people in this country think they are exercising by sitting down on some contraption and doing non-functional, single-joint movements? Now if more people could get in this position, we'd have less back and knee pain. Really.