Tuesday, August 27, 2013

"Neuroligically Hardwired" Movements

Image courtesy of lesfemmesportive.wordpress.com
Image courtesy of lesfemmesportive.wordpress.com
Last week I engaged in an awesome discussion on Twitter regarding my post "Lunges vs. Leg Press". It was essentially three solid days of tweets being sent back and forth between my account and another account discussing our particular view points. Near the end of the discussion, the owner of the other account brought up the idea that movements such as lunges and squats are (paraphrasing) movements that are hardwired into our brain and nervous system.

I have heard this argument before, that these two movements, in addition to others, are being considered "basic human movements". My understanding of statements like these is that squats, lunges, hip hinges, and the like are movements that all humans know how to perform and therefore should take precedence in training and exercise programs. I happen to fundamentally disagree with these thoughts.

Monday, August 26, 2013

"But I Don't Have Any Pain..."

Image courtesy of community.sparknotes.com
Image courtesy of community.sparknotes.com
During the Muscle Activation Techniques™ internship this past weekend a really great question was brought up regarding how to handle situations where somebody doesn't think they need MAT™ because they are not currently in pain.  As we discussed, these types of interactions highlight common misconceptions about MAT™.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Calories vs Hormones

Image courtesy of prweb.com
Is there more to the weight loss story than calories in/calories out?  Check out Tony Cates' latest post as he dives into the discussion of long-term weight loss.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Other Half of the Rep

Image courtesy of jfit360.com
Image courtesy of jfit360.com
A challenge I've been presenting some of my clients with recently is for them to make the movement they are doing as challenging for themselves as they lower the weight as it is for them when they raise it.

Monday, August 19, 2013

MAT™ and the Detox Experiment

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My girlfriend, Julie, and I have been on a detox protocol through her work (Life Time Fitness Schaumburg) since August 10.  No coffee.  No black tea.  No eggs.  No butter, cheese, or any other dairy.  No peanuts or peanut butter.  No soy.  And some other rules that include no sugar.