Conditioning Research

I've said before that I am a cholesterol sceptic and I've also pointed towards Dr Malcolm Kendrick. There is a related argument here, again that low cholesterol is a problem: Low cholesterol levels and premature babies This is on a similar theme, but a bit funnier: While I do not think that saturated fat is bad, the evidence is mounting that there may be problems associated with (too many) carbs and carbs of the wrong type .

Here is an interesting study..... Exercise bands are interesting pieces of equipment. They are used by physiotherapists in rehabilitation for injuries, as a piece of training equipment in their own right and also as a method of adding variable resistance to the power lifts - the further you pull the harder it gets. This study caught my eye because I think I have experienced the phenomenon to which it refers. Exercise with latex sport bands represents a risk for latex allergic patients. Based on two clinical observations of adverse reactions during exercise with latex sport bands, we aimed to assess the possible risk for allergic patients posed by this equipment by investigating allergen content and IgE binding potential. Protein extracts of three different latex sport bands were characterized with sera of latex allergic patients. The IgE recognition profile of the allergic patients was identified by component resolved diagnosis and the allergen composition of the extracts was chara...

As promised..... Full Throttle Conditioning “Most athletes know the importance of conditioning, but are not willing to put in the work to develop this weapon. Separate yourself from this mediocre group. You do not need fancy equipment. You do not need anything but you own refusal to accept anything but your best.” What you get A 90 page book – which explains the basics of the energy systems that your body uses and then details how to put together effective conditioning routines. A 1hr 48 minute DVD – Ross clearly puts forward the rationale behind the routines, demonstrates various exercises and how to put them together. The book The book is 90 pages of dense yet accessible information. It starts with the scientific rationale for the routines, explaining in a very understandable way how the energy systems work and how to train them. This is an excellent structure - starting with the ultimate foundations for training and building routines on that basis. Ross has written several ...

A few days ago I put up a post about my new kettlebells . In it I mentioned that I liked the swing movement with the kettlebell, but also with a dumbbell. If you want to see an amazing dumbbell swing, have a look at the video below. A swing with a 123lb dumbbell: Awesome.

Ross Enamait has just released a new product - Full Throttle Conditioning : a DVD (1 hour 48 mins) plus a 90 page book.....for $25. Even with the cost of shipping to the UK that is awesome value. (especially with the current exchange rate) Every product I have ever bought from Ross (and I have bought them all!) has been of excellent quality - deeply researched, well written and based on real life experience - and outstanding value for money. This one looks as if it will continue that tradition. I will do a full review later, but in terms of first impressions, this looks fantastic. The service was amazing too. I ordered this on 20 November and it was delivered this morning.

This article was just published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine . It sounds really interesting, although each time I read the abstract I think it means something different! Any bright ideas out there on the implications of this? I suppose I see it as a lesson in concentrating on what you are doing. If you are training and thinking about something else, the effect will not be so great. Maybe many of us have had that experience in the gym at least - you go to train preoccupied with something else in your life - a sick child, a job problem, a bill, an argument with you partner, whatever....and your mind isn't in it so somehow your strength is not there.... Let me know your thoughts! A continuous mental task decreases the physiological response to soccer-specific intermittent exercise Background : Epidemiological findings of higher injury incidence during the latter stages of soccer match-play have been attributed to fatigue. Objective : To examine the interaction of ph...

The Modern Forager (a very nice blog) points to an interview with Gary Taubes . Taubes is the controversial science journalist who is getting people to think about low carb diets again with his book Good Calories Bad Calories. (I've read it, it is great.) His recent article Does Exercise Really Make us Thinner? is pretty thought provoking too. This book by the way is being sold as "The Diet Delusion" in the UK for some reason.