Conditioning Research

No meaning to the photo....I just like it More Less or Enough? How about re calibrating our attitude towards diet and exercise to one which is focused on the idea of enough? So often in both diet and exercise we find ourselves at an extreme.  More and more of this and less and less of that.  What would happen if we shifted to a focus on sufficiency? Instead of trying to achieve less or more how about aiming for enough? Relax a little. Instead of pushing at the limits live in the middle for a while.  What do I mean? Try to use the word enough a little more.   Eat less and move more?  No eat enough and move enough.  Get more sleep?  Get enough (to wake up rested) Eat more protein? No eat enough (to repair and grow) Eat fewer carbs? No eat enough carbs (to fuel your activity) Eat less fat. No eat enough fat (to keep healthy hormone production) You get the idea Get less stress. No get enough( hormesis) ...

I saw this news story earlier today that blew me away a bit: New Ligament Discovered‬ In the Human Knee Two knee surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have discovered a previously unknown ligament in the human knee. This ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. I find it amazing that anatomists are still finding new structures in the human body.  We tend to think that science knows what are bodies are made of...but there is a new ligament.  This is really exciting! I went to an exhibition recently of Leonardo DaVinci's anatomy and dissection sketches that was really interesting, showing him to be centuries ahead of his time in terms of his knowledge of anatomy and his ability in terms of dissection.  One of the points of the show was that science is only now catching up with the things that DaVinci discovered in his studies.

One of the themes of this blog recently has been trying to steer people away from the hype, the promises of miracles and astounding progress from some new routine, diet or supplement. Supplements are an area where, over the years there has been so many empty promises. I've been reading bodybuilding magazines since 1983 and I have seen many products touted as the latest miracle: l-ornithine, orchic tissue (dried bull testicles!), safflower oil, desiccated liver , brewers' yeast,  beta-alanine .... Each one promoted by some big name bodybuilder whose physique was really built from superior genetics and anabolics. Over the years I have developed quite a scepticism about supplements. However, some supplements do have some evidence to support their use. I asked the guys at Examine.com to tell me what supplements are actually worth the money and effort for an average 45 year old office worker like me! (I've referred to Examine.com before and have also highlig...

I suppose this is something of an appendix to the post I had the other day - A few things I've learned recently (mainly from Dan John). We hear a lot about setting targets and goals in our training.  Sometimes we see strength standards posted:  e.g. you should be able to do 50 pushups, 15 bodyweight rows, bench 1.5 bodyweight, do a 5k in 20 minutes or whatever.  All decent goals.  But sometimes goals can be distracting. Here is a good goal:   Just show up. Workout by workout, do the work.  You do not need to set records, you do not need to progress.  Simply do the workout.  Warmup, workout and go home.  But do the work.  Consistent hard work will pay off in the long run. I was talking to my pal Colin Gordon this morning as he treated my back (he is an excellent massage therapist).  He made the point that sometimes the more you focus on a goal, the further away it seems.  If you simply  focus on consistently showi...

No secrets but there is science One of the themes on this blog recently has been that I am tired of gurus.  I have realised as I get longer in the tooth and a bit more cynical that there are no real secrets in this game.  Movement, resistance training, sufficient sleep, a sensible diet - they matter.  Above all, patience and persistence.  There is no magic diet, no new exercise protocol that will suddenly turn you into a lean super athlete. With that context however there are still some good products out there - there are still people writing quality material.  There are still things to learn even if there is no magic.  The stuff that matters is the science, the evidence-based material.  Indeed, it is the science that can expose the fabrications of the gurus. So many of the myths and misdirections are around diet.  The need to eat low carb, or paleo or in certain eating windows.  To avoid sugar or fat.  To think that calories don'...

A few things I've been thinking about.  Lots of them incidentally prompted by reading and listening to Dan John . Get off my back – there are times in life when you realise enough is enough. I am strong enough, flexible enough, lean enough. Let’s lose the stress of always trying to improve and just recognise that where we are is actually OK. The challenge is actually maintenance. Can you stay lean, flexible and strong as the years roll by? Can you stay injury free, mobile and capable as you get older? There are seasons – bus bench/park bench whatever. Sometimes life is crappy. Work is hard and long. Your parents get ill. You argue with your girlfriend. You get ill or injured. Those are not the times to go all out balls to the wall in your training. Macho Nietzsche quotes are just stupid. Work hard when the rest of life is smooth push hard. If you are working 12 hour days and stressed about your family, then cool it off. Keep moving but that is enough. This is not the time to ...