Conditioning Research

You are better off dwelling in the real rather than wasting time searching for the ideal.  The actual quote is the mature lifter is better off dwelling in the real rather than wasting time searching for the ideal, taken from this post at Dave Draper's forum .     I read that the other day and it has stuck in my mind. Dwelling in the real So much of the health and fitness world is about fleeing from who we are.  Sometimes this is hidden or reframed as achieving a goal, changing our appearance.  Often though it is a case of a deep unhappiness with who we are. There comes a time when we need to stop that and simply dwell in the real, to adopt some reality about who we are, what we can aim for.   There is nothing wrong with seeking improvement but we need to be realistic.  At 45 I will never play professional football no matter how hard I train.   With my bone structure and metabolism I will never be a competitive bodybuilder or powerlifte...

I am no particular fan of Michael Moore's films or politics, but this piece on walking that I came across the other day is very good. Michael Moore on Walking I like his approach that walking is about the experience, the liberty to walk.  It is about the act, not the result.  Process, not outcome.  Yes, there will be changes, but they are not the focus.

Those box jumps that I post on here are not always successful.....

Someone tweeted me this study and I thought I'd share it here. The point that they are promoting is that good sprinters are born that way.  Those who are elite do not achieve that through working hard and hitting the 10,000 hours of practice that seems to have been accepted as the key to achieving elite status.  Sure practice helps, but in reality the true elite are perhaps elite before they really start to practice? I don't think this totally invalidates the idea of developing exceptional ability through practice, at least where that is based on skill.  However perhaps it emphasises that it is worth pickin your field of endeavour to focus on one for which you are ....... gifted. You Can't Teach Speed: Sprinters Falsify the Deliberate Practice Model of Expertise Abstract:       Most scientists agree that expertise requires both innate talent and proper training. Nevertheless, the highly influential deliberate practice model (D...

James Steele was good enough to point this out to me. In the basic Hillfit routine the wall sit is a fundamental exercise.  This is an isometric squat held for time with your back supported by a wall.  I included the wall sit for a few reasons: you do not need any equipment it is scaleable - if you are weaker, hold an easier position for example do not adopt a 90 degree knee position, don't bend your legs as far it is low skill - you don't need to learn a complex move.  Squats are actually pretty complex to perform properly.  I think a good squat pattern is important for health and mobility. it is safe - it keeps you in safe positions for your structure and muscles. ( Bill DeSimone calls it a congruent movement - you use your muscles in a way that they are strongest where the movement is hardest) I also find it an effective move for the thighs and hips in terms of producing strength.  Holding a 2 minute wall sit takes some strength.   I've talk...

This post is a short interview with Sol Orwell.  Sol is the mastermind behind the amazing resource that is Examine.com   He has just launched a new product, a Supplement Goals Reference Guide , so I took the opportunity to ask him about Examine and the new Guide . Can you tell my readers something about your background in health and fitness? My journey is a bit different than most :) I "retired" a while ago - my internet businesses ran themselves, and I wasn't interested in the rat race. I'd rather travel, walk with my dog, and so forth.  So after traveling and moving for a few years, I came back to Toronto in 2009. Out of shape (way too much delicious ice cream in NYC and Argentina). As I started fixing up my physical body, I also started reading and learning as much as I could. Im a notorious notes-taker, and slowly and surely the pieces started to come together. What were you trying to achieve with the Examine.com website? A lot of the knowledge ...

What I like about this video is that the guy does not look like your typical uberlean fitness model.  He is an O lifter and a great athlete however.