There are a couple of things that really bother me in the strength training blogosphere. The most annoying and dangerous is the habit of generalizing statements and making universal claims like “you should drink at least a gallon of milk every two days”, “accessory work is unnecessary for powerlifting”, “do military press if you want […]
Why I don’t do crossfit: the rhetoric and the argument Read More »
Today I received a video from a student in his 4th week of this training cycle. He is (very) young physical educator and instructor at a gym chain in São Paulo. Nice deadlift. Pads under the bar to “protect” the floor from the 400 something pound impact. So I remembered the conversation I had with
About boys, testosterone and pads Read More »
This is one of those issues that provides textbook case studies about controversy. From scientific controversy, through technical controversy and right into political debate. The truth is that all sides of this debate ignore a basic fact in many nutrition and health responses in general: biological individuality. It is true that milk consumption can cause
It’s funny, Jouko. I don’t care very much anymore, I guess. The administrative aka political aspect of powerlifting became somewhat of a bureacratic issue, just that. Saturday a TV station in Brazil aired a show on a Sports series about me. They obviously highlighted the fact that I survived a suicide attempt AND (but
(This post is dedicated to Jay Ashman – strength coach, writer and, surprisingly, patient enough to be a personal trainer) I am not a personal trainer. I am not really sure what I am, occupation-wise, but here’s a couple of things I do: I teach courses at graduate programs about strength training, strength sports (plus
Things I learn while teaching: the squat bar pad Read More »
Introduction * this paper was published in 2008 as part of the APT lifting series. It is available at other sites and now it is available here as well; the pdf version may be downloaded here Lifters have rituals, or at least most do. And one high point in lifters’ rituals is equipment. Apart
The controversial role of the lifting belt Read More »
Not the first, not the last. The massive immunological stress a competition generates is not exactly new to science or to sports specialists. Powerlifting is somewhat extreme in this sense. I just read Howard Penrose’s article about his flu and I bet many of us were/are exactly in the same condition. What I didn’t know
Post meet reality – part 1: respiratory infection Read More »
Back to discussing pain management in powerlifting (the previous article being “No pain, no gain – the dark side of pain in powerlifting or any sport” , I bring two new items for us to chew on: first, the results of a survey I did with competitive powerlifters about their own pain management strategies. Second,
According to not-so-recent research, more than 95% of the world population believes in some form of deity. Along with it, usually people believe in protective entities that are frequently called “guardian angels”. If you are reading this article, chances are (95%, to be precise) that you believe in both. Supposing
Powerlifter Guardian Angels: Elite tactical athletes Read More »
There is no such thing as a half squat just as there are no half-pregnant women or half-dead people The relation between a Smith Machine and an Olympic bar and squat rack is the same as that between a coffin and a bed Squatting prevents almost any illness and cures most of them. The ones
MHC* to the series of “Squat Truths” Read More »
