Pushing physiological limits, and the study thereof, is indeed an exciting aspect of exercise science. And, as ABC’s Hungry Beast points out, “…few of us have any idea about what it takes to produce a world-beating result… “. To that end, check out this fascinating clip, wherein Kirk Docker deconstructs the machine that is Shane Perkins, [...]
From the category archives:
Workouts
True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are united ~ Alexander von Humboldt George Church (Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School) argues, in this Big Think piece, that the age-old divide between science and religion is solvable. “We can bring them together,” he says, “but it requires less [...]
Should Physical Culture be studied and understood more like a clock or a cloud? Borrowing from an analogy put forward by the philosopher Karl Popper, NYT writer David Brooks posits that we tend to think of problems or phenomena as either a “clock” or a “cloud”. Unlike a clock, which can be taken apart and studied [...]
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me. William Shakespeare Continuing with the Health vs Performance curve theme from last time out, we see that the weekly time investment requirement, relative to increased performance, increases exponentially. I know, I know — big shocker, right? But somehow, this basic tenant becomes…I don’t know…watered down? — [...]
“We do not rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus A spot-on observation of human nature, I think. Even so, within those of us who think more highly of ourselves, that it should be otherwise. So much so a true observation, in fact, that I [...]
Okay, so it’s not the best picture, to be sure – I thought I could wash-out the glare, but alas… Anyway, here’s Madame Benoit’s rather erudite quote: “I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with variation.” Not to beat a dead horse, but again — it is [...]
The Red Wheelbarrow, William Carlos Williams so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. So I’m hit with the “what do I eat prior to working out” question frequently in my training practice, and I think my clients are a bit taken back by the complexity required [...]
Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union – the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill [...]
…Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront [...]
“…Can’t we at least give one another the benefit of the doubt? I can be somewhat patient with people who think they have the truth, the problem is those who think they have the whole truth. It seems to me that too quickly categorizing others as wrong or mistaken is consummate arrogance and is not honoring [...]
“Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.” – Voltaire Physical Culture as an Entrepreneurship? Yes, you bet. Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be all about making money, though that is the commonly accepted meaning of the term. I rather like to think of it as guiding an emerging idea [...]
“In this age of specialization men who thoroughly know one field are often incompetent to discuss another. The great problems of the relations between one and another aspect of human activity have for this reason been discussed less and less in public…” Richard Feynman Specialization, though extremely important, inevitably leads, however (unless the specialist remains [...]
C’mon, Tourette’s-like fits? Yes; indeed. And I’m still pissed. So much so that I’m gettin’ ready to go all Richard Nikoley on some serious mainstream ignorance. Okay, so my man Richard is the undisputed king of the verbal beat-down, and this post won’t come near to his standards, but you get the point. And the [...]
“Fear paralyzes; curiosity empowers. Be more interested than afraid.” – Patricia Alexander Having spent 17+ years in the pharmaceutical industry leaves me somewhat reluctant to jump wholesale on the bash-the-pharmaceutical-bastards bandwagon. Drug companies do provide lifesaving drugs for millions, and having been a part of that legacy is something that I can be (and am!) [...]
For most gym dwellers, it is believed that strength training is the ultimate way to “get in shape.” However, recent studies have show that a decent amount of eccentric exercise may provide serious benefits. If you aren’t already familiar with eccentric exercises, they consist of lengthening the muscles. Leg extensions are a fine example of [...]
