Koop's "Shape Up America"

Here's another "blast from the past" article that features the ISSA's "Drawing In" process. Classic "Dr. Squat!"
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What’s the latest scoop on the Koop poop? "Shape Up, America!" is Koop’s latest battle cry. C. Everett Koop, M.D., former Surgeon General, battled successfully against cigarette smoking in public and not-so-public places. Now he’s on a fitness kick. People are beginning to learn the importance of weight training in the obesity battle, says he, knowing whereof he speaketh.

Look at some of the old photos of Koop. He’s lost a LOT of weight! It’s true. People are learning about how important weight training is in winning the battle of the bulge. So did people back in the 50s and 60s. That’s when the club boom began. And in the 20’s and 30’s. Anyone out there remember the last fitness boom? It was raging during the turn of the century. Y’know, Baron de Coubertin., originator of the modern Olympics, and all the boys from Germany and England who brought "physical culture" to America?

Learning is eternal. But, sheesh! RE-learning? There was a 700-year-long fitness boom going on in B.C. Greece! What ancient civilizations learned as important lessons in life, we "enlightened" age folk are obliged to re-learn. As the old saying goes, because of our failure to remember the past, we are doomed to repeat it.So be it.

But what’s going on in the Koop-inspired Shape Up, America! campaign? How is the so-called "re-birth" of strength training going, anyway? I found some answers in a recent issue of Club Industry magazine. Actually, I LOVE what Koop is accomplishing, and I LOVE that magazine! It’s always full of information on successful club management, new fitness technology, and upcoming symposia. But a particular article on strength training caught my eye. Several people, were quoted therein. If I may be so bold, I’d like to recap and requote a bit from from that article.

Structured programs work best says one fitness expert from Colorado. "....the more you structure an exercise program, the greater the chance that people will do it." That’s what he said. Not only do I disagree with this statement, but I suspect that hammering "structure" to new recruits to the fitness way of life is largely responsible for them to all too frequently getting turned off by the unnecessarily harsh discipline, and making them NOT wanting to continue to exercise.

But there’s more!More instruction on how to do the exercises is required, says a New York fitness instructor. Now, I agree with this statement. Says he, ".....wherever I go, I see people doing totally inapropriate strength training exercises." So do I. All of us who are "in the know" do.

But, then he goes on to explain. It’s then that I begin to have a problem. "You see guys 50 years old trying to throw up as much weight as they can so they look good, and all they’re doing is elevating their blood pressure."

Uhhh! Beg your pardon? Hello? What you mean, Dude! What you mean by "trying?" Lots of things come to mind here! At 45 I was ripping apart world records! At 54 (today) I did a few light sets of 5 with 500 pounds. And guess what? Guys AND gals my age all over the WORLD enjoy the same "struggle." With GREAT blood pressure, thank you!

Granted, some guys at 50 are deconditioned. But not all of us. Y’know, another thing comes to mind here. A lot of people my age remember when gyms allowed people to lift weights overhead. Can’t be done nowadays!

And, remember when you were allowed to use CHALK? One of the MOST important safety devices in the gym has been BANNED by most clubs! Why? Too hard to clean up? C’mon!

Point is, we of Iron have been scuttled. We of Iron are obliged to either hang up our jocks or go back to the garage gyms from whence we came to lift in peace. Just because of remarks like that one made by Mr. New York!

HELL! Wasn’t it OUR generation who CREATED the gym world and started the fitness boom? I gotta tell ya! MY memory hasn’t deteriorated THAT far yet! Yes! ‘T’was!

But I digress. One longstanding fitness guru says that awareness of the benefits of exercise, education and motivation are keys to successfull strength training program. He’s big on structure too, a fact which I’m not nuts about. I don’t particularly like being militarily herded into a training or exercise situation, and, frankly, I never met anyone who did! But, Guru! Your Eminence! I beg of you! WHY did you say, "We don’t allow anyone to cut in or hold up the line by doing more than one set."That’s what he said. I got real upset when I read that. See, this guy is one of the HIT "Jedi" guys...’nuff said!

Another gym guy has what he thinks is a (a-hem!) "good" idea. He gives clients different colored cards signifying their experience level so his staff can provide differential instructions. When the client has progressed, he’s given the fifth and final colored card. At that point, further instruction apparently becomes spurious, since "he trains as well as anyone can train him" he says.

Now, how can a near-minimum wage youngster working the floor of a gym judge when a person has progressed to the fifth color? This floor guy -- a nice, personable kid -- is no expert in training. No expert in fitness science. The entire concept of being given a card that a kid is going to identify me as a beginner, an intermediate or an advancned trainee by is just plain foreign to my senses. It’s also all-too seventy-ish! I also believe it’ll turn a lot of other people off!

An Atlanta gym owner makes the point that early basic instruction is elemental in ensuring that new clients overcome their fear of strength training. "We don’t want them to come in to train unattended the first three times." Yeah. But what then? What about the fourth visit?

And, finally, a Retirement Center fitness instructor has a circuit training program similar to a couple mentioned earlier. He has everyone go through a circuit that takes 20 minutes. Pulse rate is constantly monitored , and the circuit runs continuously throughout the day. "It is without question the most effective program in the country for time expenditure and maximum safety" says he.

I don’t want to be accused of taking what these fine gentlemen are quoted as saying out of context. Furthermore, now really! Could I -- moi -- make up this kind of stuff? So, please read the article of which I speak. Make up your own mind!

In the meantime, for what I am about to say, I beg their pardon.These observations -- made by acknowledged fitness gurus -- is pure, unadulterated "poop." Or worse. It’s for the people who like good ideas, but who choose to ignore the better and best ones. Why would they DO that?

Maybe because, when it comes to getting the masses fit, they are of the philosophy that "easy" is "best." (Y’know... "KISS? Keep It Simple Stupid?)

Maybe it’s because they don’t recognize the better and best ones as such. I am NOT an advocate of this philosophy. No indeed. I believe that there is no such thing as good enough. I do not believe that simple is better. I believe that BETTER is better!

And I believe that the MOST important consideration in training ANYONE for ANY REASON is their incalculable value as a UNIQUE human being. This done, it will be easy for them to determine their OWN self-worth.Mrs. Jones, the quintessential client of personal fitness trainers -- who is different in many, many ways than anyone else on earth including her momma -- wants to be PERSONALLY considered. No canned program for her! No sirree! Nor should there be.

Point is, that all of us are unique, and only a very few have the discipline to stick to most of the "good" ideas mentioned above by the gurus.

Q How do you imbue an individual with the discipline to "stick to it" after having spent a LIFETIME of slovenliness, overindulgence and a total lack of structure?

A You don’t! Nor should you try. Leave that to their religeous leader.

Q And how do you account for a client’s uniquenesses in a busy, overcrowded gym?

A Glad you asked that! It called the "Drawing-in" program, and I developed it for the International Sports Sciences Association a couple of years ago. On a scale of good, better, best, it’s CLEARLY the BEST out there (why should I be modest?).

There are five stages to the drawing-in process. But "drawing in" to WHAT? Why, what Koop and Kumpany say we need -- A FITNESS LIFESTYLE!

Stage One: · Establish yourself as a PROFESSIONAL. If your client has confidence in your abilities, compliance is more probable· It’s the time to establish your fee· NEVER ask your client what they want to accomplish because 11) they don’t have a clue and 2) you don’t either

Stage Two: · Begin the ongoing task of data collection and data analysis

Stage Three: · Guided Discovery

Stage Four: · "Trying On" a small fitness program (principally as a check for compliance ability and discipline to carry on)

Stage Five: · Ask, "What is it you want to accomplish?" and then provide lifetime support and incentives More on these important stages later on.

But, really! I love Dr. Koop’s "Shape up, America!" campaign! It’s high time. But I have a few fundamental problems with the way in which the entire campaign itself is shaping up. Not that the campaign is ill-conceived, understand. Rather, it’s whether the private sector is able or willing to make it all happen.

ou see, this fitness thing we all love can’t be crammed down people’s throats like you would medicine to a sick animal. Most of us were young dogs learning new tricks when we adopted the fitness lifestyle. It was easy for us because, back then, our young minds and bodies were more susceptible to adopting the DISCIPLINE it takes to succeed.

Your clients -- or most of them -- are old dogs to whom we’ve FAILED at teaching new trick to.

Q Would you wear a size ten pair of shoes if your foot size is twelve?

Q Would you, as a shoe salesman, even dare ASK it of your customer?

A If ya gotta ask, you should consider a job with the French Foreign Legion.

Folks, for precisely the same reason the answers to the above ridiculous questions are no, you shouldn’t cram a training and nutrition program down your new client’s throat just because you like it. It fits you, perhaps, and maybe others whom you’ve trained. But it may not fit your new client!

If we can use statistics on the drop-out rate among fledgling fitness seekers (and I believe we MUST!), all too often, it doesn’t!The consequence of your trying to is almost always going to be that you will not succeed in drawing your client into a fitness lifestyle. Sure, you may succeed in the short run. You may succeed in fitting your client into a size five for the first time since college. You may even get her fit. But it’s almost always going to be a temporary condition.

Your client will surely backslide -- way back -- to their previous slovenly ways. Everyone -- everyone -- wants to be fit. Except real young kids; they don’t know the difference.

Only us ironheads -- and a few aerobic buffs (very few) -- truly want to pay the price. The price is discipline. Even for kids. Don’t believe it? Picture this: Guy and gal looking at a show marquee. Arnold Schwarzenegger is playing. Gal says, "You and Arnold look like you come from different planets!" Now picture this: Guy says, "He’s on steroids! If he weren’t, I’d be just as good as him!" This pencilneck is SERIOUS! His eyes say it. His look says it. The set of his jaw says it.

His gal instantly responds, "Bull!" She knows better. Arnold may have had a swift kick in his genes, but her beau needs one in his jeans. He wanted to believe it! Truth is, he knows what everyone on earth (intuitively, if not intellectually) knows. Including Arnold. It’s tough getting to look that good. Not everyone wants to, and not everyone has the guts, discipline, genes or incentive to pay the price. Guy or gal!

Is there an easy way? No, but there is a best way (on a scale of good, better, best). If you’ll indulge me one more minute, I’ll explain it to you. First, let me paint you one more scenario.

Guy (or gal) walks into a gym to sign up. The personal trainer (assuming there is one, and assuming that their command of the King’s English allows it) queries, "What is it that you wish to accomplish? What are your training objectives?"

Q What’s wrong with that? All fitness trainers ask that question! It shows that they’re concerned!

A Neither they nor their client have the slightest clue as to what the client’s options are, or what they will become! Just as importantly, you (their personal fitness trainer) do not know what their potentialities are. You do not know what their genetic capabilities are. What their ethnic tastes in food are. What their religious restrictions and requirements are. Their tolerance to exercise. Their familial relationships. Their time availability. Their lifestyle. Their medical problems. Their social, psychological, financial, business, spiritual or familial limitations or capabilities are.

Except for the fact that you can safely assume that your client has no discipline (why else would they have gotten to look and feel bad enough to come to you in the first place), you know NOTHING! And neither does your client!

Aside from their very pedestrian response, "Why, I’d like to lose some weight," or, "I’d like to ‘trim ‘n’ tone," they cannot be specific enough to direct you, as a "professional," in generating the appropriate training regimen specifically tailored for them.

Why is it, then, that everywhere I go, I hear trainers say, "I have to ask that question. I have an obligation to my client to help them achieve their goals"? Folks, there’s a better way! Said I above:"I believe that there is no such thing as good enough. I do not believe that "simple" is better. I believe that BETTER is better! And I believe that the MOST important consideration in training ANYONE for ANY REASON is their incalculable value as a UNIQUE human being.

This done, it will be easy for them to determine their OWN self-worth.

NOW do you understand the significance of the shoe size question I posed earlier? Before you can put shoes on a person that they’ll obligingly and happily live in day in a day out, you have to know some basic information! Similarly, before you put a person on a training and nutrition program, you have to now a lot about that person. Then, you have ‘em try it on for size. Walk in it, live in it for a short while. If the shoe fits, you have a sale. If the program fits, you have a sale too.At that point, you will have succeeded in "drawing" you client into a fitness lifestyle. This is what the International Sports Sciences Association calls the "drawing in process."

Over the years that the ISSA has taught this approach in their certification program for personal fitness trainers, it has proved to be highly successful and popular with their CFTs. It consists of five distinct (often overlapping) steps:

Stage One: Establish yourself as a PROFESSIONAL. ·

You are NOT merely a cheerleader, a motivator or a training partner, You may be all of these, but most importantly, you must establish yourself as a PROFESSIONAL. An expert in your chosen profession. Fitness science. · If your client has confidence in your abilities, compliance is more probable. There are many ways to do this. Personally, I like to break the barrier of personal space by pinching their triceps or subscapular area to check for bodyfat. I’ve become so good at this that I can predict within a few percentage points what the person’s bodyfat level is. But that’s not the point of the pinch. In the process of the pinch, I have put a lot of thoughts into the person’s head. "Why did he pinch me? Does he know something about me? Maybe he’s checking my muscle tone or my fat deposits." Something like that. At that point, the client is mine! You’ll find your own technique. I can get away with invading personal space. Maybe you can’t.· It’s the time to establish your fee. Have it written down in your professionally prepared brochure that also lists your credentials (education, awards and accolades, references, etc.). · NEVER negotiate fees with your client. The instant you succumb to being sucked into a negotiating situation, you become no more respected than a used car salesman. If they can’t afford you, perhaps they have a friend (or two) who would like to join them in a small group. Then you can charge less per client, thereby 1) making it easier for the each client, and 2) making considerably more than your normal fee. Most people, experience tells me, will go for this, and two or three people are neither unmanageable nor are they being cheated out of personal attention. Further, they act as incentive for one another to continue. Sort of a "support group." Also, you now have another spotter! That’s good!· NEVER ask your client what they want to accomplish! Everyone does it, but it’s wrong because 1) they don’t have a clue as to what their immediate OPTIONS are or what they may become, 2) you don’t either (re-read the opening of this article!), and 3) your more naive clients will often assume that you know (because you’re a "professional"), and your asking then becomes perceived as a weakness on your part.· Generally, all they really know is that they have to get rid of some fat and tone up. This is true even for your clients who are elite athletes or experienced fitness enthusiasts (who are perhaps lonely, bored, rich or in need of a motivator). Consider: Even these people want to trim ‘n’ tone, albeit for a more express purpose (like putting the shot further or getting ready for a bodybuilding competition). While they are more sophisticated than your detrained, previously sedentary, totally out of shape clients, they recognize your professionality and track record (word gets around), and feel they’d benefit by your sage wisdom and superior expertise. FOSTER this belief of theirs, and live up to it! It’s good business! · Even though they haven’t the foggiest notion of what their options are, you have to have data to discern it for them. Usually they’ll have a frame of reference because they’re not stupid people! They read the mags, they watch TV, they (perhaps at one time in their youth) experienced the exhilaration of being in shape. They almost ALWAYS will have at least an abstract idea of what they’d like to accomplish, even though they almost always will have trouble expressing it to you beyond the "I’d like to trim ‘n’ tone" response. This you already know, so don’t ask! They’ll tell you whether you want to know it or not. In fact, TELL them this stuff! TELL them you didn’t ask because both of you will soon "discover" what their options and (subsequently) what their objectives are.

Stage Two: Begin the ongoing task of data collection and data analysis. ·

You have to know their "shoe size!" You have to know the style of shoe they like. You have to know the purpose for which they intend to wear their shoes -- running, walking, dress, work, etceteras. · The data you will continue collect for the rest of the time you are with your client (hopefully on and off for years) will be "quantitative" or "qualitative" in nature. Respectively, they refer to measurements (such as arm circumference, bodyfat, age, medical history, etc.) and uniqueness in personality, ethnicity or indiosynchratic behavior unique to your client. ·

Stage Three: Execute a "guided discovery" tour·

The process of guided discovery refers to data analysis (as opposed to the ongoing task of data collection mentioned in Stage Two). "Guided Discovery" means just what it says. You are the guide, and both you and your client need to discover a lot of things about each other, the concept of fitness entails, and how to make it a permanent lifestyle commitment before you can begin.· There are many paths toward discovery (you’ll find your favorite), but all provide a far more "caring" approach to getting your client started. For example:· It’s an excellent way to gently and gradually overcome the effects of detraining, disuse, misuse or abuse the years have inflicted on your client’s body. · It provides an opportunity to learn which exercises and equipment the client "likes" (your client is more apt to do the exercise if they like the exercise), · It provides ample opportunity to guide your client toward proper nutrition by rearranging how many of the foods THEY like are incorporated (you cannot succeed at cramming your idea of a healthy diet down your client’s throat!),· You will learn how to adjust your training approach because of your constant data collection and data analysis,· You and your client will discover many of the options open to your client as Guided Discovery progresses into its final stages. Both you and your client will know when it’s time to move on to Stage Four at this time. ·

Stage Four: Feel the Water Before Jumping In:·

"Trying On" a small fitness program is principally as a check for compliance ability and discipline to carry on.· Choose from the myriad training protocol for one that you and your client feel will provide the easiest route toward living a fitness (disciplined) lifestyle. This will ALWAYS incorporate the exercises, training schedule, foods and other factors that you both have "discovered" during the Guided Discovery process.· NEVER assume that your favorite training protocol, your favorite nutritional supplements or your personal fitness diet schedule is best for your client! All too often they will NOT be!· Once your client has tested the waters of discipline, you can make fine adjustments to maximize compliance.· Remember that your client will comply for one of two reasons: 1) public compliance pressure, or 2) PRIVATE acceptance of the regimen you both decide upon. The second reason is the ONLY acceptable one. The other will SURELY lead to failure!· Your client having achieved private acceptance, it’s time for you to move your client into the final stage of the drawing in process.·

Stage Five: Establish an Integrated Lifestyle Fitness Regimen Based On Your Client’s (Informed) Objectives: ·

Ask, "What is it you want to accomplish?" and then provide a very EXCELLENT, INTEGRATED and scientifically SOUND training program that’s INDIVIDUALIZED...and some lifetime support and incentive factors.Now -- and ONLY now -- do both you and your client truly understand what your client’s options are, and how best to accomplish them. €

MYTH SOURCES

Squatisms abound in this blast from the past, folks! While it's meant to be enjoyed, do take it a bit seriously, though. Why? Because you're a PRO!
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Almost every week I go to a different gym in the USA. True. It’s what I do these days. ISSA strength coaches,’ performance nutritionists’ and personal fitness trainers’ certification seminars. It’s interesting because I am getting a cross-sectional understanding of what’s going on in USA’s Irondom that’s perhaps a bit more in-depth than most perspectives. How many people do you know who visits DOZENS of different gyms yearly? It’s also 1) enlightening because I learn things, and 2) frustrating because I am constantly obliged to help so many people UN-learn things.

Myths abound in Irondom. That it’s totally understandable how these myths were born is not a consolation. Most of them are couched in shallow science (but deeply enough to take root), and are somewhat believable. I’ll get howls of outrage from many of the perpetrators of these myths as a result of writing this article. See, they’ve said it so many times to themselves and others that they actually BELIEVE what they’re saying! Some have even vested their entire careers -- their very souls -- in their errant beliefs.

The most damaging yet curiously enduring ones come from five sources:

· The Bill Reynolds Syndrome (a.k.a. The Magazine Editor Syndrome),
· The Big Guy Syndrome (a.k.a. The Gym Guru Syndrome),
· The “I Feel It” Syndrome (a.k.a. The “It Works For Me” Syndrome),
· The Denizens of the Drawing Board Syndrome (a.k.a. The “Form, NOT Function, Stupid!” Syndrome), and
· The Supplement Salesman Syndrome (a.k.a. The “Sell it! Sell it!” Syndrome).

Mind you, I realize that I’m giving the industry -- Irondom -- a lot of credit by even mentioning these sources of myth. But, as I’ve said, I have a rather in-depth view of Irondom, and believe there to be enough Ironheads out there who’ll understand and relate to what I say here. The rest of you? Well, you’ll no doubt go back to your social clubs and carbo coolers, content in your current beliefs. We’ll never meet on the platform, I assure you!

The Magazine Editor Syndrome

Bill Reynolds -- now deceased -- was editor of Muscle & Fitness while it was still a great magazine. He was under a lot of pressure to come up with unique stories each month. In one month he wrote a story about biceps training. The next time he does a biceps story, it has to have a biceps training routine that totally different. No one wants to read the same story twice. Even though there is one way to train your biceps -- lift the damned bar!

Bill and I were sitting in my office one day, arguing whether there was more than one way to train biceps. See, the biceps span a hinge joint. The elbow is capable only of flexion and extension. Regardless of starting position or direction of movement, only unidirectional flexion is taking place in the elbow joint. There is no way of “attacking” the biceps from many different angles, as though it were some sort of an invading organism being attacked by macrophages.

Bill thought differently. Now, Bill had an advanced degree, had written 30 or so books on training, and was an accomplished lifter in his younger years. He wasn’t stupid about training science. So how come he thought differently? The story is amusing.

Bill ran back to his office and came back with two photos of Frank Zane, one from 1973 and another from 1983. “See, Fred?” Bill implored, pointing to the gap between Zane’s biceps and forearm in the 1773 photo. “Zane had a gap there, and it’s gone in the 1983 photo!” I looked. Bill was right. The gap was gone.

Then Bill said, “Zane learned how to do better dumbbell curls. Now he starts with the dumbbell behind his back, and curls it outward and then inward toward his opposite ear while supinating his forearm.”

That’s what he said. I swear. I kicked Bill out of my office, as further discussion was virtually spurious. “You on drugs, Bill, or what!” I muttered. “Zane just finally learned how to POSE in the 1983 picture!” See, Zane had twisted his fist outward slightly in the 1983 photo, thereby elongating his biceps by wrapping the biceps tendon of insertion around the radius bone of his forearm.

The Gym Guru Syndrome

Picture this. A youngster walks into a gym and notices a big guy training arms. The big guy has massive arms. No gap either. The youngster says, “Gee Mister! How can I get big arms like you?”

The big guy, not wishing to appear stupid to his young admirer, and instead wishing to appear as though what he does is more “sophisticated” than merely “lifting the damned bar,” says, “Well kid, ya gotta eat thirty chickens a month, train only at 3:30 in the afternoons to coincide with your biorhythms and twist the bar to your opposite ear every rep. And, NEVER do legs on the same day you do biceps!”

The myth is born. The kid buys into the drivel, goes on to get big guns, and passes the myth on to the next kid. He even gets a Reynolds-mentality editor to let him ghost-write about the “science” of arm training.

The “I Feel It! I Feel It!” Syndrome:

So, how do I get more “cleavage” between my pecs? How do I fill in the gap between my biceps and the forearm? How do I get more sweep to my quads? The big guy, the magazine editor, or someone -- it matters very little who -- says, “Ya gotta attack the muscle from many different angles!” Gawd amighty! “Attack?” You at war? What? Attack what!?!!?

Look folks, Your muscles all have origins and insertions. Usually, you’ll force the muscle to contract against a greater-than-normal resistance in such a way that the insertion is obliged to move toward the origin. The force is transmitted through the belly of the muscle. In other words, you’re gonna lift the damned bar! That’s what’ll make it grow bigger and stronger. Attacking it from angles other than this will cause NEGATIVE forces, meaning that you’ll microtraumatize the muscle. This is a practice which invariably leads to overtraining.

But therein lay the problem. By microtraumatizing the muscle through application of negative forces -- by physically applying shearing or tensile force on the tissue enough to cause It to rupture -- you have accomplished one thing. Tissue destruction. NOT tissue growth. The post-exercise muscle soreness you feel the next day comes from hydroxyproline.

The Denizens of the Drawing Board Syndrome

I’ve been in the gyms long enough to remember practically every piece of equipment to hit the gym scene. It doesn’t matter that Arthur Jones got his idea for his Nautilus variable resistance cams from the mid-19th century German therapists (wood carvings of early cam weight training machines exist, and may small museums in Germany feature some of the old technology). His marketing genius gave the industry a rebirth in many ways. Body Masters, Cybex, Icarion and the slew of manufacturers out there all copied him, just as he copied his predecessors. Really, the NEWEST technology to hit the scene came in the early 1900s with Milo’s invention of the adjustable dumbbell and barbell.

But I digress. These machines are not often made by true biomechanics experts with doctorates in their profession, or years of training wisdom under their belts. They’re made by engineers, welders and marketeers. In my travels, I’ve come across many manufacturers who keep an exercise physiologist on staff. Usually, they’re well-schooled youngsters with very little in-the-trench experience in lifting, and even less experience in designing equipment that’s original or biomechanically correct.

It’s chick to have one on staff. It’s good marketing. It doesn’t, however, ensure that the best technology has to offer will be forthcoming from these denizens of the drawing board! In fact, folks, by my reckoning, the dearth of exceptional equipment out there has given rise to a whole new genre of myth. “How best to train” has become the purview of these denizens, the responsibility having been wrested, by virtue of economic power, from the hands of we Ironheads (many of us are educated too) who generally know better.

Think of it. By forcing you to follow a given track on any given machine, isn’t the manufacturer “instructing” you that this is the correct form for this exercise? Why else would he have made the machine in that particular configuration? Trust me, it’s generally because everyone else did it before him.

The Supplement Salesman Syndrome

I almost needn’t say more. Salesmen have been filling our minds with falsehoods since the industry began. Of course there’s some great companies out there! Of course there’s some great supplements out there! Of course there’s many in the industry who are truly believers in legitimate science!

Then, there’re others who are not. We, being a gullible race, and most particularly one who is constantly seeking for an edge up to greater muscular size, less fat, improved performance (or whatever). We’re vulnerable. We’re constantly taken advantage of.

Therein lies the myth source. We WANT to believe! Many powerful forces make it so. The cagey purveyors of snake oils know this. They’re master at their craft of deception. Beware.

What To Do?

There are many avenues out of the maze. Knowledge is power. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto thee. Stuff like that.

One thing for sure, though, and that’s the importance of the mere recognition of the problem on your part! €

THE INSTINCTIVE TRAINING PRINCIPLE:

Here's another blast from the past that generated nothing less than a thunderous response from Irondom! Didin't care! At ISSA, we LOVE Joe and all he's done for fitness in the world!
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I have always been intrigued by the Weider Principles of training. The years of study, experience and insight that went into the formulation of these principles becomes quickly evident when you begin to understand how they are to be used. In addition to Joe’s considerable input in their formulation over years of time, the contributions of scores of bright and dedicated athletes and bodybuilders cannot go unsaid.

One of these principles, the Instinctive Training Principle, has been the center of controversy in gym circles for as many years as it’s been around. I wish to remedy that. I believe the controversy stems from misunderstanding of the word “instinct,” and subsequently widespread misapplication of the principle. As you will soon learn, this principle is unquestionably the most important one of all. So, let’s discuss 1) what is it, 2) how you get it and 3) how it is used in the gym.

Instinct Defined

According to Webster, the popular definition of instinct is, “The ability to form a judgment without using the reasoning process.” For example, “He can tell a good exercise by instinct.” In this definition, neurons in your brain fire and form connections spontaneously, yielding an insight in your mind that may or may not be supported after the fact when sound reasoning is applied. It is quite clear that your instnct about an exercise (when to do it, how to do it, or whether to do it at all) may be flawed! What you “feel” at the gut level often prompts an incorrect response!

Whoa! You mean there’s a chance that your instincts could be wrong? Hey, stranger things have happened! Of all the mistakes made in the gym, I daresay that those based on “feelings” are the most common! I’ll give you a few examples of what I mean later. First, here’s another more formal way Webster looks at instinct.

“A specific, complex pattern of responses by an organism, supposedly inherited, which is quite independent of any thought processes.”

This definition keys on your inherited traits. Your genetics. Again we have a problem. In this definition, for example, the inherited instinct that attracts moths to light may also attract them to a flame and destroy them. Analogously, your decision about a given exercise may indeed hurt you! Let’s say that you’re a mesomorph and love to do explosive movements. That’s what you’re good at, and that’s how you like to lift weights. Problem is, despite your innate ability to be explosive (most mesomorphs are inherently higher in fast twitch fiber), you’ve neglected your foundation, and it’s weak. The inertial forces on your tissues are so great that you immediately injure yourself. Bad decision! Bad instinct!

In both of the above examples of instinctive behavior, it would have been far better if you took the time to use some sort of reasoning process instead of relying on instinct alone.
Therein lay the reason for the controversy.

There is a third definition of instinct that has to be addressed, for it provides the missing clue as to what Joe Weider originally meant by “instinctive training.” Let me quote Joe’s early explanation of the Instinctive Training Principle (In: The Weider System of Bodybuilding, 1983, pg. 16).

“Every successful bodybuilder has learned to interpret the sometimes subtle messages his body is sending to him 24 hours a day. Knowing how to tune in to these biofeedback signals and interpreting them correctly is an example of mastery of the Weider Instinctive Training Principle. And possessing good instinctive training ability is invaluable to a serious bodybuilder, because it saves him a great deal of time and energy that might ordinarily have been wasted in hit-and-miss experiments with the gamut of training techniques, routines, and bodybuilding exercises.”

So, according to Joe, we’re supposed to be dealing with feelings derived from biological signals together with conscious thought, rather than aimless experimenting. Eventually, the feelings you get from such biofeedback provide neural input that needn’t be thought about. Rather, they are immediately interpreted through intuition. Intuition, according to Webster, is
“…the immediate apprehension of truth in the absence of conscious rational processes.”

Yes, you heard it right. TRUTH!

Acquiring Intuition-Based Instinct

Well, so how do we acquire this wonderful ability of intuition-based instinct? We all value truth, do we not? Look at the definition again! It must be “apprehended!” Chased down, seized, and placed under arrest! In the gym, that means studying the science and mastering the techniques -- OWN the techniques -- BEFORE attempting to train instinctively.

Daniel Dennett, director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, once said, “Intuition is a rug for us to sweep our ignorance under. We call the brain’s tricks ‘intuition’ until we learn how they [intuitions] are done.” If all that you have is “instinct” or “feeling” to guide you, rather than disciplining yourself to study and practice training science, you will not make it far before injury or (worse) failure becomes the norm.

So, to acquire the kind of instinct that Joe Weider wrote about decades ago, the kind that is based on a thorough knowledge of how your body responds to various types of stress, there’s a series of events that must occur.

• Study the science of bodybuilding so that you know what to expect from your bodybuilding efforts
• Equate what you learn to your experience in the gym, and thereby bring science together with practice
• Practice it often and take note of your physiological and emotional responses
• Proprioceptors are located in and around all the joints of the body. These sensors provide constant information to your nervous system regarding the special relationship of the stimulus being sensed to the rest of your body: Examples of this type of sense are feelings of movement, position or speed. Learn how to “listen” to your body. This is called “biofeedback.”
• It is clear that the sense of touch is at the heart of many, many of your instinctive responses in the gym. These include heat, cold, stretch, pain, pressure, or the “pumped” sensation in the muscles. Learn to respond to them, and soon your response will be totally automatic. Instinctual.
• Ultimately, after years of training and study, this logical approach will allow you to have intuitive insight into the practice of bodybuilding, and you’ll then be able to train instinctively. At that point, you have a remarkable advantage over anyone in the gym!

Putting Your Instinct To Work In The Gym

Ugh! Gotta tell ya, folks! I’ve seen some pretty strange things take place in the gym! We all have, and the stories are told and retold anywhere ironheads congregate. But they are important stories! For, they are the most prevalent way in which lessons are learned about how to both do and NOT do things in the gym. Here’s just a few I’ve heard.

Attacking Your Muscles From Several Angles “Feels” Good. Atilla the Hun attacked his quarry from several different angles. It worked for him, and I can only surmise how good he must've felt. But when you go attacking your muscles (which span joints) from several different angles, all you're gonna get for your effort is a good case of bursitis or tendonitis!

Go For The Pump Because That “Feeling” Says You’re Exercising Correctly. The pumped sensation you sometimes feel from doing several sets of an exercise comes from blood engorgement and lactic acid accumulation. While it feels good, and instinctively provides you feedback regarding the adequacy of your workout, it is not necessarily a precondition of growth! As a powerlifter, I spent several years of my life NEVER experiencing a pump. And, I grew from 165 pounds to 265 pounds without increasing my body fat percentage one bit!
The “Feeling” From Post Exercise Muscle Soreness Is A Signal Of Growth. Several theories have been forwarded regarding post exercise muscle soreness. Two come to mind.

Hydroxyproline, a simple amino acid that is common in connective tissue, is caustic to nerve endings. This amino is released upon trauma to the muscle cells and connective tissues as a result of training stress. Another is that trauma and inflammation initiated by the stress of intense training lead to hyperexcitability and spontaneous activation of pain sensations. Whatever the cause of PEMS (or, more technically, "rhabdomyolysis"), the fact remains that it is NOT a signal of growth, but rather one of destruction! Some is unavoidable. But don’t get the idea that you have to feel excruciating pain to know growth is taking place!

No Pain No Gain Is The Oldest One...It “Feels” Like “Coming” Said Arnold. Well, that’s quintessential “Arnold.” ‘Course, he was speaking rhetorically, but his meaning is clear: “If you don’t feel pain, it ain’t working.” Nonsense. Here’s what science says. Put the muscle under greater resistance than it’s accustomed to – CHALLENGE it -- and it will supercompensate in the process. Feelings of pain may or may not be involved.

Supplements That “Work” -- Because You “Feel” Something Happening. A young boy once asked me if his boron would "work." It was laced with ma huang. I told him to throw it away or give it to his post-menopausal mother. He insisted that he loved the stuff. "I FEEL it!" he exclaimed to me. The point is, supplements are great, but know what they’re great for!
Touching A Muscle -- Biofeedback -- Makes You Concentrate Better To Grow Bigger And Stronger. Perhaps this is true to a point, but where ya gonna get another HAND to feel the muscle with if you're lifting? In any event, what'll work far better is to slap some serious pig iron on the bar!

When Your Instincts Are On The Money. There are times when your “feelings” are probably your best source of information. One -- and there are others -- is the “feeling” of pain from doing an exercise, regardless of whether it’s being done “correctly.” This is a good time to stop and take careful stock in how you're doing the movement, or how much weight you're using.

So, regarding the Weider Instinctive Training Principle, know what instinct is – and isn’t -- before you cast judgment on this important gym tool! Intuition --“the immediate apprehension of truth in the absence of conscious rational processes” -- stems from learning and experience. And instinct, of the type spoken of by Joe Weider, comes from intuition.

“Dreamers, Shapers, Seekers, Makers”

Hi again, folks! Well, I TOLD you that there'd be a lot of classic "squatisms" in my blog! This article -- an oldie -- generated howls of protests from the bleeding heart liberals out there. You'll see what I mean! Enjoy!



“That’s the magic of the word: We are left to imagine our own worst definitions. And in the process, we render the word more unspeakably awful than the speaker ever could -- just as the monsters on the old radio horror shows, being products of our own dread, were scarier than anything TV could show us.”
William Raspberry

I watched Deep Space Nine the other day. I love that mindless tripe. It provides an opportunity for escapism in its most elemental form. Sometimes, though, the script writers outdo themselves, and create something really (well, “sorta”) profound. On this particular episode there was a race of people who referred to themselves as “Dreamers, Shapers, Seekers, Makers.” Obviously a super race of people, the likes of which are (practically) unknown here on Earth. Each from that distant world clearly a king in his or her own right. Any one of them would be Emperor were they here.

We -- the world of Irondom -- have such people too. But then, in comparison to the inhabitants of this planet, bodybuilders are a super race. Kings of their respective jungles, as it were. Come contest day, though they shed whatever monarchical robes they wear and place themselves at grave risk on the posing platform. In doing so, they defend nothing: Rather, they boldly -- offensively -- seek conquest. That, in a nutshell, is what separates them from all other beings in the jungle, most of whom merely react defensively as a survival instinct.

I enter my blog, then, with this thought: To be King, first you must have a kingdom. To have a kingdom, you must either have willing subjects or be willing to subjugate them.

Taking a stroll through the jungle the other day, as I am wont to do since it’s my natural home, I overheard a rather startling -- yet, paradoxically, not unexpected -- conversation between some of the species living therein. Before I get into the conversation I eavesdropped on, let me tell you a bit about these bizarre species, for I know them well:

To be King, first you must have a kingdom. To have a kingdom, you
must either have willing subjects or be willing to subjugate them.

The Fierce Wannabee:

Big, brutish and fierce looking, this diabolical denizen of the deepest jungle has the most fearsome roar imaginable. Lower species quake in fear as he struts by, tossing his mien, guttural growls spilling into the silent jungle through bared fangs, daring all to cross his path. Yet, testicles he has none. You can tell by the conspicuous lack of bulge in his spandex pants. The incomprehensible “Gabbyscientists” -- one of the more curiously respected (though often taunted) species residing in the jungle -- believe this condition is the result of either 1) dysfunctional maternal upbringing, 2) a total lack of positive paternal influence, or 3) the overuse of jungle juice. He looks great, but hasn’t improved his appearance in years. His eating and training habits are no different than those of his forebearers, so he has progressed no farther than they.

The Venerable Usetabee:

Venerated by virtue of his (or her, there’s no telling which gender, since a similar lack of spandex bulge, as in the case of the Fierce Wannabee, purports no clue) oft’ told tales, this grotesque beast is clearly subject to constant and intense pain resulting from his (or her, as the case may be) alleged battles with one of the greatest and most feared beasts of all -- the “Gawdawful Heavyiron!” The mask of pain is omnipresent. These battles -- real but typically exaggerated -- are recorded immemorial, so there is little in the way of disparagement possible. See, the Venerable Usetabee is also very wily, and therefore careful about covering incriminating tracks, leaving behind only those which may tend to elevate others’ perception of him. As with all species residing in the jungle, tracks are very important to the Venerable Usetabee since his existence is largely based in the past. But his passion has long since extinguished. That’s probably good, since his training methods -- which invariably led to a monstrously overtrained state -- may have killed him rather than merely maiming him for life. Because he’s not related to the Pencilneck (a species to which further reference must be made unfortunately), and because he has vast gym experience (although never learning from it himself) he knows this in his heart, so he avoids helping others, for fear he’ll be found out.

The Lowly Neverwas:

This lackey bottom-feeder of the jungle, this son-of-a-jackal who has a very skinny neck resembling a common pencil, is also known far and wide as a Pencilneck Geek. Being nonpredatory, as are most of the lower beasts residing in the jungle, he slinks from cover to cover to shun the light of day (though not nocturnal by nature), fearing that he will be discovered for what he really is -- NOTHING. Nothing, that is, of merit. Yet, paradodoxical as it may seem, he’s much-needed in the jungle -- it’s truly a fearsome abode -- so he’s somewhat protected by the greater beasts. A consummate shape-shifter, he may assume the personage of a western-style doctor, a politician, a lawyer, or (most often) a parasite. In the jungle, parasites are important. See, things die there. SOMEBODY’S gotta clean up the carnage! This creature habituates the jungle from time to time, trying to emulate the greater beasts who prowl therein. His efforts are disgusting, puny and laughable, as he does so with tight spandex pants and clean new sneakers on. He seems to have an inexhaustible supply of clean new sneakers. He dresses like this because in his twisted mind he believes that he’ll look like he “belongs” in the jungle.

A consummate shape-shifter, he may take the personage of a
western-style doctor, a politician, a lawyer, or most often a parasite.

Anyway, this pestiferous triumvirate got into a discussion as to who was the TRUE king of the jungle. I was there, though unobserved. Downwind as I was, I quietly sat and listened. Do likewise. And learn.

In uncharacteristic openness (he’s used to talking behind the other beasts’ backs) and with flashing teeth adorning a fearsome visage, the Fierce Wannabee growls, “Who’s the King of the jungle?” His surprising candor startled the other two, but they responded nonetheless.

“Why, YOU are, Mr. Wannabee! YOU are!” quaked the Lowly Neverwas from behind a twig. “You ARE the King of the jungle!”

“And you?” chortled the Fierce Wannabee, turning his mangy head toward the proud, but doubtful Venerable Usetabee.

“Yes, perhaps YOU'RE the king of the jungle for the moment” agreed the Venerable Usetabee, albeit somewhat hesitantly. “But I USED to be! So, maybe it’s time I made a comeback and took back what is rightfully mine, no?”

“GET A LIFE!” roared the Fierce Wannabee. “NOT A CHANCE!” The jungle fairly shook with the fury of the Fierce Wannabee’s mighty roar.

“Yeah! GET A LIFE!” piped up the Lowly Neverwas, now standing boldly on the tip of his twig.

“Listen!” lamented (that’s another word for “whined”) the Venerable Usetabee. Who’s done it all? Who’s put their butt on the line in mortal combat and came out victorious?” [Then, under his breath and with dulled claws crossed, he mutters, “Most of the time?”] “Who’s got the records to prove it? Who’s more dedicated? Who’s more capable of making this jungle, and it’s inhabitants, flourish? You? A mere WANNABEE, or moi? The ONLY jungle beast who’s BEEN there?

“Yeah!” offered the Lowly Neverwas, now perched on the edge of a leaf in mock bravery, knowing that it’s two against one now. “Who IS the King of the jungle?”

“I have the loudest roar, the biggest teeth, the most muscular body, and the balls...er...the GUTS to back it up!” responded the Fierce Wannabee. The Venerable Usetabee glanced down wistfully.

“But Mr. Wannabee!” objected the Lowly Neverwas. “Why then do you roar so loud? Why is it that... “ ...and now he’s standing on his hind legs, despite their spindly structure ... “...you never HUNT? Why don’t you HELP us lower beasts and give of your magnificent self to keep the ORDER in this jungle?”

“ENOUGH! ENOUGH!” a new voice roared! From the cover of the night jungle’s shadow emerged a figure, slightly bent but nonetheless powerful and dominating, yet curiously submissive. Enter the Stately Stillis!

Lest I confuse, let me tell you about this particular beast, as he is truly Lord of all jungle ground he treads upon.

The Stately Stillis:

Now, some of the other beasts mock this wonder of the weald, this tenant of the tangle. They mock him because of his discipline and singlemindedness. They do not understand how a beast can become so... so FOCUSED on something other than what’s belly filling. But then, it’s understandable since they are the lower beasts. They are the ones who quake at a loud roar. They are the ones whose tails (also tales) are truly short. Many are cousins to the Lowly Neverwas, and others distant cousins to the The Venerable Usetabee (inbreeding is common amongst the lower beasts of the jungle. It’s led to untold idiocy and an attendant mythology that’s utterly strange but fascinating to the greater beasts).


...inbreeding is common in the jungle with everybody screwing everybody. It’s led to untold idiocy and an attendant mythology that’s utterly strange but fascinating to the greater beasts.


Unlike another venerated -- but now extinct -- cousin, Leo the Lionhearted, he knows that his jungle, and subsequently its spirit, is inclined to lead its beastly inhabitants to places never dreamed possible to visit, if only they will let it do so. He knows that his survival, and that of every beast in the jungle--indeed, the jungle itself -- dictates that there is no other choice. The JUNGLE is uncompromising in its demand for total EXCELLENCE! The Stately Stillis had become one with the jungle. He -- and he alone -- is KING!

YOUR MUSCLES' STRENGTH BUILDING PROCESSES

Is there a physiological difference between getting bigger muscles and getting stronger muscles? How does it happen? More important, if you knew the answers to these two questions, would your knowledge aid you in improving the efficiency of your powerlifting workouts?
"Who cares, Dr. Squat! Just gimme a barbell, let me lift it, and to hell with all this science!" is the pragmatic response I get from powerlifters who are into lifting for lifting's sake. That's ok. But, since you've gotten this far along in reading this article -- and since you've come to know what to expect of my articles -- I'm certain that you've already learned the answer to the third question posed in paragraph one.
In a word, yes.
Let's have a look at some of the important structural elements comprising a muscle cell. Then you'll be able to more clearly visualize how you -- the ultimate architect -- can build more muscular strength (without inducing unnecessary size increases) by manipulating the stresses you inflict upon your body during intense training.

Your muscles' structure and function

Inside every muscle cell there are thick filaments (myosin) and thin filaments (actin). They are the contractile elements you your cells. They are the proverbial "bottom line" when it comes to explaining where strength comes from. They are the proteins which, when called upon to contract, cause the processes of force output. It's an amazing process, and understanding it holds the key to maximum powerlifting success.
Energy released during the breakdown of ATP molecules (adenosine triphosphate) causes the thick filaments to slide across the thin filaments. How do we get the ATP to break down? An enzyme called myosin ATPase is secreted from the tiny hairlike structures (called "cross-bridges") of the thick filaments, and interacts with the ATP molecules, causing them to split. This interaction liberates energy for contraction.
Now, let's back up for a moment. Remember that you have red (slow twitch) and white (fast twitch) muscle fibers. They're so-named because of their color, inherent contraction speed and level of resistance to fatigue. Scientists call the slow twitch (fatigue-resistant) fibers Type I fibers, and the fast twitch, fibers Type II fibers. The fast twitch fibers are the ones that have the greatest capacity for both hypertrophy and force output, and are divided into two specific groups: Type IIa fibers (which are both fast-twitch and highly fatigue-resistant) and Type IIb fibers (fast-twitch but have a very low resistance to fatigue).
Each one of these fiber types contract in the manner described above. However, the tiny hairlike cross-bridges located on the three different fibers' myosin myofilaments secrete their own unique form of ATPase. Importantly, whether a muscle cell becomes a Type I, Type IIa or Type IIb fiber is largely determined by the specific form of ATPase the "heads" of the myosin filaments' cross-bridges secrete.


MUSCLE FIBER TYPES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS


FIBER TYPE FUNCTION & TRAINING ADVICE
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Type I Slow twitch, oxidative (highly fatigue-resistant), little capacity for exercise-induced hypertrophy or high force output (however, hypertrophy pronounced with anabolic steroid use), high resistance to exercise-induced structural damage

Training Tips:

Responds best to high repetition training with lighter weights and slow, continuous tension movements; however, powerlifters are warned to steer clear of this type of training, as it will ultimately "rob" you of greater gains in strength
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Type IIa Fast twitch, highly fatigue-resistant, high capacity for exercise-induced hypertrophy, moderate resistance to exercise-induced structural damage, moderate-to-high capacity for force output

Training Tips:

Responds best to medium rep training with moderate weight and fast concentric movements but slow, deliberate eccentric movements; acceptable as a training technique during off-season and early pre-competition cycle only (i.e., during "foundation" training period when limit strength of all muscle groups is being established)
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Type IIb Fast twitch, low oxidative capacity (highly susceptible to fatigue), great capacity for exercise-induced hypertrophy, great susceptibility to exercise-induced damage (especially from negative movements), high force output capacity

Training Tips:

Responds best to explosive training with heavier weights, addition of a deliberate eccentric phase induces hypertrophy process, but little advantage is gained in the arena of force output; powerlifters advised to engage in explosive training with a decided DE-EMPHASIS of the eccentric (negative) portion of the movement during the early phase of precontest preparation
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Eccentric Training and Powerlifters

For explosive athletes -- particularly you serious powerlifters out there -- whose sport-related skills are primarily dependent on the ATP/CP pathways of muscle energetics, avoidance of excessive eccentric training (especially with your assistance exercises) during the initial period of precompetition preparation is usually advised. This is because microtrauma to the thick and thin myofibers invariably accompanies such "forced elongation" of the myofilaments.
However, for the purpose of inducing hypertrophy -- an overriding requirement of the sport of bodybuilding -- the eccentric phase is of critical importance in the later reps of a (say) 8-10 rep set.
"Whoa! Do you mean that bodybuilders have to purposely inflict damage to my muscle cells in order to get them to grow bigger?"
Yep. But powerlifters (who get their increased muscle size almost exclusively from myofibrillar proliferation) should strive to avoid this size increase technique.
"Why?"
Dr. Scott Connelly, some 12 or 15 years ago, provided an erudite explanation of the hypertrophy process in the then-newly launched controversial magazine, Muscle Media 2000. He elaborated on the process of doing several reps in order to exhaust the ATP regeneration process so that the muscle would cease to contract.
At that point, said he, "...stretching a myofiber in this [fatigued] condition as would occur on the subsequent eccentric phase of the next rep would be predicted to 'tear' the sarcomere [the actin/myosin filaments] at its weakest link...
"This would be expected in Type IIb fibers with the least total oxidative capacity..."
Dr. Connelly went on to explain a relatively new concept in weight training science, which involves a muscle cell's "switching" to a different form of ATPase (the enzyme that breaks ATP down in order to liberate energy for muscle contraction). According to his theory, "...the replacement of Type IIb ATPase with the Type IIa variety..." is caused by heavy use of exhausting eccentric training.
This, in turn, increases your muscles' population of Type IIa fibers at the expense of Type IIb fibers. The theory, of course, is that by inflicting such exhausting stress on your muscles, they "adapt" to the increased energy, tensile strength (protection from destruction) and repair needs by switching to the ATPase isomer form that Type IIa fibers possess. Reducing the population of the more injury-prone Type IIb fibers isn't necessarily advantageous for powerlifters, though it may be good for middle distance runners.
The steps through which this entire process progresses are 1) damage (microtrauma primarily stemming from eccentric contraction), 2) inflammation, 3) repair (protein turnover and elimination of destroyed tissue), and 4) tissue remodelling (adaptive growth).

The Hypertrophy Process

The most interesting element of Dr. Connelly's theory is that, upon damaging the cells' membranes through eccentric contraction while the cell is in a "fatigued" state, certain protein growth factors are liberated in the interstitial spaces surrounding the injured cell. Called FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor -- "fibroblasts are newly-forming cells), IGF-I (Insulin-like Growth Factor type one) and IGF-II (Insulin-like Growth factor type two).
These growth factors are known to 1) stimulate the development of non-contractile satellite cells, and 2) cause the conversion of satellite cells to become part of the neighboring contractile cell in order to give it greater protection from stress. This, Connelly reasons, is what causes hypertrophy of the contractile cell.
This is a revolutionary concept, folks! But remember this, and remember it well! It ONLY applies to our brothers and sisters in the bodybuilding world! Powerlifters are not interested in getting bigger muscles in this fashion. Powerlifters are ONLY interested in getting STRONGER muscles within a given weight division.
Of course, if you're underweight for your division, you have to get bigger muscles. But it's done through high tension exercises (sans excessive eccentric contraction) which stimulate myofibrillar proliferation. Bodybuilders and powerlifters alike have come to call this form of muscular growth "density." Fusion of contractile and satellite cells will not give the hypertrophied cell greater contractile force capabilities.
Trouble is, if this process were to continue for any length of time, pretty soon all of your Type IIb fibers would be gone -- converted to Type IIa fibers. This is not good news for bodybuilders OR powerlifters! Theoretically, when that happens to bodybuilders, further hypertrophy would be impossible. This situation may well be what all of us have for many years called "plateauing." And, for powerlifters, the conversion of desirable Type IIb fibers to less desirable Type IIa fibers robs us of the explosive strength we need to excel as powerlifters.
This is the most compelling rationale for applying PERIODIZATION to your carefully integrated training program. It's reasonable to speculate that carefully alternating both your training intensity and the application of eccentric movements, two very important things will happen: 1) you can limit the amount of (unwanted) conversion of Type IIb to Type IIa fibers, and 2) (for bodybuilders) you'll continue to develop more satellite cells (whose ultimate destiny is to become part of the contractile cell), thereby allowing hypertrophy to continue.
Now, I realize that this is pretty complicated stuff for the average powerlifter to relate to. It's also a relatively new concept, which means that it's untested in the "trenches." But, if new records are ever to be established in the drug-free environment our sport has (almost unanimoulsy) adopted, you're going to have to get a grip on it.
In future articles for MD, I will fully elaborate on precise training strategies -- "cook book" techniques -- for you to experiment with. I, for one, welcome such new science with open arms.

But the final embrace will only come after a bit of foreplay.

Hi folks! And once again, welcome! The short piece below is the introduction to the very first CFT manual ever written. I wrote it back in 1987 or '88 when Dr. Sal Arria and I started the certification industry by introducing our CFT certification course. Lots of "Squatisms" throughout!
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Your bod. You tinker with it. That's what you do, that's who you are. If you're a competitive athlete, bodybuilder or just plain crazy about working out, your every waking moment is spent visualizing its exterior as it will become, and pondering over its interior, hoping it'll stay the way it used to be.
Fellow Iron Freaks, listen, and listen well! You Don't have a prayer in making things happen in any sort of predictable, well-planned, organized fashion unless you know what you're dealing with!
Would you fix the engine in your high-performance car without first consulting the manual? Would you attempt to operate a sophisticated computer without first understanding both the hardware's and software's capabilities? Or, would you begin chipping away at an expensive piece of granite on the whimsical chance that something beautiful will be created by chance? No, you wouldn't. That is, unless you're one of those geeks who listen to the local gym rat guru without thinking for yourself.
This primer on the body is just that. It's a primer. It's not complete and it's not meant to be. Instead, it's meant to pique your curiosity. It's meant to give you a bit of savvy before you go in, like the proverbial bull in a chinashop, and wreak all sorts of havoc on your physical being -- or that of your client!
The information in this study guide is meant to give you a fighting chance in achieving your objectives within a reasonable length of time -- which, for most, is a lifetime.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

All strenuous exercise results in some degree of muscle fiber breakdown. The extent of muscle fiber breakdown is dependent upon several factors, all of which are under the control of the person in charge (e.g., the exerciser himself/herself, or their coach, teacher, drill instructor or personal fitness trainer). I have categorized the damage thusly along a continuum:

• Normal and beneficial muscle fiber breakdown resulting in an array of physical and metabolic circumstances which cause little or mild muscle soreness
• Supernormal muscle fiber breakdown resulting in an array of physical and metabolic circumstances which cause severe muscle soreness that can hamper normal movement, activity and flexibility
• Major (severe) muscle damage resulting in an array of physical and metabolic circumstances which threaten the long-term well-being or life of the individual.

The first two syndromes are widely referred to as “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS), and most people who have exercised strenuously have experienced it to one degree or another. If the continuum were numbered in a fashion similar to the Borg scale of perceived exertion, the first may be rated between 6 – 12, the second between 13 – 17, and the third, referred to by the medical community as “exertional rhabdomyolysis,” between 18 – 20. It is the third degree of the continuum which concerns me greatly, as the incidence of this syndrome appears to either be increasing or more frequently reported. It can result in kidney failure and death. There are instances in which personal fitness trainers were found culpable.

Exertional rhabdomyolysis is characterized by hypokalemia, intravascular coagulation, hyperuricemia, myoglobinuria, myalgia, and lactic acidosis. Exertional rhabdomyolysis may occur after an individual performs unaccustomed, exhaustive exercise in the heat and/or may be exacerbated when the individual is dehydrated. Some people appear more susceptible to exertional rhabdomyolysis than others. Heat stress and dehydration appear to exacerbate rhabdomyolysis, making it even more dangerous in an exercise setting, particularly among new detrained clients. Clearly, owing to the markers which describe the condition, exertional rhabdomyolysis can only be diagnosed by a physician with a sophisticated laboratory at his/her disposal.

Exertional rhabdomyolysis develops from both exercise and nonexercise risk factors. The amount of cellular damage may be affected by a subject's 1) fitness level. 2) the intensity of exercise, 3) the duration of exercise, and 4) the type of exercise.

• Fitness level. Muscle tissue adapts to exercise, allowing the tissue to perform more work, resist damage, and repair at a faster rate. Thus, an experienced athlete would be less likely to develop exertional rhabdomyolysis, while a new client in a detrained state would be more likely to show signs of exertional rhabdomyolysis.
• Intensity and duration. Studies show that increasing the intensity of an activity (eg, lifting heavier weight, pedaling faster) results in higher creatine kinase levels (widely regarded as the most important marker of exertional rhabdomyolysis) when compared with increasing the duration (eg, more repetitions with less weight, longer bicycling with slower pedaling).
• Type of exercise. Different amounts of cellular destruction occur between concentric exercise and eccentric exercise. Eccentric activities cause more destruction, resulting in higher levels of intracellular contents in the bloodstream.

Minimizing Risk

The best treatment for rhabdomyolysis is prevention. Participants in exercise programs should increase the intensity of their exercise programs at a pace that will allow muscle tissue time to adapt. Limiting or avoiding exercise during high temperature and humidity conditions, and limiting exercise during times of illness are also advised. Clients who have predisposing risk factors, such as metabolic myopathies, sickle cell trait, or certain viral infections, should be instructed by their physician to observe precautions when exercising. In such instances, if a personal trainer is involved, his/her job requires that consultation with the client’s physician is carried out.

Personal fitness trainers should never begin training a new client using repetitive or strenuous, unaccustomed exercises. All exercise training should begin with mild intensity exercise, which is gradually increased to an appropriate level. This practice will ensure safety. Moreover, preventing even moderate muscle soreness will benefit training because working with sore muscles (which also are weaker) will compromise the quality of the practice sessions.
Because dehydration is implicated in rhabdomyolysis, adequate fluid should be available and ingested before and during exercise. During strenuous exercise in the heat, precautions such as adequate fluid intake and acclimatization are critical.

In summary, exertional rhabdomyolysis and its serious consequences can be avoided by maintaining adequate hydration, avoiding heat stress, not performing strenuous repetitive exercise for which a person is not trained and increasing exercise intensity in a gradual manner. These safeguards will prevent subsequent muscle pain and optimize performance, but more importantly, they may save a life.

Hi folks and welcome. Gotta tell ya, getting me to do this blog wasn't easy. After writing nearly 70 books, well, I just ain't got too much left to say. Mercifully, most of you have never read much of my stuff, so I will feel free to quote myself from time to time. I did write most of the ISSA CFT text, so I'm not coming at you totally unknown.

So...here's a quote from me...one of the "Squatisms" (as they've become known as):

"Let me put it into a simple formula for you. It’s easy. When you walk into a gym, have a PLAN well established long beforehand, but keep it flexible (stuff happens)."

You'll be blessed with a Squatism on each of the next several blogs. Perhaps by the time I run out of 'em, the blog will have taken on a life of its own. Perchance, some of you may even have a question or two that I can answer! Or not answer. I guess I'm saying that whatever form this blog takes is up to y'all.

Plan. Hmmm. What sort of plan? How elaborate? Can I pull it off? Do I have the resources? Think of your plan as a step-by-step instruction booklet for the house you're about to build. Now, you realize that there is a logical sequence that MUST be followed when building a house. You cann't start the house by laying carpet. Know what I mean? Of course you do. Here's what the step-by-step plan will look like:

1. choose a location
2. lay a foundation
3. frame goes up (the superstructure)
4. electricity, plumbing, heat, etc.
5. walls
6. detailing
7. move in

Now, look at your body, and what you want it to become. The approach is going to be almost identical to the 7 steps of building your house:

1. choose a gym (not the easiest chore in the world, as most are not worthy)
2. lay a foundation (those core muscles need to be strengthened)
3. alllof your superstructural muscles tended to
4. thru 7. In a logical sequence, pay attention to details. Bodyfat levels down, eating habits in order, sports or fitness goals considered in restructuring your training program to meet the new (higher) demands of your ever-morphing body.

OK...this is a start...comments?