CoachKeats' Blog

Please Go To My Updated Website!

2009-08-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

I am going to be switching over all my blog posts to my newly updated website from now on. This will help simplify my life. Also, my new business name is Reality-Based Fitness (www.realitybasedfitness.com) but the www.coachkeats.com domain name will still work. The podcast is now at www.realitybasedfitnesspodcast.com

Thanks!

Keats Snideman

NEW FACILITY IS OPERATIONAL!

2009-08-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the joint venture facility between my friend and colleague Patrick Ward and myself is up and running! I will now be doing all my training and soft-tissue work out of this awesome facility (minus the few in-home and track sessions I still do). Here's the address:

2009 E. Fifth Street, Suite #12 Tempe, AZ 85281
My contact #602-738-0562

I will be starting small group (and maybe large group as demand grows) kettlebell conditioning classes very shortly for those readers who live in the Phoenix area so stay tuned for more information on that! When groups get big enough, Patrick and I will work together to ensure quality instruction and exercise performance/technique.

Here's a some pics followed by a video of how the place is looking right now! Video:

Also, here's a collection of progressive photos on a flickr page made by Patrick's wife!

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing people at the new facility! We will have a grand opening party sometime in September after all our equipment is in.

Keats

Minimalist SprintAthlete Drills

2009-08-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite aspects of fitness development is the development of speed. More specifically I am referring to sprinting speed. You see, I have this theory, (which I feel is based on a pretty solid platform of both anecdotal and scientific evidence) that maintaining your ability to lift heavy objects, perform explosive movements, and even sprint, that's right sprint, will maintain the body in a much superior way than those methods which focus on endurance type of activities (i.e. slow jogging or "plodding" marathons, etc...).

Yet, it seems as people age, that is exactly what they are drawn to: slow, long-distance type of activities such as marathons and triathlons. Now don't get me wrong here, if you are one of the people that just love endurance type of activities I wouldn't try to take that away from you; I'm just not convinced that it's healthier than more brief, explosive type of activities such as sprinting. As a master's sprinter myself (I'm biased of course!), I find that performing regular sprints and conditioning work called "tempo" training, along with heavy and explosive free-weight exercises, keeps me pretty fit and strangely enough, allows me to perform endurance type of activities quite well without having to train for these activities specifically.

My theory is that the better you get at repeating high-intensity bouts of exercise, the easier it become to do activities that are relatively lower on the intensity scale by comparison. Indeed it is not uncommon for elite level endurance athletes to possess some pretty decent strength and speed due to the increased amounts of speed and power work that are being done these days.

In order to perform speed work though, you must have a basic clue of the proper running mechanics. To help learn and feel the proper technique involved with faster running, it is often helpful to perform sprint drills to help learn and rehearse the mechanics of proper sprinting form. The following video demonstrates, via the help of my Friend and colleague Patrick Ward, the basic "minimalist" drills that one could do prior to a sprinting or even just a running training session:

Enjoy! They'll be many more videos coming soon about my thoughts on this most important topic.

Keats

First look at Reality Based Fitness Facility!

2009-07-21T22:20:00.001-07:00

Today, Patrick Ward and his wife Ivonne filmed our first video walk-through for people to see our new facility in Tempe, AZ! We also ordered some really nice rubber flooring that will come in the next 10-12 days. We will film more as we go along!

Thanks,

Keats

Podcast #5 is up: The Kool-Aid Drinkers..Oh yeah!

2009-07-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

The 5th podcast of Reality Based Fitness is now up and ready for listening and downloading! In this podcast, Patrick Ward and I announce the opening of our new Tempe training facility followed by a review of the most recent NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) national convention that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then, we get on with the topic of the podcast: Kool-Aid Drinkers!

More specifically, we get into the narrow and dogmatic viewpoints of some individuals when they drink the "kool-aid" of specific gurus and experts and fail to see the other side of the coin so to speak. The topics we discuss are:

1)Running Shoes and Over-pronation

2)Perfect Posture

3)Low-carb Diets for Everyone, and

4)Dangerous Exercises.

For those of you old enough to remeber the Kool-Aid man, here's a blast from the past:

We have some great interviews coming up in future podcasts including famous strength and conditioing coach Mike Boyle, who we hope to interview within the week!

Thanks for reading,

Keats

Video on Balance Training

2009-07-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that my twin brother Franz filmed last weekend as I was driving he and his family to the airport after a trip out here to the desert. It's a discussion on Balance training and some of the misconceptions about how to train it. Our voices sound a lot alike so if don't get freaked out if you haven't heard us together!

Enjoy,

Keats

Reality-Based Fitness now a reality!

2009-07-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

This week I was fortunate during my slow days (July is typically a slower month around here in the fitness biz) to have the time to drive around to look for a facility to rent so Patrick Ward and I can run our respective business' out of.

Well, after many, many months of searching for a place, the wait is over! That's right today (Friday, July 17, 2009), Patrick and I signed a lease for a 1000 Square foot facility located in Tempe, AZ! It is a nice sized wearhouse space with a room up front designated for soft-tissue therapy. The facility will be called Reality-Based Fitness (same name as new podcast) and will hopefully become one of the premiere places to go for cutting-edge training information and classes, world-class soft-tissue work, and effective lifestyle and nutrition strategies for enhanced living and physical performance.

I'll post some pics and videos later this weekend after we clean up the place in 118 degree heat (no electricity until Monday)! I am very excited about this opportunity and hope we will be able to help many people achieve a much higher quality of life.

Thanks and stay tuned for more details!

Keats

Cool New Pull-up Video!

2009-06-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let people know of a great video my twin brother Franz posted on improving pull-up strength and power (power being the speed at which you go up on the pull-up). It involves doind a handstand push-up immedieatly prior to doing the pull-up. Very interesting! Try it out (though you might want to have spotter to help if you've never done a handstand push-up)!

Podcast #3 is Up!

2009-06-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight (Tuesday, June 9, 2009), Patrick Ward and I interviewed Brad Pilon, author of Eat-stop-Eat for an intriguing discussion about flexible-intermittent fasting. If you haven't heard about this exciting and extremely simple concept for calorie reduction (just don't eat for 24 hours once or twice per week) you must have a listen to this interview. This might make you have a little cognitive dissonance but that's good if you want to continue to grow and learn in life. To listen, go to our Reality-Based Fitness website or go to iTunes and subscribe by entering Reality Based Fitness.

Enjoy!

Shoes and Resistance Training

2009-05-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Resistance Training & Footwear

If you talk to any serious runner, you’ll almost always arrive at the subject of running shoes. With people who resistance train (or “lift weights”), shoes are hardly part of the discussion with much more attention being paid to specific program design parameters or the latest and greatest “supplement “ being taken. This is a mistake however as shoes are a vital part of safe and effective strength training. The remainder of this post will discuss the various types of shoes worn for resistance training and the pros and cons of each.

The Typical Shoe and Associated Problems

Typically, most recreational lifters (including athletes training with weights) use regular running or cross-training shoes to train in. Function of the shoes being worn is given little to no thought during most people’s lifting program as most will focus on style and appearance instead. The main goal is to look good wearing whatever cool running or athletic shoe that’s currently in style. This is problem because many of the modern running or cross-training shoes have large “cushiony” heels to help dampen the shock of walking, running, and performing various sporting maneuvers. Also, these shoes are typically VERY expensive.

Unfortunately however, during heavy resistance training (i.e. squatting), this type of shoe is akin to standing on giant marshmallows which allows the force being transmitted to be dissipated somewhat in directions that are not conducive to 1) safety, and 2) strength expression. The late sport scientist Mel Siff, had this to say about shoes and weight training on page 461 of his landmark text Supertraining (2000 edition):

“…running shoes or any shock-absorbing shoes suitable for the aerobics class are potentially unsafe in the gymnasium. For instance, compression of any part of the sole during squats, cleans, deadlifts, standing press, good mornings, snatches, pulls and other standing exercises can cause general instability and consequent injury.”

So as you have just read, there are some risks involved with wearing the wrong type of shoes in the gym. So what type of shoe is one to use then?

Some Better Alternatives

When it comes to shoes and strength training, it pays to look at what those involved in strength sports are actually wearing: Olympic-style Weightlifting and Powerlifting come to mind immediately. With Weightlifting, which consists of the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch respectively, you see a shoe being worn that has a non-compressible sole with a slight elevation of the heel. This heel elevation helps with achieving better mobility in the bottom of the clean and the snatch without compromising spinal alignment excessively. It can be very helpful for staying more upright.

The only potential negative aspect of weightlifting shoes is that they do encourage more forward knee travel which adds more stress to the knees. However, this doesn’t seem to be a problem for many Olympic lifters as they don’t seem to suffer from increased incidence of knee injuries compared to other sports despite squatting very deeply and repeatedly in the catch position for the clean and the snatch. In fact, deep squatting is probably one of the best ways to increase knee stability. I personally use Olympic lifting shoes for most of my squatting and pulling exercises and find them an invaluable piece of equipment. Some of the O-lifting shoes can get pretty pricey but if you’re not a competitive Olympic lifter per se, you can find some more affordable models such as Do-Win, a Chinese brand and the models made by VS Athletics. Watch the video below to see the VS Weightlifting shoe in action!

Besides the Olympic Weightlifting shoe option, you could also choose a shoe with a flat and non-compressible sole such as the good old-fashioned canvas Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes. These no-frill shoes are very affordable and available at most shoe stores including Target, which is where I found my latest pair for well under $40!

This shoe is often preferred by Powerlifters due to the flat sole which really helps one to “dig” the heels into the ground as compared to the higher-heeled Olympic-lifting shoes which can tip you forward a bit towards your toes if you are not careful. I personally prefer the Olympic shoes for squatting, but often use the Chuck-Taylor shoe for deadlifting and standing press exercises. Being able to press your feet hard into the ground is also beneficial for activating what is called the “positive support reaction” reflex of the foot. This reflex is stimulated when pressure if directly applied to the plantar surface of your foot which helps stiffen up your entire leg in preparation for loading; something difficult to achieve with today’s squishy-heeled athletic shoes!

There are many other shoes from the world of Powerlifting that I won’t discuss here but if you go the Crain’s Muscle World(http://www.crainsmuscleworld.com/shoes.html), you can see the other options used by powerlifters for both squatting and deadlifting.

I think the theory here (there isn’t a lot of research available on this yet) is that increased tactile sensation leads to better proprioception, which can lead to safer and stronger ground-based lifting. Decreased sensation on the other hand, as found when wearing modern footwear, leads to altered/diminished proprioception which may lead to lessened safety and strength/force output. It’s starting to sound like the closer we can get to barefoot (up to a point), the better subsequent performance we may have. If that’s the case, why not just train barefoot?

The Barefoot Options

On the other extreme of fancy footwear, is no footwear. That’s right, training sans shoes, like the ancient gladiators used to! Unfortunately this doesn’t usually go over too well in most modern training facilities as they may ask you to leave. There are also plenty of hygiene reasons not to train barefoot in most gyms. Also, if you drop a giant Kettlebell, dumbbell or weight plate on your foot or toe, your day will be ruined real fast.

Since training barefoot is not always an option, there are several companies which have created a new industry of “barefoot technology.” The basic idea with these shoes is to simulate and attempt to reproduce the natural sensory mechanical stimulation that occurs with barefoot locomotion. There are several companies that have gotten on board into this growing market but not have done so more interestingly than a company called Vibram (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/).

These are some of the oddest looking shoes I’ve ever seen, but many of the people I talked to who own them have nothing but great things to say about the shoes (or whatever you want to call them). I’ve yet to try them out myself but probably wouldn’t wear them for anything like really heavy squatting or deadlifting; but I could be wrong. My guess is that they would be awesome for lighter lifting exercises like repeated Kettlebell work, calisthenics, or even tempo running on grass or trails.

Conclusion and Take-Home Points

Well, there you have it; an interesting foray into the world of footwear for resistance training. My personal preference is to use Chuck-Taylor All-Star shoes and Olympic lifting shoes for most of my heavy resistance training. For Kettlebell work and light bodyweight callisthenic work I prefer the Chuck-Taylor shoes or my Addidas Martial Arts shoes that are slip-ons. I know some other lifters who like the Adiddas soccer "Samba" shoe as well.

I haven’t tried the other Powerlifting types of shoes nor the Vibram five-finger shoes, but probably will try the Vibram's out after hearing how my twin brother Franz (who just bought a pair) does in them. Since we have identical genetics, it is a fair bet that if it makes him feel good, it may offer my some benefit as well since we have many of the same muscle imbalances and orthopedic concerns (like problems with our big toes)!

The bottom line here is that traditional running, walking, or cross-training types of shoes are not appropriate for heavy resistance training. When I say “heavy” I’m not implying that you have to be a competitive Powerlifter or Weightlifter to benefit from their shoe styles. Heavy is relative to one’s abilities; but all people who wish to get stronger should ensure both safety and effectiveness in their training; and footwear is often a much neglected component to the training program! To finish this blog, you can watch the video of me summing up much of what I've already said; enjoy!

New Podcast is up!

2009-05-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

After many years of wishing to create a podcast, I have finally done so! In collaboration with my friend and colleague Patrick Ward, we have created Reality Based Fitness, a thinktank exploring the fields of strength & conditioning, human movement, injury prevention (including soft tissue work), and nutrition.

In this first episode, we introduce ourselves and talk about what we hope to achieve with this podcast. We also talk about the importance of critical thinking, or scientific/skeptical approaches to examining claims. We plan to do interviews with prominent thinkers in the field and really get down to the "nitty-gritty" of what it is we do as fitness and health professionals when it comes to injury prevention, performance enhancement and rehabilitation. You can listen to the podcast here

Also, Patrick Ward and I are in the process of opening up a shared facility in the East Valley area of the Phoenix metro area. We hope to offer many various services here including expert soft-tissue work, cutting-edge assessment and program design, and small group conditioning classes at an affordable rate. Stay tuned!

Review of Erik Dalton Seminar

2009-03-29T21:34:00.001-07:00

Today (Sunday) ended a 3-day seminar by Erik Dalton that I took with my friend and colleague Patrick Ward (http://www.optimumsportsperformance.com/site/index.htm)
who like myself, is a conditioning coach and and a licensed massage therapist. We were very eager to take a semianr from Erik since we've heard that he had some pretty interesting ideas on treating soft-tissue dysfunction in the body. The seminar was called: Myoskeletal Alignment for Neck, Sciatic and Leg Pain.

Who is Erik Dalton?

Erik Dalton, has a Ph. D in Psychology and has been in the bodywork industry for a few decades. His early training was as a Rolfer with a heavy emphasis on fascia and connective tissue work. He also trained and was heavily influenced by Osteopathic manipulative treatments which eventually led him to formulate his own "hybrid" massage system called "Myoskeletal Alignment Technique." All in all, Erik has a vast background in pain -relief massage techniques and we were excited to start day one.

This first day was dedicated to neck problems or "neck cricks," as many people commonly call them. We learned various passive mobilizations for the joints of the neck first followed by some specific fascial and soft-tissue mobilizations for commonly tight tissues. I was quite impressed with Erik's knowledge of the anatomy and the injury process after day one but was not impressed that we were only given a handout with written explanations of the techniques we had just learned; there were not any pictures in these handouts. What annoyed me quite a bit was that much of the time before we watched Erik work on acutal class participants, we simply viewed his DVD's in which he performed the protocol soon to be practiced.

Also, little to no assessments were shown for the techniques we were learning and were constantly reminded by Erik that we could get the rest of the information on his various DVD's, which were very expensive. For a $400 seminar on advanced topics, I was expecting a little more in terms of support material. Oh well!

Day 2 started with a review of Day 1 infromation which was nice since all we had were crappy handouts to review. This day focused on various spinal release techniques (many from the Rolfing world, which was cool to see) and included complex releases positions for sacral problems. As usual, no assessment information was given on when and how to really use the specialized techniques. I've been in the bodywork industry for over 10 years now, and let me tell you, the sacrum and how it moves is VERY COMPLICATED! Most therapists who don't have his DVD's probably will get nothing out of those techniques whatsover. Day 2 ended with Erik working on an acutal client of one of the participant therapist who wanted Erik to "figure out" what the heck was wrong with the guy.

This is when things got very interesting and terrifying at the same time. Erik basically got this client ( a young man in his early 20's) on the table and just started romping him around in a very aggressive and robust way. The techniques included some violent "leg yanking" procedures that are more in the realm of a Chiropractor. The grand finale included a pillow case being wrapped around this guy's neck for a supposed "traction" of the neck. The whole room gasped as Erik suddeny yanked this poor guy's neck so hard that he almost flew off the table as his legs jerked in the air and he had a look of shear terror on his face. This was absolutely NOT A LEGAL mobilization to perform in my opinion since Mr. Dalton holds no licenses to perform high-velocity (Grade 5 Mobilizations) thrusts techniques that are more in the realm of Chiro's and DO's, not massage therapists! I've never seen such a thing from such a reputable therapist; EVER!

After that, Patrick and I were pretty shocked and wondered what day 3 would hold. The final day started with Erik talking about his opinion on Core Stability training and how it's all a farce now according to recent research. He just left most people more confused that they probably were to start with and clearly didn't have all the facts straight. The rest of the day included very interesting rolf-based leg, foot, posterior thigh, and sacrum techniques that again, were preceeded by no assessment information on when to use the specific techniques. But if we, I know, I know, buy his DVD's, we could get all that information, GREAT!!!

All and all, I got a lot of cool techniques that I will integrate into my massage toolbox. I will never take another seminar from Erik Dalton again however for the various reasons I've repeatedly mentioned. I may even purchase his enfamous DVD's one day since he really does have some interesting techniques on how to treat various painful conditions of the body. He is a very bright man but not too bright in some respects. As a finishing touch to the seminar, near the end of day, my friend Patrick challenged Erik on a simple straight-leg hip-extension test (a la Vladamir Janda) and almost had his head bit off. This guy couldn't handle anyone challenging him and he really flew off the handle. I was even more UNIMPRESSED of him after that. It was a strange weekend to say the least.

Review of Eat-Stop-Eat

2009-03-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased and read the e-book Eat-Stop-Eat from nuritionist Brad Pilon. I first heard Brad interviewed a little while back on a podcast (can't remember which one, sorry) where he explained his method for losing bodyfat called flexible-intermittant-fasting. Needless to say I was intrigued since much of what Brad was saying was flying in the face of nutrional recommendations that I subscribe to and have used for years!

Listening to Brad speak definately gave me a case of congnitive dissonance, which is that feeling you get when something contradicts a deeply held set of beliefs or convictions. Being very much a science and evidence-based person, I knew that I needed to examine my own nutritional beliefs. For years I have recommended and followed the principles of meal frequency(4-6 small meals/day) to control blood sugar, build muscle, and lose bodyfat. This methods has worked pretty well for me and many I have recommended it to.

Brad's basic view however, is that this style of eating promotes a chronically elevated insulin level, which can increase fat stores as well as increase inflammation and other negative health markers in the body over time. I'm not sure I buy into this completely as I don't seem to have any of those effects (not yet at least). But from an evolutionary perspective, it kind of makes sense that are bodies are meant to go for longer periods of time without food. And this is where Brad's system of flexible-fasting come in to play. He simply advises to choose one or two non-consecutive 24-hour periods (at most) per week to restrain from food while drinking non-caloric beverages liberally. He even advises exercising on these days!

While this sounds brutal to some (as it did to me), the results people are getting on his program seem pretty significant. What's kind of refreshing too, is that Brad simply dismisses many of the myths about short-term (24 hour periods) fasting such as:

1) you'll lose muscle (he says you won't, especially if you are resistance training 2-3x/week)
2) you'll enter the starvation mode and then store fat next time you eat (not so according to Brad who gives many scientific references to back this up_
3) you'll feel terrible and have no energy (after the few fasts, he says you feel great and get a lot of work done without worrying about eating all day)

Also, Brad dismisses much of the debate over protein, carbs, and fat intakes and simply recommends eating a healthful diet (lots of fruits and veggies, lean proteins, etc..) on the days you eat without any real need follow any strange and restictive diet plan with expensive supplements and fibers pills, etc... The one or two 24-hours periods you don't eat make for a great caloric deficit over the course of the week that you will lose fat. The real key is to eat normally on your regular days and not try to "make-up" for lost feeding opportunities. Also, you never actually need to miss a day of eating. Instead, Brad recommends choosing a time, say 2 PM one day until 2 PM the next day to fast. Any time will work though, according to Brad.

I will give this eating plan a try once my track season is over and report my findings in my blog. I'm not trying to lose weight per se but maybe will lose a little "love-handles" fat that I've accunulated as I got into my 30's. I haven't had any clients try it yet but am starting to think this might be a great eating style for many of fat-loss clients or anyone who wishes to save money on their grocery bill!

To read more about this very fascinating book or to purchase your own copy, go to
http://www.eatstopeat.com/?tid=newblog or Brad's personal blog: http://bradpilon.com/ to read more about his recommendations.

A Review of Recovery & Regeneration

2009-02-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

Just today I received notice of the first review of my new DVD Recovery & Regeneration: Self-Massage Techniques. The review was done by RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified) instructor

Rannoch Donald from Scottland. To read the entire review, go to Ronnach's excellent blog, Simple Strength:

http://simplestrength.blogspot.com/2009/02/recovery-regeneration.html

Here's a bit of what he said about the DVD's:

"I don't think Keats will mind if I say, right off the bat, he's not going to win any Oscars for make-up and lighting. But no-one watches instructionals for the production values. We want content - and this is where "Recovery & Regeneration" delivers completely.

"Recovery & Regeneration" comprises 2 discs.

Disc 1 covers instruction of specific techniques. Keats doesn't waste any time. After a brief but informative discussion on the benefits of self massage and the tools available we are introduced to a series of progressive drills using a foam roller. These include postural, perpendicular, torso and leg applications. Also included on disc 1 are tennis ball moves for plantar fascia and some alternative self massage methods. The disc concludes with a stretching sequence. Coach Keats presentation is clear and unambiguous and I found myself eager to get to disc 2 where the fun begins.

Disc 2 covers pre and post workout self massage sequences. Another brief introduction and we move into the pre-workout sequence. This runs for about 12 minutes and employs the drills outlined in disc one. Keats has three participants and corrects form as they go, very useful. After a couple of runs you would certainly feel comfortable using these drills and perhaps focusing on the areas that need some extra TLC.The post work-out section is of similar duration and follows a similar format. Again, after a few run throughs I'd feel confident to make these drills my own. Disc 2 concludes with a static stretching routine."

Rannoch concluded with the following statement:

"I should add, in the spirit of disclosure, I ordered this DVD direct from Coach Keats, paid in full and it was worth every penny! "

If you haven't picked up your copy of Recovery & Regneration you may do so off my site:

http://coachkeats.com/

The price for the 2 DVD's is only $39.95!

The Superfruit Juice Hype!

2009-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

As a fitness-enhancement coach and massage therapist, I am often asked my opinion on various fad diets, nutritional products, and supplements. Since I also happen to be a skeptic, I kind of see my role as being a consumer advocate to help people navigate their way through the unregulated and confusing health & supplement industry.

One of the newer group of supplements that has become VERY popular in the last decade are the Superfruit juices made from exotic fruits such as Acai, Goji, Mangosteen and Noni. Many of the products containing these juices make claims that are almost unbelievable as no disease or condition isn't cured or at least improved by the daily consumption of these miraculous juice products! Since the price of these products is often very high, much higher than that of regular fruit and vegetables, it raised my skeptical eye quite a bit.

Many of these products are also sold only by "distributors" who have joined in the multi-level marketing scheme which has to raise a little more suspicion. Being a science-based practitioner, I wanted to see if there was any real evidence (not just miracle anecdotes) to back up the claims made by the distributors of these products. I was delighted to find a credible study done in Australia.

In 2007, CHOICE, the Australian version of Consumer Reports, tested 9 different superjuice products that covered all of the popular superfruits (goji, noni, acai, and mangosteen). They tested these products for what is called Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and compared them to the TAC of a common store-bought Red Delicious Apple (TAC content=5900).

The Results

Not surprising to me, the Apple outperformed all of the chosen juices in TAC for only a fraction of the cost. To read the full article by CHOICE, go to the following link:

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticleAsOnePage.aspx?id=105902

For those of you who are taking these type of products or know someone who does, reading the CHOICE study is a very eye-opening experience that may save you or someone you know hundres and maybe even thousands of dollars each year. Of course, for those who are heavily vested in the business side of these juices, it's probably not really about the juice since network marketing is more about making money than it is about the particular product being sold.

Also, for the interested reader, check out the following blog post made Steven Novella, a clinical neurologist, president of the New England Skeptical society, and creator of the Science-Based Medicine blog: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=46

And another informative post that might be of interest is the written version of the podcast created by skeptic Brian Dunning of Skeptoid.com :

http://skeptoid.com/episode.php?id=4086&comments=all

The Bottom Line

While the products tested certainly contained some anti-oxidant capacity and other essential and non-essential nutrients, they were not even up to par with a common apple. The price of these prodcuts alone should raise some skepticism in consumers, espcially when they are attached to a Network Marketing sales strategy. Why not just try to eat more fruits and vegetable in general and put the rest of your money to some other cause or activity that interests you? To end with some practical advice, here's a sample day of how one might increase his/her fruit and veggie consmption to attain the 5-9 servings recommended:

Breakfast: add 1/2 cup mixed berries to Oatmeal or a Breakfast Smoothie.

Mid-morning snack: small apple with string cheese or handful of mixed raw nuts.

Lunch: 1-2 cups leafy greens (i.e. spinach) with protein of choice and other mixed veggies/legumes.

Mid-afternoon snack: 1/2 cup mixed berries in protein smoothie

Dinner: 1 cup green veggies (broccoli, green beans, etc..)

For more ideas of how to get in more servings of fruits and veggies check out:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/index.html

NEW DVD NOW AVAILABLE!

2009-02-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Finally, after some unfortunate technical problems with my website, my new DVD is now available for purchase! It can be bought off my webiste: http://www.coachkeats.com/

for the low price of $39.95.

As mentioned in my last blog post, it is a 2 DVD set. The first DVD is an instructional DVD with lots of low-tech/high-result techniques explained in detail. The second DVD shows me take some guinea pigs (not the animals!) through a pre and post-workout example of a self-massage and stretching routine. This is a great resource for athletic and non-athletic people alike and can be succesfully used by health/rehab/fitness professionals and almost anyone from the general popluation!

New DVD Coming Soon!

2008-12-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

After many years of ruminating about creating a DVD on self-massage techniques, I've finally finished it! The product will be called "Recovery and Regeneration, Self-Massage Techniques." The content includes many practical release techniques that can be done with "low-tech" devices/objects such as foam rollers, various massage balls (golf, tennis, etc..), and even massage sticks (including rolling pins). Some basic stretches that can be used in conjunction with self-massage techniques are also shown. There's a lot of good information and demonstration in this video production.

It is a two-DVD set that includes an instructional DVD and then a follow-along program DVD. The price will be $39.95 for the set. The total running time between the two DVD's is around one hour and forty minutes. The editing and production quality is very good and I'm happy with how it turned out.

It should be available to purchase in the next week or so; I'll send out a mass email to my newsletter list when it's ready!

Inspirational Clarence Bass Video

2008-10-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

Check out the following YouTube video; it's a collection of pictures to music of the legendary master of healthy living and leanness, Clarence Bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNwgmFsFsOk

At over 70 years of age, he continues to defy father time and show how healthy, strong, and lean someone can remain into advanced age! I have been influenced by Clarence from way back in the late 80's when I first started reading Muscle & Fiction (I mean Fitness) where he had a column called "Ripped." His approach to fitness with a focus on eating whole foods and performing whole movements is very much in line to my own. Keep up the great work Clarence!

Review of Nutrition Seminar

2008-10-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

On friday the 3rd of October, 2008, I attended a Nutrition seminar down in Tucson, Arizona called The Winning Edge 2008: Sepcial Topics in Sports Nutrition. It was affiliated with the University of Arizona and was a good (not great) seminar to attend. I did get some good tips out of the seminar however and will review the speakers and topics covered below in this post, and sbusequent posts.

Lecture #1: Nutrition Periodization and Exercise Performance
Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS

This first lecture was by far the most interesting and dynamic of the day. Bob Seebohar is an excellent presenter and was quite entertaining in his delivery of his powerpoint presentation. His basic gig was to explain his simplified approach to Nutrition Periodization which can be summed up nicely by one if his initial slides:

SUPPORT the body's energy needs assoicated with the different training VOLUME and INTENSITY stressors throughout the training year to elicit positive physiological responses.

He also repeated gave the mantra : Eat to train, don't train to eat." Pretty good advice in my opinion. In Bob's experience, the biggest mistakes are made by athletes during the transitional and off-season when athletes often fail to reduce both their total caloric intake and/or alter their macronutrient ratios to meet the demands of their trainig. The end result, in Bob's opinion, are athletes with higher bodyfat percanteges and decreased ability to burn stored fat as fuel. In essence, he stated that athletes are often too reliant on dietary and supplementary carbohydrates which blocks efficient fat oxidation and increases the onset and severity of fatigue during training. This was interesting to hear as Bob primarily works with elite (inclduing Olympic level) endurance athletes which have notroisouly been known for their impressive carbo-eating capabilities.

Bob then went on to give examples of how to create a meal for any seaon of the year using a plate/pie-chart ratio formula. In essence, the more active and intense the trainig, the greater the caloric content can be and the higher level of carbohydrate consumption; kind of common sense huh? So just as you wouldn't do the exact same training program day in a day out, nor should anyone's food remain exactly indentical all year round. Again, this makes intuitive sense.

All in all, this was a very infromative lecture but not groudnbreaking by any mean.

An Amazing Olympic Games!

2008-08-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well, the Olympics are finally over and what an amazing set of games they were! Of course they were full of controversies and mishaps as usual but this was truly an impressive array of some of the best and most determined athletes on the planet.

As a track fan I was awed by the perforamances of the Jamaican sprinters (male and female) and in particular the new onslaught of world records by the youg and exuberant Usain Bolt! This young man could have absolutely obliterated the 100m world record into the stratosphere if he would have just ran through the line and kept his celebrations until after her crossed the finish line. The following link is to a spoof on how ridiculous his early celebration was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzSpPaCIG0g

However, 9.68 isn't so bad. In the 200m he did not dissapoint and actually ran the entire race with grit and determiniation; Michael Johnson's mark of 19.32 was no easy mark to beat and Usain was fortunate to run 19.30. Who knows though, fresh, Usain might have the potential to run sub 19 seconds in the 200m; the track and field world will have to wait and see. This kid is truly a freak of nature!

And then of course there was the swimming. What an unbelievable performance by Phelps! I just hope all these athletes (yeah right!) are drug-free but I'm not going to be shocked if any post-Olympics shockwaves hit the world about people being busted. It's an ugly and unfortunate part of high-level sport.

Also impressive was the seemingly ageless Dara Torres; wow! Not a bad physique. The beach volleyball wasn't hard to watch either!

Brain Rules!

2008-06-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to inform anyone and everyone about a wonderful new book and website I learned about in a Podcast interview by Dr. Ginger Campbell (she interviews some great individuals about various aspects of neural/brain science):

http://brainsciencpodcast.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/37-medina/

The interview was with Dr. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist with a passion for applying the little information we actually know about how and in what settings our brains function best. His latest book is called Brain Rules/12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School. Here's his website which contains info on how to get the book and also has short videos on each of the 12 brain rules: http://brainrules.net/

This is a fantastic example of practical and applied brain science at it's best! Spread this website to everyone you know!

Been a While!

2008-04-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been months since I've last posted a blog. I've been burried with work, family obligations, and two on-line courses I'm taking in preparation for applying to a Physician's Assistant school here in Arizona.

The classes I'm taking are Microbiiology and Statistics; not exactly easy classes to take on-line!

My fitness and track and field training is still continuing, although not always as regularly as I'd like. Also, my son Aidan is in his first season of coach-pitch little league baseball; it's a blast!

I've got some blog ideas I'll hopefully be blogging about soon......

2008 Track & Field Schedules

2008-01-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

For those who might be interested, here's the list of meets for Open and Masters track & field athletes in Arizona: Anyone interested in getting involved in track (especially sprints!) should try it out; I'm always looking for new recruits!

2008 Schedule

January 19 Sat Tucson Senior Games (Seniors) 8:00 A.M. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

January 19 Sat. Lumberjack Invitational (Open) 8:00 A.M. Northern AZ University, Flagstaff, AZ

January 26 Sat. Puma Indoor Invitational (Open) TBA Paradise Valley Community College

February 2 Sat Mountain T Invitational (Open) 8:00 A.M. Northern AZ University, Flagstaff, AZ

February 9 Sat Gaucho Indoor Invitational (Open) 12:00 P.M. Glendale Community College

February 16 Sat PV Indoor Invitational (Open) 10:00 A.M. Paradise Valley Community College

February 16&17Sat&Sun Arizona Senior Olympics (Seniors) 8:00 A.M. Copper Canyon High School, Glendale, AZ

February 24 Sun Arizona Indoor Classic (Youth & Adult) 8:00 A.M. Northern AZ University, Flagstaff, AZ

March 8 Sat Grand Canyon State Games (Adult only) 8:00 A.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ
(SISU Challenge)

March 8 Sat Bobcat Relays (Youth & Adult) 8:00 A.M. Horizon High School

March 15 Sat Arizona Relays (Open) TBA Central Arizona Community College

March 17-22 Fri-Sun WMA World Indoor Championship (Master only) Clermont-Ferrand, France

March 21 Fri. Glendale Invitational (Open) 4:00 P.M. Glendale Community College

March 28-30 Fri-Sun Masters Indoor Nationals (Master only) Reggie Lewis Center, Boston, MA

April 5 Sat Puma Outdoor Invitational (Open) TBA Paradise Valley Community College

April 11 Fri Mesa Classic (Open) 1:00P.M. Mesa Community College
April 12 Sat Sun Angel Classic (Open) TBA Arizona State University

April 19 Sat. Arizona Flames Invitational (Adult only) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

April 25 Fri UCSD Triton Invitational (Open) TBA UC San Diego,

May 17&18 Sat&Sun Arizona State Championships (Youth & Adult) 8:00 A.M. TBD

May 24 Sat. Masters Invitational (Adult only) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa AZ (AZTECH Invitational 5000m)

June 7 Sat USATF Weight Throw Pentathlon(Adult) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

June 7 Sat All Comers Meet (track only) (Adult) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

June 21 Sat Grand Canyon State Games (HS & Adult) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

July 9 Wed All Comers Meets (HS & Adult) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

July 16 Wed All Comers Meets (HS & Adult) 5:00 P.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

July 19-20Sat&Sun Masters West Region Championship (Adults) TBA

August 7-10Thur-Sun. Masters Outdoor Nationals (Masters only) Spokane, WA

August 28-31Thur-Sun North, Central American & Caribbean World Masters National Training Center, Clermont, FL

September 5 Fri National Masters Weight & Superweight Championship Seattle, WA

September 6 Sat National Masters Ultra-Weight Championship Seattle, WA

Entry guidelines for meets:

1. All Ages USATF track meets (Indoor Classic & AZ State Champs) will have to be entered at www.coacho.com. There is a deadline. Be on time!

2. For entries into Open & Junior Colleges use www.directathletics.com.

3. For entries into Glendale JC meets email cran@msn.com.

4. For Grand Canyon State Games go to www.gcsg.org

It's A Girl!

2007-12-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a huge CONGRATS to my twin brother Franz and his wife Yoanna!

On Saturday, December 29, 2007, Yoanna delivered their first child together; a beautiful baby girl named Marriana! She was 7.2 lbs. and 19.5 inches long!

I'm sure my brother will be posting more photos of the entire family soon on his blog!

Congrats again!

Happy New Years everyone!

Not Your Average 58 Year-Old! (Volume 1)

2007-12-06T13:59:00.001-08:00

I wanted to blog a little about one of my clients, Patrica (Pat). Pat is 58 years old and for about a year now , has been training under my guidance for Masters Track & Field Sprints (100 & 200m). She's been a client of mine for almost 2 years. About 7-8 weeks ago we started her off-season sprint training, though she has been strength training semi-consistently all year. She's stronger than she's ever been and all the strength training is really starting to pay off in the sprints.

Because Pat has a very sizeable back yard, we are able to do all of her off-season sprint training at her house (along with her strength work). The grass field is also on a slight incline making it ideal for the off-season goals of improving acceleration and drive mechanics. Here are some videos of her sprinting lately; a great inspiration for ladies of any age!

On this particular day, we (I often sprint with her) performed 4 x 20 yards and 3 x 40 yards with 1.5-2.5 minute recoveries respectively. Our rest times are a little less than they would be on a track since 1)this is grass, and 2) it's a slight hill. Both of these lead to slightly slower sprint times which reduce the intensity of the runs and thus, lower the recovery requirements.

In this next video series, you'll see Pat performing some contrast sprints with a weighted sled; very effective for improving acceleration mechanics and strength for the start. The first and last sprint on our sled day is always performed without resistance. The distance here is about 25 yards.

The Importance of Words

2007-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Words.....have you ever thought about the power of words? Personally, I have been very affected (both positively and negatively) by another person's words; espescially when coming from an authority figure (a coach, teacher, or parent). This post will highlight the importance of thinking carefully of the words we use when dealing with clients, friends, loved ones, etc.

As a Fitness professional and a bodyworker, I am constantly dealing with many different types of people. Some are often in great pain or in a state of dis-stress. After studying the work of Australian-based Physiotherapist, David Butler, I have again been reminded of the power of words when it comes to explantions, especially with my clients in pain. But let's face it, who doesn't have some sort of regular aches and pains? And just because you have some discomfort, does it mean that you're necessarily injured?

Often, clients of mine will come in with laundry lists of medical diagnoses that have completely demoralized them. Phrases like "degenerated," "herniated," "compressed or slipped discs," "arthritis" and "bone on bone" to name a few can conjure up terriffying images for people of their present condition. For many, these descriptions can actually set up a worsening or "awfulizing" of the condition that lead to restrictions in movement due to fear of re-injury. This leads to de-conditioning that makes the person more susceptable to further injury; not good!
I often combat this information (epsecially if it is based on imaging studies: X-Rays, MRI's, and CT Scans, etc...) by mentioning the credible research that shows that many non-symptomatic individuals have the same "horrible" and "grusome" stuff show up on imaging studies; and that "wear and tear" is a normal and inevitable part of aging, yet it doens't have to hurt that much.

While watching a Mel Siff video a while back of a talk he gave at the 2001 or 2002 SWIS conference in Canada, I was taken by a study he mentioned done by an Italian researcher. The study basically concluded that any exercise that was perceived by an individual as dangerous, makes it that much more likely that he or she will get injured or have pain when performing the exercise; sort of a self-fullfillng prophecy of sorts. The same kind of thing happens with food: people don't look at food anymore and think food; they think "trans fats" and "good carbs" and "bad carbs" along with proein, fat, fiber issues. While some of this nutritional education is needed (given the present dietary state of the Western World), some of it has probably led to more and more grief and less pleasure when eating even healthier foods.

This is why we need to be very careful with how we word our statements because they can have either very positive or very negative effects. An example of this is taking the corrective exercise stuff too far...Back in the late 90's, my brother and I were really sucked into the Paul Check stuff, which is actually great stuff minus a few parts. The few parts that really stuck out as negative were the ridiculous all day assessments that the Chekerians performed which basically showed how messed up (and therefore dysfunctional) you were. It was kind of demoralizing and made some people paralyzed (paralysis by analysis), depressed, and utterly afraid to move.

Now from this information you were then given the supposed Holy Grail of exercise to help your problem, but the results were not always so great (those who've done lots of corrective exericse know what I mean). In reality, many people do need some "corrective" actions for helping certain physical (and mental) issues/problems. These actions need to be made in a postive and supportive context however for the effects to be postive.

RKC Here I Come!

2007-11-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

After several years of waiting, I am excited to FINALLY be taking the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification) Course. Afterall, my twin brother Franz is a team leader as is my friend Josh Henkin. This upcoming course will take place in San Jose, CA from February 15th-17th.

One of the things I respect about this course, is that it is the only fitness certification that actually has practical fitness tests to pass. For one, you must demonstrate the ability to teach a total beginner how to use kettlebells safely. Additionally, you must complete a rigorous fitness test called the "Snatch Test." The snatch is an exercise with the kettlebell that involves bringing the kettlebell from between your legs to an overhead position in one fluid movement. It is a derivative of the Olympics lift of the same name.

Depending on your weight and sex. there's a specific amount of snatches you must complete between the two arms. For me, I need to be able to perform 56 between my two arms, switching only once during the test and never placing the bell on the groud.

On Saturday (November 24th, 07) I tried the snatch test after a few weeks of slowly ramping up my kettlebell lifting. The results were not overly impressive as I completed 24 reps on the right and only 20 on the left. I was a little fearful of ripping open my calluses on my hands so that stopped me from going to total fatigue on either arm (as a massage therapist, I can't afford to have ripped open hands). I really pooped out though while doing the second arm. However, I felt like I could of easily performed 30 reps on the first arm (right arm)if I had really pushed it.

All in all, the test was very humbling as I'm not too versed in performing feats of strength endurance since my forte is all out efforts (sprinting and maximal strength training mostly). However, I like the challenge; and the deep burning in my lungs let me knew just how much of a stress this movements places on the entire human organism. The 10 minute nausea after the test was nice too!

I plan on testing again next Friday to see if I can improve upon my first test. After that, I'll test every 3 weeks or so until I go to the certification in Feb. This strength endurance feat for me falls slightly out of specificity for my goals of sprinting some fast times this upcoming 08 track season; therfore, I always do my kettlebell lifting after my general strength work (max lifting with barbells). However, I feel that the snatching will build up a kind of work capacity that I've never really had before; and that I am excited about and will have to see if it helps my sprinting.

Staying Healthy During The Fall and Winter

2007-11-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

As winter approaches (well, not really here in Phoenix, it's still been in the 90's for the past 2 weeks!), and more and more people spend time indoors, it's fairly commonplace to start seeing a lot more colds and flu's going around. In fact, nothing put's a damper into one's fitness training like a nice sinus infection or influenza virus!

So what is one to do? There's always the flu vaccine, and for many, that's a good choice as the influenza virus routinely kills around 30,000 Americans each year. Who should get the vaccine?
Well, basically anyone who wants to reduce their risk of getting the flu. It is generally encouraged that young children (over 6 months of age), the elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic diseases and medical conditions and anyone working in the healthcare field (and thus in contact with many people) get the vaccine each year. However, anyone with allergies to chicken eggs should NOT get the flu vaccine as that is how the vaccine is created, through chicken eggs. For more information on the flu, vaccines and treatment for the flu, check out the Center For Disease Control's informative website: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

A More Wholistic Approach?

While the flu shot sounds like a logical choice, many millions of people will opt not to get the vaccine each year and instead rely on more "natural" choices such as herbs and specific "immune-boosting" nutritional products. Some of the more popular immune products that sell like hot-cakes during the cold & flu season include Zicam (a Zinc nasal spray which apparently can make some lose there sense of smell when over-used!), the herbs Echinacea and Goldenseal, vitamin C, a product called Airborne (created by a teacher who was tired of getting sick), Cold MD, Cold-FX, and too many other products to mention. I won't even give the homeopathic remedies a mentiond because there's really nothing in them to test(mostly water).

Of all the products mentioned, the only substances shown to have any effect on cold durations are vitamin C (may decrease colds by a day or so) and possibly Echinacea. However, a recent study by the National Institute of Health showed that Echinacea had no appreciable effect and cold and flu durations. I've taken Echinacea and Goldenseal in the past when I was getting sick and felt at times it helped me and at other times it didn't. It's really hard to determine how much of the effect you get when taking a nutritional supplement is just in your head (i.e. the "placebo effect"). All of the other products (including the very popular Airborne) have been studied and shown to do nothing substantial to merit their use or cost.

So What To Do Then!

Short of having a healthful lifestyle (eat well, exercise, sleep enough, control your stress, etc...), the best way to avoid getting sick is:

1) avoid sick people of possible, and
2)don't touch your nose, eyes, or mouth without first washing your hands!

Regarding hand washing, research shows that plain old soap and water work just as well as the anti-bacterial soaps (which apparently are causing bacteria to become more and more resistant to antibiotics!).

Great, Sick; Now What?

If and when you do get sick, stay home if you can while resting more, drinking lots of fluids, and counting the money in your bank you didn't waste on supplements that don't do anything to help you get better. I think good old-fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup is probably more effective that many of those products.

To end this blog, it is important to understand that when resuming your training post-illness, start with lower volumes and slightly reduced intensities for at least a week to allow your body to re-adjust to the workload. Too much too soon can hinder your immune function and send you back to bed. No bueno!

Thoughts About Acupuncture

2007-10-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've always been interested in so-called "alternative medicine." Growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which in my opinion is a mecca of alternative and supernatural belief systems, I was exposed to a lot of various treatments and approaches to healing and wellness. One such system that I had performed on me while in high school for some sports injuries was acupuncture.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese medical technique of inserting needles into so-called "acupuncture points" to unblock the flow of a vital life force the Chinese referred to as "chi." In the ancient Chinese medical system, chi is the natural energy of the universe and is said to permeate all things including living organisms like the animals and humans. The end goal of acupuncture treatments is to balance yin and yang, the two primal cosmic principles of the Universe. Yin is referred to as the passive, feminine principle, while yang is the active, or masculine principle (see symbol at beginning of post). Balancing the yin and yang is akin to the Western Medical principle of homeostasis.

When a person is healthy (or in "balance" from the ancient Chinese medical standpoint), the chi is said to be flowing smoothly through 14 primary pathways known as meridians. On the other hand, if a person is sick or injured, this so-called chi is said to be blocked somewhere in the pathways of these meridians. When acupuncture needles are then placed at key points of blockage (acupuncture points), the chi is supposedly unblocked and can once again flow freely, restoring health and balancing yin and yang. While this sounds nice, is there any proof to back up these ancient (anywhere from 2000-4000 years old) Chinese medical principles?

What Does Science Say About Chi?

According to Scientific inquiry into acupuncture, the concept of chi has yet to be proven. It seems as if chi is more of a supernatural understanding of health in the body, and this makes sense to me since 2000 years ago they probably didn't have a very good understanding of the body like we do now. As a massage therapist, I am frequently asked by clients what I think about acupuncture. I usually answer:

"acupuncture (and the concept of "Chi") is just a 2000 year old explanation of

what we now have many different theories and understandings into how the

human body functions."

Take the concept of trigger points for example. 50-70% of known trigger points actually lie on or near specific acupuncture points. To me this proves the Ancient Chinese were on to something, but we've greatly surpassed their knowledge level of anatomy and physiology. Instead of mystical blockages of chi, disruptions in blood flow have been found in trigger points as well as changes in internal muscle cell chemistry. This disruption of proper blood flow in and out of tissues can result in ischemia (lack of blood which leads to lack of oxygen or hypoxia). This often leads to some levels of pain or discomfort in the affected tissues. Proper massage techniques and/or stretching can often relieve the ischemia and the resultant discomfort.

Perhaps this is what the Chinese were unknowingly referring to; not some mystical universal energy (kind of reminds of the "force" in Star Wars movies), but blood and the good stuff it carries: oxygen, nutrients, immune cells, hormones, etc..

What Does Acupuncture Do?

OK, if the general consensus in the scientific community is that chi does not exist, then what does acupuncture actually do? Clearly there is some kind of physical stimulus as needles enter the body (although only very superficially) and surely all the people who sear by acupuncture can't be lying about the benefits they've received from it. When looking at the scientific research, most of the health claims from acupuncture fall short and fail to provide ample evidence to recommend acupuncture as a form or treatment for various conditions. However, there does appear to be some limited evidence that acupuncture can be effective in the treatment of pain. But get this, it really doesn't matter where you put the needles! That's right, just put the needles anywhere and you can stimulate an endorphin release in your brain that may help chronic pain. Additionally, there may be a placebo effect associated with acupuncture that makes it useful to continue to

More On Acupuncture

I want to end this blog post by giving you some excellent evidence-based critiques of acupuncture:

Watch this excellent clip I found on YouTube by Skeptic Michael Shermer for a critical review of acupuncture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=866YvYJRvWw

Check out this web page from Robert Caroll's The Skeptics Dictionary on acupuncture:

http://skepdic.com/acupunc.html

Also, check out another of Caroll's pages on Chi: http://skepdic.com/chi.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a YouTube clip on chi and martial arts....very interesting!

Sub 11 Here I Come!

2007-09-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Training for me this summer has been pretty hit or miss. Like my twin brother Franz, I've had some health complications that have really interfered with my training process.

It all started in May when I decided to have a vasectomy. You see, my wife and I have two incredible and beautiful boys, Soren (age 3) and Aidan (age 6). You can see there pictures below in their new Halloween Costumes. Star Wars, as you can tell is a big hit in my house! Anyway, we felt that two boys was enough for us so off I went for the snip-snip!

All in all the procedure was not that big of a deal. A little valium before and I was pretty much out of it. After the procedure though, I stayed inflamed and in pain for three weeks; It basically felt like I had kicked in the sack all day and all night! I was in so much pain that my doctor put my on Naprosyn, which is basically prescription strength Aleve. I took it for 2 weeks to help with the pain The day after I stopped taking it I started feeling an incredible fullness and tightness in my upper stomach and esophagus area; I actually thought I was getting sick!

A month later (it was July now), I couldn't take the pain and pressure in my chest (and mid-back as well) that I went into my regular doctor (a D.O.) . She told me that I most likely had an a acid reflux problem (aka GERD) caused from the prescription Naprosyn. GREAT!!!

So then I started taking Prevacid to help with the acid reflux problem...it never helped. Two weeks later I was back in my Doc's office and off she sent me to a GI doc for a scope down my esophagus and stomach. I got this procedure done in August and was diagnosed with BILE REFLUX. Apparently, there was a large pool of Green Bile in my stomach (which shouldn't be there-big connection with esophageal cancer). The doc put me on an Ulcer medication (Sucrulfate) which has actually helped. He also put me on another acid reducer (Aciphex). My chest discmofort and back pain have improved by about 60-80% depending on the day but the side effects have been distressing.

Since taking the drugs I have had problems with sleep, headaches, shortness of breath, constipation, bone pain (achy all over), and just feeling exhausted all the time; not a great recipe for training. Needless to say my training has suffered. In the last 2 weeks however, I 've decided I've had enough and started training anyway, regardless of how I feel. I have goals to run in the 10's again for the 100 meter dash and at 33 (34 in November), I know I can still reach it. But I gotta train if I want to improve. So slowly and surely I'm beginning my fitness process agan.

Here was my training for today: (sprints done with my 58 year-old client Pat V. at her house)

AM Sprints:
Warm-up and dynamic stretch
3 x 10, 20, and 30 yards respectively with farily short rest periods since sprints were performed on a slight incline grass field; perfect for off-season training!

Weights: in the afternoon

Power Snatch and Overhead Squat- light weights up to 95 lbs; used mostly as a dynamic stretch and warm-up. I'm also trying to learn and get more comfortable with the full versions of the Olympic lifts.

Clean pulls- triples and doubles up to 205
Deadlifts- 3 @ 225, 2@ 255, 1@ 275, 1 @300.

Basically I was just trying to work up to an easy single without a lot of emotional strain.

No upper body work today as right shoulder had been tweaky for the last week; need some soft-tissue work. Did a little High-Volt EMS on it which has seemed to help.

Asafa Powell runs 9.74 in the 100m!

2007-09-10T21:22:00.001-07:00

Coming off a dissapointing 3rd place finish in the 100m at the recent World Track & Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, people were starting to right off the 24 year-old Jamaican sprint sensation Asafa Powell. He just hasn't been able to win in the big events.

So what does Asafa go and do at a IAAF Grand Prix meet in Italy? He smashes the world record by 3 hudredths of a second in a wind legal 9.74seconds!

Check out the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeCdXaKVgIU

Record Del Mundo!
Record Del Mundo!
Record Del Mundo!

It's scary how easy that race looks for him after 50 meters; like a walk in the park! And imagine this, he ran this time without Z-Health! Sorry guys, had to throw that in! With Z-health, 9.0 seconds flat for sure:)

A Review of NMT Torso/Pelvis Seminar!

2007-08-28T14:47:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, I attended (along with my twin brother Franz and RKC John Vandenbrink both from the San Diego area)) my 5th seminar from NMT Center, the premeire company teaching NMT in North America and now even in Europe and Japan (http://www.nmtcenter.com/). I have also trained in Neuromuscular Therapy from the St. John's Methods in the late 90's and early 2000's and am now pleased to soon be certified from this other prestigious organization.

The seminar covered soft-tissue techniques for the torso and pelvic areas and included soft-tissue release techniques for the following muscles:

*Trapezius

*Posterior Mid-Thorax

*Latissimus Dorsi

*Intercostal Group

*Lamina Groove (on either spine of the spine)

*Pelvic and Sacral ligaments (those that are accessible)

*Erector Spinae (including deeper muscles such as multifidus, etc.)

*Sacrotuberous ligament (part of posterior oblique muscle-sling system)

*Gluteal Group

*Quadratus Lumborum

*Lateral Abdomen (obliques)

*Rectus Abdominus

*Respiratory Diaphragm

*Psoas/Iliacus

In essence, this seminar covered what many today call the "core."

The seminar started on Friday at 1Pm and is the same lecture given before all NMT Seminars that explains the foundational principles that NMT is based upon. It is always open to guests for free to help educate others what NMT is all about. The intstructor for this course was a man named Don Kelley, who has decades of experience in massage, teaching, cadaver dissection, and much more. To say he was a wealth of knowledge would be an understatement. Fortunately, he was also hillarious and had a great sense of humour which made the long weekend much more enjoyable.

One of the first things that these Friday lectures always emphasize is that the body is not a collection of individual "parts," and that the teaching of the NMT techniques as individual muscles is only to aid in learning. Throughout the weekend Don kept mentioning that is important to think "globally" when dealing with specific painful areas and I couldn't agree more.

Many painful conditions are the results of some tightness/restriction or dysfunction often far removed from the site of pain. Trigger points, nerve pain, and visceral dysfunctions come to mind here.

One concept that Don mentioned that really stuck with me was that next to basic survival needs (food, shelter, water, etc.), the body will always try to achieve

and maintain the following:

1)Ease

2)Comfort

3)Pleasure

Additionally, the body always tries to maintain some semblance of balance with the head and neck so that the visual field lines up with the horizon. The body doesn't want to feel dis-oriented or dizzy as this is a threat to survival.

So when one is injured for example, he or she will position him/herself to try to achieve the most amount of ease, comfort, and pleasure (as well as maintain eyes, ears and teeth level with the horizon); even if this leads to compensations elsewhere in the body that can cause pain and injury later. By the time someone comes into your office, they have had so many life "incidents" that will have led to multiple compensations/adaptations that you really don't know how much of the iceberg is looming under the water (see picture at top!).

In essence, "life is cumulative." When adaptations and compensations (which are healthy in a biological sense) cannot occur anymore, de-compensation occurs and eventual injury and/or disease processes will take place.

Another key tenet of NMT is that there are three primary types of stress that are always affecting all of us all the time. They are:

1)Biomechanical Stressors (overuse, misuse, trauma, disuse, congenital, etc.)

2)Biochemical Stressors (nutritional deficiency, ischemia, dehydration, inflammation, toxicity, endorcine imbalance, immune disorder, etc.)

3)Psychosocial (anxiety, depression, unresolved emotional states, somatization, etc.)

All of these factors converge to create our own individual reality of health and living. Often, when trying to improve health/performance and decrease pain, it is necessary to take steps to improve factors in each of the above-mentioned categories. Massage by itself is not always enough. Doing exercises, stretches, joint mobility work, eating better, staying euhydrated (adequately hydrated), fixing ergonomics and movement habits, improving breathing habits, (I could go on and on...) are important. But focusing on just one aspect (i.e. joint mobility work is the current craze right now) of health often misses the "Big Picture."

I mean, who cares if one's joints aren't as mobile and coordinated as possible if that person is de-hydrated, eating a diet of pro-inflammatory foods, not sleeping well and is stressed beyond belief from a bad divorce for example. Isolated joint exercises aren't gonna be my focus with that person. There may be several things this person needs that I CANNOT provide; this is where referal to another practioner comes in handy. Of course I will preach maintaing at least adequate levels of exercise as well as optimizing food and water intake as these key health habits are essential to support the body in a time of distress.

Hopefully, what is starting to become evident is that NMT is based on a big picture approach as well as acknowledging the following six principles (the Friday lecture really explains these thoroughly):

1. Ischemia- this is basically a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) that results from increased vascular constriciton in stressed/strained muscle tissue. Ischemia is a major reason for much of the pain that people experience on a day to day basis.

2. Trigger Points- areas of hyperirritability (usually found in muscles and tendons) that when stimulated, refer various sensations to distant areas of the body. These referal sensations can include pain, burning, numbness, tingling and even itching. It is important to rule out more sinister causes of these symptoms since certain visceral problems will often masquerade as muscle or joint problems.

3. Nerve Compression/Entrapment/Tension -pressure on nerves by either soft tissues (muscle, tendon, ligaments, fascia, skin, etc...) or by osseous structures (bone).

4. Postural Distortion and Movement Imbalances- genetically acquired imbalances (i.e. short leg, hemi-pelvis) and/or poor postural/movement habits (sitting too long in a slumped posture, wearing high-heel shoes) can over time lead to dysfuncitonal compensations that lead to increased pain syndromes. Over time, chronically stressed/strained tissues can become tense, shortened, and fibrotic resulting in permanant changes in bony alingment of the body.

5. Nutritional Factors- deficiencies in essential nutrients (water, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals) needed for optimum cellular metabolism or inclusion of substances that are toxic (excessive alcohol, smoking, pesticides, etc..) can increase inflammatory processes in the body leading to increased pain and general poor health.

6. Emotional/Psychological Wellbeing- this refers to how well people mange the stress in their lives. Excessive or poorly managed emotional stress can intensify pain in the body.

One of the things I really love about NMT as a system, is that it acknowledges ALL of the possible factors that can be involved in a person's pain or dysfunctions. It doesn't claim that massage is the answer for everything and actually goes a long way into explaining all the times and circumstances where massage is NOT appropriate.

All in all it was a great weekend and wonderful learning experience. I picked up a couple of techniques that I know are going to be particuarly effective for my clients (especially an easier way to release the diaphragm)!

Organic Versus Conventional Foods

2007-08-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

This post is bound to stir up some deep discussion, as the choice of whether to purchase and eat organic versus conventional foods is a hot topic these days.

First off, let's define what "organic" actually means. Basically, organic referes to foods and crops that are grown or developed (in the case of animals) without the use of synthetic hormones or antibiotics, chemicals, or fertilizers. The USDA states the following in their informational brochure for the general public (http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html ):

"Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too."

All this sounds pretty good to me. Based on that description, I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to eat and support Organic agriculture and products. When you dig deeper however, it is evident that Organic foods are not always the best choice for various reason which I will discuss next.

1) Do Organic farmers use Peticides? First, most people assume that Organic farmers do not use pesticides; this is NOT true. They do use pesticides, only ones that are from "natural" sources which means they have to use a lot more to get the same effect as the modern day "synthetic" variations which are more efficient.

According the Brian Dunning, a skeptical consumer advocate who creates some very informative podcasts from his free website (www.skeptoid.com):

"Since the organic pesticides and fungicides are less efficient than their modern synthetic counterparts, up to seven times as much of it must be used. Organic pesticides include rotenone, which has been shown to cause the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and is a natural poison used in hunting by some native tribes; pyrethrum, which is carcinogenic; sabadilla, which is highly toxic to honeybees; and fermented urine."

(Remember, small amounts of the above-mentioned "natural" chemicals doesn't mean increased health risk for consumers any more than the allowable and tested "synthetic" and conventional pesticies used today).

Also, many organic crops are grown in composted animal feces (manure) which adds to the risk of bacterial contamination. Brian Dunning (mentioned above) also stated the following noteworthy statistics in his podcast:

"In the United States, 2006 brought two major outbreaks of E. coli, both resulting in deaths and numerous illnesses, ultimately traced to organically grown spinach and lettuce. According to the Center for Global Food Issues, organic foods make up about 1% of all the food sold in the United States, but it accounts for 8% of E. coli cases."

The lesson from this: WASH YOUR FOODS CAREFULLY AND BE LEARY OF BAGGED LETTUCE AND SPINACH.

2) Are Organic Foods Healthier? Organic fruits, grains, veggies, etc. are actually genetically identical to their conventional counterparts. The only thing that differs is the manner in which they are grown and cultivated. It does appear that SOME tests show slightly higher levels of certain nutrients in certain fruits and vegetables (probably due to the better soil but are these effects going to mean much superior health and wellness compared to conventional foods? I'm not sure). If you really believe that Orgainc foods are going to keep healthier, than by all means spend the extra money. The problem is when someone who can't afford to buy Organic fruits and vegetables ends up eating none.

PLEASE, AT LEAST EAT THE CONVENTIONAL, THE BENEFITS OUTWAY THE RISKS.

3) Are Organic Farming Methods better for the environment? From my research, it actually seems as of Organic farming methods take up more land and yield fewer crops per acre. This is essentially how all farming used to be done before modern agriculture. It was very inefficient and that is why so much of the population used to be involved in the farming industry compared to just a few percent of the population today. Also, fewer people would be fed if we relied exclusively on Organic farming methods.

4) Organic Foods Give a Blow to Big Evil Food Corporations. This is more than false. Actually, more and more big food corporations are getting into the Organic food market becasue of higher prices that can be charged. These are the same companies that sell the conventional food products, so either way, they win. But you gotta eat something. If you really want pure, nor coporate food, then grow your own and have your own farm (not a bad idea for some).

THE BOTTOM LINE: Organic foods may be a little more nutritious (how significant this is I don't know) and do promote less synthetic pesticides being entered into the environment. However, they do seem to come with a slightly higher risk of bacterial contamination (read: E. Coli) and are significantly more expensive and less efficient in food volume produced per acre. I guess it's really a personal decision but the science doesn't really support the notion that Organic foods are significantly more nutritious or better for the environment for that matter (less efficient crops means more land needed and more de-forestation). I occasionally buy Orgainc produce and meats just for the "health" of it, but I'm not sure I'm anything more than a little more broke in the bank department.

What Makes A Great Coach?

2007-08-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

" A PhD is knowing everything about nothing, coaching is knowing something about everything"

- Istvan Balyi (world-renowned athletic development coach)

I love that statement from Istvan Balyi. It really sums up to me the concept of being a great sporting or conditioning coach. To really be a good, if not great coach, one must have a broad understanding of the following disciplines of sports science:

1. Nutrition (hydration and fueling for optimum physical and mental performance)

2. The Training Process (including assessment, fitness programming, and periodization)

3. Biomechanics (physics applied to the human body and it's interaction with the environment)

4. Physiology (including energy systems, basic homeostasis, hormonal responses, etc.)

5. Psychology (including goal setting, mental skills training, overcoming mental barriers)

6. Motor Control/Motor Learning (including how we learn, retain, and accomplish skills)

7. Restoration/Recovery (including sleep, massage, stretching , joint mobility, etc..)

Of course there are many other facets involved in succesful coaching but these are a great start. This just shows how integrated all subjects really are when it comes to coaching. You don't have a PhD in any of these topics to be a great coach, but you really do have to study a lot of different disciplines to gain an awareness of the entire training process.

The problem with "specialist" knowledge if any one of the above mentioned subjects is that it tends to bias the coach towards seeing every problem as a problem of (enter one of the above here) and therefore limit the solution for such problems. For instance, if a client/athlete has run into a barrier with a particular lift (Squats for example), as a Sports Psychologist, I might focus on more goal setting or mental priming techniques to solve the issue. On the other hand, if I'm an expert on Nutrition, I might be more concerned with proper pre-worout fueling and hydration whereas a Biomechanist might be focused on altering squatting technique to help take advantage of key biomechanical qualities of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in question. In the final analysis, ALL of the above ideas might be related to the limitation in performance on any given day.

The bottom line: You must keep a macro-view of the entire training process and then be able to focus in on specific scientific disciplines when needed. This is where communication with one of those PhD's (or their textbooks) might come in handy. Just remember though, just becasue someone has a PhD doesn't make them the best candidate for coaching!

Jesse Marunde, Dead at 27

2007-07-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

We have lost a brother in the game of life and strength. Jesse Marunde, former Olympic lifter and current contender for the World's Strongest Man died on Wednesday, July 25 in Sequim, Washington after complaining of dizziness during a workout at his house.

This is truly tragic as he leaves behind his wife, Callie, his newborn daughter of 6 weeks,, and a 8 year old son. My heart and thoughts go out to his family and friends.

You can read more here:
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070727/NEWS/707270306

RIP Jesse!

My Philosophy In A Nutshell

2007-07-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

I figured a good way to start my blog is to explain my basic philosophy on training, health, and high-performance living. In essence, my philosophy can be explained by the following habits that I try to instill in others as well as perform myself; these are newly updated from my website which I'm in the process of overhauling: www.keatssnideman.com

1) Stay Hydrated, aka: "Never Get Thirsty"

No person or athlete will function well with sub-optimal hydration status. How do you know if you’re hydrated? Consume enough water and/or other suitable beverages until your urine is very pale yellow or clear (even better). Dark yellow urine is totally unacceptable and means that you are already dehydrated!

2) StabilizeYour Blood Sugar Levels, aka: "Never Get Hungry"

Stabilizing your blood sugar throughout the day is best accomplished by eating approximately every 3 hours. This means eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and possibly a pre-bed snack. People who eat in this fashion are leaner, build and maintain muscle mass easier, have better physical and mental performance, and even have lower blood lipid profiles compared to those who eat less frequently.

3) Get Enough Sleep, aka: "Go To Bed!"

Getting enough sleep may be the most important key to your health and wellness. According to Stanford sleep researcher William Dement, healthful sleep is more influential than diet, exercise and even heredity in predicting longevity. So how much sleep do we need? Experts will all agree that there is no magic number since people’s needs will vary based on age, health, and activity levels. As a rule of thumb, younger children and infants need more sleep while adults can do well getting between 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Teenagers usually need more sleep than adults possibly as high as 10 hours per night.

4) Focus On Eating Mostly Whole Foods, aka: "The Whiter The Bread, The Sooner You’re Dead"

What this means is that most of the foods you eat should come from natural, unprocessed sources with the food in its whole state with nothing added or taken away. This equates to eating real meats (not lunch meats or "Franken-foods"), real fruits and vegetable (not their juices), whole grains (like Oats groats, Quinoa, and Millet for example), nuts and seeds (including legumes) and even some small amounts of low-fat dairy products. Exceptions to this rule would be during or after strenuous exercise when blood sugar levels could be maintained or restored better with quicker and more refined sources of carbohydrate such as consuming a suitable sports beverage (Gatorade or Accelerade for example) or post-workout recovery drink (such as Biotest Surge).

5) Focus On Whole (Compound) Movements, aka: "The Body Knows Movements Not Muscles"

Most of one's training should be geared around large, multi-joint/compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, presses, pulls and rows. Athletic lifts such as the Olympic lifts and their derivatives (cleans, snatches, jerks, push-presses, etc...) should be a staple in most peoples’ programs as well. Supplementary and assistance lifts (i.e. single joint movements, abdominal and trunk isolation exercises, etc...) can be added where needed to make up for any deficiencies or imbalances that are not corrected with the compound lifts.

6) Strength & Speed Before Endurance, aka: What’s The Point Of Having Endurance If There’s No Strength Or Speed To Endure?

The two most fundamental physical attributes to focus on for almost any physical endeavor are maximal strength and then speed of movement. All other attributes or physical abilities stem from these two key motor qualities. Get the Strength and Speed where you need it to be, and then focus on the endurance (whether speed or strength-endurance). This is in stark contrast to how most people train for any fitness goal. Besides, as we age, it is speed of motion (i.e. power) and then strength that we lose that fastest. Interestingly, performance in endurance activities can be maintained to a much higher degree than speed or strength.

My First Post!

2007-07-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's only taken me several years, but finally I've created my own blog! I hope to use this medium frequently to comminuticate with like-minded individuals and to rant and dump my head of the over-flowing ideas and thoughts that I have. I'm really pumped about this.