Facts and Fallicies of Fitness (Siff)

[Jim Ouini]

Damn EliteFTS - they had a booksale so I picked this one up from Mel Siff, he of 'Supertraining' fame. It's quite an interesting book, published in 2003 so it's pretty recent, and he spends a few hundred pages debunking popular fitness myths and urban legends, if you will, using 'biomechanics, physiology, science and logic'. So from the back of the book:

- toe touching is dangerous
- never hold your breath during exercise
- squats are bad for your knees
- deadlifts cause slipped discs
- straight leg situps destroy your lower back
- injuries are caused if your muscles have the wrong strength ratios
- you must do special exercises to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles
- leg extensions are safe than squats

and literally hundreds of others ranging from resistance training to cardio to warming up and stretching, equipment and fitness 'fads' ('balance ball training is the best way to improve balance').

Just glancing at it he doesn't necessarily say some of these are totally false, just not the be all, end all that the mainstream would have you believe. Of course he destroys some of the myths outright, but some of them he just explains and clarifies better and where sometimes the idea gets carried away.

Anyway, seems like a good read so far, very informative. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

 

[anthrax]

- you must do special exercises to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles

WTF

 

[Jim Ouini]

Well, this one is more of a case of clarification and taking a big picture, 'no absolutes' view - he says while isolated RC exercises are safe and effective, integrative exercises for overall shoulder health shouldn't be ignored, particularly cable cross-overs and reverse cable cross-overs. I didn't know that. It's though provoking, at least Also he says overhead squatting is great as long as there's no flexion of the elbow.

Some other good ones I read last night

-knees shouldn't project over toes while squatting
-the stomach should be pulled during exercise to protect the trunk
-the back should always be kept straight during exercise
-neck extension and rotation is always potentially harmful

 

[blut wump]

Just to keep things straight in my head, these all are some of the old wives tales he's debunking rather than adages we're to adhere to?

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yeah, they're stated as fallacies

Anyway, he prefaces the book with how everything is relative and how things are often stated as 'scientific law' or absolutes, which isn't always the case with fitness and exercise.

 

[anthrax]

-the stomach should be pulled during exercise to protect the trunk

...and the "right" thing to do is to push your stomach outwards as hard as you can ?

-the back should always be kept straight during exercise

That's one thing I've not quite figured out: when to keep a straight back and when is it best to have an arched back?

 

[Jim Ouini]

...and the "right" thing to do is to push your stomach outwards as hard as you can ?

Here he says don't worry about your stomach so much, just contract erector spinae while using Valsalva maneuver.

...That's one thing I've not quite figured out: when to keep a straight back and when is it best to have an arched back?

Well here he states that while the intent is correct, the terminology is a bit off - he recommends minimizing 'deviation of the cervial, thoracic and lumbar spinal curvatures from natural unloaded positions.'

 

[blut wump]

I use valsalva and partial valsalva but when it's all going pear shaped only a Mighty Yell will suffice. I've used a yell to good effect on pulls, squats and overhead presses.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I use valsalva and partial valsalva but when it's all going pear shaped only a Mighty Yell will suffice. I've used a yell to good effect on pulls, squats and overhead presses.

Have you read about 'Power Breathing'? I've seen it described by Pavel where you push the air down into your stomach, press your tongue against your upper teeth and then right at sticking point you forcibly expel the air making a 'SSSST' sound. Something like that.

Too much for me to remember

 

[blut wump]

Isn't that really old? I recall my father telling me such things, it's basically a partial valsalva, I think.