The scientific literature is awash in correlations between a person’s health status and various biomarkers, personal characteristics, and measurements. As we hoard more and more data and develop increasingly sophisticated autonomous tools to analyze it, we’ll stumble across new connections between seemingly disparate variables. Some will be spurious, where the correlations are real but the variables don’t affect each other. Others will be useful, where the correlations indicate real causality, or at least a real relationship.
One of my favorite health markers—one that is both modifiable and a good barometer for the conditions it appears to predict—is grip strength.
Read MoreOne of the first things people do when they start working out is focus on their abs—crunches, sit-ups, leg lifts, bicycles, and the like. I mean, who doesn’t want a six-pack? Entire fitness schools have sprung up around the idea of targeting your abs with direct work. Take Pilates. In its purest iterations, it’s considered a “total body” philosophy, but the way most classes seem to go you end up spending all your time doing a bunch of complicated crunches and other targeted ab work (and grimacing every time you cough for the next week).
Let me make a radical proposal here. All this ab work isn’t necessary.
Read MoreThe deadlift is a full-body exercise that can (and should) be a central component of any strength training program. Everyone from beginners to competitive bodybuilders benefits from deadlifting.
“Lift heavy things” is one of the 10 Primal Blueprint Laws because building and maintaining muscle is mandatory for metabolic health, mobility, and being able to participate in your favorite pursuits now and well into old age. Anyone who plans to be a spry and active nonagenarian—hopefully that’s you—must lift heavy things. More specifically, “lifting heavy things” should mimic the activities of everyday life and build the strength necessary to make these activities easier. The deadlift is the quintessential example of a compound movement that builds that kind of functional strength.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate a beginning strength training practice (or just a little extra effort) into your exercise routine, wearable weights—which include weighted vests, ankle weights and wrist weights—can seem like a no-brainer. After all, you’re technically investing the same amount of time and doing the same activities but just with more effort and benefit. And you just have to slip them on and go, right?
Not exactly.
Read MorePeople go keto for many different reasons. Some want to get better at burning fat so they have a clean, reliable source of steady energy at all times. Some people are treating a neurodegenerative disease, or trying to prevent one from occurring in the first place. Others just want to lose body fat, take advantage of the cognitive effects of ketosis, or stop seizures. Those are all common reasons to go keto. Another reason people go keto is for the benefits to physical performance.
Read MoreBoth CrossFit and bodybuilding involve lifting weights and putting them back down, repeatedly, several times each week. Both are forms of exercise. The similarities stop there. The real meat lies in the differences.
What’s different about CrossFit and bodybuilding? What can we learn from those differences? What can they learn from each other?
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