July 10, 2008 / by srhernan / Make A Comment / Filed under Fitness & Training
Pick up the free July/August issue of Chicago Athlete magazine and check out the article, “Cardio Kills” on page 41. It’s a short piece highlighting a conversation with Jim Karas, the author of The Cardio Free Diet.
Karas is one of the more visible critics of the whole “running/aerobics/cardio” mindset that has been entrenched in the fitness community for the last couple of decades. Needless to say, he’s ruffling the feathers of an entire generation of fitness professionals by debunking the idea that cardio training is the key to overall human health and fitness. I won’t spoil the piece for you, but here are a few choice quotes from Karas that resonate blasphemy to most fitness “experts”:
“Excessive cardio breaks down the human body at an accelerated rate…Anyone running a marathon or preparing for a marathon is slowly killing themselves.”
“Cardio does nothing to improve the lean muscle to body fat ratio, and burning muscle diminishes your results…Beyond a certain point, marathon runners can go into starvation mode – the body becomes catabolic, burning muscle for fuel.”
“Consistent pounding of the body from traditional forms of cardio can lead to severe injuries in your back, knees, ankles and everything in between…Take a look at the Chicago marathon. Half to three-quarters of the runners have on knee braces.”
Fortunately, many people are now re-evaluating the cardio-centric fitness philosophy and taking a much closer look at the critical role of strength training. Hopefully, the greater visibility of the likes of Karas is signifying a trend in a much different direction – and a much healthier one as well.
July 8, 2008 / by srhernan / Make A Comment / Filed under Fitness & Training
Dara Torres, age 41, qualified for her fifth Olympics by winning the 100-meter freestyle Friday and by setting an American record in the 50-meter freestyle trials two days later. According to one of the experts cited in the CNN piece, Torres was able to beat our several much younger women through a combination of genetics, opportunity, motivation, and “incentive to train hard.” However, there is one very significant factor that warrants mentioning:
Torres’ regimen includes lots of resistance training — repetitive exercises using external force to push against muscles to make them stronger and increase their endurance.
This includes weight machines, free weights, and the type of simple floor exercises Torres does several times weekly: Lying on her back, she lifts and stretches each leg while also pushing against it with her arm.
I found it particularly interesting that Torres’ “sculpted arms and rock-hard abs” have prompted doping speculation among some groups in the sports and fitness communities. But Torres has never tested positive for performance enhancing substances of any kind, and she’s more than willing to prove her naysayers wrong by taking a lie detector test.
My guess is that her strength training regimen is what’s keeping her hGH levels high and enabling her to compete at such a peak athletic level for so many years. Also, swimming is a lower impact resistance training activity that tends to develop and preserve one’s body much better than running or most other endurance sports. In fact, the article cites a researcher who indicated that participants in Masters swimming programs “typically swim nearly every day of the week, and often look decades younger than their years.”
Something to think about…
July 6, 2008 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Swim Reports
A little late to the party, Lake Michigan is finally showing off her summer stuff. The water temperature at Orange Ladder North was a magnificent 70F, and the wetsuits were almost a nuisance. As usual, there was a lot of post-swim revelry and camaraderie. Diver Dave was on hand, and he convinced me to try out his scuba gear, which was a heck of a lot of fun. I fear I may have stumbled upon yet another expensive new hobby…
Splendid summer sunrise
The author all geared up
July 4, 2008 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Lake Monsters, Swim Reports
Happy 4th of July!
All efforts at making this a grim and serious meetup were met with strong resistance and ultimately proved to be futile…
It was a fantastic morning overall, and Orange Ladder North was bursting with positive energy. All of the usual suspects showed up as well as a number of way-cool new swimmers who officially became Lake Monsters. The water temperature came in at a balmy 64F which was warm enough (for the most part) to go sans wetsuit.
I managed to discipline myself to get a real swim workout in, but there was a lot of playing around, too. I showed the Ochoa children how to execute the perfect “can opener” (which, if done correctly, can displace large amounts of water onto unsuspecting sunbathers). Hopefully, they will pass along this sage wisdom to future generations of lake swimmers…
The author horsing around (as usual)
Amber – Lake Monster #5 (congrats!)
Amanda (left) and Natalie (right) – Lake Monster #6 and Lake Monster #7 respectively (Congrats!!)
July 2, 2008 / by srhernan / Make A Comment / Filed under Fitness & Training
Think for a moment how you spend your waking hours. Chances are that a great deal of your human experience involves interacting with some type of digital data device such as a computer screen, a cell phone (or “smart” phone), a car stereo, or a television set. A large part of this data is generated through highly sanitized “one way” communications. And most of these “interactions” take place in highly controlled, predictable, and artificial settings.
What do you think this does to your ability to read and react to changes in your external environment?
Most of the sensory information we receive and process throughout the day is visual. And most of the settings are passive and non-physical. Because our lives are often structured around such predictable routines as “getting ready” in the morning, commuting to work, working on projects at the office, and “going out” after work, we rarely get a chance to hone our non-visual senses to the level developed by our paleolithic ancestors.
Here is a list of the types of sensory data we’re receiving on a constant basis:
* Visual – sight, recognition, light intensity
* Auditory – hearing, pitch, sound intensity
* Tactile – touch, temperature, pressure, pain, pleasure
* Olfactory – smell, odor recognition
* Gustatory – taste, flavor intensity
* Vestibular – movement, balance
* Proprioception – positioning, posture, spatial awareness
The key takeaway here is to recognize that you are WAY too reliant on visual sensory data, and that most of this data is artificial. This isn’t your fault – it’s just how our society is structured at this point in history. So start paying attention to the other sources of sensory data in your life. It’s literally all around you, and you need to work on sharpening your ability to sense and perceive it better.
Remember, nature provided you with a variety of sensory instruments to enable you to thrive in a highly dynamic environment. Don’t let any of them fall into neglect.
