Okay…this isn’t exactly fitness related, but I just had to post it because it seems to be everywhere right now.  Besides, if you know me you know that I like to stir the pot to get people to open up and talk about hot topics.  Sometimes something as simple as asking a question doesn’t do it so I like to be a little more dramatic to get people talking.

So the other day I decided to post the following status on Facebook to see where people stood on the whole H1N1 debate:

Mark Young thinks it is funny that many people who are not getting the H1N1 vaccine based on their own “research” wouldn’t know how to read a real research paper if it hit them in the face. (And by the way, reading the abstract doesn’t count)

Almost 60 comments later I still hadn’t heard one piece of convincing scientific argument so I posted this: 

 Ultimately I find it amusing that people state that there isn’t enough research behind the vaccine. It is prepared in exactly the same way as the normal flu vaccine with the exception of a new strain of DEAD virus.

I’d also like to know where people are looking for their research. Which peer reviewed journals are you looking at? Can I find them on Medline or Pubmed?  Or are people using that new highly esteemed “Google Journal”? Or perhaps we’re using the journal of “I never get the flu so I’m not getting the shot”?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

A couple weeks back I celebrated my 33rd birthday.  This past weekend I spent a night with my family and friends to share in the joy of a new year of life.  In doing so it got me to thinking that everyone who reads this blog are part of my “online family” so to speak.

I spend so much time pouring my thoughts and ideas out there that I think people really don’t get to know me at all.  So…I thought it would be fun to share a few things about myself interspersed with plenty of my thoughts on topics to do with strength, flexibility, fat loss, and whatever else comes to mind.

1.  I was born with 6 fingers on my right hand.  Well, it was actually 4 fingers and two completely functional thumbs.  This is called polydactylism and apparently it is a dominant gene.

Had my parents not had it removed at 9 months of age I may have been the greatest concert pianist that ever lived.  However, I believe that by having it removed they spared me from being called “The Six Fingered Man” when the movie The Princess Bride was released.  Thanks Mom and Dad.

 2.  I haven’t done or had any of my clients do a single crunch in over 5 years.

3.  I do not believe that squatting is essential when fat loss and body composition is the goal.

4.  When I was a teenager I had the worst haircut on the planet.

5.  Frankly, I am getting fed up with strength coaches and trainer who are bashing other coaches and trainers.  I have to admit that I’m guilty myself of publicly attacking others like Jillian Michaels, but I have decided to stop.

If you have a problem with a specific element of my philosphy then I’d be happy to discuss the issue so we can all learn something.  Saying you’re going to put other coaches out of business is just plain arrogance.  Ah shit.  I did it again. 

6.  Chrisitian Thibaudeau’s Black Book of Training Secrets is one of my most referred to ebooks.  Hands down.  Actually sitting on the desk beside my computer right now.

7.  I met my wife when I was 15 years old at a local roller skating rink.  And no, she didn’t see the haircut.  Thank God!

8.  If you can’t assess a client you have no business training that client.  This is akin to a doctor writing a prescription without a diagnosis.

9.  Along the same lines, I have just purchased Assess and Correct.  Since it just came out today I’ve only had a few minutes to read over the manual that accompanies the DVDs, but the content looks awesome!

As soon as I’ve watched the DVDs I’ll do a full review, but if you’re thinking about it, the product is on sale this week and then the price will jump.  Given that Mike, Eric, and Bill put this together it was really a no brainer for me.

10.  My wife and I are having our first child in just under a month so we’re incredibly excited!  However, I can’t believe how much space newborn “accessories” take up.  The living room is more like an obstacle course.

11.  I worked in the fitness industry for almost 10 years before I sent my first article to a major online publication.  Thanks Tmuscle!

12.  I used to think stability ball training was completely useless.  Now I only think it is moderately useless.  There are some exercises that I might consider in the right circumstances.  But mostly I think that there are usually better options.

13. I hate brussel sprouts, turnip, and portobello mushrooms.

14.  When it comes to nutrition people are almost always too fixated on details.  You must consume less than you burn for fat loss.  This is THE most important factor.  Anyone who says anything else is selling something.

15.  I recently interviewed Brendan Fox, Jim Smith, John Paul Catanzaro, Leigh Peele, Lyle McDonald, Jimmy Smith, Martin Berkhan, Mike Robertson, Nick Tumminello, and Scott Abel for an upcoming audio series on core training and fat loss that you’ll be able to listen to for FREE.

Oh yeah, I also interviewed Dr Stuart McGill (author of Low Back Disorders & Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance) and Thomas Myers (author of Anatomy Trains).  More bonuses still to be added.

16.  Last weekend at Walmart I accidentally walked away with someone else’s cart and discovered this about 15 minutes later when all the stuff in the cart certainly wasn’t mine.

17.  I cannot be near Nutella, chocolate chip cookies, or carrot cake with icing.  These 3 items result in a terrible case of eat-way-too-many-calories-itis.  They are my “can’t have in the house” foods.

18.  My favourite television show right now is Criminal Minds.

19.  I believe that an emphasis on the nervous system is the next big area that needs to be explored in the fitness industry.

20.  Books I purchased last week: Fast Food Nation and Outliers

21.  I don’t think that need nearly as much protein as people think for muscle gain.  Fat loss, on the other hand, is a different story.

22.  Compressive injuries to the end plate on a vertebrae can and do occur even when spinal alignment is in neutral.  You’ll usually hear a popping sound.  Back squats impose a huge compressive load. 

23.  I think the “starvation response” to fasting may be overrated.  I’m not totally sold on this, but my reviews of the research in this area are leaning this way.  If this is the case, it has incredible implications for how we could design nutrition plans.

Maybe less than 6 meals per day?  Blasphemy!  Note that I said MAYBE so don’t get pissed off and start sending me research on protein pulse theories. 

24.  I think this video is funny.  The powerlifter guy kinda reminds me of a Dave Tate type character.  If swearing upsets you, then you won’t enjoy this video.

25.  I also think this video is hilarious although not as funny as the first.  If you are into Crossfit this video may upset you.  That’s what you get for being into Crossfit. 

26.  The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.

27.  If you’re sick don’t go to the damn gym and give it to everyone else!  Seriously, stay home and get well.  Train hard next week.

28.  There is no such thing as a time machine (except the one that I’m secretly building in my basement).  Don’t train stupidly in pursuit of a goal.  If it hurts back off and get it treated.  Training is a marathon and not a sprint.

29.  If you’re 20 or younger you probably don’t understand the last point.  If you’re 30 or older you’re probably wishing that you did when you were 20.

30.  Consistency with training and nutrition is more important than the plan you’re on.  It is better to go at 60% forever than it is to train at 100% for one week.

31.  I love to read, but generally hate fiction. 

32.  I detest coffee and drink tea often.  Green tea at least 2 times per day.

33.  I am so thankful for my friends, family, all of you for reading this blog.

Since I’ll be around the computer a bit in the next few days I figure I’m going to open this up.  Drop me any comments or questions you have below on any topic (training related or not) and I’ll try to respond.

This past weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada and last night I was able to celebrate my way into a self induced turkey coma with full fledged meat sweats.  Still, I was able to recover enough today to write this post before enjoying the rest of my 3 day weekend.

As I’ve blogged before, I’m not a huge fan of rapid fat loss transformations.  Granted, it is incredible to see what can be accomplished in 12 weeks, but  most people just gain the weight back right after they’re done.  If you’ve been around the fitness industry long enough, you’ve probably seen this numerous times.

Truthfully, I very much prefer the slow and steady approach to fat loss.  My client Jeff is just one shining example of that.

Jeff came and asked me to help him get ripped without building too much muscle mass in the progress (Yes, I’m serious, there are people who really just wanted to get shredded).  After about a year of training I managed to snap a couple shots of Jeff at our facility.

All in all, Jeff was pretty happy with how things turned out and I was too.  What is even better to me though, is that when I saw him a year after these photos were taken his body fat percentage was almost exactly the same!  In fact, it was literally decimal places away from where it was a year previous.  Here is a recent photo to demonstrate my point.

To me, this is the biggest success.  Anyone can lose fat for 12 weeks.  The real test is losing it for life. 

Thoughts and comments are welcome below.

For me, many great things (and sometimes bad things) come in 3’s.  Today I figured I’d share some of these with you.

3 Things I’m Reading

Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation - Dr Stuart McGill

I originally read this a long time ago, but after a recent discussion with Dr McGill I decided to pull it out and give it another read.  I’m blowing through it this time and am enjoying the refresher.  It is also helping to reaffirm some of my thoughts on training and challenge others.

I guess the take home message is that if you have a great book you haven’t referred to in a while, don’t be afraid to give it a read through again.  You’ll be surprized at what you may have missed the first time.  It is kinda like watching Fight Club the second time around.

So You’re Going to be a Dad - Peter Downey

Since I’ll becoming a proud father for the first time in about 8 weeks I figured I should brush up a little more on what to expect.  This book is a little basic and we’ve covered almost everything in there in our prenatal classes already.  I guess I know everything I’ll ever need to know about child rearing.  Whew…that was easy. 

The Myth of Core Stability - Eyal Lederman

This article was recommended to me by Aaron Schwenzfeier so I plan to give it a good read this week and report back.  I’m not sure I’m totally buying what Lederman is selling after my first read through, but it certainly provides an opportunity to challenge our current interpretation of core stability.

If you want to dig it out for yourself here’s the reference:

Lederman, E. The myth of core stability. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies (2009).
doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2009.08.001.

3 People That Should Not Be Giving Weight Loss & Fitness Advice

Oprah - I’m going to go on the record and say that I really love Oprah.  I even enjoy her show sometimes despite the fact that it sucks all of the testosterone right out of my body.  But how is it that the queen of yo-yo dieting is responsible for identifying the next mass market nutrition gurus?

Jillian Michaels - I know that she has come under a lot of fire so I’m probably just echoing the sentiment of many of those in the fitness industry, but obviously this message isn’t reaching the masses.  The ratings for this show remain strong and people are still watching it.  I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

Tracy Anderson - Any “fitness expert” who states that women should not lift more than 3 pound weights deserves a dropkick.  Thanks for helping to propagate myths Tracy.  You’re doing health and wellness a real service.

3 Web Things from This Week

- DaveDraper.com

I’ve actually spent a fair amount of time here this past week and really enjoyed the content.  I especially enjoy the blog which appears to be maintained by Laree Draper so props to her for putting together the great stuff.

- Six Things You Need to Know About Protein

Chris Shugart interviews Dr Lonnie Lowery about protein.  This is some pretty good stuff.  From cooking protein to the amount of protein per meal he covers a lot of cool material.

- Bodyworlds.com

I went to see this a couple years ago and I’ll be doing so again this month.  I am so pumped!  If you’ve never had the opportunity to do cadaver work, this is a great way to see the human body.  Heck, even if you’ve done it I’d still recommend this exhibit.

- Honorable mention goes to Twitter.com/shitmydadsays

This is NOT for those who can’t handle several inappropriately placed curse words.  However, it is otherwise quite amusing and possibly innapropriate for me to post on this blog.  Still, it makes me laugh and it is my blog so I can do pretty much whatever I want.

3 Words That Will Make You Strong

- Combat Core Strength

Remember those words, because this book by Jim Smith is SICK!  Sorry Jim, but I’ve already punked a bunch of your exercises and am using them in my programs.  Get this ebook!

3 Things That Are Just Plain Funny

- Mentos

- Diet Coke

- My Brother in Law

What are 3 things that are on your mind this week?  Leave a comment and let me know.