When it comes to reading research I really have a hard time balancing that out so you’re not alone. I have at least 50 blogs/sites on my RSS Feed, at least another 50 ebooks waiting to be read, more print books and DVDs on my shelf, and research articles all over my computer desktop.

Generally speaking, I’m spending a lot of time these days going back over what I consider the fundamentals of my programs and looking at the research. This is where surprising things like the lack of effectiveness of intervals for fat loss or the myth of meal frequency turn up. How I usually do it though, is to read something I’m interested in (maybe on a blog or site), track down a couple review papers (if there are any) and then backtrack to the original articles for myself. I expand out from there.

One thing that separates me from a novice reader is that I can read a study in about 15-30 minutes and have a good grasp of what it said. When you first start reading papers they can be tough to read through and can take over an hour. Practice and frequency are key in the beginning. Over time you’ll have more speed and that will make your life easier.

As for books, I can’t really suggest any specific one, but if you don’t have the schooling this might help you navigate the technical jargon. Mind you, I read stuff near my computer so I can look stuff up as needed too.

With so much research out there, be it of dubious or the highest quality possible, how do you go about sifting through training and nutrition-related stuff to get the most bang for your buck?

It seems like finding that sweet spot between spending too little time reading research (or just giving a cursory scan to certain items) and spending too much time doing so (in a worthy, but likely misguided attempt to be thorough) can be a monumental task. If you don’t give it proper attention, you’re essentially wasting that time by getting a fraction of the real story, if that. And if you delve too deeply into it, you’re likely to either spread yourself a bit too thinly or simply lose out on time that would be better invested coaching up more clients or working on your business. (or perhaps I just have a problem with tunnel vision, where settling in to read a little bit turns into way more than that, and before I know it, I have spent a massive amount of limited free time on an area that, while crucial, still detracts from professional success if overdone, with this being a relative term, since I don’t claim to be the brightest bulb or fastest reader out there).

My habits tend to lean toward getting most information from those more experienced than me and then trying to supplement that with so reading of research and critical thinking of my own. But it would be interesting to see how someone like you, who’d be leading, as opposed to following the pack, goes about determining what to read on the research front………….. how much, how often, what is likely to be of practical value and what may fall under the “time drain for little to no practical return, how you synthesize what you learn with what you are already doing, etc. But then again, perhaps this is too lengthy of a process to even be able to articulate in anything short of a lengthy book and was silly of me to as.

On a related note,are you at all familiar with the following 2 books, and if so, then would these be potentially useful reads for someone interested in getting a better feel for dealing with research (particularly someone who doesn’t have a formal background in research methods and analysis)?

http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Medicine-Sharon-Straus/dp/0443074445

http://www.amazon.com/Research-Methods-Physical-Activity-5th/dp/0736056203/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272876240&sr=8-2-catcorr