Recently I’ve been asked a few times about how I allocate my time when studying research, books, blogs, and various other information sources.  Truthfully, I’m completely blown away that people think I know enough to consider me worthy of asking in the first place.  In highschool you probably couldn’t have paid me to read a textbook.  Regardless, I’m more than happy to share my learning process for those who are interested.

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While I’d like to say that I have some sort of systematic learning process, I must admit that I’m fairly random in terms of what and when I choose to read.  I think the key factor (if you take nothing else from this) is to have an abundance of good information available wherever you go so that whenever you get a free moment you can delve into something.

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Blogs

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The very first thing I’ve done is to set up Google Reader with the RSS feeds of all of the blogs and websites I read most often.  This prevents me from having to visit several different sites to look for new content.  Instead I can see all of the content as it is published.  From here, I’m able to quickly identify the posts/articles I’m interested in reading and I’ll open each one on a separate tab on my browser.

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After a recent purge I’ve cut my list from 50 blogs to 26.  I’m constantly adding new ones and deleting those ones that are inactive, not interesting, or not useful to me.  If I stumble on a site and think the content might be worthwhile I’ll put it on the list.  If the new material isn’t what I’d hoped I simply delete it later.

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Although I’ll probably get slapped out by some of my colleagues for saying this, I’ve deleted most of my newsletter subscriptions to prevent my inbox from getting all cluttered.  The only ones I’ve kept are those that offer additional benefits to subscribers which is something I’m actually planning to do myself.

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Ebooks

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Currently I have about 50 of these sitting in a folder on my laptop waiting to be read.  However, what I have noticed with ebooks is that they’re more apt to be read if you print them out.  And once you print them you tend to be able to read them fairly quickly.  If you do intend to read your ebooks I’d highly suggest using this strategy so you can highlight, make notes in the margins, and read through quickly.  I actually used to read ebooks a lot more than I do these days but I tend go in waves where I’ll read them more.

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Groups of people often come together to select a product that each individual will purchase and then they share amongst themselves.  Personally, I have mixed feelings about this since I know that filesharing groups are a great way to acquire more information that you might actually be able to afford on your own.  Keep in mind though, if you are doing this that (aside from some internet marketer types) most professionals who produce this stuff are working hard and are using this money to support their families with a modest lifestyle.  If you really like someone in this industry and appreciate their content, I’d urge you to make an effort to support them by purchasing their products instead of downloading them.

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Podcasts and Audiobooks

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The best tips I can give for these is to download them and listen to them in the car on the way to work.  I know this isn’t a novel idea, but I think a lot of people still aren’t doing it.  If you’re in the car for at least 15 minutes each way, that can add up to a lot of learning.  I also suggest that if you’re doing any low intensity cardio such as walking that you throw some stuff on your Ipod listen while you’re doing that also.

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I have to admit that, while I used to do this daily, since having my daughter 8 months ago I typically use this time to blast some Eminem or any kind of music that I don’t get to listen to when she is around.  After all, I don’t want her giving me a pimp slap and swearing by age 3.  I do have some on my Ipod in case I feel inclined to listen to them, but this happens less often than it used to.

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You can also get a lot of great audio books on CD from your local library.  In many cases they have been ripped to an MP3 that you can find online if you’re savvy enough, but the walk to the library probably wouldn’t kill you.

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Textbooks and DVDs

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On my shelf right now I have a whole bunch of books that are waiting to be read ranging from in depth training and nutrition to more philosopical books like those by Malcolm Gladwell.  Currently I’m not reading any (I’ve been focused more heavily on journals lately), but when I do read books I often have two or three on the go at once.  I’ll keep one in the living room, one by the bathroom, and one on a backpack that I carry almost everywhere.  As a rule of thumb, bathroom reading is great, but you must remember to get up before your feet go numb.  Just saying.

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I watch DVDs whenever I can, but since having my daughter I’ve hardly been able to watch more than a few hours of television so my prime focus is to get caught up on soap operas sports.  I assume I’ll get back to watching more of these soon when Nick Tumminello’s Joint Friendly Strength Training DVDs get here.  Booyaa!

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Journals and Science Stuff

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As I mentioned, I’m currently focusing a lot more heavily on reading journal articles, but this comes in waves as well.  If I’m questioning my current methods or thinking of including anything new I’ll hit PubMed and pull all the information I can get on the matter.  To make it simpler, when I want to find out about a topic I’ll scour the web to see what has been said about it.  If any studies were mentioned I’ll make sure to look them up because they are often misinterpreted or not read at all (i.e., the Tabata studies).

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When I start out searching on PubMed I’ll also make it a point to pull any review articles on the topic if I can find them as they usually provide a decent summary of the published information before I really get in to the individual studies.  However, you must be careful with reviews as they often represent the biases and interpretations of the author so it is still important to read the original articles if you can.  Fortunately, the references in review articles typically direct you to a lot of the relevant studies that you’ll want to check out.  Always check for more recent stuff and articles the author has left out (typically papers that didn’t support his/her viewpoint), but this should give you a good basis for where to start.

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Once I know what articles I want to read I’ll download as many as I can in full text and contact others I know who have access to certain journals to see if they can pull them for me.  My wife is always laughing at me because my computer desktop is completely covered with PDF files.  If I can’t get a digital version I’ll wait until I have enough of a list and make my way out to the local university library to photocopy the rest or have them pull them from another school that has that journal.  My friends in the industry send me random stuff so I add those articles to the pile too.

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I also get frequent requests to be in journal clubs where a few articles are provided every week or month and then everyone chats in person, on the phone, or on the net about their thoughts.  Being that I have a lot going on I don’t really do these anymore, but they are good for people who don’t have access to a lot of journals or those who need some guidance sorting through scientific papers as there are usually a few more experienced readers who you can learn from.

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Since there are often weekly or monthly discussions, these groups also give you a deadline to do the reading which forces you to read faster.  When I first started reading journals it would take me forever to weed my way through one.  Then when I hit grad school we’d get assigned 10 per week from each class so you had to pick up the pace.  Now I can get through a paper relatively quickly and retain most of the relevant information.  It just takes practice.

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Pay Sites and Subscriptions

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I know I’m always harping on here about StrengthCoach.com, but I’d be remiss to talk about my current learning without mentioning it.  If nothing else, it always gives me new starting points for investigation as there are so many bright minds on the forums there.  While I highly suggest forums like this, keep in mind that every forum has its accepted biases towards certain types of training and nutrition.  It is easy to become swept up in the current when a large number of bright people seem to be following a similar philosophy so ALWAYS think for yourself and remember to question the accepted belief system.

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I also can’t recommend Alan Aragon’s Research Review highly enough.  He does a great job every month of reviewing relevant science and putting it in a way we can understand.  As above, think for yourself and don’t accept anyone else’s interpretation as dogma, but this is definitely worth the $10 per month.

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Social Networking

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If you’re not on Facebook and/or Twitter you are missing out…BIG TIME.  Many of those I don’t have on my RSS are friends on Facebook or Twitter and I constantly get updated with their stuff.  I’ve also found a lot of great people and content this way. 

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A few rules though:  Don’t friend someone up on Facebook and ask them how to fix your bum shoulder or achy back.  More importantly, fitness professionals of higher caliber don’t want to “like” your bootcamp or be invited to join Farmville.  This is a one way ticket to getting deleted.  However, they might see something you’ve written or notice you commented on their status and notice that you’re not a total assmunch.  As silly as this sounds, being a good person can take you a long way in this industry.  And maybe you’ll be able to share comments and have discussions with smart people that you might not get to interact with.  Not a bad deal.

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As for Twitter, don’t be one of those people who tweets every time they have a bowel movement or tweets 10 links all at the same time.  If I have to scroll down the whole page to get through all of your self endorsing links you’re getting deleted.

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Genuine Human Interaction

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With the invention of social media it seems people don’t even know how to speak anymore.  Get on the phone and chat with people you know who are interested in training, nutrition, or whatever else.  And don’t always talk to only those you agree with.  I’m in Canada so I use the phone and Skype to chat it up with bright people all over the place to share information.  If you happen to be someone in your own facility, talking to someone outside of your own space can fire you up and give you some great ideas to expand upon.  I can’t tell you how many disagreements about training I’ve had with my wife that were settled by someone outside of our relationship.  Call it proximity bias or whatever you want.  You’ll generally be able to handle being wrong when someone other than those close to you tell you.  Note that the person closest to you will still probably never let you live it down. 

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I’d also mention conferences as a great way to learn stuff, but I don’t really attend a ton of these.  I have attended some in the past and if you can I’d highly suggest it.  However, unlike some people, I do not think this is a mandatory component of learning.  It might be useful, but I don’t think it is completely necessary.  I think understanding and application of what you’ve learned is more important than anything else.  Experience in the trenches is key.

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My Personal Learning Style

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Earlier I mentioned that I always carry a backpack and I meant that pretty literally.  At any one time I probably have at least one textbook, 5 or more studies, one printed ebook, and my Ipod (complete with a couple podcasts).  When I turn on my computer my desktop is full of studies and when I look in to iGoogle to check my email I see my RSS feeds.  Even when I go to the bathroom I have some reading material waiting.  As I said, I think the big key is to read blogs and books, listen to podcasts, get ideas, source out the science, and read as much as possible.

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I personally set it up so that I can’t go anywhere without having some way to read something and that seems to work for me.  I’m hoping I’ve done justice to the question.

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Thoughts and Questions?   How do you Learn?

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PS: Deleting your subscription from my newsletter or RSS feed will result in the immediate explosion of your hard drive.  Don’t say you weren’t warned.