Integra Blog

Vibram Five Finger update

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100

So this past weekend, I ran 10km (6 miles) in my Vibram Five Fingers.

Not surprisingly, my stride length has decreased, now no longer heel striking (I don’t have 3” of padding at my heel now!). My stride is shorter, although it did take a couple of runs to get used to landing on my forefoot, rather than my heel. My pace is also slightly slower - but then again, I was never that fast past 200m and 400m :)

There is an interesting article in this weekend’s NY Times that a client sent me.

But for all the technological advances promoted by the industry — the roll bars, the computer chips and the memory foam — experts say the injury rate among runners is virtually unchanged since the 1970s, when the modern running shoe was introduced. Some ailments, like those involving the knee and Achilles’ tendon, have increased.
“There’s not a lot of evidence that running shoes have made people better off,” said Daniel E. Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, who has researched the role of running in human evolution.

'That' Time Magazine Article

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:40:00 +0100

Time recently published an article Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin which (in a nutshell) states that exercise is a waste of time due to the fact that if we exercise, we will be more likely to opt for something fatty as a reward, than something healthy. He goes on:

Spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain

And then talks about lower intensity walking being more beneficial for weight loss. Regardless of whether John Cloud’s point about his blueberry bar reward is accurate, (a study at the bottom shows it isn’t) the article misses out on a bunch of other benefits of exercise.

Drew Baye and Chip Conrad have both written articles on the Time article, both coming from slightly different angles, which summarise some of my own thoughts on the subject.

Drew talks about how the fitness industry itself, is failing people.

Of course, the fitness industry is going to respond to this the way they always do when profitable nonsense is being threatened: they’ll continue making the same ridiculous claims they have been for years and hope people keep believing them.
Unfortunately, most people will keep believing them, because it is a lot easier to spend an hour or so performing some mindless activity a few times a week than to exert the kind of effort and discipline required to change one’s eating habits.

People want to believe things like hitting the gym on Monday can make up for a weekend of drinking and overeating, or that going for a brisk walk will burn off those Oreos they had at lunch.

Chip, on the author of the Time article, John Cloud’s position on exercise:

“BE WARNED” he says! “Avoid real exercise folks!”
Despite it leading to improved overall fitness, greater self confidence, increased speed, workload, sporting prowess…. basically an increased ability to do ANYTHING and making you feel better, a couple people might have gained a few pounds from it somewhere because they also ate like shit. So DON’T DO IT.

And just having a quick look around some studies, I found some research in the Journal of Endocrinology, which showed that exercise produced a significant decrease in relative energy intake, rather than the opposite shown in the Time article.

Vibram Five Fingers

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:44:00 +0100

I’m late to the game.

The Vibram Five Fingers have been around for a while now, but I only just picked some up in Boulder, CO last week.

I’ve been walking and training barefoot in my studio for many years understanding the need to actually use the muscles in my feet, rather than strap them all up in shoes. We have a ton of joints within the foot (and subsequent muscles that are capable of supporting these joints), so why strap them up?

So while I am barefoot in the studio, I don’t often get outside barefoot…

There are some activities I do that require supporting footwear: when I am on my motorbike or when I am climbing. But running doesn’t require the same support or protection from impact. My usual running shoes have been flat-soled Pumas or Nike’s Free, but I am going to start testing the Vibram’s outdoors.

The main issue I will find is that my feet are not used to the higher level of impact they will get from running (vs barefoot walking, for example); so I am going to take it slowly and build up gradually.

I’ll post some updates / feedback on my progress as I go along and also post an article on the benefits of barefoot vs shoes and the impact on not only your posture and your biomechanics, but also on your brain (how it affects ‘processing speed’ and cognitive ability…).

And yes, they do look a bit strange :)

"Our approach is based on intense, continual education coupled with years of experience of succeeding..."

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:20:17 +0100

“

Our approach is based on intense, continual education coupled with years of experience of succeeding (and failing) with clients and then understanding why.

I try to not let my ego get in the way. Failing along the way has enabled me to develop, to grow, to learn, but only by accepting, recognizing and learning why.

”

- Michael Goulden

"Cultivate authentic presence"

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:44:35 +0100

“Cultivate authentic presence”

- Chögyam Trungpa

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the..."

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:50:00 +0100

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

- Buddha

"Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you..."

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:08:12 +0100

“Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed.”

- David Foster Wallace

High Protein Diet for Weight Loss Maintenance

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:28:00 +0100

Along with the Low-Carb vs Low-Fat Diet study is another paper (also in published Obesity) on the effect of a high-protein vs high-carbohydrate diet (both low fat) on weight loss maintenance.

Following a 6 week energy restricted diet, subject were placed on a 12-week weight maintenance plan of either high protein or high carbohydrates.

The study shows that low-fat, high protein weight maintenance diets are more effective for weight control than low-fat, high carbohydrate diets.

Here is the abstract: High-protein vs high-carbohydrate diet for weight maintenance

(via @DrEades)

Low-Carb vs Low Fat Diets

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:42:34 +0100

An abstract from a study performed in Australia that was published recently in Obesity (a research journal) on the ‘effects of a low carbohydrate weight loss diet on exercise capacity and tolerance in obese subjects.’

‘A LC weight loss diet shifted fuel utilization toward greater fat oxidation during exercise, but had no detrimental effect on maximal or submaximal markers of aerobic exercise performance or muscle strength compared with an HC diet.’

I want to get my hands on the full paper, but here is the abstract: Low-carb vs low fat diets

(via @DrEades)

Tools, Brand Names, Bias and Identity

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:12:00 +0100

Coming up: I will be writing a few short notes about how Muscle Activation Techniques fit into our style of personal training. In the meantime, here is a little bit on our philosophy.

Each of our clients comes to us for a specific goal(s): whether it be injury related, or performance related or somewhere in between like health or fat loss.

We don’t associate our whole identity with one specific type of training, they are tools (and in some cases just brand names of a small component of strength training!). We use the specific tools required to get specific results with our clients in the easiest and safest manner, often integrating many types of training.

We think that if you get sucked too far into the marketing and branding associated with a specific form of training (we have all done it), you become biased, and fail to see the bigger picture. We prefer to pull together and integrate the best parts of what works from ALL forms of training for our clients, to create a framework to achieve maximum results, rather than limiting ourselves to one particular theory or brand.

Recommended Books - Strength Training

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:44:00 +0100

This makes me want to get back to the water quickly.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:13:00 +0100

This makes me want to get back to the water quickly.

"It is historical continuity that maintains most assumptions, not repeated assessment of their..."

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:43:57 +0100

“It is historical continuity that maintains most assumptions, not repeated assessment of their validity”

- Edward de Bono

Recommended Books - Anatomy

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:51:00 +0100

Recommended Books - Kapandji

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:38:00 +0100

Recommended Books

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:05:00 +0100

Coming up over the next few days, I’ll be recommending some of our favourite books.

Click on ‘books’ in the Tag Cloud to the right

As Amazon does give a percentage commission for sales if we link to their site, we have decided to give this commission directly to the Water Aid Charity (click for some more information on their work).

"Feel is not real"

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:04:00 +0100

“Feel is not real”

- unknown

News: Michael becomes UK's 1st RTSm

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:41:00 +0100

A bit of late news, but so was the blog!

Michael becomes the UK’s first Mastery Level Resistance Training Specialist, Following the extensive Mastery programme during 2008, Michael succesfully passed the 2 day exam, which included a 4 hour oral examination, earlier this year.

Click here for more details on the acclaimed RTS Mastery program: RTS

Michael’s is continuing his study during 2009, with the 10 month MAT Certified Specialist Internship in Denver.

"I am a Fitness Expert !"

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:18:00 +0100

Really?

Understand that exercise is not ‘a’ science - It is many sciences including psychology, biochemistry, biomechanics, cellular physiology, and neuro-physiology. It takes a lifetime to become an expert in any one of these sciences. Therefore, there is no such thing as a fitness expert!

(via the RTS Mastery Programme)

This video shows that warming up with a weighted bat or club can...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:58:00 +0100

This video shows that warming up with a weighted bat or club can inhibit performance / reduce accuracy.