By Roger Schwab My personal interest in spinal injuries began somewhat abruptly, merely several years into serious strength training. Aside from several on-field contact sport related injuries, the most intense of my spinal and various joint-related injuries were the result of my misuse of a barbell. If any readers of this article trained in the [...]
By Roger Schwab Some wise man once spoke that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” In the vast, expanding field of fitness and sports/medicine, the significance of this insight has become a double-edged sword. The consequences of which will be the subject of this viewpoint. Opinions on every facet of our [...]
By Roger Schwab If the concept of explosive exercise and its supposed benefits have been “peer-reviewed” and supported by any bona fide study, justification of the entire scope of exercise science must be seriously questioned. Explosive exercise and the “considerable evidence” of benefits as cited by the authors are far outweighed by common sense. Injuries [...]
Main Line Health and Fitness introduced a specific lymphedema protocol over 30 years ago, which focuses on stimulating a stronger, well-toned and more flexible limb without exacerbating lymphedema symptoms. For trainees who have undergone treatment for breast cancer, we have empirical evidence that medically sound exercise will stimulate a physiological response, safely. For trainees who [...]
On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, I completed, what I considered, a very interesting echo stress test. The test, non-invasively, examines the function of the heart at rest through a series of ultra-sound tests conducted by a cardiac technician. This includes examining the cardiac output, valve function and heart wall thickness. This is followed by a [...]
by Roger Schwab This is an article that should never have had to be written. With the fitness, craze hitting gargantuan proportions I guess we should have expected outrage in some quarters. Unfortunately, this subject has gone too far, too fast, and is threatening the entire “guts” of the fitness movement for women. Somehow, along [...]
May 1971, on the pages of this magazine, a passionate teacher spoke the following: “And lo, a single wise man raises his head in the East. Long, much too long have I awaited his coming. Thirty years to be exact. It’s a hard and lonely path when your ideas are not accepted…Yes, a wise man [...]
by Roger Schwab 1) KEEP YOUR REPETITIONS SLOW You can never move a weight too slowly, but you can easily move it too fast. If you are ever in doubt about your speed of movement, slow down. Fast movement may subject muscles, connective tissue and bones to high levels of impact forces. When force exceeds [...]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dallas-based physician Dr. Kenneth Cooper pioneered the premise that aerobic training improves the functioning of the heart and lungs, and in so doing creates a more vibrant individual. There is truth in that. Aerobic exercise elevates the heart rate to X level for Y period of time with [...]
1. Never perform so called explosive movements. Sudden movement in any form of exercise greatly increases the chance of injury. 2. If properly performed, then very little exercise is required to produce the highest possible level of strength In exercise, at least – , more is certainly not better, and is usually worse. When a [...]