In fact, the many benefits of exercise are now extremely well-documented. It is an indisputable fact that exercise, or to be even more general – physical activity – is good for us and that it comes with a myriad of physical and mental benefits, among many other things. It is arguably the single best thing you could do to improve your health, fitness, body composition, and quality of life. Anyone who says otherwise, or even hints otherwise, should immediately be dismissed as someone who is misinformed, but more likely a complete quack who is not worth a moment of your attention. You see, it’s one thing to investigate an issue that may have some loopholes that we just haven’t figured out yet, and report on that. But it’s quite another to do that while also ignoring logic, reason, and the massive quantity of evidence in the research data that has already been compiled and verified in peer-reviewed journals. Yet, this seems to be happening more and more often, and not just from fringe groups either. Does TIME magazine ring a bell?

Not too long ago, TIME magazine published an article titled, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” I’m going from memory, but the author basically suggested that since exercise uses up energy, it also increases your appetite and results in over-eating. Thus, it is only reasonable to assume that exercise leads to weight gain. Now, I hope I don’t have to tell you that there are so many flaws to that logic, and honestly, I won’t even give the argument the time of day (see below for someone who already has, though).

That article was the first one that I know of that brought this type of issue to mainstream attention, but this has happened elsewhere for years, and I was reminded of it this morning when a “scare tactic” type email proposed the very same thing. Wanna guess what they were after? My money – plain and simple. What else could they possibly want from me? They definitely don’t want to help you or I, and if they do, then I would guess they have a distorted perspective. Essentially, someone was twisting the truth so much that they were lying and misleading people – and using their position of authority to abuse the truth. Obviously, this happens all the time – not just in the fitness industry.

This has got to stop, and now. I’m tired of being lied to. I’m tired of hearing the unfounded, outrageous claims. And I’m tired of seeing other people tricked into believing these claims, or being so confused from all the misinformation and conflicting views.

Is exercise good or bad for us?
Is low carb or low fat better?
Does running cause injuries or not?
Is saturated fat an artery-clogging, heart stopper or an important nutrient that is essential for human health?

These are the types of questions that plague many well-meaning people who are struggling to live a healthy life. There are many barriers facing those with health and fitness goals, and knowledge of both what and how to accomplish those goals is one of them. Without knowledge, we can only guess at what the best course of action is. Knowledge is essential. It is the enabler – the crux we must depend on when life gets complicated and the answers aren’t always obvious.

Someone may have been struggling their whole life to figure something out. It could be to lose some weight, eliminate pain or injury, or just feel better in their own skin, and knowledge of just one thing may mean the difference between getting what they truly desire and struggling for the rest of their life. So, you can imagine how frustrating it can be when one has to navigate through a wilderness of conflicting information, half-truths, and lies when trying to find an answer. I know I’ve gotten frustrated many times myself. Fortunately, there is a wealth of good knowledge already available at our fingertips, but that hasn’t stopped some bozo’s from still trying to take advantage of what the general public doesn’t know.

That’s why I think it’s not just criminal to publish blatantly misleading information, but irresponsible to publish anything that is even borderline without first making it extremely clear of the difference between theory and fact, and also when an opinion is being shared (as opposed to fact). Now, there’s an important distinction to be made here. There’s a difference between making a mistake (ie publishing something inaccurate) and directly fudging the truth. The former is the equivalent of an accident, and the latter is the equivalent of a crime. Case in point: I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and have been wrong about who knows how many things before. My training philosophy changes constantly based on the new things I’m learning and using. But I would never, and will never, publish information that I believe to be inaccurate. In my world view, there is nothing to be gained from lying, and bringing attention to half truths rarely results in anything valuable or worthwhile. Accidents will happen, and they can be forgiven.

So, I have a message to those who make claims like “exercise makes you fat” or any other similar statement that is  the intellectual equivalent of elephant dung.

If you’re reading this, then I hope you will do some serious introspection and reevaluate how you share information, and ultimately, conduct business. What makes you think, for a second, that people can’t handle the truth? It’s not just people’s wallets that you’re playing around with – it’s their very lives. If you are going to repeatedly lie, cheat, and swindle, then we want nothing to do with you. You’ll have to creep around with other like-minded people who are bent on those practices, collectively scrounging around for more money. I hope that makes you happy.

OK, all that said, here’s the thing. This may just be the pessimist in me, but I’m not one who really thinks that this industry-wide problem will just go away on its own. In fact, I think it’s going to continue to get even worse and even harder to distinguish the quality information from the junk. So, the important thing for you and I is to be careful who you listen to, and always do your own due diligence. Check the facts. If something sounds outrageous, it probably is. In those cases, either just walk away or demand the facts (send a public message and hope that it isn’t censored). If there are no facts or no response, then don’t just walk – run away!

And for those who are still scratching their heads about the whole “exercise makes you fat” claim, check out this extremely well-written message to the editors of TIME magazine from my colleague, Tom Venuto. I’d say Tom has settled that debate once and for all. In fact, I think I can hear the hammer pounding the last nail into the coffin…

Why TIME Magazine Owes The Fitness Industry A BIG FAT Apology

You see that list of references at the end? Yeah, Tom does his research, and knowing him, he read not just every single one of those studies – the full studies – from start to finish, but many more prior to writing and publishing his article. So, don’t worry, he’s one of the good guys…

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CST Coach, CST-KS
Health-First Fitness Coach

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This internet protest happened because of two pieces of legislation that are facing America today: the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). Those are really nice sounding names that instill faith in each bill’s terms, and who wouldn’t want to stop online piracy and protect those important IP addresses? But the makeup of these bills is much more sinister than their facades may reveal. These bills would deliberately take away many of the basic Internet freedoms we enjoy today, and would enable the government to regulate even more of this wonderful, currently-free tool. I won’t get into the details here (see references below for further reading), but the logical extreme of this type of legislation could easily turn into a nightmare for internet users.

Here’s a short infographic to give you an example of some of the end-user consequences if such legislation becomes law.

Note for my international readers: If this happens here in the USA, then it would set a global precedent and it may be coming to a neighborhood near you sooner than later.

Created by: Online University

The good news is that the protest did make an impact, and last I heard, at least six U.S. Senators changed their stance on the issue to stand with the people - including NH’s Kelly Ayotte, I might add. Live free or die, people. Live Free or Die (NH state motto) . That’s refreshing to hear, to say the least, but the fight is not over. These bills are still pending, and they could be back in the spotlight any minute, or quietly addressed in Congress without anyone knowing about it.

No, the Internet isn’t perfect, but if you like the way it is, for the most part, and don’t want to see it change exponentially, then I would urge you to contact your local representatives and strongly urge them to oppose these two bills. If you’ve never done that before, it’s not hard and takes no more time than sending an email.

If you’ll do that, you have my thanks. I want to keep bringing information to you, and that just wouldn’t be likely if these bills were signed into law.

You can Click Here to find and contact your local Representatives, and you can Click Here to find and contact your local Senators.

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CST Coach, CST-KS
Health-First Fitness Coach

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References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/wikipedia-blackout_n_1212096.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/google-joins-online-sopa-protest_n_1210990.html

Now, let’s see here:

• Dropping barbell on head – check
• Filing down teeth from excessive gritting – check
• Knees bowing inward/outward during jerk catch phase of the lift – check
• Breaking spinal alignment – really check!
• Hyper-extending neck – check
• Nearly being crushed by barbell – check
• Trying to do something again that you clearly couldn’t do the first time – check
• Not paying attention while barbell falls to the floor – check
• Bent elbows during the clean portion of the lift – check
• Lifting weights that are clearly too heavy for you – double-check
• Nearly killing oneself in the pursuit of better health – check

And if that wasn’t enough already, here’s a little snippet I took from the Youtube video description (bolding mine):

“Taken from an event with veteran CrossFit athletes. Hitting axle clean and jerks. Supervised by Strongman Certified Coaches. Axle weight is about 10-15lbs. This lift is not a standard Clean and Jerk.”

So, those are veteran CrossFit athletes, eh? I can see that. Although, I’ll be honest when I say I’ve seen a lot of scary things both online and offline, but I’ve never seen anything this bad. And if that’s what we can expect from veteran CrossFit athletes, then I think there’s no hope for this community. They will continue to churn out very fit-looking, albeit broken people.

Of course, they’ve made sure to inform us that “This lift is not a standard Clean and Jerk.”

REALLY? I couldn’t tell. For a second there, I almost thought I was watching the Continental Clean and Jerk, but it couldn’t be that… Actually, it doesn’t look like a standard anything, except maybe a standard operating procedure for herniating a spinal disk, dislocating a shoulder, or giving yourself a sudden brain aneurysm.

It’s good to know these good people were “supervised by Strongman Certified Coaches,” too, because that makes everything so much safer and acceptable. Give those guys a raise!

All kidding aside, I know that not all CrossFit gyms would allow this type of nonsense to happen. The quality of CrossFit training has entirely to do with the individual professionals doing the coaching, and the standards of quality control upheld at each particular gym. But suffice to say, CrossFitters are infamous for neglecting basic technique methods in exchange for higher intensity, or a new personal record.

Now, I know some CrossFitters who clearly do not match the description above, and I’ve also spoken before about the positive aspects of CrossFit here and here. So, that’s why I’m hopeful when I announce…

A Challenge to the CrossFit Community

I’m busting out the BIG #1 HEADER because I want everyone to see this.

I’d like to see one – JUST ONE – CrossFit workout video where everyone shown is using good technique in whatever exercises are being performed – preferably by a group of athletes (not just one or two). If you know of one, please post a link in the comments below.

Honestly, I’ve watched dozens of CrossFit videos over the years, and I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one where everyone was using good, or at least fair, technique. Most of the time, I’m looking for the odd guy or gal who is actually adhering to most of the common technique recommendations, and I literally have a hard time finding them. I see this as a fundamental problem with the CrossFit system. Using good technique in an exercise program is just one of the BASICS, folks, and an extremely important one at that.

So, the first person who finds a CrossFit video that passes my technique rating meter (completely based on my judgment) will win a free coaching video not available to the public.

And you’ll get Siffer-points if it’s footage taken from the CrossFit Games.

So, CrossFitters, what say ye?

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CST Coach, CST-KS
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