Archive for March 2010
What the Science Actually Says About Exercise
In this post, I disputed the so-called “scientific” exercise program of Little and McGuff. So I figured it was probably worth describing the exercise program that I do believe the science supports. The following recommendations hold for the “average” person who simply wants to be in decent shape for every day life.
The Exercise Book that Could Have Been
I wanted to like Little and McGuff’s Body By Science. The fact is that most people, from novices to professionals, follow exercise programs that at best waste their time and at worst are counterproductive. BBS does do a good job of pointing out these areas. However, the conclusions it draws about what people should do instead are also not well supported by the science.
I get the feeling that Little and McGuff started with a pre-conceived exercise ideology and then went hunting for science that supports it. I would sum up this ideology as: less is more, weight machines are better than free weights, cardio is bad. The actual science on this is strong, non-existent, wrong.
What really rubbed me the wrong way was how they evangelized their specific program . I categorize the objectionable evangelical tactics into three categories: blinding readers with science, selective application of principles, and just plain wrong.
Possible Insight 