What’s Better for You: High Volume or High Intensity Training?

From Joe Friel's blog.  Here's the takeaway:

So what are the lessons we can learn from this study? The first is that the response to any training program varies considerably between individuals. In sport science this is referred to as the “principle of individuality.” In this example, some of the athletes responded well to high volume, others to high intensity.

Another lesson is that training the same way year after year produces about the same results. Something needs to change to improve. Should the change be in volume or high intensity? That’s a hard question to answer without knowing more about the individual. But, in general, the newer you are to your sport, the more likely you are to respond better to volume increases. Experienced athletes, those who have been in their sport for several years (perhaps more than 3 years), will usually respond better to increases in the volume of intensity done at or above lactate threshold.

Determining how to train is often a matter of trial and error. If you aren’t responding well to your workout program, it may be that you need more total training volume or more high-intensity efforts. Of course, there could be other issues, such as making your easy days too hard, inconsistent training, significant psychological stress in your life, poor nutrition, inadequate recovery, and so on. But if you can eliminate such training detractors as these, then the biggest remaining variable is the periodization of your volume and intensity. The only way to find out for sure is to try something different from what you’ve done in previous years and see what happens.

2014 research on exercise in Phys Ed

From a look back at this year's Phys Ed column posts in the NYT:

Scientists advanced, for instance, our understanding of the effects of exercising — and not exercising — on the mind and brain. Several different studies found that exercise significantly improves the brain health of people with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and also, encouragingly, lessens healthy, middle-aged people’s risks of suffering from what one scientist described to me as “a C.R.S. problem,” or Can’t Remember Stuff.

Another study explored how exercise can improve mood, with Swedish researchers showing that, in mice, a substance produced abundantly in the bodies of both mice and men during exercise crosses the blood-brain barrier and buffers brains against stress and depression.

And, in perhaps the most novel exercise-neuroscience experiment this year, researchers explored how sitting may affect the brain, by having one group of rats remain sedentary while others ran. The sedentary rats soon displayed changes in the shape and function of certain neurons in their brains, while the running rats showed no such changes. The neurons involved play a role in how well the body regulates blood pressure, so the researchers concluded that not exercising had remodeled the animals’ brains in ways that undermined their health.

Meanwhile, plenty of other studies this year underscored how wide-ranging the benefits of exercise really are. In various experiments, physical activity was found to lessen and even reverse the effects of aging on human skin; protect against age-related vision loss;improve creativity; lower people’s risk of developing heart diseaseeven if they had multiple risk factors for the condition; increase the numbers of good bacteria in athletes’ guts; raise exercisers’ pain tolerance; and alter, in desirable ways, how our DNA works.

Being in good shape also, in a sense, keeps us young, according to a large-scale study published in October. Fit people were biologically younger than others of the same chronological age, the study concluded, and generally lived longer. “There is a huge benefit,” the study’s senior author told me, “larger than any known medical treatment, in improving your fitness level to what is expected for your age group or, even better, to above it.”

But the benefits of exercise are not limitless, as science gently reminded us this year. Working out spurs many people to gain weight, primarily in the form of body fat, a pitiless but important October study showed. It also can be harmful to the teeth, if the exercise is prolonged and strenuous. And if practiced in a gym, exercise may expose us to more indoor pollution than many of us might have expected.

Luckily, this exposure will be minimal for those of us embracing theone-minute workout.

Vs. Constructivism

This got me started:  https://ateacherswonderings.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/inquiry-to-what-end/

Which led to these:

http://www.deliberations.com.au/2006/09/bereiter-education-and-mind-in.html

http://www.wou.edu/~girodm/middle/Airasian.pdf

• Constructivism is so widely accepted because of the widespread belief that current methods don't promote "higher-order" thinking, because it allows for greater teacher discretion over teaching and learning, and because its rhetoric is sexy:  "lighting the spark" of motivation rather than "filling the buckets" of knowledge, all students can learn, emancipating the teacher.
• Caution #1:  An epistemology of learning is not a prescription for an instructional approach.  Just because a lesson is "hands-on" does not make it constructivist.
• Caution #2:  Constructivist techniques are not the sole means by which students construct meaning.  No single method should be used exclusively.
• Caution #3:  Implementing constructivism is time-consuming.  There will necessarily be more emphasis on depth than breadth.
• Caution #4:  There need to be clear criteria and standards for evaluation student constructions.  It's not true that all constructed knowledge is equally valid.

http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/ED%20261%20Papers/Scardamalia%20Knowledge%20Building.pdf

• Distinction between shallow and deep constructivism: "The shallowest forms engage students in tasks and activities in which ideas have no overt presence but are entirely implicit. Students describe the activities they are engaged in (e.g., planting seeds, measuring shadows) and show little awareness of the underlying principles these tasks are to convey."
• "Knowledge building environments enable ideas to get out into the world and onto a path of continual improvement. This means not only preserving them but making them available to the whole community in a form that allows them to be discussed, interconnected, revised, and superseded." 
• CSILE/Knowledge Forum

http://ascpro0.ascweb.org/archives/cd/2011/paper/CEUE335002011.pdf

The Open-Office Trap

The Open-Office Trap, or why architectural attempts to force collaboration don't work

Some investing things

Saver's tax credit:  Get up to $2000 tax credit (applied at the end to your taxes owed) for making contributions to retirement accounts.  See  Form 8880.

Principles of tax-efficient investing from Bogleheads.  I learned some interesting things here, like how REITS are tax-inefficient because they pay out a lot of dividends that are not qualified dividends, and thus taxed at your regular income tax rate (rather than the lower long-term capital gains tax rate)

The case against Roth IRA's, interesting.  The claim is that pre-paying taxes with a Roth isn't really worth it for most people.  Instead, take the tax break NOW with a regular tax-sheltered retirement account, and pay taxes later when you're in a lower tax bracket.  More here:  Roth IRAs: Good for You or Not?

Shockingly Boring Millionaire Investing Secrets:  "Millionaires are even as "boring" as to use Vanguard Group's low-cost index investments, which are the most popular choice for market exposure among the affluent investors surveyed by CNBC."

Bill Bernstein on using reverse glide-paths in retirement.

"The reverse-glide-path approach, then, works because it starts out with a large, ultrasafe liability-matching portfolio and a small risk portfolio. As the retiree ages, the LMP gets spent down and the RP gets larger."

And a good reading list for investors from Farnam Street. 

2014 Books

A list from Farnam Street:

• 5 Books That Will Change Your Life
• 20 Book Recommendations from Billionaire Charlie Munger That Will Make You Smarter
• 19 More Book Recommendations from Billionaire Charlie Munger
• The Stoic Reading List
• 10 Books Bill and Melinda Gates Recommended to the TED Audience This Year
• Daniel Pink Recommends Five Books to Improve Thinking
• 21 of Bill Clinton’s Favorite Books
• 12 Books Every Investor Should Read
• Financial Times: Best Books of 2014
• The Best Nonfiction Books of 2014
• The Surprising Books That Billionaires, Chess Prodigies, Performance Coaches, and Bestselling Authors Recommend
• What Philosophers Read
• The Six Books Bill Gates Thinks You Should Read This Summer
• What The Rich Read At the Beach
• Max Bazerman: Books for Leaders
• Ben Horowitz: 5 Reads
• 5 Short Reads to Expand Your Mind
• The Best Books of 2013: Your 10 Overall Favorites 

Eight Ways to Say No With Grace and Style

From Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less 

1. The awkward pause. Instead of being controlled by the threat of an awkward silence, own it. Use it as a tool. When a request comes to you (obviously this works only in person), just pause for a moment. Count to three before delivering your verdict. Or if you get a bit more bold, simply wait for the other person to fill the void.

2. The soft “no” (or the “no but”). I recently received an e-mail inviting me to coffee. I replied: “I am consumed with writing my book right now :) But I would love to get together once the book is finished. Let me know if we can get together towards the end of the summer.”

E-mail is also a good way to start practicing saying “no but” because it gives you the chance to draft and redraft your “no” to make it as graceful as possible. Plus, many people find that the distance of e-mail reduces the fear of awkwardness.

3. “Let me check my calendar and get back to you.” One leader I know found her time being hijacked by other people all day. A classic Nonessentialist, she was capable and smart and unable to say no, and as a result she soon became a “go to” person. People would run up to her and say, “Could you help with X project?” Meaning to be a good citizen, she said yes. But soon she felt burdened with all of these different agendas. Things changed for her when she learned to use a new phrase: “Let me check my calendar and get back to you.” It gave her the time to pause and reflect and ultimately reply that she was regretfully unavailable. It enabled her to take back control of her own decisions rather than be rushed into a “yes” when she was asked.

4. Use e-mail bouncebacks. It is totally natural and expected to get an autoresponse when someone is traveling or out of the office. Really, this is the most socially acceptable “no” there is. People aren’t saying they don’t want to reply to your e-mail, they’re just saying they can’t get back to you for a period of time. So why limit these to vacations and holidays? When I was writing this book I set an e-mail bounceback with the subject line “In Monk Mode.” The e-mail said: “Dear Friends, I am currently working on a new book which has put enormous burdens on my time. Unfortunately, I am unable to respond in the manner I would like. For this, I apologize.—Greg.” And guess what? People seemed to adapt to my temporary absence and nonresponsiveness just fine.

5. Say, “Yes. What should I deprioritize?” Saying no to a senior leader at work is almost unthinkable, even laughable, for many people. However, when saying yes is going to compromise your ability to make the highest level of contribution to your work, it is also your obligation. In this case it is not only reasonable to say no, it is essential. One effective way to do that is to remind your superiors what you would be neglecting if you said yes and force them to grapple with the trade-off.

For example, if your manager comes to you and asks you to do X, you can respond with “Yes, I’m happy to make this the priority. Which of these other projects should I deprioritize to pay attention to this new project?” Or simply say, “I would want to do a great job, and given my other commitments I wouldn’t be able to do a job I was proud of if I took this on.”

I know a leader who received this response from a subordinate. There was no way he wanted to be responsible for disrupting this productive and organized employee, so he took the nonessential work project back and gave it to someone else who was less organized!

6. Say it with humor. I recently was asked by a friend to join him in training for a marathon. My response was simple: “Nope!” He laughed a little and said, “Ah, you practice what you preach.” Just goes to show how useful it is to have a reputation as an Essentialist!

7. Use the words “You are welcome to X. I am willing to Y.” For example, “You are welcome to borrow my car. I am willing to make sure the keys are here for you.” By this you are also saying, “I won’t be able to drive you.” You are saying what you will not do, but you are couching it in terms of what you are willing to do. This is a particularly good way to navigate a request you would like to support somewhat but cannot throw your full weight behind. I particularly like this construct because it also expresses a respect for the other person’s ability to choose, as well as your own. It reminds both parties of the choices they have.

8. “I can’t do it, but X might be interested.” It is tempting to think that our help is uniquely invaluable, but often people requesting something don’t really care if we’re the ones who help them— as long as they get the help.

World History links

http://historytech.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/24-great-places-to-find-primary-sources/

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxJlX8ZUMUWSUEt5SWp5OThSSE0/preview?pli=1

http://www.wdl.org/en/

http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/

http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/index.html

http://www.socialstudiescentral.com/content/primary-sources

How Do People Get New Ideas?

Source:  http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/11/how-do-people-get-new-ideas/

In a previously unpublished 1959 essay, Isaac Asimov explores how people get new ideas.

Echoing Einstein and Seneca, Asimov believes that new ideas come from combining things together. Steve Jobs thought the same thing.

What if the same earth-shaking idea occurred to two men, simultaneously and independently? Perhaps, the common factors involved would be illuminating. Consider the theory of evolution by natural selection, independently created by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace.

There is a great deal in common there. Both traveled to far places, observing strange species of plants and animals and the manner in which they varied from place to place. Both were keenly interested in finding an explanation for this, and both failed until each happened to read Malthus’s “Essay on Population.”

Both then saw how the notion of overpopulation and weeding out (which Malthus had applied to human beings) would fit into the doctrine of evolution by natural selection (if applied to species generally).

Obviously, then, what is needed is not only people with a good background in a particular field, but also people capable of making a connection between item 1 and item 2 which might not ordinarily seem connected.

Undoubtedly in the first half of the 19th century, a great many naturalists had studied the manner in which species were differentiated among themselves. A great many people had read Malthus. Perhaps some both studied species and read Malthus. But what you needed was someone who studied species, read Malthus, and had the ability to make a cross-connection.

Must Reading for Training and Conditioning Enthusiasts

Source:  http://www.enhancedfp.com/training/must-reading-training-and-conditioning-enthusiasts

Muscle Training by Ken Kinakin, 2004 ISBN: 0-7360-4679-8

The design of this book is intended to educate trainers, therapists and weight-training participants. The book describes how to assess a person’s functional level and then find out how to optimize that person’s potential for training. The use of functional anatomy to describe the risk-benefit ratio for given weight-training exercises is a great resource for designing safe and effective weight training programs.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning [NSCA] Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle editors. 2000 2nd edition. ISBN: 0-7360-0089-5

This is the encyclopedia of training and conditioning. All aspects of training are covered. This is the definitive text for those who wish to learn the essentials necessary to become a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Functional Training for Sports by Michael Boyle, 2004 ISBN: 0-7360-4681-X

A thoughtful presentation to provide background on the development of a functional training system. Functional training is developed with the intent to improve sport skills and performance. Mike describes the basics and then provides sample programs aimed at various sport types.

Functional Training: Breaking the Bonds of Traditionalism Companion Guide. By Juan Carlos Santana. 2000. ISBN: 0-9708116-1-6

A great follow up reading to Mike Boyle’s book. Juan has some great training methods and is not limited to machine training. He uses scientifically based training methods that will add variety to any training scheme.

Supertraining by Mel C. Siff Phd. 2003 ISBN: 1-874856-65-6

The bible of training. If you are going to train based on science you had better read this book. It is technical but thought provoking so you must take your time reading it. 478 pages. Knowledge is power!   

This book is on sale at  www.elitefts.com right now.

Facts and Fallacies of Fitness by Mel C. Siff Phd. 2003 ISBN: 1-868-183-8

The book that straightens out the facts on training. Mel has used this book as a digest for his classic Supertraining manual. All of his discussions are annotated and based on the latest research. He gives both points of view on subjects and is well versed in the history of selected health and training protocols that are discussed. MUST READ.

Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky 1995 ISBN: 0-87322-474-4

This book is heavily influenced by the Eastern Europeon training methods. This is a textbook on training and practical experience. Well-organized and comprehensive. The information is all backed by research and is dedicated to show you how to train without drugs.

Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports. By Tadeusz Starzynski and Henryk Sozanski, Phd. 1995. ISBN: 0-940149-09-5

This book organizes and systemizes knowledge on training for explosive strength. The principles are universal and can be applied to all sports movements.

Modern Trends in Strength Training by Charles Poliquin , Vol. 1 Reps and Sets 3rd edition.

Mr. Poliquin posses the question that there is no magical way to train. Manipulating your volume and sets in your training scheme will give you optimal strength gains. He provides a training system to achieve this goal.

Science of Sports Training by Thomas Kurz. 2001. ISBN: 0-940149-10-9.

Another encyclopedia of training. This book covers it all and provides clear and informative information on a variety of topics. The information is easy to read and well organized into chapters on the elements of sports training. The book gives you the ability to plan and control training for top performance based on science.

Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill, Phd. 2004. ISBN: 0-9735018-0-4.

The best book on the market that can explain how the back functions and describe the injury mechanisms of the spine. Once you have learned how the back operates the author than explains how to train the back to provide a foundation for safe activites. He also explains that athletes take greater risks in their training schemes. He then discusses proper training techniques to minimize back dysfunction.

Children & Sports Training. Jozef Drabik, Phd. 1996. ISBN: 0-940149-03-6.

Sound training methods for children exist. This book sorts out the practices that are science based. The book is based on longitudinal studies on children in Eastern Europeon countries. Clear cut training schemes for children are discussed on an age related continuum. MUST READ!

Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe And Lon Kilgore ISBN: 0976805413.

Practical Programming offers a different approach to exercise programming than that typically found in other exercise texts. Based on a combined 60+ years of academic expertise, elite-level coaching experience, and the observation of thousands of novice trainees, the authors present a chronological analysis of the response to exercise as it varies through the training history of the athlete, one that reflects the realities of human physiology, sports psychology, and common sense. Contrary to the one-size-fits-all models of periodization offered elsewhere, Practical Programming explains the differences in response to exercise commonly observed between athletes at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, explains these differences in the context of the relevant exercise science, and presents new training models that actually work for athletes at all levels of experience. Complete with new, innovative graphical representations of cutting-edge concepts in exercise programming, Practical Programming is sure to become a standard reference in the field of exercise and human performance.

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development by Brooks Kubric.

New and destined to be one of the most talked about books ever written for the weight training world! Finally, a weight training book that focuses on: real world strength training; becoming more powerful; building functional muscle; strengthening the tendons and ligaments; thick bar training; heavy weights; power rack work; heavy grip work; sandbag & barrel lifting; heavy support work; effort; dedication; perseverance; concentration; determination; mental toughness; and the kind of hard nosed attitude that has all but disappeared from the Iron Game. Written by famous strength training author and editor/publisher of The Dinosaur Files, Brooks D. Kubik, a man who has studied serious strength training his entire lifetime! "The best hard-core strength training book ever written." -Bob Whelan. A 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 trade paperback with 196 pages. Get a copy today, you'll love it!

Nutritional Supplements: What Works and Why. A Review from A to Zinc and Beyond By Joe Cannon

The Grip Master's Manual By John Brookfield

Moving beyond Mastery of Hand Strength, John Brookfield continues his tradition of breaking new ground in grip training: John's creative new exercises and unbridled enthusiasm are what The Grip Master's Manual is all about. John begins with some general training pointers, including how to practice good hand health, and then shows you how to build your overall upper body and lower arm strength, laying a foundation for the specific hand and lower arm training that follows. And what follows is typical of John: a wide array of innovative techniques and exercises designed to motivate and challenge you -- and to build your hand strength from every conceivable angle, along with your dexterity and muscle control. John, who invented what are now commonly called "strap holds," is also your guide to "climbing the mountain" to close the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper. Finally, John leads you through the consummate grip master's repertoire: bending steel bars, bending horseshoes, coiling and scrolling iron, bending nails, and even tearing cards. John wrote this book to help you take your hand strength to the next level, and if you follow his advice, we're sure you will get there and then some. If you want to be a grip master in the true sense of the word, get your hands on The Grip Master's Manual and then go out and crush a can of Coke.

The Warrior Diet By Ori Hofmekler

Along with the many benefits of leisure-class living comes obesity and its attendant ailments. In The Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler looks not forward but backward for a solution–to the primal habits of early cultures such as nomads and hunter-gatherers, the Greeks, and the Romans. Based on survival science, this book proposes not ordinary dietary changes but rather a radical yet surprisingly simple lifestyle overhaul.

Maximum Strength: Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks By Eric Cressey

Most of the 23 million American men who lift weights do so to get bigger; unfortunately, many of them are going nowhere with watered-down bodybuilding routines that don’t help them actually get stronger. Eric Cressey’s cutting-edge four-phase program, featuring constant progression, variation, and inspiring goals, keeps you focused on increasing strength along with muscle mass, helping you achieve the fittest, most energetic, and best-looking body you’ve ever had-with fewer hours at the gym.

High-Threshold Muscle Building By Christian Thibaudeau

Top Olympic lifters have it, elite gymnasts excel because of it, sprinters break the speed of light driven by it, high level bodybuilders get huge because of it. . . THE CAPACITY TO MAXIMALLY STIMULATE THE HIGH-THRESHOLD MOTOR UNITS! This is what separates the best from the rest. The fast-twitch fibers that compose the high-threshold motorunits (HTMU) exceed, by a humongous margin, the hypertrophy potential of low and medium-threshold fibers that too many of us rely on in our everyday training sessions.

Starting Strength (2nd edition) By Mark Rippetoe

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called "the best and most useful of fitness books." It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the weight room, and a new chapter dealing with the most important assistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete examination in print of the most effective way to exercise.

The Purposeful Primitive By Marty Gallagher

From Olympic lifting to power lifting and bodybuilding, whether muscle gain or fat loss, from cooking to supplements, from changing exercise and eating habits to molding the psychology of a champion (whether one is even remotely interested in competition or not), Marty has covered it all. I only wish I had had a book like this when I was growing up and trying my best to get bigger and stronger. Marty has demonstrated, without question, that he is the current and undeniably best trainer of champions and ultimate guide to physical and mental transformation. This book not only provides the simplest instructions and cheapest financial and lifestyle requirements, it is absolutely the single best book ever written on being the best you can be physically and otherwise.

James E. Wright, Ph.D, former Director of Sports Science, U.S. Army Physical Fitness School; former Health and Science Editor, Flex Magazine --James E. Wright, Ph.D

Training For Warriors By Martin Rooney

To be a warrior, you must train like a warrior Discover the training secrets that have produced World Champions in MMA, Submission Grappling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Judo. More than 750 color photos will show you how to perform hundreds of exercises designed to specifically target each area of your body. You'll also learn:

Nutrition and safe weight-cutting tips Information on dealing with injuries Advice on the warrior mind and mental game The ultimate 8-week warrior workout plan

Whether you are a fighter or just want to look like one, Training for Warriors is a proven, comprehensive system to get you fit for whatever battle life throws at you

Eric Cressey: Five Resistance Training Myths in the Running World

Breaks down the following myths, explaining why each is false:

Myth #1: Runners don’t need to resistance train.  

There are ate least 5 good reasons why this is not true!

Myth #2: Machines are just as good as free weights.

Isolation is not athletic, does not build muscle-nervous system connections.

Myth #3: Yoga and Pilates “count” as resistance training.

Unless you gain weight to add resistance, no.

Myth #4: Super-slow training is valuable.

Doesn't recruit enough muscle, asynchronous recruitment.

Myth #5: Runners should avoid heavy weights and dynamic lifts.

And more, about how lifting will make runners bigger or interfere with training.

http://www.ericcressey.com/five-resistance-training-myths-in-the-running-world

Is Perfect Squat Form a Myth?

http://www.mikereinold.com/2014/11/perfect-squat-form-myth.html

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Description:  http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/11/cheryl-strayed-tiny-beautiful-things/

Link to the book at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307949338/farnamstreet-20

Steven Pinker: How to Be a Better Writer

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/11/how-to-be-a-better-writer/

Resources for Physiology

Textbooks

Principles Of Anatomy And Physiology 12th Ed G. Tortora, B several formats are available, including online, pdf, kindle, and others
Anatomy & Physiology I & II (online only) from Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, Massachusetts
Anatomy & Physiology Connexions (Rice University)
Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body
Inside the Cell
Molecular Biology Web Book
Kimball's Biology Pages
Fluid Physiology - an on-line text
Acid-Base Physiology
Anatomy & Physiology (OpenStax)
MIT Biology Hypertextbook

McGraw-Hill Textbook Companion Sites

These sites have animations, labelling exercises, a Spanish-English glossary (PDF), quizzes, flashcards, and more.
Vander's Human Physiology companion site (McGraw-Hill)
Comapnion site for Anatomy & Physiology, 7th edition (McGraw-Hill)
Hole's Human Anatomy & Physiology companion site

Other useful sites

Get Body Smart. Interactive animated tutorials.
Fluids & Electrolytes. This is an excellent interactive animated tutorial made available by Winona State University in Minnesota.
Pocket Anatomy: the Interactive Human Body mobile apps
Essential Study Partner requires Internet Explorer and Shockwave (also from McGraw-Hill)
Neuroscience, Fifth Edition Companion Website
1Lecture.com Animated videos by McGraw-Hill in genetics, biochemistry, immunology, physiology and microbiology.
Biology Reference an online biology encyclopedia

Edited Lecture Transcripts

These are edited and reformatted versions of the subtitle files that accompany the lecture videos. There are many errors, redundancies, and other confusing thigs in the subtitles, and these edited versions are to help those who are not fluent in English. The lectures must be extremely difficult to follow, understand, and then to translate, and so I hope that by posting these, it is helpful in some way.
Note: Some video lectures have been re-recorded, which means that some transcripts might not match the video. Please leave a note if this happens, so that I can post an updated version. Thanks.

Week 1
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Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

Lecture Notes

One great way to share with your classmates what you have learned is to write notes. Writing and improving the notes will both help you to understand the material better and help to supplement the courses.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4 ~ Exam 1 ~ No lectures
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8 ~ Exam 2 ~ No lectures
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13 ~ Exam 3 ~ No lectures

Aerobic > Anaerobic Training?

http://rugbystrengthcoach.com/7-reasons-why-aerobic-training-beats-anaerobic-training-for-rugby-players/

2013 in Strength Science: Nutrition, Supplements, and Drugs (GH, caffeine, and NSAIDS)

Continuing my summary of Jonathan Sullivan's "The Year in Strength Science, 2013" with Part VII on Nutrition, Supplements, and Drugs.  (full text) 

(1) Tavares et al [86] looked at the effect of growth hormone (GH) administration on muscle strength in men over 50 years old. . . . The investigators found no significant effect on bench press strength after 6 months of therapy, and a clinically insignificant effect on leg press strength."   BUT, the problem, as Sully explains is this:  "There was no training program here. No progressive overload, no documentation of exercises, no supervised resistance training at all. It’s just flabbergasting – these authors actually expected a bunch of geezers to get stronger just because they got growth hormone, without any sort of programmed training intervention." (p. 31)

(2)  "Hurley et al [90] investigated the effect of caffeine on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), using a crossover study design with an indeterminable number of “low-caffeine-consuming” bros doing preacher curls with and without caffeine on separate occasions. They report that bros had less DOMS, particularly on post-workout day 3, when they consumed caffeine."  Sounds great, but unfortunately, Sully argues, the whole design of the study was flawed (weak controls) and their data presentation was "inappropriate."  (p. 32)

(3) In the past, Sully has "inveighed at length against the longstanding, non-evidence-based mythology that the use of anti-inflammatory therapies, particularly NSAIDs and cooling, would inhibit our adaptation to resistance exercise and stunt our gains."  So he reports gleefully about the latest in-depth review of the literature on this topic by Trappe and co-author Sophia Liue.  "The review is worth the read just for this stuff, but their conclusion, based on the data we have, is the money shot:

(p. 33)

2013 in Strength Science: Sports Medicine (foam rolling, icing)

Continuing my summary of Jonathan Sullivan's "The Year in Strength Science, 2013" with Part VI on Sports Medicine.  (full text) 

(1)  MacDonald et al [84] present the first peer-reviewed data examining the impact of self-myofascial release via foam roller on muscle performance and joint mobility. . . . On the whole, the paper is a weak data point in favor of the practice." (p. 30)

(2) "Cheng-Yu et al [85] report that icing delays recovery from eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage, with a study that is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the sports science and exercise physiology literature. . . . This is a poorly designed study with conclusions that cannot possibly be supported by its data. It’s almost certain to be quoted widely."  (p. 30)

2013 in Strength Science: Training, Coaching and Performance (Borg-RPE, overtraining, DOMS, stretching, MMA training, and squat suits)

Continuing my summary of Jonathan Sullivan's "The Year in Strength Science, 2013" with Part V on Training, Coaching, and Performance.  (full text) 

(1)  "Scherr et al [70] reported on a very large study (n=2560) of the correlation between the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale and heart rate. They also looked at the relationship between RPE and lactate production. Their intention was to determine whether the RPE could be used as part of an exercise prescription (a “dose,” as it were) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). They found that RPE correlated strongly with heart rate and fixed lactate threshold, and concluded that the RPE could be used to prescribe exercise intensity for patients with CAD."  (p. 26)

(2) "Tian et al [73] studied heart rate variability as a diagnostic for nonfunctional overreaching [or early overtraining] in elite female wrestlers, using the relatively inexpensive Omegawave monitor. . . . The study is worth a read primarily for its introduction and discussion, both of which contain some interesting material on what is known about overreaching and overtraining at the metabolic, neurobiologic and hormonal levels."  However, the results of the study are not impressive, and Sully concludes: "This underscores an important point: as far as I know, there is no single generally accepted gold standard biomarker for the diagnosis of nonfunctional overreaching. Although many different biomarkers have been studied, including heart rate variability and hormonal responses, none have ever been shown to be superior to the assessment of a vigilant coach on the lookout for clinical signs and symptoms." (p. 26)

(3)  "Brad Schoenfeld’s . . . literature review with Bret Contreras [74], which asks an important question: is DOMS a useful metric for strength training?  . . . . But as they go on to explain, the actual clinical evidence and coaching experience falls far short of any demonstration that DOMS can be used as a reliable gauge for determining the adequacy and appropriateness of training stimuli. Although routines that produce  no soreness may indicate a lack of adequate hypertrophic stimulus (bodybuilders beware!) no such conclusion can be drawn for general strength or power training. DOMS is too subjective, its effects too variable, and its potential for abuse too high, to serve as an appropriate metric for training. Here is 
another paper that belongs in the literature file of every S&C coach." (p. 27)

(4)  "In an important non-systematic review published in Strength and Conditioning Journal, Sands et al have given stretching proponents what Hartmann has given the squats-are-bad-for-the-knees crowd: a thorough and ruthless deconstruction. . . . The authors then make a penetrating observation: A serious problem permeates nearly all studies of stretching – how does one measure stretching intensity? … Ouch. And yet, despite the lack of consistent metrics in this field of study, on balance the available literature on stretching for warmup or recovery does not indicate any benefit. In fact, the best data we have strongly indicates that serious stretching to increase range of motion through acquisition of stretch tolerance makes you weaker."  (p. 28)

(5)  "Tack [82] proposes a set of “evidence-based” guidelines for strength and conditioning in MMA. . . . The author lays down a fair bit of gobbledygook and silliness in his approach to this result, but he still gets there: a program that progresses from general assessment and preparation, to raw strength (using compound barbell movements), to power (using Olympic lifts and complexes), to fight-specific power and conditioning, to strength-power maintenance and technical practice; all integrated into a program that manipulates volume and intensity in a rational way that could be expected to result in peaking just before a competition. Any implication that this approach is “evidence-based” stretches credulity, however."  (p. 29)

(6)  Finally, "McBride’s group presents us with a study of effect of compression suits on biomechanical parameters in the squat [83]."

(p. 30)