gary, Author at StrongFast Fitness

Weight Training With Higher Reps

By gary December 23, 2015 December 23, 2015 Fitness

There's no one "right" way to stay fit, and that includes lifting weights. There are different weights to lift (barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.), machines and free weights (and hybrids), different sets/reps schemes, tempos (time it takes to raise and lower a weight), rest periods, and many more variables.

Sensei Hutch of Seven Tigers Martial Arts has been training with weights (machines and free weights) for many years. Recently, I had a discussion with him about his weight training methods. His commentary is paraphrased below.

Is it “Cardio” or “Aerobics”?

By gary December 7, 2015 December 7, 2015 Fitness

The term "cardio" is commonly used in fitness these days. But what does it mean? And whatever happened to "aerobics"? The answers are a long story, or at least a long-ish post.

Is Saturated Fat “Artery-Clogging”?

By gary November 18, 2015 November 18, 2015 Nutrition

Poor saturated fat...talk about discrimination! It's been regularly bashed for decades, often based on bad data or faulty interpretations. But it has a bad reputation that sticks, largely because it's easier to bash it than to think critically about the accusations.

One of the most common slurs it endures is "artery-clogging." Sure, we can expect this kind of thing from the mostly wrong Dr. Oz but it's a phrase that gets used by too many people who should know better.

Age-Related Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia)

By gary November 15, 2015 November 28, 2020 Fitness, SRS

As people age, strength and muscle mass generally decline. This is known as sarcopenia (Sarx = flesh, penia= loss). Sarcopenia can be loss of muscle mass, loss of muscle strength, and/or loss of muscle quality. Severe muscle loss brings with it several serious risks and consequences. Ultimately, quality of life may be reduced significantly.

Sarcopenia commonly affects people more than 60 years of age and especially those above 80 years of age. However, preventive measures have the best effect when initiated earlier--in your 40s or 50s. Awareness of the condition and knowledge of possible preventive measures is a must for anyone over 40 years of age. (More on this soon!)

Two Bogus Squat Assessments

By gary October 27, 2015 November 4, 2015 Fitness

Lots of people have trouble with getting good depth on squats, including me. There are various assessments to help determine the problem(s). A couple of them keep popping up online--including from some sharp trainers--that aren't so good. They're not useless, but they don't show what some trainers think they show. In case you're looking around the 'net for answers to your squat depth questions (and who isn't?), here are a couple to approach with caution.

Eating at McDonald’s

By gary October 18, 2015 October 18, 2015 Nutrition

There's a video making the rounds again lately (despite being circa 2013-14) about an Iowa science teacher who used himself for an "experiment" with his class to eat exclusively at McDonald's. However, there were caveats, and the results surprise some people. As usual there's more to the story.

How Useful is Counting Steps?

By gary October 4, 2015 October 4, 2015 Fitness

Back in hilly Pacifica again, and walking. This time, I fired up a pedometer app on my iPod Touch and did some step counting. (6,000 for a morning stroll.) Counting steps is all the rage these days, but this little jaunt got me thinking. And not just about "step by step...inch by inch..."

Author: gary

Weight Training With Higher Reps

Is it “Cardio” or “Aerobics”?

Is Saturated Fat “Artery-Clogging”?

Age-Related Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia)

Two Bogus Squat Assessments

Eating at McDonald’s

How Useful is Counting Steps?

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