by Julie R. Keen

As a physical therapist, I get asked a lot of questions about eliminating pain. Most are from regular active folks who have everyday stressors (physical and otherwise) that are contributing to suboptimal mechanics and abnormal mobility/stability, ultimately leading to pain. Although many conditions do need treatment from a qualified professional, there are many things that one can do at home with minimal equipment to enhance normal mobility, improve stability, restore normal movement patterns, and reduce or eliminate pain. So if you don’t have a specific injury, but have aches and pains in various locations, then these tips are for you.

1. Stretch

Recently there has been a backlash against static stretching. Research shows that if it is done prior to activity/sport/weightlifting it decreases power output from the muscle. Okay … but that doesn’t mean that static stretching shouldn’t be a part of your overall fitness routine? We don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, right?

Many people have shortened muscles because of the way we live our lives. We commute 30 minutes for work, driving a car. We sit at a desk for 8 hours per day. Then another 30 minutes to get home. Add things like sitting for meals, sitting on the toilet, surfing the internet, sitting to watch TV at night and that adds up to a LOT of sitting.

Consequently, things like hamstrings and hip flexors get “tight” (short is a better term physiologically, but since most refer to muscles as “tight” we’ll go with that for now). We are on the computer, with our arms in front of us, and most of us are probably slouching for at least some of the time. Much of our time is spent reaching forward, so pectorals get tight.

I could go on and on here with various muscles. The point is that muscles will lose length if they have no reason to work through that length. This is where static stretching can help overcome this shortening. Yes, dynamic stretching is superior prior to a workout/sporting event to preserve optimal performance, but 5-15 minutes of dynamic work is generally not enough to overcome the effects of the rest of our daily activity. This is where static stretching comes into play.

• If you have muscles that limit your range of motion, then they need to be stretched.
• If your posture is sub-optimal, then you have muscles that need to be stretched.
• If you are having pain/stiffness, then you have muscles that need to be stretched.

In my fifteen years as a physical therapist, I have yet to find anyone who did not need to stretch at least one muscle. But, keep in mind, just because a muscle feels “tight” does NOT mean that it needs to be stretched. What determines a muscle’s need to stretch is its length. Common muscles needing to be stretched include: hamstrings, hip flexors/TFL, rectus femoris/quads, piriformis/glutes/deep hip rotators, pectorals, calves (gastroc and soleus), adductors, suboccipital muscles, and lats.

2. Posture, posture, posture

Your mother was right. Sit up straight. Don’t slouch. There are numerous reasons for this, the most primary related to performance being that if you are not in optimal posture, you will not have optimal movement patterns. Over time, your joints and muscles will adapt to the suboptimal posture, and that brings about a whole host of other issues.

Easier said than done though, right?

I have a simple trick to help you “remember” to maintain good posture. All it takes is a friend and a roll of athletic tape.

Step 1: Take off your shirt, and stand up tall. Don’t worry about chest out, belly in or any of that malarkey. Just imagine yourself stretching up as tall as you can be. Rotate your palms outward as much as you can (with your arms hanging by your sides). Hold your shoulderblades in this position, then relax your arms again.
Step 2: Have your friend place a strip of tape from the top of your shoulder to the top of your buttock, along the right side of your spine. Repeat on the left side of your spine.
Step 3: Put your shirt back on.

Trust me, you will feel this when you forget to maintain good posture!

Editors note: It F*%king hurts

3. Foam Roll

Yup. It’s been said many times before, everywhere you look on the internet. Get yourself a foam roller and roll. Better yet, get a foam roller, a tennis ball, a lacrosse ball, and the book The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies. Find your tender spots (trigger points) and work on them. Some need a roller; some need something smaller, like a lacrosse ball (or a tennis ball if you are a wimp). The key to remember is that muscles shouldn’t be tender. If they are, then the muscle is not functioning optimally. These trigger points also refer pain to other areas, so work on tender spots that might not necessarily be close in location to your aches/pains.

4. Breathe

I know it seems silly. I mean, not breathing is not compatible with life, right? Many people don’t breathe properly though. Deep diaphragmatic breathing has many benefits from stress reduction to improving shoulder function.

Here’s a quick test to help you know if you are breathing diaphragmatically.

Step 1: Lie on your back in a comfortable position.
Step 2: Place one hand on your lower belly (just below your navel). Place the other on your chest, just below your throat.
Step 3: Breathe. Which hand is moving?

Ideally, your belly hand is moving, and your chest hand is staying still. If this is not the case, then there are some simple fixes.

Practice, practice, practice!
That’s right, you need to practice breathing. Follow the steps above, and focus on making your belly hand move. Keep your shoulders, neck, and chest relaxed. If you find that you can’t do it, flip over onto your belly. Fold your hands up by your forehead, and rest your forehead on them. Concentrate on filling your belly “balloon” and feeling it press into the floor. Imagine that your belly is a giant balloon and you are filling it with air, starting at the bottom and moving upward. Fully exhale after each breath by pulling your navel in toward your spine. Concentrate on the breathing and let all other thoughts float out of your head. Perform for 5 or so minutes.

5. Build Core Strength and Stability

I really hate the term “core,” but I haven’t found a suitable substitute. To give a “definition” so that we are all on the same page, your core is the center of your body. Your trunk. The muscles that surround your core include the abdominals (all four layers), back muscles (deep and superficial), pelvic floor muscles, and hip muscles (all – glutes, hip flexors, adductors, deep rotators, etc.).

Believe it or not, many chronic pains can be attributed to poorly functioning core muscles. If your back hurts and you haven’t sustained any injury, I’d bet your glutes are not functioning properly. I’d also bet that your abdominal muscles are involved as well. If your knee hurts, you guessed it, your core muscles are involved again. Your shoulder? Yup. Glutes, abdominals, adductors, it’s all tied together.

Many poor movement patterns are also tied to core function. Can’t squat? Yes, could be hip or ankle mobility, but also could be core strength/stability. Trouble with pushups? Core.

Think of it this way. One job of our trunk is to provide a base for the extremities. If the trunk is stable, then the arms and legs have a solid base from which to provide movement. If the trunk is unstable, the arms and legs lose efficiency, and excess strain on the joints and muscles occurs, over time causing pain and dysfunction. It’s like walking a straight line,easy to do on a firm, level, hardwood floor; but not quite as easy on a moving fun-house floor.

These are my five favorite core strengthening/stability exercises:
1. Woodchop – in tall kneeling or half kneeling.
2. Reverse woodchop – in tall kneeling or half kneeling.
3. Turkish Get-Up. Dumbbell or Kettlebell.
4. Pushup variations – start with what you CAN do and progress. If you start too difficult, you will create issues instead of fixing them.
5. Overhead DB/KB walking. Snatch a KB or DB overhead, then walk. Aim for duration versus distance. Do both sides to stay balanced.

There you have it. Follow these five tips and you’ll have less pain in no time, moving more freely, and gaining in your workouts. If not, please see a qualified professional.

A University of Connecticut graduate, Julie is a licensed physical therapist and personal trainer who specializes in corrective exercise and injury treatment/prevention.  She is certified as a personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.  Find out more about Julie at her website http://www.keenfitness.com You can also reach Julie at JulieKeenPT@gmail.com

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Feature item for this post: Foam Roller

by Eric Troy of  Gustrength.com

Labels are for boxes. In the case of strength and conditioning, they usually decorate our excuse box.

I have never heard a trainee pin a label on themselves where it wasn’t the preamble of excuse. Labels are also multi-taskers. They can provide a sense of identity in a homogenized world or serve simply as a “credential.”

Quite frankly, labels are the province of the weak minded.

Instead of continuing to discuss, in vague philosophical terms, the impact that labels have on our goals I will go into of the most common labels used by the strength and conditioning community today. I will relay what these terms really mean.  I will save the grandaddy of them all for last.

In no particular order:

Unconventional:

They say, “I am not able to give any concrete rationale for my training. Many of the things I say are born of ignorance or misunderstanding. My training is a hodge-podge of whatever seems cool. I call myself unconventional because it is a handy smokescreen for all these things and it makes those who disagree with me seem conventional. No one wants to be seen as conventional these days, do they?”

Ectomorph Type 1

They say “I think I am eating all the time, but in truth I barely eat at all.  I don’t get in 1200 calories on some days. I assume that my inability to gain muscle is genetically fated and based on “body type,” instead of being entirely in my control. If you ask me for a food journal I will pad it with false intake. I simply don’t want to believe that my results are of my own making.”

Ectomorph Type 2

I was a skinny guy who under-ate and trained primarily endurance for years. I called myself an ectomorph.  After starting to eat and use resistance training I gained 50 pounds, and no longer resemble an ectomorph. However, I still call myself one so that I can look as if I am all that for “overcoming my genetics”. Please buy my new e-book to learn the ‘secrets’.

Endomorph

I eat too much and exercise too little. I take too many shortcuts which usually leave me worse off than when I began.

Mesomorph

I look big and muscular, but I am in terrible shape and can’t walk upstairs without huffing and puffing. I refuse to give up the beer and potato chips, and will probably have a heart attack when I’m 50 despite my very nice bench press numbers. Unlike the endomorph I don’t try to eat less. I overeat and brag about it because it makes me Hardcore!

Hardcore

I go to extreme measures to look like I’m a badass. I’m impatient and want to look like a badass soonerm, rather than later. At no point in my life will I ever BE a badass.  I lack the hard working mentality that true badasses possess. I’m all talk and no walk because my goals are focused on what others think about me. I likely have anxiety issues and suffer from some type of body dismorphic syndrome.

Hardgainer

This is a biggy. Better writers than I have been over and over this. It is still the most popular label around (and the biggest excuse).

I have to blame Stuart McRobert, to some extent, for this. In Beyond Brawn, McRobert starts out on the right track in pointing out that ‘hardgainers’ are the normal ones. He then goes into a well-meaning, but miscalculated analysis of “gainingness.” For all its good intentions this serves to cement the hardgainer label and legitimize the excuse. The last thing trainees need is a set of suggested figures governing their potential.

It is folly to try to classify populations in terms of gainingness. The preconceived notions and assumptions that these classifications bring on are a first step toward the excuse making machine. The last thing your body wants to do is grow a lot of expensive muscle tissue. Finding it difficult is normal and thus the term hardgainer should simply be abandoned. McRobert’s classifications are not really very different, in effect, than the somatotyping terms discussed above. Without the esthetic nature of bodybuilding, such a thought process would never be employed.

Muscle gaining seems to cause very intelligent people to ignore their own common sense. Compare an easygainer with someone capable of running a 4 minute mile. I would submit that it is not normal to be able to do this and very few people will ever do it. Yet, we do not classify every one else on a scale based on how difficult it would be for them to run a 4 minute mile! It would be ridiculous to compare the population at large to an elite group of middle distance runners. Even within the running population, you simply train and compete in the races you are suited for.

Trainer

I’m a trainer therefore everything I do must be perfect. After all, they don’t just let anyone become trainers do they? I must mention that I’m a trainer at least 5 times in any conversation and I use the word client as many times if not more.

Editors note: As a trainer with many clients I take offense to this.

Bodybuilder

Yes, I do believe that this has become nothing more than a label for many trainees. The reasons for this are just too many to go into but one big culprit is, again, the gym trainer. Bodybuilding programs are handed out to anyone and everyone entering a gym by any unqualified trainer who is able to push the print button on a computer. This label has been so abused that a severe backlash toward strength training has come about and once again we go to extremes and spawn yet more labels such as “powerbuilder”.

The next label I want to discuss has such a huge impact it is, in this article, the argument within the argument…a central motivation for writing this article in the first place.

We don’t always label ourselves. At times labels are forced upon us by others. In fact, that is usually the first thing a trainer or casual advice giver will do: Find a convenient label to attach. This enables them to put us in a handy little packages that matches their generic advice.

Many times, a trainee’s goals will be rejected for not being specific enough. You must be a bodybuilder for instance, rather than a person who wants to use resistance training to get in shape or look better in a bathing suit.

This leads me to the biggest and potentially most damaging fitness label of all.

ATHLETE

I have a guess that until now you were feeling me. You’ve traveled these roads and you have heard it all before. Perhaps you were even nodding your head and saying, “Preach on, brother!’’ Now I have gone and lost you. Athlete? “Yeah, That’s a good one! Everyone should train like an athlete. It’s positive!”

Labels rarely, if at all, have a positive effect on a person; at least in the long term. And the athlete label may have the most negative effect of them all because it is being shoved down the throat of everyone entering a fitness ‘journey’ regardless of their needs or wishes. They are not choosing.

So many of these labels can be a natural part of the evolution of our training. We adopt and discard labels many times as we grow and discover ourselves. The ultimate goal of this is to discard the labels altogether. The word athlete, is much harder to shed.

Why is that a bad thing?

Let’s start with a “fictional” case study (His name is Frankie; maybe it’s a trainee of mine).

Gender: Male
Age: 37
Occupation: Self-employed House Painter
Status: Married with 2 children and a mortgage.

Has never worked out regularly nor does he at present. Was never engaged in athletics.

He works hard on a daily basis. Often very strenuous physical labor or hours spent in unhealthy contorted positions. He is mildly overweight, carrying most of his fat in the abdominal region. But he is muscular and strongly built. On weekends he usually works on projects around the house. He very seldom has time to relax at all.

His diet is unregulated and he is not aware of how much he takes in. Lunchtime, especially, is a problem with up to 2500 calories or more consumed; much of them empty calories.

Although adapted to and able to withstand the rigors of his profession (for now) he is exhausted much of the time and experiences lower back and knee pain daily.

Due to the demands of family life and tough economic times he is under a great deal of stress.

After much thought, he has concluded that he needs to start controlling his diet and exercising to become more physically fit in an all-around functional way. His two primary goals are to lose some of the excess fat and feel better (and hopefully relieve some stress). He wants to improve his health.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Hopefully, he can find a trainer who can help him achieve those goals in a way that fits his needs and lifestyle. I have my doubts, though.

This hardworking family man would be labeled a “couch potato” by many 20 something would-be trainers and 40 something expert coaches alike. That is ridiculous enough. Now imagine that we tell him he needs to train like an athlete and think like an athlete in order to achieve his goals.

Inherent in the athlete label is the idea that to “work out” or “exercise” is not enough. We must “train”. Is this distinction really that important?

NO.

The assumption that everyone needs to train rather than exercise is so fraught with problems I have to wonder how it can be so widespread. If I had to guess, I’d say it comes about as a result of many false assumptions about athletes.

First of all, athletes, by virtue of being involved in athletics are not given a private thought fairy. They are as prone to disordered and illogical thought as anyone and many athletes can display worse attitudes than the average gym rat. They may have more experience training and do so in a disciplined way, but this does not always entail a healthy thought process and usually quite the opposite. Clearly, ‘think like an athlete’ is an empty command. We do not know how other people think. Therefore we cannot be commanded to think as they do. We must learn to think for ourselves.

Many athletes are young and immature. Our 37 year old house painter, quite likely, has a bit more wisdom and life experience than our proverbial athlete.

An athletes training is based on the needs of his/her sport and the competitive season. Far from making training more efficient it is an obstacle that must be overcome. Far more thought goes into the training of an athlete and the needs of the competitor than is necessary for the non-competitor. Telling a non-competitor to train as if he is a competitor “looks good on paper” but it actually creates artificial barriers and thus inefficient training and unneeded stress.

And what of stress?

Well, exercise is good for our psychological health. Men or women, young or old: Exercise will improve your mental state. Exercise can help reduce anxiety, and depression. Can help regulate mood and improve self-esteem. The list of psychological benefits alone list goes on and on.  It can even reduce neurotic behaviors! (1) Notice, however, I said exercise. I didn’t say training. I didn’t say bodybuilding. And as much as I love it, I didn’t even say strength training (which clearly is a VERY good thing).

Reducing excess stress is a very good thing. In fact, as a goal in itself it is just as worthwhile as reducing fat, building muscle, etc. Stress is not always bad. In fact, we need a bit of it to survive but too much stress, to put it bluntly, kills (2).

What is stress?

Stress is anything that places a demand on your body. Physical or psychological. The body seeks equilibrium or ‘homeostasis’. Stress disrupts this equilibrium.

Acute stress, which results from exercising appropriately, disappears quickly and tends to improve our health and fitness. This type of “good” stress is termed ‘eustress’ as long as it is not repeated chronically and at a level we cannot recover from (i.e. return to homeostasis). But when stress becomes chronic it very quickly ceases to be a positive, adaptive force, and becomes our worst enemy. This is ‘distress’ (2,3)

Imagine you are very out of shape and stressed out. Now, as a trainer, I tell you that you must dedicate your life to training. You must become a slave to your body and train as if you are getting ready for the Olympics. Now how do you feel? Less stressed? I think not. Is this a positive way to begin a health and fitness regimen?

My job is to motivate you to become fitter. I want to arouse you in a positive way. Instead I’ve just dumped a big load of cognitive anxiety on you. You’re worried about these huge demands I’ve just placed on your lifestyle. Not to mention the intimidation factor.

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), GYM INTIMIDATION was a very big factor in keeping people out of the gym. They believe that they must be in shape before they go into the gym or risk being looked down upon by the “in-shape” gym goers. Now, I’ve one upped you. I’ve told you that you must be an athlete!

Instead of introducing a positive and motivating force I have created a chronic and overriding mental DISTRESS to be followed, obviously, by inappropriate physical distress. The body reacts to all these stressors in a similar way. And since I have introduced chronics distress I have endangered your health rather than improved it. Guess what? I can get away with it because the effects in the long term of these unhealthy habits will never be traced to me. If I don’t injure you I can pretty much get away with most things.

All this by starting with a simple little word: Athlete. A group which is under a great deal of cognitive stress to go along with the physiological demands of their training. Among the many problems faced by the athlete community are performance anxiety; past and present injury and accompanying distress; pain; fear of disapproval and comparisons to other athletes. Eating disorders are prevalent. And substance abuse is common. Need I go on? (3)(4)

What has any of this to do with a trainee who just wants to get in shape and improve his/her health? (3).

I’ll venture a guess as to where the athlete label comes from. I think that the word athlete is mistakenly used to mean a “champion mindset”. Champion is a very different concept. All athletes are not champions. Quite frankly, many athletes cease to be athletes at all once they are no longer able to compete. So where is the champion?

Right now there are many past athletes spending countless hours on a treadmill and doing little else except perhaps the occasional bicep curl. The athlete become cardio bunny. Without the outside motivator of competition or monetary gain there is simply nothing to drive them to excel in a physical sense. This is NOT a criticism of athletes. It may well be that our athlete has become severely depressed due to the sudden end to a promising career. This is all too often the case (4). I am simply making a case, therefore, for the emptiness of the word athlete as a motivating concept for everyone.

The champion, on the other hand, will always think and behave as a champion. Put him on a desert island, without any outside motivation, and he will continue to act as a champion, albeit with different goals and needs. This mindset is prevalent in MANY great individuals regardless of their physical well-being. MY friend Joe Weir recently brought up Stephen Hawking as the example of a champion. I rest my case.

We must be careful not to force our values on others. To me it is training. To you it may be just exercise. It doesn’t matter what we call it. Only the results matter.

Striving to improve our bodies will go a long ways toward improving our mind and spirit. In pushing ourselves and our limits we learn more about ourselves as individuals and this branches outwards toward all aspects of our lives. But labels have no place in this journey.

The mistake we make with labels is that we think they describe us and others. They do not. They categorize us. It’s bad enough to categorize others, but when we do it to ourselves we simply put blinders on and ignore the possibilities in ourselves. Labels cause us to proceed in a fixed direction even when multiple directions are available. This is not self-knowledge, but the antithesis of it.

Eric Troy can be reached at his site, Ground Up Strength. A passionate strength training enthusiast, his primary mission is to help people understand that innovation without foundation is like a house of cards..destined to fail. Most of today’s watered down fitness information lacks a true foundational philosophy and Eric is committed to providing a detour around this obstacle in the path to success. http://www.gustrength.com

Sources:

1. Marcardle, William D.; Katch, Frank I.; Katch, Victor L. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance.4th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1996.

2. Nieman, David C. Exercise Testing and Prescription: A Health Related Approach. 4th ed. Mountain View, CA.: Mayfield, 1999.

3. Baechle, Thomas R.; Earle, Roger W. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 2000.

4. Taylor, Jim; Wilson, Gregory S.; Applying Sport Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 2005.

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I recently conducted 20 different surveys to 20,000+ people. They were asked questions that covered a large span of topics regarding personal views on health and fitness. Everything about diet, training, and the industry was asked. The results of that survey, mixed with experiences of my own life, led to to the creation of FLzine.com.

Details of survey participants:
Gender: M/F in even ratio
Age: 24-55
Education: High school or above
Income: 35,000+ a year household
Political beliefs: varied
Religious beliefs: varied
Ethnic background: varied

Survey #1

What is the one word that pops into your head when you hear the phrase “health and fitness?”

Top 5 answers:

Dieting
Exercise
Cheesy
Hard
Trainers

My Comments to this Survey:
Those are very telling statements about perceptions people have about health and fitness.

Survey #2

What is the one word that pops into your head when you hear the word “dieting?”

Top 5 answers:

Fads
Pills
Oprah
Exercise
Food

My Comments to this Survey:
I think the funniest answer is Oprah. It goes to show you how much power media has on our words.

Survey #3

What is the one word that pops into your head when you hear the word “weightlifting?”

Top 5 answers:

Weights
Bench (Pressing)
Men
Bulk
Steroids

My Comments to this Survey:
The mood and tone switch dramatically when lifting weights is introduced.

Survey #4

What is the one word that pops into your head when you hear the phrase “personal trainers?”

Top 5 answers:
Annoying
Strong
Cheesy
Fake
Hot

My Comments to this Survey:
Remind me to never again introduce myself as a personal trainer.

Survey #5

What is the one word that pops into your head when you hear the phrase “fitness magazines?”

Top 5 answers:
Models
Dieting
Lies
Celebrities
Pills

What are the first 3 magazines that come to mind?

Shape
Men’s Health
US Weekly

My Comments to this Survey:
US Weekly being noted as a fitness magazine was the cherry on the sundae of my depression.

There are more surveys, but the end result was clear. There was a glowing red button of panic flashing before my eyes. Pride gave me this urge to consider a new field. How could I be tied to a field that was considered so shady? Are these the labels that will define me in the future?

After 4 coffees and two packages of chocolate covered graham crackers it hit me that I didn’t just need to save the world from being fat. I need to save the industry from themselves. The world needs a makeover in the department of health and fitness.

The A-ha

Growing up I had a social atmosphere. I wouldn’t say outcast, because I actually had friends and a good amount of them. I would say I was selective to the creative. In order words, I took myself too seriously and listened to deep music about shaking your ass to Lou Reed songs.

I read a lot of books and see a lot of movies. Stories that at the time you praise for being good, but years later you realize that there isn’t anything overly brilliant about sticking heroin needles into infected arms, it’s just self loathing. Sure, I can appreciate the art of depression, but there comes a time in which you have to say to yourself “live sad or live large.” I choose the latter.

I had to bury the elitism and face the facts that my life sucked the way I was living it. I wanted a better life that included a better body, a better diet, and a better mind. The problem was, well…

The Problem

When you look at the industry as a whole, you can’t help but have it staring you in the face. At every turn are doochebag trainers, bright neon clothing, stupid exercises with balls, anal dietary habits, the laughing yoga guy, GNC pushers, and nutrisystem. Day by day you can’t avoid commercials about pills, belly fat, stress, muffins, corn syrup, light key lime pie yogurts, and husbands forced to eat something “plain.”

The “average” are getting fatter, the pretty are getting cockier, and the government is getting sneakier. Gyms are built on the fact that you aren’t going to go and diets are conceived on the notion that you are going to fail. It doesn’t matter if you are skinny, weak, or fat because someone is out to make you feel like a fool on a regular basis, and make money doing it.

Everywhere there are piles of b.s. information about your body, diet, and training. It doesn’t stop there either. You would be surprised to find out that most things you grow up thinking you know are false, or not in the manner you thought.

• Camels don’t carry water in their hump, it’s fat.
• People do not only use 10% of their brains.
• George Washington wasn’t the first president.

Every day you walk around with false knowledge and you spread it like wild fire. Everyone does it. Today while looking at my godawful cabinet in the kitchen I constructed the best method to remove it. Somewhere a carpenter wept small tears for the tragedy I was conceiving.

Somewhere out there, you are pissing off an expert in everything you do.

The choice of your clothes, your music, your car, your job, and your bank are all included. With most of your selections, it doesn’t matter. Taste is individual. If a man states “this album is the best album ever” and you decide to go with another one as your best, no harm is done. As long as your album is not David Hasselhoffs “Night Rocker.”

There are some choices or “tastes” that question safety. Doctors, spouse, job, gym, and diet are just a few. There is something to be said about how the “minor” things can affect the large. Is it possible that your music tastes will determine who you marry? I know for me it is a factor. Regardless of your eHarmony commercial in the future, the decisions you make about what you are going to do with your body are the ones that should matter most.

Why Not to Trust Me

I don’t want blind faith. Blind faith leads to problems and eventually disappointment. I want you to take the reins and learn how to apply logical and educated thought to dieting and training. It blows my mind the amount of people I know who listen to the best music, have great style, live to make their mark, and then fall for The Fat Smash Diet.

Why does your effort stop there? I assure you the payback of caring and achieving it is worth it. Take a quick look at these perks.

Hotter
Healthier
Better confidence
Better sex
Better marriage
Better friends

It is better all the way around. These are not shallow things. These are valid things to your life. People need people, and the desire to avoid that is the desire to avoid yourself. This site is going to break down the stereotypes. Health and fitness can involve truth, nobility, style, enjoyment, and taste. Trust me, you don’t have to trust me. You will be able to trust yourself.

The Forums

The site has two main working points — the articles/archives and the forums. You can’t comment on the articles individually, but you can say whatever (and we do mean that) in the forums. A community is crucial to a message and support.

FLzine believes in treating people with respect and using intelligence in relaying thought. There are certain sections were you can speak almost freely (we do not support bigotry or hate towards races, gender, or sexual orientations) on your feelings regarding site and life topics.

In the forums you can discuss training, ask questions about diet, recipes, articles, and more. You can discuss movies, music, clothes, and dating. You can expect honesty, but helpfulness. I do not believe being rude and pompous achieves change, but truth does. It is a line most cannot tote well, we here at FLzine are taking on the challenge to achieve that.

Articles and Features

Everyday new articles (and usually multiple ones) will be posted up. This sites main purpose and focus is on diet and training and the lifestyle that supports that. That is a wide open space in my opinion. I see no need to pigeonhole or dumb down. There is something here for anyone who studies of training and nutrition. That being said, this is not a site for those who are…

• easily offended
• don’t enjoy self education
• have little desire for change
• aren’t open to new ideas

Sometimes these articles will be original or guest articles. The rest will be “FLzine Features.”

FLzine Features are repeated subjects or columns that the writers of FLzine work on. The post amount will vary based on the feature and material. Below is an example of the current features and what they will highlight in their topic. These are subject to change in the future.

“5 Questions” is a weekly feature. It is an interview feature where the people interviewed are asked five questions on various topics in relations to their field of work/enjoyment.

“Fact or Fiction” is a weekly feature. Jamie Hale is one of the top training and nutrition guys in the world. He has worked with professional athletes and certainly has the notches on his belt. He succeeds often in debunking common myths and fiction in the industry and replacing them with fact.

“They said what?” is a recurring feature. It will highlight celebrities, fitness professionals, and doctors saying things that make you want to shake your head or kick them in theirs. No one is safe.

“Dinner Bell” is weekly feature. It’s focus is on tasty and healthy recipes.

“Get Some” is a recurring feature. It covers various topics about relationships and sex.

“No Bull” is a multiple weekly feature. I am not sure exactly what Nick is going to go off about, but I have a feeling it will be good reading.

“Cafe O’ Knowledge” is a recurring feature. Who knows what these guys will dish about, or what the underlining meaning will be.

“Fight!Fight!” is a recurring feature. Sometimes the best information comes from the worst (or funniest) of debates online. Please join us in watching the train wrecks unfold.

“For the Ladies” is a weekly feature. It will focus on female related topics only.

“Mike Rants” is a recurring feature. Be it good or bad, 5 words or 1000, Mike is going to let you know how he feels on things. Since Mike Robertson is smart and credible, it’s sure to be great at worst.

“Jets to Brazil” is a recurring feature. Travel and exploring are an important part of changing your life all the way around.

“Ask Leigh” is a weekly feature. Got a question? Need the (sometime brutal) truth on your training, diet, or relationships? Ask Leigh.

“You Heard?” is a recurring feature. It will highlight the best new books, dvds, and music that we think you need to know about.

“Retro” is a recurring feature. The “FL” in FLzine stands for “Found and Lost.” The retro feature is massively important because some of the best information out there, is already out there. It has been said, and said beautifully. Sometimes you don’t need a new article, sometimes you need to be reminded of how great the old article is.

The Store

The store will house both recommended and original material by FLzine. Quality control is key here. FLzine will only promote products that comply with the below requirements.

“All materials have been read/used/eaten by a member of the FLzine crew. The material has been deemed worthy of sharing with you the reader. We realize that nothing is perfect, but there is a certain standards and prerequisites for the material to make its way on the site. We are sorry if you are not included. This isn’t about elitism, it is about trying to eliminate confusion.”

I have a lot of friends in the industry, but even some of their material marches to close to stroking the myths of dieting and training. I can say that some people are updating their material due to these things.

The store also rotates material and items. It is forever changing, and you never know what will show up. It is best to check back often and keep updated with signing up for the weekly newsletter.

Contact

If you need to get into contact with anyone at FLzine you can use the forums or scroll down to the bottom of any page and look in the footer section of the site for the term “Contact.”

How can you help?

Get the word out. Link to us on forums, email articles to your friends, hit digg, get on twitter, and make a call for change. The only way that people are going to be helped is if the information reaches the masses. If you can send a forward email with dozens of cat pictures, you can send one with information that will break the dogmas and change peoples lives.

Closing Remarks

I realize that your first visit here may leave you with an overwhelming feeling about how much you know about your lifestyle, training, and nutrition. This site is supposed to be fun, and inspire you to open up to the truth and reality of others.

Email us, talk in the forums, and become a part of the community. We know this isn’t going to be a smooth ride, but the roads to change never are.

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Featured Item for this post is The Store, go by something.