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How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:12 pm
by doodle
Another reason to hate on Crossfit...

http://b-reddy.org/2014/05/02/which-mod ... d-to-move/

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:23 pm
by moda0306
Somebody call Gumby.

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:12 pm
by doodle
moda0306 wrote: Somebody call Gumby.
Seriously, I would love to pull him into this discussion. I find most modern gym based movements are designed in order to meet some crazy aesthetic and have no basis in our health or how we are genetically designed to move.

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:15 pm
by dualstow
I love it, especially the PNG of pics and drawings at the bottom! Thanks for posting

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:31 pm
by doodle
Seems like this is debatable given the bone analysis:
These periods of low-intensity activity were punctuated by brief periods of much higher-intensity activity – such as going on a hunt, running from a predator or fighting for survival.

This is the type of movement our bodies are adapted for, and thus this is what we should aim for in our daily lives. But how do we do that? As Mark Sisson suggests,10 we should:
1.Move frequently at a slow pace
2.Lift heavy things and sprint occasionally
There are still hunter gather groups today....do any of them lift heavy things? Im talking like 400 pound deadlifts or pressing 200 pounds overhead

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:34 pm
by doodle
That article also comes down on cardio....the one thing that humans seem quite well suited for given how slow and weak we are.

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:08 pm
by Benko
1.  I"ve just started to read it, but the black swan guy has some interesting things to say about lifting in his f/u book Anti-fragile.  Basically agreeing with some of the things in the Kresser link.

2.
doodle wrote:  pressing 200 pounds overhead
Overhead lifts are a topic onto them selves.  As part of my job I look at x-rays all day long.  And many people have arthritis at the outside end where the collarbone meets the shoulder.  This arthritis takes the form of a sharp upward bump off the outside end of the clavicle.  Important tendons (rotator cuff) pass above this area and if you have these "arthritic bumps (AKA spurs/osteophytes) you risk doing very bad things to your tendons over time.

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:14 pm
by moda0306
Benko wrote: 1.  I"ve just started to read it, but the black swan guy has some interesting things to say about lifting in his f/u book Anti-fragile.  Basically agreeing with some of the things in the Kresser link.

2.
doodle wrote:  pressing 200 pounds overhead
Overhead lifts are a topic onto them selves.  As part of my job I look at x-rays all day long.  And many people have arthritis at the outside end where the collarbone meets the shoulder.  This arthritis takes the form of a sharp upward bump off the outside end of the clavicle.  Important tendons (rotator cuff) pass above this area and if you have these "arthritic bumps (AKA spurs/osteophytes) you risk doing very bad things to your tendons over time.
My favorite lift is the overhead press.  Are you saying that we should or should not do them, due to this arthritis?

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:24 pm
by doodle
moda0306 wrote:
Benko wrote: 1.  I"ve just started to read it, but the black swan guy has some interesting things to say about lifting in his f/u book Anti-fragile.  Basically agreeing with some of the things in the Kresser link.

2.
doodle wrote:  pressing 200 pounds overhead
Overhead lifts are a topic onto them selves.  As part of my job I look at x-rays all day long.  And many people have arthritis at the outside end where the collarbone meets the shoulder.  This arthritis takes the form of a sharp upward bump off the outside end of the clavicle.  Important tendons (rotator cuff) pass above this area and if you have these "arthritic bumps (AKA spurs/osteophytes) you risk doing very bad things to your tendons over time.
My favorite lift is the overhead press.  Are you saying that we should or should not do them, due to this arthritis?
Depends on your shoulder anatomy. There are three types of  acromial joints. Some people cannot get arms overhead without overextending back and flaring rib cage. The also have little space under the a  joint which can cause impingements on the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. I think the best course of action with overhead press (based on my current knowledge) is to use dumbells in a neutral grip....rather than a barbell which places the shoulder in a internally rotated position. Also changing the angle can help a bit as well. I usually press from an incline bench at about a 75 degree angle or use a landmine on the floor with a barbell. Some people can get away with overhead pressing without much trouble....others are seting themselves up for disaster. Frankly, I don't think the movement is that natural and I stay away from it mostly. Shoulders are incorporated in almost every upper body exercise so I figure they get enough stimulation without targeting them directly

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 5:25 pm
by WildAboutHarry
[quote=doodle]Depends on your shoulder anatomy. There are three types of  acromial joints. Some people cannot get arms overhead without overextending back and flaring rib cage. The also have little space under the a  joint which can cause impingements on the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. I think the best course of action with overhead press (based on my current knowledge) is to use dumbells in a neutral grip....rather than a barbell which places the shoulder in a internally rotated position. Also changing the angle can help a bit as well. I usually press from an incline bench at about a 75 degree angle or use a landmine on the floor with a barbell. Some people can get away with overhead pressing without much trouble....others are seting themselves up for disaster. Frankly, I don't think the movement is that natural and I stay away from it mostly. Shoulders are incorporated in almost every upper body exercise so I figure they get enough stimulation without targeting them directly[/quote]

I can float on my back.

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:23 pm
by Mountaineer
Desert wrote:
WildAboutHarry wrote: I can float on my back.
:)

That's really all the exercise you need, as long as your ancestors were otters. 

Seriously though, overhead presses kill my shoulders.  I probably need to have shoulder surgery of some sort one of these days, I can't even bench anymore.
Just be careful not to adversely hurt your "lift a mug to the lips" muscles.  ;D

... Mountaineer

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:25 pm
by Benko
Desert wrote:
WildAboutHarry wrote: I can float on my back.
:)

That's really all the exercise you need, as long as your ancestors were otters. 

Seriously though, overhead presses kill my shoulders.  I probably need to have shoulder surgery of some sort one of these days, I can't even bench anymore.
Google ART =active release technique.  Magic.  Excrutiating magic.  Unless you are very far gone, ART can fix most rotator cuff problems.  It will be SEVERELY painful for a few minutes during the work though. 

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:28 pm
by Benko
moda0306 wrote:
Benko wrote: 1.  I"ve just started to read it, but the black swan guy has some interesting things to say about lifting in his f/u book Anti-fragile.  Basically agreeing with some of the things in the Kresser link.

2.
doodle wrote:  pressing 200 pounds overhead
Overhead lifts are a topic onto them selves.  As part of my job I look at x-rays all day long.  And many people have arthritis at the outside end where the collarbone meets the shoulder.  This arthritis takes the form of a sharp upward bump off the outside end of the clavicle.  Important tendons (rotator cuff) pass above this area and if you have these "arthritic bumps (AKA spurs/osteophytes) you risk doing very bad things to your tendons over time.
My favorite lift is the overhead press.  Are you saying that we should or should not do them, due to this arthritis?
They will cause problems for many (but not all) people.  I was typing a reply and it did notgo through when Doodle posted a better reply.

Eric Cressey (good trainer with slant toward injury prevention) probably has an article on it either on his site or posted on another site which can probably give you more info. 

Re: How our ancestors moved

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 8:57 pm
by doodle
Tiger Woods is an interesting case study with regards to this. One of the fittest players ever to play the game is constantly being sidelined by injury. Many blame his exercise regimen:


From NY Daily article: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more- ... -1.1746735

"No one knows, of course. But consider how many injury-free seasons Woods has had since doctors first discovered damage to his ACL during what was supposed to be a routine cleanout operation in 2004. That ligament was torn completely, Haney claimed in his book “The Big Miss,”? when Woods was going through training exercises with the Navy SEALS before he limped to victory at the U.S. Open in 2008. Haney also wrote that Woods tore his Achilles while he was doing Olympic style lifts, a case of Woods taking everything to the extreme, almost as an obsession.

“The real irony here is that he’s arguably the most fit golfer who has ever played the game, and now he’s kind of at the mercy of an unfit body,”? says ESPN’s Paul Azinger. “Maybe not an unfit body but a body that’s breaking down. If his approach is exercise as a way to prevent injury, it has not worked. A strong core did not prevent his bad back.”?

“As for why he keeps getting hurt, I guess there are at least four possibilities,”? says Haney. “No. 1, his workout routine and the things he is doing in the gym ... clearly you don’t get as big as he is lifting 5-10 pound weights. No. 2, his swing ... he never had back problems in the six years that I was working with him, so something that has changed in his swing could be affecting his back. If it is at least partially the swing, I am sure he will identify the problem and change it. No. 3, when you have one injury it causes you to favor something else and then you hurt somewhere else. No. 4, it could just be wear-and-tear on the body from years of working out and swinging a golf club.”?

The other irony is that Woods led a parade of modern players to the fitness trainer because of the dazzling success he had. Some are paying the same price.

“The more highly strung and fitter you become, you feel tighter and more susceptible to injury,”? Graeme McDowell told Sports Illustrated. “We’re trying to keep up with the 300-yard-plus bombers and we swing the club harder so guys get hurt. The two go hand-in-hand.”?

“There are more guys hurt now than ever, and they all work out,”? Azinger noted, also to SI. “I don’t recall this rash of injuries before the fitness trailer showed up. I’m not saying, ‘Be a Pillsbury Doughboy.’ You’re far better off doing hot yoga every day than pushing weights.”?