DESIGNING BETTER LIVING THROUGH STRENGTH
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EUGENIZATION
a personal training blog

From the category archives:

PRE-hab and Injury Prevention

The True Role of PT for Rehab.

by Eugene Thong on October 21, 2009

I recently sustained injuries to both my shoulders, probably as a result of overuse and chronic trauma (apparently, throwing someone on top of you instead of over you via Morote Seoi hurts your shoulders).  Over the past couple of months, I’ve managed to nurse at least one shoulder back to health, with the other well [...]

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It’s Always the Little Things.

by Eugene Thong on December 9, 2008

Why care about where your elbows are on a press?  Or how wide your stance is on leg press?  Or whether or not you maintain a proper (neutral) arch in your spine when deadlifting?
Little insults over time add up.
Have you ever sprained your ankle?  Even if you didn’t need crutches, you (naturally) hobbled around, putting [...]

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Creating a Frame For Shoulder Stability.

October 15, 2008

One of the most important concepts you need to pin down when working with weights is the concept of “plugging up all the leaks.” This refers to what most trainers would call stabilization – tightening up your musculature so as to become resistant to change of position or condition.  Without stabilization, some of the force [...]

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How People Get Injured (From Exercise).

October 8, 2008

Ask someone about “exercise-related injuries” and what you’ll get most often is a hazy description of some traumatic event:
“I fell in a hole jogging and tore my Achilles.”
“I blew out my knee and ankle going for the rebound.”
“Pulled a groin muscle playing jai-alai last week.”
Accidents do happen, and some sport activities are certainly higher risk [...]

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To Stretch or Not To Stretch?

March 18, 2008

This is probably one of the most common questions I get from clients. Or, more likely, it’ll come in the form of a statement, as in:  “I know I should probably stretch after our sessions.  Right?”
Not surprisingly, the answer is: It depends on the context (betcha weren’t expecting that one). 
If this were the 1970s, extortations [...]

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Does Your Exercise Give You a Headache?

February 11, 2008

A comment by a reader over the weekend reminded me of a topic that is little understood but comes up with surprising frequency: exertional or exercise-induced headache (EIH). 
I previously blogged about EIH here but here’s the skinny on it: EIHs occur due to either increased pressure in the venous sinuses around your brain, excessive tension [...]

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Weapons of Joint Destruction.

October 7, 2007

Before you put on that pair of Manolo Blahniks, consider for a moment the ramifications:
Consider the unnatural joint position you must attain with your ankle just to stand in them. Now, consider movement – the range of motion (read: flexibility) requirements are stretched even further.
Hope your joint capsule can support it.
With all that stretching [...]

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Too Much Exercise is Bad For You.

August 25, 2007

For 4 of the last 6 days, I have subjected my body to one of the most enjoyable stresses on this planet (at least in my eyes) – training in Brazilian Jiujitsu.
Above: Harai Goshi is now my new favorite throw.
Most health and fitness professionals would look at my activity level from this past week and [...]

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"Why Do I Want To Hold My Breath During a Set?"

August 16, 2007

Why breathe when weight training? I mean, why not just hold your breath for the entire set and pass out at the en….oh. Guess I answered my own question.
Ask a fitness professional why you breathe during a set, and you’ll get a number of great reasons, like:

Your blood pressure will rise sky-high.
You’ll sustain [...]

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"Tight" Hamstrings.

August 15, 2007

You’ll often hear someone complain of “tight muscles” – most commonly, the hamstrings.
“Holy crap, are my hamstrings tight”, she said as she touched her palms to the floor. Or did something like the pose to the left.
Ummm…yeah.
You know, if you can touch your entire palm to the floor, your hamstrings aren’t really “tight” – [...]

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