Episode 117: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

jillwii

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Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Leigh Peele, and Mike Robertson

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FitCast NEWS

  • (This is great!) Is there anywhere I can watch more exercise demonstration videos like the one you posted last week?
    Apart enjoying to watch the sexy beast you are ( 🙂 ) , they look very helpful, especially for people that workout by themselves ,as I do.
    Thanks and enjoy your holidays,

    Hila

    • Videos are coming soon, most likely Thursday or next Sunday
  • Leigh’s Fat Loss troubleshoot
  • TheFitCastInsider for $79
  • Pomegranate Green Tea

Questions for Mike

  • First off, we like to discuss music for training a lot on the show, what is playing in the IFAST facility?
  • And what is new with RobertsonTrainingSystems.com?
  • My question is about knees, overuse injury, so-called “patello-femoral syndrome”, and squatting.I’ve got pain in both knees, under the knee caps.  In addition to lifting, I play Gaelic Football (sort of a cross between rugby and soccer), and after the last summer season, my knees were in a lot of pain every night.  The orthopedist had X-rays taken, and there is no sign of injury, just some arthritis.  I’m 38.  He says I should no longer squat ass-to-grass, should not go below parallel, and preferably I should do leg presses instead of squats.  But I LOVE SQUATS!  I’ve read others saying that ATG squats are fine and just wrap the knees or take Ibuprofen for the pain.  I went to physical therapy for a few weeks.  Mostly they focused on glute and ham strength, saying I was quad dominant and that was probably part of the problem, and also the reason for pulling both hammies at different times this past summer.

    So my question is, can I really do ATG and just deal with the pain, or do I really need to change quad exercises and stop squatting all together?

    Thanks,
    Chris in Minneapolis

  • I have recently recommended the Bullet Proof Knees book to my Dad, as he’s had knee trouble most of his life, and started playing tennis again about a year ago after about 25 years of inactivity (he’s nearly 60).  He’s had to wear a knee brace occasionally, and recently just started taping his knee, which he claims makes it feel a lot better.  He’s seen a doctor about it, and had knee surgery many year ago, the doc said it was just inflammation of the medial collateral ligament. I’m not sure if he was the one who recommended taping it up, but I’m would like to know what the purpose or benefit of taping the knee would be?  Also, what would be some corrective exercises to target the the the MCL.  I told him to avoid leg curls and extensions, and he told me the doc said the leg extensions are ‘safe’, but not the leg curls.  I thought both were very stressful on the knees, what is your opinion on this?Thanks!
    -Jesse
    Lakeville, Minnesota
  • I love the show and listen to ya’ll while I am patrolling the city that I live in. I would like to know a fast warm up that you prefer before lifting. I don’t have mush time to spend in the gym and want to use my time effectively. I hate to say this but I usually cheat on my warmup to get more time on my lifts. Also, I would like to start a lifting program in my police department. Most of the guys that I work with are out of shape and overweight. They would never catch a suspect that runs. Any ideas on what direction to start. Most complain about their size but have no motivation to do anything about this. Anyways so for the long question. I can’t wait to hear you on itunes.Thank You,
    Matt
  • Mike, first off, thank you for all the great articles you have on your own website and others. You must spend a lot of time writing! In your newsletter interviews you often ask about mistakes made and lessons learned from them, so here’s your turn; what changes have you made recently from lessons you’ve learned? Thanks! -Craig
  • I have mild scoliosis. Are there any exercises that I should stay away from? Are there any exercises I do should more often to help manage the scoliosis? -Matt
  • I am a 49 year old recreational golfer in good physical shape. I weight train twice a week. I have just finished Mark Verstegan’s Golf specific training and am starting the New Rules of Lifting program.
    My question is after I play or practice golf I cannot sleep on my left shoulder because of the pain. I can move my shoulder through is full range of motion
    with no pain except in the morning. The pain clears up after I get up and start moving.  I also have some discomfort when I do T-push-ups on the left side. What can I do to correct this?

    Sincerely,
    Doug Calvin

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3 Responses

  1. David Gignac says:

    I just found your podcast and site. What a great pod cast, I’m 42, diabetic and have been out of shape for several years. I recently committed myself back to the gym and was getting down about the whole workout routine. I really stumbled onto your program and it gave me some uplifting motivation to increase my workouts and set some goals. Thanks for your hard work!

  2. Bob Parr says:

    Hey Kevin,

    Just wanted to thank you for posing my question to Tom Venuto in Episode 116. I’ve been grabbing all junk food from around the office and disposing of it. The other day, I threw out the receptionist’s candy dish, including the dish. Just kidding! Actually, I’ve just been doing my best to stay away from the kitchen/snack area. Thanks for the advice.

  3. You guys his a lot of great points there – I like the stuff about the fast warmup – anything to get the blood flowing safely without taking a ton of time is extremely valuable for those who are busy –