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Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Dr. Jonathan Fass,

Leigh Peele, and Mike Robertson

NEWS

• Destination Abs Confession
• Tom Venuto and Adam Campbell
• Video from MBSC on New Years Day
• What Up Leigh?

Mailbag

• I am a 49 year old duathlete and compete regularly. For the past 2-3 years I have been having a recurring soleus injury on my right leg. Previous to training for duathlon I spent about 6 years doing most of my training on an indoor rower as I competed in 2k rowing events. My physios treat the problem and I have had regular sports massage but the problem keeps coming back every few months even though my training follows a very structured path. Does Jon have any idea what could be the issue as I feel that perhaps thare are some compensations happening that may be causing the soleus to be overused and become injured. Many thanks for your help.
  Neil from Somerset in the UK
• Hi FitCast Gang,I’m a 47 year old male, and have been barbell strength training for about 8 months.I often have minor strains or tweaks of my left shoulder muscles while lifting. Nothing serious, it doesn’t stop my workout, and the soreness that is usually gone by the next day. My workouts usually start with squats, and sometimes my left shoulder will feel strained afterward. Sometimes the strain will develop during pullups, presses or benches. I will often also develop some soreness in my left upper arm around the elbow during pullups, presses or benches, and almost always during power cleans.I’ve noticed that when I do overhead presses or pullups, I have my left shoulder shrugged up higher than my right shoulder, especially as I tire. To keep my hands at the same level, my left upper arm compensates for the higher shoulder by being a bit more horizontal than my right. I’ve been told that I have my left shoulder shrugged up during benches.

  I’ve never had any shoulder injuries, but there seems to be some kind of imbalance or weakness there. My left shoulder is more flexible than my right: reaching my arms up my back, I can bring my left hand well up between my shoulder blades, but I can only touch the middle of my left scapula with my right hand.

  Any ideas about what the problem could be or what can be done to correct it? Can you suggest any tests or resources for self-assessment? Is this something that could lead to more serious problems than the minor discomfort I have now? If I were to go see someone about this, what kind of expert or specialist should I look for?

  Thanks,
  Steve
  Toronto, Ontario

• Hey Kevin and Leigh,Quick question:Leigh has stated in the past that sometimes you need to build more musclemass for abdominals.We know that crunches and lumbar flexion might be harmful for the health of your spine. What exercises are the best and the safest to build musclemass for abs?

  Thanks

  Joni
  Helsinki, Finland

• Hello Fitcast people,

  Listening to an older podcast right now.  Anyways, the question I wanted to ask was;

  Why do all LMT’s seem to be so anti-foam roller?

  I have trained several massage therapists and they all refuse to have anything to do with the roller and then begin to spout off about how much it sucks.  I understand it does not replace what an LMT can do but why do they get so up in arms about it?

  Thanks a ton everybody.

  P.S.  Starting to read Leigh’s Metabolic Rapair manual and already have gleaned some great ideas for my clients.   Thanks Leigh!
• Hello,
  I’m writing in regards to episode 142, in particular the answers given to the question about vegans. I’ve been vegan for a little over two years. I am extremely active, I workout 5 times a week. Mainly weight training, I get a lot of cardio in all throughout the day because my job requires hiking. I noticed a little bit of misinformation during the pod cast.
  The idea of humane meat was brought up. A lot of the terms around that idea, such as “free range”, “Grass Fed” , and “local” do not have a legal definition. Most of the time people are paying at least twice as much for these products, and they still come from similar conditions as factory farms.
  The need for supplementation on a vegan diet was brought up. This is just false, based on a misconception that originates from the 1800’s. I can attest from my personal experience that you can excel and make huge gains in the gym while being vegan.
  I could go on, but I want to focus on getting you guys good information about vegans, so you can answer your listeners truthfully. Dr. Micheal Greger, Dr. Colin T. Cambell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Milton Mills, these are a good start. They all show the effects of meat consumption on humans. Thank you, and I’d like to hear from you guys

  Gary D

• Kevin,Just a word of encouragement to you and Jonathan (and maybe Leigh) to keep the fitcast going. I’m sure it is a struggle at times to continue (sometimes I can here it in your voice) but persevere knowing that we are listening and telling other about “thefitcast”.I’d like to know where is an article about how to pick a good fitness coach, personal trainer, etc.?I’m all ears with your podcast.

  All the best,
  Rob
  54 years old
  lifting for 35 years but getting a little tired

  • Here you go Rob: http://avidityfitness.net/2009/01/20/how-to-hire-a-personal-trainer/
• Kevin,
  I just stumbled upon your show/site/episodes/social rep!
  Have you ever done a “Top 10 favorite episodes” recommendation, or do you have a record of which ones have been downloaded the most?
  I want to learn more and enjoyed the first 2 episodes I listened to already – but 160 is not quite in the time budget.
  Looking for entertainment value, good mix of fitness and nutrition info, that kind of thing.
  Thanks.
  Steve from deeeetroit