Research Rant; Maryland Personal Trainer

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a study is claimed to "prove" something.

As a personal trainer and simply as someone who is involved in the fitness industry, every time there is a new health-related research headline in the news, I am the first one to hear about it. The conversation usually goes something like this:

Person: "Did you see the new study that proved vitamins ruin your workout?"

Me: The only thing that it proved was that you don't know what you are talking about.. It is possible that large amounts anti-oxidants could interfere with the natural inflammation process, but we would need to see a lot more research before jumping to any conclusions.

When looking at research, people like to read the introduction and the results while skipping over the methods, which is often the most important part. Just take the study above. Subjects took 1 gram of vitamin C daily. Who takes 1 gram of vitamin C a day anyway? Most multi-vitamins only weigh 1 gram as it is.


But I digress. The more important thing here is the fact that studies do NOT prove anything! Things really do not get "proved" at all, especially when it issues pertaining to the human body. The human body is just too complex for absolutes.

Researchers perform studies which become evidence, a piece of the puzzle if you will. The best a scientific hypothesis can hope for is that when once enough pieces of evidence (or studies) are stacked up, it will become generally accepted. Take creatine for example. It is generally accepted that creatine supplementation increases maximum power and strength. However, there's no "proof" that it does so because everything does not work for everyone in the same way and there are plenty of research studies which were unable to show that creatine had any effect on strength and power.

I think the media is mostly to blame for perpetuating this phenomenon. Popular news services love to say a study "proved" something, like when it was proven that puppies' behavior is dependent upon the alignment of planets.

Upset with the current alignment of planets, no doubt.

I am not trying to downplay the importance of research by any means. Sometimes single studies do make landmark discoveries. Take the Boeing Back Pain study for example, where a few thousand employees were analyzed to determine back pain risks. The researchers found that people who did not like their jobs were more likely to have back pain... a lot more likely. This study greatly advanced our understanding of chronic pain - popularizing the notion that chronic pain issues go beyond anatomical cause and effect and in the end the brain puts all the pieces together to decide what hurts and what does not. What this study did not do was "prove that people who hate their jobs will have back pain".

Conclusion

Always take studies with a grain of salt - make sure you know the whole story before jumping to any conclusions. At the end of the day, one study never proves anything - it takes a lot of work from a lot of researches to make definitive conclusions about health and performance!

Exercise Spotlight - The Trap Bar Deadlift

The Trap Bar Deadlift is one of the best exercises around for strength and athletic development. This lift hits the hamstrings, quads, erectors and upper back. It is also great for grip strength and trap size (which is correlated with instant respect). Here is a short and sweet video demonstrating proper form for the trap bar deadlift:

If you need something to listen to on the way to work, this site also puts out regular fitness podcasts which are quite good.

I'll add that the most common mistake experienced lifters make when doing the trap bar deadlift is making the trap bar deadlift into a regular deadlift. It is typical to see more experienced lifters straighten the knees out early in the lift, effectively starting the movement with knee extension and finishing with hip extension. In a proper trap bar deadlift, the knees and hips should move fluidly and lock out at the same time.

Also, as with any deadlift, neutral spine is priority number one.

Reasons for using the Trap Bar Deadlift:

1. It works both the quads and posterior chain:

This one is a no brainer. A traditional deadlift involves little quad involvement, whereas the quads are a prime mover in the trap bar deadlift. This makes a true trap bar deadlift a "more athletic" pattern than a traditional deadlift because in both real life and on the field, the brain will select whatever motor pattern is most effective at completing the desired movement. Nearly all of the time, this results in the cooperation of joints rather than the isolation of joints in movement.

2. Less compressive spinal and shearing force

The trap bar deadlift is also a great movement because it significantly reduces the high levels of compressive and shear force imposed upon the lumbar spine during traditional deadlifts. Many lifters who have lumbar issues with deadlifting are able to trap bar deadlift pain free. Here's why:


In a simplified look at deadlifting mechanics, the longer the horizontal distance between the fulcrum (the point of rotation, in this case the pelvis/SI/L4&5 area) and where the force is being applied (in this case the bar), the more shearing force and compressive force endured by the lumbar spine.

In a traditional deadlift the moment arm is quite large, as shown in the picture below:



In a trap bar deadlift, the bar is beside the feet, which shortens the moment arm by bringing the hands closer to the hips. However, with a trap bar deadlift, the knees are able to travel forward more since the bar is not in the way, and the hips are able to slide much closer to the bar.

While not the greatest picture in the world, it should demonstrate how allowing the knees to flex more decreases the moment arm and ultimate reduces the amount of shearing and compressive force experienced by the spine.

Conclusion

I should note that I am by no means opposed to the traditional deadlift, especially if your anthropometry favors it. However, if you are not doing the trap bar deadlift, try it out. It is a great way to blast the legs and improve strength total body strength while minimizing spinal load.