Dr Mel Siff Blog

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Periodically some list members ask for advice about which certification to
seek – well, the following research study showed that NSCA and ACSM appeared
to be the best options and recommended that higher levels of formal
educational training should be regarded as highly advisable for all fitness
certification schemes.

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J of Strength & Conditioning Research: Vol 16, No 1, pp. 19–24

Malek, MH, Nalbone DP, Berger DE, Coburn JW Importance of health science
education for personal fitness trainers.

ABSTRACT

Using a questionnaire developed for the current study, the Fitness
Instructors Knowledge Assessment (FIKA©), we examined relations between
commonly used indicators of knowledge (training and experience) and actual
knowledge in the five areas of (a) nutrition, (b) health screening, (c)
testing protocols, (d) exercise prescription, and (e) general training
knowledge regarding special populations. FIKA provided reliable measures of Read more…

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This ACSM article which summarises some of the history of sports science and
exercise physiology in the USA may be of interest to list members. If anyone
has come across a comparable resource on sports science in Europe and other
parts of the world, please share them with us. I have provided some of the
history of strength science and training in Ch 1 of my “Supertraining” book
and David Webster has given extensive information in his “Iron Game”. Dr Read more…

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Someone wrote anonymously:

This seems to be the standard “health-site” style article. Little or
innacurate substantiation, coupled with a small host of recommendations off
the top of one’s head. Vitamin-book style, food X is high in vitamin Y so
it must be good for you writing.

The author’s “Bad” Foods:

I find it particularly interesting that, when referring to high sugar
content, this individual does not comment on the potentially harmful (and
long-term) effects to the body’s insulin response and glucose tolerance
levels. The author seems more concerned with “tooth decay”. What she does
not centre on is that foods high in sugar are potentially setting up
children for a lifetime of more serious illness. (1) Her comment on the jam
is disconcerting.

Also concerning is the lack of analysis as to why the particular foods are
bad. I am confused as to why she did not provide food groups, as opposed to
10, seemingly random, foods. Parents would perhaps have found this more
helpful.

The author’s “Good” foods:
Read more…

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Some of you may remember Martin Gardner who wrote many Mathematical Puzzles
and other articles for the Scientific American, in the process becoming
regarded by some as the father of modern skepticism. Michael Shermer wrote
an article recently on him on the web page below. What Gardner said about
pseudoscientists is especially relevant to some of our discussions on fitness
gurudom.

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http://www.sciam.com/2002/0302issue/0302skeptic.html

Here are a few extracts:

And the motives of the hermit scientists have not changed either. Gardner
recounts the day that Groucho Marx interviewed Louisiana state senator Dudley Read more…

One of the controversial theories being proferred by a few folk in the world
of sports science is that black athletes genetically are superior to white
athletes. It is interesting to examine this in terms of theories concerning
other aspects of human performance.

PRECEDENTS: RACE & INTELLIGENCE?

Not too many years ago, there was an uproar over the suggestion of genetic
differences between the intelligence of people of different hue. In this Read more…