<< Someone posted before and I have tried with success a way to make your own
medicine balls. Take a kickball or soccer ball. Carefully pull out the
piece where the air goes in. It is just a rubber seal. Fill the ball with
sand or water and put the rubber seal back in. It really works! I filled a
small one with water and it doesn’t leak, it can bounce and it only costs a
few bucks! >>

Mel Siff:

***Yes, I posted that information a while ago. I have been making my own
medicine and “plyo” balls for many years from old basketball, water polo,
volleyball, soccer and other used balls and saved a fortune in the process.
When I used sand for making heavier medicine balls, I filled the balls with
very fine (river type) sand from the gold mines in South Africa (where I used
to live), so it was very easy to pour through an enlarged hole made in the
ball or even into the original bladder of the ball. In the USA, you can buy
some of the very fine construction sand to serve the same purpose. If I had
to make a larger hole instead of using the existing hole, I simply covered
the enlarged hole with a rubber patch.

To make balancing devices, I simply used a variety of used inner tubes from
cars, trucks and tractors inflated to a suitable pressure – again the cost is
little or nothing and one does not have stabilise the base, as one has to for
some physio ball routines. In using them as an unstable surface for standing
exercises, I simply place a large wood rectangular piece across the top of
the tube. Just another cash saving device for you! If you visit my gym in
Denver, you will come across many other such home-made training devices.

Mel Siff
Denver, USA
Mel Siff Dot Com
Supertraining Twitter Feed

Here is an extract from “Supertraining” that we discussed on some clinically
oriented groups a while ago. I felt it appropriate to repeat here, because
we often encounter spectacular claims about the magical power of some rather
dogmatic methods of ‘muscle testing’.

MUSCLE TESTING

Standard anatomical textbook approaches describing the action of certain
muscle groups in controlling isolated joint actions, such as flexion,
extension and rotation, frequently are used to identify which muscles should
be trained to enhance performance in sport. Virtually every bodybuilding
and sports training publication invokes this approach in describing how a
given exercise or machine ‘works’ a given muscle group, as do most of the
clinical texts on muscle testing and rehabilitation.

The appropriateness of this tradition, however, recently has been questioned
on the basis of biomechanical analysis of multi-articular joint actions
(Zajac & Gordon, 1989). This classical method of functional anatomy defines
a given muscle, for instance, as a flexor or extensor, on the basis of the
torque that it produces around a single joint, but the nature of the body as
a linked system of many joints means that muscles which do not span other
joints can still produce acceleration about those joints.

The anatomical approach implies that complex multi-articular movement is
simply the linear superimposition of the actions of the individual joints
which are involved in that movement. However, the mechanical systems of the
body are nonlinear and superposition does not apply, since there is no
simple relationship between velocity, angle and torque about a single joint
in a complex sporting movement. Besides the fact that a single muscle group
can simultaneously perform several different stabilising and moving actions
about one joint, there is also a fundamental difference between the dynamics
of single and multiple joint movements, namely that forces on one segment can
be caused by motion of other segments. In the case of uniarticular muscles
or even biarticular muscles (like the biceps or triceps), where only one of
the joints is constrained to move, the standard approach is acceptable, but not
if several joints are free to move concurrently.

Because joint acceleration and individual joint torque are linearly related,
Zajac and Gordon (1989) consider it more accurate to rephrase a statement
such as “muscle X flexes joint A” as “muscle X acts to accelerate joint A
into flexion”. Superficially, this may seem a matter of trivial semantics,
but the fact that muscles certainly do act to accelerate all joints has
profound implications for the analysis of movement. For instance, muscles
which cross the ankle joint can extend and flex the knee joint much more
than they do the ankle.

Biomechanical analysis reveals that multiarticular muscles may even
accelerate a spanned joint in a direction opposite to that of the joint to
which it is applying torque.

In the apparently simple action of standing, soleus, usually labelled as an
extensor of the ankle, accelerates the knee (which it does not span) into
extension twice as much as it acts to accelerate the ankle (which it spans)
into extension for positions near upright posture (Zajac & Gordon, 1989).
In work derived from “Lombard’s Paradox” (‘Antagonist muscles can act in the
same contraction mode as their agonists’), Andrews (1985, 1987) found that
the rectus femoris of the quadriceps and all the hamstrings act in three
different ways during cycling, emphasizing that biarticular muscles are
considered enigmatic.

This paradox originally became apparent when it was noticed that in actions
such as cycling and squatting, extension of the knee and the hip occurs
simultaneously, so that the quadriceps and hamstrings are both operating
concentrically at the same time. Theoretically, according to the concept of
concurrent muscle antagonism, the hamstrings should contract eccentrically
while the quadriceps are contracting concentrically, and vice versa, since
they are regarded as opposing muscles.

Others have shown that a muscle which is capable of carrying out several
different joint actions, does not necessarily do so in every movement
(Andrews, 1982, 1985). For instance, gluteus maximus, which can extend and
abduct the hip, will not necessarily accelerate the hip simultaneously into
extension and abduction, but its extensor torque may even accelerate the hip
into adduction (Mansour & Pereira, 1987).

Gastrocnemius, which is generally recognised as a flexor of the knee and an
extensor of the ankle, actually can carry out the following complex tasks:

(a) flex the knee and extend the ankle
(b) flex the knee and flex the ankle
(c) extend the knee and extend the ankle

During the standing press, which used to be part of Olympic Weightlifting,
the back bending action of the trunk is due not only to a Newton III
reaction to the overhead pressing action, but also due to acceleration
caused by the thrusting backwards of the triceps muscle which crosses the
shoulder joint, as well as the elbow joint. This same action of the triceps
also occurs during several gymnastic moves on the parallel, horizontal and
uneven bars.

This back extending action of the triceps is counteracted by the expected
trunk flexing action of rectus abdominis and the hip exension action of the
hip flexors, accompanied by acceleration of the trunk by the hip flexors.

Appreciation of this frequently ignored type of action by many
multiarticular muscles enables us to select and use resistance training
exercises far more effectively to meet an athlete’s specific sporting needs
and to offer superior rehabilitation of the injured athlete.

Finally, because of this multiplicity of actions associated with
multiarticular complex movement, Zajac and Gordon stress a point made by
Basmajian (1978), namely that it may be more useful to examine muscle action
in terms of synergism rather than agonism and antagonism. This is especially
important, since a generalised approach to understanding human movement on
the basis of breaking down all movement into a series of single joint
actions fails to take into account that muscle action is task dependent.

References:

Andrews J G (1982) On the relationship between resultant joint torques and
muscular activity Med Sci Sports Exerc 14: 361-367

Andrews J G (1985) A general method for determining the functional role of
a muscle J Biomech Eng 107: 348-353

Andrews J G (1987) The functional role of the hamstrings and quadriceps
during cycling: Lombard’s paradox revisited J Biomech 20: 565-575

Basmajian J (1978) Muscles Alive Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore

Mansour J M & Pereira J M (1987) Quantitative functional anatomy of the
lower limb with application to human gait J Biomech 20: 51-58

Zajac F E & Gordon M F (1989) Determining muscle’s force and action in
multi-articular movement Exerc Sport Sci Revs 17: 187-230

Mel Siff
Denver, USA
Mel Siff Dot Com
Supertraining Twitter Feed

1. Establish good, mutually respectful relations which do not create the
impression that you or your culture are superior to that of others, no matter
how true that may appear to be.

2. Show that you are genuinely interested in knowing more about their ideas
and demonstrate that you have gone to great lengths to learn as much as you
can, culturally and technically about their ’system’. Learning just a few
words or customs about their countries is often well appreciated and do try
to pronounce personal and country names correctly (for example, it is not
Packeestann, but Pukkistahn; not Melborn, but Melbin; not Eesreel, but
Is-ray-el; not Will-helm, but Villhelmm; not Vann Nice, but Funn Nays, etc).
If you don’t know, just ask what is correct and most people will be delighted
to help.

3. If possible, share your findings and ideas with them. Don’t just take
and expect to receive.

4. Don’t turn every lunch, dinner and casual meeting into a journalistic
nightmare for them by asking endless questions. Put yourself in their
position – how would you like to talk to someone who is always taking notes,
asking questions, videotaping and prying into matters which ensure their
living? Do you do this very time you go out with a friend who is a lawyer,
doctor or architect?

5. Don’t talk about yourself. In many countries, talking about one’s
achievements is regarded as being in extremely poor taste – in fact, outside
North America, most countries have this attitude. If you do talk about what
you are doing, make very sure that you have real substance which equals or
surpasses in some respects what they are working on. Don’t just talk because
of egotistical reasons – others may have far more success stories than any of
us will ever have in sport. They find it especially arrogant when they see Wes
terners promoting their own books or ideas as coming from ‘the world’s
greatest coach’, the ‘world’s leading expert’, ‘coach to the world’s top
athletes’ and so on. Say this and you may convince some fans in the West,
but it can be an instant cut-off from real respect and collaboration
elsewhere.

6. Always be willing to admit that your own ideas, upbringing and training
may be wrong or incomplete. Thank others for showing you where you may have
been incorrect.

7. Be generous with your hospitality, ideas, feelings and appreciation. Show
that you are also human and be prepared to delve into one another psyches
with all the pain and pleasure that it might bring. Don’t always “talk shop.”

8. Collaborate with others rather than working against them or taking their
ideas, wrapping them in another package, giving them other names and offering
them as your own.

9. As with any other ‘cross-cultural’ encounter, learn as much as you can
about their culture and etiquette and never expect local standards and faci
lities if you stay in Russia, China, Italy, Africa or any other foreign
country. Whatever you do, do not complain constantly about things that you
may not like or find familiar. Always be an ambassador of the highest quality
and prepare well for your trip in that role.

10. Unusual gifts from your country are very much appreciated as symbols of
your friendship and appreciation.

11. Use very formal, polite modes of address until such time that others
invite you to use first names. Never interrupt, as is often the case on
North American chat shows. Not allowing others to finish what they are
saying is regarded as very bad manners, but virtually every TV interviewer
totally ignores this rule and makes it appear as if it is universally
acceptable.

12. Write to your new colleagues after you have parted, offering thanks or
any friendly words to show how much you appreciated the time that you spent
together.

13. In some countries (especially in the Far East) it is regarded as rude
and uncultured to simply shove a colleague’s business card into one’s wallet
without studying it carefully and offering some remarks of approval or
recognition for its contents.

14. This is old, but still valid advice – do not discuss politics, religion
or race. If you do so, then broach these subjects in a very genuine way
which enhances closeness and understanding.

Others may wish to add their favourites to the above list – over to you!

Mel Siff

On the other side, from the anti-milk lobby, we have heard that milk
consumption is associated with a great increase in the incidence of allergy,
stomach disorders, heart disease, cancer and various other diseases.

Who is correct? Can we really accept the biased proof of the healthful
aspects of milk from the huge dairy industry with its vested interests
everywhere? Equally well, can we trust that the anti-milk activists have not
grossly exaggerated the dangers of milk? Haven’t many of us, especially in
the strength and sporting world consumed huge quantities of milk since our
earliest years, without any obvious ill-effects? Isn’t the greater incidence
of heart disease and allergy among those who drink milk not due to other
possible factors?

As a dedicated and passionate milk product lover, I was convinced for much of
my life that the anti-milk lobbyists were way off track and were probably a
bunch of skinny runts who never drank large quantities of milk to help in
their quest for size and strength. However, more recently I began to
discover that both factions may be correct. Yes, milk may be both good and
bad for you, whether you are “lactose intolerant” or not!

My first clues came when I noticed how differently I responded to drinking
raw milk and pasteurised milk back in S Africa, then later when I drank milk
in the USA. I always found that certified raw milk tasted better, was very
easily digested even in large volume, and never putrefied when left
unrefrigerated, but simply became pleasantly sour, like a good yoghurt. I
simply could not understand why I consistently could not tolerate milk in
amounts greater than a cupful in the USA, until I noticed that the milk that
I drank in S Africa separated into a thick creamy layer at the top, unlike
the far less palatable milk in the USA. Then I noticed that all the milk
that I bought in the USA was “homogenized” and also found out that the
pasteurization process here may not be carried out under the same heating
conditions as my sources in S Africa.

I also noted that the milk here does not and cannot go sour, but putrefies
and becomes impossible to drink after a few days out of the refrigerator,
suggesting that it contains none of the natural bacteria which allow it to
become sour and palatable.

My feint suspicions grew far stronger that milk of itself may not be the
problem. Instead the way in which it is prepared may be the real problem, as
is the case with all other foods. That would explain quite simply why and
others have responded so differently to raw milk, pasteurised milk and
*pasteurised and homogenized* milk – clearly the processing involved must be
playing a central role in the whole affair. That should be not at all
surprising, since we all know that other foods can be overcooked, dried out
when reheating after storage in the refrigerator, become tough by poor
preparation or marinating, taste very different when microwaved compared with
roasted, and so forth. Often the digestibility can also be profoundly
affected by the manner of preparation. Why should milk be any different?

Before I go any further, here are some technical details about pasteurisation
and homogenization:

<http://www.howstuffworks.com/question147.htm>
<http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/homogenization.html>

Now, the major rationale behind pasteurisation is that it eliminates the risk
of contracting TB (tuberculosis), but the statistics have never shown that
pasteurised milk is any safer than certified raw milk. On the contrary,
studies have shown that pasteurised milk often contains a percentage of pus
from the cow’s udders (at least it is pasteurised!).

If one wishes to use certified raw milk in many States in the USA, you just
do not have that freedom of choice, because it is often legislated against on
the grounds of health risk. I cannot begin to understand or accept this
reasoning at all, because if the milk is certified, then it is TESTED for any
harmful bacteria. On the other hand, every single batch of pasteurised milk
is not tested, but merely ASSUMED to be bacteria-free after its heat
treatment. In the light of this, legislation against the sale of certified,
tested raw milk is illogical and suspect.

To help you understand more about the pros and cons of milk consumption, here
is a random collection of resources presenting myths and facts about milk in
its various forms:

———————————

Review of book Cohen “Milk the Deadly Poison”

<http://www.vegsource.com/books/milk_poison.htm>

Enter Robert Cohen, with rich experience in biological research and a risk
taker–one of his pursuits is mountain climbing. …….. Cohen divulged his
suspicions that the FDA’s approval of the bovine growth hormone represented
not only collusion between Monsanto and the FDA, but a cover-up of epic
proportions by the scientific establishment. His three-year fact-finding
journey proved him chillingly right.

Reading this book, you will learn that milk contributes to heart disease and
increases your risk of breast cancer. You will learn that milk is a poor
source of calcium and why, and that milk is a prime cause of allergies and
much more. You will learn that milk can even kill your infant.

Cohen doesn’t expect you to accept these shocking findings on faith. He
takes you by the hand as he uncovers layers of scientific fraud perpetuated
by the FDA, with assistance from JAMA, Science News, and even the Cadillac of
scientific publications, Science. In digging for scientific facts, Cohen
found that the web of deception concerning the bovine growth hormone involved
not only key players– FDA and Monsanto –but reached members of Congress as
well as a respected medical authority turned Monsanto lobbyist. At times
this book reads like a detective story…….

———————–

The Effect of Processed Milk on Calves

<http://www.karlloren.com/aajonus/p17.htm>

I am a retired Veterinarian; I doctored horses and cattle for 25 years and
then I did only the Small Animals. The article I read in Discover Magazine
on milk brought back many memories. When the farmers kept a milk cow on the
farm to feed the weaner calves, there were few digestive problems. But when
no dairy cows were available they went to the local store and got “Store
Bought” milk for the calves to drink. Soon the calves died with diarrhea. I
thought milk was milk but I soon found out that the Pasteurized and
Homogenized milk could not be digested by these calves. Homogenization broke
the fat globule into such a small bit that it wouldn’t curd in the stomach
and passed directly into the small intestine where it created severe
inflammation. I called it toxic enteritis. I learned to treat these cases
with Goats milk which has the largest fat globule of any milk found on the
farm. The calves made a quick recovery if the patient hadn’t gotten too
debilitated.

I too drank a lot of milk when we milked cows on the farm. I never Had any
adverse effects from drinking a quart or more at one time. When I went on to
college and I was using “store bought milk” I got so I drank very little milk
and what I did drink reacted in my system like a poison. I was told I was
allergic to milk. Now 50 years later, a friend, who has a milk cow out in
the country, asked me if I could use some milk. I accepted and for three
years now I can drink milk like I did when I lived on the farm. I have no
adverse side effects. This milk is raw milk, also not Homogenized. The only
other question I have to answer has to do with the effect pasteurization has
on the natural enzymes. The destruction of these during the pasteurization
process could effect the digestibility of milk.

————–

Myths and Deceptions about Raw Milk:

<http://www.realmilk.com/realmilk.html>

Research and Other Articles on Raw Milk:

<http://www.realmilk.com/indexpage.html>

The Crime against Raw Milk

<http://www.realmilk.com/Summer2000.html>

The Dangers of Processed Milk:

<http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20000208.htm>

Milk – The Perfect Food?

<http://www.lammd.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/2003-No2-Milk.cfm>

————————–

MILK DECREASES HEART ATTACKS?

<http://www.realmilk.com/heart_disease.htm>

<England– Some data just released by the Medical Research Council (MRC)
should create some interesting controversy among medical circles during the
next several months. Peter Elwood, director of the Epidemiology Unit at
Landough Hospital in Penarth, South Glamorgan, dropped a bombshell. His
ongoing life-style study of 5000 men produced some startling and very
unpopular findings. He discovered that men who drank the most full-fat milk
and ate butter (rather than margarine) had a lower risk of suffering from
heart attacks! (New Scientist 1991; 129(1759):17) ……..

In 1929, Dr. J.E. Crewe with the Mayo Foundation reported “uniformly
excellent” success using raw milk in treatment programs for high blood
pressure, heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease, prostate problems and
tuberculosis. He later stated that the only problem with using raw milk to
treat these ailments was that it was too simple. As such, it didn’t appeal to
the medical profession. Only raw milk seemed to be of benefit. Pasteurized
forms seemed to make most conditions worse…>

——————

Top Ten Reasons why Milk is not the Perfect food:

<http://www.ivillage.com/diet/experts/wlcoach/qas/0,5090,221846_65386,00.html>

1. It’s a great source of unwanted antibiotics.

2. Ditto for recombinant bovine growth hormone.

3. Eighty percent or more of the world’s people are lactose-sensitive or
-intolerant.

4. The homogenization process (which allows the fat to stay in suspension, so
that the cream, for example, doesn’t rise to the top) makes the fat and the
cholesterol more subject to oxidation (and therefore free-radical
generation).

5. The nations that consume the most milk also, incidentally, have the
highest rates of oesteoporosis.

6. The top 10 reasons why you should drink it have been brought to you by the
dairy industry, not by independent assessors.

7. It is very high in phosphorus, which is a calcium antagonist, so the
calcium in it is not particularly well absorbed.

8. The calcium-magnesium ratio is not particularly good.

9. It is one of the top allergens, probably the number one allergen for
children, and it is filled with (milk) sugar.

10. Calcium is not as well absorbed in the absence of some fat; hence skim
milk is an even worse choice…..

————————-

FDA Cover-up about certain aspects of Milk Industry

<http://www.hungerstrike.com/4613rbut.html>

————————

This and many other sources have convinced me that the effects of milk on the
body are very significantly altered by pasteurisation and homogenization, and
that the understanding of and consumption of milk simply on the basis of its
macronutrient and micronutrient analysis can be seriously misleading. It is
high time that the public were educated about the difference between safe
certified raw milk and the highly processed product that they buy from the
average supermarket. It would appear that many of the adverse side-effects
of milk consumption, even with a full fat content, have far more to do with
the aggressive processing of the product than any inherent ‘unhealthiness’.

Mel Siff

Here is a collection of web resources which analyse the claims and myths
proliferated by this commercially very successful venture by the Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, who first catapulted onto the Western stage when the singing
group, The Beatles, briefly became his devotees in India.

<http://minet.org/>

<http://www.trancenet.org/index2.shtml>

<http://www.unstress4less.org/>

———————-

While research shows that TM may have relaxation benefits comparable to
self-hypnosis or sitting with eyes closed, other relaxation practices have not
demonstrated the negative effects
reported by TM practitioners – which range from headaches and muscle twitches to
anxiety, depression and m
ental breakdown. This information is provided so that you may make an informed
decision regarding
Transcendental Meditation.

<http://www.unstress4less.org/transcendental_meditation-harmful-abstracts.htm>

—————–

Metabolic Rate, Respiratory Exchange Ratio and Apneas During [TM] Meditation.
John Kesterson
and Noah F. Clinch. American J of Physiology, March 1989, R637.

A careful, in-depth investigation into the effects of TM practice on
respiration and metabolism, revealing that TM produces no deeper state of
rest than from just sitting with eyes closed, even in advanced practitioners,
and thatthe TM practice does not produce a hypometabolic state as claimed by
MIU’s Robert Keith Wallace.

—————–

One of the TM Organization research claims is that TM practice induces a
unique fourth major state of consciousness: “These findings led researcher
Dr. Keith Wallace to conclude that restful alertness is a fourth major state
of consciousness, termed transcendental consciousness, that is physi
ologically distinct from ordinary waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.” A
related claim is that TM practice “increased EEG coherence”.

However the evidence reflected in objective research is that TM practice does
not produce increased EEG coherence nor does it induce a unique state of
consciousness “beyond that produced by muscle relaxation and there was no
evidence that the EEG changes were different from those observed in stage
‘onset’ sleep. No support was found for the idea that transcendental
meditation is a fourth stage of consciousness.

Reference:

Metabolic and EEG changes during transcendental meditation: an explanation.

Fenwick PB, Donaldson S, Gillis L, Bushman J, Fenton GW, Perry I, Tilsley C,
Serafinowicz H Biol Psychol 1977 Jun; 5(2): 101-18

——————-

Research Showing No Unique Benefits of TM

<http://www.unstress4less.org/transcendental_meditation-tmresearch-unique.htm>

More Resources Analysing TM

<http://www.unstress4less.org/transcendental_meditation-helpful.htm>

*** Devoting 20 minutes of a workout to isolated core training entails
spending as much as 50 percent of the average efficient weightlifting
workout, something I know that no elite lifters would even vaguely consider
doing. After all, the normal movements in Weightlifting and Powerlifting
challenge one’s balance and core to an extent that is more than adequate for
their sports, so it would be redundant to prolong a workout with Pilates or
any other general methods of isolated core training.

You may recall that I submitted an entire article analysing Pilates methods
and requesting any Pilates practitioners to submit any scientific studies
that prove that Pilates methods enhance core stability and functional
sporting performance, and to validate claims that it is superior to weight
training and many other methods of physical conditioning.

Although I received a good few hostile attacks on my person, not a single
respondent was able to produce a single reference to validate the host of
anecdotal claims being made by neoPilatean practitioners. Possibly someone
on this list may be able to do so.

For those who may not have read them, my different articles on Pilates appear
on these websites:

http://www.worldfitness.org/exer0022.html
http://www.stumptuous.com/siffonpilates.html

Lest we end up discussing a host of unsubstantiated commercial or personally
biased claims about Pilates methods, please ensure that all future articles
on the topic offer analysis based upon solid scientific principles or actual
referenced studies. Does that suit everyone?

Mel Siff

<< Can you please help me locate websites that explicitly deal with detailed
biomechanics in sports, ie analysis of forces, moments, joint angles, etc…
It doesn’t matter which kind of sports is analysed. >>

*** The following websites will give you plenty of information on all aspects
of biomechanics:

http://www.per.ualberta.ca/biomechanics/bwwnofrm.htm (Biomechanics Worldwide)
http://isb.ri.ccf.org/ (International Society of Biomechanics)

Mel Siff

There has been so much discussion on the resurgence of Pilates methods of training that I thought it might be helpful to write a lengthy commentary on this conditioning system, based on my own exposure to Pilates training, various Pilates books and dozens of websites (almost all of which are commercial advertisements for classes or certification).

In all of these sources, I was unable to find any quality research which supports the claims of Pilates or shows its superiority over other well-structured multifaceted varied systems of conditioning. All claims to its excellence are based upon comparison with limited bodybuilding regimes and anecdotal testimonials by clients who have had little exposure to the wide world of modern strength science. If there is anyone who can quote some definitive peer-reviewed research, please share it with us.

PILATES HISTORY

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 and grew up in England, where he was interned during World War I and used this time to become a nurse. His frail childhood apparently inspired him to pursue a path of lifelong fitness that led him to take up bodybuilding and several other sports to become a competent skier, diver, boxer, and gymnast.

It is apparent that the time spent in those old gymnastics and bodybuilding training halls laid many of the foundations for the design of his special training machines and his training methods. While working as a nurse, he inventively used the springs and frames of hospital beds to make variations of what he had seen used by gymnastics and physique coaches of his time. There can be little doubt that he, like so many young men of his time were impressed by the innovative approaches of training legends such as Eugene Sandow, who consulted for many kings, queens and heads of State at the time.

During the 1920s, he moved to New York, where he opened his first formal studio, which ultimately attracted well-known dancers such as George Ballanchine and Martha Graham to train there regularly, which provided an invaluable marketing boost to his career in the USA. Since his work grew up in the world of gymnastics, an aesthetic art which has strong allegiances with ballet, it obviously received sympathetic support from the emerging dance community in the USA, which, until that time was vastly overshadowed by the dancing giants of Europe.

Consequently, his methods became very well publicised in the dance and drama community and, until recently, have remained confined largely to these same communities that spread his method in its earliest days. Also not surprising is that some of his latter day disciples have astutely discerned that any intriguing apparently novel systems of fitness can make a fortune in the fitness and shape gullible West. In this regard, Romana Kryzanowska, his one Master Teacher, who, after Joseph’s death, was asked by his wife, Clara, to continue with Joseph’s teachings and today she serves as the guru of the Pilates movement.

SOME PILATES METHODS & MACHINES

The following website summarises many of the Pilates methods and machines, giving photographs of devices that clearly have been derived from the world of gymnastics and early fitness training, as anyone with a reasonable background in gymnastics history and coaching will tell you:

This site introduces Pilates thus: <<The ‘Pilates Method’ is not just exercise, however. It is a series of controlled movements engaging your body and mind, performed on specifically designed exercise apparatus and supervised by extensively trained teachers.>>

http://www.pilates-studio.com/about.htm

Of course, this same sort of preface may be applied to many different fitness and health training regimes, especially those drawn from the world of scientific strength training (see, for example, the major aspects of this field by skimming through the Table of Contents of Siff & Verkhoshansky “Supertraining” at this site: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/8682/siff.htm).

High Chair (Modified Gymnastics Staking Pommel)
The Reformer (A modified rowing trainer with pulleys)
The Mat (A fat mat!)
The Pedipull (A modified pulley machine)
The Magic Circle (A 14″ sprung-steel ring with cushioned handles)
The Cadillac (Modified type of Parallel and Horizontal Bars)
The Low Chair (Modified Gymnastics Staking Pommel)
The Spine Corrector Barrel (Low Level type of Pommel Horse)

Originally Pilates devised over 500 specific exercises using five major pieces of his modified gymnastics apparatus, while his pupils have added something like another 1500 variations to increase this list to its current status today to develop the body more uniformly, in their opinion.

He baptised one of his central principles with the name “Contrology” to define his general programme of fitness exercises which showed a clear appreciation of early Grecian aesthetics of training, their coordination and balance of body and mind, and the burgeoning training schemes of leaders such as Sandow, Professor Attila, George Hackenschmidt and Dr Krayevsky.

According to Pilates (in his book “Your Health”, 1934), Contrology “is the conscious control of all muscular movements of the body. It is the correct utilization and application of the leverage principles afforded by the bones comprising the skeletal framework of the body, a complete knowledge of the mechanism of the body, and a full understanding of the principles of equilibrium and gravity as applied to the movements of the body in motion, at rest and in sleep.”

Interestingly, the above words are very similar to what Sandow wrote when he championed the introduction of physical education and sport as compulsory school subjects and the regular examination of pupils by doctors and dentists. Therefore, it is highly relevant to summarise the fitness world in which Pilates grew up.

THE INFLUENCE OF SANDOW & EARLY FITNESS LEADERS

(Extracted from Siff & Verkhoshansky “Supertraining” 1999 Ch 1)

The great Sandow, born in Koningsberg in East Russia in 1867, was sought out by presidents and rulers from all around the world, with his book, “Life is Movement” being received enthusiastically by nine kings and queens and many princes of Europe, as well as US Presidents William Taft and Woodrow Wilson. Besides defeating many strongmen of his time, he was a generous sponsor of many charitable causes and an early champion of more hygienic conditions of working and living for all, including the central role of formal fitness and health management. As part of his vision, he pressed for the introduction of physical education and sport as compulsory school subjects, and the regular examination of pupils by school doctors and dentists. At the same time, he to ured the world lecturing to promote physical culture as a means of improving quality of life, with his contributions being described as follows by the

“Mirror of Life and Sport” (8 April 1911):

” His Majesty King George has conferred an unique honour upon Mr. Eugene Sandow, the world-renowned exponent and founder of scientific physical culture. Mr. Sandow just having had the honour of being appointed Professor of Scientific Physical Culture to his Majesty. The keen interest which the King has always taken in the physical welfare of his people is well-known, and there is no desire more dear to his Majesty’s heart than to improve the conditions of life for the masses.

Mr. Sandow’s appointment must be regarded as a striking recognition of the undoubted benefits of scientific physical culture, and there is no doubt that the interest shown by his Majesty in the subject will considerably increase the popularity of the science of which Mr. Sandow is the principal authority. Mr. Sandow is a man who has risen by his own unaided effort to a position in which he is not only a national but a world factor in the science of improvement of the human body and the combating of that physical degeneracy which in former eras has always accompanied the advances of civilisation.”

In many respects, therefore, Sandow was one of the most important founding fathers of the fitness revolution, revealing that the modern phenomenon of science-based physical training is by no means novel or innovative. Interestingly, Sandow’s methods focused largely on the development of strength and skill as the foundation of health, an approach which was almost completely deposed more than half a century later by cardiovascular scientists such as Dr Kenneth Cooper of the USA, who massively downplayed the role of these fitness qualities and stressed ‘aerobic’ fitness as being far more important to general health. It has taken more than 25 years for the quality of strength advocated by Sandow to return to academic acceptance.

In Russia, during this same period, the eminent Polish-born physician, Vladislav Krayevsky (Krajewski), founded the St Petersburg Amateur Weightlifting Society (1885), having visited various German towns to familiarise himself with what was already known throughout Europe as weightlif ting or ‘heavy athletics’, because of his great interest in the use of physical culture for the prevention and treatment of illness. Many prominent scientists, artists and athletes became his pupils, including another famous strongman, George Hackenschmidt, who credited Krayevsky for teaching him all that he knew. Hackenschmidt, in his book, “The Way to Live”, added that some of the world’s strongest men of that era, including Sandow, were trained according to Krayevsky’s system.

Krayevsky’s considerable knowledge in medicine, psychology, physical culture, methods of using exercises and organizational abilities made him an acknowledged leader in weightlifting sports (including wrestling). He not only promoted weightlifting, taught classes and organized competitions, but also lifted himself, achieving significant success in barbell lifts.

Krayevsky wrote two of his fundamental works during the period 1896-1899, “The Catechism of Health – Rules for Athletes” and “The Development of Physical Strength with Kettlebells and without Kettlebells” (1900).

Krayevsky displayed an excellent knowledge of the history of physical culture and all forms of gymnastics. He paid special attention to therapeutic gymnastics in his “Diagram of Medico Gymnastic Uses” and its accompanying detailed commentary, a book that was widely read by many people in the training world of the time. Krayevsky was very familiar with Swedish gymnastics and noted its therapeutic applications, but his concern with the lack of scientific substantiation of the Swedish system led him to recruit Russian experimentalists to research it.

Many of Krayevsky’s methodological recommendations are still valid. These recommendations include medical control of the athlete’s health, regularity of workouts and planned sequencing of increasing loads, multi-faceted physical development, psychological management, observation of wellness rules (especially sleep) and refraining from the use of alcohol and smoking. Krayevsky was especially concerned with forming correct breathing habits and methods of combating fatigue, and felt that many of the limitations imposed by heredity could be overcome by appropriate training.

Many of these early strength pioneers devised interesting and unique training weights and machines, including cable machines, variable resistance machines using cams and levers, elastic springs and cables, friction resistance devices, kettlebells, thick-grip bars, hollow-ended barbells and dumbbells whose weight could be increased by adding lead shot, odd-shaped bars, isolation machines, weighted boots and various throwing devices. Yet there are those today who lay claims of originality to designing these machines more than 50 years after their original manufacture. In addition, a large number of weight training, bodybuilding exercises and techniques which are believed to be original today had been tried and tested in that burgeoning exploration era of finding the best methods of strength training.

BACK TO PILATES

In his system, Pilates stressed the importance of using fewer sets of few repetitions of compound movements that require significant motor skill and coordination (like well-organised strength training!), as opposed to the prolonged repetition of fairly automatic movements (like modern aerobics and jogging!). His reason for this was that endless repetition of unchallenging reflexive routines tends to decrease the degree of mental involvement, whereas carefully executed sets of very few repetitions of skilled movements tend to offer a better balance of mind and body training.

As we have noted above, all of these principles were abundantly evident in the work of Sandow, Krayevsky and other early masters. The major difference is that Pilates entered the world of dance to astutely promote his commercial career there and stressed the sale of his gymnastics-derived devices, while the other fitness leaders of that era allowed clients to use anything and everything that might be appropriate for any given individual, thereby laying the foundations for all modern fitness centres anf gyms.

In one respect, we should be grateful that the Pilates adaptations of the conditioning methods of his time has now offered a way out of the frequently repetitive and mindless militaristic group fitness classes. Not that the latter cannot play a valid role in the attainment of some aspects of general fitness, but they generally tend to be rather impoverished in terms of broader mind-body enhancement of strength, power, flexibility and motor control (unless the instructor happens to be far more creative and unconventional than the average).

Moreover, the likelihood of injury in Pilates type exercises tends to be far less than in most forms of aerobics class. However, the Pilates neglect of strong ballistic movement, high impact, heavier loading and high power output movements with loaded implements in free space also create deficits in all-round human development.

Even if Pilates does not actively add weight training methods to its repertoire of activities, it would go part of the way towards reducing these deficiencies by involving some of the Specific Activation and Specific Relaxation methods from PNF, as well as some of the pattern variations from that discipline.

In fact, if you are fairly well versed in the principles and procedures of PNF, and you are able to modify the traditional Knott-Voss activities to include pulley machines, some gymnastics apparatus, dumbbells, elastic bands, physio balls and a variable bench, you will be able to offer a very extensive form of challenging and productive training that Pilates will struggle to rival. If you are willing to include a few methods from the world of resistance training (Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding) and martial arts, then your system will go far beyond what Pilates can ever offer.

Before anyone extolls the originality and uniqueness of all that Pilates used in his training system, we have to recall that a very sincere Pilates inadvertently came upon or adapted patterns and procedures that mirror some of the methods used in PNF and weight training, as pioneered by other hugely influential fitness gurus who grew up in the European arena of late 19th and early 20th century training. This does not diminish its value, but it simply serves to place his training methods in a far more balanced light.

After all, there are still those who state categorically that

(http://bodymind.net/q&a.htm):

<<The very idea of coordinating or balancing body and mind was itself little-appreciated in the early 20th Century by most physical fitness gurus. At the end of the 20th Century, the concept of introducing ’spirit’ into the exercise equation still stretches the limits of appreciation of many fitness trainers and students.>>

This could not be further from the truth, as we have noticed in examining the fitness world into which Pilates was born. If anything, the fitness leaders of that time were more holistically inclined than the average fitness instructor of today (e.g., see Webster “The Iron Game”, 1976).

In his 1945 book of exercises, entitled “Return to Life Through Contrology”, Pilates wrote that “Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities.” Again, absolutely nothing new at the time. These words simply repeat what Sandow and several of his colleagues had said way before Pilates methods were being taught.

An oft-repeated claim is this: “You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions.” ( Joseph H. Pilates). If we examine this, it is equivalent to 10 weeks of three times a week of periodised modern strength training, which, in the same space of time easily can produce the same results as Pilates. If it doesn’t, then there is something seriously wrong with your training!

SOME PILATES RESEARCH

While searching for some published research on Pilates methods, I found this website and thought “at last, something!”, but my initial hopes waned the moment that I read these articles.

http://www.pilates.uk.com/research/

These articles are fixated on comparing ‘normal springs’ with the ’special’ Pilates springs used on his ‘Reformer’ machine and offer no information whatsoever on the allegedly special physiology behind Pilates. In addition, here some extracts that reveal significant defects in the calibre of the research:

<<Gravity versus Springs. Gravity provides a constant external resistance throughout the range of motion of the exercise. Springs (and other elastic media) provide an increasing external resistance as they lengthen. Unfortunately this coincides with shortening of the muscle and a reduction in generated force.>>

***While the acceleration due to gravity is fairly constant over the surface of the earth, any movement against gravity involves acceleration, which means that resistance changes throughout the range of motion. Although springs offer resistance which increases directly with extension, training against gravity with or without weights can also increase resistance anywhere in the range of movement where you try to accelerate the limb or load. Movement at every stage of joint motion involves muscle shortening, so what this remark has to do with “coinciding with shortening of the muscle” is anyone’s guess.

<<Since spring tension increases steadily with length: the area under the force-distance curve is almost triangular. With gravity, the resistance is constant, making the area a complete rectangle.>>

***This last sentence reveals that the author has never undertaken any biomechanical research, nor does he appear to know that, if the Force-Time curve is a complete rectangle, the acceleration and deceleration phases to and from some apparently constant peak force are vertical lines and the acceleration in each case must be infinitely large. Even if the curve is obtained on an isokinetic dynamometer, the acceleration and deceleration phases cannot be vertical lines.

<<The difference between the two (the upper triangle) represents the extra work, which has been lost. Put another way, exercise against gravity can provide up to twice the benefit, in terms of ‘work done’, compared with exercise against springs.>

***How does work become “lost” in the elastic resistance case? If we wish to be pedantic, and the movement starts and ends in the same place, then no external work is done, be it against gravity or springs. If we wish to consider internal metabolic work, then his analysis is inappropriate and incorrect. Even if we can calculate it accurately in both cases, the work done depends on the magnitude of the external resistance, not simply on what arrangement is used to produce the resistance. More significant is the fact that there are action-specific neuromuscular programmes that will distinguish between the training effects of springs and inertial resistance.

<<For example, on a Reformer, the spring is slightly extended at the start of the movement (possibly by 15 cm or so). The carriage can then travel up to 70 cm, or more, depending on the exercise and the flexibility of the individual, representing a possible 3-fold increase in resistance, from one end of the movement to the other. Imagine lifting a weight of 10 Kg from the floor, which gradually increases to 30 Kg as it comes to chest height, then back to 10Kg again as you lower the weight back to the floor. Clearly, this does NOT reflect ‘real life’. >>

***Without indulging in another scientific analysis of further inaccuracies in this extract, it is interesting that training on most Pilates machines, especially the gliding seat, spring-resisting ‘Reformer’, ironically also fail to reflect what happens in ‘real life’! The author continues to proliferate the misbelief that the only necessary and sufficient condition for general and rehabilitative conditioning is sport specific movement. Were this to be true, the use of all forms of resistance and supplementary training would be entirely redundant.

SOME PILATES WEBSITES

http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_04.17.97/fitness/macri.html

The following site proliferates the myth that Pilates training somehow produces a Pilates-specific type of longer, leaner muscle and that all strength training aims at increasing hypertrophy:

http://www.fitnesslink.com/mind/pilates.shtml

<<By learning the proper stance and correct body alignment, the client soon feels and looks taller and leaner. The muscles are stretched and strengthened uniformly, resulting in long, sleek muscles rather than bulk.

The idea of stretching and lengthening runs contrary to the methods used by most of today’s fitness professionals who believe that the only way to “tone” muscle is to increase the muscle diameter. But students of Pilates swear by his method and have even admitted to feeling taller, leaner and “better” after only a few sessions.>>

The proof in the above article? – Anecdote, hearsay and belief, relying on the very misleading idea that all strength training must involve bodybuilding bulking methods.

“Pilates based” training at home:

http://www.gocarolinas.com/living/health/fitness/1999/06/0628_pilates.html

This site includes an old ‘ab exercise’, the supine leg flutter, at which Pilates himself would cringe. At least the author states that “This really isn’t a Pilates exercise — it’s borrowed from the military — but it’s a fabulous ab-shaper.” Actually, the abs are contracted isometrically in this exercise and serve to stabilise the pelvis, rather than to exercise the abdominal musculature in the full range and manner that Pilates would have recommended. This is but one example of many Pilates teachers simply bastardising what Pilates originally taught and sometimes misrepresenting what the grand old man preached, so don’t think that if you attend a so-called Pilates class or “Pilates based” class that you are receiving the kosher article!

http://www.shapeshift.com/Articles/time.htm (Some Time Magazine rave trivia on Pilates)

Some final Pilates sites:

http://www.the-method.com/

http://www.pilates.uk.com/

http://www.shapeshift.com/articles.htm (Popular Glossy Magzine articles on Pilates)

http://www.shapeshift.com/Articles/mnf.htm (Pilates for Weightlifters and Athletes – filled with many errors about pelvic stabilisation and use during heavy lifting

In every single case where Pilates is compared with other forms of conditioning, it is measured against typical bodybuilding training and never against scientific strength training that has been used for many years in Russia and Europe to produce the world’s greatest athletes in many shapes and sizes, all depending on the specific needs of their sports.

Thus, there are some athletes who make Pilates adherents look thoroughly out of shape, just as there are others who make Pilates folk look like pictures of perfection. There are many slender, aesthetically built athletes who are considerably stronger, faster, more coordinated and more flexible that even the most seasoned Pilates practitioners, while there are bulky bionic-looking athletes whose all-round shape and performance is easily overshadowed by some Pilates fans.

It is apparent that far too many Pilates disciples seem to think that all resistance training is some narrow type of bodybuilding training which many years ago gave birth to that myth that all weight trained athletes are bulky, slow, inflexible and prone to injury. This sort of extrapolation from one small aspect of strength training to prove the merits of Pilates work betrays a serious lack of understanding and a very biased view of modern strength training.

In fact, if Pilates teachers were to learn more about what advanced strength training is about, they could raise Pilates methods to far greater heights. If any of them are genuinely curious to learn some of the methods of integrated West-East strength science, then let them examine references such as the following:

Zatsiorsky V “Science and Practice of Strength Training” 1995

Siff MC & Verkhoshansky YV “Supertraining” 1999

Bompa T “Theory and Methodology of Training” 1983

Yessis M “Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness & Training” 1987

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Mel Siff