Sore No More: 3 Proven Muscle Recovery Tips

By Krissy Kendall, PhD (featured in BodyBuilding.com)

A robust workout has you a little sore—or a lot! It doesn't have to stop you in your tracks, though. Use these 3 tips to recover faster and stay on track.

DOMS: The dreaded four-letter word (well, technically it's an acronym, for "delayed-onset muscle soreness) that many a gym goers have a love/hate relationship with. We love it because it's a not-so-gentle reminder that we killed it in the gym. We hate it because it hurts to sit, stand, lay down, or sometimes even breathe.

First and foremost, it's important to understand that not all soreness is bad. Think of it as your body letting you know it's currently going through a repair process—and yes, the end result is bigger, stronger muscles. In order to see change within your muscles, you need to disrupt their structure. Unfamiliar or high-intensity exercise causes small microscopic tears within the muscle fibers, which creates a stimulus for muscle growth and repair. In other words, it is definitely part of the transformation process.
 
For this reason, many people find DOMS to be gratifying—to a point. For others, it can be enough to keep them out of the gym and off their routine. This is exactly what we don't want to happen to you! Expect to experience some soreness when you start any new program, especially during the first couple of weeks while your body is becoming adapted to the training intensity and volume. After that, it will get better. Until then, make the best of a painful situation with these research-backed tips to speed up recovery!
 
Don't Skip the Warm-Up: Before you even think about picking up the weights, give your body a chance to loosen up. Even something as simple as walking or cycling for 10 minutes before you start your workout can significantly reduce perceived soreness in the days following your workout.
 
Dynamic stretching is another great option to incorporate into your pre-workout routine. This form of stretching, which requires you to move as you stretch, helps to activate the muscles you will use during your workouts, while improving range of motion, balance, and coordination

There are dozens of great dynamic warm-up moves you can mix and match. I also strongly encourage you to incorporate warm-up sets before each of your major lifts. Rather than jumping straight into your first working set, start with a few sets using lighter weights, and gradually work up to your first working set. This allows your joints to work through a full range of motion while also increasing blood flood and nutrient delivery to the working muscle groups.
 
Warm-ups sets also help to prime your nervous system so that the appropriate muscle fibers are firing. Just make sure you aren't taking your warm-up sets to failure.

Example warm-up set for squats:
1 set 10 reps at 50% of your working weight
1 set of 8 reps at 65% of your working weight
1 set of 4-6 reps at 80% of your working weight

Note!! I don't suggest you do static stretching during your warm-up. Research has shown that including static stretching, in which you hold a specific stretch for a period of 10-30 seconds, during the first part of your workout can actually decrease power output and have a negative impact on how much weight you can load on the bar. Save the stretching for your cool-down. 

Post-workout stretching can be used as a light cool-down. It won't help to reduce any next-day soreness or discomfort, but it can help to increase flexibility. Make sure you're holding each stretch for at least 30-60 seconds and hold each stretch at a point of mild discomfort.

Train Through Soreness: While it may sound counterintuitive, one of the best ways to resolve muscle soreness it to lightly train the muscles that are sore. Training while still sore from your previous workout can actually help to decrease future soreness and allow the body to adapt at a faster rate, a phenomenon known as the "repeated-bout effect."
 
Your body is designed to recover from micro-trauma—in this case, small tears within the muscle fiber—and adapt so that the next time you perform the same workout, you'll experience significantly less DOMS. This may be a bit uncomfortable, so don't be afraid to decrease the intensity or volume of your lifts. Just make sure you're going through full range of motion and keeping good form.
 
Take Recovery-Boosting Supplements: Supplements won't magically make your soreness disappear, but they can help minimize some of the pain and discomfort. For example, you could also opt for extra protein pre- and post-workout. Whey and casein are both great options to have before and after training to help speed up the recovery and repair process. Branched-chain amino acids have also been shown to reduce muscle soreness following high volume workouts.

Of course, we can't forget about fish oil. Studies have shown that supplementing with omega-3s can help decrease both pain and swelling while increasing range of motion following intense exercise. They are also critical for building and maintaining muscle mass, ultimately leading to a better overall recovery.

Nothing I've talked about here is complicated or expensive. Give these suggestions a shot, but with the right expectations. Some DOMS is inevitable, after all. Don't expect any of what I've discussed here to work miracles, but also don't feel like the "fit life" has to involve limping around all the time!

Janet Shed 200 Pounds And Started An Adventurous New Life

I like seeing articles like this. It doesn't have the buff, muscle bound bodybuilders you see showing off their stuff, because in fact, that isn't the norm for a lot of us. This is a regular person making a difference in their life; not the stuff you catch on evening television. If she can do it, so can you.

By Christina Marfice
From: bodybuilding.com

Janet thought yo-yo dieting was the norm, but when she took control of her health she discovered all the adventure a fit life really has to offer!

Although Janet came from a family that encouraged healthy eating, she feels genetics were to blame. "My brother, my father, my mother, and I were all overweight, and then there was my skinny little sister," she says. "We all ate the same foods, which included lots of fruits and vegetables. My mom was very conscious of healthy eating because of her own struggles with her weight, but except for my sister, we were all still overweight. That makes me think genetics had something to do with it." 

Janet and her family tried everything they could think of to get healthy, and every once in a while, Janet was able to lose a little bit of weight—but it always came back. Decades of yo-yo dieting followed until, finally, a health scare led Janet to take control of her weight—and her life—once and for all.
This is Janet's story.

HOW DID YOU ATTEMPT TO LOSE WEIGHT AS A TEEN?
My mom took my brother and me to a program called "TOPS," or Take Off Pounds Sensibly. It's basically a weight-loss support group. She also took us to a nutritionist, who put us on diet pills for a little while. You have to remember, this was in the 1970s, so they did things like that. I remember the nutritionist also giving me a stamp book of foods I could eat; I was supposed to use the stamps to keep track of calories. I didn't really use it. 

DID ANYTHING WORK?
One year, when I was around 10, I stayed with my aunt for a few weeks during winter break. She put me on a really great diet where she just gave me three meals a day and I could have healthy, low-calorie snacks like cucumbers. I actually lost a lot of weight with her, but when I went home, it was into an environment that was a lot less structured. My mom was working at that time, so I had to fend for myself when it came to food. Once I lost my aunt's supervision, the weight came back pretty quickly. 

DID YOU HAVE ANY SUCCESS WITH LOSING WEIGHT AS YOU GOT OLDER? 
I lost weight three times as a young adult. When I first left high school, I had gotten to 268 pounds. I freaked out and remember thinking, "My gosh, that's too heavy!" I got back to 205 pounds, but the weight crept back on slowly until I reached 295. Once again I managed to drop the weight—reaching 210 this time. My cycle wasn't over though: I hit 390, managing to get back down to 260 pounds that time. With each successive weight loss, I actually gained weight.

I did it the right way all three times: I exercised a lot and watched what I ate. I didn't starve myself; I just cut back on unhealthy foods and tracked what I was eating. But once I lost the weight, I'd slowly slip back into unhealthy habits. I'd treat the weight loss as an excuse to have an unhealthy meal, then two, then three, and eventually, everything I was eating was unhealthy. Yo-yo dieting had become a pattern for me. I knew I could lose weight again if I gained it back, and I used that as an excuse whenever I started to gain weight again. 

WHAT WAS YOUR TURNING POINT? 
At 49, I weighed 379 pounds. I was down in Mexico with a friend of mine, and we were walking. She was walking fast and we were walking up a slight incline. Because I was trying to keep up, I really pushed myself physically, and my heart started beating so hard. It was the first time I thought I might actually have a heart attack. That was my wakeup call. Feeling my heart pound like that made me realize how sick I was and that I could, in fact, actually die. 

That experience made me face the fact that I just didn't feel good. I was scared because I started to think about how I might have to have someone take care of me. I was 49, and all of a sudden, I started to notice that getting up off the couch was a big deal; forget bending down or picking something up off the floor. 

WHAT WAS THE FIRST STEP YOU TOOK TO GET BACK IN CONTROL OF YOUR WEIGHT? 
I had lost weight before by taking long walks, so I thought I would start there. I went for a walk. There's a mall that's about three miles from my house, so I decided I would walk there and back. On that walk, I saw a sign outside someone's house for personal training.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE IDEA OF HIRING A TRAINER?
I had actually contacted a personal trainer prior to that, but she didn't show up for our session. It was a really negative experience, so I didn't try again for a while. But, by the time I saw that sign, taking a chance had already been in the back of my mind. I decided to go for it, and it helped that I like the name on the sign, too: Ungifted Athletes. I thought, "That's me!" 

HOW DID YOUR TRAINER GET YOU STARTED ON THE PATH TO GETTING FIT? 
The first thing he had me do was sit down on a platform and get back up. The height of the platform was adjustable, so as I got stronger, he'd make the platform get lower and lower. It was sort of a build-up to doing squats.

WHEN DID YOU START TO SEE RESULTS? 
I started seeing my trainer weighing 379 pounds. I lost the first 20 pounds really quickly—probably about a month or so. That was a small change, but I felt like I had more energy. I felt lighter and better. That made me start to feel more positive, and it gave me some motivation to keep going.

DID YOU MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR DIET AS WELL? 
My trainer didn't give me a diet at first, but I knew I wanted to eat right. I was still eating some junk food—particularly candy—but I started keeping a food journal to keep myself accountable. I ate a lot of lean meats and vegetables.

HOW DID YOU FIGHT CRAVINGS? 
My biggest craving has always been ice cream. I told my trainer I was struggling with that, and his advice was to just wait. If you have a craving, follow the 10-minute rule: If you wait 10 minutes, the craving will pass. That worked really well for me.

WHAT KEPT YOU MOTIVATED THROUGHOUT YOUR TRANSFORMATION?
I lost 200 pounds in about two years. As I kept working out, I started running and found that I really enjoyed it. My trainer helped me set goals to start racing—first some 5k and 10k races, and then a half-marathon. Eventually, he challenged me to run a full marathon. Training for that was hell. I'm not very fast, so I was running for 7-8 hours on Saturdays to get in 18 or 20 miles. My whole Saturday was gone. 

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME YOUR TRAINING DIFFICULTIES?
If I didn't do it, I'd have to go back to my trainer and explain why. It's not so much that I was scared of him being mad, but I didn't want him to be disappointed. As my trainer, he's the main person who helped me get the weight off and keep it off. It felt like we were a team. We did this together. When he asked me to do something, it meant something to me. It wasn't just him being a pain in the neck; it was about me progressing and getting better. 

Plus, it was amazing to set out and achieve my goal and to finish a marathon at my age. How many people can say that?

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? 
The best part of my journey is definitely all the things I can do now that I could never do before. I went horseback riding for the first time. Finally, after all these years, I was able to get on a horse. That was really cool. I went on a zip line, and I noticed the weight limit; there was a long time that I wouldn't have made that weight limit, but this time I could partake. 

Even just being able to go to a restaurant and sit in a booth comfortably is so nice. Going to movies, flying on an airplane, fitting into rides at the fair—all of those things were so difficult to me before because of my size. Now, I don't have to think twice about them anymore. 

I've been thinking about what else I want to do. I like to hike, so I've been thinking that I'd like to visit Yosemite National Park. At my age, I don't think I want to run another marathon, but maybe I'll work my way up to half-marathons again. I feel like I can do anything now. 

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER BODYBUILDING.COM? 
I had surgery to remove excess skin from my abdomen, which laid me up for a while. I used that time when I couldn't exercise to train to become a trainer. I did a search looking for certain kinds of exercises, and Bodybuilding.com came up. I loved the site. The variety of exercises has been really helpful. It gets me excited about new training approaches and gives me information I can use to help my clients.

Read the full original article with additional diet and workout tips at:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/janet-shed-200-lbs-and-started-an-adventurous-new-life

Let's talk about cortisol

Cortisol (quite simply) is a steroid hormone, and is produced in humans by the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration, and functions to increase blood sugar, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.

It is vital to maintain a good balance of cortisol in your system. Too little or too much can have noticeable adverse affects on your body, so it is important to understand what it does and the affects when the natural balance is out of whack. This is true whether you are physically active, or sedentary. Knowing what you need to maintain a good cortisol level in your system, can have a direct effect on how you handle stress, blood sugar level, wound healing, blood pressure, fatigue, sleep, chronic inflammation, bone health, electrolyte balance, and memory.

Here are some sites which may help you understand this hormone better, but I invite you to search further, because how you manage cortisol in your body can make all the difference in your health and enjoying the life you live. You will see some repetition of information, so pick through it and find the right science to fit your questions and demands.

Live well.

Cortisol — Its Role in Stress, Inflammation, and Indications for Diet Therapy

Why Cortisol Is Good for You

Cortisol and Stress: How to Stay Healthy

Exercise & Cortisol Levels

Cortisol And Muscle-Building: Does It Even Matter?

The Implications Of Cortisol Release!

Cortisol: Why "The Stress Hormone" Is Public Enemy No. 1

10 Signs You Have WAY Too Much Cortisol

Witty isn't it?

Hillary Clinton Sold Out Her Country's Security for Her Convenience

Keep in mind when you read this bit from NBC News, that anything on Hillary Clinton's homebrew (and unsecured) server was likely on Vladimir Putin's desk in short order:

Emails from Hillary Clinton's home server contained information classified at levels higher than previously known, including a level meant to protect some of the most sensitive U.S. intelligence, according to a document obtained by NBC News. In a letter to lawmakers, the intelligence community's internal watchdog says some of Clinton's emails contained information classified Top Secret/Special Access Program, a secrecy designation that includes some of the most closely held U.S. intelligence matters. Two American intelligence officials tell NBC News these are not the same two emails from Clinton's server that have long been reported as containing information deemed Top Secret.

How many secrets did Clinton spill? Lots more than she's let on:

Charles McCulllough, the intelligence community's inspector general, said in a letter to the chairmen of the Senate intelligence and foreign affairs committees that he has received sworn declarations from an intelligence agency he declined to name. The declarations cover "several dozen emails containing classified information determined by the IC element to be at the CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP SECRET/SAP information."

How secret were those secrets? This secret:

An intelligence official familiar with the matter told NBC News that the special access program in question was so sensitive that McCullough and some of his aides had to receive clearance to be read in on it before viewing the sworn declaration about the Clinton emails.

Russian hackers presumably had no such hurdles to clear. How bad are the politics? Even Clinton's people are in Full Bore Panic Mode.

And if Clinton walks from this? Roger L. Simon pondered that one:

The most obvious part is that the rule of law will have, for all intents and purposes, ended in the United States. Equal justice flew out the window. How does the public react to that? A good portion of it will roll over, but a certain percentage will not. Their reactions will be contingent on a number of things -- whether Clinton is elected anyway (unlikely at this point, but possible), the steadfastness of opposition politicians and media, etc. But in the final analysis, a democracy cannot exist without the consent of the governed. For that percentage in opposition, consent will have broken down pretty much completely. Then what? Civil war? That's perhaps a bit excessive, but civil wars can be of various types and evolve in different ways. All kinds of things could break down, which could result in anything from general disobedience to the law to mass tax refusal. Millions would no longer respect the system.

Found on https://pjmedia.com - JANUARY 20, 2016

Seated Desk Elbow Pushdowns

One of the BEST 30-second stomach-strengthening exercises you can do!
by Nick Nilsson (aka, “the Mad Scientist of Muscle”)

This abdominal exercise is a "stealth" ab exercise...you can do it without anybody ever knowing you're doing an ab exercise!

Sit with your elbows on a desk. Now just push your elbows DOWN onto the desk as though trying raise your body up out of the seat (your legs may tighten and come up a bit as well).

This pushing action engages the six-pack ab muscles but without crunching or curling up. You can control how much tension you place on the abs by how hard you push down on your elbow.

You can also do this exercise one arm at a time, to engage the deep muscles of the core (the obliques and transverse abdominus).

You can even do this one while looking completely bored out of your mind...even when you're cradling your head in your hand, you're pushing down hard with that one elbow to contract the abs!

How much we have forgotten?

A friend of mine knows I'm no fan of Hillary Clinton, so he sent me this little summary of Hillary's past antics. It bears worth repeating. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Bill Clinton was president, he allowed Hillary to assume authority over a health care reform. Even after threats and intimidation, she couldn’t even get a vote in a democratic controlled congress. This fiasco cost the American taxpayers about $13 million in cost for studies, promotion, and other efforts.

Then President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general. Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood – both were forced to withdraw their names from consideration. 

Next she chose Janet Reno – husband Bill described her selection as “my worst mistake.” Some may not remember that Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children.

Husband Bill allowed Hillary to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission. Lani Guanier was her selection. When a little probing led to the discovery of Ms. Guanier’s radical views, her name had to be withdrawn from consideration.

Apparently a slow learner, husband Bill allowed Hillary to make some more recommendations. She chose former law partners Web Hubbel for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff, and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department. Her selections went well: Hubbel went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign. 

Many younger votes will have no knowledge of “Travelgate.”  Hillary wanted to award unfettered travel contracts to Clinton   friend Harry Thompson – and the White House Travel Office refused to comply.  She managed to have them reported to the FBI and fired. This ruined their reputations, cost them their jobs, and caused a thirty-six month investigation. Only one employee, Billy Dale was charged with a crime, and that of the enormous crime of mixing personal and White House funds. A jury acquitted him of any crime in less than two hours.

Still not convinced of her ineptness, Hillary was allowed to recommend a close Clinton friend, Craig Livingstone, for the position of Director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of about 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, suddenly Hillary and the president denied even knowing Livingstone, and of course, denied knowledge of drug use in the White House. Following this debacle, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than thirty years of service to seven presidents.

Next, when women started coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by Bill Clinton, Hillary was put in charge of the “bimbo eruption” and scandal defense.  Some of her more notable decisions in the debacle was: She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit. After the Starr investigation they settled with Ms. Jones.

She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs.

Hillary’s devious game plan resulted in Bill losing his license to practice law for 'lying under oath' to a grand jury and then his subsequent impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Hillary avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating, “I do not recall,” “I have no recollection,” and “I don’t know” a total of 56 times while under oath.

After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, China , and artwork she had stolen. 

What a swell party – ready for another four or eight year of this type low-life mess?

Now we are exposed to the destruction of possibly incriminating emails while Hillary was Secretary of State and the “pay to play” schemes of the Clinton Foundation – we have no idea what shoe will fall next. But to her loyal fans - “what difference does it make?”

Electing Hillary Clinton president would be like granting Satan absolution and giving him the keys to heaven!

16 Gym Etiquette Rules That People Often Break

Taken from Livestrong.com, by Linda Melone

Overview

Gyms don’t always hand out a “Rules of Conduct” book when you join; you’re simply expected to act like a decent human being, clean up after yourself and generally behave. Problem is, common sense doesn’t necessarily reign in every fitness facility. Here are the most common and most aggravating gym missteps, according to experts who spend the most time in those environments -- personal trainers. From smelling too good to filling up a giant size water bottle when there is a line of people behind you, read on to see if you’re guilty of any of these 16 gym pet peeves. Let us know which one annoys you most, and if there are others that should be on our list.

(One thing I noticed missing in the article is when people seem to feel they can't be free of their cell phones for even the time of their workout. They stop to answer their calls, and often take the time to talk to the person on the other end. This is inconsiderate of others, and actually... if you are so interested in not missing a call, what is the purpose of going to the gym? Leave your phone in your locker. If they really want to talk to you, they will leave a message. Get to the gym, get your workout done, then get on to other things.)

1. If You’re Sick, Stay Home

Coughing and sneezing during in a fitness class or while lifting weights leaves a trail of nasty microbes waiting to infect the rest of the gym. According to Jessica Matthews, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, in general, it’s okay to exercise with “above the neck” symptoms like a sore throat or runny nose. “But in fairness to your non-sick fellow fitness fanatics,” Matthews says, “if you’re going to get some exercise in while you’re battling a cold, you should opt for an at-home workout -- perhaps your favorite fitness DVD or an outdoor workout.” If you do choose to work out at the gym, be respectful of others and be sure to properly sanitize all equipment that you use -- which you should always do, sniffles or not.

2. Obey Cardio Machine Time Limits

During busy times of day, many gyms limit cardio sessions on machines, usually to 20 or 30 minutes. Refusing to step off after your designated time impacts the person waiting behind you and simply isn’t fair. “Cardio machine time limits are put in place for a reason, as they ensure the opportunity for every exerciser to make the most out of their time at the gym, especially during peak hours,” says exercise physiologist Jessica Mathews. You want to train smarter, not longer, so if you’re hopping on the elliptical with a 30-minute time limit, make the most out of the time you have by kicking up the intensity with intervals. Many studies show these shorter workouts burn more calories for hours afterward.

3. Don’t Be a Creeper (AKA Focus on Yourself)

Let’s face it, every gym has people who flirt. Spandex, sweat and all that heavy breathing can make it tempting to stare and hover over your neighbor’s treadmill. Don’t. “When you’re at the gym, your time should be spent focusing on your own workout,” says exercise physiologist Jessica Matthews, “not anyone else’s.” You should be paying attention to what you are doing (or what you’re lifting). This not only ensures that other exercisers feel comfortable in your presence, but it can help you to avoid injury and make the most out of your time spent at the gym.

4. Dress Appropriately

Short shorts, barely-there tank tops and loose, baggy clothes that get caught in a machine can all constitute fashion hazards for various reasons. “While the clothes don’t necessarily make the workout, the right apparel can definitely enhance your exercise experience and help you to avoid any unwanted attention,” says exercise physiologist Jessica Matthews. Wearing clothing that provides appropriate coverage and the right fit allows you to do everything from jump squats to downward facing dog with confidence and ease. If your clothing is too tight, it can restrict your range of motion, which can make your form suffer, says Matthews. Baggy clothing or too-long pants can get caught or snagged on something or you can trip over them and injure yourself.

5. Smell Good, Not Great

When your aroma -- good or bad -- enters the room before you do, it’s time to make some adjustments. “Leave fragrances and colognes for outside the gym,” says exercise physiologist Jessica Matthews, “but please use deodorant.” Heavy fragrances and perfumes can be distracting to your fellow fitness-class goers and can even trigger allergic reactions in some individuals. Strong body odor can also be very unpleasant, so either shower and/or swipe on deodorant before breaking a sweat. Matthews also recommends not using greasy lotions before you hit the gym. Once you begin to sweat, creams can make your skin slippery, making it difficult to hold your favorite arm balancing posture in yoga or properly grip and hold on to a barbell or kettlebell, which could put you at risk of injury.

6. Keep Unsolicited Advice to Yourself

No one likes being told what to do, especially from a know-it-all stranger. Even if you’re a trainer, unless you’re working at that gym, keep your opinions to yourself. “If you are not a certified fitness professional -- and an employee of the facility that you are working out at -- offering up fitness advice is not in your job description,” says exercise physiologist Jessica Matthews. If you see someone performing an exercise that puts them in danger or at risk for injury over time and you are legitimately concerned, flag down the nearest trainer on staff and let them know what you observed. A qualified trainer knows how to approach people in a positive, productive manner to make the gym member feel safe, not picked on or embarrassed.

7. Don’t Use the Water Fountain to Refill Your Giant 64-oz Bottle

Staying hydrated during your workout is important, especially on hot days. But standing in front of the water fountain refilling your gallon-size bottle creates a bottleneck of thirsty gym members waiting in line behind you. Follow the rules of the road, says Guy Andrews, executive director of Exercise ETC, Inc., a fitness education program provider in Fort Lauderdale, FL. “Yield the right of way. Step to the side so people who want a fast gulp or two can get back to working out. And to avoid spreading germs, don’t touch the spigot of the fountain to the mouth of your bottle.”

8. Keep Your Gym Bag in a Locker, Not at the Feet of Other Exercisers

The only thing worse than dropping a weight on your foot is doing it because you tripped over someone’s gym bag on the floor. “Leaving a bag on the floor is a major tripping hazard, which is why all gyms prohibit it,” says fitness educator Guy Andrews. Use the lockers inside the locker room or near the workout area. “If you’re afraid that your locker may be broken into, leave the stuff in your car,” he says. You can also keep any valuables on you. Fanny packs may be tacky, but they’re functional, says Andrews. Better yet, strip down to the essentials: Carry your I.D., phone, keys and maybe one debit card on your person and leave the rest at home.

9. Don’t Train Right in Front of the Weight Rack

Normally the person lifting weights has the right-of-way. But when you choose to perform one-armed rows with one hand on the rack or you grab two dumbbells for biceps curls and step back only two inches, you prevent others from accessing the weights. “It is invariably a high-traffic area where you risk blackening the eye or breaking the nose of some nice gym-goer who is just trying to access the weights,” says fitness educator Guy Andrews. Your best bet is to grab the weights you need and retreat to an area where you can exercise but not obstruct traffic. And remember to re-rack them when you’re finished with your set.

10. Respect Other Peoples’ Desire for Quiet

Stay off of your phone. No one wants to hear your conversations. Plus, your gym time should be your time to cut the cord for an hour or so, says fitness educator Guy Andrews. “There are times when making or taking a call is necessary, but it should not be standard operating procedure for you.” Exceptions include a work crisis or a phone call from your wife or husband telling you the house is burning down. In that case, exit the training area to make your call. You’ll probably have better reception and more privacy outside, and the people around you will appreciate it.

11. Don’t Read While on a Machine

For the sake of time and fat-burning efficiency, you shouldn’t be resting much between sets. If you’re performing intervals or some other high-intensity workout where you take a minute or two between sets, don’t take up space on a machine others may want to use. “If your rest time between sets is more than 10 seconds, you need to vacate the machine when other people are waiting or at least ask if they want to work in,” says fitness educator Guy Andrews. “Besides, short rest periods between sets are associated with a higher exercise heart rate, increased caloric burn, higher metabolic rate, increased muscle fiber recruitment and a significant boost for anabolic (growth) hormones.” Get moving.

12. Don’t Hog Equipment

Super-setting by working out on two or more different pieces of equipment prevents others from using them. It’s a no-can-do when others are waiting to work out. According to Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist based in Connecticut and author of “Beat the Gym,” leaving your towel hanging on a machine doesn’t give you dibs on that piece of equipment. “You can’t have three or four exercises going on at once spread out over several weight benches to do your super sets. Put your weights back on the rack and bring your towel with you. Trainers that work in gyms are guilty of doing this sometimes as well.” Holland recommends super-setting by staying on one bench. For example, superset an upper-body move with an ab exercise done on that same bench.

13. Unload Your Weight Bar

News flash: Your mother doesn’t work at the gym to pick up after you. So be a good sport and don’t leave a bar or machine with full racks of 45-pound plates. The next person after you now has to remove all your poundage before he or she can even begin. Removing your weights off the bar is part of your workout, says personal trainer Tom Holland. “It’s usually the person lifting a ton of weight who’s most guilty of this maneuver. In addition, if you leave the weights on, other people don’t know whether or not you’re finished using the equipment.” If you know the culprit who makes this a regular habit, don’t take matters into your hands, says Holland. Go to management and tell them. They should be the ones to lay down the law.

14. Re-Rack Dumbbells

Failing to re-rack your dumbbells is as dangerous as leaving your gym bag lying on the floor. In addition to the tripping danger, the next exerciser will need to search for the weights if they’re not in their proper location on the rack. “It’s rude and dangerous,” says personal trainer Tom Holland. “Re-racking your weights is part of your workout. It’s so simple.” This also pertains to weight plates. Leaving a 45-pound plate leaning against a machine because you’re too lazy to re-rack it is just as dangerous as leaving a dumbbell out on the floor -- and it can roll at an expected time.

15. Wipe Down the Bench and Use a Towel

Many gyms require you to use a towel when you work out, and with good reason. It’s more than just gross to lie in someone else’s sweat, although the risk is low, you could end up infected with MRSA. Always use a protective barrier between you and the bench, whether it’s a towel or shirt, and wipe down any surfaces with antiseptic wipes before or after use. And always shower and wash your hands immediately after your workout.

16. Don’t Block Traffic

It’s bad enough to deal with bottlenecks on your way to work, so navigating around oblivious people at the gym can be just as annoying. And it slows down your workout. Failing to re-rack your weights and plates, working out in front of the rack and walking in front of exercisers who are using the mirror (checking their form, not their hair) creates roadblocks and distractions and increases the chances that someone will get hurt. The National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) safety checklist for exercise facilities recommends easy access to each resistance training machine area, allowing a minimum of two feet between each machine and three feet as optimal for safety. Obey the rules for a safe and effective workout.

What Do You Think?

Are many people guilty of these behaviors at your gym? Are you guilty of any of them? Which of these things annoys you the most? Do you have any major gym etiquette pet peeves that didn’t make our list?

Introduction: Skeptic Viewing the World with a Rational Eye

BY MICHAEL SHERMER

This post is a reprint of the January 13, 2016 edition of eSkeptic Magazine

Ever since the early 1980s when I discovered the elegant and entertaining essays by the late Harvard evolutionary biologist and paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould—initially through his early essay collections in books (Ever Since Darwin and The Panda’s Thumb) and subsequently in monthly form as they rolled off the presses for Natural History magazine—I have maintained a deep passion to write science for general audiences. Not “popular science” writing per se, but more along the lines of what Gould strove for in his essays: deeper truths within scientific discoveries. As he wrote in the Preface to a later collection of essays, The Lying Stones of Marrakech: 

I have tried, as these essays developed over the years, to expand my humanistic ‘take’ upon science from a simple practical device…into a genuine emulsifier that might fuse the literary essay and the popular scientific article into something distinctive, something that might transcend our parochial disciplinary divisions for the benefit of both domains (science, because honorable personal expression by competent writers can’t ever hurt; and composition, because the thrill of nature’s factuality should not be excluded from the realm of our literary efforts). 

Transdisciplinary doesn’t begin to describe the breadth and depth of Gould’s oeuvre, and it has been a mark at which I have aimed in my own writing. 

In a 2002 paper published in the journal Social Studies of Science entitled “This View of Science,” I presented the results of a content analysis I conducted of all 300 essays Gould penned in his 25-year monthly streak, revealing five deeper themes that appeared in them: Data-Theory, Time’s Arrow-Time’s Cycle, Adaptationism-Nonadaptationism, Punctuationism-Gradualism, and Contingency-Necessity. The first theme on how data and theory interact interested me the most, inspired as I was by a quote Gould occasionally employed from his hero Charles Darwin: “How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service!” The context for that quote, as I explicate in the first essay in this volume (in what I call “Darwin’s Dictim”), was that Darwin was challenged by his critics to just put his data forward and not to bother theorizing too much. But as the founder of evolutionary theory knew, the facts never just speak for themselves; they are always viewed through the lenses of theory. The two—observations and views, data and theory—are the conjoined twins of science. 

That theme—the interplay of data and theory—is the central and unifying schemata in all of the essays in this volume. Gould completed his streak of 300 consecutive monthly essays in January of 2001. My first essay in Scientific American was in April of that year, but with a three month publication lead-time I actually penned the first one that January, close enough for an intellectual transition (if only in my mind). The 75 essays in this volume are from the first six and a quarter years of my own streak that—good health and fortune willing—will reach 300 in April of 2026, with several more essay volumes to come. I have grouped them into ten sections by topic within the larger data-theory schemata. 

I. Science. In this section I set the tone of the entire series with Darwin’s Dictim in the first essay, giving examples of why data and theory are necessarily bound together, then move through essays whose themes related to general scientific principles and debates, such as what scientists should say when they’re wrong (“I was wrong” is a good start) and what it means to be wronger than wrong, scientism and why people look up to scientific superstars like Stephen Hawking, how to tell the difference between the ideas of a cutting edge scientist versus a cutting edge amateur, how to communicate science in both words and pictures, and the nature of scientific replication. 

II. Skepticism. These essays range from classic skeptical debunkings (from the “faked” moon landing to 9/11 conspiracy theories) to the delicate balance between orthodoxy and heresy in science and when we should be skeptical of a heretical idea, and the fine art of baloney detection. 

III. Pseudoscience and Quackery. There is also a difference between heresy and crazy, and the essays in this section explore why smart people fall for the latter, why being too open-minded is not always a good idea, why scams and cons work, and why bad ideas are dangerous to the point where they can kill. 

IV. The Paranormal and the Supernatural. The essays in this section are about nothing. That is to say, there is no such thing as the paranormal and the supernatural; there is just the normal, the natural, and mysteries we have yet to explain. Talking to the dead, ESP and PSI, Bible codes, random electronic signals that sound like voices, and illusory patterns in Beatles’ albums, and what happens when a skeptic goes to the New Age capital of the world. 

V. Aliens and UFOs. This is one of my favorite of all subjects in the skeptical pantheon of things to investigate, because there are really two different questions: Are aliens out there? and Have aliens come here? The answers to these two questions are “probably” and “probably not.” These essays consider what it means to search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, and how we would know when we made contact, a good reason why we have not yet heard from ET, what time travel means for the search, and what it feels like to be abducted by aliens. 

VI. Borderlands Science and Alternative Medicine. For my money the most interesting ideas are not those that are obviously right or wrong, but those that, if they are true, would be revolutionary. Nanotechnology and what it means for immortality, cryonics, cloning, and cures for the common cold, and other remedies that promise us the world but rarely deliver. 

VII. Psychology and the Brain. I am by training a psychologist so I am always interested in how our brains work, especially how we can so easily be fooled and mistaken in believing things that are not true. The essays in this section explore the many facets of human psychology as it relates to our beliefs about the world, especially how and when our intuitions serve us well or lead us astray. 

VIII. Human Nature. Fundamental to who we are and why we think and act as we do is our evolved biological nature, and the essays here consider a number of highly controversial scientific theories in this regard. For example, are we noble or ignoble savages? Are we biologically predisposed toward making love and war? Can we unweave the heart to understand love and attachment? And what is happiness, anyway, and can science measure it? 

IX. Evolution and Creationism. Ever since I was in college this topic has periodically erupted on the political and cultural landscape as scientists hope creationism goes away while creationists continue to evolve new strategies to wedge their ideas into the minds of the public, including and especially students. These essays dip into that controversy from a number of different points ranging from science to politics. 

X. Science, Religion, Miracles and God. Outside of the specific case of creationism, which focuses on evolution as a perceived threat to a narrow sect of religious belief, there is arguably no more contentious topic in all of science today than how it relates to religion, miracles, and God (most notably the latter’s existence—or not). It seems to be a perennial topic for scientists and philosophers of all stripes to ring in on, with new books landing on my desk almost weekly since I began this column a decade and a half ago. That’s a lot of ink spilled to solve a problem that may be insoluble. Is it? The essays in this final section consider that question, and others, in what is essentially a guide to how to think about science and religion, even while offering my own often strongly worded opinions. 

Writing monthly essays for Scientific American has been one of the most consistent joys in my life. I look forward each month to exploring a new theme or topic, chosen based on a number of criteria partially shaped by the editorial policies of the magazine, which has been in print for over a century and a half (so they know what they’re doing). These include new and newsworthy findings, discoveries, experiments, surveys, articles, and books in science that people care about and—fitting with my data-theory schemata—in each essay I try to connect them to some deeper theoretical idea with some relevance for society and culture. 

My pathway in this series has been navigated around many rocky shoals by the remarkable editors at Scientific American, including most notably John Rennie, Mariette DiChristina, and Fred Guterl, all of whom have struck the perfect balance of editorial hand, improving my prose without rewriting to the point of unrecognizability. And I would especially like to thank the fact checkers at Scientific American, most notably Aaron Shattuck, who has caught some potentially embarrassing whoppers before they went to press. In cycling we have a saying: there are only two types of cyclists—those who have crashed and those who are going to crash. Well, in literature there are only two types of writers—those who need editing and those who are going to need editing. The “Skeptic” column—and by extension this book—would not be possible without such supreme editing. I thank them, and the readers of Scientific American who have consistently supported my column, for this great honor. 

A final note on length and content 

To the original essays of this collected series I have, where appropriate, added updates that include corrections and addendums of new information that has come to light since the original publication dates. As well, I have included the slightly longer versions of the essays as I originally penned them for Scientific American; that is, my original published essay length was one page with an illustration, which delimits the word count to around 700. But I usually wrote around 800–1000 words and then started cutting, a painful process that I endured by promising myself that one day the full-length versions would come to light (the “director’s cut” as it were). It’s not that there was anything wrong with the original 700-word pieces, only that they breathe a little freer when I’m allowed to flesh out a thought or explain an idea with a few additional sentences as I attempt to view the world with a rational eye, the reading line for SKE?TIC.

Michael Shermer’s new book, now available and published by Henry Holt/Macmillan, is a collection of his Scientific American essays that began in April of 2001. Shermer is most pleased with being able to bind the first 75 essays between two covers, and tell you about them here through the Introduction to the book, reprinted by permission of the publisher.