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Philadelphia’s two great saints, John Nuemann and Katherine Drexel, understood that good schooling is meant for all students. That’s why they established and developed the system of Catholic schools in America. I am graduated from that system. It is only just that I would give some nice playthings to a bunch of kids at the…

In this episode, I continue my phone call with Miriam who wonders if she may one day qualify for the Boston Marathon. Her current performance time is far from a Boston qualifying time. I think she can qualify and I explained why in the last episode. This part of the conversation moves on to other…

Miriam and I had a nice phone call about running. She’s a writer who’s currently based in Philly. If you read the New York Times bestselling memoir, “A Journal for Jordan,” you may remember a character named Miriam—that’s her. Miriam’s main question for me is: Can I qualify for the Boston Marathon? The problem is…

In this episode, I finish my consultation with Mike, who is a 76-year-old roofer with his own business. His days involve a lot of loading and unloading building materials, and carrying them up and down 3-story-tall ladders. Today we discuss why a very particular regimen of exercise—called neuromotor exercise training—is especially useful for him.

In this episode, I talk to Mike who owns a busy roofing company. The pandemic changed the way that his business operates and, as a result, he found himself out of the office and back on the ladder.  He immediately discovered that he wasn’t moving like he used to. To his mind, that was a…

When I think about people with strong-looking calves, the groups that immediately come to mind are pointe dancers, elite running and jumping athletes, and bodybuilders. Some of the people in those groups may have genes that predisposed their calf muscles to respond very positively to exercise. They are naturals. The others may not have had…

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is regarded as the leading and most reputable trade association for professionals working in the field of exercise. They publish a number of standards and guidelines on many subjects, including reps, weights, and other topics related to strength training. They name four different strength-training objectives. They are the…

In comparison to the ground, the physio ball can be a challenging surface on which to perform core exercises.   A physio ball is a labile surface     The physio ball isn’t a stable surface. It’s a sphere that will move when a force is applied to it. When an exercise is performed on…

Suspension training is a good way to develop skills and to develop endurance. The big three: rings, monkey bars, TRX Rings are a good way to practice skills like handstands, static holds like the world-famous Iron Cross, and dismounts. Monkey bars are a good way to practice American Ninja Warrior skills and skills that require…

As a basic premise, it would seem that growth in your body would interfere with the simultaneous shrinking of your body. But there have been many reports of people claiming that they  can gain muscle while losing weight. Let’s take a look at one way this could happen, for an average woman living in the…