Evolution and Training: An Interview with Dr. William Meller

[stef]

by Jim Steel

Dr. William Meller is the author of Evolution Rx: A Practical Guide to Harnessing Our Innate Capacity for Health and Healing. I found his book in a blurb in Powerlifting USA titled “Don’t Stretch”, and of course that piqued my interest…I tried to ask the good doctor questions that would relate specifically to the Starting Strength readers, but there is so much more to learn from this man – I really just scraped the surface. Some things will be controversial, but it’s all interesting.

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[vivek]

a great article. thank you!

[Michael Wolf]

Very thought provoking. Although it wasn't in the nature of the piece (an informal interview), I would have liked to have seen some sources for his assertions.

However, the overall theory of it is really interesting, especially as a Biology major.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I guess you could buy his book.

[charlie karnick]

John Sheaffer recommends drinking a 3:1 carb/protein shake PWO although, the author says it's completely unnecessary. What are everyone's thoughts on that?

[ZachN]

John Sheaffer recommends drinking a 3:1 carb/protein shake PWO although, the author says it's completely unnecessary. What are everyone's thoughts on that?

Sheaffer's stuff is time-tested, it works, it's certainly not the only way to get things done but he recommends because it works.

[Mark E. Hurling]

As others have said, interesting premise and article. He seems to be treading some of the same real estate as Art Devaney minus the look at me ego. (Oh, sorry, did I say that out loud?) I'll have to read his book because I've been working on a book on self defense for women that looks at, in part, behaviors of our primate relatives that seem to predispose some of the less humanized among us males to rape. Of course then, most anything relating to anthropology has always interested me. As I have once already said, it was going to be my original degree until I changed to get one the more useless degrees there is, criminal justice. Now there's a real contradiction in terms, much like military intelligence.

[ChrisGibbons]

I think it doesn't matter that the two apparently are at odds on this. I know that JP's diet advice has worked for me so far. I also know that there are people out there who might totally disagree with it, and that's Just Fine.

Ask yourself why would it not make sense to replenish glycogen stores and facillitate tissue repair with a PWO shake of optimum quantities, rather than just getting "nutrients" eaten? It might not be biologically "necessary", but then neither is having a 500lb deadlift. It's just that it's a Good Thing to do. I think we're talking about optimums here rather than absolute physical laws.

The most important thing in life (after physical strength of course) is the ability to critically assess the information we recieve - and in the days of the interweb we get a lot of it. Experiment, reflect on your own experiences and find out what works for you. Even if JP's advice didn't work for 75% of the population, I'd still do it - because the evidence from personal experience is that it works for me.


Chris

[Michael Wolf]

I guess you could buy his book.

I believe we call that a "good point."

(note to self: try to refrain from writing stupid things in the future)

[LimieJosh]

Sheaffer's stuff is time-tested,

But this specific recommendation comes straight out of the scientific literature, which I find amusing.