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Reflections on “Not Following the Program”
by Rebekah Cygan
Stronger seems like a good idea to people; it just doesn’t sound like the most important thing to most people. Their ears like the sound of “functional fitness” better. And I find myself thinking, “If I could get you under a barbell, I could change your life.”
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This. So much this.
Great article. Will be passing it around.
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I agree, great article.
Rehekah's article succinctly summed-up nearly every conversation I've ever had with people who ask me how I "stay fit" or "work out". I, too, will be forwarding this piece to many friends.
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Great read, hit a lot of valid points in regards to the struggles we all face as lifters who attempt to introduce others to the program, and even our personal struggles of taking the leap of faith and doing the program ourselves for the first time.
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This was really well written and explained.
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Superb. Straightforward and clear. A great article I will be sharing, thank you.
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Good article.
Rebekah: I suspect that you do not know what "busting a nut" means.
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Great article!
I think there is a pink elephant in all of your observations. With the exception of an individual who is so atrophied that they can't fathom doing anything other than eating pills, most people do not believe they are "starting". They were high school athletes, weekend warriors, runners, crossfitters, gym bros, etc. The connotation of "Starting" something which they think they have done for years, turns them off. Sure their knees, shoulders and back's hurt, but (in their minds) not because they are weak (and are perfect candidates to make progress in a linear fashion), but because they have been so active their whole lives. Bad genes, bad luck, hard lives.
The brand "Starting Strength" is the top brand for strength in, really, every regard. However, I am convinced, that so many are turned away simply because (again in their minds) they are not starting anything. They are not novices despite a rigorous definition that proves they are. Perhaps, "Starting Strength (Why you've been doing everything wrong your whole life)" reaches a broader audience.
While I admire the success of the brand as is, and I am an advocate, and - it is clearly not for me to worry about -, I think that addressing this pink elephant head on with potential clients, in a direct and ironic way could prove productive.
Thats my unsolicited two cents!
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I am also a PTA and your words resonated with me so much when you described how your view of practice trained after you were exposed to Starting Strength. I watch my colleagues perform "thousands of leg extensions" and try to implement insanely complicated balance moves on airex pads and bosu balls to patients with dementia who will show no carryover whatsoever from those treatments. I think the thing therapists think they are doing is retraining the neuromuscular system how to move properly and by stimulating proprioceptive receptors they are in turn improving the patient's balance and decreasing their fall risk. When they see me giving my patient's heavy weights (more than 5 pound dumbbells) and making them do weighted sit to stands they look at me like I am crazy. I would like to know how you rectified your feelings about practicing physical therapy with the knowledge you gained from starting strength? I have a good amount of freedom to do whatever I want with my patients so I try to get real creative and incorporate as heavy resistance training as safely as I can with my patients with the equipment available while also trying to justify what I'm doing in my documentation. My facility also has a personal training "personal fitness" program that is private pay for after they are discharged. I have a few 80-90 year old men who are fairly capable of handling some moderate resistance training, I feel like I do the most good out of all my clients I service with these guys compared to the ones where I am restricted to certain CPT codes and therapy goals that I have to address that were written in the evals.
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