The Truth on Fitness: Does Focus of Attention Influence Performance Outcomes? Spend enough time in a weight room, and you’ll eventually hear a trainer ask their client, "can you feel your muscles contracting?" Sometimes the question takes the form of, "where do you feel it?" As if there is some doubt as to which muscles are actually working during a given exercise. In more deliberate approaches, some contemporary strength training modalities specifically direct the performer's attention to the activation of individual muscles.

The Truth on Fitness: Is Treadmill Running The Equivalent Of Running Over Ground?
When running on a treadmill, "the belt pulls your leg through, resulting in a relatively passive extension of the hip. Passive [hip] extension would then minimize the contribution of the primary hip extensors. Running over ground, on the other hand, requires that you pull your leg through, therefore involving active hip extension."

The Truth on Fitness: To Prove or Not to Prove
When it comes to matters of finance, cash is king. This simple, yet powerful, phrase suggests that with all of the creative mechanisms for counting assets, the only thing with true intrinsic value is cash in hand.

The Truth on Fitness: Does Muscle Activation Determine Exercise Effectiveness?
Recently, an interesting chat string appeared on a sports performance forum, wherein someone claimed to have identified the best exercises for developing the gluteal muscles. Making the posting especially fascinating, was the fact that the exercises were not selected for their ability to enhance hip joint movement or stability, but for their propensity to induce greater levels of muscle activation, as measured by electromyography. Apparently, a relatively new trend has emerged, whereby sports and fitness coaches use electromyography to validate training and fitness practices.

The Truth on Fitness: Must Strength Exercises be Specific to be Effective?
Among the many concepts that exist within the functional training continuum, one of the more common is the notion of specificity. In a sense, this may be the defining characteristic of functional training. To read the full analysis presented by Dr. Paul Juris, click on the title above.

The Truth on Fitness: Should we use Unstable Surfaces?
Physioballs, balance boards, tilt disks, foam rollers and pads, inflated rubber disks, and Bosu’s™ are all objects conspicuously placed around the floors of virtually every gym. Collectively, they comprise a class of exercise known as unstable training. But should we use unstable surfaces? To read the full analysis presented by Dr. Paul Juris, click on the title above.

The Truth on Fitness: Should Women Run?
Should women run? This is the question that was recently posed on a popular internet sports conditioning forum. Citing a review article published in the journal Sports Medicine, and a vague reference to women’s structural anatomy, the commentator questioned whether women should run. To read the rebuttal presented by Dr. Paul Juris, click on the title above.

The Truth on Fitness: Are Cables Better Than Selectorized Machines?
In today’s functionally oriented fitness world, there is a growing sentiment, that amongst strength machines, selectorized training devices are inappropriate, while cable-based systems are the method of choice. The crux of this argument is rooted in the belief that strength, gained through movements which are defined by the machine, does not transfer to daily skills. User-defined movements, some have argued, will result in more "transferable" strength gains. To read the full article click on the title above.

The Truth on Fitness: Strength = Cardio
In considering fitness programs, two broad categories typically define one’s exercise options; strength training, or cardiovascular conditioning. Most of us understand, intuitively, the differences between these modes of exercise, and organize our workouts so that they are treated separately. In fact, most gym environments divide the equipment serving these two modalities. From a different perspective, however, strength training and cardiovascular conditioning are really one in the same, with equipment options that blur the lines between the two applications.

The Truth on Fitness: Developing Better Balance
When one thinks of balance training, one may first envision someone standing on a wobbling disk or air-filled rubber pillow, because these techniques have become vogue in current fitness practices. These moving and distorting objects are referred to, by researchers, as labile surfaces. In fact, it is a rare occasion indeed when one can walk into any gym and not see someone exercising atop a labile device. The question that you might ask yourself is, "do I really need to stand on one of those things in order to improve my balance?" Well, maybe, but before we answer that, we should first understand how balance is controlled. Dr. Paul Juris describes the best approach to improve balance and stability during motion activities.

The Truth on Fitness: A Sense of Balance
Whether equilibrium arises from subtle control of the center of gravity, or a dynamic repositioning of the base of support in front of a moving center of gravity, the eventual outcome is the product of information gathering and the ensuing motor response. To put it plainly, one must first recognize that their stability is being, or is about to be challenged, and then, they have to produce some action intended to maintain equilibrium. Through a combination of complex information from our eyes, muscles, joints, ears, and other tissues, balance and equilibrium can be maintained or lost. In this installment, we’ll explore the sensory side of this equation.

The Truth on Fitness: Keeping your Balance – Standing or Moving
Stability has both advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the functional goal. If the objective were to remain stationary, for example, a high degree of stability would be advantageous. On the other hand, if one wanted to move quickly from one position to another, too much stability would hinder displacement, and would be a disadvantage. Often, finding just the right amount of stability is essential to successful function.

The Truth on Fitness: Balance and the Center of Gravity
In all of our movement actions, there is to some degree, a need to maintain our balance if we are to successfully complete a task. Dr. Paul Juris examines the biomechanics of balance, different types of balance conditions, its control systems, and the various training methods that contribute to improving balance.

The Truth on Fitness: Functional Training
Trends in the fitness industry come and go, but one has captured the attention and stayed with the public like no other; functional training. Exercises promoting benefits to specific functions have exploded in our gyms with a seemingly endless myriad of methods and exercises being offered. The functional training movement continues to grow at a rapid pace gathering new converts daily. However, the movement itself may be based more on opinions and beliefs rather than on empirical scientific evidence. Dr. Paul Juris, Executive Director of the CYBEX Institute for Exercise Science, asks the question "What is functional exercise?" To read the full article click on the title above.

The Truth on Fitness: Leg Extensions
Of the many highly scrutinized exercises used in fitness and rehabilitation settings, the one subjected to the strongest opposition is the leg extension. Opponents of the leg extension claim that the exercise imposes too much stress on the connective tissues of the knee joint. Various other concerns lead detractors to proclaim the leg extension "off limits". Adding support to the anti-extension movement are those who argue that leg extensions are simply not functional, given that isolated movement about the knee bears little resemblance to normal functional activities. Some theorists have insinuated that such strengthening is actually detrimental to motor performance. Others have even commented that they "would never waste their time doing leg extensions." How did such strong opinions opposing the leg extension come to exist? To read the full article click on the title above.