I saw this article in yesterday’s Sunday Herald Sun. It was written by ‘The Commando’, one of the high profile trainers from The Biggest Loser. For me it really reinforces the fact that we must always be skeptical of so called experts, particularly in the field of health and fitness.

In short, the article recommends doing a complex exercise (deadlifts) with heavy weights as your “quick-fix” for health and fitness. Now deadlifts can be a great exercise but unfortunately this article targets beginners with little lifting experience and tries to explain how to do the exercise safely in about 4 sentences. It is incredible the number of people who I see that have hurt their back from doing deadlifts with poor form/too much weight. And yet trainers still give this exercise to beginners without first teaching them proper technique.

Unfortunately poor quality articles like this one constantly pop up in fitness mags and on TV. Although they promote health, most actually cause more harm than good. My recommendation: DO NOT READ THIS SHIT! And if you do, do so knowing that its 90% entertainment with just a touch of education sprinkled in for fun.

At Better Exercise Physiology you train only with Exercise Physiologists. Now 5 years and a masters degree does not guarantee quality by any means, but it does help to sort out the good from the bad. If you’re in Healesville and would like to train with Exercise Physiologists that know what they’re doing, come down to the clinic at 402 Maroondah Hwy. Or if you’ve just got an exercise/nutrition question that you want answered, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.