Tag Archive for: Myths

James Marshall

Medicine ball myths and truths

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The term medicine ball was coined by Robert J. Roberts in 1876. He had been inspired by one of the stories in Arabian Nights where an Eastern Potentate was advised by his physician to toss a large, soft ball of herbs a certain number of times a day until ‘he did sweat.’ Movement was being recommended as medicine back in ancient times. Roberts made a ball weighing 7-8lbs and sewn like a baseball. He then recommended a series of exercises in his work with the Y.M.C.A. that included lifting, circling and throwing the medicine ball. 

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Martin Bingisser

HMMR Podcast Episode 235: Half truths of training

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Lots of people write about common myths or the core principles of training. But it’s easy to find what always works and always doesn’t. What about the half truths of training? What about the statements that hold some water until you take them too far? On this week’s podcast we share some of the half truths we encounter in training and how to navigate them.

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James de Lacey

Debunking the myth of core stability

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Core training is a staple in the training program of most athletes and general fitness goers. “Core” stability training arrived around the end of the 1990s and was largely derived from studies that demonstrated change in timing of activation of the trunk muscles in lower back pain. Core stability, the argument went, was the key to relieving chronic lower back pain. This has led to worldwide teaching of trunk bracing and “tummy tucking” for lower back pain and injury prevention.  Read more