Is the “Maximum Heart Rate” Formula Sabotaging Your Workout (And Your Results)?

by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 • 31 Comments

Exercising within your “target heart rate” zone has long been accepted as a standard training protocol, but what if I told you that the formula for calculating your max heart rate is inaccurate?  And that even the doctor that created the formula admits to being completely surprised at how the medical and fitness communities have made it the standard formula, without anyone actually doing any extended research.  Here’s the real story on how the formula for calculating your max heart rate came about (from the NY Times Health):

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Ab Strengthening Exercise (Better Than Situps)

by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, September 08, 2009 • 24 Comments

Strengthen Your Abs With Suitcase Squats:

One question I’m often asked is, “What ab exercises can I do other than the traditional sit-ups and crunches?”.  Well, if you’ve been following me or have read any of my articles, you know that I’m not a big fan of “traditional” ab exercises.  Here’s why:

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Were We Born To Run, Not Walk?  (Part 2)

by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, September 03, 2009 • 25 Comments

So the question still remains… were we born to run or walk?  According to Bramble and Leibermann, we are and they did have some compelling anatomical evidence that suggests so.  Although I find the evidence extremely interesting and intriguing, I’m not completely sold on the idea (at least not yet anyway).  It’s hard to imagine that we ran everywhere we went.  I feel that more evidence is needed before any conclusive statements can be made.  But, asking this question brought up another interesting and often debated question amongst runners:  Are we naturally forefoot/mid-foot runners, or is heel striking the way to go?  As you read in Where We Born To Run, Not Walk (Part 1) of this article, I’m a strong advocate of forefoot or mid-foot running, either barefoot or with very little cushioning.  And, since so many of you commented on the last article wanting to know exactly how to forefoot run, I’ll get straight to the video demonstration before I continue on with the rest of this article:
 
How To Make The Transition From Heel-Striker To Forefoot Runner:

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