Episode 83: Inbetweenie - A Tale of Two Seniors Oct 23, 2024

Welcome to Episode 83 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this Inbetweenie episode, Sarah discusses the importance of ‘banking’ capacities like strength, balance, and endurance, in order to have the best possible last 10 years of your life. Drawing from some real-life encounters, she compares how two very different lifestyle choices have led to two very different final decades for two women.

Sign up for our free Bone Density Mini Course here!

Links:

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

Episode 82: Weird Science: When It Doesn't All Add Up Oct 09, 2024

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 82 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah navigate the worlds of science, pseudoscience, and outdated science.

We’ll be looking at claims from a range of topics, including crystals, Reiki, and Ayurveda, to personality tests, fad diets, yoga, Pilates, physical therapy and CAM treatments.

Our discussion is organized around the "non-negotiable ingredients" of a science-based claim to separate pseudoscience from outdated ideas and solidly science-based claims.

REFERENCES: Posture Panic: Pt. 1, 2, and 3,Dexa Scammed?, Walk Your Bones Stronger?, Knee Myths, McGill - 62 and 74, Meakins, Long & Lean: Pt. 1, 2, and 3, Make Yoga U Make Sense, Alignment Dogma: Shoulders, Spine, and Pelvis, Nutrition, Y oga w Jake, Conspirituality on Terrence Howard, Unbiased Science: Acupuncture, Cupping, Decoding the Gurus, Maintenance Phase Myers-Briggs, Beall's List, Onero

Episode 81: Testify: Bone Density Course Alums Share Their Experiences Oct 02, 2024

Welcome to Episode 81 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah talk to four women who took the Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity last year about their experiences. Whether it’s reversing an osteoporosis diagnosis, to feeling more capable in all aspects of their lives, each woman has a unique perspective on their experience to share. In this episode you will hear from:

Bea, who first discovered yoga from a book back in the 80s, and became a long-time yoga teacher, but who realized over time that was missing the strength part.
Kathy, a private yoga teacher from Washington, D.C. She came across Movement Logic on social media and after receiving a diagnosis of osteoporosis, decided she wanted to try and overcome it using heavy lifting.
Bridgette, a 48-year-old yoga teacher from Canada, who is currently in perimenopause, and wanted to address the symptoms that she was experiencing as well as shore up some solid bones.
Samm, a Pilates instructor and sports massage therapist from England, who got into Pilates to try and help her bad back. She found us through our podcast, and had no hesitation in signing up to get stronger.

Only a few days left to sign up for this year’s Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity - so don’t delay!

Episode 80: Posture Panic Pt. 3 with Author Dr. Beth Linker, PhD Sep 25, 2024

Welcome to Episode 80 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah are joined by Dr. Beth Linker, PhD. Beth Linker, a former physical therapist, is an author and professor of the history of science, disability, and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her most recent book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, reveals the little-known and surprising origins of our fears and ideas about poor posture. In this episode you will learn:

How Dr. Linker transitioned from physical therapist to professor and author, and (then also) yoga teacher
Where her interest in posture first began
The most surprising discovery she made while writing her book on the history of posture
The origin of physical therapy
That the modern postural yoga practice is not a centuries old practice
How opinions about good and bad posture influence the judgment calls made on people’s competence and character
The relationship between posture-shaming and disability discrimination.
The difference between posture correction and posture modification
The value of posture modification for different individuals
What a positive shift might look like with regards to changing society’s attitudes toward posture
inactivity.

Sign up here for our FREE Live Strength Class (and sample our Bone Density Course) on September 19th at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET with free replay!

Reference links:

Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, by Beth Linker

Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice

Episode 73: Posture Panic Pt. 1

Episode 76: Posture Panic Pt. 2

Episode 79: Make Yoga U Make Sense Sep 18, 2024

Welcome to episode 79 of the Movement Logic Podcast! Laurel and Sarah explore whether yoga strengthens bones, examining Yoga U's claims and Dr. Loren Fishman’s controversial study. We'll uncover how Yoga U often exaggerates or cherry-picks evidence while overlooking effective bone-building exercises like heavy resistance and impact training.

In this episode, you will learn:

How research can be misrepresented to support biases.
The difference between bone resorption and bone-building.
Why yoga isn't effective for bone strengthening due to lack of adequate loading and progressive overload.
The limitations of yoga's balance improvements for real-world activities.
The importance of critically evaluating research claims about yoga and bone health.

Sign up here for our FREE Live Strength Class on September 19th at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET.

Reference links:

Our interview on Evidence-Based Pilates

Yoga U blogs on bone health:

5 Best Natural Sources of Calcium for Healthy Bones
Yoga for Osteoporosis
Yoga for Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention
Yoga for Osteoporosis - What does the research say?
Ways to reduce fracture: Muscle Strength

Movement Logic podcast episodes mentioned:

LIFTMOR TRIAL RESEARCH

the LIFTMOR trial on YouTube

Episode 78: Behemoth Knee Myths Sep 11, 2024

Welcome to Episode 78 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss what current science, versus outdated advice and conventional wisdom, have to say about the knees—namely whether “bone on bone” is a thing, and if deep squats, knee valgus aka “knee cave”, or high impact are inherently bad for your knees. Learn what research has to say about some of the most common fragilizing beliefs people hear about their knees, and why these scary tales are just plain wrong. In this episode you will learn that:

The knee is strong and adaptable, capable of handling various loads with training.
The knee has a wide range of safe positions, especially with progressive exposure.
Knee pain doesn’t always mean injury, and injuries can heal with proper care.
The knee isn't a simple hinge; it allows rotational and lateral movement.
The kneecap doesn’t always need to face forward in standing.
Knees can lock or hyperextend without causing harm, depending on the person.
The knee can safely move past the ankle and toes during squats or lunges.
Running and landing don’t require the knee to track perfectly forward.
Knee valgus is not inherently dangerous.
Deep squats, high-intensity exercise, and running do not cause arthritis or "wear and tear"; they strengthen the knee.
Strength training and running thicken knee cartilage compared to inactivity.

Sign up here for our FREE Live Strength Class (and sample our Bone Density Course) on September 19th at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET with free replay!

Analysis of the load on the knee joint and vertebral column with changes in squatting depth - PMID: 23821469

Positive effects of moderate exercise on glycosaminoglycan content in knee cartilage - PMID: 16258919

Thickening of the knee joint cartilage in elite weightlifters as a potential adaptation mechanism - PMID: 24648385

Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee: a Cochrane systematic review - PMID: 26405113

Knee alignment does not predict incident osteoarthritis - PMID: 17393450

Gluteal muscle weakness on joint kinematics - PMID: 37309814

The effect of experimentally induced gluteal muscle weakness on joint kinematics - PMID: 37309814

Impact of Three Strengthening Exercises on Dynamic Knee Valgus - PMID: 34068810

Anteromedial versus posterolateral hip musculature strengthening with dose-controlled in women with patellofemoral pain - PMID: 33689989

Kiss goodbye to the 'kissing knees' - PMID: 33906580

Research on Crossfit injury risk - PMID: 24276294, PMID: 28253059, PMID: 32343082, PMID: 33322981

Instagram post about Sharon Lokedi

Low Prevalence of Hip and Knee Arthritis in Active Marathon Runners - PMID: 29342063

Episode 77: Are You Getting DEXA Scammed? Sep 04, 2024

Welcome to Season 5 and Episode 77 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah dive into the history of how DEXA scans came to be so ubiquitous, what are the risks around osteoporosis medication, and whether osteoporosis and osteopenia were intended to be diagnoses in the first place. You will learn:

How was the DEXA score for osteoporosis first decided on
Was osteopenia supposed to be a diagnosis for treatment
What role did Merck play in getting more women to take their new drug Fosamax
What are the risk factors for the side effects of bisphosphonate drugs
What is the difference between a population risk vs an individual risk
Why it’s not recommended to get a DEXA scan before you are 65 years old
The role of iatrogenesis in the medication choices and use for women with osteoporosis

Sign up here for our FREE Live Strength Class (and sample our Bone Density Course) on September 19th at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET with free replay!

Reference links:

Estrogen Matters

North American Menopause Society

Jen Gunter Instagram

How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription

Managing Osteoporosis Patients after Long-Term Bisphosphonate Treatment

Long-Term Drug Therapy and Drug Discontinuations and Holidays for Osteoporosis Fracture Prevention: A Systematic Review

Osteoporosis: Innovations in screening and diagnostics

Osteoporosis Treatment

Episode 76: Posture Panic Part 2 Aug 28, 2024

Welcome to Season 5 and Episode 76 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this second episode in our Posture Panic series, Laurel and Sarah take a deep dive into the currently available research around posture to debunk some of the long held beliefs around posture, pain prevention, muscle activation, and more.

You will learn:

Does good posture keep you pain free?
Is Text Neck or Tech Neck really a thing we need to worry about?
Do we need to spend so much time finding a “neutral spine”?
Do you need to keep your shoulders “back and down” at all times?
Does a flexed spine automatically lead to a disc herniation?
What the actual predictors of pain and injury are (spoiler: it’s not your posture)
Why we hate @postureguymike’s fearmongering pseudoscience approach to “strength” for seniors

And more!

References:

Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America

Modifying patterns of movement in people with low back pain -does it help?

No consensus on causality of spine postures or physical exposure and low back pain

Association Between Text Neck and Neck Pain in Adults

Posture and time spent using a smartphone are not correlated with neck pain and disability in young adults

Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults?

Can we reduce the effort of maintaining a neutral sitting posture?

Exploring lumbar and lower limb kinematics and kinetics for evidence that lifting technique is associated with LBP

Evidence for an inherited predisposition to lumbar disc disease

The Twin Spine Study: contributions to a changing view of disc degeneration

Why Sitting Posture is Mostly Irrelevant to Future Pain

Effects of sex differences on scapular motion during arm elevation

In vivo 3-dimensional analysis of scapular kinematics: comparison of dominant and nondominant shoulders

Scapular Dyskinesis Is Not an Isolated Risk Factor for Shoulder Injury in Athletes

Sign up here to take our free Strength Class on September 19th 8:30am PT/11:30am ET

Episode 75: Hypermobile People Are People Too Aug 14, 2024

Welcome to Season 5 and Episode 75 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah are joined by Nikki Naab-Levy, strength coach and hypermobility specialist.

You will learn:

What is hypermobility and how does it differ from flexibility
What are the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and how do they differ from Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder
Who can and can’t diagnose hypermobility
Whether hypermobile people should never lock out their joints
What are the most important considerations when working with hypermobile clients
The negative consequences of catastrophizing positions as safe or unsafe
Why social media focuses on the wrong issues for hypermobile people
Strategies for hypermobile people to sense what level of activity they should undertake on any given day

Sign up here to get on the waitlist for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Reference links:

Nikki Naab-Levy on Instagram
Nikki Naab-Levy’s website

Episode 74: McGill We Go Again Jul 31, 2024

Welcome to Season 5 and Episode 74 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this unplanned episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss Stu McGill’s recent appearance on the Huberman podcast. In Episode 62, we identified McGill’s big themes around movement. In this episode, we go through his appearance on Huberman to see if he’s still promoting the same ideas or if he has updated his approach.

You will learn:

Why we are once more deconstructing Stu McGill’s standpoint and outdated views on movement safety
Why a hyperfocus on potential future pain is not only unhelpful but can put people off from exercising at all
Why we need to be encouraging more people to lift weights vs scaremongering them away from it
How McGill seems to continue to characterize himself as a ‘healer’ when in fact he is often well out of his scope of practice
McGill’s continued overuse of anecdote and analogy in lieu of evidence and research
Whether we will cover it if and when McGill goes on Rogan next (spoiler: we won’t)

Sign up here to get on the wait list for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Reference links:

Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense

Stu McGill on Huberman: Build a Strong, Pain-Proof Back

Episode 73: Posture Panic Pt. 1 Jul 17, 2024

Welcome to Season 5 and Episode 73 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this first part of our much-requested three-part series "Posture Panic," Laurel and Sarah dive into the history of posture. They discuss Beth Linker's book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, providing insights and context to how posture has been perceived and addressed through history starting around the turn of the century up until now.

You will learn:

The origins of "Posture Panic" around the turn of the century.
How Darwin's theories influenced the medicalization of posture.
The fear that human spines weren’t "ready" for bipedal stance, contributing to back pain and other issues.
Why we believe it’s important to move like animals and babies, and where these beliefs came from.
The intersectional impact of posture panic, affecting different races, classes, ages, and genders.
The critique of evolutionary anthropology and its perpetuation of race science.
The parallels between historical posture scrutiny and current fitness and diet trends like paleo, primal, and Crossfit.
How "primitive" and "natural" marketing terms are often used inappropriately and simplistically.
The evolution of posture surveillance from top-down to peer-based monitoring, emphasizing self-surveillance.
The controversial practice turned scandal of nude posture photography in colleges.
The historical use of posture as a symbol of civility and its implications for modern fitness standards.

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course [https://mailchi.mp/8c60a64eba9b/waitlist] in October 2024!

Reference links:

Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, by Beth Linker

Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense

Laurel and Sarah’s interview on the Conspirituality Podcast - Episode 205: Dismantling Movement Dogma

Episode 60: Dismantling Long & Lean Pt. 1

Episode 63: Dismantling Long & Lean Pt. 2

Episode 66: Dismantling Long & Lean Pt. 3

Episode 72: Inbetweenisode - Are you Tryin' to Spend the Least on Exercise? Jul 10, 2024

Welcome to Episode 72 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this inbetweenisode, Laurel poses a thought-provoking question: “Are you trying to spend the least on exercise?”

We delve into how we prioritize spending on exercise compared to other essential health needs like diet and sleep and ask, “if investing more in exercise could give us access to better communities, education, equipment, time-saving convenience, and even luxury, would we be more inclined to engage in and enjoy it?” We ask, “considering the significant role exercise plays in our health and longevity, is it rational to hesitate in spending more to build and strengthen an exercise habit, especially when we have the means to do so?”

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

Ramit Sethi’s stuff —

I Will Teach You To Be Rich (the book)

I Will Teach You To Be Rich (the podcast)

Episode 71: Inbetweenisode - Can You Really Walk Your Bones Stronger? Jul 03, 2024

Welcome to Episode 71 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this inbetweenisode, Sarah analyzes a recent NY Times article about exercise and bone density. How much do they get right, and how much do they get wrong? You’ll have to listen to find out!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

NYT Article: How to Strengthen Your Bones with Exercise

Episode 70: Inbetweenisode - Do you need a deload week? Jun 26, 2024

Welcome to Episode 70 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this inbetweenisode, Laurel answers the question, “Do you need a deload week?” In strength training, a deload week is a planned, periodic reduction in training intensity and/or volume. Spoiler: you probably don't need to plan deload weeks into your training, but listen more to find out!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

Episode 32: Load & Volume: When is Enough Enough? When is it Too Much?

Episode 39: RPE, 1 RM, 3 sets of 10, oh my?

Episode 69: Crack is Whack - Adam Meakins and A Modern Approach to Manual Therapy Jun 12, 2024

Welcome to Episode 69 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah are joined by Adam Meakins, also known as The Sports Physio, to discuss his recent co-authored paper, “A modern way to teach and practice manual therapy.” Adam highlights the major issues in current manual therapy practice and education, as detailed in this extensively cited paper, which draws on decades of research. He also outlines what a modern, evidence-based approach to manual therapy could look like.

In this episode you will learn:

The distinction between clinician-centered and patient-centered care.
How traditional manual therapy relies on pathoanatomical reasoning and what research reveals about its reliability and validity.
The potential harms of traditional manual therapy, including the propagation of harmful, fragilizing, and disempowering narratives about the body.
Why manual therapy treatments cannot precisely target individual joints and tissues, nor produce specific outcomes for those areas.
How human biases, such as appeal to authority, sunk cost fallacies, cognitive dissonance, and big egos, hinder the evolution of beliefs and practices in manual therapy.
Predictions for the future of manual therapy.

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

References:

Laurel and Sarah’s interview on the Conspirituality Podcast - Episode 205: Dismantling Movement Dogma

Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense

Episode 3: Massage Mistruths

Adam Meakins’ publication - A modern way to teach and practice manual therapy

Adam Meakins’ website

Episode 68: Promoting Movement Optimism May 29, 2024

Welcome to Episode 68 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by soon to be Doctor of Physical Therapy Adam McAtee, founder of Evidence-Based Pilates, a continuing education platform for Pilates instructors. Sarah and Adam discuss long and lean, whether Pilates can contribute to bone density improvement, and why the hundred is Sarah’s least favorite one.

In this episode you will learn:

Common myths often heard from clients and instructors alike about Pilates, including using lighter springs to strengthen smaller muscles
Why Pilates instructors confuse aesthetics and functionality and how freeing it can be to let them go
How the variety of Pilates styles now available is a positive, not a negative
The relationship of Contrology to modern day Pilates
Why it’s not that useful to your students and clients to name where all of your exercises come from
The difference between instructor-centered care and client-centered care
The importance of meeting clients where they are, even if you’re uncomfortable
What heavy load could look like on a reformer instead of the typical endurance based exercises
If anyone can make accurate claims about what the Hundred is for
How any Pilates exercise might be useful for one particular population

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

References:

Evidence-Based Pilates

Effectiveness of yoga and Pilates to improve bone density in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Episode 67: Popular Explanations for SI Joint Pain are Wrong, Says Science May 15, 2024

Welcome to Episode 67 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss what current science, versus outdated advice and conventional wisdom, have to say about the causes and solutions for sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain. Learn what research says about whether or not the SIJ is an inherently robust or fragile structure, whether things like lots of stretching in yoga or joint laxity during pregnancy contribute to its instability, and what therapists can and cannot reliably know about the causes of SIJ pain.

You will learn:

The anatomy and biomechanics of the SIJ.
How Sarah differentiates between low back pain and SIJ pain with her patients.
What joint incongruency is and what therapists can and cannot know about joints through palpation.
What amount of force is required to dislocate the SIJ.
What SIJ form and force closure are, and how they are used to explain SIJ pain.
Some common explanations, assessments, and treatments for SIJ pain that lack evidence.
Why muscle testing is an unreliable way to assess muscle strength or weakness.
The problem with muscle imbalance theories.
How upper and lower cross syndrome theories —the idea that muscles can be “locked short” and “locked long”— has since been replaced by more contemporary research.
What evidence-based tools we have to address SIJ pain.

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course.

Episode 21: Is the SI Joint Painful Due to Instability?

Evidence-Based Diagnosis and Treatment of the Painful Sacroiliac Joint

The sacroiliac joint – Victim or culprit

A radiostereometric analysis of movements of the sacroiliac joints during the standing

Clinical tests of the sacroiliac joint.

Effects of mobilization treatment on sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Association between the serum levels of relaxin and responses to the active straight leg raise

High-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation (HVLA) does not alter three-dimensional position of sacroiliac joint

Effects of mobilization treatment on sacroiliac joint dysfunction syndrome

Episode 66: Dismantling Long and Lean Pt. 3 May 01, 2024

Welcome to Episode 66 of the Movement Logic podcast! This episode is Part 3 of our Dismantling Long and Lean series. In this episode, Sarah and Laurel discuss the origins of Pilates, Barre, and yoga, and the connections between each movement method’s origins and the concept of a Pilates body, a Barre body, and a yoga body.

In this episode you will learn:

The Pilates origin story, including its clear cut relationship to ballet and the ‘dancer body’
The problematic origin of the dancer body in the 1960s in New York and its influence on Pilates and barre
The Barre origin story and the Lotte Berk Method
How Lotte Berk’s approach was sanitized for future iterations
Whether the teacher and the teachings can be separated
Laurel and Sarah’s experiences with the yoga body in their teacher trainings
Some essential differences between the yoga body and the Pilates or Barre body
What we can all do going forward to dismantle this patriarchal dominance over womens’ bodies

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course plus fun free bonus content along the way.

Reference Links:

Maintenance Phase: Pilates episode

1962 Sports Illustrated article

The Predatory Genius: what do we do when great artists are also moral monsters

Pilates Anytime: What is a Pilates body?

Lotte Berk Website

GX United: The down and dirty history of barre fitness

NY Times: From Shimmying to Standing on Your Head

The Cut: The Secret Sexual History of the Barre Workout

Dance Magazine: The Cult of Thin

Episode 65: How to Exercise Safely When You're Injured Apr 17, 2024

Welcome to Episode 65 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is delving into the topic of exercising while injured. Should you? Shouldn’t you? How do you know when, how much, and what kind to do?

She takes you through a decision making strategy that will make this an easier question to tackle next time you are injured. Sarah also made a PDF Injury Decision Tree that you will receive as bonus content if you sign up for the 2024 Bone Density Course Wait List!

Caveat: This episode is not medical advice and should not be taken as such.

In this episode you will learn:

Acute vs Chronic injuries - what’s the difference when it comes to exercise
How different types of injury will impact your movement choices
Your body’s mechanism of injury response at a tissue healing level
The tissue healing timeline and what can speed it up or slow it down
The role pain plays in injury and how it’s not a 1:1 ratio of injury to pain
Situations where the best option actually is to rest
What types of exercise are best depending on your level of injury
Red flags to keep an eye out for that would require medical intervention

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024! It’s the only place you’ll get a discount on the course. You’ll also get the PDF Injury Decision Tree in a future email to the list.

Reference links:

Episode 1: Movement vs Exercise vs Sport

Episode 30: Mastering Physical Literacy with Dr. Chris Raynor, MD

Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense

Episode 64: Non-Diet Coaching & Silly Certification Tests with Damali Fraiser Apr 03, 2024

Welcome to Episode 64 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by non-diet kettlebell coach Damali Fraiser to talk about what it means to be an inclusive kettlebell coach. We also discuss why a coach's life experience and skills (and not their body) are their real business card. Finally, we get into silly certification tests that limit diversity in an industry that desperately needs more of it.

In this interview you will learn:

Why kettlebells are excellent tools for cultivating strength, power, and endurance.
How the shape of a kettlebell makes it uniquely effective for training stability and moving in multi-planar ways.
What it means to be a non-diet kettlebell coach.
What building body trust means, and how grasping at some ideal, future body can sabotage some people’s ability to relate to and trust the body they currently have.
What intersectionality is, and how understanding this concept can help us teach and coach in a way that is inclusive so that more people feel welcome in fitness.
A critical look at a popular kettlebell certification system, StrongFirst, and a test they impose as a barrier to entry for certifying coaches—the 100 kettlebell snatches in 5 minutes test.
How the fitness industrial complex negatively impacts folks who don’t conform to societal ideals and what we can do about it.

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Reference links:

Damali Fraiser's website

Episode 63: Dismantling Long and Lean Part 2 Mar 20, 2024

Welcome to Season 4 and Episode 63 of the Movement Logic podcast! This is part 2 of a much requested series titled Dismantling Long & Lean. In part 2, Laurel and Sarah discuss the phrase "long and lean" from a science-based, as well as sociological and racial perspective. They cover whether or not you can actually make anyone’s body “longer” and/or “leaner” through formats like Pilates and barre. Additionally, they unpack the harm that appealing to this narrowly, aesthetically-idealized body shape has on students and teachers.

You will learn:

Common code words used to show preference for thinness in exercise.
Is there a way to make limbs or muscles longer?
How do we change the shape of muscles?
Can we make muscles tone without making them bulky?
How hypertrophy works and whether or not Pilates or barre are particularly effective for building muscle.
What does it mean to be bulky versus lean?
The constrained energy model for metabolism and how it explains why exercise is a poor tool for weight loss and why it’s more complex than calories in and calories out.
How human metabolism is a product of evolution, not engineering and more like a business on a budget rather than a car that runs on fuel.
How the science of metabolism explains why exercise is so important for long term health and longevity.
Whether building muscle makes you burn more calories at rest.
That fast and slow metabolism doesn’t mean what people think it does.
Whether or not you can burn fat specifically from “problem areas” on your body.
How the transatlantic slave trade and the rise of Protestantism influenced the way we think about fatness and thinness.
How fatphobia and a preference for thinness has been used to craft and reinforce racial, sexual, and socioeconomic hierarchies over the centuries.
Why “long and lean” is to the 1990s and 2000s as “white and nordic” was to the 1800s and 1900s.
Why using "long and lean" as a marketing ploy does harm to the teaching profession of Pilates and barre.

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Reference links:

Episode 60: Dismantling Long & Lean Pt. 1

Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories…

Episode 43: Nutrition Facts vs. Fiction with Dr. Ben House, PhD

Fearing the Black Body…

Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense Mar 06, 2024

Welcome to episode 62 of the Movement Logic Podcast. In this episode, Sarah and Laurel discuss the recent interview of Dr. Stu McGill on Dr. Peter Attia’s podcast, The Drive. This interview has sparked a lot of internet commentary, so we’re breaking it down for you into what we’re calling Make McGill Make Sense.

You will learn:

Who are McGill and Attia, and why Attia is interviewing McGill
McGill’s rigid (pun intended) views on powerlifters vs yogis and what each group should and should not do
Why McGill “doesn’t believe” in non-specific low back pain, a well documented and researched phenomenon
How the biopsychosocial model of pain doesn’t exist in his world view
Why his fearmongering and moralizing approach to movement has been so successful
How and why he leans into storytelling vs data around low back pain

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Links:

Episode 29 The Cues We Use Part 1

Episode 31 The Cues We Use Part 2

Episode 34 The Cues We Use Part 3

Episode 45 Injury and Safety in Strength and Yoga

Episode 54 Alignment Dogma: Spine

https://peterattiamd.com/stuartmcgill/

https://www.backfitpro.com/

https://rheumatology.org/patients/joint-replacement-surgery#

Lancet Study age of hip replacements

Evidence for an Inherited Predisposition to Lumbar Disc Disease

Adam Meakins on Instagram

McGill Big 3 on YouTube

Episode 61: Putting Conditioning Back Into Strength & Conditioning Feb 21, 2024

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 61 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel explores whether strength training alone suffices for health and longevity. She compares training stress, intensity, and adaptations of strength training versus high intensity interval training (HIIT) versus cardiorespiratory endurance training. Discover how both HIIT and cardio are forms of conditioning, and why both strength and conditioning are necessary "weekly human maintenance habits" for preventing chronic disease and promoting longevity.

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

You will also learn:

What counts as exercise?
Does HIIT promote strength or cardiorespiratory endurance or both?
What is aerobic versus anaerobic conditioning?
What role does cardiorespiratory fitness play in our strength gains and what role does strength play in our cardiorespiratory fitness gains?
How strength training, HIIT, and cardio compare when considering the following: typical length of a session, work to rest ratios, relative intensities, common limitations to performance, and the specific adaptations each promotes.
Is strength enough for health and longevity?
Is walking conditioning?
Can the fatigue cost of HIIT interfere with our ability to exercise enough throughout the week?
What should we pay attention to specifically if we want to build strength with HIIT?
What’s the best way to structure weekly strength and conditioning workouts, specifically when we want to do both on the same day?

Reference links:

Episode 6: How Much ‘Should” You Exercise

CDC guidelines on exercise

Talk test

High-intensity interval training for health benefits…

Episode 37: Plyometrics—Get More Bang For Your Bones

Episode 46: How Often Should You Strength Trainlll?

Episode 32: Load & Volume…

Episode 9: What Are The Best Exercises for Strength?

Episode 23: Do We Really Need 10,000 Steps…?

Episode 60: Dismantling Long and Lean Part 1 Feb 07, 2024

Welcome to Season 4 and Episode 60 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this much requested first part of a three-part episode series, Laurel and Sarah discuss the phrase long and lean from a historical and sociological perspective. They cover the idealized image of women through art with a historical gaze, then unpick the narrative around becoming long and lean, how diet and exercise became front and center for this impossible ideal, and where we are today with social media, photoshop, and AI in the mix.

You will learn:

How bad Medieval artists were at drawing human bodies
How the Renaissance ideal form was the exact opposite of long and lean
“Ideal” female forms through the 20th and 21st centuries
The inherent misogyny, internalized anxiety, and social pressure of long and lean
Whether the diet and exercise boom of the 1980s had anything to do with health
Why GOOP is indeed a four letter word
How ‘problem areas’ keep us busy objectifying our bodies and how this is a feature of our modern capitalist society

And more!

Sign up here to get on the Wait List for our next Bone Density Course in October 2024!

Reference links:

The Toast Looks Back: The Best Of Two Monks

Met Museum

https://greatist.com/grow/100-years-womens-body-image#1

https://www.worldometers.info/weight-loss/

Diet Drugs

Fitness in the 80s

https://fitisafeministissue.com/2014/10/01/cankles-more-broken-body-parts-you-can-feel-bad-about-or-please-lets-just-stop/

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/fitness-wellbeing/news/a37546/problem-areas-your-body-fat-explained/

Latoya Shauntay Snell

Roz the Diva

Roz was a guest in our podcast - listen here

@fatbodyPikates

Damali Fraiser

Episode 59: Are You Certain You Need Certifications? Oct 18, 2023

Welcome to our supersized Episode 59 of the Movement Logic podcast and the final episode of Season 3! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss certifications for movement professionals. Are they necessary? Are they useful? Do they help promote you, or just the brand? Should you be focusing on it so much?

You will learn:

Do certifications in the movement industry function to a means to ensure quality control and accountability the way that the equivalent does in a regulated industry
Do the tests measure meaningful and important qualities of a movement teacher or do they measure what is easy to measure
What are some drawbacks to certifications
What are some positive aspects of certifications
The differences between regulated and unregulated industries
Does promoting a course as ‘safe’ require any proof in an unregulated industry?
Can a certification course really claim to be a safer form of movement than any other?
Why are many teachers looking for certification in their continuing education classes?
The value of longer form, apprentice/student to teacher/mentor relationship versus a weekend training
That Yoga Alliance is not the evil overlord that so many seem to think it is
Does having letters after your name make you more credible or trustworthy?

Episode 48: Alignment Dogma - Pelvis

Episode 54: Alignment Dogma - Spine

Episode 58: Alignment Dogma - Shoulders

Visit our website www.movementlogictutorials.com for more paid and free education!

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Episode 58: Alignment Dogma - Shoulders Oct 11, 2023

Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 59 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss dogmatic beliefs and myths around the shoulders from the yoga, Pilates, and strength training worlds. We also discuss how given the fact that shoulder joint is a “complex” of many bones and joints, it’s much more useful that teachers keep their approach to teaching this area as simple as possible (and stop micro-managing their students shoulders!)

You will learn:

The bones and joints of the shoulder joint complex
Mant shoulder “fun facts”
The directions of movement of the shoulder
What horizontal abduction and adduction are
What scapular tilt/winging is and why it’s not a problem
How scapular movement often mirrors where we are reaching our hand to
What scapulohumeral rhythm is
That the shoulder blade’s path across the rib cage is curvilinear.
Simplifying how we talk about shoulder movement and function to either a push or a pull.
The relationship between shoulder posture and alignment and shoulder pain and injury
How it’s hard to think scientifically and very human to think un-scientifically
Why “shoulders back and down” is often (but not always!) an inefficient and counter-productive way to cue the shoulders
Why micromanaging shoulder posture doesn’t change posture long term.
Why “fixing” someone’s alignment in chaturanga doesn’t help them acquire the strength they’d need to build to be able to do chaturanga with optimal alignment
How scapular dyskinesis and scapular winging are different
The fine line between using movement to solve movement problems (which is inside of a movement teacher’s scope of practice) and then diagnosing problems for students and prescribing movement to fix it (which is outside of a yoga teacher’s scope of practice.)
How upper and lower cross syndrome is an outdated (but still very influential) model for explaining posture and offering solutions to that posture.

Visit our website www.movementlogictutorials.com for more paid and free education!

Get on our mailing list to be kept in the know about upcoming courses.

Check out our Movement Logic Shoulders Tutorial

Shoulder Girdle Video

Note: we cannot source the origin of this video. If you know the origin, please let us know!

Arthroscopic subacromial decompression for subacromial shoulder pain… randomised surgical trial

Subacromial decompression surgery for rotator cuff disease

Acromiohumeral distance and supraspinatus tendon thickness in people with shoulder impingement syndrome…

Scapular dyskinesis

Episode 57: Move Over Big Boys. We Lift Heavy Too. Oct 04, 2023

Welcome to Episode 57 of the Movement Logic podcast. In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the fact that lifting heavy is not automatically a strength sport and that more people would feel invited to lift heavy if the media didn’t fixate so much on barbells as equipment for large, young, competitive male lifters and instead represented people that look more like everyone else and shared goals beyond competitive ones.

You will learn:

The difference between powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, body-building, and lifting heavy weights.
Why large, young men are over-represented in the media’s depiction of lifting heavy weights, and how this has been a deterrent to other groups of people (especially older women) who potentially have more to gain from lifting heavy weights than large, young men do.
How competitive athletes often have to take their training to extreme levels, but how everyone else who wants to see enormous benefits to their health can train with a far more moderate approach.
Sarah and Laurel’s first impression of lifting heavy weights growing up.
How being an elite athlete can often mean sacrificing non-insignificant aspects of health.
How when women start lifting weights they also start saying no to toxic bullshit in their lives.
Risk of injury is often higher amongst more experienced/elite lifters.
How women’s fear of getting “bulky” is understandable given that in our patriarchal society, women are often rewarded for a small and thin appearance.
Ironically lifting heavy, despite what conventional wisdom might have us believe, is not typically the best way to bulk up.
Everyone assumes that old age means getting frail, gaining weight, and becoming less capable, but it absolutely does not need to.
Standing up out of a chair becomes a non-issue if older people are regularly squatting heavy.

Sign up for our Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity before the October 8th deadline!

A 4-Year Analysis of the Incidence of Injuries Among CrossFit-Trained Participants

Episode 1: Movement vs Exercise vs Sport

Episode 16: Training the Non-Traditional Athlete with Rosalyn Mayse, AKA Roz the Diva

Episode 45: Injury and Safety in Strength and Yoga

Episode 11: Let's Stop Fragilifying Older People Already

Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain?

Episode 56: Does Hypermobility Cause Osteoporosis? Sep 27, 2023

Welcome to Episode 56 of the Movement Logic podcast. In this episode, Sarah is talking about hypermobility, and what if any connection exists between hypermobility and osteoporosis.

You will learn:

Hypermobility, EDS, and Marfan’s Syndrome, explained
Is there any agreement in the research around hypermobility and osteoporosis
Why research quality always matters when we’re trying to determine a connection between conditions
What does ‘statistically significant’ mean and why it matters for research
What criteria matter when we’re looking at research studies
Why hypermobile people should be lifting heavy weights, regardless of what the research shows

Alison Lloyd Instagram

Prevalence of generalized joint hypermobility, musculoskeletal injuries, and chronic musculoskeletal pain among American university students

Beighton Scale

Hospital Del Mar Scale

Ehlers-Danlos Society

The Marfan Foundation

Hypermobility syndrome increases the risk for low bone mass

The Relationship of Joint Hypermobility, Bone Mineral Density, and Osteoarthritis in the General Population:The Chingford Study

Ultrasonographic, axial, and peripheral measurements in female patients with benign hypermobility syndrome

Bone Disease in Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes

Sign up for our Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity before the October 8th deadline!

Episode 55: How to Start (and Teach) Strength Training Sep 20, 2023

Welcome to Episode 55 of the Movement Logic podcast. In this episode, Laurel answers two questions that she gets regularly from folks online. They are: How can I get started with strength training? And, how can I “learn more about” strength training? Spoiler: the best way to get started with strength training (the doing and the teaching) is by…wait for it…strength training!

In this episode you will learn:

The three most important elements of strength training—exercise technique, programming, and coaching.
Why yoga and Pilates teachers are already generally well-versed in exercise technique, but without the added component of external load and the goal of strength.
Yoga and Pilates teachers are typically not well-versed in programming, which is how we apply the principle of progressive overload to work toward building strength.
Coaching is key for deep understanding of both exercise technique and programming.
Laurel’s evolution from teaching yoga to becoming a strength coach.
The plusses, minuses and trade-offs of DIY program templates, group classes, one-on-ones, and more.
How yoga and Pilates teachers are accustomed to learning in a live, follow along format, and given then, how it can be a rude awakening to discover that programs in strength are often delivered in PDF format and personal trainer certifications mostly ask you to read a textbook and pass a test.
Why personal trainer certifications do not provide very much practical know-how for how to be a personal trainer.
How the Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity delivers on the three most important elements of getting started with strength and learning about strength training—exercise technique, programming, and coaching.
How the CSCS is widely considered the gold standard of personal trainer certifications but that it almost exclusively caters to competitive athletes (who make up a fraction of people who resistance train.)
How being a dedicated student of the thing you eventually want to teach is the most valuable way to prepare yourself to actually teach something.
How strength is defined, the systems in the body involved, and what the main adaptations (or changes) to your body are when you build strength.
That we can be strong in many ways,so it’s helpful to have a specific performance goal.
Why specific, performance goals are the best way to reach health and aesthetic goals.

Sign up for our free info session all about our Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity Thursday, Sep. 22nd 12 PT/ 3 ET

Sign up for our Bone Density Course: Lift for Longevity before the October 8th deadline! We won’t be offering this for another year.

The NSCA textbook is used to study for the CSCS - Essentials of Strength and Conditioning

Effect of Online Home-Based Resistance Exercise Training on Physical Fitness, Depression, Stress…

Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms…

Episode 54: Alignment Dogma - Spine Sep 13, 2023

Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 54 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss dogmatic beliefs and myths around the lower back, upper back, and neck from the yoga, Pilates, and strength training worlds.

You will learn:

That the spine is made up of over 360 joints so maybe we should move it in all the ways (instead of keep it neutral all the time).
That people are really bad at determining what position the spine is in just by observing (says research).
That movement variety and movement preparation > “fixing” someone's alignment in a movement.
Most yoga teachers never learn how to help their students progressively overload the strength they'd need to actually do the poses they teach.
Pain causes people to adopt certain postures, but then what happens is people often flip this in their mind and say that it's the person's suboptimal posture that caused them the pain.
Posture neither causes nor predicts pain (says science.)
Lumbar flexion is demonized while sitting (don’t schlump) or bending forward (don’t round your back!) but research has been unable to connect flexing the lumbar spine in these scenarios with low back pain or injury.
Deadlifting and squatting have been fearmongered to people who flex their lumbar spines in these exercises, but laboratory equipment has shown that even when it looks like someone has a neutral spine in these exercises, their lumbar spine is actually quite flexed.
Any exercise is better than no exercise for low back pain, but no particular exercise is better than any other for low back pain.
Why thoracic/upper back “hyper” kyphosis (a rounded upper back) is not a pathology.
That back-bending is probably just flat bending in the thoracic spine.
That “tech neck” does not predict neck pain.
The neck is not a crane, and so we cannot apply the same physics to predict how a forward neck will respond to holding the load of the head forward of the body that we’d use to predict how a crane will respond to holding a load forward of its foundation.
People who force their necks to be neutral have more pain than people with tech neck posture.

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay

Research mentioned in this episode:

Spinal Degeneration in Asymptomatic Populations

Intervertebral disc herniation: studies on a porcine model

To flex or not to flex? Is there a relationship between lumbar spine flexion during lifting and low back pain?

Arthrogenic neuromusculature inhibition: A foundational investigation of existence in the hip joint

Effects of load on good morning kinematics and EMG activity

Posture and time spent using a smartphone are not correlated with neck pain

Is neck posture subgroup in late adolescence a risk factor for persistent neck pain in young adults?

Episode 53: Your Bones Are Bored Sep 06, 2023

Welcome to Episode 53 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah and Laurel dissect a few research papers that studied the effects of various rest periods between loading bone, and how these rest periods can impact the efficacy of our bone density building.

You will learn:

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts, defined
Why bone building reminds Sarah of Fraggle Rock
What does your bones’ mechanosensitivity have to do with its response to load
Why bone cells remind Laurel of herself (they’re easily bored)
What parameters create an osteogenic response in bone cells
Why yoga, Pilates, and other bodyweight exercise will never be enough to generate progressive bone building
What makes a good study (hint: having a control group matters)
What is cellular accommodation and why does it rely on path dependence
Where bones get the most input for the changes they make
How do we take advantage of periodization and programming for greatest effect
What is a training block and how should you use it for your workouts

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay

Cellular accommodation and the response of bone to mechanical loading

Mechanosensitivity of the rat skeleton decreases after a long period of loading, but is improved with time off

Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bone

Episode 52: What Stopped You from Lifting - 7 Guests Share their Stories Aug 30, 2023

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 52 of the Movement Logic podcast. In this episode, Laurel and Sarah are joined by seven other guests for a panoramic, multi-perspective answer to the question “why don't more women lift weights?” Our seven guests (all of whom are movement professionals) weigh in on their previous objections to strength training. Of course they also share their impetus for starting to lift, and how it changed their lives.

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay.

Sign up here for our Free Barbell Mini-Course + our Free Barbell Equipment Guide

Our guests on Instagram:

Maryann Thompson @maryannthomsonpilates

Diana Romero @insprana.yoga

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller @conscioushealthymama

Lisa Schwarcz Zlotnick @lisazlotnick

Kathy Dodd @kdnaturalyoga

Trina Altman @trinaaltman

Alex Ellis on Instagram @hollaformala on Tik Tok @aewellness

Episode 47: Our Oopsie Stories from the Teaching Trenches

Sarah’s barbell equipment Post 1 and Post 2 on Instagram

Books about fitness culture:

Deconstructing the Fitness-Industrial Complex: How to Resist, Disrupt, and Reclaim What It Means to Be Fit in American Culture

Butts: A Backstory

Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession

Episode 51: Persistent Myths About Osteoporosis Aug 23, 2023

Welcome to Episode 51 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss myths around osteoporosis and osteopenia, including why yoga and Pilates are poor choices for bone building (yes, we’ll talk about THAT study, again) and ultimately how weight training and impact training are both safe options when applied with the proper dosage and programming.

You will learn:

Osteoporosis and osteopenia, defined
Why so many people with osteoporosis are afraid of falling
What the fear-mongering messaging around osteoporosis is disempowering people with osteoporosis
Why strength training is not only tolerable for people with osteoporosis, it’s essential
How no progressive overload in weight training is like staying in kindergarten forever
Why the myth that yoga reverses osteoporosis from the Fishman study prevails to this day, and why this is proof that we need to keep a critical eye about research
Why the Fishman paper does not prove what it claims to prove
How yoga asana might help bone density for a very short time, but strength and impact training are your best bets overall
What is cellular accommodation and what does it mean for your bone density building
Types of movement classes for osteoporosis and their respective claims around their safety and efficacy
Is Osteosteong a good choice to build bone density?
Do Osteostrong’s claims match up with what research has found so far?

And more!

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay

Episode 5 Does Yoga Asana Build Bone Density?

Episode 38 Got Bones? Yoga Asana Isn’t Enough

Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss

https://osteostrongla.com/

BonES Lab at University of Waterloo Video Questions Efficacy of Osteostrong Program

Is OSTEOSTRONG Misleading Vulnerable People Regarding Claims of High Increases in Bone Density?

High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial

Episode 50: Bracing versus Breathing Aug 16, 2023

In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss bracing and breathing. Why are we all so confused about our breathing mechanics and convinced we’re doing it wrong, no matter what we’re doing? When is the right (and wrong) time to brace when lifting something? What’s the difference between bracing and bearing down? And is navel to spine even doing what we think it’s doing?

You will learn:

Is there a right and a wrong way to breathe
How social media influences our sense of right and wrong breathing
Breathing vs bracing in yoga, Pilates, and strength training
Common postural tension that can impact breathing
Sarah’s favorite injury
How Sarah teaches breathing in the clinic
Anatomy of breathing
What bracing for a heavy lift actually entails (hint: it’s not bearing down)
When to use bracing in strength training
The value of trunk stability and what navel to spine is actually doing
Whether pranayama techniques should be done all the time
How to cue diaphragmatic breathing
Whether pranayama is the most efficient way to challenge the cardiovascular system and increase breath capacity

And more!

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th 10am PT/1pm ET with 30 day replay

Season 1 Episode 10 Is there a Right and a Wrong Way to Breathe?

Season 1 Episode 19 Oh NO! Nose Breathing and Nitric Oxide

Email Apnea article

Episode 49: You Don't Know How Strong You Are (Says Research) Aug 09, 2023

Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 49 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the common tendency for people (not just women) to under load when lifting weights to build muscle and strength. In fact, it’s likely a slight majority of people in the gym are either not lifting heavy enough or taking sets close enough to failure to make changes to their muscle mass or strength!

You will learn:

If left to their own devices, the average lifter gravitates toward sets of 10 with 50-55% of a 1 repetition max, which would not be stimulating enough to make a change to muscle mass or hypertrophy.
That research has shown people are likely to leave too many reps in reserve (ending the set too soon) and why this will not make your muscles bigger or your body stronger.
That research has shown that a slight majority of people select weights that are too light for a given rep range and why this will not make your muscles bigger or your body stronger.
That if a slight majority of people with access to a fully equipped gym are prone to underloading, then people working out at home with more limited equipment might be even more prone to underloading.
How heavy, moderate, and light loads are defined according to exercise science.
A working definition of “serious lifters” which is people who track their workouts and correctly apply the principle of progressive overload to their training protocol. AKA, people who see results from their training!
How laundry detergent can explain why people are so stuck on doing 3 sets of 10.
How strength training is a lot like yoga in that it is literally ALL about listening to your body.
How feelings can explain the tendency to underload, like avoiding feelings of discomfort or avoiding feeling embarrassed if you cannot lift a weight successfully.
Getting close to failure is key for success in strength training.
That healthy boundaries for women includes learning your no, but also learning your yes, especially when it comes to saying yes to loading sufficiently to build muscular strength and bone density.

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay

Article by Stronger By Science - Most Lifters Train Too Light

Self-Selected Resistance Exercise Load: Implications for Research and Prescription

Are Trainees Lifting Heavy Enough? Self-Selected Loads in Resistance Exercise: A Scoping Review and Exploratory Meta-analysis

Episode 32: Load & Volume: When is Enough Enough? When is it Too Much?

Episode 39: RPE, 1 RM, 3 sets of 10, oh my?

Episode 48: Alignment Dogma - Pelvis Aug 02, 2023

Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 48 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss dogmatic beliefs and myths around the pelvis from the yoga, Pilates, and strength training worlds. We also discuss how correlating pelvic position with safety or pain is not backed by research, and thus what value teaching pelvic alignment may or may not have.

You will learn:

Natural variations on the AFAB and AMAB pelvises
How there’s a variety of ideas on where neutral pelvis is, which tells us that nobody knows what a neutral pelvis actually is
That anterior pelvic tilt is not a pathology and we need to stop acting like it is
Alignment cueing has value - let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater
What place does mula bandha have in our pelvis
Literally, where is mula bandha as there seems to be no agreement
Is “butt wink” a bad thing or an inevitable thing?
What does “navel to spine” actually do to the pelvis
Ultimately, how should we be thinking about our students’ pelvic alignment and how much do we need to be doing about it

Sign up here for the Live Strength Training Webinar on Sept 14th with 30 day replay

Laurel's Body of Knowledge Course

Movement Logic Hip and SI Joint Tutorial

Movement Logic Pelvic Floor Tutorial

4 Types of AFAB Pelvis

Paul Grilley Bone Images

IG post comparing Sarah and Laurel’s internal and external hip rotation

Matthew Remski’s Practice And All Is Coming: Abuse, Cult Dynamics, And Healing In Yoga And Beyond uncovers rape and sexual assault by Ashtanga Yoga’s creator Pattahbi Jois on his teachers and students

Study showing 75-85% of people have anterior pelvic tilt and no pain

Anterior tilt not correlated with low back pain

Lumbar lordosis not correlated with low back pain

Episode 47: Our Oopsie Stories from the Teaching Trenches Jun 28, 2023

Welcome to Episode 47 of the Movement Logic Podcast—our last episode of season 3!

In this episode, Laurel and Sarah reflect on their most cringe stories from the teaching trenches and the big and small lessons they learned from them. You will belly laugh at their mistakes, and also learn vicariously through them!.

DISCLAIMER: the language in this episode gets a little salty so you may want to listen when there are no children around.

You will learn:

That making mistakes is a crucial part of getting better at something, and in fact if you aren’t making mistakes, you probably aren’t learning as much as you could be.
Why Laurel dislikes the phrase “in the trenches” to describe teaching weekly classes or privates.
Why the only way to learn how to teach skillfully is to teach—and there will (or must be) mistakes!
The difference between people who are excellent versus mediocre at something often comes down to how many mistakes they made—people who are excellent at what they do have often made a lot of mistakes and have learned from them!
What Sarah’s oopsie taught her about what she was looking for in a studio to teach for, as well as what kind of teacher she actually wanted to be.
How the concept of somatic dominance helps both Laurel and Sarah better understand their mistakes in retrospect, and how much the yoga and fitness community has changed (and hopefully continues to change) on a systemic level since.
Mistakes often involve multiple different lessons, some of which can be learned immediately, and others that might take years or decades for us to realize.
That shame is a normal human emotion, we can experience shame while also not letting it shape our identity and prevent us from learning and growing.
The mistake that taught Laurel she was teaching people not poses.
How making big mistakes can sometimes fast track really important lessons that might have otherwise taken much longer to learn.
How story-telling can transform shame and help you process what happened in a healthy way.

Episode 36: Somatic Dominance

Get our Free Bone Density Mini Course — OFFER ENDS JULY 9th!

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Episode 46: How Often Should You Strength Train Per Week? Jun 21, 2023

Welcome to Episode 46 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel discusses frequency, or how often to strength train per week. Laurel unpacks the concept of frequency its relationship to volume, as well as what research suggests is the “minimal effective dose” to get certain benefits from resistance training, like increased longevity and strength. By the end of this episode you will understand why workout frequency matters enormously, but why it cannot matter separately from weekly volume or the individual who is training.

You will also learn:

Why the common prescription for frequency—3x/week—is empty advice devoid of context to make it useful.
Why any amount of resistance training is better than none (according to research).
What the minimal effective dose of resistance training is for older adults (people over age 65), and what amount might be too much.
Why it’s important to control for volume when researching workout frequency and its role in strength.
Why there’s no right optimal dose of volume or frequency for everyone.
Why fatigue and recovery play an important role in determining optimal training volume and frequency.
That science still can’t point confidently to specific causes of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
What types of individuals, muscle groups, and workouts might require more recovery time than others.
How to use frequency to increase volume in a safe way.
How maintaining strength is different from increasing it, and what research shows is enough volume to maintain the strength you've built if you have to spend time away from training.

Get our FREE Bone Density Mini Course: Barbell 101

Essentials of Strength and Conditioning

Chris Beardsley Articles

What determines training frequency?

What is training volume?

How does training volume affect muscle growth?

What causes delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)?

Stronger By Science Articles

Training Frequency for Strength Development: What the Data Say

What is the optimal dose of resistance training for longevity?

A Guide to Detraining: What to Expect, How to Mitigate Losses, and How to Get Back to Full Strength

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - General Physical Activity Guidelines

Episode 45: Injury and Safety in Strength and Yoga Jun 14, 2023

Welcome to Episode 45 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah talk about pain, injury, and safety in strength and yoga. We discuss what an injury is and how definitions of injury differ in research. We also discuss pain and how it is different (but also overlaps) with injury. Then we look at what research suggests about the overall likelihood of sustaining an injury in strength training and yoga. We’ll also discuss what safety is from a health standpoint, and about the relative risks to our safety that exercise versus being sedentary present. Toward the end of the episode, we offer you some valuable tips to “stay safe out there people” with strength training especially if you are just getting started.

You will learn:

The difference between overuse vs. a traumatic injury
How pain does not always indicate that there is an injury
How injury does not always mean that there will be pain
How the variety reasons it’s difficult to make conclusive statements about how injury occurs in exercise
The difference between acute vs. chronic pain
Why normalizing pain might be a more effective way to reduce pain than communicating that pain is abnormal and always something to avoid
How many people conflate the perception of effort with pain
Sarah’s experience working with clients with a team of doctors giving them contradictory advice about exercise.
How research unequivocally suggests that the benefits of exercise outweigh the risks of being sedentary
Why alignment in exercise is often less important than tissue capacity via adequate preparedness
The markers of physical fitness and which we target in yoga vs. strength training, as well as how neither improve cardiorespiratory fitness (meanwhile cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.)
What “failure” versus “technical failure” is and how maintaining an appropriate distance from failure is important.
How to use RIR (reps in reserve) as well as RPE (rating of perceived exertion) to avoid pain and injury with strength training.

Get our Free Barbell Equipment Guide

Papers

Are Injuries More Common with CrossFit Training Than Other Forms of Exercise?

A 4-Year Analysis of the Incidence of Injuries Among CrossFit-Trained Participants

Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training

The Safety of Yoga: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

CDC - General Physical Activity Guidelines

Stronger by Science - The Science of Autoregulation

Episode 44: Barbells - Where to Start? Our Easy Equipment Guide. Jun 07, 2023

Welcome to Episode 44 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah and Laurel talk all about their favorite strength training equipment: the barbell! Why do so many people (including Sarah until very recently) have such a mental block around creating a barbell set up at home?

We also discuss:

How you will need to move to barbells if you want to continue to strength training for injury prevention, bone density, and lean muscle mass
How barbells are not an “advanced” training equipment but in fact easier to use than kettlebells
How a home barbell set up can be cheaper than you think
How a home barbell set up can be more space saving than you think
What you need to get and why
Online and local purchasing options to save money

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Extreme Training Equipment (LA County Equipment Supplier)

Offer Up

Craigs list

Episode 43: Nutrition Facts vs. Fiction with Dr. Ben House, PhD May 31, 2023

Welcome to Episode 43 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode Laurel sits down to talk with nutritional scientist, Dr. Ben House, PhD who has been working in nutrition and fitness for over 15 years, and has published many articles in peer reviewed, scientific journals. In their conversation, Ben and Laurel talk about the intersection between nutrition and fitness, specifically for women between the ages of 40-65 who may exercise and eat with a number of related (but different) goals like performance, health, and aesthetics.

You will learn:

Why food fear spreads like wildfire on the internet
Why Paleo, Keto, carnivore diets, and veganism have more in common than they have different.
That muscle can prevent hyperglycemia and inflammation.
The difference between macro and micro nutrition.
How the energy from food (listed on food labels) does not correspond with how your body metabolizes and gets energy from that food.
That low carb diets, like keto go back to the mid 1800s and then resurge every couple of decades.
That body-building is not just about aesthetics.
Why thinner is not automatically healthier and what the “cost of leanness” is.
How fat is responsible for the evolutionary success of humans.
What sarcopenic obesity is.
What apophenia is and how it is responsible for lots of myths about weight gain and menopause.
Why 8,000 steps/day and the CDC’s physical activity guidelines will move the needle a lot further than Andrew Huberman’s litany of “protocols”.
Ben’s research-supported recommendations for daily dietary intake.
What body recomposition is and how it could help people maintain weight loss.

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Article in New York Times - What We Think About Metabolism May Be Wrong

Articles on Deconstruct Nutrition:

How Bad are we at Calorie Math?

Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain?

What Percentage of Americans Are Metabolically Healthy?

Articles in Stronger by Science:

Stay Shredded

Research Spotlight on Metabolic Rate

Dr. House’s Nutrition Course - https://broresearch.com/

Episode 42: Compassionate Myth-Busting May 24, 2023

Welcome to Episode 42 of the Movement Logic podcast! Laurel goes it alone this episode to unpack six common myths that still inform the way movement teachers and even clinicians think about and talk about the body, to potentially harmful effect.

You will learn about:

The Magical Low Back Exercise Myth
The Poor Body Design Myth
The Posture Predicts Pain Myth
The Scapegoated Isolated Muscle Myth
The Fragilista Warning Label Myth
The Muscles As Modeling Clay Myth
How questioning your own beliefs as a teacher helps you be a better teacher.
How challenging your student’s beliefs may not be as productive as actively listening to them, and creating motivating, positive, and enjoyable movement experiences for them.

SITE WIDE SALE ON NOW!

Book Explain Pain to recommend for your clients

Papers

Does unequal leg length cause back pain?

No relationship between the acromiohumeral distance and pain in adults with subacromial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Paul Ingraham -

The Complete Guide to Low Back Pain

Should We Stop Teaching Yoga for Low Back Pain?

Complete Guide to Plantar Fasciitis

Physio Network -

The McKenzie method for (sub)acute non-specific low back pain

Posture and time spent using a smartphone are not correlated with neck pain and disability in young adults: a cross-sectional study

Is neck posture subgroup in late adolescence a risk factor for persistent neck pain…

Greg Lehman - Do our patients need fixing? Or do they need a bigger cup? and How to Better Treat “Shoulder Impingement”

Ian Griffiths - The myths of foot orthoses

Julie Weibe - To Kegel or Not to Kegel?

Episode 41: How Funky is Your Chicken, More on Motor Learning May 17, 2023

Welcome to Episode 41 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo ride, Sarah gets even deeper into the ins and outs of motor learning. Specifically, further components that can be easily brought into your class to help your students’ and clients’ motor learning.

You will learn:

What is motor learning (a brief review)
Motor learning stages: cognitive, associative, automatic
3 New methods to improve motor learning separate from cueing
How Harry Styles' dancers displayed phenomenal skill at dealing with contextual interference at the Grammys this year

And more!

SITE WIDE SALE ON NOW!

Sarah Court Motor Learning Presentation

How to Dance the Funky Chicken

Harry Styles Grammy Performance 2023

Episode 40: The Cues We Use BONUS Pt 4: Trina Altman NPCP, E-RYT 500 May 10, 2023

Welcome to Episode 40 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this fourth BONUS episode about cueing, Sarah sits down with Trina Altman to discuss the role creativity can and should play in our cues.

You will learn::

What are the essential components of creativity
How teaching is an inherently creative occupation
Using constraints to develop creativity in movement
The freedom of giving yourself permission to use what’s available in novel ways
Why simple cueing trumps flowery cueing for students
How your other movement methodologies can refresh your using language
Why the best solution is the simplest solution most of the time
Why showing up as yourself is the most creative act you can do as a teacher
The value in teaching the same sequence multiple times to the same group
How studying a different modality can refresh your creativity in your teaching and cueing

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Study with Trina Altman

Episode 39: RPE, 1 RM, 3 sets of 10, oh my? May 03, 2023

Welcome to Episode 39 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah takes a trip back in time to find out: Where did the ubiquitous 3x10 come from? It’s a wild ride that takes her down more than one rabbit hole and brings us face to face with 1RM, RPE, RIR, and everything else with an R in it.

You will learn:

Where did the 3 x 10 protocol come from
How 3 x 10 has changed over time, in a significant departure from what it originally contained: progressive overload
How long held beliefs around effort level and pain created a rehab emphasis on volume over effort
Where RPE came from
The RPE - RIR relationship
Pros and Cons of using RPE - RIR versus 1RM in your strength training

And more!

3 Sets x 10 Reps The History Logic and Reasoning on Physical Culture Study Website

Thomas L DeLorme and the science of progressive resistive exercise (abstract)

Progressive Resistance Exercise excerpts on Dave Draper Website

Exercise in Education and Medicine by R. Tait McKenzie (full digital download)

RPE In Powerlifting on Progressive Rehab And Strength Website

RPE vs Percentage Based Training Explained on Barbend Website

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Episode 38: Got Bones? Yoga Asana Isn't Enough. Apr 26, 2023

Welcome to Episode 38 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode about bone density, Sarah and Laurel talk all about what kinds of exercise are indicated by research to improve bone density, and almost more importantly: what isn’t (including yoga).

We also discuss:

What is bone density and how do we measure it
Why women are at more risk for fracture than men, especially following menopause
How to interpret DEXA scan results and its relationship to fracture risk
What lifestyle and medical factors can contribute to bone density loss (osteopenia and osteoporosis)
Why so many people believe that yoga can improve or reverse osteoporosis
How an often-repeated yet very flawed study convinced a lot of people that claim about yoga
How the media coverage of this study contributed to the problem
How heavy weight training and impact training are proven to improve bone density
What other exercises may or may not possess the necessary qualities to improve bone density

12-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Bone Loss

LIFTMOR Study

Video of women doing LIFTMOR Intervention

1 RM calculator

Harvard Health Article

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Episode 37: Plyometrics—Get More Bang for your Bones Apr 19, 2023

Welcome to Episode 37 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah talk about the connection between plyometrics, impact training, and bone building.

You will learn:

The difference between plyometrics and impact training.
What we need to consider if we are using plyometrics and/or impact training to increase bone density.
What the stretch-shortening cycle is and why it is important for plyometric exercise.
The phases of the stretch-shortening cycle, and why the amortization phase must be short for an exercise to be plyometric.
The differences and similarities between ballistic exercises and plyometric exercises (according to scientific and non-scientific sources).
The mechanical and neurophysiological components of the stretch-shortening cycle.
Exercises that utilize the stretch-shortening cycle and whether or not they are conducive to bone-building.
Exercises that are not plyometric, but still build bone density.
How to modulate intensity in plyometric exercise.
What the appropriate volume is for plyometric exercise for beginners.

LIFTMOR Study

Video of women doing LIFTMOR Intervention

Essentials of Strength and Conditioning

James Lederach, MS, CSCS on Instagram

James Lederach’s gym Heavy Athletics

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Episode 36: Somatic Dominance Apr 12, 2023

Welcome to Episode 36 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this listener-requested episode, Sarah and Laurel discuss somatic dominance, a phrase coined by author Matthew Remski to describe the manner in which teachers of movement, and yoga specifically, can come to exert control over their students, and the potential for abuse of this control.

Content Warning: This episode contains references to physical and sexual abuse.

We discuss:

The definition of somatic dominance
How some teachers use somatic influence, purposefully or not
Sarah’s experiences as a Jivamukti Yoga teacher and practitioner, including the famously aggressive physical adjustments, the culture of explaining away behaviors and pain as karma, and whether Jivamukti Yoga can be considered “cult-lite”
How we can all monitor and adjust our teaching methodology to avoid unconsciously creating unwanted somatic influence over our students

Matthew Remski book: Practice and All is Coming

Remski article on Sharon Gannon’s Somatic Dominance

Conspirituality Podcast

Remski article on Michael Roach, Christie McNally and Ian Thorson

NY Times article: Michael Roach and Christie McNally

NY Times article: Diamond Mountain University and death of Ian Thorson

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Episode 35: Therapeutic Movement Through an Anti-Fragile Lens Apr 05, 2023

Welcome to Episode 35 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode Laurel sits down to talk with an old friend and colleague Dr. Caitlin Casella, DPT. In their conversation, Caitlin shares about her journey from yoga teacher to movement teacher to physical therapist. Laurel and Caitlin get into a multi-faceted discussion around the goals of rehabilitation, and how unfortunately sometimes the rehab process can fall short in fully preparing people to get back to the activities of their life after injury. Laurel & Caitlin discuss why this happens, and then ways that Caitlin works to help her patients better bridge the gap between rehab and getting back to the activities that give their lives meaning.

You will also learn:

What exercise intensity is and how, as a physical therapist, Caitlin gauges the appropriate intensity for her patients, which tends to be a lot higher than they expect!
What the concept of graded exposure is and how it’s both similar and different from the concept of progressive overload.
What it means to see the human body through an anti-fragile lens.
How the beliefs people have about their joints like “I have bad knees” or “there will be wear and tear” has made people afraid of exercise and rehab modalities like strength training and impact loading.
How Caitlin works with two types of people: those who get hurt because they did too much too soon, versus people who get hurt because they are deconditioned.
That working with some level of pain is better than movement avoidance, a sedentary lifestyle, and the deconditioning that brings.
How Caitlin motivates patients to get moving even with some amount of pain.

Caitlin’s PT clinic in NYC Practice Human Physical Therapy

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Episode 34: The Cues We Use Pt. 3 Mar 29, 2023

Welcome to Episode 34 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this third episode about cueing, Sarah and Laurel discuss a specific subset (that’s a circle within a circle) of cues: feedback. Namely, we focus on when and how your feedback cues to your yoga, movement, and strength training clients can be most effective, and how there’s a strong chance you’re not helping them with that all important goal: motor learning.

We also discuss:

The three stages of motor learning that all practitioners of movement are going through, whether they know it or not
How the timing of your feedback may be the most important part (possibly even more than the content)
In what ways your current feedback habits could be getting in the way of your students’ learning (it’s not your fault!)
What three components you should pay attention to when you are giving feedback
How to transform your “motor performers” back into “motor learners”

Sarah’s Motor Learning Presentation

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Episode 33: Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down Mar 22, 2023

Welcome to Episode 33 of the Movement Logic podcast! Today, Sarah is flying solo - good thing she’s spent a lot of time working on her balance. We tend to think of balance as a precision activity to strive for, but in this episode, Sarah flips the script and shows you why balance is a non-falling event.

You will learn:

The 3 systems in the body that contribute to balance
The difference between static and dynamic balance, and which is more important
What types of exercise improve functional balance, and which don’t (you might be surprised)
The real reason older clients are afraid of falling
How to challenge the 3 balance systems for your clients and students in a fun and playful way
Why Sarah is obstacle course obsessed!

Balance System Challenge Table

Movement Logic Hips Tutorial currently on sale - 25% off!

Sarah’s Obstacle Course Demonstration

Long-term strength and balance training in prevention of decline in muscle strength and mobility in older adults

Lower-extremity resistance training on unstable surfaces improves proxies of muscle strength, power and balance in healthy older adults: a randomised control trial

Episode 32: Load & Volume: When is Enough Enough? When is it Too Much? Mar 15, 2023

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 32 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel discusses a topic that is important but poorly understood—training volume. Too much too soon leads to pain, injury, and burnout. Too little too late leads to frustrating plateaus and boredom. It’s important to understand volume, as well as its relationship to load, progressive loading, and changing up our strength training routine with well-timed variety. In this episode, Laurel also discusses:

The concept of load is not new to folks interested in strength training, but the concept of volume may be.
Why understanding volume is important for beginners who end up doing too much too soon and more advanced lifters who plateau and don’t know why.
How understanding load and volume can ensure we’ve allowed adequate time to recover.
What intensity is and the difference between intensity of load and intensity of effort.
What fatigue is and what it isn’t.
What volume is and how it’s defined.
What work capacity is—how it’s like a sink—and how it’s a bigger topic than strength.
The role variety plays in keeping our body responsive to a strength stimulus so we can continue driving adaptations toward increased strength and work capacity.

Episode 29: Pink Dumbbells and the Shrinking Female Body

A 1RM chart to determine intensity of load

The Science of Autoregulation, on strongerbyscience.com all about measuring intensity of effort using RPE and reps in reserve

How to Increase Work Capacity and Bust Through Plateaus, by Greg Nuckols on strongerbyscience.com

What is Training Volume? by Chris Beardsley

Strength Training Frequency, by Paul Ingraham

Episode 9: What Are the Best Exercises for Strength?

Listeners can use code PODCAST20 for half off your first month of membership to Laurel’s Virtual Studio. More details here.

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Episode 31: The Cues We Use Pt. 2 Mar 08, 2023

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 31 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss three types of cues movement teachers like yoga teachers and strength coaches use—verbal, visual, and tactile cues. Namely, we look at the differences between these three ways of cueing, and the plusses and minuses of all three types. We also discuss:

What deeper understanding we need to have about our students as well as the movement we’re teaching before we cue at all
What a verbal, versus a visual, versus tactile cue is.
The timing of verbal cues and how it relates to motor learning.
A debate in the yoga community about whether or not teaching using verbal cues (only or predominantly) is preferable to demoing while teaching.
How Laurel & Sarah’s teaching has changed with respect to cueing.
Different ways of stage and contextualize a demo.
Why highlighting the difference between what a movement looks like versus what it feels like can be helpful.
Whether to use first person or second person pronouns (or even to talk at all!) while demoing.
3 main ways you can give tactile cues, tips for teachers when giving tactile cues, and the benefits and drawbacks of each way of giving tactile cues.
Why obtaining consent is crucial before touching students.
The perils of “creepy hands”.
How trying to teach too many things means not teaching much at all.
The importance of using multiple types of cues—verbal, visual, and tactile—and aligning them toward a clear movement goal.

Sarah’s Motor Learning Presentation

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Episode 30: Mastering Physical Literacy with Dr. Chris Raynor, MD Mar 01, 2023

Mastering Physical Literacy with Dr. Chris Raynor, MD

Welcome to Episode 30 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by Dr. Chris Raynor, orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and founder of Human 2.0, an integrated healthcare and fitness facility in Ottawa that holds a “Movement Is Medicine” philosophy.

Sarah and Chris discuss how he managed to avoid surgeon stereotypes, why avoiding pain at all costs is not the answer, how to determine if surgery is the right approach, PLUS your Instagram questions answered!

The difference between discomfort and pain, our tendencies to interpret all pain the same way, and the need to better interpret this “low level language” to make better movement choices
Whether myofascial manual techniques are really making as much difference as we think they are
How and when he steers patients away from surgery and towards strength and mobility work instead
The frustrations he faces with non-musculoskeletal doctors who instill fear of movement in their patients through their own lack of knowledge
How the conservative world of orthopedic surgeons is slowly changing with the newer generations to emphasize mobility and strength for themselves and their patients

Human 2.0

Dr. Raynor’s YouTube Channel

StableKneez (Dr. Raynor on Instagram)

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Episode 29: The Cues We Use Pt. 1 Feb 22, 2023

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 29 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the cues movement teachers like yoga teachers and strength coaches use, and then what research has to say about them. Namely, we look at the difference between internal and external cues, and what both types of cues are good for. We also discuss:

What motor learning is and how it’s different from motor performance.
What motor learning versus motor performance look like in the context of teaching and learning movement.
What attentional focus is and how attentional focus affects motor learning.
The difference between internal and external cues and what specifically defines them.
Which type of cue is better for enhancing sport performance.
What the mind muscle connection is and how it can enhance muscle growth.
How internal cues can enhance the mind muscle connection.
How the goals of yoga are different from the goals of athletics, or even the goal of improving skill within the asanas, and why that matters for the cues we use.
Why internal cues have value both within the context of yoga and rehabilitation.
Whether metaphor and analogy are internal or external cues.
Tactile cues and what category they live in—internal or external cues.
Constraints and what category they live in—internal or external cues.
Lots of example cues in the context of yoga, strength, and kettlebells that illustrate the nuances between these different types of cues.

Attentional Focus and Motor Learning study

Enhancing the learning of sport skills through external-focus feedback study

Standing Long Jump Performance With an External Focus of Attention Is Improved as a Result of a More Effective Projection Angle study

The Language of Coaching book

Internal Cues Don’t Affect Muscle Activation With Explosive Lifting article, by Greg Nuckols

Can the Mind Muscle Connection Enhance Hypertrophy article, by Chris Beardsley

Amanda Tripp website

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Episode 28: Pink Dumbbells and the Shrinking Female Body Feb 15, 2023

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 28 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss how women have been hoodwinked into believing that strength training is not for them - when in fact it’s the most protective and valuable training for women to do, in particular for bone density for women post-menopause.

The history of weightlifting and bodybuilding in the US, including the influence of Jack LaLanne and Arnold Schwarzenegger
How the myths of “lifting weights make you bulky” and “you’ll injure yourself if you lift weights” are deeply detrimental to women’s health
The importance of your training environment and how many gyms are off-putting to women and other people who have been subjected to somatic dominance
How weight lifting has a PR problem
That women’s muscle mass and bone density both benefit from heavy lifting
What are the parameters for heavy lifting and why is there so much confusion around the terms

Jack LaLanne

Pumping Iron

www.sarahcourtdpt.com for a free guide to squat/deadlift/chest press with weight

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Episode 27: Our Big A-Has From the First Season Dec 07, 2022

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Movement Logic Podcast! This is our last episode of the season!

In this episode, Laurel and Sarah reflect on their top three takeaways from season 1 of the Movement Logic Podcast. You’ll have to listen to the episode to hear what they are! We also discuss:

How podcasting for the first time went for both of us, what was challenging, specifically.
How science asks us to hold ideas loosely and remain a student (rather than fact holder and disseminator of facts).
Why the language we use to talk about our bodies or our students’ bodies—and the re-education around using more positive, optimistic language—is so crucial to our ability as teachers to actually help our students feel better.
The problem with all-or-nothing type thinking when it comes to better understanding a topic or finding the truth.
Why publishing your learning process can be the best way to learn.

Reference links:

Episode 19 Oh, NO! Nose Breathing & Nitric Oxide

Episode 20 Pelvic Floor In-Depth with Stephanie Prendergast, MPT

Episode 16 Training the Non-Traditional Athlete with Rosalyn Mayse, AKA Roz the Diva

Episode 12 Movement Fads and Myths: Interview with Jules Mitchell MS, CMT, E-RYT 500

Episode 7 Is Pain Automatically Bad?

Episode 8 A Perimenopause Perspective with Trina Altman PMA, E-RYT 500

Episode 17 Pros & Cons of Using Resistance Bands

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Episode 26: Cancer and Resistance Training Nov 30, 2022

Welcome to Episode 26 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah discusses her experience with cancer treatment, and the guidance (or lack thereof) around how and when to exercise. She covers:

The current exercise recommendations for people going through cancer treatment
The most recent research around strength training and cancer treatment, specifically chemotherapy
What going through chemotherapy is like, and how it can be difficult to figure out what to do when in terms of exercise
Her personal experience using strength training during treatment and how it changed everything for the better

References:
Sarah’s website and mailing list

High-intensity strength training improves quality of life in cancer survivors

Effects of resistance exercise on fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy: A randomized controlled trial

Long-term follow-up after cancer rehabilitation using high-intensity resistance training: persistent improvement of physical performance and quality of life

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Episode 25: Got Yoga Butt? Now What? Nov 23, 2022

Welcome to Episode 25 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Laurel shares her history with yoga butt, or, proximal hamstring tendinopathy (high hamstring pain.) This episode is packed with tendon and muscle physiology. It also busts the big myth that yoga butt (and any yoga-related injury) is because we’re all woefully “overstretched”. At the end, Laurel shares a 3-step approach to nipping yoga butt in the yoga bud using strength training knowledge and tools.

Additionally Laurel examines:

What yoga butt is (hint: a pain in the butt right at the sit bone more technically referred to as proximal hamstring tendinopathy).
What a tendinopathy is.
Short and sweet hamstring anatomy.
Why yoga students might be more likely to experience PHT.
That a typical vinyasa or Iyengar-inspired asana class involves a whole bunch of passive forward bends/hamstring stretching and why that makes managing and overcoming yoga butt tough for students in those classes.
How Laurel nipped her yoga butt in the bud.
The contradictory advice yoga teachers (including Laurel!) gave about what to do about yoga butt.
How proximal hamstring tendon compression (rather than tension) plays a role in causing or exacerbating PHT.
How strength training can help students overcome and avoid yoga butt.
Why the narrative that we’re overstretched is illogical and a distraction away from the solution.
What motor units are, what muscle recruitment is, and how understanding this aspect of muscle physiology can explain why yoga asana won’t make your tendons stronger but strength training will.
A 3-step process to overcoming yoga butt as well as encouragement to see a clinician if what you try doesn’t seem to help.

Reference links:

Get the Hip & SI Joint tutorial before the cart closes this Sunday 11/27/22: https://movementlogictutorials.com/movement-logic/hips-tutorial/

If you want to stretch your hamstrings please continue to do so

Ebonie Rio - Isometric exercise in tendinopathy

Putting “Heavy” into Heavy Slow Resistance

Do we need to think about connective tissues when strength training?

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Episode 24: Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Science Nov 16, 2022

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by her friend and colleague, Jesal Parikh. Together, Laurel and Jesal discuss the topics of cultural appropriation, biodiversity, and accessibility. Jesal offers clear examples and anecdotes to help listeners relate to and understand these topics within the context of everyday practice and teaching. She offers simple, actionable tips to yoga teachers to help them bring a greater sensitivity and understanding of these topics directly into their teaching. Laurel and Jesal discuss:

That cultural appropriation is a form of theft and commodification.
How cultural appropriation shows up in the yoga community.
The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.
Why cultural context and Yoga’s roots matter when “thinking critically” about Yoga.
The effect of culture, genetics, and many other environmental factors on our “signature of movement”, or, the way each of us as individuals moves differently.
How accessibility is different from adaptability when we take into account how social issues (not just biological issues) affect who can and cannot participate in a Yoga class.
What connects cultural appropriation, biodiversity, and accessibility.
Science’s tendency to discredit indigenous practices, rename them, and take “scientific” credit for them.
Tips for teachers who want to honor Yoga’s roots, make space for biodiversity, and make their classes more accessible.

Guest Bio:

Jesal Parikh is an Indian-American yoga teacher, movement educator, podcaster, author and disrupter working on creative solutions for equity in Yoga. She co-hosts the Yoga is Dead podcast and offers movement education through the lens of social justice.

Jesal’s aim is to uplift those who are feeling isolated and marginalized by the yoga industry. Pronouns: she/her/they/them.

Reference links:

Visit Jesal’s website

Devdutt Pattanaik TED Talk East Vs. West, The Myths That Mystify

Hips Tutorial link: https://movementlogictutorials.com/movement-logic/hips-tutorial/

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Episode 23: Practical Strategies for Injured Students Nov 09, 2022

Welcome to Episode 23 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah outlines five practical steps you can take as a movement teacher when you have a client or student who is injured. She discusses:

Whether “just don’t do this pose” is a valid and useful answer for some teachers
Why memorizing a billion modifications can work, but there’s an easier way
What to do with a student when you don’t have any experience with their condition/injury
How to think critically in the moment when you are teaching so you can offer the most logical solution to their issue
How to relate to someone’s unique anatomy such that it might cause them pain or discomfort in a pose that you don’t experience
A logical step-wise approach for any student

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Episode 22: Do We Really Need 10,000 Steps a Day? Nov 02, 2022

Welcome to Episode 22 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah ask where the 10,000 step benchmark came from (you might be super surprised!), and if every person needs the same number of steps to receive the same amount of health benefits. We also discuss:

What are the parameters that change your number of steps
How do you “get your steps in” without becoming totally obsessed about it
How where you live might determine how much you walk (versus take the car)
How the pandemic changed a lot of people’s overall fitness and activity levels
Whether it’s more valuable to track your general activity level vs number of steps
How it’s useful to focus less on how many is enough to how many is too few
How a workout doesn’t cancel out the negative effects of a day of sitting
In what ways do strength training and cardiovascular exercise support each other
How to get more movement into your day overall

Reference links:

Step Trackers available to purchase

Daily Steps and All-Cause Mortality: A Meta Analysis of 15 International Cohorts

Daily Step Counts for Measuring Physical Activity Exposure and Its Relation to Health

The relationships between step count and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A dose-response meta-analysis

Guardian Article by David Cox

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Episode 21: Is the SI Joint Painful Due to Instability? Oct 26, 2022

Welcome to Episode 21 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Laurel shares her history with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain, and how no less than shifting her identity as a teacher, the way she thought of her SIJ, and the way she moved her body on a regular basis is what was required of her to get herself out of pain.

The SIJ is an area of the body that is surrounded by misinformation and tainted by a rather pessimistic outlook on its stability and robustness.

These fragilizing, pessimistic attitudes often result in triggering language around the SIJ that can lead people in pain to believe that their SIJ is unstable, out of place, or moving in the wrong ways.

This episode combines some anatomy and biomechanics along with plenty of human psychology and even human evolution to examine the power that words have over shaping our beliefs and identity, and how our beliefs and identity, in turn shape the language we use.

Laurel invites teachers to examine their beliefs about the body and question the words they use as thoughtfully as they choose their sequences, exercises, props, cues, and alignments. Additionally Laurel examines:

Prevailing myths around the SIJ in both the movement and PT world.
The problem with ideas around right and wrong alignment or good and bad exercises with regards to SIJ pain.
A walk down memory lane to remember all the poses, alignments, and whole approaches to practicing the asanas that we demonized and blamed for our SIJ pain.
Four reasons the SIJ is inherently stable, robust, and awesome.
What pain science can teach us about SIJ pain and more and less effective ways of addressing it.
What human evolution suggests about the SIJ and its stability.
Why looking for a specific faultily-functioning mechanism to “fix” the SIJ is often less helpful than casting a wide net and making the body, or a general region of the body, more tolerant to loads.
The scope of practice of a movement teacher when helping their students with painful SIJs feel better.

Reference links:

Sign up for a FREE mini course about the Hip and SIJ from Movement Logic co-creators Laurel Beversdorf, Dr. Sarah Court DPT, and Jesal Parikh.

Changing the Narrative in Diagnosis and Management of Pain in the Sacroiliac Joint Area

Diagnostic Accuracy of Clusters of Pain Provocation Tests for Detecting Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

The Physio-Network

Born to Walk: Myofascial Efficiency and the Body in Movement

The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease

Explain Pain

Pain is Really Strange

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Episode 20: Pelvic Floor In-Depth with Stephanie Prendergast, MPT Oct 19, 2022

Welcome to Episode 20 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah interviews Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Stephanie Predergast, co-founder of the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, about everything and anything pelvic floor related. Stephanie also answers your questions from Instagram! Here’s what we cover:

Understanding the mechanics and function of the pelvic floor and how it’s different than other muscles in the body
Why strengthening your pelvic floor is not always the goal and how it might make your incontinence symptoms worse
The difference between stress incontinence and urge incontinence
Why dyspurnia (painful sex) and vulvodynia (vulvar pain) are treatable but might get misdiagnosed as an ‘incurable disease’
When pelvic floor muscular dysfunction gets misdiagnosed as a UTI, depending on which kind of practitioner you see
The efficacy and safety of hormone therapy for menopause symptoms according to NAMS (North American Menopause Society)
What is GSM (Genitourinary Symptoms of Menopause) and how is it treatable
Pelvic floor concerns for people with male genitalia, a chronically underserved population
Why people with low back or hip pain very often have an underlying pelvic floor issue
What are some signs that a movement teacher can look out for with their clients to indicate they may need to see a pelvic floor specialist (and a screening questionnaire included below)
What is the female pelvic triad and how teenage athletes may need help

Reference links:

As the Pelvis Turns Newsletter

NAMS position paper on hormone therapy

Pique Health for online care for pelvic floor and sexual health

Poise Impressa for incontinence support

Speax by Thinx for incontinence support

Quick Screen for pelvic floor PT

PHRC YouTube page

Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center (they’re hiring PTs!)

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Episode 19: Oh, NO! Nose Breathing and Nitric Oxide Oct 12, 2022

Welcome to Episode 19 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode,Sarah discusses nose breathing, mouth breathing, taping your mouth shut (only at night), and best practices for breathing while exercising, sleeping, and every time in between.

What’s the difference impact on our physiology between nose breathing and mouth breathing - and why it might be really important to try and nose breathe
Are we breathing too shallowly either way
How do you train yourself to nose breathe
What is the impact of nitric oxide on our bodies
Why it might not be as simple as “get rid of as much CO2 as you can when you exhale” but we don’t have a clear answer for that yet
AND a very special breathing practice we can do together at the end of the episode

Reference links:

Breath book by James Nestor

Medical tape

https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/breathing-videos

Sinusology

Could nasal nitric oxide help to mitigate the severity of COVID-19?

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Episode 18: How to Like Teaching Private Sessions Oct 05, 2022

Welcome to Episode 18 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss teaching privates, why we didn’t use to like teaching privates, and why we like it now. This episode is full of awkward, funny, and frustrating stories from our past as private yoga teachers. We end with helpful tips that will help you enjoy teaching privates more.

Where to meet with one-on-one clients/patients
Charging differently based on how much commuting is involved
The big reason we didn’t like teaching privates: no clear understanding of the goal.
Students who talk too much and aren’t focused on the movement
Students who have expectations but you don’t like teaching that way.
Students with persistent pain and questioning your scope of practice.
The game changer for Laurel: training strength clients with clear, trackable goals.
The benefits of talking less and observing more.
Admin is a bummer. How we avoid back-and-forth emailing and tracking clients down.
Our top 6 pet peeves about teaching privates, and tips we share to avoid these and love teaching privates!

Reference links:

Work one-on-one with Doctor Sarah Court, DPT

Work one-on-one with Laurel Beversdorf, E-RYT 500

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Episode 17: Pros & Cons of Using Resistance Bands Sep 28, 2022

Modern postural yoga utilizes bodyweight as a form of resistance, but within the context of modern postural yoga, is bodyweight sufficient load for building strength? If not, does adding resistance bands to the practice mean we can build strength? Welcome to Episode 17 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel discusses the best kept yoga prop secret—resistance bands and unpacks what she sees are both the pros and the cons of using resistance bands, both for strength training as well as for practicing yoga.

Here’s what this episode covers:

How resistance bands lower the barrier for entry for someone to start adding external load to their movement practice.
What research has to say about bands effectiveness for building strength and muscle mass, as well as some caveats to consider.
What are some of the main limitations resistance bands present when looking to build strength?
Why do some people use free weights and bands together in the same exercise? What’s the point of that?
What constitutes a heavy weight versus a moderate weight versus a light weight and where do resistance bands and bodyweight tend to fall on this spectrum?
The difference between resistance training and strength training and how the goals of both can be very different.
How strength endurance and strength are different variables we can train, and why both are important.
Why physical therapists might use resistance bands when rehabbing their patients.
How resistance bands are like other yoga props, as well as their unique advantage.
How resistance bands can help hypermobile yoga practitioners, people in pain, or people who are just bored with their practice and looking to change things up.
Why resistance bands might not be necessary and why people might not like adding them to their yoga practice.

Reference links:

Chris Beardsley’s article What do you think you are doing by adding bands or chains?

Laurel’s Yoga with Resistance Bands Teacher Training

Laurel’s Virtual Studio

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Episode 16: Training the Non-Traditional Athlete with Rosalyn Mayse, AKA Roz the Diva Sep 21, 2022

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by multidisciplinary movement teacher, Rosalyn Mayse aka Roz the Diva. Laurel talks with Roz about how she went from always being picked last in gym class to building a successful career as both a personal triner and a pole dance instructor, and the often exclusionary industries both pole dancing and strength training occupy. Throughout, Roz shares stories of how she built a successful career (in her words) as a, “dark skin, semi-bald, overweight, outspoken woman running around NYC half naked.” Roz shares her humor and wisdom around what inclusivity actually looks like, as someone who understands firsthand what it feels like to be excluded.

Here’s more of what Roz and Laurel discussed:

The different yet complementary fitness cultures of pole-dancing and strength-training
The positive impression it made on Roz when she got to see female athletes that looked like her
The benefits of an artistic focus in a movement practice
How pole dancing helped Roz overcome guilt and shame about her body and exercise agency, self-exploration, and self-expression
The fact that people in bigger bodies have to be stronger to overcome more body weight than slender people
How Roz defines the term athlete. Spoiler: more broadly than the mainstream
How Roz connects with clients who are skeptical about exercise after negative mainstream exercise experiences
What the general public thinks pole-dancing and strength training are vs reality

Reference links:

Dangerous Curves New York Times Documentary about Roz

Roz’s website

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Episode 15: Three! Easy! Rules! About! Research! Sep 14, 2022

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah discusses the lima beans of learning: research. But guess what? Reading research doesn’t have to feel like a chore, and the more you understand what different aspects of research mean, the more interesting it becomes.

Three easy rules to follow for quoting research as if it’s facts
Why we get so excited about some studies - and why we need to pump the brakes
How to know the quality - and thus the value - of the research you are reading
Why it’s important that movement teachers quote research responsibly and what can go wrong when studies are not good quality

Reference links:

Power Posing Study

Get Up from Ground Study

Yoga Reverses Osteoporosis Study

WHI Study

YouTube video of SRT test

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Episode 14: How to Handle Burnout Sep 07, 2022

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss burnout: what is burnout, how do we avoid it, what do we do when it happens, and why do we see so much of it in the yoga and movement world.

Does everyone experience burnout in the same way
What does it mean to be emotionally labile
Why do so many yoga and movement teachers go through burnout
Can a teacher in a big expensive city make a living on group classes?
How do we create boundaries that keep us from trying to ‘solve’ our students’ problems?
What’s the best kind of relationship to have with your students?
Some practical tips to prioritize yourself and preserve your own time
What does Work Smarter, Not Harder actually look like?

Reference links:

I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam

Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Talib

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Episode 13: Should We Teach Alignment? Aug 31, 2022

In this episode, Laurel answers a listener’s question of whether or not it’s within a movement teacher’s scope of practice to help people with their posture. Her answer is yes and no depending.
Here’s what else this episode gets into:

How Laurel formerly identified as an alignment-based teacher and why she no longer does.
The difference between “default-mode” alignment versus deliberate alignment.
Alignment less in binary terms of good v. bad and more as a neutral tool for helping to restore variability and influence adaptations toward specific skills.
Theory-induced blindness and the difficulty of noticing flaws in theories that inform your professional work.
How our beliefs about posture can produce a nocebic effect.
How Laurel sees posture and alignment instruction as well within a yoga teacher’s scope of practice, but how she also sees movement teachers stepping outside of their scope of practice in providing instruction.

Reference links:

SITE WIDE SALE

Paper: Therapists Perceptions of Optimal Sitting and Standing Posture

Paper: To flex or not to flex? Is there a relationship between lumbar spine flexion during lifting and low back pain? A systematic review with meta-analysis

Paper: Posture and time spent using a smartphone are not correlated with neck pain and disability in young adults: a cross-sectional study

Paper: Is neck posture subgroup in late adolescence a risk factor for persistent neck pain in young adults? A prospective study

Paper: Clinical measures of foot posture and ankle joint dorsiflexion do not differ in adults with and without plantar heel pain

Todd Hardgrove: Great New Paper on Targeting the Brain for Treatment of Pain

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Episode 12: Movement Fads and Myths: Interview with Jules Mitchell MS, CMT, E-RYT500 Aug 24, 2022

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by the one and only Jules Mitchell, to talk about myths and misbeliefs around strength, stretching, and how to really understand how research applies to our teaching.

What are other models for movement beyond soft tissue - and can they coexist
Does it matter if your teaching still “looks like yoga”?
Should you call yourself a movement teacher instead of a yoga teacher?
How accurate is it to make claims about strength in yoga?
How teachers misinterpret research and why it’s happening
Does age reflect interest in different aspects of yoga
Should we still be stretching? Is it possible to overstretch?
What movement trends are we moving towards in the future

Reference links:

Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined by Jules Mitchell

Jules Mitchell Website

Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851231/

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Episode 11: Let's Stop Fragilifying Older People Already Aug 17, 2022

Welcome to Episode 11 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah debunks the commonly held beliefs around aging, strength loss, and frailty, where these beliefs come from, and what we should be doing for people 65+ instead (spoiler: once again, strength training FTW).

What is the narrative around falling and why do people become so afraid of it
How the fear of falling creates a self-fulfilling prophecy around age-related decline in physical performance
When does muscle mass loss start as part of the aging process
How strength training improves not just muscle mass but many other aspects of performance including balance

Reference Links:

Quantum Leap Community (Sarah’s mentorship group)

QLC: The Library (Sarah’s recorded classes)

Strength Training for Seniors (book)

Strength Training past 50 (book)

Multicomponent Exercise Program Reduces Frailty and Inflammatory Biomarkers and Improves Physical Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

MRI comparison of active vs sedentary 74 year old

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Episode 10: Is There a Right and Wrong Way to Breathe? Aug 10, 2022

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah and Laurel tackle the question of whether there is a right or wrong way to breathe, whether or not someone needs help with their breathing, how to help various populations explore their breathing, and whether it’s always bad if our clients and students have pain.

The problem with belly breathing
What the respiratory diaphragm is
Effective tactile cueing to help people to use their diaphragm effectively
The problem with cueing people to breathe deeply
Why creating a safe space to downregulate the nervous system takes priority
Why some people benefit more by externalizing (rather than internalizing) their focus
How to breathe during strength training
Breathing and the pelvic floor
Pranayama versus cardiovascular endurance training
Should we breathe through our nose or mouth?

Reference links:

Adam Meakins, The Sports Physio

All about Nitric Oxide

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Episode 9: What Are the Best Exercises for Strength? Aug 03, 2022

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel tells you what the best exercises are for strength (for busy people). Here’s what this episode digs into:

Exercise prescription versus program design
Training muscles versus training movements
8 different types of movements you can train strength within
A simplified list of 4 movements to train strength within
Why multi-joint exercises are more bang for your muscles than single joint exercises
Why multi-joint muscles also strengthen the torso
Do a full body workout rather than a split routine
Choose your order of exercises strategically
“Rules” for putting strength exercises in order

Reference links:

Train with Laurel in her Virtual Studio

Train with Laurel one-on-one

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning book
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Episode 8: A Perimenopause Perspective with Trina Altman, PMA, E_RYT 500 Jul 27, 2022

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by her friend and colleague Trina Altman. Together, Laurel and Trina discuss Trina’s experience with perimenopause. Trina shares her personal story along with tons of resources for women going through this change of life.

What is perimenopause?
Doctors have a tendency to minimize women’s suffering
Brain fog and hot flashes
Challenges women face when navigating the medical system
Finding a doctor that spends more time with you AND is evidence-based AND is current on the research
The Women’s Health Initiative and fear they created around estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Weight gain and perimenopause
Scope-appropriate advice for movement teachers working with perimenopausal and menopausal students

Guest Bio:

Trina received her training through STOTT Pilates® and is an E-RYT 500. She created Yoga Deconstructed® and Pilates Deconstructed® to show teachers how to take an interdisciplinary approach to foster an embodied understanding of yoga and Pilates in relation to modern movement science.

Trina has presented at Momentum Fest, the International Association of Yoga Therapy Conference, and Kripalu. She also created and taught a Pilates continuing-education course for physical therapists and was part of the faculty for the Brain Longevity conference at UCLA. She was the co-creator of Equinox’s signature program Best Stretch Ever, which utilizes the mobility stick to improve functional range of motion, body awareness, and total body strength.

Trina was a finalist in the Next Pilates Anytime Instructor Competition in 2017. Her work has been published in Yoga Journal, Yoga International, and Pilates Style magazine and her classes have been featured on Yoga International and Yoga Anytime. She is also the author of Yoga Deconstructed®: Movement science principles for teaching, which shows yoga teachers how to integrate modern movement science into their classes and is published by Handspring Publishing.

Reference links:

North American Menopause Society Doctors

If there are no doctors local to you, this website is all telemedicine North American Society Menopause Doctors: https://gennev.com/

Research on HRT and the risk of breast cancer

Estrogen Matters

Menopause Manifesto

Dr. Heather Hirsch podcast on breast cancer and HRT

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Episode 7: Is Pain Automatically Bad? Jul 20, 2022

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Sarah tackles the tricky subject of pain, and whether it’s always bad if our clients and students have pain. She discusses the situations in which pain might be acceptable, and gives concrete tools and approaches for you to use with your clients who are having pain.

What’s the difference between acute and chronic pain?
When might it be ok - and when would it not be ok - for your students to have pain?
How to avoid generating fear for your students around their pain experience
How much pain would be acceptable for someone to have?
How to tease out different sensations to help your client have greater discernment around what they’re feeling in their body

Reference links:

Smith BE, Hendrick P, Smith TO et al. Should exercises be painful in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2017;51:1679–87.

Malay MR, Lentz TA, O’Donnell J et al. Development of a comprehensive nonsurgical joint health program for people with osteoarthritis: a case report. Phys Ther 2020;100(1): 127-35.

Explain Pain by David Butler and Lorimer Moseley

Pain is Really Strange by Steve Haines and Sophie Standing

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Episode 6: How Much 'Should' You Exercise? Jul 13, 2022

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the question that seems hard to answer: what is the right amount for people to exercise? We also look at ways to motivate people to want to exercise, and why a lot of yoga asana practitioners end up overdoing it.

What are the government guidelines around exercise? Are they useful?
How do you get people to stick with exercise long enough to reap the benefits?
How do we know how hard to work with strength training – and does yoga count?
Why did #yogaeverydamnday become a thing?

Reference links:

CDC guidelines on exercise

1 Rep Max Calculator

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Episode 5: Does Yoga Asana Build Bone Density? Jul 06, 2022

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Laurel addresses the question of whether or not yoga asana builds bone density, where the belief or claim that it does might have come from, and then concrete, evidenced-based ways to improve bone density, as well as how yoga asana fits into these efforts. Here are specific points discussed:

Where did the idea that yoga builds bone density come from?
Why is bone density important and why should we want to build it?
How do you find out if you have osteoporosis or osteopeonia?
Who is most at risk of developing osteoporosis?
How does osteoporosis happen?
How do bones remodel and become denser, stronger, or more resilient?
What activities build bone?
When is the best time to work on building bone?
What are the obstacles to building bone?
Shoulder older adults lift heavy weights?
The LIFTMOR study
What role does yoga play in the conversation around bone density?

Reference links:

Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss

Estrogen Matters
The Physio-Network

The LIFTMOR study

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Episode 4: Feet, Running, and Performance with Guest Dr. Ben Cornell, PT, MPT, PhD, OCS Jun 29, 2022

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by her former professor from PT school, Dr. Ben Cornell, to discuss all things feet related from balance to running, and why you might want to start high-fiving the trees when you’re out for a run or a walk!

Why shoes and bedcovers cause problems for not only feet but the rest of the body
Why plantar fasciitis can be so challenging to treat and heal from
How much can we change the bony structure of the foot – and does it matter if we can’t?
Why a “window of neutral” is a better goal than a singular “neutral” position
Connecting increased foot rigidity to fall risk for older people
Why pronation isn’t a dirty word in running and there’s no single way for people to run
The importance of giving your students self-efficacy and understanding their motivation

Guest Bio:

Dr. Ben Cornell, PT, MPT, PhD, OCS, is an Associate Professor at Mount St. Mary’s University and serves as the Musculoskeletal Clinical Coordinator in the program. He oversees the student-run, pro bono physical therapy clinic at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles which provides physical therapy care to the homeless population. He has 17 years in clinical practice and is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist as well as an avid runner.

Reference links:

Born to Run

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Episode 3: Massage Mistruths Jun 22, 2022

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss massage and self-massage, common (accurate or otherwise) claims about their benefits, and what the research has to say (it’s not what you might think).

What is massage, and how is it different than manual therapy in PT?
Can massage increase proprioception?
Does everyone benefit from massage, or do some people not need it?
If there really is a problem with our fascia, is massage the answer?
What therapeutic benefits does massage have?
What role does massage play in helping trauma-affected populations?

Research Article: Affective Massage Therapy
Research Article: The effectiveness of massage therapy intervention on reducing anxiety in the work place.
Research Article: Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for reduction of stress.
Research Article: Failure of manual massage to alter limb blood flow: measures by Doppler ultrasound
Research Article: Evidence of the physiotherapeutic interventions used currently after exercise-induced muscle damage: systematic review and meta-analysis
Research Article: Adverse events and manual therapy: a systematic review

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Episode 2: Scope of Practice Jun 15, 2022

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah and Laurel discuss Scope of Practice and how it impacts our work as movement teachers and the choices we make when taking on clients. Here’s what we talk about:

· How do we define Scope of Practice, and how does it define our work

· What does a top down “macroScope” vs a personal “microScope” look like

· How do we decide who to work with and who to refer out

· Are there any pitfalls to having a scope of practice

· Do yoga teachers have to comply with the Yoga Alliance Scope of Practice

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Episode 1: Movement vs Exercise vs Sport Mar 15, 2022

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah set the stage for the episodes to come. We discuss the philosophical and actual differences between movement, exercise and sport; the problems with over- and under-moving; and of course, naming your robot vacuum (it’s the law).

· What’s the difference between movement, exercise, and sport

· How does yoga fit into these categories

· What problems do we have as a society with movement, exercise, and sport

· Lack of daily movement and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)

· How exercise without a goal becomes a chore

· Yoga as a cathartic practice that includes movement

· What is Movement Logic doing to address these topics

· Movement Logic exists to help non-clinicians improve their skill set

Sign up here for the Movement Logic Newsletter for course discounts and sales – our popular Foot & Ankle Tutorial is on sale soon!

Watch the video of this conversation: www.movementlogictutorials.com/podcast

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Contact us (we're super friendly)

Thanks for listening!

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