The Physics of Fitness

INTRODUCTION
If you have spent any amount of time performing conventional weight training exercises
like Barbell Squats, Dead Lifts, Overhead Presses, Incline Presses, Upright Rows, Bent
Over Barbell Rows, Seated Low Pulley Rows and Hanging Leg Raises - to name just a
few - I can say with absolute certainty that you have not exercised efficiently. You have
spent more time and energy than is necessary, you have not stimulated your target
muscles as well as you could have, and you have exposed your joints and spine to a
significant amount of unnecessary injury risk.

I realize these are bold statements to make. But I assure you that you will understand
exactly what I mean, after you’ve read this book.

The fact is that a very high percentage of what is typically taught about “exercise
selection” - for the goal of muscular development - is either entirely incorrect, or simply
not the wisest strategy for the intended goal. The reasons for this are clearly explained
throughout this book.

What is most important to understand is that the human body is essentially a system of
pulleys and levers. Muscles are the “pulleys” and our bones (limbs) are the “levers”.
Thus, the principles of physics (i.e., “classical mechanics”) which apply to all things that
are structural and/or mechanical, also apply to the human body. These physics
principles, combined with some basic rules regarding the human musculoskeletal
system and muscle physiology, allow us to clearly identify which exercises are best for
each muscle group.

What has been missing from mainstream fitness instruction is a standardized set of
rules - criteria - by which all exercises can be evaluated. There needs to be a checklist
of mechanical factors that can be applied across the board - to all resistance exercises -
which allows people to determine whether an exercise is mechanical “good” (optimally
productive, efficient and safe), mechanically “bad”, or somewhere in between.

Somehow, we (as an industry) have failed to acknowledge these biomechanical

principles. This has lead to people mistakenly glorifying “bad” exercises, while
dismissing or overlooking “good” exercises.

“Bad” exercises are ones that only deliver a small percentage of the load we’re using, to
the target muscle. “Bad” exercises are the ones that unnecessarily load (and strain)
non-target muscles more than they load the target muscles. “Bad” exercises are the
ones that unnecessarily strain joints and the spine. “Bad” exercises are the ones that

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waste time and energy because they fail to move the target muscle’s operating lever
(limb) in the ideal anatomical direction, or they use a direction of resistance that fails to
provide alignment, does not provide “early phase loading”, does not allow a complete
range of motion, and a number of other necessary requirements.

We have been mislead - essentially fooled - by misinformed, misguided or dishonest

“gurus” and a commercially driven industry, into performing highly inefficient exercises
that make us feel “beastly” (because we are able to move lots of weight), yet fail to
optimally stimulate our target muscles, and expose us to far more injury risk than is
necessary.

Once you understand the principles that determine which exercises are “good” or “bad”,
you will be able to pursue your training with much more efficiency and effectiveness.
You will be able to load your target muscles more, while wasting less energy, spending
less time in the gym, and putting less strain on your joints, spine and tendons.

These biomechanical principles fall under two general categories.

1. The ideal direction of anatomical movement for each muscle

2. The ideal direction of resistance for each movement

Every skeletal muscle has an “ideal” direction of movement - a motion that moves that
muscle’s operating lever (limb) though a pathway that most purely represents that
muscle’s function. When an exercise mimics that motion, it allows that particular muscle
to function with the greatest percentage of efficiency. When an exercise fails to mimic
that muscle’s ideal motion, the muscle may participate in the motion, but with
decreasing percentages of efficiency. The degree of departure from the movement
which correctly mimics the muscle’s ideal motion, determines the degree of compromise
that that muscle will experience in its ability to fully participate in that motion.

Further, our body’s joints also have parameters of “ideal” motion, and limits of “natural”
movement. The parameters of a given joint’s movement typically match the ideal
motion produced by the skeletal muscle which operates that joint. In other words, the
ideal motion of a particular skeletal muscle, allows the joint operated by that muscle to
function as “naturally” as possible. Motions (exercises) that are distinctly aberrant
(different) from a muscle’s ideal movement, also tend to strain the joint that is operated
by that muscle. Many examples of this will be outlined in this text.

The direction of resistance, of a given exercise, also plays a significant role in the
effectiveness, efficiency and safety of that exercise. When we perform a “resistance
exercise”, the resistance being used applies its force on the levers of our body, in a
particular direction. That direction of resistance is not incidental. It is of paramount
importance.

The direction of an exercise’s resistance determines which muscles are loaded, and
which ones are not. It is not the direction of movement that determines which muscles

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are loaded. It is the direction of the resistance that determines which muscle is loaded,
based on “the line of force” (aka “opposite position loading”) - a universal physics
principle.

The direction of an exercise’s resistance also determines how much (as a percentage)
of the load being used, is placed on the target muscle, based on the angle at which that
direction of resistance interacts with the target muscle’s limb (“operating lever”).

The direction of resistance also establishes alignment, which determines whether the
load is being directed to the target muscle, or whether a percentage of it is being
misdirected to other non-target muscle. This also determines potential injury risk.

Further, the direction of resistance also determines the “resistance curve” of the
exercise - where (during the range of motion) the target muscle encounters more or less
resistance. The resistance curve could be highly productive, if it matches the strength
curve of the target muscle - or it could be very unproductive, if it fails to match the
strength curve of the target muscle.

It is an absolute fact that there are “bad”, “good”, “better” and “best” exercises for each
physique muscle, based on the physics principles and anatomical principles mentioned
above. It makes sense to know which is which, and to select your exercises from an
informed perspective.

Some of you may wondering if this book (the concepts it discusses) will be too
complicated to understand. I assure you, this book is written in plain language, using
plenty of examples, and utilizes over 900 photos and illustrations, to help you
understand. Also, at the end of each chapter there is a synopsis, which gives you “the
bottom line”. So even if you are not able to fully understand the “why”, you will still
understand the “what”.

Here are some of the questions we should ask ourselves when assessing the
productivity and efficiency of an exercise we’re considering doing:

1. Which levers (bones) are perpendicular with the given resistance, and which ones
are not, during that exercise?

2. At what point in the range of motion of an exercise, is your target muscle’s operating
lever (e.g., your forearm, when you are performing a Biceps Curl), perpendicular with
resistance, parallel with resistance, or somewhere in between?

3. From what angle is the target muscle pulling on its operating limb? For example, at
some points in the range of motion of a Biceps Curl exercise, the Biceps pulls on the
forearm perpendicularly, and other times it pulls on the forearm more from a parallel
angle. This has significant importance.

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4. Is the operating lever of the muscle you intend to target, moving directly toward that
muscle’s origin? If “yes”, than it’s good. If “no”, than it’s varying degrees of inefficient or
unproductive.

5. During a particular exercise, is the muscle on which you are most focused
(prioritizing) working more than the supporting muscles? Or are the supporting muscles
working harder than your target muscle? This is based on the direction of resistance.

6. Have you positioned your target muscle directly opposite the direction of resistance?
If “yes”, than it’s good. If “no”, than it’s varying degrees of inefficient or unproductive.

7. If you do multiple exercises for a given muscle, are you able to clearly identify what
makes one exercise different from the other? Are you sure there is no redundancy?

8. Are you performing an exercise with the misguided belief that it’s somehow going to
change the shape of the target muscle? If an exercise could do that, the mechanism by
which it does should be clearly defined, understood and verifiable. In fact, the opposite
is true - a muscle does not / cannot change it’s shape, and this fact is verifiable.

All of these questions have specific and scientifically sound answers. If you invest large
amounts of time and energy in the pursuit of physique development, you owe it to
yourself to know the answers to these questions. If you are in the business of advising
people in regard to resistance exercise (trainers, coaches and physical therapists), it is
imprudent and irresponsible for you to not know the answers to these questions.

Have you assumed that the dogma promoted by fitness magazines and by bodybuilders
who have little or no scientific knowledge is accurate? Have you passed along this
“information”, thinking it was accurate, but in fact you aren’t sure of its veracity?

There is a tremendous difference between traditional “weight lifting” (i.e., the lifting of
heavy objects in ways that could be classified as non-specific), versus the strategic
loading of biomechanically correct movements, taking into consideration optimal
physics, natural anatomical motion and any neuro-physiological interference.

The first 17 chapters of this book address concepts that are mechanical (physics
principles), or factors related to basic muscle physiology (dynamic muscle tension
versus isometric muscle tension, Reciprocal Innervation, uni-lateral exercise versus bi-
lateral exercise, etc.). Chapters 18 through 25 discuss the individual muscle groups.
These chapters explain what is not quite correct about many traditional exercises used
for those muscles, and which exercises are better - based on the information presented
in the first 17 chapters. The factors which determine what constitutes a good exercise
versus a not-so-good exercise are undeniable, as you will soon see.

The final chapter of this book addresses the issue of “what or whom you should
believe”, in terms of exercise selection information. Many sources which people often
believe are accurate and trustworthy, are actually not very accurate or trustworthy. This

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will likely be “a bitter pill to swallow” for many people. There are bound to be some who
will be shocked - possibly even angry, or in denial - that the beliefs they’ve held for so
long are incorrect. But there is a long history of people denying truths, because
previous beliefs are rooted in dogma.

I encourage you to open your mind, use your sense of reason, try the experiments I
recommend throughout the book, and allow yourself to explore the alternatives I
suggest here. I firmly believe that you will be very happy you did.