Hi Peak Family!

Today I want to go back to a famous Seinfeld episode, The Pie.

In this one from season 5, Gerry has a new girlfriend, Audrey.

And Audrey's father, Poppie, owns and is the chef of a restaurant. 

Audrey arranges a reservation to take Jerry for dinner and to meet her father.

At one point during the evening, Jerry has to use the restroom. 

While he's in the restroom, Poppie comes out of one of the stalls, says hello to Jerry and heads back to the kitchen.

The camera pans from the stall, to the avoided sink, then to Jerry's horrified reaction.

From the kitchen, Poppie calls out to Jerry, telling him not to fill up on the bread because he's going to make something special for him.

As he's saying this Poppies has his wrists deep in a pile of dough, kneading it for his next culinary creation.

Being the germaphobe that he is Jerry refuses to sample the meal when it is delivered to their table and is subsequently dumped by Audrey.

As Jerry later explains it, 'Poppie got a little sloppy'.

So, besides taking a little trip down memory lane to recall a funny Seinfeld episode, you may be wondering what this has to do with your health, fitness and performance?

Well, it has to do with a recent research study.

The study involved 40 subjects, 31 men and 9 women, with an average age of 22 years.

The researchers tested the subjects strength before the study to determine what their particular needs would be. Some would require more force development and others would do well to work on their speed.

From the graph above, force is on the vertical axis and velocity is on the horizontal axis. If someone was on the far left part of the curve, where Maximal Strength is written, the velocity would be quite low. And if someone was on the far right of the curve, where Speed is written, tracing across to the vertical axis we would see the force would be quite low.

So with some testing we could figure out which individuals would do well to train for force i.e. those that are high on the velocity end of the curve and low on the force end, and which individuals would have the opposite need i.e. those low on the velocity end of the curve.

The subjects were then assigned a training program. Half of the group (i.e. the intervention) was told the program was specific to their goals. The other half of the group (i.e. the control) was simply given a general training program not specific for them. Both groups actually followed the same training program.

The subjects trained for 10 weeks and then were tested for the counter-movement jump, a 20 m sprint, a one rep maximum squat, the leg press as well as ultrasonography to determine muscle thickness in the quadriceps i.e. the rectis femoris. 

The main results for the intervention versus the control were that:

• 1 RM squat increased 5.7 kg v 0.9 kg
• adherence was 82 v 72

In other words, squats improved by almost 600% more in the group that was told the program was specific to them, even though it wasn't.

And, when the subjects were told the program was specific to them, they were 10% more likely to attend all of their training sessions.

We've always known there is value in training. And that it is even better to do something specific to your goals. This pilot study shows us how important it is to believe what we are doing is effective and specific to our goals.

Lindberg, K., Bjørnsen, T., Vårvik, F. T., Paulsen, G., Joensen, M., Kristoffersen, M., & Solberg, P. (2023). The effects of being told you are in the intervention group on training results: a pilot study. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1972.

Other news to share...

1. Dr. Jordan Peterson in Kelowna

Are you going to see Dr. Jordan Peterson next month?

We will hosting a pizza event at the gym before the talk which is on Friday May 26 for a couple of hours before the event.

Maybe you've read his books, listened to him on Joe Rogan or watched some of this YouTube videos. Or maybe you haven't or aren't aware of who he is.

Either way, if you like pizza and want to join us for a snack and cold beverage, feel free to drop-in.

More details to come.

2. Something for the Men

Sometimes men can be stubborn when it comes to their health. Many of the wives and girlfriends are thinking 'No kidding!'.

And as men, we can avoid going for check-ups. We can dismiss early warning signs and symptoms as no big deal. And maybe this is due to pride, ego or a Superman complex (again the wives/girlfriends are thinking "yes, it is!').

Recently I met with the director of a medical clinic, specifically focussed on men's health. And we discussed co-hosting a presentation on how men can see where some of their health markers are at, if a medical treatment would be beneficial and how exercise fits into the mix.

Stay tuned for more details on this, to announce this clinic and the presentation to come.

3. The Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health

This coming week I will be presenting on this topic to a local business. And the presentation will be a combination of stories and research reviews as to how it is that exercise can help us feel better, mentally. We'll examine which types of exercise are most effective and how the foods we eat play a role in our mental health.

Let us know if you would be interested in booking this presentation for your workplace.

4. The Last Word

Last week the Bucks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. They were a favoured team going in but were knocked out in the first round.

A reporter asked their star player if this season was a failure.

He did such an excellent job of answering him.

While it would have so easy to snap back at the reporter, ignore his question or deflect it, instead he said the following. And I'm paraphrasing...

He asked the reporter if he did his best over the last year? 

And then he asked him if he got a promotion as a result?

And he said even if he didn't, he was probably able to provide for his family, pay his mortgage and cover the bills. 

The star player explained how the team he plays for went from 1971-2021, or 50 years, without winning a championship. And that those years were important. They were steps towards the ultimate goal of an NBA title.

He also brought up Michael Jordan, arguably the best player in the history of the NBA, and made note that MJ played 15 years, and won 6 rings. Does that mean that 9 of Jordan's seasons were failures?

No, it doesn't.

For Giannis, the player I'm talking about, MJ, or ourselves, not winning doesn't mean failure.

There can be lessons in defeat. And we grow stronger from the process.

Not every week will result in:

• more pounds off the scale
• more weight added to the bar
• less joint pain and more mobility
• better mental health

But that doesn't mean our efforts are wasted.

We grow, learn and improve, later, from the process.

That's all for now.

Get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Chris