Movement Logic: Strong Opinions, Loosely Held

In this solo episode of the Movement Logic Podcast, Laurel Beversdorf dives into the topic of exercise recovery. She differentiates between the physiological 'Big R' recovery and the 'little r' recovery, or aggressively marketed “recovery optimization” practices that the wellness industry loves to sell. Laurel discusses how sleep, nutrition, and strategic exercise stress management are critical to effective “big R’ recovery and clarifies why many marketed recovery methods may not be as effective as claimed. She emphasizes the importance of balancing exercise with adequate recovery to prevent injuries and achieve the positive adaptations and health outcomes we’re looking for when we exercise.

Sign up for our free Bone Density Mini Course here!

00:00 Introduction to exercise recovery

01:23 Understanding recovery: the basics

02:37 The rise of commercialized recovery “optimization practices” and why these are different from the recovery your body will do on its own if you let it.

03:56 The essentials of recovery - time, resources, and strategy

07:55 Misconceptions surrounding “recovery optimization” practices

09:55 The importance of exercise

12:27 Balancing exercise and recovery

18:54 Practical tips for effective recovery

28:26 Final thoughts and encouragement

Links:

Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery by Christie Aschwanden

Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training

Research on cool downs:

Pernigoni et al (2023) PMID: 37039750

Afonso et al (2021) PMID: 34025459

Mechelen et al (1993) PMID: 8238713

CDC -  General Physical Activity Guidelines

Laurel's Instagram post about recovery

Welcome to Episode 84 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this Inbetweenie, Laurel and Sarah Court discuss health misinformation and practical tips for spotting misinformation around exercise for osteoporosis, “in the wild”.

00:00 Introduction
01:07 Bone Density Course update
02:22 Continuing the discussion on science and pseudoscience
04:56 Yoga U email and legal considerations
08:14 Six tricks of non-evidence based advice
20:45 Spotting pseudoscience and critical thinking
33:45 Becoming more science literate
35:45 Conclusion 

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE BONE DENSITY MINI COURSE: BARBELL 101

Links:

Episode 79: Make Yoga U Make Sense

Alignment Dogma series parts 1, 2, and 3

The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe

Yoga Research & Beyond podcast with Jules Mitchell & Ariana Raven

Adam Meakins on IG

Greg Lehman's Blog

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

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, Yoga w Jake, Conspirituality on Terrence Howard, Unbiased Science: Acupuncture, Cupping, Decoding the Gurus, Maintenance Phase Myers-Briggs, Beall's List, Onero

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!

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

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:

• Persistent Myths About Osteoporosis
• Three! Easy! Rules! About! Research
• Weebles Wobble But They Don’t Fall Down
• Does Yoga Asana Build Bone Density?
• Got Bones? Yoga Asana Isn’t Enough.

LIFTMOR TRIAL RESEARCH

the LIFTMOR trial on YouTube

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 

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

Osteoporosis: Innovations in screening and diagnostics

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

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

Why Sitting Posture is Mostly Irrelevant to Future Pain

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