Author Archives: Tom Purvis

The number one way to be wrong….

The number one way to be wrong… is to think you are 100% right. “Right” is contextual (situation dependent), therefore, without stating the context that makes something “right” it can just as often be wrong. Exploration and self-questioning is a requirement of intelligence. When you think you found an error in someone else’s work, the […]

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“you should do more…”

“You should do more biceps to balance out your triceps.” “You should do more calves. “You should do more upper and inner pecs.” All suggestions made by idiots. I used to overhear such recommendations everyday. I’ve known Olympia contenders who had “weak calves” (relatively speaking). What do you think they “worked harder” than anything else […]

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Default diagnoses…

Got a shoulder problem? “It’s your rotator cuff”! Got a hip problem? “It’s bursitis” Got sciatica”? “It’s the piriformis!” “Sciatica” a term used to describe pain that may either radiate down the posterior lower extremity or remain localized to the gluteal region with no correlating findings on imagery of the spine. This leaves the default […]

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“Side effects”…

Dude!!!!! There’s no such thing!! They’re ALL effects! The drug is unaware of its job! “Side effect” is just the way pharmaceutical companies and doctors “spin” it! Whether it’s what WE want or don’t want, expect or don’t expect doesn’t change the multi-layered effects and outcomes.

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Mexico City 2012…

In 2012 I was honored to be asked to present at an international conference in Mexico City. As a presenter it was, quite frankly, just another pain in the ass trip away from home (four days in yet another hotel, long airport lines, and upwards of my 2 millionth-ish mile in another neck-crippling airplane seat). […]

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8=6+2

“Most people cannot distinguish between: 6+2=8 and 8=6+2. The difference can be rather important. The addition of 6 and 2 cannot produce any answer other than 8. But 8 can be made up of combinations other than 6 and 2 (5+3, 4+4, 7+1). Why is this important? Because people start to believe that if you […]

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Statistics…

“The thing we don’t realize is that statistics have nothing to do with the prognosis of a patient. It’s like saying that the average temperature in San Diego for the year is 75°, doesn’t tell me what today’s temperature is. Or if the average income in La Jolla is $100,000 it doesn’t tell what your […]

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“Don’t train muscles…”

“Don’t train muscles, train motions.” – Vern Gambetta Simply not possible. Ultimately, motion is produced via an inequality in opposing torques. In the case of exercise, the net is determined by the muscular torque vs. resistance torque at each and every individual joint involved/loaded… regardless of whether each is moving or not. Therefore, human motion […]

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Tight Hamstrings…

“Tight hamstrings lead to low back pain.” This is a common assumptive prediction offered by the medical and rehab communities. While someone complaining of back pain may present with “limited hamstring flexibility”, why do we assume a specific relationship? It is true that these often correlate, but we MUST reconsider the assumption of causation… at […]

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Sound Bites…

Sound bites vs Support, Details and Specifics of Circumstances Sound bite – A short, catchy statement that meets the minuscule attention span of the vast majority of the general public. Sound bites serve the needs of those who wish to generate bias and/or to appear intelligent without the burden of context or detailed understanding, both […]

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