Questions, Answers and Comments
7/17/08 -- St Pio Fan writes:
Hello again. I have a question regarding the # of reps a person should do before moving up in weights on a particular exercise. Currently, as soon as I reach 12 reps I up the weight on the next workout session, but I see others who go to 15 or even 20 reps before upping the weight. Why choose 1 over the other, and what is best to gain maximum size?
RESPONSE: The repetition range is somewhat arbitrary. Staying between 8 to 12 is a good range, especially for beginners. Higher repetitions can be of some value for a change of pace (especially for the legs), but you run the risk of running out of breath before your muscles fail. When doing normally paced repetitions (about 2 seconds up, 4 down) I usually do between 6 and 10 reps, most often around 8. When doing extra slow repetitions (10 seconds up, 10 down), I'll usually do only 4 or 5 repetitions. For you, I'd say to feel free to experiment a bit with your repetition ranges. They can all work toward building size. As mentioned, I find that the 6 - 10 rep range works best for me, but there are individual differences in this area.
The key principles will still be intensity and progression. You'll want to work to or near failure, and to strive to progress from workout to workout. Please let me know how it goes.
Take care, Kevin.
7/15/08 -- Ricardo Gordillo writes:
Doc, I've been listening to your interview on Catholic Answers Live and I have to tell you that you have a new fan for life. I have difficulty memorizing anything. Plus, I recently started working out and have found it to be more addicting than running. I have been going deeper into my Catholic faith since the birth of my daughter nine years ago. So when I visited your website, I got goosebumps when I noticed your website's tagline. Your website and books are going to keep me busy for a while. Thank you for coming on the show and making your knowledge available. I can't wait for the first book to arrive. I am so looking forward to tying all these things together. Thank you so much for all you do!!
RESPONSE: You are definitely most welcome Ricardo. I'm glad to hear you're going deeper into the Catholic faith and I hope you find your time spent in developing the virtues of fitness and of a trained memory worth your while, and of benefit to your family. Please keep me posted on your progress and let me know if you have questions once the books arrive.
God bless, Kevin Vost, Psy.D.
7/14/08 -- Karen writes:
Hi Dr. Vost, I just listened to your show with Catholic Answers. This is the second time I've heard of the loci method of memorization. I like what you said about this method expanding creativity, which I didn't know before and find interesting. I have not had much difficulty in memorizing things, just need to sit down and do it, which works pretty well for me although retention is not as good after awhile. Will this method work for me? It seems a circuitous route to my very straightforward thinking brain. Are some brains not "wired" for this method? Thanks! Karen
RESPONSE: Interesting question, Karen. It reminds me of a commonsense cliche and a line from an old TV commercial. The cliche is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It sounds like your ability to memorize things serves your needs pretty well, so you don't need the system as a fix for a bad memory, and that's a good thing. These systems really work best though in making a good memory even better. You can also use them for feats that surpass what can be done with "natural' or unaided memorization. My own normal 15-year-old, for example, (who needed a little coaxing even to read his own father's Memorize the Faith!,) used a technique in the book to memorize pi to 240 places in a few hours to earn extra credit in a math class.)
I do believe the system would work for you. It builds upon that fact that humans in general are "wired" in such a way that information that comes to us through the sense of vision is particularly memorable, (the "wires" being the optic nerves as they wind their ways back to the occipital lobes of the brain) and these techniques really capitalize on this. You note that it seems a "circuitous route," and indeed, the location system really does take one on a circuit or route that may seen rather lengthy, or roundabout at first, but once you have made the initial time investment to learn the circuit of the loci, most people find it a shortcut to memorizing more information, more quickly, and more thoroughly (in exact order) than is possible by unaided or "natural" memory. Of course, this is mere speculation until you yourself have put it to the test.
That brings me to the line from the old TV commercial, "Try it, you'll like it!"
God bless, Kevin.
7/9/08 -- Need2Know writes:
Dr. Vost, I just listened to a podcast in which you discussed your book "Memorize the Faith" on Catholic Answers Live. Here is my question: What is the experience among teens that have ADHD in improving their ability to memorize not only their faith, but school work?
RESPONSE: Thanks for listening, and thanks for the question. I have not worked directly with teens with ADHD with these techniques and I have not seen specific research on it. I have done successful memory work with people with various brain diseases and behavioral disorders, however, and I am aware of some research on mnemonic strategies for learning school materials with children with various learning disorders.
In the memory training lingo, a person has a "mediation deficiency" if he does not have the capacity to use a particular memory strategy, which is contrasted with a "production deficiency", when he has the capacity to use a strategy, but does not because he is not aware of the strategy or chooses not to use it. Most teens with ADHD should not have a mediation deficiency for memory techniques like those in Memorize the Faith! Their brains should be quite up for the task, if they are made aware of the techniques and they capture their interest. It is surely worth a try.
I spent a year during my neuropsychology internship doing extensive memory testing with people hospitalized for depression. Almost without fail, they said their memories were terrible, but when tested with tasks involving repeated trials and focused concentration (repetition and concentration being two of four key parts of the main memory system in Memorize the Faith!), most had normal memory abilities. There are some kinds of disorders involving brain damage (e.g., dementias like Alzheimer's) that won't be helped much with memory strategy training, but most teens with ADHD should be able to show profit, both in learning their faith and in learning information from other school subjects, by using these techniques. I would encourage them, or anyone working with them, to read the chapters near the end of the book on practical applications, and to give some of the suggestions a whirl!
Good memorizing, Kevin
6/24/08 -- Jim (StPioFan) writes:
Hello again, I have a new question. I have not exercised for almost 15 years. As of the other day, I began using the routine suggested in your book "Fit for Eternal Life". I always heard about how body-builders exercise till they fell the burn in their muscles. Well, I never truly understood that... until now. As I was exercising, my muscles were burning as I pushed them toward failure. But, I did not find it a pleasing feeling at all. Part of me wanted to resist pushing myself till I felt this burn, though I did it anyway. So, my question is, does this "burn" get easier to manage, or does it eventually go away as I progress with exercising to failure? And if not, do you have any suggestions on how I can change this natural displease of pain! into a source of strength to continue pushing to failure? (I was offering it up for the souls in Purgatory, but the idea still kept popping into my head that this is painful and that I should stop, though I then try to to imagine it's the evil one trying to prevent me from reaching my full spiritual potential through disciplining my body.) Sincerely, Jim
RESPONSE: Greetings, Jim. "No pain, No Gain!" is a proverbial saying in bodybuilding, but we do have to be careful how we abide by this motto. First of all, we need to be sure that the pain you feel is simply that "burn" that comes from working muscles intensely, and not a warning sign of an injury. In that regard, you will need to be sure that you are using the proper form and, if you are using a machine, that the seat or other adjustments are properly adapted to your body. Also, be sure that your breathing is natural and that you are not grimacing or straining using other muscles that are not directly involved in the exercise.
Assuming all that is OK, another sign that it is merely the "burn" will be that the pain ceases when you stop your set, (though that congested feeling of the "pump" will last for a few minutes or more.)
OK, about the normal muscle burn, the tolerance for this pain will vary from person to person and from muscle to muscle or exercise to exercise in the same person. Leg extensions, for example, are notorious for bringing some quite unpleasant sensations to one's upper thighs. (The old Nautilus compound leg machine took this to new heights by allowing one to go from failure on leg extensions immediately to failure on leg presses.)
As for your own pain, you will build a tolerance for it over time, and it is no problem if you choose to work toward it gradually. If working to failure seems unbearable on a particular exercise, consider using the method I discussed where you do not actually fail, but simply perform the last rep before you feel you are likely to fail on the next one. Here's another technique to minimize the pain and to progress, but gradually. Let's say leg presses are painful for you and you've hit your target of 12 reps with a certain weight. Next workout, when you increase by 5 or 10 lbs., you would stop at 8, even if you could work through to 9 or 10 or 11. But then, the next workout, get 9 instead of 8, 10 instead of 9 the next time, and so forth. In other words, you may not hit failure, but you will strive for continuous progression, still using only one set. When you get to 12 with the new weight, add more weight and repeat the gradual step by step, workout by workout increase.
Overall though, if you stick with your training, you will probably get used to the feeling and it will not be so unpleasant. When you come to enjoy the "pumped" feeling that follows the pain, that should help even more. I don't mean to trivialize this, but the "burn" becomes almost like a mini-purgatory for the mini-heaven that is the pump!
For the last couple of months now, I have been doing exclusively super slow repetitions (10 seconds up and 10 seconds down -- 3 - 5 reps per set) for a change of pace (pun intended.) It creates more muscle burn and pump for me than the traditional HIT speed, and I've come to enjoy the feeling of those sets. (For somebody starting back, I still recommend the traditional 2 second up, 4 down HIT pace though).
I hope this helps. God bless, Kevin.
6/11/08 -- Jim writes:
Hello again. Although I am waiting for your book "Fit for Eternal Life" to arrive in the mail, I have still been reading some of your notes on your forum and various other places, and I have found myself confused about 1 thing: how often a person should exercise in a week. I see that you do an entire body workout once per week, but for years I have read to do the entire body 2-3 times per week. In fact, the exercise routine I was about to begin using had you do your entire body every other day. I really would like your opinion on this type of workout plan compared to yours, because it appears I have a bit of relearning to do. Also, even if I do alter my workout schedule to do my entire body once per week, I was always told that the abs are able to be worked out almost every day. (This is what Arnold Schwarzenegger had said in an exercise book he wrote.) Now, I have a somewhat rounded belly that I want to firm up. Do you follow the once per week routine when it comes to your abs? God Bless. Jim
Hello Jim, Your questions really get at some of the nitty-gritty differences between traditional volume methods of training and the abbreviated, high intensity (HIT) training I advocate in Fit for Eternal Life. I examined the beginner’s routine you mentioned from a particular web site (that I’m not going to mention here). First, magazines and web sites like that one are a big part of the reason I wrote my book. They tend to make lifting and diet far more complicated than they need be. They make many statements like those about the necessity of supplements and “massive amounts of protein” after workouts that I consider simply untrue and geared towards, well, selling supplements, (particularly massive amounts of protein.) Watch for the section in one of my nutrition chapters called “Supplements: Overfeeding the Overfed.”
That particular site also list many books about steroids, noting that they don’t endorse them, but want readers to make an “educated decision.” I cannot ethically condone helping someone make an educated decision that may entail choosing not only to endanger his life, but to commit a felony.
Anyway, the routines on that site illustrate many points that I argue against (complete with the reasons) in Fit. These include doing pyramiding, doing multiple sets, and doing ever more exercises and sets as one advances. I also disagree with the wisdom of even the order of the exercises they list, and there is a chapter in Fit “Order Makes Workouts Shorter” that explains why. The chapter on “Frequency for Results You’ll See” explains why the old idea that you must workout every few days is unfounded. More frequent workouts don’t do as much harm to a beginner without the strength to deplete his recovery reserves too much, but the stronger you become, the more important rest becomes. I believe many people in the field also endorse massive amounts of overtraining to encourage people to believe that they have to have all these supplements (and even steroids) just to cope with the ridiculous training loads. This is addressed in the chapter “Rest and Grow Best.”
The abdominals are skeletal muscles just like any others and do not obey physiological laws all their own. The idea of training them daily probably relates to the “spot-reducing fallacy” that I address in on the “Muscle Mastery Tips and Facts” boxes. The key to the “six-pack” is reducing the fat that covers the abs.
People do build larger, stronger muscles over time with traditional methods, but at the expense of a great deal of wasted time and effort. Part of the reason I argue for HIT as part of a rational and Christian approach is that it spares our time and energy for other more important things in life and keeps physical training in the “proper proportion” that Pope Pius XII wrote about. What you could do as you wait for the book is to try the routine that you cited. You will be doing 24 sets per workout, 3 times per week, for a total of 72 sets per week, taking several hours. When you get Fit in, try its routine for a while. You will be doing 8 sets, one time per week, taking between 20 and 30 minutes per week. The other workout will have you doing 9 times as much work. The Fit HIT routine with have you doing 1/9th of the volume, but each set will be much harder. The bottom line will be the RESULTS, both in the strength and size of your muscles, and in how the training fits into your physical and spiritual lifestyle.
Please look at some of the web sites on training in my Links section if, before the book comes in, you’d care to learn more about the high-intensity version of training (which I consider by far the sanest and most efficient.) And, please let me know how you do. I will be glad to see further questions and comments.
God bless you in your training endeavors, Kevin.
6/10/08 -- StPioFan writes:
I am a newby in exercising and am getting your book "Fit for Eternal Life". I am very excited to see a Catholic/Christian perspective toward exercising, but I have a question. I try to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, but this will interfere with my nutritional requirements when I start bodybuilding. (I require 180 grams of protein a day for bodybuilding, which is not easy to consume even if I binge on food for a day!) Any suggestions as to how to fast while not harming myself via lack of required nutrition for bodybuilding?
RESPONSE: Greetings fan of the holy Padre Pio!
Welcome to the world of high intensity training (HIT). We need to bear in mind that my place here is not to presume to give anyone personalized medical advice, and I am no expert on fasting. Bearing such things as those in mind, here’s my two cents worth!
First, I’m not sure how you determined that you need 180 grams of protein per day for bodybuilding purposes (perhaps from a formula based on your bodyweight)? Be aware that some heavily muscled, massive Mr. Universe title-hodling bodybuilders like Mike Mentzer and Bill Pearl have built their physiques on as little as 50 or 60 grams per day. Personally, I supplemented and took in 200 grams or more per day years ago, and when I stopped all supplements and stopping trying to get extra protein, my size and strength did not suffer at all. (In fact the protein reduction was before I did any powerlifting competition.) The bottom line, as you’ll see in Fit for Eternal Life, is that brief, intense, infrequent exercise stimulates your muscles to grow, and that the growth occurs while you rest as the body builds more tissue from the nutrients in your diet. The kicker is that the typical American diet already contains all the protein you need to supply that growth, and taking in more protein in no way forces your muscles to grow any larger. Indeed, excess protein calories will be converted to FAT, just as is the case with carbs and fats. I really discourage any binging or bulking up. (Indeed, you’ll read how St. Gregory the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas are among those who warn us against the physical and spiritual consequences of gluttony!) This is explained in more depth in the two nutrition chapters in Fit.
As for the fasting, I think you’ll need some trial and error there. I remember for a time in my teens when I drank only fruit juices one day per week for awhile and didn’t have any problems. I imagine that you will be in greater need of eating a balanced diet on the days of normal food intake. You would probably also need to monitor your energy levels to find out the best possible time to do your lifting.
I’ll be intrigued to see how you progress. Please let me know how things go, and feel free to send other questions and comments my way.
Pax et fortitudo, peace and strength, Kevin.
6/3/08 -- See Below for the response to Brian. (Funny that I cited James 4:15, since for the first time I had a website snag that prevented me from responding until now. I also received a comment through the Forum box yesterday from John McNichol, author of the delightful The Tripods Attack. I'm going to make sure my response below saved properly, and I'll go back in and tell you about John's book in the What's New section.)
5/27/08 -- Brian Gray writes:
Dr. Vost, I had two questions concerning Memorize The Faith: 1. Back when the savvycatholic.com forums existed, I believe someone posted a simple method employing the method loci to remember what the numerical values for various letters were when converting to verse numbers of biblical passages. I was hoping you might remember their suggestion. If not, do you have any helpful suggestions? 2. Do you have any suggestions for memorizing the numbers associated with words and/or its location in the memory mansion? For example, if someone asked me the fifteenth book of the Bible, I would want to immediately think of location 15 (the Big-screen TV) in the memory mansion and remember "Ezra." (Instead of remembering how many locations there are in the previous room, and counting up to it?) As somewhat of a follow on to this question, do you think there's a way to deal with jumping through a string of multiple lists in the mansion? For example, suppose someone asked me what the fourth sorrowful mystery is. It's location 49 in the mansion, and location 9 in that memory room, but location 4 in its respective list. Thus, is there possibly a way to jump immediately to the 4th sorrowful mystery by thinking 4 with "sorrowful mysteries" instead of remembering the memory room its in and stepping through the locations in your mind? Or would this speed of skill develop as you reinforce the memory list in you mind so that no special preconditioning ideas in the image are necessary to develop a quick response? I also wanted to say that I enjoyed Fit For Eternal Life, and will be implementing those concepts into my life/workout routine. Thanks in advance for all your answers and great books. Brian
RESPONSE: Those are some nice thought-provokers, Brian. Thank you so much. I'm off to the gym for a 35-minute cardio workout and I'll mull over them a bit. I'll post my answer in the next day or two, good Lord willing. (James 4:15).
6/3/08 -- 1. Okay, Brian. I do recall that someone had come up with a clever technique that helped her (I believe) remember the number/letter conversion, but alas, I did not know savvycatholic.com would be short-lived, and already knowing the conversion system, I did not bother to memorize her mnemonic. In any event, since there are only 10 main codes to remember, this can be managed with a little old-fashioned practice. Last fall I taught the system to a friend while we ran four miles at a leisurely pace. Besides giving him the code and the simple reminders in the book, the main thing we did was to immediately practice the conversions, by turning things like phone numbers, license plate numbers, whatever we saw or thought of, into mnemonic words and images. When thinking about your question the other day, the clock said 4:42, so I immediately thought, "rerun, rarin', roarin', rare one," etc. The thermometer said 80 and I thought "face, vase, foes, fees," etc. So, for the conversion code, repetition or rehearsal may be the most important of the four elements "by which a man perfects his memory" per St. Thomas. So, I'd suggest for a few days that you practice whenever you come across numbers, be they Bible verses or license plate numbers. (But do drive carefully.) Start your practice with the code page from Memorize the Faith! open in front of you. With enough practice, the conversions should become almost automatic and you won't need to look at them.
2. Those who have read Memorize the Faith! know that for some of the contents of the book, the number of the mnemonic location matches perfectly with the order of a concept within a list -- for example, the 10 Commandments and the books of the Old and New Testament. Others, like the rosary, in order to demonstrate the various ways the memory rooms can be employed, do not match up so neatly. For the rosary, I suggest that you study the mnemonic "study" very carefully, and mentally group the locations into the four groups of five the comprise the rosary mysteries. The sorrowful mysteries you mentioned, happened to lay out in locations 46 - 50. With practice, that 49th location that represents Christ's taking up of the cross (the 4th sorrowful mystery), can be as easily recalled as the 9th item within the study housing the rosary, and as the 4th location of that second group of five. You might even want to copy the picture of the study and add in different colored ink or pencil the numbers for the four groups of five mysteries, so that location 41 also has a red number 1 next to it, and so on. In any event, with a little reworking and practice, the order of the mysteries should become nearly automatic as well.
I'm going to leave you with a little wisdom and inspiration from the ad Herennium, the oldest book we have on mnemonics (about 80 BC) and a book that Sts. Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas knew very, very well:
In every discipline artistic theory is of little avail without unremitting exercise, but especially in mnemonics theory is almost valueless unless made good by industry, devotion, toil, and care....in placing the images you should practice every day. While an engrossing preoccupation may often distract us from our other pursuits, from this activity nothing whatever can divert us.
Thanks again for your questions and your kind comments on the books, Brian. I hope this is of some help, and I'd enjoy hearing how you're progressing some time. God bless, Kevin.
5/5/08 - Ornella writes:
Hi Dr. Vost, I just finished reading Fit for Eternal Life and it was great. I have always tried to incorporate fitness into my life, but as you state in your book things have become so complicated and I am afraid that the low fat craze confused and encouraged me to eat more food. So it's really nice to finally find some good, simple and easy to follow info. I have a question regarding the distribution of God's gifts. Are we born with physical beauty or is it something that we work toward. It seems like some people are very beautiful and others not so. I am not sure if it is God's will that everyone have physical beauty whether a beautiful face or a fit body.
RESPONSE: Thank you Ornella, for such a beautiful question. I’m glad you enjoyed the book and I hope you profit from it.
As to beauty, every baby born, even those with some kind of deformity, has a kind of beauty in that he or she is a creature born in God’s image. In terms of purely physical beauty, we are born with a vast degree of individual differences, as we are in terms of characteristics and traits like, height, weight, intelligence, temperament, and many other things that tend to lay out in the “bell curve” with most people somewhere around the middle, and those few extremes at one end being those most likely to be considered maybe beauty contest, or model, or movie star “beautiful.” (And speaking of babies, psychologists have done tests using babies as beauty judges, so to speak. Very interestingly, babies tend to stare longer at photos of faces that adults judge to be more beautiful. It seems to have a lot to do with symmetry – very similar features on the left and right sides of the face. Symmetry is something that we usually can’t do much to change, nor should we strive to do so.)
Anyway, we know that kind of beauty is only skin deep. Regardless of whatever our natural endowment for beauty might be, we can improve our physical beauty, (within definite limits) by building our muscles through strength training and minimizing unneeded fat through proper nutrition and activity levels. We may never attain the bodily proportions or facial features considered remarkably beautiful by worldly standards, and that’s just fine. The kind of training and diet recommended in Fit for Eternal Life should definitely improve physical function, and improvements in form do tend to follow as a happy, natural side effect.
The beauty that counts most, of course, is the beauty of soul that is reflected in a person’s eyes and in his or her facial expression. I imagine we have all experienced the case of not being particularly moved by a person’s physical beauty only to come to find him or her more beautiful later on, as we get to know their loving personality. It may sound corny (but so what, it’s true), but I think the greatest beauty enhancer on the market is the expression of simple human kindness, motivated by Christian charity. Speaking philosophically, the beautiful has traditionally been linked to the true and the good, so perhaps we are most beautiful when we strive to be truly good.
Peace and goodness,
Kevin
4/27/08 (See below.)
4/23/08 - Jared Barts writes:
I finished reading Memorize the Faith; and from it I was able to commit to memory a list of 500 words from a Vocabulary book titled Verbal Advantage. After doing this I found that my memory mansion was too full to add any more bits of information that are related to vocab, as it would just take too long to recall the targeted information. This brings me to a few questions: 1. What is the limit for each location? If there is no limit, then why does it take longer to recall the targeted information when the particular location has other information you have to sort through? 2. Are there 'memory mansions' that are universal? The only one that I can think of would be the human body or the numerical peg list that assigns consonant strings to 10 digits. Both of these aren't really mansions, but they are the closest I can come up with. 3. Do you have plans for mnemonic books? I'm looking for a systematic approach that uses a memory mansion for Latin or Greek grammar/sentence constructions. As far as I know, most mnemonic devices in languages are geared only towards memorizing vocab; and even then, they don't go into the particular verb group, or the 5 different noun groups, thus making the mnemonic not so useful.
RESPONSE: Excellent questions Jared, and very impressive work on the vocabulary list! I'm off now for a nephew's confirmation practice, but before this weekend is out, I'll provide a detailed response to each of your questions. Take care, Kevin.
4/27/08: Okay, here we go Jared:
1. The amount of information that can be stored at a particular location is virtually limitless in two senses. First, the same series of locations can be used to store many completely different series of information, as we see in Memorize the Faith! that the same 10 locations of the foyer house information including the 10 Commandments, the first 10 books of the Old Testament, the first 10 books of the New Testament, the 4 Marks of the Church, the 4 Last Things, and the first 2 of the Precepts of the Church, as well as key figures from the first 10 centuries of church history, and images for one of the poems of St. Therese of Lisieux. I also have the first 10 parts of the liturgy of the Mass, among other things in that foyer. You can keep adding more, and the more thoroughly they are rehearsed and learned, the quicker you become in pulling the information back out. Images in the same series also prompt or cue each other. You are quite correct that time is involved though, because this kind of guided recollection does involve thinking and reasoning processes that take time. Second, the storage on a particular location is unlimited in that you can take one image, such as the virtue of prudence at location 18 and build a chain of related images from it (as was shown with the 8 parts of prudence). Surely though, the more images you chain, the more challenging and time-consuming it becomes to recall them.
2. Here are some suggestions for circumventing the difficulties and approximating a “universal” set of locations. First, note well that the locations need not be a “mansion.” You could map out a series of locations from your own trip to work or school or a tour around your city. A baseball fan who knew many major stadiums could use the infields with their 9 positions, throw in a 10th for the umpire and have a huge series of ball fields that contain 10 locations. The last time I choose to remember 40 students’ names after the first night of class (so I could do roll call from memory the next session), I used another set of locations I knew well, namely various circuits of weight training machines in various gyms I’ve used. I laid out series of 10 machines: leg press, leg extension, leg curl, calf raise, chest press, pulldown, shoulder press, biceps curl, triceps extension, abdominal machine, and used series of Nautilus, MedX, Kaiser, and Hammer circuits. I created a mnemonic for each of my student’s names and imagined him or her doing that particular machine. It worked like a charm. I later used the system with additional circuits to memorize the names of over 180 Greeks and Romans of the Loeb Classical Library. Bottom line – Be creative in creating series of locations based on locations you already know well and the potential is nearly limitless.
3. Right now I’m writing a practical spiritual self-help book building on the parable of the talents with a Thomistic approach to the virtues and gifts, but I do hope to write more mnemonics books at some time in the future. I don’t know of memory books that deal with Latin or Greek grammar or sentence structure. I provided a hint of what can be done in Memory Master Tip and Fact #26 in Memorize!, which describes a simple technique to help remember a Latin noun declension. At this point, I would again advise you to exercise your ingenuity to see what you can come up with. I would also be happy to provide feedback and help you fine tune your efforts should you have the inclination to give it a shot. Just let me know.
Thanks again for such thought-provoking questions. It sounds like you are well on your way to memory master status!
4/5/08 -Dr. Vost writes: I've been a bit tardy in updating the forum (since 2/24 -- working on a new book I'll write about later on the website.) Thanks to all who have written. I believe I've provided personal responses. Now it's time to share the interchanges with everybody else:
4/3/08 -Another query from a high-powered individual in the publishing industry who appears to be as hard a taskmaster to himself in the gym as he is to others who gladly suffer his editorial overlordship. (Let's call him "Quads McPaws" for his penchant for questions regarding the leg press and grip strength development.)
The Quadster writes: Quick question for Dr. Vost -- last week I worked up to 12 reps on the leg press, bumped up five pounds this week (I'd been making steady progression), then only managed FOUR reps. Am I hitting some kind of wall? I'm thinking of getting trained to do squats in place of the leg press.
RESPONSE: How frustrating. This is a pressing issue. (Sorry.) Sometimes when things are going well and you’re getting stronger and stronger and all of a sudden you’re “weaker.” (Mike, my lifting buddy, and I have joked for years that we don’t know the meaning of the word “weak” and will not use it while in the gym.) It could be one of those unpredictable flukes. You might come back next time and double your reps or more. On the other hand (or leg), if you’re mentally drained on the leg presses, a brief respite from the grind of your normal weekly progression might be in order. In that case, here are four possibilities for a change of pace.
1. Consider doing “super slow” leg press workouts for the next few weeks. Drop to about 70% of your normal poundage. Take 10 seconds to raise the weight and 4 to lower it. Do a brief pause at the bottom of each rep and start the first few inches very deliberately. Shoot for about 4 to 6 reps this way and add a little weight each week, every time you hit six reps.
2. Consider doing “negative accentuated” leg presses for the next few weeks. Drop to about 65-70% of your normal poundage. Do your normal 2 second up, 4 down cadence, but do the positive with both legs and the negative with only one, alternating between left and right each rep. Shoot for about 8 positive reps (with 4 negatives each). And on the very last rep with each leg, go down as slowly as you can. Add a little weight next workout if you’ve hit 8.
3. For a particularly painful treat, consider trying the "pre-exhaustion" method. Do a set of leg extensions for 8 to 12 reps to failure or near failure, and then go immediately, with as close as zero time as possible, to your leg press. Use 70 – 80% of the weight you would usually use, and feel the quadriceps burn with each rep! Try to get at least 3 - 6 reps or so. Add weight to each exercise when you reach about 12 and 6.
4. Go ahead and try squats if you like, either with a free weight barbell, or inside a “Smith machine” where the barbell runs along a guided track. It is wise to seek professional assistance in learning the proper form for squats. But hey, like it says in chapter 9, the squat is “The King of Exercises!”
Use any of these options as long as you are progressing and “enjoying” them (from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.) Then go back to your regular leg presses at some point in the future. You should find yourself stronger than ever and ready to progress again. Your vastus medialus, vastus internalis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris (quads) will thank you for efforts (not to mention a host of other supportive muscle too modest to be named in print.) Kevin.
3/24/08 -Mike writes: Hi Kevin, Thank you for writing Fit For Eternal Life! I just bought it and am psyched! I am a fellow Catholic who loves the rich Tradition & Truth of our faith. I'm also a 49 y/o fitness buff, married for 20 years to a wonderfully fit woman, with 2 beautiful children. Can't wait to dig into your book, but after scanning it, wonder if I'll lose muscle mass by lifting only once per week? I'm willing to apply all your principles "religiously". What do you think? The Peace of Christ to you & your family, Mike.
RESPONSE: Hello Mike, I'm delighted to get your email. If you're really into strength training and you're concerned about losing mass lifting only once weekly, please don't worry about it -- for two main reasons.
First, it was under the direction of Mike Mentzer that I first began lifting only once weekly and made the greatest strength and size gains of my life. I know it was possible for me, and I know it has worked for others.
Second, I realize that for a relatively advanced trainer to maximize gains from that approach is extremely demanding (and takes extraordinary patience) if you really love to get into the gym and lift. The once only workout session is recommended as a minimum largely to get people who think that they have no time for serious strength training to realize that they really do! It is not at all necessary to train only once weekly though (and you'll notice a place or two in the book where I do mention the option of doing split routines).
Right now, I've concluded some longer distance running with a group of friends that I found to be excessive and which cost me a little muscle mass and strength. In this gung ho period of rebuilding, I am lifting every other day, a chest and lats day, a leg day, a shoulder and arms day, and a traps, neck, abs, and low back day. I stay true to the principles in the book by doing only one or two exercises per body part and by doing only one very heavy, strict, slow and pausing set for each exercise, and by training each muscle directly now only once every eight days. The strength and size are coming back like gangbusters. I also worked out in a similar manner in my powerlifting days with good results. (And for right now, I am only doing one aerobic session per week.)
If you'd care to check out the website of Clarence Bass, you can see from my article from 2006 how I worked with one whole body workout weekly, and from my article from 2001 how I broke it up into several workouts, as I'm doing again right now. (The links are in the Links session of this website.)
I hope you like the book. I tried to make it brim over with both Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian (that is, Catholic!) Tradition and Truth as much as I could. Of course, as I keep reading I keep finding more that I could have included. Please keep me posted on your thoughts on the book, especially as you put some of it into practice. May God bless you and your family.
3/18/08 -Tom writes: Dr. Vost, I came across your book today and started looking up some of your information online. Over the years, I have worked out using weights but never had much success. I paid attention to form and was consistent, but it never really did much for me. My body is of the lean persuasion (at 6' 1", I was 120 lbs when I graduated from high school and it has only been recently that I got up to 170 -- but that's not from working out, but from sitting in front of the computer most of the day.)
I recently came across an ad for Matt Furey's Combat Conditioning, but thought the price for the program too high. So I did some searching and found John E. Peterson's Pushing Yourself to Power, which is similar in outlook. These are all bodyweight and self-resistance exercises. I have been using them and had some success with them. I am curious to know what you think of doing bodyweight exercises. (I'm assuming, of course, that you have at least come across this method, which maybe you haven't.) In Christ, Tom.
RESPONSE:
Hi Tom.
I have some
familiarity with “dynamic tension” exercises ala Charles Atlas,
isometrics, and of reports of some top notch athletes (like Herschel
Walker) who have built and maintained great fitness without barbells or
resistance machines. I have not read the books you mentioned, though I
just did a little research and was able to check out the Amazon
information on John Peterson’s book. What I see looks very good. (I take
it from reviews that he even incorporates a Christian perspective.) One
of the reasons I promote high intensity training (HIT) with weights or
machines is because they are so time efficient that they don’t become
all-consuming for a person with other interests and goals in life
(including the spiritual life). Bodyweight only exercises also have a
great time efficiency of their own – and you don’t even have to drive to
the gym or buy your own equipment.
You also indicate that
you’ve had some success with the
Pushing Yourself to Power program and that’s the bottom line
– results. It can be harder to measure progression in body only
exercises, though it can be done in some ways on various kinds of
exercises, including the ability to perform more difficult exercises,
more repetitions, greater range of motion, and/or slower repetitions.
So, go ahead, if it's safe and it's working, and push yourself to power
(and please let me know how it goes). Pax et fortitudo, Kevin
3/18/08 -Bill Haley writes: Dear Dr. Vost, I work as a DRE at a parish in Scottsdale, AZ. I have recently purchased Memorize the Faith and have been intrigued by the loci approach. As you are already quite aware, the Church continually calls for memorization of the Faith in many of her documents on catechesis. As you allude to in your letter to adults, this subject is continually associated with the pejorative “Baltimore Catechism” which those nefarious nuns rammed down poor children’s throats. Given the negative associations with memorization, it seems all the more imperative to explain the benefit to creative and effective means of memorization.
I appreciate your approach and direction towards home schooling parents, but I would like to know if you have prepared anything to speak to catechetical leaders in parishes. In the Diocese of Phoenix, there are many catechetical leaders whose neck hairs rise and eyes roll when memorization is brought up. Do you have a presentation on the implementation of memorization for parish catechetical programs? Have you spoke to catechetical leaders before on your work with memory and memorization?
I pray this Lent concludes with many blessings upon you and your family.
Pax et bonum, Bill Haley St. Daniel the Prophet
RESPONSE: Hello Bill, Thanks so much for your comments and questions.
Where shall I begin? Have I prepared anything to speak to catechetical leaders in parishes? No. Am I chomping at the bit to be asked to do so? Yes.
I’ve learned through email correspondence, internet postings, calls, and letters that various individuals, including individual Catholic school teachers and RCIA leaders in parishes scattered throughout the country have implemented in some measure the techniques in Memorize the Faith! with their students. (The Reviews section of this website mention some. One I didn’t mention there is a nun in Virginia, who didn’t seem too nefarious -- and I highly doubt she crammed it down her eighth-graders’ throats!)
I have not really approached (or been approached) by catechetical leaders about its potential applications, but I would truly welcome the opportunity.
Hopefully, any formal catechetical program out there would include some core content material considered worth remembering (!!) and the mnemonic techniques in Memorize the Faith! can surely be adapted to that material, whatever it may be. The memorization involved is no substitute for deeper understanding, but a method that makes possible true mastery and deeper reflection when the printed materials are not at hand.
I have just started booking demonstrations of the memory techniques in Memorize the Faith! (and of the fitness principles in Fit for Eternal Life) through CMG booking, (www.cmgbooking.com) for any interested parties. (I will be doing a seminar on fitness for a North American Conference of Viatorians in the Chicago area this summer. My next talk about Memorize the Faith! will be with Stephanie Wood on her EWTN NEXTWAVE LIVE radio program on April 10, 2008 at 9:00 PM Eastern time. (Call-ins will be welcomed!) The most recent example of an adaptation beyond what is in the book is my brief article entitled Memorize the Mass! in the magazine section of www.4marks.com this month -- March, 2008.) (4/5/08 -- I'll amend that to a more recent example. Sophia Institute published a letter from postmarked 3/28/08 from a mother who adapted the techniques to teach her 5-year-old things like letters, colors, shapes, and numbers!)
So, you’ve really touched on a hot topic for me. I would love to see some interest in Memorize! for use in catechesis from some official Catholic bodies of some sorts. May God bless you and yours, Kevin.
2/24/08 - Rick B. writes:
Dr. Vost, I just could not help but to reply to your comments to the following answer for "2/10/08 - Jeff writes:" Having trained seriously now for 35 years and probably trying just about every diet and supplement program in hopes of finding that miracle solution, I agree 100% with your opinion. Just like you said you can find the same nutrition and supplement in common every day food for a lot less money. As much as following the training habits you mention, the proper diet for achieving the goals desired are just as important as you have indicated. Finding what works for each individual should also be a goal of the serious lifter. I soak in everything I read or hear about training and diet, and then fit that into my own program that work for me. I have found just as you said that when I begin to become weaker in my workout it’s time for a change or break. Inexperienced lifters will usually try to increase their training in hopes to overcome. I learned this the hard way in the early days of training. I normally take a week off and relax or do a week of strictly cardio. For me this comes about every six weeks after following intense workouts. For diet keeping the protein at a higher ratio seems to work best for me, especially if the goal is to drop a few pounds while maintaining the same strength level. Over the past several years I have seen you try many different combinations of diet and training. Your advice obviously comes from years of experience and knowledge. Anyway, just wanted to say I believe your advice is right on and should be seriously considered by all. Keep up the good work. A friend for life, Rick.
RESPONSE: This is an easy response, since the training wisdom is already there in the question! Let me just highlight Rick's excellent point on tailoring your diet and training to yourself. While the general principles are the same for us all, the fine tuning is an individual process, and one that will change over time as the years roll by and our bodies and lifestyles progress and develop. As for Rick B. himself, I know for a fact that this state record setting powerlifter has embodied the intelligent fitness lifestyle and served as a model for family and friends for decades, and, the good Lord willing, will surely continue to do so!
2/13/08 - Dave writes:
Dr. Vost, I am almost through your book and ready to put it to practice. It's amazing how far I've deviated from the fundamentals of lifting/eating over the years in pursuit of the latest muscle magazine trends. Would you consider the HIT program, as described in chapters 14 and 15, as ideal for dedicated lifters, or is there an "advanced" version that you follow? Thanks so much for your book and ministry. This is a great tool for the lay members of the Church Militant who face front lines of the secular world daily. yours in Christ, Dave.
RESPONSE: Great to hear from you, Dave. The HIT program outlined in chapters 14 and 15 that employs only one weekly whole body workout can be used by advanced lifters and I usually do something similar myself now, while I am engaged in many other pursuits (such as training with some friends for a half-marathon in May to try something a little different). The real key for advanced lifters is to get very serious about maximizing every inch of every repetition and motivating yourself to strive for gains from workout to workout.
For dedicated lifters who really love to lift, (and who have a little more time to spare) HIT methods can still be employed when using split routines training only a few body parts each workout, while training two to four times per week. More than one exercise can also be done per body part, perhaps two or three exercises. My main suggestions would be to keep the sets per exercise down to one in HIT fashion and to train each muscle only once per week. You might train chest and lats one day, legs another, shoulders and arms on another, and abs and lower back on a fourth, for example, and feel free to experiment. Former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates trained along those lines at his peak. Brief cardiovascular workouts could be tacked on to the end. The main ideas are to keep it brief and heavy, and to monitor your progress by your strength levels. If you get weaker, you're overtraining. It's also good to feel free to vary your workout regimen as your goals change or as your life becomes more or less hectic. If you check out my articles section, one of my article from 2006 on Clarence Bass's site shows the once weekly whole body method I employ, while the one from 2000 shows a split routine from when I was focusing more exclusively on maximizing size and strength over endurance.
I'm with you in hoping the book provides some ammunition for the Church Militant. Please let me know how you do and always feel free to ask additional questions or make additional comments. Pax et fortitudo, Kevin.
2/10/08 - Jeff writes:
Dr. Vost, I first heard you on the radio with Al Kresta and was impressed with your information about learning. Then lately, I hear you on Next Wave talking about fitness. I have a problem/question. My 11-year-old nephew is a 365-days-a-year wrestler. His dad has him taking an amino acid supplement. I know that the directions say "not for under 18." Is this dangerous for him? Thanks so much and may God continue to bless your ministry, Jeff
RESPONSE: Good question, Jeff. Bearing in mind that my opinions here are not to replace personalized medical/nutritional advice for any particular person, in chapter 12 of Fit for Eternal Life I address supplements, and my general opinion is that they are unnecessary. I checked out the nutritional content of the specific brand name you mentioned. The product is essentially pure protein, 5 grams per 20 calorie serving. One large egg, by the way, contains 6 grams of high quality protein, brimming over with amino acids, which are the chemical building blocks of protein. (A gallon and a half of milk has 192 grams, more than the 185 grams in the whole bottle of that supplement selling for $19.95). The bottom line is that a regular diet of normal foods should supply all the protein necessary for muscle growth in a growing wrestler, unless he is restricting his diet to make weight for a particular weight class, and that I would not recommend. Further, taking in more protein than required does not force the muscles to grow stronger and larger. All in all, if he's just taking a few servings per day, I doubt that the product is dangerous, just costly, and of little, if any real value in terms of results. I'm also a little concerned by the description of "365-days-a-year wrestler," if by this you mean he is actually training every day, which could smack of overtraining. Wishing the best to you and your grappling nephew, Kevin.
2/5/08 - Marcus Grodi writes:
Just wanted to first thank you & Sophia Institute Press for a copy of your book. It arrived providentially because I've been motivated with the new year, as so many other thousands, to get back into a routine to combat the avalanche of unfitness. My older sons (20 & 16) have become very disciplined in their workouts, but we have all been lured away by various fitness and diet fads. You're book was a godsend! As soon as I finished it I ordered a copy to be sent to my son at college, because your balanced approach is just what he needs to hear--and also me of course. With my weekly travels and living on a small farm and running a non-profit apostolate and keeping up with three sons and dedicating my mornings to spending time with my wife, my old exercise! routine was long ago out the window. And to some extent I was paralyzed to restart because I was anchored in to old ways of thinking, still plagued by fitness theories from college football, etc. But Kevin, your book makes a lot of sense and provides not just a plan but a balanced theory that I believe will allow me to include an affective exercise and dietary routine that can fit perfectly with my busy lifestyle. (I began last Wednesday and tomorrow morning will be the second week following your plan.) Thanks, Kevin. I'll let you know how it goes both with me and with my sons. In Him, Marcus Grodi
RESPONSE: I am thrilled to receive your gracious comments, Marcus. Your television program, The Journey Home on EWTN is in fact one of my most steady sources of spiritual nourishment! My wife Kathy and I thoroughly enjoyed your segment with Rob Evans, "The Donut Man," just last night. (Readers, if you are not familiar with Mr. Grodi's apostolate, I urge you to check out his program on Monday nights and to visit the website of The Coming Home Network. Marcus and his colleagues do wonderful work in bringing people into the Church and in helping them understand, experience, appreciate, and share its wonders once they've come home.) Here's hoping for the best for you and your sons in your training. I do look forward to hearing more. God bless, Kevin.
2/1/08 - Dave writes:
| Dr. Vost, Before I became Catholic in 2006 I was very self-centered. I neglected my wife and two babies to pursue my interests, one of which was weight lifting. My daily schedule consisted of work and lifting. I spent very little time with my family and did not help around the house. Upon Confirmation I understood my vocation and saw that lifting was talking its toll on my family. Now my day consists of morning prayer, work and ministering to my family in the evening. I need prayer, I have to work and I want to serve my family but I am sick of being in horrible shape. I am having trouble justifying weight lifting with a wife a toddlers who only have a few hours of my time every evening? Can exercise (specifically weight lifting) become a positive part of my spiritual and family life? Do I need to sacrifice prayer time or family time lift weights? thanks, dave |
RESPONSE: Thank you for your question, Dave. I'm glad to hear you've gotten your priorities in line. The good news is you should indeed be able to justify the time for exercise (and most specifically weight lifting) without doing any kind of injustice to your family or your spiritual obligations. There is no need whatsoever to remain in "horrible shape" if you can devote literally less than one-half hour one day per week to some very focused, principled, progressive resistance training. This is one of the main reasons I wrote this book for Catholics and other Christians. I wanted to show how the right kind of training should not interfere with living the devout Christian lifestyle, but rather, should actually enhance it!
The core HIT (high-intensity training) program that I lay out in Fit for Eternal Life is a 20-minute whole body routine done only one day per week (and this is a routine for real results -- not just minimal maintenance.) Seven chapters in the section on "The Strength of Fortitude" explain the principles that show how real results can be achieved with such a small time investment and only one set per exercise on a handful of fundamental exercises.
The principles of sensible nutrition and of converting normal daily activities into calorie-burning (and spiritual) exercises are also most compatible with family and spiritual life. I note in the book how Pope Pius XII wrote that the Catholic Church fully endorses physical culture (the pursuit of fitness) if it remains in "proper proportion." I endeavor to show in Fit for Eternal Life, just what "proper proportion" means with today's hectic lifestyles.
I wish you the best. If you have no medical impediments to resuming your training, then it's time to get back in shape, for yourself, for your family, and to glorify God through your bodily Temple!
Please feel free to correspond again. God bless, Kevin.
1/27/08 - A Religious Education instructor from Illinois wrote:
"Dear Mr. Vost, I have purchased your book, "Memorize the Faith!" and have found it very instructive. I am a Religious Ed. instructor at my parish and I was wondering if you would give me permission to use your approach to learning the Beatitudes (your examples and pictures used to commit the Beatitudes to memory)? I would clearly include any statements of origin of the materials that you might want included, and I would recommend that parents of the students consider purchasing the book. I am helping 6th graders memorize various prayers and elements of the Catholic Faith."
RESPONSE: I emailed her back that I am delighted to hear of the use of Memorize the Faith! with real live classes of Catholic students, the more the better! (I know it has been used this way in other parishes in Illinois, Alabama, Virginia, and Canada.) I simply ask that anyone who uses material from the book for classroom demonstrations show and tell the students the book, and if any printed handouts are made, that the title, publisher, and author be included in writing. (This instructor also offered to show the book to their Director of Religious Education, and needless to say, I'm all for that.) I would also be happy to assist any instructors or students who have questions about the applications of the methods in the book. And please let me know how the students fare. Just drop me an email. Happy memorizing!
1/23/08 - A high-powered individual in the publishing industry who identified himself only as "Pathetic Paws" wrote:
Dr. Vost, you have to help me strengthen what must be the weakest part of my body: the hands. I'm willing to try anything.
Signed,
Pathetic Paws
RESPONSE: (Adapted from my email response to Mr. Paws.) Bear in mind that the gripping involved in heavy pulling movements such as chins, rows, pulldowns, and deadlifts will provide some stimulation to the muscles in the forearms, hands, and fingers. Further, though barbell wrist curls performed with a full extension and flexion of the fingers can also do some good in this regard, it can be profitable (and fun) to do some specialized hand strength training from time to time.
I direct you, Mr. Paws, to the "Captains of Crush" gripper page of the website of ironmind.com. I have no affiliation with these folks, except that I share, to some small extent, their fascination with building grip strength. Their recommended general training principles of intensity, progression, and recuperation sound just right to me. They also have a book on the subject, and believe it or not, a special song on CD to psyche you up for your grip workouts. (I have a gripper and plan to order more, though I can't say I've heard the song.)
Now, the muscles of the hands and fingers are relatively small and are unlikely to result in overtraining, if a few minutes of training are added in the right dosage to your overall health and fitness routine. There are also a variety of other hand and grip strength aids and exercises on that site.
So, Mr. Paws, and other interested readers, if you desire to turn pathetic paws into paws of power, I suggest you wrap your paws around a "Captains of Crush Gripper" and start gripping and crushing.
11/26/07- Clarence and Carol Bass write: "Hi Kevin: Congratulations on your website. It looks terrific, very well done. You have been a valued friend and colleague for many years. Your unique perspective on fitness and life will be of great interest and value to your visitors. Carol and I look forward to watching your site grow and prosper. Our best to you and your wonderful family."
RESPONSE: Thanks so much Clarence and Carol. What a wonderful way to kick off the forum! The Basses are the best resource I know of for comprehensive, reliable, cutting-edge information on sensible strength training, exercise, and nutrition. You'll notice that I've linked to their "RIPPED" website at www.cbass.com, and it's not just because they've been gracious enough to post some of my fitness articles there. I can endorse no fitness website more whole-heartedly than theirs.
Though Clarence did not mention it, I definitely want my visitors to know that he is soon to release his most recent book entitled, Great Expectations: Health Fitness Leanness Without Suffering. (I hope it might generate a little discussion here on this site. In fact, I'll post a review myself.)
And oh yes, I can't take credit for the wonderful look of this site. Check out the Pictures section and you'll see a couple of shots of Rick, my Web Master. We were on the same power lifting and tug-of-war teams in the early 1980s and we're both still hitting the iron (and the computer keyboards) hard.